Share Your Story--May 3rd Meeting Recap

At our last meeting, we were so blessed to hear the experiences of two of our own extraordinary moms during our "Share Your Story" meeting.

Phyllis Hovey was the first to share.  She and her husband, Brian, were called into mission work and started an adventure to share God's Word in Chile. Though they had planned to remain childless due to some medical issues, God had other plans for them! Phyllis told us about the beginning times of realizing she was pregnant and shared a funny anecdote about trying to buy a pregnancy test from behind the counter of a Spanish-speaking pharmacy where she ended up playing a sort of game of charades with the pharmacist to communicate her needs.  Then, once she had the test--all the instructions were in Spanish, too! God knows how to provide what we need and He led Phyllis to someone who helped her get set up with an English-speaking OB/GYN. Even though she was nervous, she remembered that our kids are God's kids and HE is in charge.  She reminded us that we should, "Give God the pen in your story."

Phyllis also shared these important verses with us:
Praise the Lord. Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands.  Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.  Psalm 112:1-2

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.   1 Corinthians 15:58

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.    Ephesians 3:20

Phyllis, along with her husband Brian and son Gunner, soon will be headed to Pennsylvania, and plan to continue mission work in Papua New Guinea in the near future.  You can follow their experiences though their blog.

Our second speaker was Jamie Stanislav.  Jamie has been part of our group for several years.  She has been married to her husband, Matt, for 8 years and has two little boys, ages 4 and 2.  Inspired in part by a foster care panel we held at MOPS a few years ago, Jamie and Matt prayed and felt led to learn more about the world of foster care.  Over the course of several months, they met with other families that were foster parents or adoptive parents. Even though their initial feelings when they first heard about it was that foster care was probably not for them, God slowly changed their hearts. The county only requires 6-10 hours of training, but Jamie and Matt used the experience of others to learn more about the process.

Jamie and Matt, along with their two boys, welcomed a baby boy into their home this year. They have cared for and loved him and have given him a wonderful home.  Jamie said that some of the most common questions she gets are, "Won't it just be too hard when you have to let them go? Won't you get too attached?  What if the place they are going still isn't a good situation for them?"  Jamie's response to these questions felt so profound.  She said, "The whole point is to pour love into the child and it is impossible to not get attached. If we said "no" to taking him in in the first place, that would be far more difficult for the child that us having to say goodbye to him at the end of our time together.  We have to trust God."

Please take some time and watch this video, ReMoved, that Jamie recommended.  It shows an example of what life is like for foster children through their own eyes.

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Our "Silver Spoon Award" winner for the week is Sarah Peterson! Please click on the link to see the recipe for her winning dish:


Blueberry Cheesecake Crescent Rolls




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Announcements:

• Pre-registration for next year is now open! We will have forms available for you to fill out during the meeting, so please bring your checkbooks! If you register before June 30th, you can save a few dollars off the regular fee!  Pre-registration fee is $22.95.  If you have to miss the meeting or forget your checkbook, you can mail in your registration form to Bethel Church Attn: MOPS 1611 Hemlock Ave., Owatonna, MN  55060 
• We are currently working on planning our 2nd Annual MOPS Family Picnic!  Stay tuned for more information.... 
• Do you know someone would make a great mentor mom? If so, please let someone on the steering team know!  Thank you!

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Looking forward to our next meeting on May 17th:

At our meeting this week, we will make a fun craft that will inspire you to think outside the box when planning summer activities to do with your kids.  For the craft, please bring either a mason jar (no lid needed) or a clean, empty can.  If you have extra, please consider bringing a few to help out those that might forget. We will also be enjoying some fun with friends at our tables and we will have some great prizes and treats to give away.  Don't miss our end-of-the year celebration!

The EXQUISITE and SPIRITED tables are on for breakfast and the JOYFUL table is in charge of bringing items for MOPPETS this week.  We have enough snacks for the kids, but we are still in need of Dixie cups and napkins. Thank you!

God's Marriage and Speed Friending--April 19th Meeting Recap

At the beginning of her talk, our speaker, Melissa Dueul, asked us to think about three questions:

1.) What is your dream or desire for your marriage?

2.) What is God's design for your marriage?

3.) What is the reality of your relationship right now?

After pondering those three questions individually, Melissa talked a little more about God's design for marriage.

In 1 Peter, we learn that wives are commanded to respect their husbands and husbands are commanded to love their wives.  I had always read this with thoughts swirling in my head.  Why would we not be told to both love and respect eachother?  Why this seemingly "unequal" treatment?  Melissa helped explain the passage with the help of a book called Love and Respect, by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs.  In the book, Dr. Eggerichs explains that we need to show love to our spouse in a way that makes sense to them. As Melissa said in her talk, "Speak respect to your husband--he'll get it.  Your husband should speak love to you--you'll get it."

