Spring's Simple Joys

Last week I was careful to look for signs of Spring so that I could encourage those who were weary of this cold weather we have been experiencing.
God is so faithful to show us!
~♥~The birds have been singing their songs here every morning. I have spotted and heard the red cardinals,
the mourning doves,
the chickadees and sparrows,
the blue jays and robins,
and even the red- winged black birds,
one true sign of Spring which you can read about here. Although this article is from New England, the same evidence can be said of Ontario.
As I was driving to town for groceries and errands, I grabbed my camera to capture a few scenes for you.
I get so excited when I spot even the smallest indication of Spring, so bear with me as I tell you that I pulled over immediately when I spotted this first picture, but felt so embarrassed when the farmer stopped his tractor thinking I wanted to speak with him,
I quickly took the photo from the window as I drove away:)
The things I do to share Scenes of Spring with you...I tell ya:)
~♥~This was a joyful scene for me as I have not seen many farmers out spreading manure yet, and this truly reminded me of Spring.

~♥~Maple syrup buckets were hung in many sugar bush areas...

~♥~The new Spring collection at Bath and Body Works...
the packaging alone is so adorable, so fresh and Spring-like,
and the scent is wonderful:)
My favourite new collection is Country Chic,
although I prefer to say: Country Chick~
a blend of wildflowers, woods and citrus....love it!
You can visit their website here

~♥~The sweet and feminine dress my daughter ordered
for her college gala from Ruche
and the vintage collection of clothing,
including many lovely dresses found here.

Her English Muse Ivory Lace Dress:

~♥~The glorious Spring sunshine in the windowsills
as I observe this on my drive into town...

~♥~The sunlight streaming through our windows at home,
morning and evening...

~♥~An action-packed Sunday as our dear friends met us at church, their excited reunion with many friends they hadn't seen in years, a beautiful service concluding with this song by Lincoln Brewster; a powerful reminder taken from Isaiah 40:

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord

Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our strong Deliverer

You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint, You won't grow weary
You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles

(pause playlist to listen;
you can click on the four arrows for full screen viewing.
The song gets loud but the ending is worth it...so precious)

~♥~And the Spring Party that followed our church service as we had three families over to our home for the day. There was so much laughter and chatter as we caught up...secretly I think that at least three of the women had a serious case of Spring Fever...but don't tell them I said that.
The meal consisted of caesar salad, spinach lasagne, garlic bread followed by desserts.
Don't you just love the cinderella glass slipper in the form of that precious little glass tea pot, a thoughtful gift from friends, who also included Lady Earl Grey tea which is wonderful. You can visit the Teaopia website here. The pretty spring collection of tea cups (for my oldest daughter) was purchased for $3.00 at my favourite thrift shop, the MCC which you can check out here

~♥~The decadent desserts included:
cherry cheesecake,
chocolate fudge cake,
(both brought by my friends)
and the carrot cake,
which I shared before in this post here

~♥~The little spring gifts for my friends because:
Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"
~Robin Williams

~♥~Cheerful Gerberas bringing Spring indoors...

The year's at the spring
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hillside's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in His heaven -
All's right with the world!
~Robert Browning

Saturday's Simple Joys

It was a full and busy day today at the library with a steady stream of patrons visiting.
It is always a joy to be working in such a great atmosphere.
This has been a very busy week for me, with most days being gone for work,
appointments both doctor and physio, birthday celebrations and outings with friends etc.

Some of my simple joys of this past week include:
♥ taking my friend L out for her birthday in Fergus and celebrating the gift of friendship
♥ having a wonderful time with friends in Mount Forest and enjoying the gift of laughter
and bonding over crafting.
♥ making progress on my knitting project despite the busy week.
I think knitting could become addictive as I tell hubby 'just one more row'
♥ milder temperatures and noticing the sounds of the birds
♥ being part of a great church and our daughter being in an awesome youth group
as we spent time with parents and teens on Friday evening...so much fun!
♥ Baking for tomorrow's family gathering at our dear family D&M, in the Niagara area

I just had to share this photo of my messy sink for my friend B who thinks my home is perfect.
Ask my hubby...he can assure you that it isn't:)

I have included the recipes for you, both of which I highly endorse...so good!
My friend S emailed this recipe to me after I sampled it last week at a potluck...
...it was so easy she told me:

PUFF PASTRY
72 soda crackers
1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding-prepared with milk
1 large container cool whip-1 litre
1 tin pie filling-blueberry/raspberry -
ED SMITH brand OR -approx 2 cups fresh fruit
Prepare:
In a 9x13 pan....
put 1 layer soda crackers
half of vanilla pudding
1 layer soda crackers
half of cool whip
last half of pudding
1 layer of soda crackers
last half of cool whip

Top with pie filling or fresh fruit.
Refrigerate over night before serving.
If you like you can double the pudding
and put 1 more layer after the last
crackers.
Enjoy!

And this one is... well...The Best!

Canada's Best Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients

2 2cups cups(500 mL) (500 mL) all-purpose flour
2 2tsp tsp(10 mL) (10 mL) baking powder
2 2tsp tsp(10 mL) (10 mL) cinnamon
1 1tsp tsp(5 mL) (5 mL) baking soda
3/4 3/4tsp tsp(4 mL) (4 mL) salt
1/2 1/2tsp tsp(2 mL) (2 mL) nutmeg
3/4 3/4cup cup(175 mL) (175 mL) granulated sugar
3/4 3/4cup cup(175 mL) (175 mL) packed brown sugar
3 3eggeggs
3/4 3/4cup cup(175 mL) (175 mL) vegetable oil
1 1tsp tsp(5 mL) (5 mL) vanilla
2 2cups cups(500 mL) (500 mL) grated carrotcarrots
1 1cup cup(250 mL) (250 mL) drained crushed canned pineapple
1/2 1/2cup cup(125 mL) (125 mL) chopped pecans

Icing:
1 1pkg pkgcream cheese, softened
1/4 1/4cup cup(50 mL) (50 mL) butter, softened
1/2 1/2tsp tsp(2 mL) (2 mL) vanilla
1 1cup cup(250 mL) (250 mL) icing sugar

Preparation:

Grease and flour 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) metal cake pan; set aside.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. In separate bowl, beat together granulated and brown sugars, eggs, oil and vanilla until smooth; pour over flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Stir in carrots, pineapple and pecans. Spread in prepared pan.

Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven for 40 minutes or until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Let cool in pan on rack. (Make-ahead: Cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. Or ovenwrap with heavy duty foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks; let thaw before continuing.)

Icing: In bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Beat in icing sugar, one-third at a time, until smooth. Spread over top of cake. (Make-ahead: Cover loosely and refrigerate for up to I day.) Tips:Set timer for 5 minutes less than the time specified in recipe, check cake then for the following signs. If the cake is not done, return it to the oven to finish baking.
When is the cake done:
A fully baked cake will spring back when touched in the center. The cake also draws away from the side of the pan, and a cake tester (a toothpick of skewer works well) inserted in the center comes out clean. Also trust your sense of smell: the fresh aroma of butter and sugar wafting out of the oven can be the signal to check the cake.

When cakes emerge from the oven, their structure is set, but the set is still fragile. Let cakes stand in pans on rack for time specified in each recipe, usually 15 to 20 minutes. Run knife around edge of cake, then place rack over pan and invert cake onto rack to cool completely.

(image found online as mine is still in the oven:)

Blessings on your weekend everyone!