Making Homemade Pies Tomorrow!

Ladies ~ Just a reminder that we have a MOPS Meeting tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM!  Don't forget to read chapters 4-6 of MomSense.  Also, we'll be making homemade pies for you to take home and bake for your family!

If you have them, please bring the following items:

*  Pie Plate
*  Rolling Pin
*  Paring knife or peeler
*  Apple peeler and corer (if you have one)

Hope to see you tomorrow!  It should be a fun evening!!!

Pumpkin Carving Devotional

At our recent meeting Jamie Armstrong shared a wonderful devotion tied to pumpkin carving!  I'm planning on doing this with my kids this weekend and I wanted to post the devotion she shared in case anyone else would like to do it as well!  This is shared from http://www.reallifeblog.net/how-is-carving-a-pumpkin-like-being-a-christian/.

Being a Christian is just like a pumpkin! Let me try to explain, I brought this pumpkin here to help me illustrate what I mean. (Proceed to carve the pumpkin.)

First, God picks you from the pumpkin patch and brings you in from the field. The Bible says He selects us out of the world. We are in the world, but no longer of the world.

He then washes all the “dirt” off the outside that we received from being around all the other pumpkins. All the outside influences of our former life must be cleaned up. Old things are passed away and all things are become new.

Then, He carefully removes all the “yucky stuff” called “sin” out from the inside. Look at this! Yuk! Sin will not have such internal power. He then changes us from the inside out by the Power of His Word. That’s why it is important to go the church and learn about God’s Word.

He carefully removes all those seeds of doubt, hate, greed, and fear. He replaces them with the seeds of faith, hope and love. After Jesus is invited inside, you begin to experience the changing power of God’s love in your life.

Then He carves a new smiling face. Our countenance is changed by the power of His presence in our life. We then become so grateful. It can even show on our face!

Now we are going to light this candle inside. Look! This pumpkin now reflects the light from inside out. So too, when Jesus, who is called the Son of Light, lives inside of us, He shines through our life for all to see. We can let His light reflect through us to reveal His presence. “Let your light so shine before men that they may be able to see your good works and glorify your Father, who is in heaven.”

So you see, we Christians are really like this pumpkin! We will never be the same with Jesus inside of us. We can say like this jack-o-lantern, “Thy presence, my light!”

Lets now say a short prayer:

Father God, thank You for asking us to be Your children.
We want to be more like Jesus.
We want others to see Your light shining in our lives.
Help us to open our hearts to You.
Take away all our bad attitudes.
Give us Your light and love inside.
In Jesus' Name we pray.
Amen 

Care Packages for Soldiers

What a blessing it was for our MOPS Moms and our kids to join together to gather items, package and send care packages to soldiers who are currently serving our country!  This is definitely something we will do again in the future!  We also want to thank the many CHS employees who donated items to be included in the packages!

Also, a huge thank you to Gini Adams for helping us with the list of items, sharing your stories about your very own soldiers receiving care packages and for helping us learn how to maximize the space in our care packages!  Seeing your passion for serving our soldiers truly touched our hearts!

Here's some pictures to share a little 

about our evening!

Our kids colored pictures to include in our care packages!

 

 Mom's getting started preparing the items to go into the boxes!

 We were able to put together 10 very full boxes to bless our soldiers!

 We also included a note from a Mom saying 'Thank you'!

 

And here's one of our completed boxes!  We hope that these packages will bless the soldiers as much as it blessed us putting them together!

 And of course we had some cleaning up to do when we were done and had a couple little helpers!

 Thanks again to ALL who helped make this project possible and to our soldiers and their families we leave you with this:

"May the Lord bless you
   and keep you;
May the Lord make his face shine on you
   and be gracious to you;
May the Lord turn his face toward you
   and give you peace."

Empty Egg Cartons Needed!

Ladies, don't forget we're gathering empty egg cartons for a creative activity this spring!  Please feel free to bring them to any meeting and we'll be happy to store them until we need them!

Thank you so much!

Homemade Play Dough

Hi ladies!  Several of you have asked for the recipe for the play dough that I brought for the kiddos to play with during our last meeting, so here it is:

Cream of Tarter Playdough Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups of plain flour
2 cups of coloured water
1 Tbsp. of cooking oil
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup of salt

Directions:
Place all of the ingredients in a medium size or large pan. Cook slowly on medium-high and stir it until the playdough thickens. Keeps best in the fridge in plastic containers. This is simular to the traditional playdough recipe.

