It’s amazing to me how attention to a small detail can make a huge difference in the usefulness of an object or individual. There was a sheet on my daughter’s bed that was not holding up the name “fitted” sheet. It would have fit King Kong as a cape! The elastic had stretched out making sleep fitful as they twisted with every turn she made at night. With all the turning she’d done recovering from oral surgery, that sheet was a pitiful sight in the morning. I had had it with those things and ripped them off the bed and replaced them with a newer set of sheets.

I’m late blogging this morning due to having overnight guests. Two girls that were with the Appalachian Bible College music ministry team stayed with us after serving in our Wednesday night service. What a blessing they were!

Here are Liesel and Abby at breakfast this morning. It was such a cool, beautiful morning that I decided to serve breakfast out on the deck. We had a leisurely breakfast and were able to visit before they had to get with the rest of the team and head for Kentucky.

It is such a blessing to have guests in our home. I loved getting to talk to the girls and hear how the Lord is working in their lives, where they’re headed after college, and hear about their growing up years. These girls are both from pastor’s homes, so we had much in common!

I’m thankful for the opportunity to entertain and wish I could do it more often. People just don’t know what they’re missing when they don’t have guests like these in their home. What a good influence godly young people are on children or other young people! What a wonderful opportunity to be a blessing to ministry folk as they’re traveling! All they needed was a clean bed, warm shower and breakfast. How hard is that? We got much more than we gave and had fun doing it. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13:2 I think we had two at our house last night!

I chose to make a “no-fuss” in the morning breakfast. I made French Toast Casserole that is made up the night before. It’s so good and all you do is make up the egg mixture the night before, pour it over the bread and refrigerate it. The next morning you pop it into the oven, then spread the topping on it about 15 minutes before it’s finished and, Viola! Breakfast is ready! I also love to do my bacon in the oven so I don’t have to stand there and mess with it. I put it on a baking sheet at 325 for about 25-30 minutes. I added a touch I saw Barefoot Contessa do – I brushed on maple syrup during the last 10 minutes of baking. Yum!

Here’s the French toast recipe if you’re interested:

1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows
Maple syrup

Directions:
Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Spread praline topping over the tops of the bread slices about 15 minutes before it’s finished baking. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.

I halved the recipe for four people. Sooooo good!

* Note: Because we had the ABC music ministry at church last night we did not have our Bible study on Dealing with the Fools in Your Life. The Bible study will be continued here next Thursday.

There are a lot of powerful forces in our lives; one of those is music. I am so thankful for ears to be able to listen to beautiful songs whether they be instrumentals or vocals. It encourages my heart so much.

Yesterday I heard a new recording of old hymns. One of those songs was “Safe Am I.” I sang that song as a child and have always loved it. In case you’re not familiar with it the words are,

Yesterday I was reminded of the pain of a mother’s love. My younger daughter was scheduled to have all four of her wisdom teeth extracted. How I have dreaded this for her. Why? I’ve had mind cut out and remember the incident! It was no Saturday afternoon picnic, to say the least!

As we headed to the oral surgeon she was calm and unruffled by what lie ahead. She was ready for a few “down” days – soft foods, movies and taking it easy. We had gently warned her what it would be like, but the rude awakening came after we got home and the PAIN set in. She and I both had tears in our eyes as we waited for the medication to do its thing. After a call to the surgeon and another dose of medication she seemed to be doing better. Then another storm struck – nausea from the medication. She hasn’t been able to keep anything down, and of course that makes taking the next medication even more difficult to bear. It’s a vicious cycle and one that’s had me in tears more than once.

What mother can stand to see their child in pain or having to endure suffering? This one doesn’t do it so well. I’ve cried out to the Lord to help her and get her through these difficult days, thankful that He hears a mother’s prayer and understands.

He understands. His Son suffered much more than that of oral surgery. He suffered for sins He had not committed for people who would turn their backs on Him. He died for me, and God had to turn His back while Christ bore my sin. He couldn’t even do what I had done for my daughter – comfort, soothe, and be right there. How His heart must have hurt.

So I know when I pray for my daughter, God understands and He cares for me and for her. That gives me comfort, even while I wait for the next time I hear her call for me. God is waiting too, and is able to answer exceeding above all that I ask or think.

God understands what you are going through too. Whatever it is, He knows what you’re going through and He cares. More than a mother’s love is our God’s great love for you. Remember that and be comforted.

This weekend I pulled off of my book shelf a book that I bought in the 90’s. It was Emilie Barnes’ book on ordering your life. I have read it several times, but as I reread the first couple of chapters I was encouraged and challenged in some of the very ordinary things of life as a woman.

It’s easy to get slack and let things slide both at home and in my heart. I love reading inspirational books that are full of good ideas to make me a better woman, wife and mother. I need challenges that spur me on to make things richer in my walk with the Lord. I am thankful for encouraging thoughts to make my marriage sweeter. And I love good ideas to make my home a more inviting place to be.

So far here are a few thoughts that have been a blessing in those areas:

· Reading the salvation testimonies of others is a so encouraging. I plan on reading a new biography of a Christian in this next month.

· Creating a special dinner and a special place for dinner is one idea for my marriage that the Lord gave me just by seeing a picture of a backyard that had a little table out in their backyard. Here’s what I created for my husband as a result. He LOVED it!

· I saw a cozy kitchen in a magazine and thought, “I need to make my seating area more inviting; a place that encourages people to want to sit down and stay for a visit. Using the picture as a guide I gathered some things from other rooms in my home to make my bench the focal point of the kitchen. Here is the result:

· I borrowed a Cooking Lite cookbook from the library and have made four or five new recipes from it. Check this one out.

I’d encourage you to reread a book that was a blessing to you in the past. If you don’t have any resources to pull from, any book by Elizabeth George will challenge your walk with the Lord. A book by Emilie Barnes will get you on the road to organization. A good magazine borrowed from the library such as Southern Living or Country Living is a good place to get some beautiful ideas for your home or yard.

It’s so easy to get into a rut. Why not freshen things up this week with some fresh ideas?