Hi Everyone! Between WILLARD (which starts going out this morning and finishes Wednesday night) and this post, I think I’m going to wear you out! But in the Willard I promised you a recipe, I promised “make-up gifts.” (Too long since last Willard, should call them welcome-back gifts). But first, we need MUSICA . . . and I need to show you what my dad, better known as “Blog Daddy” and his darling wife Jeannie sent us for Easter.
Is that cute or what? I get the bunny with the bow and I’m seven again. It’s got green peeps, it’s filled with those 
little chocolate eggs with the thin crispy crust and my favorite dark chocolate-covered coconut bars. Thanks Dad, thanks Jeannie! There’s me and Blog Daddy → . . . Such a cute surprise! (We were so young!)
I hope Easter weekend was as beautiful where you are as it was here! We’ve been getting amazing doses (as in medicine) of spring, drinking it in, making it almost impossible to stay inside, stay home, stay down. We want OUT! We pop this music into the player and off we go…
The island is coming alive and it’s fun to drive around and look at it. You can see we are still waiting for leaves on the trees, but the air is filled with the sweet smell of thawing earth, the light is new, and the sailboats are coming back. It’s perfect timing . . . Happy Earth Day! It’s today! Pretty smart of the powers-that-be to tuck Earth Day into this beautiful time of year! For extra enjoyment, for frosting on the spring cake . . . Check out the Washington DC Cherry Trees in bloom! They will put a song in your heart.
And now, here’s the recipe for the cake I wrote about in Willard, an old-fashioned lemon-filled sponge cake, soft as a baby’s hiney, perfect for spring birthdays, and gorgeous as a Mother’s Day Tea Cake.
And since I made this cake for Easter, I thought I’d show you just how easy it is to put together. Making this roll is much easier than you might think if you haven’t done it before.
So set your oven for 375° and here we go . . .
Butter a 10″ x 15″ cookie sheet that has a rim (jelly roll pan), then lay down a piece of waxed paper (allowing it to go over edge), smooth it into the corners and into the butter, and then butter the paper too.
Put the yolks of three eggs in one bowl and the whites in another.
Beat egg yolks a little bit then add a cup of sugar and . . .
Beat them until they’re thick and lemon colored . . .
Sift a cup of flour together with salt and baking powder . . . (don’t worry I’ll give measurements at the end)…
And stir it in to your batter along with six tablespoons of hot water . . .
Beat the egg whites until stiff and glossy.
While you’re doing that take a peek outside . . . oh, my, what a DAY!
And LOOK!!! I begin calling for Joe . . . we have robins by the herds, we have gaggles of cardinals, whole families ~ (not that I will ever take them for granted), but see that bird on the right? We never see that bird. ever. Got out the bird book where we find out it usually likes woods and thickets. This is our driveway . . . he is a “rose-breasted grosbeak.”
We ooh and aaah over him for a few minutes . . . He must have spring fever, coming over for some dessert seeds.
OK, that was nice, but back to “work” ~ folding in the egg whites . . .
And then the zest of one lemon . . . Now spread the batter evenly on your well-buttered cookie sheet and put into oven for 12 to 15 minutes.
While it’s baking, lay out a clean dishtowel and sift over a sprinkling of powdered sugar.
When the cake is done, and wafting fresh cake fragrance to the neighborhood, bring it out of the oven and use the edges of the waxed paper to turn it out onto your powdered-sugar covered cloth . . .
Voila! While still hot, carefully peel off the paper. Then take a pair of sharp scissors and cut off the crispy edges of the cake all the way around . . .
You can eat those crispy edges immediately, but from experience, if you eat them all now, you’ll have nothing to dip in the lemon filling you’re about to make. Just sayin’ . . .
Now, using the dishtowel begin to roll up the cake. It’s fairly malleable while it’s hot so you can make a nice roll, just pull out the towel as you go . . .
Once it’s all rolled, just leave it there and let it cool while you make the filling. Essentially it’s in training now to be a roll.
LEMON FILLING: In the top part of a double boiler, put two whole eggs, a cup of sugar, the grated rind of two lemons . . .
The fresh juice of two lemons and two tablespoons of melted butter.
Pour the juice into the double boiler through a fine sieve if your lemons are like mine and filled with seeds. Stir over simmering water for fifteen minutes until the filling is thick. Cool slightly. (Más MUSICA Girlfriends?)
Then it’s time to unroll your cake; carefully peel it open until it’s flat ~ it goes very easily . . .
Pour over the lemon filling and spread it almost to the edges, but leave it thick in the middle. (Don’t forget to save a little bit of filling to dip your cake clippings in if you have any left.)
Roll the cake back up, not TOO tightly, because you want the lemon filling to stay inside. I roll and lift the cake a bit as I go so as to keep the lemon from squeezing out the sides. Move the cake to an oval serving plate.
Sift over a little more powdered sugar ~ the cake is beautiful, but I decide it needs a little Easter decoration . . . so I run outside to pick some of my pretty yellow (non-toxic) forsythia flowers . . . any excuse to go outside is a good thing.
And voila! Like little butterflies. Your cake would be just as pretty with wild violets, pansies, johnny jump-ups, or roses . .