This portion of the talk reminded me of another book that we have heard about before at MOPS--The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman. If you're not familiar with it, the idea is that there are 5 different ways that we can communicate love to others.  (Quality Time, Words of Affirmation, Physical Touch, Gifts, and Acts of Service) We each have one or more languages that we "speak" and gestures of love that fit our primary language make us feel more loved than others.  We must learn the language of our spouse and strive to show them love in the way that makes the most sense to them.

Melissa offered recommendations of several other books relating to the topic of marriage during her talk.  Here are all of them with links to Amazon if you would like to read more about them.

Love and Respect, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs 

The Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman  

The Marriage Project, Kathi Lipp

Better Love Now, Tommy Nelson and David Delk

Love & War, John and Stasi Eldredge

Mystery of Marriage, Mike Mason

Sacred Marriage, Gary L. Thomas

After the speaker, we had the opportunity to branch out from our tables and get to meet some new people through Speed Friending!  Half the group was given a sheet of paper with questions.  The people with papers paired up with someone else without one. Then, each person took turns asking and answering questions.  When time was up, it was time to find another partner.  We hope you were able to make some fun new connections!

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Our "Silver Spoon Award" winner for the week is Holly Dodds! (She was really excited.) :)  Here is the recipe for her winning dish:

Easy Cream Cheese Danishes

Makes 24 pastries

Ingredients

2 cans Pillsbury Grands Crescent Rolls (big & flaky)
1 can pie filling (I like cherry)

8 oz cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup sugar

powdered sugar
milk

Directions
Place crescent roll cans in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with silicon mats or parchment paper.
Beat cream cheese, vanilla and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy.
Open the cans and slice each into 12 pieces, approximately 1/2″ slices. (Don’t unroll them, pretend they’re slice and bake cookies.)
Place six slices on a cookie sheet, flattening the centers to create an indent. (I used a large spice container dipped in flour, plus my fingers for a little extra flattening in the middle.)
Fill the indent half with the cream cheese mixture and half with the pie filling.
Bake until edges are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Cool completely on a wire rack.
In a small bowl, mix a large spoonful of powdered sugar with a little milk until liquid but still thick. Spoon into a pastry bag or Ziploc, cut off the tip, and drizzle over the pastries

How to Curb the Compulsion to Compare--April 5th Meeting Recap

On April 5th, we welcomed Christy Engelhart as a guest speaker.  In this world with Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, etc. we have a window into the lives of others.  However, what we see is likely not the full picture, and comparing ourselves to others hardly ever puts us in a good state of mind.  We either feel bad about ourselves, or feel better about ourselves by putting others down.  Neither is a good situation.  Christy introduced us to three ways to help us to keep from feeling like we need to compare ourselves to others.

Step 1:  BE REALISTIC! 

- 95% of the population will never look like the body images we see in the media.
- If you try to be someone you're not, you do a disservice to yourself and others.
- Remember Psalm 139:13-16          For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

We can choose to love and embrace the person that we've been created to be and stop trying to be someone that we aren't!

Step 2:  BE THANKFUL!

- Studies have shown that people feel less happy after spending time on social media--you're seeing people's highlight reels--not an actual depiction of life.
- Embrace and be thankful for the things we do have--if you haven't yet, check out the book we each received for our birthdays from MOPS this year. (One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp)
- Focus on what we are good at instead of what we aren't.
- Having a spirit of thankfulness is a way to worship God...
       Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
       Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.  (Philippians 4:8)

We can choose an attitude of gratitude and to boldly embrace the special talents and personal traits that we have each been given.

Step 3:  BRING YOUR BEST!

There are always going to be others who are smarter, more talented, prettier, stronger, etc. However, you don't have to BE the best to bring YOUR best.
       For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  (Ephesians 2:10)
      And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  (Colossians 3:17)

If we are willing to bring our best to the table--however inadequate it may seem in the moment--we may be surprised at the profound impact it has on the world around us.

Click to read Christy's own blog post for more on this topic.
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Our "Silver Spoon Award" winner for the week is Shaylah Dansie! Yes, not only is she is a supermom with newborn twins, she is also now an award-winning cook.  Here is the recipe for her winning dish:

For the icing, she used:
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 butter
1+ c powdered sugar
1 1/2 ish tbsp milk
1/2 top vanilla

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Announcements:

We want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped with our garage sale fundraiser last weekend!  We had many members volunteer to spend time setting up, sorting, working the sale, and cleaning up at the end. We ended up raising over $1,200, making this our most profitable garage sale so far! We couldn't have made it happen without all of your hard work! 

