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

Sunday's Simple Joys

"Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.”
~Psalm 103


Spring Flowers
by Henry James Johnstone

The first day of spring is one thing,
and the first spring day is another.
The difference between them
is sometimes as great as a month.
~Henry Van Dyke

Although it doesn't feel like the first Spring day, it is the first day of Spring which I welcome and celebrate with all of you! It has been a lovely quiet Sunday, a much-needed Sabbath day of rest.
I spent some time this afternoon baking in the kitchen for my family before heading out for fresh air and a healthy hike with hubby. I thought that I would share some simple joys with you, including recipes, patterns, spring sightings and a new-to -me song.

~♥~Cream Scones and Rhubarb Crisp~♥~

~♥~the joy of hearing and seeing the robins~♥~


~♥~ great spring door decor~♥~


~♥~finishing my tea cosy for middle daughter~♥~


~♥~home from our walk in time for tea and dessert~♥~


~♥~ another knitting project
since I am really enjoying
this new interest~♥~
Patterns here and here


added: ~♥~finished project~♥~


~♥~Bless the Lord~ Laura Story~♥~

Simple Joys

It is a beautiful Monday morning with glorious sunshine streaming into the kitchen as the dish washer is humming and the washing machine is working over-time to get caught up again.
Apart from that it is quiet here as all of my family is now heading to their respective places:
hubby to work, daughter to college, another daughter to high school and a son just leaving for university again after spending the weekend at home. I just love having a full house on the weekends, but it's also good to get back into routine again. Last week was such a busy week for me, that I had no time to post pictures, so I thought that I would share a few before getting ready for my shift at the library today.
On our drive to the Niagara area last weekend, we stopped by to visit my favourite greenhouses where we picked up some spring primroses (primulas) for my Mom as well as for my friend M to bring some Spring cheer their way.
You can read more about Terra Greenhouses in Waterdown here as I posted about it around this time last year.

Simple Joys include:

♥colourful array of primroses♥

♥Spring planter in my home♥

The lovely scenic drive hubby and I took last week,
driving the back roads to the airport in Toronto
to pick up two of our children, who arrived safely back
from their long travels to India with stop over in Dubai.
They were so tired and yet so cheerful
as they regaled us with many stories of their adventures
♥ Welcome Home J&N ♥



♥coffee at my new favourite Cafe with special friends,
who took time out of their busy schedules to care and share♥

♥phone calls, emails, prayers and words of encouragement offered♥


♥catching up with a friend and colleague while on work-training...
thanks N for sharing, caring and driving♥

♥bright yellow tulips to greet us at the library
because S chose to share them with us...
thank you for the lovely Saturday cheer, S ♥



♥A lovely Sunday walk with my two favourite men in the whole world♥
Father and Son walking and discussing...


♥snow does look so pretty, doesn't it?♥

♥icicles dripping during thaw♥

♥snow-covered boughs♥

♥ice floes in the river♥

home from the walk in time for:
♥tea and goodies♥
♥knitting and reading♥
♥homemade soup made with love by hubby♥
♥phone conversations with family♥


♥the lovely book pile that just keeps on growing♥
if only there was more time....
Yesterday hubby finished a book on politics and history
son read one on economics
middle daughter read a topic dear to her heart: social justice
mom read fiction on India
youngest daughter read information on El Salvador for school project
all found in this pile except for youngest daughter's online project:


I wish you all sunshine and simple joys
along Spring flowers to cheer you:

Saturday's Simple Joys

This is what we awoke to this morning....
Another blustery, snowy, blowy day with increasing wind chill factor, white outs, drifts and snow-covered roads as I made my way to the library for my shift.
Despite the weather, there was a lot of activity today.
I always enjoy a bustling atmosphere with a steady stream of patrons coming in out of the cold.
The general consensus at the library, other than those who ski and snowmobile, is that Spring can't come soon enough.
We are all craving warmer temperatures along with sunshine and blue skies.
Our car reads the temperature each morning, and this was the reading yesterday:


Thankfully, although the weather outside is frightful, it hasn't stopped us from enjoying some lovely days this past week. This past Thursday evening my hubby and I went on a date along with several other couples to hear a Canadian speaker, humourist and author by the name of Phil Callaway.
If laughter doeth good like medicine (Proverbs 17:22), we sure got a good dose while listening to him. He is both very funny and yet very serious at the same time.
You can visit his website here. He has written many wonderful books, some of which we carry in our library system.
I also spent some lovely time with a dear friend at a 'new to me' place called The Robin's Nest.
I was so thankful to have spent time with her as we shared our hearts over coffee and the best baked goods. I have never had such wonderful date squares before...they came right out of the oven so were so fresh and yummy. If you are a local reader, you must pay a visit to this adorable Coffee Shoppe described this way:

'The Robin’s Nest is a quaint and comfortable coffee house in the town of Elmira. It is a relaxing and familiar place to visit, browse for a new treasure and have a coffee. An eclectic setting of reclaimed furniture and the aroma of freshly brewed fair trade organic coffees and teas create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for this cafe.'

Although Robin is just in the process of creating her web page, you can check it out here


And, you know you are desperate for Spring, when you would climb any mountain just to hang your laundry outdoors...I couldn't wait until the snow piles disappeared so I did in fact climb through snow that came up to my knees just so we could have air-dried fresh sheets at night. They smelled so good and I slept like a bear!

