Cookie Exchange - Fri Dec 11th

Don't forget the Cookie/Goodie exchange this Friday Dec 11Th.

7pm

Friendship room at Cedar Park

Bring 1 dozen to share & 15 separate bagged treats with the recipe attached.

Tuesday December 1st

Our speaker this past MOPS was Donna Liddle. She is a fellow MOPS mom, grandmother, speaker, and runs the Hannahs House.

She came to our last meeting and spoke on "Worthy to Be Loved"

You are precious in My sight

You are honored and I love you.

Isaiah 43:4 NASB

Her words were very important for us to remember as moms. That we should not find our identity in the world, other moms, family members etc but from the Lord. Our biggest desire is to be loved.

But in order to learn to love ourselves we must first realize that we have flaws and imperfections. We must fully accept ourselves and then we will be ready to receive love & to be the woman God wants us to be. Loving ourselves is learning to accept our human vulnerabilities.

Operation Christmas Child

Don't forget that we will be collecting your boxes for Operation Christmas Child on Tues Nov 17Th.

What is Operation Christmas Child?
Fill a shoe box or small plastic container with gifts for a BOY or GIRL. These boxes will be given to needy children in 3rd world countries who would otherwise have no Christmas.

You can check out www.samaritanspurse.org/occ for more information

Lets try to do MOPS proud and bring in a TON of boxes. A great way to teach our children about giving to others.

Play Date

When: Tuesday Nov 10th

Where: Northshore Gymnastics
19460 144th AVE NE
Woodinville, WA 98072
425-402-6602

Time: 9:30 - 11am

Bring: A snack for your child - we will have a snack time

**Don't miss this fun time of play & fellowship, plus it's FREE!!!!!*** See you there.

Tuesday November 3rd

Tuesday at MOPS we had so much fun! It was just a very, very fun day. Great conversations, fun craft & the food this day was exceptionally good. Great job ladies!! Here is a quick picture of our craft.....just perfect for Fall decorating & Thanksgiving. A "Thanks" banner to hang in your home.

Raguel Shaw gave a devotional about cleaning out your thought closet & the harm that our thoughts cause without us even paying attention.

We all know that our words carry a ton of weight and can hurt someone we love. But have you ever thought about your thoughts and what those can do to you? They can disable your self-esteem in an instant or worse effect your children or husband. We all know what these thoughts are:

You're not a good mother/wife
Your children are not respectful
I am not a good house cleaner
Why doesn't my husband help me more?
If he loved me more he'd pick up his socks/underwear.

These thoughts creep upon us while we are cleaning, folding the laundry, doing dishes and if we do not take them captive they can quickly lead to anger, resentment and bitterness. Which in turn then will hurt your relationship with that person or cripple you as a wife/mother.

What do you say over yourself or think in your mind? Just as we speak blessing, wisdom, truth, direction and instruction over our children & spouse we should be doing to our self.

What do we do when these thoughts come?

Take captive those thoughts as soon as they come!

Pray - pray out loud and name the thoughts out loud that are plaguing you

Worship - the Lord delights in our worship

Re sight Scripture -

Confide - these thoughts to your spouse or good friend. Have them begin to pray for you

Remind yourself daily that God treasures you. He created you in his image and He loves you.

Introducing Chores to your children 10-20-09

This past Tuesday we had the pleasure of hearing Erica Graff speak on assigning chores to our children. Erica is a mother of 4 children from the ages of 12-5. She firmly believes that chores should be part of a childs up-bringing and she came to tell us why. Erica was so funny & gave us tons and tons of information.

I am going to list out her main points of chore training. She gave us some great handouts as well on age appropriate chores.

A. These floors need a sweep - The "whys'" of chores

1. Chore training is good for a mom:

• You need help

• It's good to know we have taught our child a skill for the future

2. Children who do regular chores are natural helpers and will pitch in anywhere to help

3. Prepares our children for the workforce and how to be good employee's

4. Helps them be better mates, especially boys

5. Chores allow children to feel valued & accepted within the family unit

6. Teaches our children that any contribution made within the home is just as important as

outside the home contributions.

