MOPS MNO Christmas Party

Thanks for Hosting Angela. We all had a great time.

The Greatest Gift

Christianity101: The Greatest Gift



Special Guest :  Pastor Deon Parker,  Life Community Church

Join me as Pastor Deon shares the true meaning of Christmas. 

Friendly Reminder:  Please remember your donated items for Room at the Inn of the Triad

Class begins promptly at 9:15 and will conclude at 11:25.

Have an announcement? Please email Morgan at splithitter at aol dot com

Stay warm!!

Happy Thanksgiving MOPS Ladies

Devotional:
"Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." (Luke 17:11-19)

Don't be one of the 9..thank God for all things. Remember even through our sufferings and trials, which is the hardest part...

Romans 8:14-17 says:
¹⁴ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Wow how awesome is it to know that through our sufferings we are brought closer to God and share in His glory. Romans 8 is a wondering read and reveals so many truths.

Tickle Our Taste Buds Winner-11/16

Congrats to Tanya Dickens for her 2nd meeting in a row, winning the Tickle Our Taste Buds. This dish was awesome. It won by a land slide. Enjoy making it for your family.

Potato and Shiitake Mushroom Gratin
INGREDIENTS:
6 tablespoons butter
1 ½ pounds fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 ½ pounds fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
¼ tsp of salt
Ground black pepper to taste
2 cups chicken broth (I like the Rachael Ray brand)
8-10 strips of cooked bacon, coarsely chopped
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch thick slices
2 cups Parmesan cheese (fresh tastes & melts much better than pre-shredded)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups half-and-half cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt butter in a large pot over high heat. Sauté mushrooms in butter until liquid evaporates, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme, and rosemary, and cook for 1 minute. Pour in chicken broth, and simmer until liquid evaporates. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Preheat to 375 degrees Butter a 13x9x2” baking dish.
3. Arrange 1/3 of the potatoes in prepared dish, overlapping slightly. Spread half of the mushroom mixture evenly over the potatoes, and then sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese over mushrooms. Repeat layering, and then arrange remaining potatoes on top.
4. In a large bowl, mix together the half and half, heavy cream, 1 ¼ tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Pour mixture over potatoes. Cover loosely with foil.
5. Place baking dish on middle rack in oven. Bake until potatoes are tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes (depending on your oven it can take up to 2 hours). Uncover. Sprinkle remaining cheese over potatoes. Bake until cheese melts, about 15 minutes longer. Top with chopped bacon.
   

Ice Skating Details

Starting this Wed, Nov 17 til Jan 22 there is a new, first time ever outdoor ice skating rink opening in downtown Greensboro.



No minimum age; Ice skates start at size 9 kids (so about age 3); Parents -use your own discretion.


Cost is $8/person, or $6/person for a group of 20 or more (or $6 for any of the specials listed below).


Special promos, events and entertainment throughout the 2 months.

**This Saturday, Nov 20 there will be "a public exhibition event filled with hockey (youth hockey game 9:30-10:30 am), figure skating (Regional champion figure skating 2 pm), public skating and an evening movie (Cutting Edge 7 pm)." All viewing is free. Public skating is regular price.

One Saturday/month - featured films for free (bring a blanket)! @7pm
Nov 20 - Cutting Edge
Dec 11 - Elf
Jan 15 - Happy Feet


Wed nights - WFMY News discount
Thur nights - Crown Auto -Date night discount
Mon nights - Moses Cone -Student discount


(see Piedmont Winterfest site for details)

Festival Park
200 N. Davie St.
Greensboro, NC 27401


For more info visit their website:   http://www.piedmontwinterfest.com/


Thanks Gwendolyn!!

Life Sciences 502 Revisited

Please remember your food donation in an effort for MOPS to provide a Thanksgiving meal to a local family.


Life Sciences 502 REVISITED, Discussion Lead by Anne McGugin


Simplified and Organized
"Life less cluttered, to do the things that matter most." ~Anne McGugin

REMEMBER we learned that God's Word tells us to live this way. Bring your questions for practical living solutions.


Class begins promptly at 9:15 and will conclude at 11:25.

Have an announcement? Please email Morgan at splithitter at aol dot com

See you TUESDAY!!!