Now, soak the dishes, while you’re at it, notice the guy in the garden . . . that really good guy in the garden? Doing the aphrodisiac-thing women love?
Mulching and getting everything ready . . .♥
Go ask him if he would like a piece of Lemon Cake . . . Tell him you will bring it and he can eat it in the garden.
He deserves this . . . tender soft sugary cake with the most lemony of lemon fillings . . .
And while you’re out there, find reasons to stay . . . Hang up your bird houses . . . because you LOVE the serenade of birds in love . . .
Go take a picture of your old bunny crossing sign … take note of good mulchy dirt . . .
Give up looking for more to do and go on a walk! Such an amazingly gorgeous weekend.
Remember these Jingle Shells I found on the beach . . .?
. . . and then arranged on my window sill?
Well, one of our Girlfriends mentioned how much she would like to have some of these genuine Martha’s Vineyard jingle shells . . . so yesterday, out on our walk, I collected these . . .
And I put them in this Emma Bridgewater tin as a surprise . . . because I thought they might be a fun giveaway for spring, to celebrate the change of season, a box from the sea.♥
Jack agreed. I tied the box up in a little bag. Then I thought maybe not everyone wants shells, but I bet everyone would love an original 1900 copy of the wonderful “Elizabeth and Her German Garden,” the first book written by one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth von Arnim (she also wrote “Enchanted April” which you would love if you haven’t already read it). So I added that . . . Look at the beautiful raggedy edges on the pages of this old book . . . (Of course, If I’m doing anything different at all, Jack is immediately involved. He has an inquiring mind that wants to KNOW.)
So I put them together and thought, that looks nice, but something is missing . . .
A Fine Romance! Yes, must have that in the package. I hope you like it! I’ll sign my book and the Elizabeth book to whomever wins the drawing . . . All you have to do to be entered is leave a comment; right here at the bottom of this post you’ll see the tiny letters “comment” ~ click there and say anything sweet and you’ll be entered.
But is that enough when it’s been almost a year since your last Willard? Don’t you owe the Girlfriends something else? Maybe not “owe” but “wish to give?” Oui! I think so! So Vanna will choose TWO names this time, and the second name drawn will get these two Keepsake books (guided “life story” journals with lined paper, places for photos, sewn-in ribbon bookmarks ~ and lots of fun questions to be answered in their own handwriting by mom’s, grandma’s, aunts, sisters), more Mother’s Day festivities! xoxo We are starting early because we know that the best way to remember Mother’s Day is to forget it once, but we never want that to happen!♥
Here’s the recipe Girlfriends!
CAKE:
- 3 eggs, separated in two lg. bowls
- 1 c. sugar
- 6 Tbsp. hot water
- 1 c. sifted unbleached flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- grated rind of one lemon (zest)
- sifted powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 375°. Butter a 10″ x 15″ cookie sheet or jelly roll pan, one with a rim. Line it with waxed paper leaving some to hang over edges (an inch is fine). Set pan aside. Separate eggs into two large bowls. Beat egg yolks, add sugar and beat until thick and lemon-colored. Stir in hot water and dry ingredients. Beat egg whites with electric beater until stiff; gently fold into egg batter. Fold in grated rind. Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake 12-15 min.
Immediately turn finished cake onto clean dishtowel lightly covered with sifted powdered 
sugar. Carefully peel off waxed paper. With sharp scissors, cut off the crisp edges of the cake. Using the cloth, roll up cake pulling out cloth as you go. Leave it covered and rolled, set it aside to cool while you make the filling.
FILLING
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 c. sugar
- 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
- zest and juice of 2 lemons (strained if necessary, no seeds please)
Put all ingredients into top part of double boiler. Beat well and stir til thick, approx. 15-20 min. Cool slightly.
FINISH
Unroll the cake, spread on the filling, and roll back up. Cool completely. Transfer to serving dish. Sift over a tiny bit more powdered sugar. Add flowers if you like, edible and unsprayed, violets, pansies, roses, johnny jump ups. Here’s a list of edible flowers.
Now something everyone needs the week after Easter, a delicious recipe for:
These make the most delicious just-home-from-work treat, on the porch while you watch the green things growing. Which is what I hope you’re all doing these days, just as crazy with spring fever as we are. ♥ Deep breaths of the gorgeous outdoors, that’s the only “cure.”
Happy Spring, Girlfriends . . . I’m off to work on my book, my new addiction, a few hours every morning, trying to figure out what our heroine is going to do next (she seems to have a mind 
of her own) . . . housekeeping, gardening, normal life in the afternoon. Don’t forget to leave a comment for the seashells and books. Also, if you have any trouble with WILLARD, be sure to let me know. He goes to lots of addresses now, it takes a couple of days for them all to go out, but if you haven’t received him by Thursday morning, check your spam box (because I’ve heard he can take a detour) and then let me know . . . you can write either here, or on Twitter, or on FOSB (Facebook), and we will be paying attention!
XOXO
This is a most welcome blog post. I em enjoying it, but I printed it out so that I can savor it later with a cup of coffee. It is sunny but very windy here in northern Indiana today. It will be a great day to try a new recipe. Thank you.
