The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the singing of birds is come,
and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
Song of Solomon 2:12
Has spring truly spring in Ontario? It may or may not be true spring – however, the weather has warmed up to a balmy temperature this week and it is a sweet breath of incredibly lovely fresh air. We have just returned from taking the children to the local park to enjoy the sun. It was a reward for helping clean out our back barn (full of four years of junk) and the animal barns for the past few days. While the park was lovely, there is no place like home.
On the journey home, we spotted a marshy field full of beautiful, pure white swans, migrating home for spring. How lovely and elegant they were! I have wanted to spot these infamous swans for a few seasons, after a local neighbour told me they would pass by his property and spend some time in his large pond for a portion of their journey. It was such a delight to see these beautiful birds in their natural environment.
Now, with fresh air in his lungs, Baby Loyal has snuggled asleep and Lazarus, still tired from his bout with a two day stomach bug, is resting in his crib upstairs. All the girls are still outside, romping about in muddy boots, enjoying the fresh, crisp air. I’m sitting, drinking my cuppa tea in the afternoon rays of golden sunshine. The double doors, leading into the kitchen, are wide open and although it is a bit chilly :), it still feels like spring. In the distance, I can hear the calling of the Canadian geese as they return home from their winter abroad. Despite the mud and many patches of brown grass on our property, how lovely this time of year is for the soul!
A winter’s end …even right now, I can hear new birds singing away, welcomed home after a winter away, chirping in the bare branches of the trees. It is sweet music to my ears!
From where I sit at the kitchen table, I can see my lovely collection of pretty violets, gathered together on the ‘parlour’ coffee. These little delicate flowers are so encouraging to my soul! While the flowers outside may take a while to bloom yet, it can at least feel like spring indoors.
These sweet flowers were lovingly brought home by my hard-working husband. He may never know how much that warms my heart … he is not one to think of fancy ways to show affection, but little things really do mean a lot.
“Blow her a kiss from across the room
Say she looks nice when she’s not
Touch her hair as you pass her chair
Little things mean a lot
Give her your arm as you cross the street
And call her at six on the dot
A line a day when you’re far away
Little things mean a lot
Send her the warmth of a secret smile
Show you haven’t forgot
For now and forever, that’s always and ever
Little things mean a lot…”
To thank my husband for the lovely violets, I baked him an apple pie. Like most men, he loves pie … it is a little thing but I hope it means a lot.
In fact, I have been working on my pastry for a few weeks now – baking a good, old fashioned pie is something I would like to do with confidence, especially if my husband likes pie! Of course, making pastry batches every day can be time consuming. Therefore, I have found a beautiful recipe for bulk pastry. It works like a charm! It’s keeping my husband happy … 🙂
Would you like to try it? It really does help cut down the work in pie-making. I’m sure your husband will thank you.
Bulk Pie Pastry Recipe
15 cups of flour
3 lb. can of Tenderflake lard
2 Tbs. salt
4 Tbs. sugar
4 Tbs. vinegar
2 cups of cold water
4 eggs
Mix flour, sugar and salt together in a very large bowl. Now, using your pastry cutter, cut in the entire can of shortening/lard. Continue cutting until the flour and shortening was properly mixed (it will resemble a crumbly flour mixture).
Next, mix your water, vinegar and eggs together. Pour slowly into your flour/shortening mixture, mixing well. Using your hands, shape the dough into a ball and then dividie into equal portions. I can generally 12 crusts, depending on how large you want to make them. Once divided, wrap your dough balls separately, and then bag them into freezer bags for future use.
When you are ready to use, just thaw them in the fridge and you will be all ready for your pie baking adventure.
Remember, little things mean a lot!
“What is my husband doesn’t meet my needs? I’m so tired of hearing that. Where did you get this idea that he is supposed to fulfill {all your needs}? Only the Lord Himself will fulfill all your needs. You be the one to meet his needs. The great thing is to treat each other as Jesus Christ. Learn to see Christ in our husbands
and treat that person exactly as you would Christ in the flesh …”
-Elisabeth Elliot
P.S. Would you like to try a smaller pastry recipe? Try here.
by Gigi
10 comments