**Leave a comment under just so we know you read the post. You can simply say.. "so excited about the meeting".. or "I will be there".. or whatever you want. We just might have a random giveaway at the meeting for one blessed blog follower, who leaves a comment on this post...even leadership can enter....wahooo...
All comments must be left by 11pm tonight, in order to be entered.

Tickle Our Taste Bud Winner: 11/2

Congrats to one of our new MOPS moms Tanya Dickens for her winning dish. I got to admit, I did not get any of this, but heard the moms raving about it. She is a first time winner, but I sense there will be more in her future, which means we all benefit. Here is the recipe to make it for your family.

Breakfast Quiche
INGREDIENTS:
1can (8 oz) Pillsbury crescent dinner rolls
1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese or cheddar cheese
1/4cup chopped cooked bacon
2 TBLS chopped green onion
2 eggs
6 TBLS whipping cream

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350.
• Unroll dough into 1 large rectangle on work surface. Press into 12x9-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal.
• Cut dough into 12 squares. Gently press squares into 12 ungreased mini muffin cups, shaping edges to form rims. Spoon cheese evenly into dough. Top each with bacon and onion. In small bowl, beat egg and whipping cream with wire whisk or fork until blended. Spoon 1 tablespoon of mixture into each cup.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown and filling is set. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups.

Psychology 421: Avoiding Mental Breakdown

MOPS is excited to have Lara Williams coming to talk to us again this year. She will be speaking to us on "Rightful Inheritance"

We also have a fun craft that we are making for our children. So make sure those pencils are sharpened and those pens have ink, because we are going to be in-store for another incredible meeting.

Remember we drop kids off at 9am (not before) and class starts at 9:15 sharp. See you Tuesday.

Costume Parade..

Sad that we got rained out for the pumpkin patch, but some of us still made the best of it by heading to the church for a costume parade.

Tickle Taste Bud Winner from 10/19

Congrats to Meredith Rodrigues on her winning dish Apple Dumplings. I heard it was delicious, there was none leftover when I got there. Here is the recipe for you to make for your family.




Apple Dumplings
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter
2 cans crescent rolls
cinnamon
4 granny smith apples
In 9x13 pan put in water, 3/4 cup of sugar and 3/4 stick of butter. Put in oven and preheat oven to 375. (Take pan out of oven and stir)
Peel apples and cut into quarters. (16 pieces)
Wrap each piece of apple with a section of the crescent roll.
Place wrapped apples in water/sugar/butter mix.
Sprinkle with remaining sugar (1/4 cup). Cut the remaining 1/4 stick of butter into 4 slices and 4 pieces each to top each crescent. Sprinkle with cinnamon to taste.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes at 375.

Meeting with Gary

What an awesome meeting we had with Dr. Gary Chapman. Truly a blessing.

Child Psychology 301-Love Languages of Children

Moving right along in our class schedule, working towards our degree in Momology, you will be attending Child Psychology-301 on Tuesday.
As announced, we will have author Dr. Gary Chapman as our speaker. He has written many books, but most people are familiar with "The Five Love Languages". He will have a table with some of his books for sale. He will also autograph them if you desire.

Dr. Gary Chapman will be speaking to us on The Love Languages of Children. There will be a special time for question/answer at the end.


Class begins promptly at 9:15am, so drop those kiddos off at 9am, as you don't want to miss a second of this meeting. See you Tuesday!

Top 5 Reasons to Join LCC MOPS

Drink the water at Life Community you will be guaranteed a spot at MOPS.

1-Where else can you get 2 weeks worth of home cooked meals when you have a baby.

2- Where else can you make a craft for under $2 without the aid of a coupon.

3-Get that recipe, that famous recipe, that everyone has been talking about.

4- Where else can you make a "prego" joke and your fellow MOPS sisters will completely understand you.

5-Learn how to make a meal for your family for under $5.



submitted by Kimberly Shepherd
(MOPS Mom of 3, expecting her 4th child in Nov)

Tickle Taste Bud winner for 10/5:

Angela Rascoe had the winning dish with her Breakfast pizzas. Here is the recipe to make this one for your crew.

