It’s summertime and time for vacations for many. I thought I’d share some helpful tips for traveling.

If it weren’t for having to pack a suitcase I think I’d look forward to vacations a whole lot more! I found some good tips to simplify what I pack and how to pack it. Check it out here.
Good ideas, huh?

How many times after you’ve loaded up the car and started on your way have you had the sinking feeling that you’ve left something behind? Here’s a checklist to help you remember the other items, aside from your clothes that you need to bring.

• You can get lots of mileage out of a big bag of colorful pipe cleaners. Your children can practice his colors and counting with them. Add some large beads and you’re set.
• Take along some of your child’s favorite snacks … Cheerios, graham crackers, small juice boxes … and lots of baby wipes. Keep small toys that are not very noisy available for the child to play with.
• Go to the Dollar store and find little trinkets to place in small brown bags – one for each hour you’ll be travelling. The child can open one bag an hour to discover a treat, small toy or book to help pass the time.
• Even if it is a baby toy, kids have fun with ANYTHING that lights up. The dollar store has neon glow bracelets and sticks (the kind you’d purchase at an amusement park or nighttime parade) that kids can connect and make bracelets or necklaces out of. Glow-in-the-dark star stickers are fun to get out too. Have them use their mini-flashlights on them to get them to shine. They can stick them above their seat in the car (if they are big enough), or you can have them do it before it gets dark when stopping for gasoline or something quick.
• I’ve seen auto bingo boards for sale, but I’ve made them myself and get the kids to help out. Here’s a sight for a printable auto bingo card.

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Mark 1:35

Need a snack for the car or plane? This Cinnamon Snack Mix sounds yummy!

Ingredients
5 cups honey graham cereal
3 cups cinnamon-flavored bear-shaped graham cookies
2 cups ramen noodles, crushed
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon orange juice

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mix honey graham cereal, bear-shaped graham cookies, ramen noodles, almonds, and golden raisins.

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter, and blend in honey and orange juice. Spread over the honey graham cereal mixture, and toss to coat.

Spread mixture onto a large baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes in the preheated oven.

We hit the sunny beaches where we occupy ourselves keeping the sun off our skin, the saltwater off our bodies, and the sand out of our belongings. ~Erma Bombeck

Happy travels!

I love stories about how the Lord brings couples together. It is an act of His omnipotence, omniscience and grace. Who else but the Lord could bring a man and a woman from two completely different homes and upbringings and cause them to compliment each other in such a way that they can live together and serve Him and make up for the weaknesses of the other?

The couple pictured here is testimony of that very story. I’ll never forget her sitting in my living room several years ago and asking me how she was ever going to find a husband. She was here going to med school and there were no single Christian men in her class. Once she finishes her residency she is planning to head to the mission field, and didn’t like the thoughts of going as a single woman. Where would this man come from? Was she doomed to single life? Should she go to Bible college following med school to put herself in a place where she would meet Christian men? My answer to her was to simply obey what the Lord had called her to do. Serve Him, prepare for the mission field, walk with the Lord, and trust Him to bring the man at the right time.

One summer she attended a camp for missionaries headed to the mission field. She met a fine young man and they became fast friends. They continued their friendship long-distance while she continued her training. The letters and calls continued and things began getting serious over a period of time. You see the end result. When my husband and I met her fiance’ we could see that they were perfect for each other! God had done His perfect work again.

I write this to encourage those that may be single. I believe the Lord wills that most people marry. There are some set aside to stay single so they can serve in a ministry in a more effective way, but I believe that is the exception. Don’t fret. Don’t try to arrange things. Don’t put yourself in the wrong kind of places just so you’ll meet single men. Just obey the Lord’s will for your life right now. Walk in fellowship with Him. Serve Him. While you’re busy doing those things the Lord will bring a husband along in His time. If the Lord can take care of your greatest need (that of salvation) can He not provide this need also? Yes, He can.

You can trust Him with your life and you can trust Him with your future mate. Commit it to the Lord and watch Him provide.

Under His feathers,

You know what was cooking in my kitchen yesterday? Nothing but celebration! Mother’s Day is reason to celebrate, and so is your daughter’s homecoming from college! Because my husband and I had been away this weekend for a wedding, we had planned to go out for dinner on Mother’s Day. Knowing the crowds that pack into the restaurants, I suggested that we call Cracker Barrel and get carry-out and bring it home. I set the table with the china and crystal and I had a lovely centerpiece of roses from my husband. We were eating dinner within fifteen minutes of getting home!

I did make dessert. This was a celebration cake for my daughter, Allison. It was to rejoice in a great first year accomplished in college. This is the Triple Chocolate Cake that I posted about a couple of weeks ago. I hadn’t made it in several years and thought it was time. Mmmm, it is so delicious! Here’s the cake in steps.

What did you do for Mother’s Day? Hope it was yummy!

Did you ever have someone ask you, or have you thought yourself – “Why does God do what He does?”

The other day in my quiet time I came across Psalm 119:68 – Thou art good and doest good; teach me thy statutes. That verse is Truth about the character of our God. As I went to prayer I thanked the Lord for many things of the morning and recognized that He is good and does good. It’s easy to see His goodness in things we are thankful for, isn’t it?

As I went to intercede for others I began praying for someone who is suffering and has been suffering for quite some time. Then I prayed, “But Lord, even as you allow this to go on in her life I recognize that you are good and you can only do good.” Nothing “bad” can touch the life of a Christian. Some might argue that suffering is bad, but not for a child of God. It’s being used in their life for a purpose. It may be preparing them for a future ministry, it might be driving them to the Word, or it might be causing them to stop trusting in their own strength. God knows what they need and how long they need it. He is good and only does good.

I then prayed for the salvation of many that I’m burdened for. “Lord, you are good, and you do good.” In His goodness He sent His Son to die for all. That is a good God! He doesn’t want them to go to hell! He does good; He provides salvation to all that will call on Him. Romans 10:9

That one verse touched every area of my prayers. It also touches every area of our lives. Do you know that God is good and only does good? That is His character and He cannot act apart from that. Whatever difficulty you’re facing today, remind yourself of eternal Truth…we have a good God who only does what is good!

Because of His goodness,

Sunday morning I watched a precious little one-year old girl in our church go out the door holding two baby dolls in her arms. Her momma told me that she loves her babies and takes them all over with her. Isn’t it sweet how God gave females that nurturing spirit? From the time most of us were big enough to stand on our own two legs we’ve been nurturing something.