Redeemer MOPS Reporter

October & November 2015

What does Fall mean to you?

Growing up in the northwest, I experienced 4 seasons. So fall was a time of back to

school, harvest, colored leaves, preparations for Halloween and Thanksgiving, and pulling out
the colder weather wardrobe. Here in Texas, we dont see the drastic change of weather or
colors but it still can have the same meaning.
I was surprised by how many fall festival type activities that we participated in last
year. Everything from pumpkin patches, to church festivals, to trick or treating. It was a lot of
fun to find a new activity to do as a family every weekend. I have to admit, Im looking forward
to that again.
For me, fall is truly a time to slow down and think about the year. Its a great time to
process all that has gone on in the former months and decide what has to get done before
December 31st. Its a time to think about all of your blessings and thank God for the provisions
that He has given you all year long. Its a time to pick out pumpkins, jump in leaves, start a
crock pot of soup in the cool morning, watch football in the afternoons and possibly find the
largest buck on the countryside.
This year, Id like to challenge you to celebrate fall lavishly. Find the fun activities that
remind you of your childhood and share them with your own family. Find time to rest. Its ok
to stop and take an afternoon nap while youve been prepping for that big turkey dinner! Also,
notice goodness wherever you are and share it with those around you. Perhaps you can dole
out just a little more candy, donate to the local food pantry, or drop off a blanket or two with
the homeless couple on the side of the road. Whatever you decide, be bold in your decisions
and thank God for giving you this time every single year!

Upcoming Events
Harvest Fest- Saturday, October 3rd from 10 am to
3 pm at Redeemer
Playdate- Monday October 5th from 10 am to 12
pm at Northwest District Park
Moms Night Out- Tuesday, October 6th from
6:30-9 pm at The Roaring Fork on Stonelake Blvd.
Meeting- Monday, October 12th from 9-11:30 am at
Redeemer
Family Fun Day- Saturday, October 17th from 9 am
to 1 pm at Sweet Berry Farms
Playdate- Monday, October 19th at 11 am at Crowes
Nest Farm
Meeting- Monday, October 26th from 9-11:30 am at
Redeemer
Trunk or Treat- Saturday, October 31st from 4 to 6
pm at Redeemer

MOPPETS

Moms Night Out- Tuesday, November 4th from

6:30-9 pm at Chuys on North Lamar

The Lions, Tigers, and Bears (oh my!) are all getting settled into their new classrooms learning
Meeting- Monday, November 9th from 9-11:30 am
about Jesus, each other, and Boz, the big green bear! A great way for the kids to get together
at Redeemer
and play outside of the classroom is at our playdates that meet on the first and third Monday
of the month. This gives them a chance to get to know one another better and for you to see
Playdate- Monday, November 16th from 10 am to
who it is that your child is talking about!
12 pm at Redeemer for Packing Party
The theme for October is celebrating Gods gift of imagination. They will be exploring
the idea of creative thought and distinguish between things that are real and pretend. You can
Meeting- Monday, November 30th from 9-11:30
help your child make these connections by discussing this in your every day conversation and
am at Redeemer
it may come in handy with all of the hype around Halloween!
In November, the Tigers and Bears will be learning about the golden rule and being
kind to one another. You can best help them with this by modeling kind behavior and also praising them when you see them in action.

Contact us at: http://www.redeemer.net/mops/

mopsatredeemer@gmail.com

Meet Our MOPS Mamas

We have some very talented mamas who like to express
themselves through writing. Please take a moment to read their
bios and check out their blogs. This is such a fun way to get to
know these ladies just a tad bit better!

important. She knows that it is more important to sit and play with
her daughter than worry about the pile of laundry because we all
know that laundry is never going to end! She loves to celebrate
Christmas because it brings out the joy in everyone. She also finds
joy and goodness in Ava, especially her laugh. One thing that you
may not have guessed, Bria was in a sorority in college!
http://www.southernpearlsandpacifiers.com/

Briana Burns
Briana is mama to Ava, 5, and Jack, who is
almost 2! She has lived in Austin for 15 years and
enjoys reading and binge watching Netflix. If she
could have a day to herself, shed go to the spa
and find a coffee shop to sit and read at. In order
to find time to rest, she tries to have time to
herself after the kids have gone to bed or in the
morning before everyone else is up and on the go. She finds the
most goodness in her children who allow her to see things with
new eyes. Her favorite holiday to celebrate is Easter because of the
joy of spring and all of the traditions. A fun fact is that Briana
skipped first grade and graduated from college with two degrees
before she could legally drink!
http://unexpectedlyexpectingbaby.blogspot.com/