Breakfast Pizzas
One pack of English muffins
One pound of HOT sausage
One jar of cheez whiz

Cook sausage and drain. combine cheez whiz and sausage until cheez whiz melts. Spread onto half of english muffin until you use all the mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. I doubled the recipe for MOPS

Winners are:

The Gold Circle Veggie Tales Ticket winners are:

Jenn Butterfield -2 tickets to 1:30pm show

Tanya Bryant-2 tickets to the 6pm show

Congrats ladies.

And the winners are:

Congrats. The winners of the Veggie Tales Tickets determined by random.org in order are:

Hannah-4 tickets to 6pm show
Janet S.-5 tickets to 1:30pm show(newborns(Kenny) even need tickets per ticket place)
Erica-3 tickets to 1:30 show
Laura D-5 tickets to 6pm show(Caleb needs ticket per ticket place)
Jade-realized she was going to be out of town so.....
Leslie number was pulled-2 tickets to the 1:30pm show...

Don't forget we have 2 sets of GOLD Circle tickets valued at $25 a piece, which includes a special meet and greet to be given out at the MOPS Picnic Saturday. You must be present to win.

If you are interested in the 3 dollar off ticket coupon let us know.

Veggie Tales, Sing Yourself Silly: Tickets Giveaway

Is your family a FAN of Veggie Tales? 

Would you and your family like to see them LIVE? 

Thanks to Bonnie, with VeggieTales Live! We are giving away family packs of tickets!!!  How many?  Well....

10(yes you are reading correctly 10, TEN) to the show at 1:30 on Oct. 13th AND
10 to the show at 6:00pm on Oct. 13th

HOW can you enter to win??

1.  Attended the Oct. 5th meeting?  (leave a comment, saying "PRESENT" and share one thing you learned/enjoyed about the meeting)
2.  Follow MOPS Publicly at LCC blog, GO TO FOLLOW US on left sign in the margin
3.  Friend/Like MOPS on Facebook

Leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry 1, 2 and 3....(three chances to win)
Winners will be selected by random.org and posted on Friday, October 8th.

We will also be giving away 2 sets of Gold Circle tickets (valued at $25 each) for both the matinee and evening performances. These will be given out at the MOPS Family Picnic Saturday. Must be present to win.


Not to worry, if you are not selected, Bonnie has given us a MOPS coupon for $3 off each ticket purchased.

Physical Education and Recreation 202: Self Defense

Double knot your shoe laces...Tuesday we will not only learn how to defend our physical bodies but our spiritual bodies too!

Why and how should we memorize scripture? HERE is the answer and a great reference



Don't forget to bring your items for our Service Projects, mentioned HERE

October Service Projects

We have 2 service projects we will focus on in October--we will be collecting items for Elizabeth's Closet, and we will be collecting items to donate to a local high school in order to provide low-income students with basic toiletries and hygenic products.


Elizabeth's Closet is a storehouse of supplies for eligible families who are finally going home from Women's Hospital with their NICU "grads." The items currently on their wishlist (especially the items in bold) include:



Frog positioning aids (available through their Adopt-a-Frog program)

New bottles with nipples
Hooded towels
Receiving blankets
New or gently used infant clothing, especially preemie & newborn size clothing for girls
Diapers, newborn or size 1
New or gently used Boppy pillows (positioning aids often used for breastfeeding)
Head-molding helmets
Onesies, size newborn or 0-3 months
New or like new baby furniture & equipment (give us a call to check for need). Please make sure these items are clean and in good working condition.
Scrapbooks or scrapbooking supplies
Gas cards for families who must travel long distances to be with their babies in the NICU
Grocery gift cards or vouchers
Restaurant gift cards or coupons
High back, reclining high chair (great for infants & toddlers with special needs)




The items we will be collecting for the high school include:
sanitary napkins
lotion (for men and women)
safety pins
toothpaste
toothbrushes
deodorant (men and women)

**Please bring donated items to the meetings.  There will be a box for you to place your items.**

Tickle our Taste Buds Winner 9/21: Apple Cream Cheese Bake

Congrats to Joanna Tyler for her winning dish. The picture above is not exactly this dish, but it comes really close. It was so yummy. Now time to make it for our families.

