Wow.  It’s May 1st – May Day!  The yard at the parsonage is coming alive.  Each morning when we walk, I love looking at what’s sprouting and growing.  The yard has really changed in the years we’ve lived here.  I took a walk around the yard yesterday afternoon to see what’s blooming or beginning to bloom.  How about walking with me?

See the bunny near the middle of the picture?  Adorable.

Thyme in the bundt pan that fits around my umbrella on the table. Love this – it’s so accessible and makes a pretty centerpiece.

Liza is only allowed to go out and stay up on the deck. I took this picture from the side of the deck floor. She’s a little irritated that I won’t let her follow me.

My HUGE Knock-out Rose Bush. I let it grow tall to hide the gutter and electric meter box.

Clematis that I bought for $1 at Lowes 2 years ago. It’s filled with blooms!

Iris hidden in the Day lilies. I think the wind blew the seeds in there.

Dogwood outside the shed

Hey, Come get me!

Chives in bloom in my herb garden

The Rosemary that will soon take over the backyard!

I love these wild strawberries down by the lower patio.

I’m still waiting!

This vine is special – it was given to me by Jim Ward, who went to heaven a week and half ago.

Daisies grown from seeds my sis gave me several years ago.

Love the way this vine is climbing the stairs.

See?  I’m still sitting here, just like you told me to!

My yard needs some major attention.  I hope to get to it very soon. I need to prune and weed and add some mulch.  I’ll also add my annuals after Mother’s Day, but still, I thank the Lord for all He is allowing to grow and bud in my parsonage yard.  

From my parsonage yard,

Today was the last day of our challenge and I finished my tasks by cleaning the electronic devices in our home.  Phone, Kindle, computers and televisions all got a good wiping down.  They all look better!

As a matter of fact, my whole house looks better after this challenge!  I’m not afraid to open closets and cabinets now!  Yay for completing the whole process!  I thank the Lord for strength to work!

How about you?  Did you do all or even part of the challenge?  Isn’t the feeling a great one?  

I just got back from the grocery store.  Yowie (that’s my word – you won’t find it in the dictionary).   That simply means Oh.  My. Goodness!  I brought in five small bags of groceries and it was just over $50 and many of the items I bought were on sale or even clearance. I also used some coupons.  We’re all looking for ways to cut back and save at the grocery store, aren’t we?

Oh, and what about gasoline?  The people driving those “smart cars” are probably the most extreme ones striving to save on gas prices.  I guess the bicyclers would count, too. But we are always scouting out good gas breaks.

Goodwill stores are doing the business these days with people buying furniture and accessories and up-cycling them.  Ideas like these pictured are really hot these days.  These creative ideas keep folks from spending a fortune on furniture for their home.

With all the need to save on so many areas of our life, there is one area that we can be really extravagant!  That’s in the area of dishing out love!  How could you dole out a generous dose to those most important in your life?

Let’s start with the greatest love:

Our love for God ~

Go ahead!  Be extravagant and pass out generous helpings of your Christ-like love to those around you.  The pay off is even better.

We all know we should eat breakfast to jump start our day, but do you find yourself in a breakfast rut?   To me planning dinner meals is much easier than thinking about what I’ll fix for breakfast. I find it too easy to eat the same thing for breakfast and it gets boring!

I’ve made a couple of new breakfast recipes in the recent past that were a little out of the norm without being too complicated or time consuming.

Instead of just plain old bacon and eggs, I made these Bacon and Egg Toast Cups:

How cute are those?  The neat thing is that they’re made in a muffin tin and baked in the oven.  No need to stand at the counter with bacon hitting you in the face first thing in the morning!  These have it all – Bacon, eggs and toast all in one cute little cup! The addition of the cheese is a lovely punch of flavor!   I found this recipe on Pinterest.  There’s nothing new under the sun – the recipe was passed from blog to blog to now my blog!