7. They learn self esteem based on real accomplishments

8. You wont panic when someone stops by unexpectedly because you have routine chores

9. Your child/ren will be less self-centered

10. You will feel more appreciated in your home

B. Wielding the Broom - the "how's" of chores"

1. Do not set your child/ren up to fail.

Example: "Go clean your room" What does that mean to a child? Especially one that hasn't learned what you mean by that statement.

2. Make chores age appropriate

• assign chores all the way down to the youngest child. They all need to learn

• observe what each child can do & assign wisely

3. Routine is important! Kids find comfort in routine

• children need routine in doing their chores, it will become "normal", part of what you do

• children see sporadic chore cleaning as an interruption to their day and aren't as willing to help out.

4. Show your child/ren Step by Step how to do the chore

• work with them as they are learning how to do chore
  
• then observe them doing the chore by themselves
  
• check up on their progress regularly

5. Make rooms in your home child/ren friendly

• especially true of rooms they are responsible for cleaning.
  
• baskets/bins with labels
  
• shelves

6. Give praise freely and deliberately for jobs well done.

7. Have an ending point to when chores will be done by or when they must be done.

8. Make the consequences known for not completing a chore

9. Make the reward or motivation known - if your child needs this

C. Into the dustpan -

1. Chore charts work well with younger children

• they can see what is expected - as they are more visual
  
• makes chores more concrete to understand

2. Older kids like check off lists

3. Make it fun! Have a family chore day with an ice cream sundae night as the reward

4. Provide the cleaning tools for each chore

• little kids love props, let them start by playing with items used to clean IE... broom
  
  

D. Don't sweep the dirt under the carpet -

1. Boys by nature are harder to train, but do not give up. Their spouse will thank you later

2. Temptation to stop chores during difficult/busy times should not be an option. Back to routine.

3. In the beginning the training is hard & there is more work but it does pay off

4. Don't drop chore training if you meet resistance

a. find that child's motivation and work with it

5. Do NOT re-do the chore your child just completed!!! If your child sees you re-doing the chore they just did it will take away their motivation to complete it in the future & it could hurt their self-esteem leaving them thinking "I never do it right"

Leadership Retreat - 2nd Post

So the last "Team Bonding" exercises we did was the high swing. There were a few very nervous ones who kept trying to convince the rest of the group that the rain was a sign that God did not want us to complete this task. But wouldn't you know it the Lord has a sense of humor and the rain stopped just when we got to the swing area!!

Needless to say everyone (besides myself & Kim who still has a broken thumb) completed the task and dare I say had a GREAT time. Just check out the pictures & the video's.

Getting all strapped in & ready

Ready to swing!

Pulling Jessica up in the air

And here she is just about to swing

Videos of Deanna, Sabrina & LeAnne swinging -watch all three!!

Leadership Retreat - 1st post

Yesterday, 8 of our MOPS leadership team headed out to Cedar Springs Camp for our much awaited leadership retreat. A time of bonding, fun, laughs, planning for the year, & just getting to know each other better. We were missing quite a few due to illness and family things but those that did make it had a BLAST!







Let me tell you this group were a fearless and fun bunch of ladies. I was very impressed with each of the ladies! Getting to know them better was so much fun. Oh, and the planning/business part of the retreat was fun too. ;O)

Craft time. We made some cool plates. (nothing more on this project for now)

Business time - assembling cards & signing them




Hike time, Yes we went for a hike in the rain!!

Our trail got to muddy and our fearless leader Deanna is somewhere in the background checking to see if we could continue any further and we couldn't.

LeAnne's boots, she was the only one who brought boots. Good thinking!


Our fearless leader with what's left of our map....not much.

Heather hiked with her coffee...now that is commitment

Along the way we did some team building exercises on the obstacle course. This one was a balancing task.


Trace our littlest hiker, he was worn out




Stay tuned for more pics of our last "bonding" experience & video. You wont want to miss that post!

Moms Night Out

Moms night out is just around the corner. Mark your calendars for it.

