My favourite spring event is the Holstein Maplefest, and this year sure wasn't a disappointment!! The weather was absolutely perfect for the festival and the syrup is amazing this year. The older I get the more I love and appreciate maple syrup, truly! It is liquid gold :) The little town of Holstein sure knows how to put on a fantastic festival and it all takes place far from the main road and deep in a sugar-bush. The kids were free to get in and Joel and I paid a measly $7 a piece for admission. Once inside the bush there are endless treats to taste-test and lots of fun to be had!! The kids love it as much as we do too :) From the birds of prey show to the old-fashioned maple taffy made in the snow troughs, to the pony rides and bagpipes, it truly is an awesome family outing!! Last year we weren't able to go because I had a client due very close to the date and couldn't imagine what it would be like for my pager to go off in the middle of the festival and the panic that I would go through trying to get home! This year April was wide open so I could go and not worry about anything. It was an incredible day!! Here are some pics of some of the highlights:
Lyric and Obi loved to watch this gentleman and another gentleman who were carving, they loved to watch them work and to watch the sculptures change before their eyes!
Here are my sweet girls peeking through the flagstone gate
Joel and Lyric are enjoying the pork goodies at the smoke house! Bacon and smoked sausage... so delicious!! We definitely got our money's worth! Another favourite was the biscuit house where they served homemade tea biscuits with dandelion jelly on them, YUMM! I wanted to buy some to bring home and I forgot, maybe next year :)
Each of the kids took at turn sawing logs, then they got to keep the chunk that they had cut off, took it down to the blacksmith and he burned a Canadian flag into it; how cool is that?!
Another of our favourites; the kettle corn made right before your eyes! I'm thrilled to say that since watching this guy make it, and after one semi-failed attempt, my amazing hubby has mastered the art of kettle corn making on our stovetop!! The family was pretty excited about that one, now we don't have to wait until Maplefest every year to enjoy that treat!The birds are all out in full swing in our backyard and I can hardly keep the birdfeeder full! The grass is finally starting to turn green. I've decided that beyond growing a few tomato plants in my garden that I am officially giving up on growing a vegetable garden at my house. At my old house we had few trees and lots of sun and my garden was amazing, but here I just don't have the sun to grow the veggies (or the time to weed the garden!). I'm so looking forward to my favourite mennonite produce porch to open up again in May so I can start buying all of my fresh produce from there!!
Looking forward to some quality family time this weekend as we remember the sacrifice that Christ made for us so many years ago and as we celebrate the victory He had over death. Isn't it incredible that the Creator of the Universe loves us enough that He died for us? Not only that but he LONGS to be in relationship with us, to be our best friend, our everything. He is so good.
Happy Easter everyone!!
Mel
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