• 6 slices of bacon, uncooked or precooked (I precooked mine in the microwave just a little)
• 6 slices of bread
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 eggs
• Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Spray large muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. In a frying pan, cook bacon about 3-5 minutes, until partially cooked but not completely crispy (if using precooked bacon skip this step). Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Cut out circles (about 3 1/2 inches) in each piece of bread using a cookie cutter or a drinking glass turned upside down.
3. Press the bread rounds into the greased muffin wells. Curl a piece of bacon around the periphery of each piece of bread, positioning it between the bread and the muffin tin to help keep it in position. This can be a little tricky until you get the hang of it. Sprinkle a small amount of shredded cheese in the center of each piece of bread. Crack one egg over each piece of bread being careful not to break the yolks. You may not want to use all of the egg white. If you do you may need to adjust the cooking time to a little longer.
4. Once all the bread pieces have been topped with eggs, bake until eggs are cooked through to your liking (about 15 minutes for me) and bacon is crispy. Run a knife around the edge of each muffin well and pop the egg cups out. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

French Toast is my favorite breakfast food.  This recipe combines bananas and nuts – does that mean it’s healthy?  =)  I think so!  Please don’t tell me otherwise; it will ruin my day.

You can choose to do this as an overnight method, which I love.  That means the morning prep is zero for the toast!  Just slide it into the oven!  Then just caramelize the bananas.

• 12 ounces Challah bread (preferably a day old) or French Bread, cut into 8 slices
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups plain light soy milk (or skim dairy milk) I used 2% milk
• 5 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

• 3 ripe bananas, sliced 1/4 inch thick rounds
• 3 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted
• 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• dash of salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vegan butter (or dairy butter)

1. FOR OVERNIGHT FRENCH TOAST – Coat a 9X13 inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside. Combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and soy milk in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine thoroughly. Add eggs and vanilla and continue to whisk until well combined. 
2. Place challah slices in a single layer along the bottom of the prepared pan. Pour the soy milk mixture over the bread, making sure to evenly coat each piece. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. The next morning – preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 38-40 minutes, or until puffed and lightly golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
4. While the french toast is in the oven, make the Banana Pecan Topping (this only takes about 10 minutes so try and time it with the last few minutes of the french toast baking so it stays warm) – Combine sliced bananas, sugar, maple syrup, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Heat a large nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Add banana mixture to pan and cook 3 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved and the bananas are soft. Stir in butter. Top baked french toast with banana compote. Serve immediately.

1. FOR SAME DAY FRENCH TOAST – Combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and soy milk in a large bowl. Whisk to combine thoroughly. Add eggs and vanilla and continue to whisk until well combined. Working in batches, drop a few challah slices at a time into the mixture, turning to coat. Let sit in liquid 10 minutes to absorb mixture.
2. While you’re waiting for the sitting bread, make the Banana Pecan Topping – Combine sliced bananas, sugar, maple syrup, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Heat a large nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Add banana mixture to pan and cook 3 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved and the bananas are soft.  Stir in butter. Set aside while you finish the french toast.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet, coated with cooking spray, over medium-high heat. Add 4 slices of challah, cook about 2 minute son each side, or until lightly browned. Repeat with remaining four pieces. Top cooked french toast with banana pecan topping. Serve immediately.

The bacon and eggs would make a great weekday breakfast; the French Toast perhaps for the weekend.  No matter, when you choose to make these, just try them!  It will get you out of your old breakfast groove!

What is your favorite breakfast food for weekday and weekend?

From my parsonage kitchen,

P.S.  Today and tomorrow are it for the House-Cleaning challenge.  Today’s job is to clean all the floors in the house.

On Wednesday when I cleaned out my closet, one hard area to organize was that of my scarves.  I wasn’t sure how to hang them without them falling all over the place.  I don’t like storing them in a drawer because they won’t stay stacked.  So, I got to thinking about how the stores display them!  That was the answer!

Freshen up your closet by hanging your scarves as beautifully as the department stores do!  They’ll be right at your fingertips and won’t slide off the hanger!

I will be skipping out on today’s House Cleaning Challenge because I’m headed out of town, but I hope to make up next Monday!  Stay on track if you can.  It will pay off in the long haul!

Also, be faithful to your church Sunday!  We will be with our daughter who is attending a special senior’s breakfast at BJU.  Can’t believe she’s graduating next week!  God is so good!  See you Monday!

Be refreshed,