As I was reading the cake recipe, the Mister looked at it and said, “That looks complicated!” and I replied, “It is! So you will have to worship me when it is done!” hahahaha I may use lemon curd in mine as I have broken two bones in my right hand.. 🙁
Happy spring! Happy Earth day! Happy day!
Oh I hope that your hand heals well. Get the “Mister” to do the dishes.
Thanks, Margot! Two more weeks and I get to start going without the splint!
LOL I will get a picture of that if he does do the dishes! Dishes are not one of his favorite things! He prefers to help by moving them from the table to the counter! 🙂
Well it is easy to leave a sweet comment after reading that recipe for the lemon spring cake…..I must make that for my husband who loves lemon pie filling and it seems this will be a lovely spring dessert.
I do really enjoy your blogs. You are always an inspiration to me….thank you…out to the garden I go.
Thinking about that yummy lemon makes me so hungry for it. I love to bake, but I’ve never attempted making anything in a roll. Think for sure I’m going to try this though! Thank you for Willard, love that newsletter!
A most stupendous blog post!!! I am so excited that Spring is arriving. Your cake looks so delicious. I’m sure Joe enjoyed this lovely snack. The forsythia was the perfect touch. There is nothing like that beautiful yellow color of the blossoms against the clear blue of the sky. Heavenly. Keep up the good work on your book. Can’t wait!!
Hi Susan,
Thank you so much for sharing your cake recipe and the wonderful look out of your window at the birds and the garden! Your blog is so refreshing and Spring is so beautiful after such a long winter. Jack is so cute and yes Joe definitely deserves a piece of cake:) The books and shells would be great to win, but I am just so glad to receive your Willard and have you share your blog with me.
Jackie
Thanks for the WILLARD. I just got read it during my lunch. It doesn’t matter what you write, draw, or show us, it is perfect! Your blog, letters, books, store etc. gives me a chance to relax and enjoy everything! I always feel refreshed when I read/see something of yours. The other day a friend of mine came in my classroom and asked me what I was looking at on the computer because I was smiling really big (didn’t realize I was)….well I was on your blog! I think you may have a new friend now! Thanks Susan.
What a nice Easter surprise for you and Joe! I just lost 9+ pounds (YAY) so I’ll pass on the lemon cake, but fun to see the process nevertheless. I’ll soon be redoing my window box garden — my pink tulips have bloomed and need replacement. I would love to arrange some jingle shells from your beach on the sill 🙂 And, one can never have too many books. Thanks for the chance of winning. Love the garden shots AND that cute little bird in your driveway eating “dessert”. Spring is happening in fits and starts around here. Still lots of cloudy rainy days. But when the sun shines . . . Oh Boy! Absolutely gorgeous here.
Congratulations on those nine pounds Sylvia!!
Susan,
Thank you for sharing your world, it’s such an inspiration…
I so look forward to your blog. Thanks for Willard, the
opportunity to win your beautiful gifts and the luscious
lemon cake recipe.
Susan,
I adore your website and your books. They are so inspiring. Please sign me up for the giveaway!
Thank you!
Hi Susan! I am new to your blog but grew up reading and cherishing your lovely books from my mom, Mary Spring, who is an avid reader of yours. Your blog is such a treat and reflection of all that I love about living in New England. So happy to be a new FOSB. Thanks for the inspiration. As a young girl your sweet illustrations always spoke to me. I would curl up with your summer book and dream of the ocean, and now I live ten minutes from the Atlantic myself. I plan to take Mom to Martha’s Vineyard this summer when she visits!
Wonderful! So fun to have moms and daughters here together! xoxo to you and Mary!
… xoxo !!! (I’m such a proud momma !)…thanks, Susan..
I just love reading your blog. I check for it daily and sometimes twice a day. Can’t wait to read your new book. I am also going to try some of these recipes this weekend. Thanks so much for you fantastic blog. I love it.
xoxo Sheldon!
What a fun way to learn that yummy new recipe!
Love your new bird friends (heart)! Birds are just sweet surprises that pop in and cheer us! Enjoy your beautiful spring and island awakening. It is beautiful her on California’s central coast too! The birds are a singing!
It was a gorgeous Easter weekend in Missouri! Finally warm and sunny enough for a a long bike ride! Wonderful, even with the sunburn (oops!).
Ooo0oOoo!
the cake looks divine! i seem to remember something similar that my mother in law (she was my mother in law twice, btw) made. we’ve got lemons, so there is absolutely no excuse NOT to make one of these gems! maybe this weekend?!!!
love the sea shells, too! those are not found here on the west coast…love the golden hue to the yellow…they seem quite delicate, too! what a lovely gift! always fun to have a new post to read …. and the Willards, too! can’t wait!!! ♥
You are so inspirational! Thank you for making my day! Can’t wait to try making your lemon cake- yum! Thank you Susan!!!
My Mother made lemon cake at Easter…much like this one! And we always had deviled eggs and pickled eggs (made with pickled beet juice). Springtime looks beautiful up that way! Happy Earth Day!