This recipe takes less than 10 minutes.

I found it at http://www.playdoughrecipe.com/, they have a LOT of different types of play dough recipes! 

Enjoy!

Meeting Thursday!

Ladies, join us Thursday as we introduce our theme 'MomSense' as well as our book study! 

You can check out this video to get a little idea of what this years theme is all about!  

Edie Wacker will also be doing a demonstration on food preservation!  She'll be expanding on her presentation she gave us last year!

And of course there will be food, fellowship and childcare!

Hope to see you there!

AND DON'T FORGET MEETINGS START AT 5:30 NOW AND END AT 7:30!

September 8th ~ MOPS Meeting!

Hey MOPS moms, it's about that time of year to start thinking about MOPS again!  And although we've all enjoyed some much needed family time this summer we are definitely missing our MOPS family!

Please mark your calendars for September 8th for our first meeting of the year!  Also, please note that we'll be meeting at FSBC from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM to make it a little easier on both our mommy's and their little ones!

Stay tuned for more information about this years theme and other special dates to note!

Homemade Pie Fundraiser!

It's that time of year again!  The Irrigation Research Farm will be hosting their annual Farm Show on August 17th and 18th and they've given our MOPS group an opportunity to sell homemade pies again as a fundraiser.  So WE NEED PIES!  Please let me know if you would be interested in making a pie(s) to help support our group!  Pies can be delivered to the FSBC on the 16th or they can be delivered to the Irrigation Research Farm 1 mile north of Yuma on the 17th.

Please drop me an e-mail or send me a message on facebook if you would be willing to help us out!  We greatly appreciate the community support of the Yuma MOPS group!

Blessings,

Krystal

Seeking Leaders!

Ladies ~ We're desperately looking for leaders to help with our next MOPS year! We need discussion group leaders, mentor moms and some help with MOPPETS. Please let me know if you or someone you know would be interested in serving!

This group has touched so many families, please join me in touching families again this MOPS Year!

The theme verse this year is from 2 Timothy 1:7 "God doesn't want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible." 

Visit the MOPS website for information on what this organization is all about!

'Big Apple Adventure' VBS at FSBC

First Southern Baptist Church of Yuma is hosting the always popular Vacation Bible School this month – from 6-8:30 pm, July 24-28 at the First Southern Baptist Church on Albany Street in Yuma. The week-long event is for all children ages 3 years through the sixth grade. This year, FSBC wants area youth to join them for five nights at the Big Apple Adventure – where faith and life connect.  The Family Fun night begins at 6 pm on Friday, July 29.  Best of all, Vacation Bible School is free. With questions, or to inquire of transportation, call the church at 970-848-5656.

See this short video for an idea of what's to come!

And kids get ready to sing and dance.  Check out the theme song for VBS!

We hope to see you there!

Meeting Reminder for Thursday, March 10

Good evening ladies!


Just a reminder that we have a MOPS meeting tomorrow evening at 6:00 at FSBC and here’s the lineup:



• Meal – Carbon Cuties (Julie’s Group)

• Setup – Potassium Princesses (Anne’s Group)

• Greeters – Magnesium Mamas (Lori’s Group)

• Devotion/Door Price – Julie

• Cleanup – Hydrogen Honeys (Carrie’s Group)

• Creative Activity - Tiles

TASK - We’ll be covering a section from the Momology material provided by MOPS International! If possible, please try to go to http://www.personalityprinciples.com/ and take the 5 minute personality assessment and bring your results to the meeting! If you are unable to do this ahead of time, don’t worry about, still come and enjoy the meeting and discussion!



FUNDRAISER – Don’t forget to turn in your Antiquities information to Tonya Erickson so we can try to get enough tickets sold to schedule the photographer!

Hope to see you all tomorrow!



Blessings,



Krystal

Jill Savage is Coming to Yuma!

Ladies Mark Your Calendars for April 28, 2011!!!

The Yuma MOPS group is excited to host Jill Savage as a guest speaker on April 28th at 6:00 PM at the First Southern Baptist Church in Yuma, CO.  We are opening this event to the public!  This event is free with a love offering.  Childcare and finger foods will also be provided!

