Let Them Eat Cake!

I had a beautiful Easter Sunday and I hope you did, too. I didn’t end up making it to the sunrise service. My shift at work on Saturday rather did me in and sunrise came just a little too early. But one of these days I will experience that 🙂 After our regular church service I enjoyed a delicious lasagna dinner, complete with homemade sourdough bread, at my sister’s house. Afterwards, I unveiled this year’s Easter cake!

Reese’s Pieces goodness!

This little gem was a butter cake, but I added baking cocoa to give it a hint of chocolate. In all my years of cake baking I had never made peanut butter frosting. I will certainly make it again, but not too often, It was pretty hard to resist and I’m watching my A1C!

Instead of decorating it with Peeps (which make a cute topper, but no one ever eats them) I topped it off with Reese’s Pieces instead, just for fun. It was a filling and delicious cake. After a big dinner, I cut the pieces small. We only ate half of it, but I didn’t want to take the rest of it home – who needs that kind of temptation, lol? So on my way back through town I dropped it off at the store, a little Easter treat for my work peeps 🙂

My Easter cake is the highlight of my baking year. I’ve already got my eye out for something unique and special for next year. But I must say, the Reese’s Pieces cake will be a hard act to follow 🙂

A Beautiful Song for Easter, A Cool Night and A Morning Visitor

Happy Good Friday! It was cloudy and 70F this morning. Miss Emma and I managed to get two laps in before it started to sprinkle. By the time we left the park it had stopped, and the sun was trying to peek through the clouds. April definitely can’t make up her mind this week 🙂 I can’t remember many March or Aprils where we have hit the 80s for several days. It seems a little early to get the AC units out but by bedtime last night the house was sweltering, so I settled for the fans. Miss Emma was delighted.

Don’t bother me. I am enjoying my fan!

Cool doggie smiles 🙂

Last year a rotted tree stump broke in half and fell to the ground in my neighbor’s yard. This big guy came for breakfast this morning. I don’t usually get the large woodpeckers here. It was a delight to watch him.

Love me some beetles!

I love that in nature, nothing is wasted.

Off to make my Easter cake now, but I wanted to leave you with this beautiful worship song by Kari Jobe before I go.

Revelation Song (Lyric Video) – Kari Jobe

I hope you find some quiet moments today to reflect on the beauty and hope of Good Friday 🙂

The Mayor’s Orchard

I hadn’t planned on a second post today, but Miss Emma and I just returned from our walk in the park and I wanted to comment on our adventure 🙂 Firstly, the mayor’s apple trees are budding!

Our county was famous for its beautiful apple orchards and prolific apple production ever since Johnny Appleseed planted the first apple seeds in the 1800’s (or so the legend goes 😉 ) Which would explain why our water tower is a gi-normous apple.

Sadly, the orchards started to disappear sometime in the 1960s. A few years ago, our mayor and the Tree Commission planted a small orchard of a dozen trees in the park to preserve the county’s apple heritage. Each year they add a few more trees to the orchard.

The best part is, the apples will be free for the taking to anyone who can use them. I love that the city is doing this!

I also noticed that several other small trees have been planted along the pathway. With as hot as our summers are here, there’s no such thing as too much shade!

And they have reconfigured the benches along the path, so instead of single benches facing the park, there are now two facing each other, perfect for neighborly conversations. Our little park just gets better and better!

We saw a lot of robins and sparrows hopping about, but none stayed still enough for pictures. But Miss Emma inspected each blade of grass and found it as it should be.

And that was our daily adventure in the park 🙂

Following in His Steps… Again

Last year I attended a program at a local church called Following in His Steps. It traced Jesus’ Holy Week journey into Jerusalem. When we learned they were having the event again this year, Marge and I wasted no time in reserving our spots. Though we went a year ago, it was just as wonderful and awe inspiring to experience it again. Just like the Easter story itself.

We met some friends for a delicious dinner at Casa Grande before heading to the church. They had called for severe thunderstorms in our area but other than a little rain while we were in the restaurant, the storm passed us by.

The program was so beautifully executed. If I hadn’t known I was in a church, I would have sworn I was entering Jerusalem.

At the “city gates” we were told that the Teacher had just passed through, and we might find Him in the marketplace.

Just outside the marketplace we encountered a sassy donkey and the most ginormous rabbit I’ve ever seen!

We missed Him in the marketplace and went to the upper room, where He and His followers had just finished eating the Passover meal. From there we followed His footsteps to the Garden of Gethsemane, where He had stopped to pray before being betrayed, arrested and taken before Pontious Pilot.

We viewed the site where He was crucified.