I hope I win! I hope I win! I really, really, really hope I win!!!!
You’re making me hope you win too! 🙂
Hello, Susan! Yes, Easter was lovely here in southeastern Washington state, too. We spent time outside in our yard with family after dinner. A perfect day. Rain is keeping us inside today, but the rain is nourishing our glorious Earth. Besides, it gives me a chance to read this delightful blog (as they all are!), and look forward to Willard’s arrival. My husband had an uncle named Willard, so it makes me smile when yours arrives. Enjoy your day. Hope the book is going well.
Happiness is a mulching man…a special recipe…the newness of Springtime…birds, blossoms and baskets…the icing on the cake, though=one of your generous giveaways!!!
I don’t often comment, as you receive SO many comments, but when I saw Lamb Chop, I too was 6 years old. I loved watching Shari Lewis talk with the sweet little lamb. Those were the days, weren’t they?
They were . . . I couldn’t believe my dad found one!
Love the cake recipe! And can hardly wait for the new Willard which I receive on the tail end–maybe because I’m in California and it takes all that time to wing its way all the way here, flying through the ether ;>) Happy Day, Susan.
Thanks for sharing your life with us. I’ve been a huge fan for years and feel like we’re old friends even though we’ve never met. You inspire me to embrace all the small details that can make such a big difference.
Another lovely post….thank you…and I absolutely hope to win the drawing.
Isn’t it fun to have a furry friend?
Would never be happy without one of those!
I can almost smell the lemony cake! And I would so LOVE some jingle shells from Martha’s Vineyard. I have sea shells in all three of our bathrooms. I love the ocean, even though I am a terrible sailor. But I love to sit beside the ocean and listen to her.
I think my beloved husband would love the cake as well. So I guess I know what I am baking this weekend.
Thank you, as always, for the inspirations.
Wooo…that cake looks so delicious. Yum-O
I intend to add it to my ‘to-do’ list and make it very soon.
Your wonderful photos and thoughts always make me happy. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
Would love to receive that little package from you.
Happy spring,
edyB
A Happy Spring to you and yours, Susan!!
Thank you for such a SWEET, SATISFYING Taste of Spring !
GLORIOSITY !
I am looking forward to the arrival of Willard !
linda
Happy Easter, Spring!
Our youngest son will be visiting us from California in a few weeks and I am going to make that delicious cake just to remind him that his mom still loves him the best…:)
We too are getting our wonderful doses of Spring, but think you must be a little a head of us…my forsythia still hasn’t bloomed….but am hoping by the time I make the cake it will be in all it’s glory.
Thank you so much for all of your beautiful messages….and am looking forward to visiting with Willard soon.
xoxo
What a fabulous post today! Lemon is my very favorite flavor, even more so than chocolate. I am thinking, I will forward this in an email (as I often do) to my friend Tina and I bet she will make it for me!!! I have a few months until my birthday but she always makes me a good lemon cake, and this one looks especially scrumptious!
And what a sweet photo of you and your dad 🙂 love it! Hope you enjoy your spring day and keep writing, I can’t wait to read your next book. Cheers 🙂
Your Lemon Roll is one of the first things I made from your cookbook many years ago, for our after Mah Jongg treat! It was so good – it is still one of my lemon go-to recipes. Thanks for the post, and can’t wait to read Willard!
You rock, Susan!
Susan,
I just love your blog and Willard too of course. Looking forward to reading it.
The recipe for the lemon cake looks delicious and I will be making it soon for sure!
Shells from Martha’s vineyard would be fabulous in my collection – I have lots of shells from the beaches in California near Santa Cruz, but not too many from the eastern coastline.
What a yummy recipe and the birds are beautiful. I would love to win one of the fun prizes either the shells or some of the books. Happy Earth Day!
The lemon cake looks delish! Can’t wait to make it – maybe in a few weeks when our daughter returns home from college. I really enjoy your blog. Thank you for sharing the special details of your life with us.
Oh my goodness. Two giveaways? Really? I was so so happy with the pics of your birds – and then that fabulous man working in your garden (must get me one of those) and that srumpdiddlyumptious cake recipe… and now you’re adding giveaways?? My cup runneth over.
Love you Susan!!
Oh, just in time– having out of town company this weekend and needed a special something sweet !!! This lemon confection is it!!! Thank you, Susan!!!
Hi Susan, I love the cute little baskets that you got for Easter. So Oh cute. I love the view of Martha,s Vineyard this time of year. I am so glad you showed us what birds are back now. So much fun to keep track of when they arrive back in the spring. Thank you for the lemon roll cake. I am going to make one ASAP. My forsythia bush is not bloomed here in Maine yet, but my double daffadills are mostly out now. So pretty. I still am waiting for your new book to add to my collection. I can’t wait. It to me is like getting a new outfit or a new car. Happy Earth Day to you and Joe. Keep up the great work. Lov to know what Joe is using in and around your flower garden. Mulch? Cow Manure? or What is good to use. Thanks for all the in foe.
We make compost with veggie peelings and egg shells — Joe mixes it with cow manure.
