Marie's Sunday Six and a Little Surprise

Welcome to my Sunday Smile Makers post! With Mother's day being last week, it's been a few weeks since I have done one. I really love doing the smile maker's post because it helps me to focus on some of the many blessings in my life and to share them with you. I had so much to smile about this past week I have had trouble pinning it down to just six, but here I go!




I did take my camera with me, but DOH! I forgot to take it out and take any pictures of the pizza making activity we did yesterday with the young men and young women at my chapel. I love working with the youngsters. They are such a wonderful bunch. When I was first called I was not overly happy about it, as I had really been enjoying being in Relief Society on Sunday mornings, but . . . I have never been one to turn down a calling, ever.

I accepted the challenge, and I prayed that somehow, someway . . . it would work out. God always answers our prayers, and the Lord always qualifies those whom He calls. I have come to love each one of the young women over these past few years, and more importantly, like them! I enjoy the time I get to spend with them, whether it's teaching them a lesson, playing badminton, going bowling, cooking or just plain listening. It is this love for them that has me painting prayer rocks on a rainy afternoon, and hauling my butt into the chapel on a Saturday morning to make pizzas. They are a great group of gals and each one is so unique. I enjoy them, I really do. We had a great time making the pizza's yesterday. It was hard work keeping them from eating the cheese and meat before the pizza's were all made, but we managed to get through it and there are 26 pizzas living in a variety of homes right now, just waiting to be taken to church and handed out to their respective owners. I hope the recipients enjoy eating them as much as we enjoyed making them!



There are baby Canadian Geese at the local pond, or goslings as they are properly known. I have been looking at them and smiling each time we have driven past in the last week or so. Yesterday, with my camera in my purse, I got Todd to stop and we got out to have a closer look. They were very tame. I think they're quite used to being fed. I had thought that I would have a problem getting a picture of them, but as soon as we got out of the car they started running towards us at full speed! I think they must be quite used to people feeding them.




They were so sweet and so cute. Unfortunately I didn't have anything with me that I could feed them, but they were so good and entertained us anyways! I just HAVE to go back now armed with some treats for them.




We were really surprised to find that there were also ducklings at the pond. When we got there, they were frolicking on top of the lily pads that grow there, as their mother squawked at them from the side lines, but they soon were out and paddling in the grass as well. Aren't they sweet? They sure made me smile. Why is baby anything so cute? I reckon God did that on purpose. That way we would always love them no matter what. It is hard not to love something so adorable.




Speaking of adorable. My son sent me another lovely picture of our Gabriel enjoying his sock monkey. I just love my grandsons so much. I really enjoyed making these sock monkey's for them and it is so nice to see them enjoying my efforts so much! When I was a girl, I had a doll quilt that my grandmother had made for my doll's bed, and I know that I truly treasured it. I hope that they will come to treasure these sock monkey's as well. For now it looks like they are a hit anyways, and that does make me very, very happy.



Last night was the Eurovision Song Contest finals. Todd and I sat and watched, and I have to say we found the quality of the songs this year much better than they have been in recent years. I said to Todd, it would be very hard picking a winner. Of course England had pinned their hopes on a beautiful young lady named Jade and the lovely song written just for the contest by Andrew Lloyd Webber. In fact, Andrew was right there on the stage playing the piano during the song and supporting our country. Jade did a beautiful job of singing. We placed a respectable fifth in the contest, which is way better than we have done in recent years, with Norway coming in first. I have to say that I actually really enjoyed listening to all of the songs and thought they were all incredibly good this year. Congratulations to Norway on their win and to Jade and Andrew . . . you did us proud!



It's lilac season and the air is filled with the perfume of a million blossoms! I just adore lilacs . . . the white ones, the purple ones, the pink ones . . . they're all so very beautiful and their scent is just heavenly. When I was married the first time, my husband and I had rented a lovely little apartment that was on the ground floor of an old house at the top of a hill. It was surrounded by a lovely lilac hedge and, that first spring, it was so beautiful to witness them all in bloom and to sit on the front steps of the apartment building and breathe them in. I had bucketloads of them in our little apartment making it smell nice and looking so very pretty. The marriage didn't last long, but my love of lilacs has surely stood the test of time!

And now for my surprise . . . This is my 550th post and I have decided to do a giveaway to celebrate it! I know, perhaps I should have waited for the 600th, but I just couldn't help it, I had to do one now! Anyone who leaves a comment on this post will have their name entered in my 550 Giveaway and be in on the chance to win . . .



A lovely cupcake cookbook written by Susannah Blake. She is the same author that wrote the Tea Party Cookbook I gave away the last time. She really is a lovely baker and I am sure this book will delight whoever receives it. I have it myself and I adore it. Since we have cupcake recipes I thought it would be fun to include some fun cupcake liners, and so I am also throwing in a lovely package of Wilton Cupcake liners with a really fun and colourfully retro polka dot print.


I'll also throw in five of my tea party print Notecards for you to use as special invites to your very own tea party complete with cupcakes!

Just leave a comment at the end of this post and be sure to tell your friends. If you blog about it and tell me you have, I'll enter your name a second time. I will be drawing a winner on June 1st, so you have approximately 2 weeks to enter. What are you waiting for!!!

Yesterday afternoon I really felt like having a cake. I adapted this recipe from one that I found in one of my old Edna Staebler cookbooks, "Cakes and Frostings with Schmecks Appeal." I love Edna's recipes. They're all delicious, simple and uncomplicated. They are just plain good eating. The addition of the orange zest and the cinnamon are my own, as is the cream cheese drizzle icing. They turned what was already a delicious cake into something really special. This is not heavy like your traditional carrot cake, but it is moist and very light. It's a great snacking cake for the whole family!



*Carrot Crumb Cake*
Makes one 9 by 9 inch cake
Printable Recipe

This is a lovely and moist little carrot cake that has the added treasure of a delightful streusal topping baked right on top. Light, delicious and very easy to prepare, this one wins on all counts. The Cream Cheese drizzle icing is it's crowning glory.

1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 to 1 1/2 cups raw sliced or grated carrots**
2 cups pastry flour
(if you dont' have pastry flour, use two cups of regular flour. Remove 4 TBS of the flour and
replace with 4 TBS cornstarch)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
the grated zest of one orange
1 tsp salt
TOPPING:
1/2 cup soft light brown sugar, packed
4 TBS flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 TBS cold butter

Pre-heat your oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter and lightly flour a 9 inch square baking pan, tapping out any excess flour. Set aside.

Put the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, buttermilk and raw carrots (cut in slices) into a blender and blitz until the carrots are finely chopped.

Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, orange zest and salt into a large bowl. Whisk them all together to mix well. Pour the blended misture over top and stir all together until well combined. Pour into the baking pan.

To make the topping, whisk together the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Rub in the cold butter until crumbly. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the batter in the pan.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the cake is nicely risen and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool while you make the Cream Cheese drizzle.



*Cream Cheese Drizzle Icing*
Makes enough for one cake

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup icing sugar
1 TBS whole milk
1 TBS fresh lemon juice

Blend the cream cheese together with the icing sugar with a rubber spatula until smooth. Beat in the milk and lemon juice until the mixure is creamy and smooth. Drizzle over top of the cooled cake.

**Note - if you don't have a blender you will have to grate the carrots and make the cake in a more traditional way, as follows:
Cream together the butter and sugar, beat in the egg and vanilla, stir in the carrots and then alternately add the buttermilk and the dry ingredients.