Though our group “just missed” Jesus at each phase of the journey, the presentation ended with an empty tomb and some good news – We don’t have to miss Him at all. He is with us and we can walk, not only in His footsteps, but in step beside Him every day!

As we move through Holy Week to Easter, this presentation gets my head and heart in the right place. I can hardly wait to go again next year!

On Holy Week, a walk in the park, and a coffee break at Tim Horton’s

It was 65F and breezy this morning. With rain in the forecast for most of the week (gotta love those April showers!) today seemed like a good day to get out and walk. My friend Sharon picked me up at 10:00 and we headed to the park. We did four laps today, which put me up to 22 for the month, exactly four miles. I know I’m not breaking any records, but it’s a start. I’m hoping to work up to five miles in April.

After our walk we headed to Tim’s. I got a coupon in the mail for their Grand Opening specials that was good for the whole month. It expires tomorrow and I had not been there to use it even once, so I was overdue 🙂 As long as we were there, I splurged on an Easter chick doughnut. I’m sure it was more calories than I walked off, but we’ll just call this little treat my Easter basket 🙂

Sharon behaved and got a sugar-free latte.

I went full sugar, baby!

I have some beautiful things planned for Holy Week. Last year I attended a lovely and soul stirring presentation at a local church called Following in His Steps. I’m looking forward to attending that again on Wednesday. I’m also contemplating going to an Easter sunrise service at a sister church this year. In any case, I will attend Easter service at my own church, then enjoy Easter dinner with family. I’m already planning my annual Easter cake.

I like to surprise my family by trying something different every year. Last year I made a white cake with lemon icing.

This year I’m thinking a milk chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting.

This week, I reflect on the Lord’s goodness to me and the unspeakable sacrifice He made for us all on the cross. King of Hearts by Brandon Lake is my current favorite song.

Bing Videos

No matter what the weather decides to do this week, I wish you moments of quiet joy, deep reflection, and a heart filled with sunshine 🙂

Between the Raindrops

It rained this morning, but I ran through the raindrops to go and get a much-needed haircut. The salon I go to is not fancy, but the atmosphere inside is always so peaceful and friendly. I love to sit in my stylist’s chair and eavesdrop as the other patrons chat with their stylists about what is going on in their lives. I wouldn’t say I’m nosey, exactly, I just like these small glimpses into humanity. You never know what will spark a story idea. Amazing what people will share with their hairdressers 🙂

My stylist, Deb is such a treasure. She always does exactly what I ask her to and I always come home feeling better, inside and out.

By the time I left the salon it was 65 F and the sun was shining. I popped into the Dollar General to pick up dog biscuits and coffee. Everyone seemed so cheerful and happy. Sunshine will do that 🙂

Back home, my spring flowers were putting on quite a show!

I have lots more tulips getting ready to bloom and my lilies, hostas and cone flowers are poking their heads through the soil. I am almost done clearing the debris and weeds from my back flower bed. Soon I will start out front. Maybe. Tomorrow it is supposed to plunge back down to the 40s and it looks like it will rain and even thunderstorm for most of the day.

But for today, I’m going to enjoy the sunshine 🙂

Friends, Flowers and a Fish Fry

Our library is always offering free events. They truly offer something for everyone. Everything from Lego building to painting to movie nights to book clubs. If you’re interested in it, you can probably find a class on it at our local library. I always thought that once I semi-retired, I would take advantage of some of those classes. So, when my sister mentioned that they were having a Flower Seed Bomb class that looked like fun, I was completely on board, though I admit I wasn’t really sure what a flower seed bomb was. But it had to do with flowers, and I would get to spend an evening with my sister, so how bad could it be?

Our sister date started with dinner at Bob Evans. I don’t remember the last time I had a fish fry. It was delicious!

After dinner we headed over to the library and discovered our friends, Bobby and Elizabeth had the same idea we did. What a fun surprise!

We had a few minutes to visit while we waited for the class to begin. As it turned out, the woman sitting across the table from me was none other than Sheryl from our local broadcasting station, Total Media Network. She found out I am an author and invited me to do an interview on her TV show! How exciting is that?

The flower seed bombs were fun and easy to make. What they amount to is wildflower seeds and soil wrapped in little balls of clay. After the danger of frost is past, you wait for a rainy day, toss them in your flower bed and wait for the magic to happen 🙂

Marge creating flower art!

It took me a couple of tries to get my creations to hold together, but in the end, I had five flower bombs ready to go.

I can hardly wait to see how they do!

Thank You, Lord, for our beautiful local library. For slow spring evenings, fish fry’s, friends and flowers 🙂