Being in Community
Image from activerain.com
This Saturday we are hosting a block party! What a better way to meet the neighbors, invite friends over, and open up our home (or cul-de-sac) to be in the community! On Halloween! This day is all about neighborhoods, having fun, and people. (Well I guess we can’t leave out candy). We have a big trick or treat neighborhood so it will be fun to have lots of families stopping by as we are all hanging out in the front yard and driveway. There has definitely been some work that has gone into it, but we are excited to host, meet people, and hang out with friends!
But planning this party has got me thinking about all the different circles we find ourselves in. And I am not talking about any social media or google circles. Those don’t count. But actual community. Lives we interact with, people we touch, hearts we know, and souls we reach. People and relationships are one of the most important things we have. Do we take care of those? Do we cherish the people around us? Do we cultivate new friendships? Or do we leave work and disengage? Do we drive home and shut the garage door? Do we stay secluded inside our own bubble? But who are those people around you that might need you? Who around you may be a blessing to you if you just leave a little space?
Think about your circles. Are they just social circles? Are they circles of influence? Are you influencing them? Are they influencing you? Are they prayer circles? Are they sports circles? What circles overlap? Which ones never touch? Which ones can we intersect? Are you purposeful in your circles? Or are you just existing?
Think about these things. How can you …
Read MorePumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
We LOVE pumpkin! I like my healthy breakfasts- scrambled eggs, oatmeal, homemade granola. But, every once in a while, I really like making a “Fun Breakfast” aka not as healthy but still delicious 🙂 Like, Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls! So, I figured fall would be the perfect time to try making pumpkin cinnamon rolls! They taste really good, and, also have a great consistency! I gave you the recipe as I originally made it (when I was not living in the US, which made it difficult to sometimes get certain ingredients). However, I have also given a few slightly healthier substitutes for some ingredients! Hope you are enjoying your fall with all the delicious pumpkin goodies out there! Maybe this one will be added to your favorites 🙂
INGREDIENTS (Adapted from Chocolate-Covered Katie: The Healthy Dessert Blog)
Makes approx 12 cinnamon rolls
- 1 TBS yeast
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 2 TBS of sugar
- 2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
- 2 TBS baking powder
- 1/2 cup sugar (Or you can do 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/8 tsp pure stevia extract)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (See homemade recipe below)
- 1/4 cup of butter (or 4 TBS melted coconut oil)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Approx 5 TBS whole-wheat or all-purpose flour (So the dough does not stick when kneading)
FOR THE INSIDE
- 3 TBS sugar
- 1 TBS cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- Dash salt
HOMEMADE PUMPKIN PIE SPICE (Adapted from Annie’s Eats: Making Your Day Taste Better)
2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground cloves
¾ tsp. ground nutmeg
Mix all together.
DIRECTIONS:
Warm the milk in a small bowl. You want it warm, but not boiling (Approx 110 degrees). To test …
Read MoreFall in Love as you Serve-Gogo Grandmothers
Falling in love through service is an incredible experience. When your heart is moved by an unmet need and you know that you are being called to participate in fulfilling that need, an instantaneous thing happens in your heart-you fall in love with the people you are serving. TRUE greatness in this world comes through serving others. True love also comes when you give 100% to another person and that happens through serving one another.
Look at these faces and read the “Did you know” facts that accompany each photo….. These are the faces of the new people I love…I have never met them but my heart is drawn towards them all because I have taken the risk of joining in, making myself vulnerable and jumping into serving these beautiful women and children that live in Malawi, Africa.
Ten days ago, I attended a Gogo Grandmothers retreat held at Mariner’s Church in Orange County. This 10th annual Gogo Grandmothers retreat was a glorious day spent renewing our hearts and reaffirming our commitment for the continued work being accomplished in Malawi. I am privileged to be a board member for the SAFE /Gogo Grandmothers ministry and have loved every minute of my time serving with the other members of the board. (SAFE stands for Sub-Saharan Family Enrichment) We serve a mighty God who moves in mighty ways!
Gogo Grandmothers provides for the orphans of AIDS in Malawi, Africa by assisting the grandmothers who care for them. In America, and across the world, individuals and Gogo Grandmothers groups (often uniting women who are grandmothers themselves) gather monthly to pray and carry out fund-raising projects that provide what poor “gogos” in Malawi need to raise the orphans whose parents have died due to the ravages of AIDS in their country. In …
Read MorePumpkin Preschool Activities
I had the pleasure of teaching a pumpkin themed lesson today for our preschool coop. We had so much fun!
