Happy Easter! Meanwhile, all my bits are freezing . . . .

Happy Easter! Jesus has risen, and God is love. What a fantastic reassurance that He is in control, despite how things may seem or feel at times. There is tremendous comfort in knowing that God is on the throne and that we can go to him at any time for any thing.

We are at a whopping 37 degrees and dropping until the sun comes up! I guess I shouldn't complain. Yesterday morning was 24 degrees and the morning before was 28 degrees. So 37 is technically a warm-up. We hit 66 with sun today, which is right in my weather sweet spot. It'll be beautiful.

I got my Easter order placed at Peggy Ann's by the skin of my teeth! I kept forgetting to place the order for my bunnies and eggs, and finally, on Thursday, I remembered. They had orders booked for Saturday, but the girl who makes most of them happened to be the one who answered the phone when I called, so she said that she'd be glad to make them for pick-up on Friday morning, if that worked for me. I was very appreciative. Here they are, and aren't they precious?!

Daffodils and irises are in bloom right now, but the thing I'm looking forward to the most, as always this time of year, are our four ancient apple trees. They get the most beautiful, fragrant blooms. Right now, they are getting their tiny, pink buds. They'll be open soon, and I cannot wait. Also, the first full mow of the year has occurred, and the grass is really beautiful right now. With the turning of the calendar month last year, we said good-bye to the first quarter of the year. I know, amazing, right?

I got around to a bit of spring cleaning yesterday. Living room windows look brand new, ha ha. I changed out curtains and washed everything that had cat hair and dusted and vacuumed the rest. I swapped winter throws and decor for spring/summer items, and everything feels a bit better.  However, now, when the sun comes up, you need sunglasses to sit in the living room. Once the trees have all their leaves and shade the front part of the house, it won't be so bad. But for now, the living room looks like a nuclear light explosion if the sun is full force. I may be pulling those curtains closed in the first few morning hours for a while. . . .

Let's talk food, particularly vintage jellos. Remember the days of the jello mold? They were a wonder of clear color with fruit bits floating around inside them . . . if you were like me when you were little, you appreciated the clearness of jello. You could always find your favorite fruit in it and try to eat that part with any luck. I loved (and still do) the cherries in the fruit cocktail. Then came the jello salads. Then came the layered jellos. Then came the fluffs. They were fairly common back when I was small, particularly for church dinners and any type of gathering. Nowadays, when you see a jello mold, it's a treat and everyone oohs and aaahs over what used to be an inexpensive staple for a lot of families.

So why bring up jello? No reason, really, other than I read a few articles on vintage foods, and layered cakes, spice cakes and jello dominated those articles. I am seriously craving the orange fluff jello salad made with cottage cheese. I may have to make that on the first of May to celebrate that new month, as well as May Day. May tends to bring with it consistently warmer temperatures, although we still get a lot of cool/cold morning in May and early June. And rain. But rain around here is its own season. I will say one thing, though - that rain makes our flowers and gardens really beautiful. It's definitely a trade-off.

I hope your Easter is blessed. I cannot imagine how people live without God in their lives. For me, it would be such an empty existence. We are not worthy of His love, but at the same time, we are His creation, made for His glory. Knowing that we would be hopeless in the face of free will, God created a way of redemption for us through His Son. My hope is in the Lord . . . .