Service Day: IRIS and Blanket Craft--March 15th Meeting Recap

Our March 15th meeting focused on a very difficult topic--infant and pregnancy loss awareness.  We were so fortunate to have one of our former group members come talk to us about her experiences.  Abby spoke about her feelings during that time and since, and how her faith in God helped her work through the losses of three precious children during pregnancy.  We hope that by hearing Abby's story, our members were able to feel the comfort of learning how others have survived similar losses, and maybe even give them the opportunity to share about any losses they or others close to them may have experienced. At the end of Abby's talk, we honored babies in heaven by adding butterflies to a Remembrance Tree.

Brenda came back up to the stage and shared lots of great information about IRIS (Infants Remembered in Silence, Inc.), a group based locally in Faribault.  While we may or may not have personally experienced a loss like this, it is extremely likely that we know someone well who has.  Statistics show that 1 in 4 pregnancies results in a loss.  That is a huge number!  When someone close to you is grieving, we sometimes don't know what to do or say.  Brenda shared the following tips, given to her by Diana Sundwall, the Executive Director of  IRIS.

• You don't have to say ANYTHING.  When you see them, hug them.  That says more.  Don't avoid them if you see them.
• Say the baby's name instead of just saying "the baby".
• Ask to see pictures.
• Cry with them.
• Don't send fresh flowers.  They do not last forever and when the time comes to throw them out, that is another loss.
• Remember and acknowledge the due date and/or the date of death.
• Bring food.  They often cannot physically handle making food for themselves.
• Don't say, "Call me if you need anything." They won't call.  Just go to them and do things to help.  Clean their house, go for a walk (and maybe don't even say anything during the walk), help with other children.
• Realize that this grief will last.  It often takes about 2 years for moms to feel comfortable in their own skin again.  They need to be cared for--and for more than just the first couple of weeks.

After sharing the tips with us, Brenda introduced our next service project.  IRIS accepts many different things for donation, but we selected to collect scrapbooking supplies to donate to the organization.  These supplies will be given to moms and dads to help make remembrance books of time spent with their children who have been lost.

Here is a list of items that would be helpful.  We will be collecting these items during our two April meetings:

Scrapbooking supplies:
--Papers that are baby and/or child-themed, but also patterns and solid colors as well.
--Stickers and embellishments that are baby/child-themed, letter stickers, flowers, nature and other themes that could be appropriate.
--Adhesives, but ones that don't dry out quickly if not used.  Also photo corner adhesives work well.
--Scrapbook albums
--If you have extra tools like decorative scissors or punches or likewise, I am sure they would appreciate it.

Other items to collect for the not-so-crafty:

--Kleenex or Puffs (but not the type with lotion in the tissue.)
--Baby yarn in colors other than yellow (green, pink, blue, lavender, etc.)
--Prayer shawls
--New or barely used baby quilts/blankets
--Baby hats that you knit (call IRIS for sizes at 507-330-2148) or see the post on the Fellowship Hall page from Christine Harinen.
--Books on grieving and infant/child loss that have helped you in the past that you would like to pass on to other grieving parents.

Check out the IRIS website for more info or for support www.irisremembers.com or to talk with someone call between 9-5 Mon-Fri at 507-330-2148.   They are located near downtown Faribault but they serve the surrounding area.

If anyone is interested in helping Brenda help organize the scrapbooking room at IRIS one evening, please let her know at brendaboone1221@msn.com.

For the last part of our meeting, Ashley came up to explain our craft/service project.  Each table was given two large pieces of fleece fabric and we used the remaining time in the meeting to make tie-blankets to be donated to a local nursing home.  We were also able to enjoy fellowship and conversation at our tables while working together!

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Our "Silver Spoon Award" winner for the week is Ashley Resler!   Here is the recipe for her winning dish:

Pineapple Dump Cake

1 can (20 oz or so) crushed pineapple
1 can cherry pie filling (or any fruit of your choice)
1 box yellow or white cake mix
1 stick butter

In 9x13 pan, mix together pineapple and pie filling. Spread evenly in pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over top of fruit. Cut butter into thin slices and set on top of cake mix. Bake at 375 for about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown on top.
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Announcements:

We are planning to hold a garage sale this spring and we need your help!  Here's what you need to know:

• Please start collecting items from your home that you would be willing to donate to our sale. We will be looking for baby and kids clothing, gear, toys, supplies, etc. and women's clothing and accessories (maternity and regular).  We will not be including men's clothing or any household items. 
• Our dates are set!  The sale will be held Friday, April 22 from 4:00-7:00 pm and Saturday, April 23 from 8:00 am-1:00 pm
• We will be accepting donations and setting up for the sale on Thursday, April 21 from 9:00 am-7:00 pm, but we would appreciate it if the items could be dropped off as early in the day as possible!
• During the garage sale, we will be hosting a bake sale. Please consider donating baked goods for us to sell as part of our group fundraiser.
• We have space for up to 5 vendor booths.  If you sell Thirty-One, Scentsy, etc. or another home business/craft, you can reserve a spot to set up your items during the sale. The cost to reserve a spot is $20 and you will need to bring your own table.  The spots are first come, first serve, so don't wait!  Please contact Denise Carr or Holly Dodds to reserve a spot.
• Lastly, and most importantly, we will need many VOLUNTEERS to make this sale a success.  We need people willing to take shifts sorting and pricing items, people to work during the sale, and people to help with clean-up. You may bring your children with you! Please look at your calendar for these dates and mark off some time to volunteer. Look for a sign up sheet at our next two meetings! These fundraisers help our group function and we need your assistance to make it happen!

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Looking forward to our next meeting on April 5th:

At our meeting this week, we will be hearing from a speaker on the topic "How to curb the compulsion to compare".  You will also learn a little more about the "behind of scenes" of our MOPS group by learning about the responsibilities of each different position on the steering team.

The BRAVE and EXQUISITE tables are on for breakfast and the SPIRITED table is in charge of bringing snacks for MOPPETS this week.  Please bring an unopened box/bag of snacks, remembering to keep allergies in mind.  Recommended items include Cheerios, Kix, Chex, Goldfish, and Ritz crackers.  Thank you!

Anger--March 1st Meeting Recap

First off, I apologize for the delay in this post.  I had to miss the meeting due to my son being sick, so I was a little (ok, a lot...) slow about getting the information updated here.  Many thanks to Joni Biebighauser for taking pictures for me and Denise Carr for writing up a summary of Ann VandeZande's talk for us!

Before we launch into the main topic, I want to make sure to fulfill a promise.  In the rush to finish up the meeting after Trivia Day, I missed getting a picture of the amazing trophy created by Brenda Boone for the winners of our trivia competition.  Here she is in all her nerdy glory:

If you would like to visit her in person, check out the Strong table at the next meeting.  She will live there until the end of this year.  Next year on our 3rd Annual Trivia Day, another lucky table will get to enjoy her presence.  Until then, keep practicing those Trivia skills! ;)

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Anger: Beyond Management       a summary by guest blogger, Denise Carr

Ann Vande Zande spoke to us about anger at the last meeting. She did a wonderful job talking about a very hard topic. I will try my best to summarize her talk from my notes.

 The first thing she talked about was that we often experience unnoticed shifts or stressors in our life when we have children, which could be lack of time, sleep, freedom, relationships, good conversations etc. Our unmet expectations can dominate us. Psychology says we can have phantom pain or phantom self, which is everything we see on Pinterest, Facebook, etc.-- basically ideas we have of ourselves not living up to what everyone else is doing with their lives. I.e.: wonderful decorated and clean house, perfect birthday parties and great all natural made from scratch meals your children happily eat (maybe that’s just mine). She told us about a breathing technique: breathe 4 seconds in, hold for 7 seconds, 8 seconds out. 

 

Ann told us that the biggest detriment to discipline is being angry. The best way to help your kids is to learn to be okay when our kids are upset or struggling. Your child's struggle is not about you. We cannot stuff down our anger; it is physically harmful to just stuff it inside. The movie Inside Out is a great movie that talks about anger. We can use our words to be a curse or blessing. Forecast good stuff, not negative, about ourselves and others. Our words carry power. When we are angry or our kids are angry, it’s okay to change locations, move rooms, tell your child “I need to calm down before we talk.” 

When dealing with your child who is angry or upset,
1.) Tell them you understand, and validate their feelings
2.) Discipline if needed.
3.) Forecast the positive
4.) Let them feel their own emotions.

Take ownership of our anger.

God showed us unmistakable mercy and unshakable love when he suffered our sins upon the cross.

In the story of the bleeding woman, God called her out and made known who had touched him. He called her out of her sin and let it be known that she was healed.

Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgression, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon; him and with his stripes we are healed.
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Our "Silver Spoon Award" winner for the week is Anna Perkinson!  Anna is another repeat winner! Here is the recipe for her winning dish:

The scone recipe is from taste of home:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cinnamon-chip-scones
 

My changes:

extra 1/4 cup of buttermilk

Omit the butter/sugar on top (though good this way too) and instead top with cream cheese glaze when they come out of the oven.