So, ladies bring a friend, your mother, your sister, an expecting mother or anyone you know who could use an encouraging word and inspiration from our sister in Christ, Jill Savage.  Men, you're more than welcome to attend as well!

Here's a little information about Jill:

Jill Savage is an author and speaker who is passionate about encouraging families. She is the author of seven books including Professionalizing Motherhood, My Hearts At Home, Real Moms…Real Jesus, and her most recent release Living With Less So Your Family Has More.


Featured on Focus on the Family, Crosswalk.com, and as the host of the Heartbeat radio program, Jill is the founder and director of Hearts at Home, an organization that encourages moms. Jill and her husband, Mark, have five children, three who are married, and one granddaughter. They make their home in Normal, Illinois.

Please e-mail krystal.ballah@gmail.com with any additional questions!

You can check out Jill's website's below:

http://www.jillsavage.org/
http://www.hearts-at-home.org/

Leadership Summit - April 2nd!

Inviting all current MOPS leaders and any other's who are considering a leadership role in the future!!!  Please see the flyer below for information regarding the Leadership Summit that we have the opportunity to attend LIVE!  This is an amazing experience!  The MOPS group will cover the registration fee which includes lunch and fuel cost will be split amongst those attending!

PLEASE E-MAIL KRYSTAL AT krystal.ballah@gmail.com

BY MARCH 14TH IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND!

Life Skill - Food Preservation Recap & Resources

A big thank you to Edie Wacker sharing tips and answering questions regarding food preservation.  I just wanted to pass on a couple links to some websites that Edie referred to during her presentation.  Please make sure you remember Edie's tips regarding food preservation safety!

* Book - If you're interested in getting started canning, make sure you get your 'canning bible.'  Here's a couple links to some I found on the Internet. 
   ~  Amazon has several of these books available.
   ~  You can also download a version put together by the US Department of Ag on your kindle or e-book reader for only $3.

*  Waterbath and/or Pressure Cooker - If you're interested in getting started canning, you will also need a waterbath and/or pressure cooker depending on what you want to preserve.  As Edie reminded us, get the book and read it first before moving forward.
    ~ Here's a link to very inexpensive waterbath canner from Amazon. 
    ~ Here's a link to a pressure canner. 

*  Resources - Many extension offices have resources regarding food preservation.  Here are a few online resources:
    ~  Edie recommended the Purdue Extension Resources.
    ~  Check out Canning Across America for videos and tutorials to get started.
   

This is a great life skill that can save you money and provide healthy food for you and your family!

Happy Canning!

Krystal

MOPS Meeting Reminder - February 9th

Good morning ladies!


Just a reminder that we have a MOPS Meeting tomorrow evening at 6:00 PM at FSBC and here’s the lineup:

Meal: Magnesium Mamas

Setup: Hydrogen Honeys

Greeters: Carbon Cuties

Ice Breaker/Door Prize: Carrie

Speaker: Delinda Neville

Creative Activity: Decorate Tiles

Cleanup: Potassium Princesses

Our theme for February is Humanities 101: Humanities is the study of the human condition using methods that are largely analytic, critical, or speculative as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural and social sciences.

Our Bible Verse for February is from Genesis 1:26: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Hope you can join us tomorrow! Also, don’t forget to bring any vouchers/money that you have collected for the Antiquities fundraiser.



Blessings,



Krystal

Meeting Reminder for Thursday, January 13th

Good evening ladies!




Just a reminder that we have a MOPS meeting tomorrow evening at 6:00 at FSBC and here’s the lineup:



• Meal – Carbon Cuties

• Setup – Potassium Princesses

• Greeters – Magnesium Mamas

• Devotion/Door Price – Julie

• Cleanup – Hydrogen Honeys



Our speaker will be Gale Stout with TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly). We’ve also invited our local TOPS group to join us for this meeting, so please join us in welcoming them to our meeting!



For our Life Skill we will be having an open discussion on family meal planning. So we would like everyone to bring their ideas on what’s worked or hasn’t worked for you and your family regarding planning meals for your family and we’ll share ideas with each other and then hopefully we can all leave with some new ideas and encouragement from each other!

Hope to see you tomorrow!
 
Krystal