Thank you, Thank you!!!

I wanted to thank everyone who donated their unused bath and body products at our last MOPs meeting. I was able to put together a really nice basket full of useful items for each of the 3 women staying at Rachel's House.

Rachel's House "exists for previously incarcerated women to experience the love of God in a physically and emotionally safe environment, empowering them to establish healthy relationships with God, family and community". (click here to read more about the Rachel's House Ministry).

I delivered the gift baskets to the Lower Lights Ministries (they are a Compassionate Ministry Center of the Bellows Avenue Church of the Nazarene) office on Wednesday morning. Kristin Garrison, the program director for Rachel's House, was very grateful for the gifts.

These are the baskets I delivered on behalf of the Grove City Nazarene MOPs group.










The small sample bottles I put in this nice cosmetic bag for some additional supplies for the ministry.

Thanks again to everyone who donated!

1st Giveaway - WINNER!!!

And the winner of the homemade dishmat is....................................

Stephanie Albert

Congratulations Stephanie! Email me and let me know the finished size you would like your dishmat and the colors that will match your kitchen!!!

1st Giveaway!!!

Do any of you use plastic dishes? Maybe sippy cups, bottles, kids plates & bowls, tupperware {I call anything you store food in tupperware no matter what brand, I guess it's because I grew up in the 80's}.

Before I had kids the dishes were unloaded from the dishwasher to the cupboard where they belong. Ever since Caleb was born and we were washing his bottles through the dishwasher, I've had to lay a towel on the counter for the "plastic things" because they never come out dry. Then once they have air dried they get put away.

I came across this blog where she gives a great tutorial on how to make a cute dishmat {a bathmat for your dishes that don't come out of the dishwasher dry} for her counter. She used a bath towel or some sort of terry cloth for the bottom and then picked out 2 cotton fabric prints that match her kitchen.

I made one for my kitchen {although I cut it down from the size she made so it would fit better and looking at the pictures I think I could make it even a little smaller}.

Ta-Da {as my boys say when they finish something}







So now on to the GIVEAWAY......if you could use a dishmat like this in your kitchen please leave a "comment" on this blog posting. I will leave the comments open until Sunday night and then I will randomly select someone that has left a comment as the winner.

If you are select as the winner I will make you a dishmat. You will get to chose the finished size you would like for your dishmat and the colors for the fabrics so that it will match your kitchen!!

Pictures from April's Meeting

Here are the few pictures I took at our last meeting.

The Power of a Mother's Love

A mother's love needs to be given unconditionally to establish trust and a firm foundation of emotional intimacy in a child's life.

by Jill Savage

The back cover of Dr. Brenda Hunter's book The Power of Mother Love casts a vision for moms:

Mother love shapes cultures and individuals. While most mothers know that their love and emotional availability are vital to their children's well-being, many of us do not understand the profound and long-lasting impact we have in developing our young children's brains, teaching them first lessons of love, shaping their consciences … At a time when society urges women to seek their worth and personal fulfillment in things that take them away from their families and intimate bonds, Hunter invites women to come home — to their children, their best selves, their hearts.

You and I need to be willing to look inside our own experiences to identify any places we may still be affected by our relationship with our own mother. We can begin that journey by simply being willing to search our heart and better understand ourselves. Professional counseling may also be a valuable part of that process. Laura Ingalls Wilder said, "What is there in the attitude of your children toward yourself that you wish were different? Search your own heart and learn if your ways toward your own mother could be improved." This is important whether your mother is still living or not. You and I are deeply affected by our relationship with our mother and one of the most powerful gifts we can give to our children is our own emotional health. A first step you can take on this journey is reading The Mom I Want to Be by T. Suzanne Eller. This book is designed to help you rise above your past and give your kids a great future.

A child should never feel as if they need to earn a mother's love. This will leave a void in their heart all of their life. A mother's love needs to be given unconditionally to establish trust and a firm foundation of emotional intimacy in a child's life. If love is withheld, a child will look for it in a million other ways, sometimes throughout their lifetime unless they come to some sort of peace with their past. The emotional foundation we give our children at home is foundational to their life. We cannot underestimate the value of home and the power of mother love.