When: Friday Oct 23rd

Time: 7pm till 10ish

Where: At the church in the Friendship room

Bring: Your favorite board or card game & a snack to share

Let's get together and play some games, laugh, eat & get to know one another better. It will be loads of fun!

Just beware I know we have some competitive Mom's in our group ;0)

10-6-09 Meeting

Another Tuesday morning was had by all at the last MOPS meeting. Can I just say that I love MOPS this year!!! It is so much fun. So many new ladies, new foods to try and new babies. And we cant forget that Fall is here!! Bring on the Carmel apple ciders & salted Carmel hot chocolates!

We had a fun time of food, announcements, games & lots of laughing and then a quiet time with Colleen Norlund.

Colleen Norlund who is the Women's Ministry coordinator at Cedar Park and she gave a devotional on creating our Community. Our community within MOPS. She was delightful and so fun to listen too.

There are 3 "B"s of a community:

Belonging - to a vibrant & caring environment

Becoming - finding the support & encouragement we all need through these early years

Blessings - reaching out & helping, getting involved

We all need our own community and she likened our community to the beach. Explaining that the Tide pools are like the community where we all gather, the Rocks are the protection, or Christ and the water (girlfriends) within the tide pools refreshes us & helps us survive. I thought this analogy was so great!

She cautioned us not to cling to the tide pools but cling to the people within the tide pools. Like our friends or girlfriends. And she gave some good descriptions of Girlfriends, which were also great:

Girlfriends

do not compete

keep your kids & your secrets

give advice

don't always tell you you're right

laugh with you

don't talk about you behind your back

will give a party for you

are there in an instant

listen

bake your girls 1st birthday cakes ;o)

So go out and get involved in our MOPS community and why you're at it, get some girlfriends!

Tuesday 9-15-09 - First meeting of the year

Tuesday was our first meeting and it went great! It was so fun to see everyone again, catch up on stuff and meet some new ladies. I don't know about you but I am so excited for this year in MOPS.

After the leadership introductions we went through all the babies that were born over the summer.

And boy were their a lot! And all boys except for 1. That little girl will have sure have her pick. Ha!Then we played some ice breaker games & ate all the scrumptious food that MOPS is known for.

And then it was craft time which was such an awesome & fun craft. Alana O'Reilly is in charge of crafts this year and she started us out with a bang. A fun "Family" clip board to keep our lists, bills or whatever on. Fun craft and it was so cute when it was finished. Can't wait to see what other crafts she has planned for the year.

First MOPS Tomorrow 9-15-09

Don't forget our 1st MOPS meeting is tomorrow Sept 15th.

See you there!!!!

First MOPS

Can you smell fall? Are the leaves changing on the tree's in your yard too? Are your kids back in school? Then you know what time it is...........It's MOPS time!

The first MOPS meeting is approaching like a sprinter dashing around the track!

Have you registered? No worries, make sure you join us on September 15Th for our 1st meeting of the year. Bring your $24.95 and get signed up. You don't want to miss this year!

The theme this year is "Life on Planet Mom" and it's going to be a groovy year. Can't wait to see you all there!!!

Picnic Fun

On Tuesday August 18th we all gathered at Cedar Park under the covered play area for a fun registration picnic. It was good to see some old faces & some new faces. The turn out was great!! Here are a few snapshots of our time together.

The spread of food!

MOPS Outing - Registration Picnic

Date: Aug 18th

Time: 11-2pm

Where: Cedar Park Church - in the Undercover play yard

A lite lunch will be provided. Stop by and register for the coming year.
Please feel free to bring any friends who may want to register or find out more about MOPS.

MOPS Outing - Blueberry picking

This past Tuesday the MOPS summer outing was blueberry picking at the Mt. View Blueberry farm. A few of us turned out on the chilly & gray morning - which was perfect weather for picking.
We had a great time picking and catching up on each other's busy lives. The blueberry's were perfect for picking and practically fell off in your hands.

I am pretty sure that all the kids ate more than they picked. At least my girls did I am sure. The Bertrand girls did do their share of picking.