Thanks Susan, I knew about you were making compost from your kitchen. You did tell us all some time ago, but I wanted to know if You and Joe had other secrets you did to make your gardens pop. Cow manure and your compost only. Thanks. I do that and add peat- moss to hold in the water also. Keep up the great work.
Your Willard is a breath of spring! I live in New England too and it’s been such a long long cold winter that flowers blooming are wonderful. The Mother’s Day cake sounds good. Sadly my Mom is deep in the clutches of Alzheimer’s and thought physically here, mentally she is gone and I can no longer converse with her. She would have loved this cake too. I think I’ll make it anyway and eat it in her honor!
I think that’s a very sweet idea xoxo
When I got to meet you and Joe at Strawberry Patches in Bakersfield, it was the beginning of a new “old friends” relationship. I loved your book”A Fine Romance” and look forward to reading your blog. I love viewing Spring thru your posts and pictures. Looking forward to the new Willard,too.
I had such a wonderful time there JoAnn — thank you! How about that little “Jack” Suzanne made? I’m not over it yet.
I was at Strawberry Patches too. Drove in from Sacramento. Wasn’t that the loveliest party? It was so great to meet Sue and Joe and take pictures with them and have Sue sign calendars for all of my Pen Pals.
Yummm–thanks for the good recipe–perfect with a pot of tea! Will bake it soon. I love making jelly roll cakes as they turn out well easily…Spring is here in Minnesota. The pussywillows are out and have turned green! Birches and maples are flowering. Allergies are going crazy! 🙂
The birds are really singing today! Maybe they know it is Earth Day. The fact that they have been so happy this Spring makes me happy. 🙂 Thank you for the pic of the rose-breasted grosbeak, as I have NEVER seen one. Thank you also for the lesson on rolling the cake. I really need to learn that, then I can make my husband’s aunt’s egg roll up too. Yes it is good to see a man working in the yard!!! After several long weeks in WI…I came home to a well manicured lawn! What??? I am glad Arnie has a shore job.
Walk time…
How sweet is that Easter grouping. The lamb looks just like Sherri Lewis’s Lambchop. And what a cute picture of you and your dad. So special. Love the birds at your house, they are so beautiful. We have lots of birds here on Vancouver Island, but not nearly as colourful. A few Rufus hummingbirds flitting through the fir trees on our front lawn, and Barred owls, also up in the fir trees. Your giveaway is fabulous, who wouldn’t want shells from Martha’s vineyard? Thanks so much for the cake recipe. Came at just the right time, it will be a welcome addition to our Mother’s Day brunch. Looking forward to Willard and all the news, hope I get it today.
This post is just what I needed as I sit here looking out my window while the rain pelts everything to pieces! It’s Springtime in Seattle so that’s just the way it is and then I read your post and it’s like a ray of sunshine in my kitchen! Happy Spring!
Beautiful springlicious post!
What a wonderful post! Thank you so much. I cannot wait to try thr lemon sponge, it’s my husbands favorite!!!
The Lemon Cake looks yummy – can’t wait to try the recipe……..Happy Spring!! 😉
Martha from CT
I would love the shells! And since I love lemon cake I know I
will HAVE to make the cake. Yummy. And oh how the little
birdhouse reminds me of my dad. He always put a little piece of
screen on the hole to keep the sparrows out…..but it kept all
the other birds out also. Too bad. They need nesting places
also. Happy Spring!
The only thing better than a post on this blog is a LOOONNNNNG post on this blog plus a Willard. You being busy is a reward to us all!
Sitting down with your blog, books etc and a cup of tea is like taking a mini vacation…brings such delight and inspiration too. A wonderful indulgence! Thanks so much for all the pleasure your work brings!
Susan, Willard, recipes AND sea shells… You make me sooo happy!! I’m also a big fan of Lamb Chop!!:-)
Thanks so much for sharing a Spring Willard to go with our Spring weather here in the San Joaquin Valley. The breeze at sunset is so great we (my dogs and I)just can’t go inside. I have a British friend/neighbor who grows freesia and forget-me-nots (state flower of Alaska – lucky them!) and she SHARES them with us. No one can grow forget me nots in the San Joaquin Valley – too hot! But SHE can. Must be her magic British gardening skills. Thanks so much.
Hmmmm, don’t you just love it? 🙂 xo
Hello fellow San Joaquin County resident! I grew up in Ripon but now live just outside Sacramento. Being an Anglophile, I think you are incredibly fortunate to have an English person in the neighborhood!
The beauty of your world never ceases to bring a little tear to my eyes. Thank you; for the cute art, the beautiful pictures, the delicious recipes, the fun music, a peek into your lovely world, all of it! Thank you for the wonderful Willards! Your view really does make me take notice, and love my view! xoxo
What lovely surprise gifts! I would dearly love the shells, but the books would be great. Glad you are having some milder weather. Isn’t Spring wonderful? My favorite time of the year.
What a delicious looking cake. Can’t wait to try it. It will be perfect for a Spring Tea. Happy Spring!!!