Here is my glaze recipe (good on many things!):

4 oz softened cream cheese

1 Tbsp butter (softened)

2 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2-3 Tbsp milk

Trivia Day--February 16th Meeting Recap

After having to cancel our February 2nd meeting due to weather, we were all excited to get together again for MOPS!  After everyone had a chance to get some breakfast, I spoke to the group about what it takes financially to make our group function.  Here are some of the points covered in our discussion:

• We have wonderful sponsors, but their contributions only cover 1/3 to at most 1/2 of our total costs.
• All members of MOPS pay a $24.95 registration fee to MOPS international. We do not receive any of this money to use for our individual group costs.  
• We surveyed other local groups and got several responses.  Their group fees ranged from $85-125 (including the MOPS international fee).  Some groups also put a cap on membership and had people on waiting lists to join.  
• Our Owatonna MOPS goal has been to keep the fees to just the required MOPS international membership fee, so that any mom who wants to participate would be able to.  We also don't want to have to get to a place where we would have to limit our numbers due to finances. In order to keep this goal and make it a reality, we need your help.  We did some looking back and found that during our Antiquities fundraiser this fall, only 22% of our members volunteered to take a shift helping check people in for the photo sessions or to pick up pictures.  In addition, only 42% of our members bought a coupon for themselves. The $10 coupon entitled the purchaser to the photo sitting and one 10x14 photo and the entire cost of the coupon went directly to our group.  

After presenting these facts, I asked the tables to work with their groups to brainstorm some ideas for fundraisers that they would support both financially and with their time.  We looked over the ideas at the end of the meeting and saw a good variety of ideas! Steering team will talk about the suggestions more in depth at our next steering meeting.  Thank you for listening and for your input!

After that, we moved on to the fun stuff! :)

Joni Biebighauser and I worked together to create the trivia day categories and questions.  The categories were:

1. Cartoon Characters
2. Book Quotes
3. 80's Movies
4. Biblical Heroes
5. Disney Villain Songs
6. Hollywood Parents and Kids
7. TV Catchphrases
8. Amazing Moms

After all the results were in, the winning table was.......STRONG!
The Strong table won the right to eat breakfast first at our meetings for the rest of the year!  They also won an awesome "Trivia Nerd Barbie" trophy that will be kept on their table.  The trophy was designed and made by Brenda Boone. (Thanks, Brenda!) 

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Our "Silver Spoon Award" winner for the week is Kelly Gentz!

Here is a link with the recipe for her winning dish:
http://www.allkindsofyumm.com/2011/10/crock-pot-breakfast-casserole.html?m=1#.Vq-pDLhunIV

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Announcements:

• Mark your calendars for a MOPS Mom's Night Out at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 5th at Christian Family Church.  We will get to enjoy a fun night with games, other activities (maybe some volleyball!), and time to connect with friends. Please bring a dish to pass or a snack to share with others.
• We are planning to hold a garage sale this spring and we need your help.  We have tentatively set the date for April 22-23, but need to check on some things in order to finalize that. Please start collecting items from your home that you would be willing to donate to our sale. We will be looking for baby and kids clothing, gear, toys, supplies, etc. and women's clothing and accessories (maternity and regular).  We will not be including men's clothing or any household items.  In addition, we will need many VOLUNTEERS to make this sale a success.  We will need people willing to take shifts sorting and pricing items, people to work during the sale, and people to help with clean-up.  These fundraisers help our group function and we need your assistance to make it happen!

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Looking forward to our next meeting on March 1st:

At our meeting this week, we will be listening to our own Ann VandeZande speak on the topic of anger. We are so glad that Ann was able to reschedule after our February 2nd meeting was cancelled due to weather! In order to prepare for her talk, Ann has requested that you message her on Facebook with your own specific questions about your own experiences dealing with anger. (Please see her post from February 25th on the Fellowship Hall page.)  There will also be a container with note cards on the front table if you think of something the morning of the meeting.  We're looking forward to a great discussion!

The SPIRITED and JOYFUL tables are on for breakfast and the FIERCE table is in charge of bringing snacks for MOPPETS this week. Please bring an unopened box/bag of snacks, remembering to keep allergies in mind.  Recommended items include Cheerios, Kix, Chex, Goldfish, and Ritz crackers. Thank you!

MOPS University--January 19th Meeting Recap

Our latest meeting was our annual MOPS University!  Each year, we invite both outside speakers as well as talented individuals from our own group to teach us something new.  We started the day with a quick breakfast before breaking out into our classes. 

I was so excited to attend my chosen classes, that I forgot to run around to all the groups to take pictures.  Oops.... (Let's blame "mom brain"...)