Here are some of the fun things we did today with pumpkins:
Pumpkin Sensory Bin
I filled a plastic bin with decorative pumpkins and gourds, pasta, and Fall foam characters. Hanna enjoyed scooping things out of the bin and putting them in other things. Ellie discovered that when you rubbed two pumpkins together they made a cool sound. We also measured some of the items in the bin.
Pumpkin Measuring
I put mini pumpkins out on the table with different kinds of measuring tapes and rulers so that the kids could measure. Ellie also had fun measuring the items in the sensory bin. We even measured one of our giant pumpkins.
Pumpkin Snack
I served pumpkin chocolate chip mini muffins, cuties (because they look like pumpkins!), and pumpkin O’s from Trader Joe’s.
Pumpkin Painting Craft
Paper plates, red and yellow paint, paint brushes, green paper, green pipe cleaners, pencil, stapler.
I showed the kids how red and yellow mix to make orange then we painted our pumpkins with washable paints. I cut the center out of a paper plate to make a circle. After the kids painted their pumpkins I wrapped a green pipe cleaner around a pencil to make it curly and stapled the pipe cleaner and a green paper stem to the top of their pumpkin. The pumpkins were a perfect fit for silly pumpkin face pictures.
Pumpkin Observations
2 pumpkin pie pumpkins, an ice cream scooper, zip lock bag.
I precut and hollowed on pumpkin and put the seeds and pulp in a clear zip lock bag. I pre cut the top of the second pumpkin but did not scoop it out.
I asked the kids to …
Read More100 Percent!
Picture from photobucket.com
When we are spending time with people, I think most of us want those relationships to look a certain way. We want the friendship or relationship to go both ways, be reciprocal, have a give and take, or be somewhere close to “50/50”. It’s pretty normal to have that perspective about most things. With friends, family, coworkers, classmates, whoever it is, there is a certain level of expectation that relationships go two ways. It’s an investment. And with investments there is usually something received in return.
But here’s my dilemma… what if Christ loved us under those conditions? What if Christ only loved us if we loved him first. What if he loved us the more we did for him? It’s a good thing that this is so far from how to characterize Christ’s love. Christ’s love is unconditional. He doesn’t ask us to come half way. He comes all the way, no matter how far into the depths that all the way is. He doesn’t ask anything of us, except for us to let Him in. There is no formula, no agenda, no guideline. Just LOVE. It reaches beyond anything we can even imagine. We can’t even picture how much He loves us because it is just too big. Nothing we ever do will earn more love or take away His love. We don’t deserve it. We don’t even know how to fully understand it. But we can receive it.
So we say we love as Christ loves, but do we really? Don’t we usually have some sort of agenda lurking in the background? We say we are giving and loving people and don’t expect anything from them but I am not sure if that is always the truth. Maybe you are struggling today with your …
Read MoreFun Fall Crafts for Kids
Crafting with kids is so much fun! These ideas are so great and simple – and each had a bonus learning skill! The girls really enjoyed doing these crafts and they were fun for me to do with them, too!
- Baking Pumpkin Muffins
WHAT YOU NEED:
Pumpkin Muffin Baking Mix from Trader Joe’s (we used Gluten-Free)
–The box called for Eggs, Water and Oil, as well–
Chocolate Chips
Mixing Supplies
Muffin Tins
This project was very simple because we started with a mix. All we had to do was add Eggs, Water and Oil. The girls learned how you crack eggs, about washing hands after cracking eggs, and mixing amounts. They also got to stir which was fun! We practiced our counting when stirring, too! After their Mamae filled the muffin tins, the girls got to drop 2 chocolate chips into each muffin. While we waited for the muffins to bake, we started on our next craft!
2. Pumpkin O’s Bracelets
WHAT YOU NEED:
Pipe Cleaner
Pumpkin O’s
This craft practiced the girls’ COUNTING (and snacking :D).
After looping the pipe cleaner at one end, the girls put 20 O’s onto their bracelet – practicing their counting throughout the project. 