Apple Cream Cheese Bake
2 tubes crescent rolls
2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar (divided)
1 tbsp vanilla
1 can/jar apple pie filling (I used the jar from Cracker Barrel)
2 tbsp + 1 tsp cinnamon (divided)
1 stick butter, melted

Press one tube of crescent rolls into bottom of ungreased 9 x 13 baking dish. Mix cream cheese, 2/3 cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and vanilla; spread over crescents. Pour apple pie filling over cream cheese mixture. Place the other tube of crescents over the apples, pressing seams together. Pour melted butter on top. Mix 2 tbsp cinnamon and 1/3 cup sugar; sprinkle over butter.
Bake at 375 for 30 mins.

Life Sciences 502: Simplified and Organized

Feeling a little overwhelmed by papers, unpacked boxes or life in general?  Well, turn the page, come to class because you will NOT want to miss this MOPS University course!!! 

Life Sciences 502, Discussion Lead by Anne McGugin

Simplified and Organized
      "Life less cluttered, to do the things that matter most."  ~Anne McGugin

Would you believe that God's Word tell us to live this way?  Come, hear His Word and learn how to Simplify and Organize. 
 
Class begins promptly at 9:15 and will conclude at 11:30. 
 

MOPS Begins Sept 7th

Have you missed our MOPS meetings.. I sure have. Well your wait is over. Our first meeting is Sept 7th.

Please join us for "registration" and "orientation" at 9:15am in the overflow room.


Bagels and juice/coffee provided by MOPS.

If you have not filled out your registration forms email me at sschilling@triad.rr.com and I will send them to you.

MNO at Angela's House

These ladies sure had fun at the Mom's Night Out at Angela's house. Thanks for hosting Angela. Its hard to have get together with summer schedules/vacation, but what I am sure these ladies had a blast.

MNO at Elizabeth's Pizza

It was good to see everyone on Monday. What a great turn out as we have 20 moms and 1 newborn. We even had a new friend join us. Welcome Anna.

Luau Pictures...

We had a great ending to an awesome year with our Luau Party. Thank you Steering Team for all your hard work. We are excited for the new year.

MOMS Supporting MOMS: Gwendolyn Mattern with Decoration Creations

Decoration Creations
Handmade Baby Accessories and Home Decorating Solutions.

Baby Accessories:
My goal is to bring to you the trendy baby products that make your life easier, but that won't hurt your wallet like the leading name brands out there. I can make most anything you have seen or can think of with the material of your choice.
Nursing Covers are $20 (half the cost of online prices), Baby Slings are $25, Baby Tie Wraps are $35, Decorated Heavy Duty Burp Cloths are $5

Custom Home Accents:
Do you have functional decoration pieces in your home that just seem out of date or don't match your new theme? Do you have a room in your house that feels pieced together with nothing to bring it all together? Fabric is an amazing tool that can accomplish so much. It can cover an already functional decoration, and it can bring a room together through pillows, curtains, throws, placemats, table runners, cornice window coverings and more. If you need a fresh look, pillow covers for the pillows you already have can give you the exact look you want for an affordable price. I can help you pull a room together, or make your storage corner an eye pleaser rather than an eye sore with fabrics of your choice - or mine if you don't have a decorating eye!

Thanks,
Gwendolyn

MOPS LUAU Celebration

Last meeting of the 2009-2010 MOPS Year. Come celebrate with Us.

What a blast at The Great MOMS Walk

Thank you for everyone who participated in The Great MOMS Walk for MOPS. We had such a good time. As of Sat morning we raised $883.00. Our goal is $1000.00 and we still have moms turning in money on Tuesday. Come back for the final total on Tuesday 5/18. Here is a group shot of everyone who did the mile and half walk.

Also big THANK YOU to Chic Fila at Wendover/40 for providing our food and to Dedona Auto Glass Tint and Sound for covering all of our up front cost. Thank to the following people who donated to our prize giveaways: Morgan Metcalf with Honeydew Thread, Hana Lynch with Hana Lynch Photography, Gwedolyn Mattern, and Lowes Food.

Photo thanks to Hana Lynch with Hana Lynch Photography. See more pictures from the walk here.

MOPS WALK This SAT 5/15 from 10:30-12:30

We are meeting at Gibson Park and walking to Jamestown Park and will end with a celebration there. Prizes will be given, must be present to win.