Here are the classes that were offered this year.  Thank you so much to all of our "professors"!

• Things to consider when selecting a preschool -- Owatonna Christian School staff
• Saving for college -- John Havelka
• Oils -- Amy Gillis
• Photography -- Shot in the Dark Photography
• Gratitude Journaling -- Mentor Moms
• Freezer Meal Planning -- Bailey Balzer
• Hairstyling -- Bella Vita Salon
• Coffee Roasting -- Aaron Will

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Our "Silver Spoon Award" winner for the week is Heidi Douglas!  She also has earned the ultimate honor of being our very first repeat winner! (Lucky for me, because I already had this picture of her from last time!)  Here is the recipe for her winning dish:

Toffee Apple French Toast

 

Ingredients:

8 cups cubed French bread

2 medium, tart apples, peeled and chopped

1-8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 3/4 cups milk, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, divided

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup English toffee bits or almond brickle chips

5 eggs

Powdered sugar (garnish)

Place half of bread cubes in a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Top with apples.  In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugars, 1/4 cup of milk 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth.  Stir in toffee bits.  Spread over apples.  Top with remaining bread crumbs.

In another bowl, beat the eggs, remaining milk and vanilla and almond extract.  Pour over bread.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Dust with powdered sugar.  Serve warm.

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Announcements:

• **Don't forget! If school is cancelled or 2 hours late in Owatonna district, MOPS would also be cancelled.**
• Mark your calendars for a MOPS Mom's Night Out on Saturday, March 5th!  More information to come...
• Earlier this year, we collected cards and money for the Kerr family.  Shannon Kerr was in a terrible car accident back in September with two of her children. Her daughters have recovered, but Shannon's injuries were more severe. She has come a long way--God works miracles! (Follow her journey on Caring Bridge: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/shannonkerr/journal ) However, the medical costs associated with her hospitalization and ongoing treatment and therapy are extensive. To help take care of some of the costs, there is a benefit for the Kerr family.  Here are the details:
  
  Team Kerr Family Benefit
  Saturday February 6, 2016 5-9pm
  Christian Life Church
  6300 212th St W Farmington, MN
• From the official invitation:
  Join us for the Team Kerr Family Benefit. The evening will include dinner, a live and silent auction, and bake sale. All proceeds will go to the Kerr family to help with medical expenses.
  Tickets are $25/per. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance. If you are interested in advance purchase, please contact Heather- hlongawa@gmail.com or 612-741-7282
  Per our agreement with the facility, we request that only children 15yrs and older be in attendance.
  Schedule:
  5:00-7:00 Doors open, dinner, silent auction bidding
          7:15 Dinner last call, silent auction closes, Jason & Shannon
                  share
          7:30 Live auction begins
          9:00 Event closes
  Feel free to share this invitation! ---> http://www.evite.com/event/0317LH7YE6INWMDSWEPFWTTVDUU7PU?utm_medium=sharable_invite&utm_campaign=send_sharable_link&utm_source=facebook&cb=6119430591

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Looking forward to our next meeting on February 2nd:

At our meeting this week, we will be listening to our own Ann VandeZande speak on the topic of anger.  Please come prepared with questions for Ann about your own experiences dealing with anger.  As we know that this can be a sensitive topic, there will be a container with note cards on the front table if you would like to submit a question anonymously.  We're looking forward to a great discussion!

The FIERCE and STRONG tables are on for breakfast and the POWERFUL table is in charge of bringing snacks for MOPPETS this week. Please bring an unopened box/bag of snacks, remembering to keep allergies in mind.  Recommended items include Cheerios, Kix, Chex, Goldfish, and Ritz crackers. Thank you!

Arm Knitting--January 5th Meeting Recap

 Happy New Year!

We kicked off our first meeting of 2016 with breakfast as usual, followed by a devotional by one of our mentor moms, Patti Ivance. We are so blessed by the presence of our mentor moms in our group.  Thank you, Patti!

After the devotional, Ashley introduced our craft project--arm knitting a scarf!  As a former creative activities coordinator for our group, I know how stressful it can be to plan and carry out a big craft like this one.  Thank you, Ashley, for all of your hard work!

First, each person selected one skein of yarn.  Then, Ashley and her sister, Lacey, demonstrated how to start knitting.  We found both ends of the yarn, pulled out two arm lengths, tied a slip knot, and looped it around one wrist.

Step 2 was the hardest for most people, but the picture below was a huge help.  It was uplifting to see so many of our members stepping up to help each other, too! We completed step 2 ten times to make a base row before moving on to the next step.