Happy Earth Day, Susan! Than you for putting up this post so soon after writing a Willard for us. I keep checking my email to see if it has arrived, yet 😉 I am looking forward to the challenge of making your lemon-filled sponge cake. It looks so delicious and “Springy.” Happy Spring to you, Joe, Jack, and Girl Kitty~
What a lovely sweet Willard…a breath of Spring for those of us whose spring weather is taking its time arriving!
The shells are sooooo pretty – hugs to you and Jack and Girl kitty too.
SUSAN! Oh my goodness! What a SPRING TREAT to have the blog and Willard all in the same breath! Wonderfully Imaginative Lusciously Lavenous Abundantly Rejuvenating Delight!
Your giveaway is so AMAZING. Little Martha’s Vineyard Jingle Shells! Just saying their name makes me smile. I can hear the waves and feel the sea breezes upon my face now. Yes! Please enter me into Vanna’s hat!
Thank You for the wonderful reads this morning, complete with recipes too!!! I tuck them away to pull out again and again when I need to escape into the true reality of smiles, sweetness and all things good.
XOXO Georgie from NJ
Happy spring, Susan! What a delightful post to brighten my day! It’s raining here in Michigan but we know that it’s good for the flowers that are starting to poke through the earth. Finally I’m believing it’s the end of the most brutal winter I can remember! Fingers crossed that Vanna finds me!!
Hi Susan,
I have read Enchanted April…it is a very good book. I can’t wait to try the Mother’s Day cake. Looks yummy. So glad you had a great Easter. I love relaxing with tea and your blog.
I’m so excited to read my first Willard! Thank you for the blog post that is a much needed breath of fresh spring air!
Oh, those sweet shells! And the lemon cake looks amazing. I have always been afraid of the rolling process. Maybe doing it quickly when pretty much just out of the oven is the key. Grosbeaks!! We have them come through and stop at our feeders 2 or 3 times per year. They never stay too long, but I love every moment I can enjoy their visit. And I have always heard that when the cardinals stop by, it is someone we love who has passed, paying us a visit. I talk to the cardinals every single time I see them, which is pretty much every day. Yep, I am *that crazy lady who talks to the birds*!! And, that is OK with me!!
Happy Spring Susan and Joe!!!! After all, Joe was the one we just saw outside working away in the yard getting the ground ready for spring plantings….You Go Joe!! 🙂 Did you enjoy the lemon-filled cake Susan brought to you? It does sound like a delicious recipe…must make it sometime for my sweet Dusty. 🙂
Took Good Friday off, had a wonderful quiet time with Jesus reflecting on his sacrifice for us all and how He without sin died for our sins that we might receive Him into our lives and have eternal life! That indeed makes that particular Friday GOOD for all! For me personally having been born on that day it makes it all the more special and my bond with Him more precious. On Sunday went to a friend’s church and enjoyed a beautiful and uplifting service …lovely bell choir and such a joy to join in worshipping and praising our Lord and His gift to us!!
Loved the photos of your first time bird arrivals, the birdhouses and all photos of the outdoors you shared . Even those precious yellow flowers you put on the lemon-filled cake. Do you have a book or resource that tells you what flowers are edible and can thus be used for decorations and/or in recipes?
Must also say “thanks” to Jack and his Jeannie for the beautiful handmade bunny baskets they sent to you and that you shared photos of with us all. What a blessing to have such a thoughtful Dad and his sweet Jeannie!
Thanks for the recipes too! In addition to the cake will try the stuffed eggs although right now I am persuing the “Summer Book” and recipes in it that I just received in the mail.
What you have hand selected and are giving in away in the next two drawings sounds so fun and so like you…….The shells in the Snipe tin in beautiful cloth bag, the Elizabeth Van Armin bag and A Fine Romance hand signed by you! Delightful! And the My Story and Mom Tell Me Your Story sound like a great pair to give away. I just purchased “My Story” and am thinking about getting another one to give away. It is blessing me to reflect on the questions and write out my thoughts and in a very small way see why your writing a book is such an adventure and joy for you Susan.
Must be on my way yet wanted to give you a hug and one for Joe, Jack and Jeannie and let you know that you are all lifted up in prayer that you may all continue to be a blessing to others along this journey called LIFE.
Sweet Sue 🙂
Happy Spring! Thank you for all your inspiration!
We had a spectacular “Spring” day here on Easter. Your lemon cake is very similar to the one my mother always makes. She’s 91 now and still bakes whenever we visit….and everything is just as delicious as it was when I was growing up! Many thanks for doing 2 giveaways this time…..now maybe I’ll have a better chance of Vanna picking my name for one of those wonderful prizes!!
You are so lucky Jill, hugs to that mom of yours.
Hey Sue,
Tell your mom Happy Mother’s Day for me. I miss her so much. Loved the pic of you and Jack way back when. Also, I now am excited to read Zelda. I read The Paris Wife a while ago and the Fitzgerald’s were in it. I spent as much time looking up all the writers of that day that were is Paris together as I did reading the book; i.e. Ezra Pound, Alice B. Toklas, Gertrude Stein and Hemingway. I love your blog and Willard, of course. Nice to see how you fill your days…it inspires me!
Hugs to you and Joe,
Chris Power
You’ll love it Chris … All those people are in this too! It’s such an interesting time! xoxo to you and your family. Love, always.