A few pictures of our adventure:

MOPS outing Fun

On Tuesday we had a MOPS play date at Willis Tucker Park. It was so much fun to see everyone, chat about our summers so far, eat & let the kids get wet. But boy did it get HOT and fast!

But a fun time was had by all.

Stay tuned for more details about the next play date.

Raspberry Picking Play date

On Wednesday we met at Remlinger Farms to go Raspberry picking. We had a small turn out but it was a lot of fun. Sabrina Bertrand & her girls were there. Along with Jana Meyers and her kids, Alana O'Reilly & Bella and Myself - Gina Detlor & my whole family. I dragged my husband along on his day off.

For $2.00 a pound we picked till our hearts were content or our box was full. Tip: don't let you box get to full, it smashes the berries. Lesson learned the hard way.
Below are a few pictures of our fun day.

Stay tuned for next MOPS play date information & pictures.

Ally Bertrand & Ellia Detlor picking

Raychel Bertrand picking & Addie Detlor wishing she could pick

Alana O'Reilly picking with Alana, who was more interested in stealing the berries out of other's boxes rather than picking them.

Jana Meyers & her children talking with the Bertrand girls.

Saturday Summer Strata

This is the yummy pesto dish that was served at our last MOPS meeting.

Makes one 9" strata
Total time: 1 1/2 hours + chilling

Ingredients:

Arrange And Layer With:
1 Loaf country or sourdough bread (1-1 1/4lb), sliced 1/2" thick
8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
1/2 lb. mozzarella, grated
3/4 C prepared pesto
6 oz. prosciutto, thinly sliced
1 lb. tomatoes, thinly sliced

Whisk, Pour Over Strata; Chill:
5 eggs
1 ½ C whole milk or half and half (or half of each)
½ tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Coat a 2-3 qt round glass baking dish with nonstick spray. (or a 9 X13” glass pan)

Arrange half the bread slices on the bottom of the dish. Top with half of each of the cream cheese, mozzarella, pesto, prosciutto, and tomatoes. Finish layering with the remaining ingredients.

Whisk the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together. Pour the mixture over the layers; cover and chill for at least 2 hours, or as long as overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before baking.

Bake the strata at 350 degrees until puffed, golden brown, and lightly set in the center, about 1 hour. Allow the strata to rest for 10 minutes. Unmold strata if using round baking dish, invert so tomatoes are on top and cut into wedges to serve.

**submitted by Kristin Weeks**

Great Purse & book

Hi Ladies,
Last week at MOPS, Ginny Taylor showed our table a great purse she had made. Without sewing & with duck tape. Check it out.

The book is Simply sublime bags : 30 no-sew, low-sew projects by: Jodi Kahn

Mother's Day Giveway

I found this cool site, 5minutesformom.com, that is giving away AMAZING gifts to mom's. Go check it out. Link it back to your own blog & get entered to win these cool prizes. I am hoping/wishing/praying that I win a laptop, a gift card to stay at a hotel, video picture frame and much, much more.

So go ahead take the time to check it out & enter these giveaways. You don't have to be a blogger to enter. Follow the directions on how to enter. Happy entering!

5-5-09 - Have you hugged your Moppet worker today?

MOPS Tuesdays are always a bit frantic around my house. Having to get up earlier, (who am I kidding I'm usually up early) get both girls dressed, fed and out the door by 8:30am. And that's not on a day when I have to bring food - we won't even go there!

And can I just say that feeding a baby takes way too long! Ellia is easy just sit her in her highchair give her the food & let her go. She takes care of the rest very easily. Addie on the other hand, I have to put a bib on her, mix the baby cereal, add the fruit to the cereal mixture & then begin the slow process of feeding it to her. Ahhhh!

Anyways, today was a great day at MOPS. We had the Moppet workers join us as we honored them for hard work & dedication to our children. Without all of them we wouldn't be able to have MOPS 2x a month. (Don't worry our children weren't left to fend for themselves, although I'm sure a few of them would've enjoyed that. Mentor moms & special volunteers for the day stepped into make this day possible)

I gave a brief testimony of what MOPS has meant to me this year. Of how I've met so many fun ladies, made some great crafts, heard some awesome speakers, learned how I am not alone when I think I'm going crazy, laughed, cried, ate lots of great food, ("I've gained like 10lbs this year at mops" as someone said at my table) and all while my two sweet babies were being cared for by these loving volunteers. What an amazing gift each of these teachers have given all us MOPS moms.