In step 3, we learned the method that we would use to knit the majority of the scarf.  After looping the "working yarn" (the side connected to the skein of yarn) over the thumb, we grabbed two strands at a time from our wrist, looped it over and put it on our other wrist until we made it all the way across the row.  Remember to keep your wrists pretty close together if you want a tight weave!

Once you got the hang of step 3, step 4 was more of the same!  We kept repeating the same motion trading the whole row of loops back and forth from wrist to wrist.  Ashley recommended making 12 rows before moving on to the next step.  I had a pretty tight weave, and ended up doing 14 to make the scarf the right length and I still had plenty of yarn leftover.  (Or maybe I just have a big neck...) ;)

Once the scarf was to the right length, it was time for step 5, "casting off".  We started by knitting two loops onto the open wrist and then dropped the working yarn, one stitch as a time, until both wrists were free.

To complete the scarf, we matched up both ends and used the tail (or the rest of the working yarn) to hand stitch the two ends together. Tie tightly on the loose ends, and voila!  New scarf!

Here is a youtube video that might help as well! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MMaw_TTxkY

I was hoping to include some examples of finished products, but you guys must be shy.  Here's mine!  I'd love to add more in--email your #mopsscarfselfie to me at mopsowatonna@gmail.com and I'll update the post! (Really....please send some in.  I'm feeling a little narcissistic with two pictures of myself in this post!)

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Our "Silver Spoon Award" winner for the week is me! (I swear, it's not rigged...) Here is the recipe:

French Toast Bake

Ingredient Checklist

1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)

1 cup brown sugar

1 loaf Texas toast
4 eggs

1 1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar for sprinkling

Directions

1. Melt butter in microwave & add brown sugar....stir till mixed.
2. Pour butter/sugar mix into bottom of 9 x 13 pan....spread around
3. Beat eggs, milk, & vanilla
4. Lay single layer of Texas Toast in pan
5. Spoon 1/2 of egg mixture on bread layer
6. Add 2nd layer of Texas Toast
7. Spoon on remaining egg mixture
8. Cover & chill in fridge overnight
9. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes (covered for the first 30 minutes)
10. Sprinkle with powdered sugar
11. Serve with warm maple syrup (I don't do the syrup part)

And here's the link to the blog where I found it with step-by-step pictures and other information: http://sheldonrachel.blogspot.com/2009/03/french-toast-bake.html

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Announcements:

• At our first meeting in February, Ann VandeZande will be speaking on the topic of anger.  Please start thinking of questions you have on this topic. We will have a container out on the front table to collect your anonymous questions so our group can discuss any issues our members are facing during Ann's talk.
• Earlier this year, we collected cards and money for the Kerr family.  Shannon Kerr was in a terrible car accident back in September with two of her children. Her daughters have recovered, but Shannon's injuries were more severe. She has come a long way--God works miracles! (Follow her journey on Caring Bridge: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/shannonkerr/journal ) However, the medical costs associated with her hospitalization and ongoing treatment and therapy are extensive. To help take care of some of the costs, there is a benefit for the Kerr family.  Here are the details:
  
  Team Kerr Family Benefit
  Saturday February 6, 2016 5-9pm
  Christian Life Church
  6300 212th St W Farmington, MN
• From the official invitation:
  Join us for the Team Kerr Family Benefit. The evening will include dinner, a live and silent auction, and bake sale. All proceeds will go to the Kerr family to help with medical expenses.
  Tickets are $25/per. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance. If you are interested in advance purchase, please contact Heather- hlongawa@gmail.com or 612-741-7282
  Per our agreement with the facility, we request that only children 15yrs and older be in attendance.
  Schedule:
  5:00-7:00 Doors open, dinner, silent auction bidding
          7:15 Dinner last call, silent auction closes, Jason & Shannon
                  share
          7:30 Live auction begins
          9:00 Event closes
  Feel free to share this invitation! ---> http://www.evite.com/event/0317LH7YE6INWMDSWEPFWTTVDUU7PU?utm_medium=sharable_invite&utm_campaign=send_sharable_link&utm_source=facebook&cb=6119430591
• They are looking for help with the planning and preparation for the event as well.  Please see details below:
  SAVE THE DATE FEB. 6, 2016
  You're invited to participate in the Team Kerr Family Benefit! Our goal is to raise $50,000 with all proceeds going directly to the Kerr family medical fund. The event will include dinner, a live and silent auction, and bake sale.
  WE NEED YOUR HELP!
  1. Consider donating goods or services to be auctioned off or help pass along donation letters to businesses and individuals asking for donations. Ideas of auction items are restaurant gift cards, hotel stays, timeshares, sporting events, gift baskets, cleaning service-the options are limitless!
  *Immediate need for auction items-deadline Jan. 22*
  