Lazy 5 Ranch-Tuesday 5/11

We are meeting there at Lazy 5 on the playground at 11am. We will eat a picnic together around noon and then the Hayride is at 12:45. Cost is 7.50 per person above the age of 1. They only take cash. Takes 1hr 20 min from church, so plan to leave your houses between 9:30 and 10am.



More information check out there website at www.lazy5ranch.com

MOMS Night out at Ganache tonight at 7pm

We had a blast and ate some yummy desserts.

Jr. League: Rummage Sale

Event date:	April 23 & 24, 2010
Event location:	Lawrence Joel Coliseum Annex and Education Building
Event time:	Friday, April 23: 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Saturday, April 24: 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. for the Half Price Sale 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. for the Big Bag Sale
Ticket price:	Friday: $5 Saturday am: $3 Half price sale Saturday pm: $1 Admission and $5 per bag, bags provided Click image above for more info or HERE

Going Green: Green Planet...Let's Plant Something

With Earth Day only FOUR days away (Thursday, April 22) we thought what a great opportunity to learn a little about going GREEN and GARDENING. I mean, these days that is all we hear...go green, save our planet, no more plastic...ahh you get the idea. I am sure some of you are totally intimidated about the idea of growing your own food. However, it isn't that hard and wouldn't you like to walk outside late summer and grab a tomato off your plant? Tomorrow join me as we learn ways to do just that! You can make your garden a simple Topsy Turvy OR till up your whole backyard, the sky is the limit!
See YOU in the morning!

For more info on Earth Day click the image above or go HERE

MOMS Supporting MOMS: Heather Waldridge with Shaklee

Speaking of going green, Shaklee is the perfect company to buy your cleaning products, vitamins, and make-up if that is one of your goals because, " "For over 50 years, generations of families have counted on us to do what no other company can do quite like Shaklee—make products that are naturally safe AND proven effective. Every product that goes into every Shaklee bottle is designed to improve health, work without compromise, and be gentle on the planet."




Heather Waldridge sells these products because she is passionate about them, their value, and the vision of Shaklee.

She will be having a Shaklee party at her house on Monday, April 26th at 7pm. There will be door prizes, demonstrations, refreshments, product information, and samples. It will be informative and fun. Contact her at Heather.Waldridge@gmail.com for more information

MOPS Egg Hunt pics

Sorry this are late being posted. Our biggest turnout to date.

Our Great Moms Walk

Our Great Moms Walk is coming up on Saturday, March 15th at Jamestown Park and we need to start raising funds. The money will raise will help to lower our dues next year, provide scholarships for moms who cannot afford our program, and cover general costs that each meeting has. If each mom collected just $10 from 10 different people we could easily meet and surpass our goal of $1,000! Here are some ideas of people you would want to send letters to:
- family -friends -doctor -dentist -restaurants -photography studios -book stores -toy stores -real estate companies -hair salons -kids entertainment places

It helps if the business is familar with you and your family. Maybe consider delivering the letter in person to a business owner you know and whose business that you frequent. Keep in mind that the donations are tax deductable because we are a 501 (c)3 organization. As you ask businesses, please reply all so that we all are not approaching the same people.

For those of you who do not like asking for money, you could really sell that this is a great way to honor your mother or grandmother for Mother's Day. We will be making and printing "cards" to give to the woman that you make a donation in honor of ___________________.

There will be an awesome prize to the top fund raising mom! Plus, each meeting between now and the last meeting, a small prize will be up for grabs to any moms who raised funds that week. This Tuesday at our April 6th meeting, we will be giving away a prize to one ladies who either raised the most money so far, or who sent out the most letters. You can do it ladies. It's for a cause that you obviously feel strong about =)

Let us know if you have any questions,
Heather Waldridge and Melissa Howard

MOPS Meeting: Christ: The buried treasure on the planet

Our next meeting is this Tuesday April 6th. MOPS welcomes back Tami Carr as our speaker. She will be speaking on the topic: Christ-the buried treasure on the planet. We have a neat craft planned as well. I hope everyone is healthy and able to make it. Some of us bring lunch and picnic after the meeting, so if you are interested in joining us, pack your lunch and come on. See you Tuesday.