March Service Project: Items needed

For our March service project, we will be collecting items for the Carpenter House in HP. This is the "domestic abuse" shelter where women go to seek a safe place. We are excited to be able to help these women be as comfortable as possible in this transition in their difficult lives. So all of you coupon queens, stock up for this one! We will be collecting these items at the meeting on March 15th, and we plan to take the items sometime later in the month. The supplies we will be collecting for them include:

· African American hair care products

· cleaning supplies

· plastic forks and spoons (no knives—already have 2 cases)

· condiments

· juices boxes

· snacks (individual sized)

· Plus size clothing (used is fine, but they do not need maternity)

· paper products (tissue, toilet paper, paper towels)

· conditioner (always stocked with shampoo but not conditioner)

· board games (used is fine as long as all the pieces are there…”Life” is a favorite, and they would love to have more)

· arts and craft kits

· gently used toys

· They currently have all the car seats and strollers they can store, however they do have a program that targets parents of young children (under the age of 2) who are at risk, and could pass along anything you guys want to get rid of.

Please email me at lesliephillips3704@hotmail.com or Laura at lkdonath@gmail.com if you have any questions

3/1 follow-up: T-shirt drive

Congrats Ladies: We ended up collecting 340 t-shirts for Sweet Cheek Diaper Kits, which will be turned into cloth diapers.

Thanks Shane for giving us so much information on cloth diapers. I know I am hooked. Can't wait to get started.


(all those bags contain the t-shirts we collected)

Tickle Our Taste Buds Winner: Tanya Dickens

Friendship Bread Starter Part I

Ingredients 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 cups white sugar, divided
3 cups milk

Directions
1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes. In a 2 quart container glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added. Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature.
2. On days 2 thru 4; stir starter with a spoon. Day 5; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Days 6 thru 9; stir only.
3. Day 10; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Remove 1 cup to make your first bread, give 2 cups to friends along with this recipe, and your favorite Amish Bread recipe. Store the remaining 1 cup starter in a container in the refrigerator, or begin the 10 day process over again (beginning with step 2).

Friendship Bread Recipe PART II

Ingredients
1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, stir together Amish Friendship Starter, oil, applesauce, sugar, vanilla, eggs and milk. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir into the starter mixture. Mix in the vanilla pudding mix. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for 60 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pans before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

MOPS Meeting: Going Green in a Godly Way

MOPS is excited to have Shane Morris coming to talk to us about cloth diapering and her non-profit Sweet Cheek Diaper Kits, whose mission is to: provide low-income families in the NC Triad area with FREE cloth diapers and supplies. Cloth diapers are less expensive, better for the environment, and are reusable. Help us change the world, one cloth bottom at a time!

Remember we are doing a t-shirt drive so empty your closets. Those t-shirts will be turned into cloth diapers.

Come with all your questions, because Shane has a lot of the answers.