  2. Where can you serve? We need volunteers for the following teams:
  Volunteers-Katie Moras (team lead)
  katie@ebeschool.com
  General Benefit Logistics-Heather Longawa
  hlongawa@gmail.com
  For financial donations to the family, please contact Heather
  Meal prep/service- Kirsten Shabaz (team lead)
  kirstenrenee2015@yahoo.com
  Auction-Gina Connell (team lead)
  gconnell@themlsonline.com
  Ticketing-Jackie Marks (team lead)
  jackiekmarks@gmail.com
  Bake sale-Traci Holm (team lead)
  zatholm@msn.com

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Looking forward to our meeting on January 19th:

This meeting is our annual MOPS University! We will start the meeting with breakfast as usual. At 9:30, we will break out into different rooms for classes. Each of the three class sessions will last approximately 25 min. We have a wide range of topics and presenters, including:
Shot in the Dark Photography
Representatives from Owatonna Christian School will speak about things to consider when selecting a preschool
Gratitude Journaling with the Mentor Moms
Self Defense
Freezer Meal Planning with Bailey Balzer
Oils
John Havelka will speak about how to save for college
Loose Leaf Tea
Roasting your own coffee
...and more!

Make sure you arrive on time to sign up for the classes you want to attend!  Some classes will have limited space available.

The EXQUISITE and SPIRITED tables are on for breakfast and the JOYFUL table is in charge of bringing snacks for MOPPETS this week. Please bring an unopened box/bag of snacks, remembering to keep allergies in mind.  Recommended items include Cheerios, Kix, Chex, Goldfish, and Ritz crackers. Thank you! 

Annual Spa Day and Christmas Celebration--December 15th Meeting Recap

On December 15th, we got to enjoy our annual spa day Christmas celebration!  The goal of our meeting was for everyone to relax and enjoy some time together during the hectic Christmas season.  Ryan Gosling reminded everyone to wear comfy clothes to the meeting and hardly anyone let him down! ;)

Aside from our usual breakfast, we had many other activities available, such as...

Chair Massages

Board Games

Adult Coloring

We have some talented artists in our group!

Making rice bags as heating/cooling packs

Clothing Swap--this was a HUGE success and we plan to do it again in the spring!

We hope you left the meeting feeling rejuvenated and ready to spend time with family and friends celebrating the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ!

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Our "Silver Spoon Award" winner for the week is Anna Perkinson!  Here is the recipe for her winning dish:

Egg Bake

1 lb pork sausage or bacon
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground mustard
6 slices white or sourdough bread, cut into 1/2 in cubes
1 cup shredded cheese

1) cook sausage or bacon and drain well
2) In large bowl, beat eggs; stir in milk, salt, and ground mustard; add remaining ingredients & stir to combine
3) Pour into 9x13 baking dish, cover, and refrigerate overnight
4) Let casserole sit for 30 min at room temp (from fridge); bake uncovered for 40 minutes at 350 degrees



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Announcements:

• Thank you to everyone who donated tampons, pads, or other items to the Lilly Sparrow House.  We delivered a huge box of items to the ladies that live there!
• We have had some issues with moms picking up their kids early.  For most rooms, this is not a problem, but the 1's and 2's tend to get upset if they think their mom is coming and it ends up with a room full of upset children. We absolutely understand that there are times that you may need to leave early.  If this is the case and you have a child in either the 1's or 2's room upstairs, please find Talea Smith and she will go in to get your child for you.  The children are used to seeing her go in and out, so it doesn't upset them.  If you can't find Talea, ask anyone on the steering team and we will help get your child.  If our meeting does end early on occasion, we want to encourage you to stay until 11:00 and spend time enjoying companionship with the other mothers in our group. :)
• We are still in need of more childcare workers!  If you know someone who enjoys working with children, please recommend them to the steering team.

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Looking forward to our meeting on January 5th:

At the meeting, we will listen to a devotional from one of our members. Shortly after breakfast, we will start our project for the day--learning to arm knit a scarf! Everyone will learn this new skill and have a brand new scarf to take home at the end of the meeting.  During our work time for this craft, we will present some "behind the scenes" information about what it takes to make our MOPS group function. 

The POWERFUL and PASSIONATE tables are on for breakfast and the BRAVE table is in charge of bringing items MOPPETS. **Please note!  We have plenty of snacks right now, but are in need of napkins and Dixie cups to use for serving the snack to the kids.  Also, it has come to our attention that people have been bringing opened/partially eaten snacks to donate to MOPPETS.  Please make sure that items are unopened for health reasons.  Thank you.