Ooooo that lemon cake looks sooooo good. I wish I were Joe and could get served a piece in the garden. Next best thing is to bake it and serve pieces to my family here. :).
Hi Susan! Happy Earth Day! I’m fortunate to get Rose breasted Grosbeaks at my feeders but not until the first week of May along with Orioles. For now I’m being amused by the sparrows and robins gathering nesting material throughout my garden. One thing they absolutely love to collect for nests is human hair. So remember the nest time you’re cleaning yours or your pets brush, take the hair and place it in your yard. They find it every time! Thank you for Willard. I enjoyed it this morning with my tea. I still have all the Willard’s you sent via snails mail. I’m sure it’s so much easier ( and cheaper ) to email them out now. They’re always fun to read as well as inspiring and I have been inspired to go out and putter in the garden like Joe is doing. Happy spring!
My friend has an English mom who always told us to leave our “tousles” for the birds (what came from our hairbrushes). Isn’t that cute?
I do that every year for our birds, but last year I found that a mouse had made her nest out of our cat hair in the garden against the fence. Gee, would our cat’s be unhappy! LOL!
All of you stay safe with this “weather event” that just happened over the weekend in the midwest that is headed your way!
Going out to cut lilac’s for my Mom who is in a Nursing Home! She will love them!
Have a great day!! Love Willard and reading all the posts!!
What a wonderful post to enjoy during a mid-day tea break. I just wish I had some of that cake right now to go along with my tea. Since you gave us the recipe, I may just have to make it for another day. In addition to tea, I love all things beachy so those shells would be wonderful to find in the mailbox one day soon. Add the other items to the mix, and it’s a great gift from a gracious lady. Thank you!
Oh, Susan Branch! You’ve made a beautiful bright spot in my day! Thank you. Your writing, your drawings, your recipes. . . Happiness!
Love reading your blog and getting a peak into your life beyond the books! That lemon cake looks delicious, and I’ll have to try the recipe the next time I want to bake a cake. Out here in California, our daffodils have come and gone…I miss the wonder and joy of spring after a long, cold winter.
I would love to have some jingle shells in this landlocked state in the middle of North America. :o) Books are treasures too & I’d love to read each one.
It would be fabulous to win, I never win anything! First or Second gift. I love your work so much! Thank you so much for what you do. Each email, blog, Willard, book, card, everything you do brings my spirits up!
I love your posts and your Willards. They make me feel loved and motivated and inspired to look at life from a fresh perspective. It’s blustery today at my home and I think some stuffed eggs and toast are just the thing. Thank you!
That’s exactly how I feel when I write them xoxo
Hi Susan,
A very Happy Spring to you! I live on an island, too…Vancouver Island waaay on the west coast in Canada. Spring is such a glorious season here that it takes my breath away. It’s been wonderful to see the sailboats back in the water and everything coming to life once again. We have shells on our beaches but I have never seen the pretty shells you picked. I’ve never had the nerve to try a cake roll but you make it look easy so maybe I will give it a whirl; lemon anything is my very favourite!
Hi Susan.
Your lemon cake made me so hungry I had to find something lemon to eat – a yougart – not as good as that cake but it will do!
Thank you for sharing the recipe, I cannot wait to give it a try.
Happy Earth Day.
Julie
And if I could spell that would be yogurt – LOL 🙂
Hello Martha, here is my Happy story for today, THANK YOU for MAKING A DIFFERENCE!! – “While walking along a beach, an elderly gentleman saw someone in the distance leaning down, picking something up and throwing it into the ocean.
As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, picking up starfish one by one and tossing each one gently back into the water.
He came closer still and called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”
The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”
The old man smiled, and said, “I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?”
To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”
Upon hearing this, the elderly observer commented, “But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it into the back into the ocean past the breaking waves and said, “It made a difference for that one.”
Exactly. Every little bit helps. xoxo
Love reading your blog. The lemon roll looks delicious. Happy Spring!
I am so happy to be waiting on the new Willard! Spring has finally sprung here in Colorado. The trees are budding out, the first flowers are blooming and the birds are returning. It’s such an exciting time of year and I live outside! Have a wonderful day Susan!
Happy Spring, Sue [& Girlfriends all]. I think you have absolutely hit on the cure for Winter! We all need to inhale a few deep-deep breaths of fresh outdoor Spring air so we can begin to forget about the historic [and very disagreeable] Winter we just had. The lemon cake sounds & looks wonderful. Is it in any of your books? [I have them all now]. Or do I have to be sure and copy this off to keep? PS – it’s amazing how photogenic tuxedo kitties are – especially alongside daffodils and bright green books. :>) Have a wonderful Spring week, everyone.
They are, they are graphic. The go good with furniture too! :-0
Happy Earth Day, Susan! I love seeing your posts in my inbox. When I do, it means I’ll have a few minutes on Martha’s Vineyard with you and all that you see and do there. I have my deck door open and can hear the birds singing in our feeders, the sun is shining, and we have LEAVES (!) here in southern Virginia. A lift for the spirits to be sure. It really feels like Earth Day…so wonderful after the winter that wouldn’t stop!