One of our Moppet workers had this to say afterwords "The MOPPETs appreciation was fabulous. The food was delicious, the gifts were so generous, but the best part of all was hearing from the moms, how much MOPS makes a difference in their lives.
Thanks for making us volunteers feel so loved."

Don't take for granted all those nursery volunteers that watch our children on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, Wednesday evenings or Tuesday MOPS meetings. For with out them we wouldn't be able to enjoy these special times in the Lords house.

Have you hugged your Moppet worker today?

4-21-09 - Bittersweet

Gaye Lewis came to MOPS on April 21st to speak. She was soft spoken woman who shared her families personal story of Adoption.

Through a slide show she told us the touching story of her daughter & the child she gave up for adoption. Their story of restoration & healing was so beautiful. By the end I think there wasn't a dry eye in the place.

She stressed how the Lord can take something so ugly and turn into something beautiful. How our Lord is into Restoration. And how Restoration isn't easy or fast.

What a wonderful treat it was to be able to hear her speak. A very touching MOPS meeting.

4-7-09 Meeting - Pediatric Dentistry

Today, at MOPS we had Dr. Yoo-Lee Yea, a pediatric dentist from Jon Dallman Clinic in Bothell. She was so informative and gave so many great tips. Below you will find some of the key points of her discussion:

* First visit to a dentist? 6months before FIRST tooth or by their 1st birthday. She cautioned - "Don't let your child's first visit to a dentist be an emergency room visit, as it can traumatize a child's dentist experience"

* How long should a child brush? 2 minutes or 2 songs on their favorite cd.

* Parents should brush their child's teeth, especially the night time brushing as it is the most crucial. And you should continue helping them brush until they have mastered cursive writing!!

* Parents should brush & floss in front of their children. Make it a family affair. Children mimick their parents and we want them to pick up good brushing habits.

Always brush in small, circular pattern.

* Should you brush their tongue? Yes, at least 1x a day as bacterial gets trapped there too.

"Sugar bugs" - the things on your child's teeth - a friendly way to get them to brush.

* Flouride? Introduce when a child can spit successfully on their own. Otherwise they will just swallow it and too much flouride can be harmful. Can actually weaken the teeth instead of help strengthen them.

* Flossing? When teeth next door to one another are touching you should begin having your child floss. Usually around 4-6 years of age, when the permanent back molars come in.

* When do you change your toothbrush? When the bristles are "wilted" they they aren't doing a good job getting into all the crevices like they should when they are new.

Soft vs Hard bristles - She recommended soft

* Thumb sucking - Till 4yrs old not a huge deal. Because they don't have permanent teeth and their alignment can still be corrected.

Binky sucking - same thing

* Falling asleep with a bottle? This is the prime reason they see cavities in children. The milk coats their teeth and then stays on their teeth all night long. Try to let a child fall asleep with water. Or sneak in & wipe their teeth with a cloth.

* Insurance? Most insurance companies cover pediatric dentistry. Check with your provider to see the exact coverages.

She also recommended the products that contain "Xylitol" - as these are sugar alcohol that taste good, good for teeth and good for you. The Spry Products are great and have toothpaste, flouride rinses, gum, mints etc.


Jon Dallman Clinic
425-486-6300
18807 Beardslee Blvd.
Suite #103
Bothell, WA 98011



***The clinic is accepting new patients***

3-17-09 - Getting School Ready

Today, at MOPS we were joined by Heather Wong - a former Kindergarten teacher and ELL Specialist. She came to go over how to know if your child is ready for Kindergarten and give tips on how to get them ready. She was delightful to listen too and provided some very good resource websites & general information. We had a good time of asking questions and sharing advice from many other teachers in the room.

Below is some of her information and Jana did email out this handout.