I also took some time to browse thrift and antique shops this past week.
Well, I was out anyway so why not, right?
And tell me, would you not rescue this lovely crochet afghan from a corner at the thrift shop if you spotted it? I can't believe all the work that went into it and just couldn't leave it behind.
I washed it when I got home and as it was drying over chairs, my daughter walked in and exclaimed over it so...it now has a grateful home/owner!

And a touch of Britain, along with my favourite healthy snack, our own fresh farm eggs, boiled then sliced on rye crackers along with a strong cup of tea...just perfect!

We are going out tonight to visit friends,
but I wanted to wish you all a wonderful weekend!
Stay warm and cosy if you are still
in the thick of winter like we are!
If there are signs of Spring, enjoy!
If it is summer where you are,
may your days be pleasant and lovely!

Saturday's Simple Joys

It was a lovely relaxing Saturday today; a perfect day to share my simple joys as the weather has given cause for a cosy evening indoors. I was eager to get out tonight to a new 'club' created for the library staff by my friend and colleague Kiirstin, whose enthusiastic invitation was so hard to resist. Tell me, would this not intrigue you?

Do you like to talk about books? Do you like to talk about books with other
people who like to talk about books? Do you find yourself talking about
books to your books?....imagine: talking about books with a number of your
book-loving co-workers while relaxing with a beverage of your choice
and some snacks...Bring a book or a title you love (or hate!)
and tell us why! 

I knew exactly which books I wanted to bring along to share, but it will have to wait for the next time as I am not crazy about winter driving at night especially when the roads are slippery.

One of today's simple joys was talking on skype with my daughter in India. She and her boyfriend are experiencing 34'c during the day there, while we are averaging -12'c along with blustery conditions here. I promised to share a few more winter shots with N&K, so this afternoon after picking up some library lovelies, (will share next week) my youngest daughter and I headed to Lens Mill Store in Hawkesville for a project I will be working on during the next few weeks. As we drove along Conestoga Lake, I noticed a lone fisherman ice fishing on the lake. I love the contrast of his red coat against the white snow.
I hope he has success...it is too cold to just sit there with no action or activity on his fishing pole.

A little further, the snowmobilers were racing along the trails,
making the most of these perfect winter conditions.

After making our purchases at Len's Mill Store, we made a stop at the Wallenstein General Store for some supplies. I love this place as it evokes a sense of nostalgia of a time past.
I took these photos for Sue who is so intrigued by the Amish and Mennonite way of life.

These sleds are very popular in the winter
for the children to go tobogganing down the hills

Stacks of fencing logs

Horses and buggy awaiting their owner

Can you read the sign inside the buggy shed?
I love it, don't you?

Walking down the road with their wagon loaded
with dry goods purchased at the General Store

Do you remember an article about Mennonites that I shared with you in a recent post?
You can view the Globe and Mail Article here.
I shared this with Sue, but wanted to let you all know that this is what we see regularly around these parts and as a matter of fact, this rink is 15 minutes from our home
and almost in my friends G&S's back yard.
I was very careful about maintaining their privacy,
but wanted you all to see the lovely setting of this great skating/hockey rink.
I just love it!

Right now, my hubby and youngest daughter are having some bonding time over The Red Green Show, with the duct-tape guy. I think you have to be a red-neck Canadian to get it, eh?

I posted the other day about a challenge put out by Dee over at Red Dirt Ramblings
about keeping the winter blues at bay. I wanted to share some of my simple joys
and the ways that I am enjoying/embracing this winter using Dee's challenge/formula:

♥ Walking and being outdoors for short periods every day
As I type this, the snowmobilers are whizzing by,
making me long for a snowmobile of my own...hubby, are you reading this?
♥ I do take fish oil daily as it also helps with inflammation
♥ I am going to tackle something I have not done in a long time~ a knitting project!
If you are a local knitter, I might be asking for your help:)
♥ I am taking a library course which has taken me on all sorts of reading rabbit trails
♥ Art and Music are my inspiration for the winter months as I am exploring both on a deeper level.
♥ I bought some tulips today that make me think of Holland and Spring:)
♥ We always eat home-cooked meals so I would say that we generally eat healthy, with a good mix of fresh fruit and veggies included in our diet
♥ Feeding my soul is a daily exercise that I value and cherish

I love what Dee shares about un-plugging and am challenging myself and my family to spend more time in creative pursuit. We are actually playing more games and doing more puzzles again.
We rarely have the television on, but do love to watch a good movie.
The kettle is boiling so I am off soon to make my tea and begin my knitting project which I will now share:

The puzzle we worked on this week:
Sonata by Firelight
Artist Judy Gibson

Completed puzzle
Isn't this such a lovely and serene setting?

And now, introducing you to my knitting project...
When Tina over at The Quiet Home
shared her newest creation Rosie,
I just knew that would be a perfect project for me.
I think Rosie is just adorable, all the way down to her converse shoes!
If you are interested, you can order a pattern from Tina.
All the information is over at her blog.

And if I need a break from knitting,
I can always browse through the magazines I picked up today at the library:)

How was your Saturday?
How are you passing the long days of winter?
Do tell...