You are wonderful. Thank you!
How lovely to find another “Heather Lyon” and in one of my favorite places, too! My firstborn shares your name!
Blessings to you!
Thank you for the lovely post that brightened my day. I would love a chance to win either prize!
Love! Love! Love!
Your beautiful art inspires me! Thank you!
You are SO nice! Thank you for brightening my day.
Your spring is way ahead of mine!
Still Easter was gorgeously sunny..that helped for the hunt..
I made your lamb cake susan..I will make it every year now~
Thanks again..and again..
I’m excited to get the new Willard but I sure do love all of your blog posts!! I so look forward to seeing the email come in with the topic of the day… 🙂 So much fun! Thank you for sharing your snip-it of New England Island life!! Happy Spring
Happy Earth Day and Happy Spring! What a wonderful day it is, and made all the better by reading your lovely spring blog, Susan. Your lemon roll cake looks delicious; I might have to be brave and try it out. Here in Seattle we are in full Spring mode. I just love this time of year. I even cut some lilacs last night and have them in little vases around my apartment. Just think of that – lilacs in April! Christmas has come early 🙂 Thank you for being you and brightening everyone’s day. You are an inspiration to me.
Rebecca
What a bright sparkle to my day ! I can smell that lemon roll cake right through the screen, uhm goood. Enjoyed the musica of Billie Holliday and seeing the precious Easter Baskets from your Dad and his wife. You never outgrow your need for that Fathers love and spoiling. Loved the bird pictures as I have never seen a grosbeek before. Jack is his usual cute self. How nice to see Joe making the garden lovely for his princess. A true labor of love. The yellow shells were perfect to include with your post about the lemon roll cake with their lovely color. Hope that you had a wonderful birthday and that it will be a great year for you. I always look forward to your posts and can hardly wait to receive my first Willard. You always have such lovely items in your monthly drawings, I always have such fun just reading about them and seeing a picture of them that I feel like I win each month. Happy to see the Island awakening through your pictures. Loved the pictures of the cherry blossoms as it is one of the privileges we enjoy living in the area , walking the Tidal Basin at cherry blossom time. Happy Day and Happy Spring!!!
That new birdie who visited you is so cute! I’m the same way–every time a new bird shows up at our feeders I start trying to figure out what it is. 🙂
I confess I just really do not like lemon. You know why I think that is? Does anyone remember when those ladies would come to your school when we were little and put that fluoride treatment on our teeth, and also make us brush and then chew those little red tablets to see where we missed brushing? That fluoride stuff they used tasted like lemon and I have never like it since. 🙂 Is it just me and that is a weird story? 🙂 Anyway, do you think that cake could be made without the lemon zest, and with another type of filling? It sounds delicious without the “fluoride” in it. 🙂
I didn’t have that at my school, it sounds really terrible! I promise there is no fluoride in this cake! But, while I was making it, I was thinking how much I would like to roll it up with ice cream in it! You could leave the zest out of the cake . . .
Ice cream would be good … OR a layer of whipped cream and sliced strawberries 🙂
Ice cream. Now you’re talkin… 🙂 Thanks!
Susan,
Thanks for showing beautiful Martha’s Vineyard. Makes me want to get on a ferry and visit the island.
Karen
We have lived in California for 13 years and the one thing I miss most of all is the changing of the seasons. Thanks for including us in your excitement at the arrival of spring. Your post today was just lovely. You remind me to stop and smell the roses. Thank you!
I believe SPRING has finally sprung around here…Loved seeing your rosy-breasted grosbeak. I have nests of little warblers near the house….sound just like canaries…so delightful. Love breathing in the smells of spring….Happy Spring! happy Earth day! Happy book-writing and happy happiness!!!
What a fun “springy” post! It made me so happy! Thank you, Susan, for being YOU!
Happy Spring!
Love,
Tami Scire
What a joy to sit quietly and read your blog. This is my 1st week of retirement and after working 20 years in live TV shopping I can slow down and enjoy all that is around me. I have read your books and followed you through the years as my children grew up, made your recipes, tried your crafts, and dreamed many of the same dreams. I am thrilled to have more time to spend with you my friend!
Congratulations Marcy!
Reading “A Fine Romance ” a second time as my husband and I get ready for our trip to London (and then on to Norway) next month. Love it!
Bon Voyage Marcy!
The cake recipe looks yummy!
Can’t wait to try the cake recipe and read the new Willard! Thanks Susan!
Love the pictures of Joe in the garden! What a sweet guy! I also love the lemon cake! I’m going to make it for my mom for Mother’s Day! Thanks for the great ideas!
Oh the shells are just precious. I have collected shells since I was a little girl…. a long long time ago. I still have some my grandma would bring me from Florida. (I live in Michigan) so those shells were specials because they are from the ocean not just the lakes that we have. Thanks for the chance to win the shells or even the awesome books. I have collected your books right from the start but do not have either of these two so that would be a fun surprise.
HAPPY SPRING SUSAN!!
Thanks for the lovely photos! It looks wonderful there. Seashells and Old Books…these are two of my favorite things!
Thanks for the inspiration!