Getting Ready for School
Characteristics of School Aged Children (from the Issaquah School District)
These are some characteristics of most five year old children entering kindergarten.
Share attention with others
Make short visits places without a parent
Accept limits set by an adult
Sit for short periods of time – work on project
Take care of personal property
Put on a coat without help
Share and put away toys when asked
Follow simple directions (1-3 steps)


Social/Emotional Growth Ideas for Calming the Butterflies:
Visit school before it begins
Show excitement about starting school
Listen to their thoughts about school

Play “School” at home
Help them feel good about what they can do
Focus on taking turns/waiting in line
Teach how to calm down/channel energy
Focus on describing feelings/needs
Role play making friends
Focus on taking turns speaking/listening

Health and Safety, Things to Practice:
Full name, address and phone number
Routine of how to get to and from school
Using the restroom alone
Good health care habits
Asking for things/help needed
Telling grown-ups how they are physically feeling
Fine Motor Skills
Gross Motor Skills
Start each day fed, well rested, and dressed for the weather!



Reading
Here are some skills to work on:
Print Awareness
Print Motivation
Vocabulary
Narrative Skills
Letter Awareness
Phonological Awareness
http://www.kcls.org/readytoread/

Math
Real World Contexts: Show how numbers are used in your child’s world
Ask questions – explain process
Sorting – identify categories
Shapes
Patterning
Calendar Skills
Estimation
Counting Games

Writing
Modeled Writing: Write for your child
Shared Writing: Write together about experiences you have had. Keep a daily journal or a vacation journal.
Writing Genres: Notice print everywhere, write lists, write a letter or a note, write directions, write a story
Create a Writing Center: Special paper, pencils, erasers, pens, note cards, stationary, letter stamps, alphabet cards, other ideas?



Parental Involvement – How Can I Help?
Establish a Daily Routine
Provide a place for things brought home from school
Provide a place for things to be taken to school
Check for homework every night
Look for classroom newsletters
Talk with your child about school : Subjects, friends, special events
Provide a home study environment/schedule
Help your child respect the work they are doing (vs. sibling)



Supporting Your Reader
Make a home book basket/reading center
Look for books that are:
Easy to read
Just right
Challenging
Read silently, read aloud, partner read
Check often for understanding
Use questioning techniques
Encourage choosing different genres
Encourage fiction and non-fiction reading



Supporting Your Writer
A piece of writing needs: Audience and Purpose
6+1 Traits of Writing
1. Sound Ideas
2. Good Organization
3. Word Choice
4. Voice
5. Sentence Fluency
6. Conventions
(The “+1” is the Publishing)
Tip: Have your child read their writing piece out loud to find areas of improvement

Supporting Your Mathematician
Work together on math facts
Look for mathematical vocabulary in story problems
Explain procedures and thinking process
Look for real-world math applications:
Newspapers, Restaurant Menus, Recipes, Travel Brochures, Catalogs, Grocery Ads, Sports Schedules, Nutritional Labels, Advertisements, Sport Player Cards



Communicating With School
By: Email, Letters, Phone Calls, Pinning notes
Provide teacher with background information on your child
Ask questions when information from school is not clear
Support parent activities/school events
Attend parent-teacher conferences


Ways of Getting Involved
Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA)
Classroom or Library Helper
Art/Science Docent
Technology Support
Field Trips
Book Orders
Photocopying/Filing
Jobs from Home (cutting/prep/etc.)




Presentation Resources: Issaquah School District, King County Library, Mem Fox, Getting School Ready
Websites to Check Out:
Getting School Ready: www.gettingschoolready.org
King County Library Early Literacy: http://www.kcls.org/readytoread/
Mem Fox’s Website: http://www.memfox.net/
WA State Office of Public Instruction: http://www.k12.wa.us/parents.aspx
Reading Level Comparison Chart (ATOS Scale is the Accelerated Reader Level)
http://library.springbranchisd.com/sbisd_library/reading_levels_comparison_chart.htm
Leveled Books Search and Benchmarks
http://registration.beavton.k12.or.us/lbdb/
Accelerated Reader (search for titles of books to find out their approximate reading level)
http://www.renlearn.com/store/quiz_home.asp

Book: Slow & Ready Get me Ready - June Oberlander

Banana Muffins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 12 jumbo muffin cups or 24 regular muffin, or line with muffin papers.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 scoops protein powder (Vanilla, I get mine from Costco)
6 bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted or vegetable oil
1/3 cup applesauce



1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and protein powder.
2. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, melted butter (or oil)and applesauce.
3. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean. Depending on your oven time may be longer (it took about 27 minutes in mine).

