The Beard Babies: Papa Doc

It's always a pleasure having Doc visit us. I'm so glad he was able to come on his way through Nashville as he prepares for Lads to Leaders at the Opryland Hotel. He is Jason's best friend and one of the biggest blessings from our time in youth ministry in Henderson. They have maintained a great relationship and always pick up right where they leave off. (Especially when Dr. Pepper and burping are involved.) It was fun showing him our new place and getting to catch up on Henderson and family news. We love to hear about the adventures of his grand girls, Mary Belle and Olivia. We also got to hear about his grand niece, Naomi Elizabeth. Love all these sweet little girl names in our families!

A big thank you to Debbie for the quiet time books! The girls loved them. As you can see below, they put Elizabeth right to sleep and Mary Charlotte was ready for a second read. We had the Beard story/circle time this morning in bed. Still not a reality that morning circle time can be done in bed with pajamas and no makeup! I'm kind of liking this! :)
Thank you for thinking of the girls, Mrs. Deb!

Doc came bearing gifts, including two beautiful dresses from another dear Henderson friend, Rosemary. I taught at East Chester with Rosemary a few years ago and love her so much. While living in Henderson, I was able to learn from her in the classroom as well as at church. Her Wednesday night ladies' class was such a treat each week and I still miss going to it. She is a light to all those she touches and I learned so much from her example and encouragement. She knows just what kind of dresses the girls like (or what their Mommy encourages them to like). Thank you for the beautiful, white gowns. I can't wait to play dress up with the girls. She got them from Belk and they are Petit Ami, which is a line I love and had no idea that they carried. We will definitely be visiting there in the near future! Thank you Rosemary!

Whenever we have a Bloomingburg or Beard Bed and Breakfast weekend, we like to share and swap recipes. This is one I made this morning for Doc. It was originally his recipe, created after we told him about eating a granola breakfast dish in Asheville, North Carolina while visiting the Biltmore. The Wright Inn was a wonderful B & B we stayed in and then later on the Bloomingburgs stayed there as well after our recommendation. It's become one of my favorite breakfast casseroles and a "go to" when I know company is coming. It's very filling and tasty and other than the butter and sugar, not too unhealthy! Ha!

Happy Thursday!

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Cranberry Apple Casserole

*Can be prepared beforehand

3 C peeled, chopped apples
2 C fresh or canned cranberries
2 T flour
1 1/2 t lemon juice
*Combine and toss to coat and add 1 C sugar.

Place fruit in a buttered 2 quart casserole dish and top with the following:

3 individual packets of instant cinnamon and spice oatmeal
3/4 C chopped pecans
1/2 C flour
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 C melted butter

*Spoon Oatmeal mixture over fruit and bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes.
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And now for what you really wanted to see...two little girls!