It's All About Influence
The profession of motherhood is all about influence. You and I have an incredible opportunity to influence the next generation by what we do as a mother every day. This is why intentionality is so important during the years that we raise our family. Be intentional about your own healing from life's hurts. Be intentional about taking care of yourself. Be intentional about investing in your marriage. Be intentional about parenting. Be intentional about homemaking. Intentionality increases influence, and influence is something God asks us to be intentional about. We cannot underestimate the power of mother love, the value of home and the significance of our intentional presence in the home.


Taken from: My Heart's at Home. Copyright © 2007 by Jill Savage. Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR. Used by permission.

Recipe - "Eggs In Baskets"

Amy Wedig brought a delicious breakfast treat to our meeting today and she said several of you had asked for the recipe so we decided to post it on the blog to share with everyone.
(Unfortunately I didn't get to try any or take a picture)

Eggs in Baskets
Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson, 2009

Serves: 6 servings.

Ingredients
•3 large russet potatoes, peeled
•1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
•Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
•Nonstick cooking spray
•6 slices prosciutto, about 2 1/2 ounces, chopped
•2 tablespoons maple syrup
•6 eggs
•3/4 cup shredded provolone

Directions
Special equipment: jumbo sized 6-cup muffin tin

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor fitted with the grater attachment, push chunks of the potato through the chute to grate. Once all the potatoes are grated, put them into a piece of cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel and squeeze to remove the moisture. Add the potatoes to a large bowl, stir in the melted butter and season well with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spray the muffin tin lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Press the grated potatoes evenly into the muffin cups being sure the potatoes go up the sides and a thin layer and covers the bottom. Bake until the top edges turn light golden brown and the potatoes are cooked through, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl toss together the prosciutto with maple syrup and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and gently crack an egg into each cup. Bake until the egg whites set but the yolk remains runny, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set the oven to broil. Top the eggs with grated cheese and put the maple prosciutto on another sheet tray. Broil both until cheese melts, and prosciutto crisps slightly, about 1 minute.

Top the eggs with crispy prosciutto and serve immediately.

Great for an 80 degree April Day!

Doesn't this look delicious???

I hadn't tried the new McDonald's Frappe until today. When I saw the sign that said "enjoy a small Carmel or Mocha Frappe for only $1" I decided to take the leap.

I have to say that I don't buy coffee very often, but when I do I'm usually a Starbucks Frappuccino girl. I really didn't think I'd like the McDonald's version. I was wrong!!! It's definitely worth the $1 to try and I think I'll have to try a few more before I decided if it's worth the full price!

The promotion runs through April 18th!

Let me know if you again with my review!

Parenting Tip

What to Do When Kids Are Annoying

Dealing with annoying behavior is not like disciplining for defiance or teaching a child to follow instructions. When it comes to impulsivity, the child can't always make changes just by choosing something different. In many cases, kids don't realize that they're being annoying and they don't know what to do to be more appropriate.

Furthermore, these patterns often come from habits that have been practiced for a long time. These reasons are not excuses for inappropriate behavior but they're a further indication that the job will take concentrated effort from the child and the parents.

Part of the issue is immaturity; the child hasn't learned how to pick up on the social cues or restrain behavior as much as we'd like. But these children need more than just time to grow up. They need concentrated work to develop two character qualities: self-control and sensitivity. These qualities not only help children when they're young, but they become tools for success as children get older.

Here are some working definitions for sensitivity and self-control to get you started with your children in this area:

Self-control is the ability to control myself so that Mom and Dad don't have to.

Self-control means to think before I act.

Self-control is the ability to talk about problems instead of grabbing, pushing, or hitting.

Self-control means that I limit the noises I make when others are around.

Self-control means that I focus on one thing until it gets done, before I move to the next.

Sensitivity means that when I walk into a room I look and listen before I speak.

Sensitivity is thinking about how my actions are affecting other people.

Sensitivity means thinking about how I could help someone else.

Source: National Center for Biblical Parenting

This parenting tip comes from Chapter 7 in the book Good and Angry, Exchanging Frustration for Character In You and Your Kids by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN,BSN.