**submitted by Alana O'Reilly**

Country Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 9x13 inch baking dish.

1 (16 ounce) package breakfast sausage
1 chopped green onion
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
10 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk
2 (2.64 ounce) packages country gravy mix
1 package hashbrowns
2 tablespoons melted butter (optional)
paprika to taste (optional)


Directions:

1. Brown sausage in a large skillet; drain fat.

2. Combine sausage with green onion and spread evenly across the bottom of the baking dish.

3. Top with shredded cheese. Layer hashbrowns over the top.

4. Whisk together eggs, water, milk, and gravy mix; add mixture to baking dish. If desired, drizzle melted butter over hashbrowns, and sprinkle with paprika.

5. Bake 45-60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside 10 minutes before serving.

Tips: The baking time has varied for me, but almost always is closer to the 60 minute mark. I have also put mushrooms or onions in this dish. I just layer them in on top of the sausage layer. If you want more sausage up to two packages, it still works.

**submitted by Alana O'Reilly**

Spinach Fandango

Spinach Fandango Serves 15


Ingredients:

2 lbs. hamburger (or any ground meat…I use sausage)
2 large onions (chopped)
3/4 lbs. mushrooms (cleaned and sliced)

*cook the above together and add

1 tsp. oregano powder
2 tsp. salt
dash garlic pwdr.
4 pkgs. frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed to drain well)
2 cans cream of celery soup
2 cups sour cream
1 cup Minute Rice

*Mix all together and fill 9x13 casserole and top with 1 pound grated Monterey Jack Cheese

Sprinkle Paprika on top of cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 40 min.

**submitted by Ginny Taylor**

New Hair cut

So after Wesley Brian came to visit MOPS I made an appointment with him to get my hair cut. He did a fabulous job!! Check out my pictures below.

3/3/09 Meeting - Hair, Hair, Hair

Today was Spa Day at MOPS. Instead of our usual table decorations each table was decorated with some small candles. It was very tranquil as much as it can be in the church foyer.

Wesley Davidson was our guest today - he owns his own salon in Monroe - The Wesley Bryan salon. According to my fabulous friends sources he is amazing! Before he spoke about hair, products, hair tools and all that jazz our table got the pleasure of having him eat with us. Well, it might have been just been because our table was closest to the food table. I'd like to think it was because we are the funnest table there. My first thought was "Hmm, good dresser" - really it was. He immediately made us laugh and connected with each of us.




Here are some pointers we learned today from Wesley - Enjoy:

* We learned lots & lots about PH, the hair molecules etc...Hair is was a real science!
* Choose a good shampoo - preferably a salon based product
* Condition only the ends of your hair - the rest of your hair doesn't need it.
* Do NOT brush wet hair! It causes it to break off
* When styling: start from the moment you wash until you finish with the style. Use the correct products, section off hair if you are straightening it & use the truck & trailer method.(pull down the hair with the brush & hair dryer at the same time)

Wesley takes new clients but his salon is open by appointment only Tues - Sat.
His phone number is: 425-327-9051

Easy Mexican in a skillet

I made this recipe up the other night when I was in a hurry to get dinner on the table. Sorry the picture isn't the best.

1 pound of ground beef or Turkey
3/4 cup of salsa
3/4 cup of water
1 can of Tomato soup
1/2 cup of frozen corn
3 big tortillas cut into pieces


1. Brown the meat & drain
2. Add the rest of the ingredients & simmer for 10 minutes


This dinner was super easy & my family loved it. Even our 16month old with the medium spicy salsa.





submitted by: Gina Detlor