Once the 20 O’s are in place, tie off the end of the pipe cleaner to the looped end to make a bracelet. And, don’t forget to POSE with your new jewelry 😉
3. Pumpkin Stamping
WHAT YOU NEED:
1 Small Apple
Yellow and Red Washable Paint
Green Washable Paint
White Craft Paper
Cut a small apple in half to make the pumpkin stamp. Then for each piece of the apple, slice a triangular slit in the middle of the first half and do the sam on the other half to create a handle.
LETTER LESSON – Practice letters by …
Read MoreHappy Birthday wishes to the BEST MOM EVER!
It is a very important person’s birthday today!!! It’s time to celebrate!!! Happy Birthday to the coolest, most courageous, most spirited, most enthusiastic, most loving, and most terrific mom ever!! We love you so much and we are all so very blessed you are in our lives!!!
Happy Birthday Mom!!!
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Fall Food, Friendship and Gathering
Fall reminds me of family, friendship, food and gathering. Gathering beautiful leaves that have changed colors and have fallen off the trees. Gathering around the table to celebrate all the things we are thankful for. Gathering back the friends you have not seen all summer because people’s schedules get uncharacteristically crazy during the summer months. Gathering back with life groups or volunteer organizations you belong to that take a break for summer. This weekend, I did a little bit of all of the above. On Saturday evening, after a wonderful day of nourishing my soul at a retreat (I will write about it next week), I was privileged to spend a few hours with my daughter and two friends. One friend was one of my most valued friends and the other was her friend (a new friend to both my daughter and me). We were blessed to share a few hours together. It was a time of enrichment for all. We talked about the fantastic day we had spent together learning about a great work that is going on in Malawi, Africa and we shared about our lives and how God had been encouraging us in our walks with Him. Friendship and gathering together is medicine for the soul. Sharing with women who are committed to serve in their community and abroad and are involved in amazingly interesting activities is one way to be encouraged and to contribute to your own healthy mind and body.
We shared a meal together and the food was spectacular…nutritious and delicious!!! Here is my rendition of the dish that we all ordered…..
Bombay Bowl
1 yellow onion
20 large or 30 medium brussel sprouts trimmed and cut in half
1 head of cauliflower
4-5 carrots
1-2 parsnips
4-5 small red, white or purple potatoes…
Are You Seeing Clearly?
VISION.
Where do you want to go? Who do you want to be?
We need to have a vision so that we know where we are going. We need to focus on that future state–be it health, wealth, family, fitness, fun, work, relationships–and let it guide our goals and actions.
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’d always got.” -Alan Scott
How can you keep your vision visable? Say daily affirmations. Write out your vision where you see it every day. Make a vision board with pictures of your goals. Look at them every day! Share your vision with others. Make it the background of your phone. Whatever you choose, look at it and see it every day. Let it fuel you!
“If you want to reach a goal, you must see the reaching in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal.” -Zig Ziglar
If you want to be more fit, look in the mirror and see yourself fit. Tell your face in the mirror, “I am fit!” Then do the work.
If you want to be less stressed, start every day with prayer and meditation. Think of how you feel in that moment and carry it with you. Do the actions needed to reduce your stress, then be that less-stressed person!
Whatever you want, write out that vision, see that vision, and take daily actions to get there!
Do you need motivation and guidance to break old habits and patterns? To get a new focus? A clear vision?
Join us in our Fall Into Health Wellness Wisdom Campaign. Click here to learn more!
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Read MoreWorkouts Revamped!
Are you in a workout slump? Are you tired of doing the same thing over and over? Do you want to head to the gym or set aside fifteen minutes and not have to think? Well here’s an idea for you to try. The Nike Training App is ranked one of the best fitness apps by many users and critics. I mean let’s be honest, what isn’t amazing that Nike puts out! But it tells you what to do for your circuit training? Sounds pretty ideal to me!
Why it is so awesome:
It’s up to you. You can pick your drills. You can pick how hard you are pushed. You have audio to give you tips on form and step by step videos and images. You can do it alone, do it with friends, or share it with friends. And you even get to “train with the pros”. They have some of the best fitness people in the world on their pushing you and encouraging you! People like Carly Lloyd, Shawn Johnson, Serena Williams, celebrity trainers, and more.
How it works:
- Choose your goal: Get lean, Get toned, Get strong, or Get focused!
- Choose your level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
- View the workouts, choose which one works for you based on time and ability
- Get after it and get your sweat on!
It’s fun, it’s motivating, and it is an easy way to switch things up! And you can keep track of all your workouts to see your progress or your schedule. Try it out and let us know what you think!
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