Rachel Nevergall
Rachel moved to Austin from Chicago 2
years ago. She has a 3 year old daughter,
Caroline, and a 7 month old son, Elliot.
She loves to spend her time creatingcooking, crafting, decorating, or reading
about other creative people and their
ideas. Although she seems to find the
most goodness in her children, she still would enjoy a day to
herself. That time would include sleeping in, drinking coffee and
eating croissants while reading magazines that get neglected,
taking a nice long walk, having high tea at the Four Seasons, and
shopping. Shed finish the day with a glass of wine, some ice cream
and a trashy housewife show, but shed also love to kiss her kids
goodnight before they head off to bed. Her favorite holiday to
celebrate is Christmas and decorates every inch of her home. Time
to rest often looks like alone time so that she can recharge and be
available for the ones who need her. If she can convince her body,
shed love to run another marathon some day!
http://raiseandshine.squarespace.com/

Bria Powell
Bria loved taking her 13 month old daughter,
Ava Lynn to the pool this summer. If she
could have a day to herself, shed go
shopping and organize something. She seeks
rest by taking a moment to sit with a cup of
tea in her rocker and re-focus on the day.
Bria finds that this helps her to reevaluate
her to-do list and find what is really

Fall Events You Dont want to

Harvest Fest

Miss

Redeemer will be hosting its annual Fall Fest on Saturday, October

3rd from 10 am to 3 pm. Kids will be more than excited to slide
down inflatable slides, spin in our spinning tea cups, jump on the
velcro-wall, battle in a joust, pet a variety of animals, get face
paintings, eat popcorn, cotton candy, treats from our Sweet
Shoppe, and more. There will also be music, vendors, food, and a
live auction.
Everyone is invited! Bring your family and enjoy meeting others in
your local community.

Sweet Berry Farms

Our fall family event will be held at Sweet Berry
Farms, a pumpkin patch, outside of Marble
Falls. We will be meeting on Saturday, October
17th. You can arrive at any time to partake in the
farms festivities: pick your own pumpkins, hay ride, barrel train,
petting goats, face painting, horse rides, mazes and so much more.
Pack your own picnic lunch and meet up at the picnic tables near
the horse stables at 12 noon for a MOPS family lunch!
Admission is free but some activities cost a small fee. Plan ahead
and check out: http://www.sweetberryfarm.com/

Crowes Nest Farm

You can expect to have a great time at
Crowes Nest Farm near Manor on Monday,
October 19th. We will meet together in the
pavilion around 11 for snacks/lunch before our
group tour at 11:30. We will go on a hayride,
see a cow-milking demo, take a look at farm
animals, reptiles, and insects, and so much more.
Admission is $6 per person, age 3 and up. 2 year olds are $3.

Trunk or Treat

Our first annual MOPS sponsored community event, Trunk or Treat

will be on Saturday, October 31tst from 4 to 6 pm as a pre-trick or
treating event. This is a great way for your kiddos to dress up and
go around collecting candy and playing games in a safe way. Invite
friends and share with those you know.

Packing Party for Operation Christmas Child

Join us for a MOPS Packing Party benefiting Operation Christmas
Child (OCC) on November 16th! Pack what you ask? A shoebox
filled with goodies that a child, who may not otherwise receive a
gift this Christmas, can enjoy. A small shoebox can have a big
impact. What goes into the box is fun, but what comes out of it is
eternal. Be a part of changing children's lives all over the world in
Jesus' Name through the power of a simple gift with Operation
Christmas Child.

Book Corner
Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe
by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson
Review by Michele Samuelson
In the first few months of my daughters life, I often felt out of my
depth. Here I was, a college-educated woman with a career, and I
was being reduced to tears by a tiny crying baby at 2am night
after night. It was overwhelming to say the least. Eventually I
began to feel like I had it figured out; we were both smiling and
laughing, wed gotten past the up-all-night feeding frenzies, life
was awesome! By the time she turned two, of course, it all went
out the window once more, and my new moody toddler and I
needed to figure things out all over again.
The book Desperate: Hope for the Mom
Who Needs to Breathe came
recommended by many different friends,
all with different experiences than mine.
Some had special-needs kids, some were
pregnant and about to have two or three
kids under the age of 5. What did we all
have in common? We felt desperate.
Maybe not all the time, but too often. We
were always trying to live up to other
peoples ideals and standards, and falling
short. In an age when our journeys through motherhood are
splashed on our social media pages, it could get dicey. We felt like
quitting, and we didnt talk about it. This book was a revelation.
The authors are real mothers, at different life stages, having a
conversation about motherhood and how to navigate it, how to
find time to rest and celebrate. In other words, this book was like
MOPS, for all those times we couldnt get away to be with other
moms.
This is a book for moms trying to figure out how to invite
God on their journey through motherhood. Its a Scripture-based
chapter book with questions and journaling prompts that you can
do at your own pace. The chapters are short and the prose is
lyrical youll feel relaxed just reading it.
No parenting book will give you every tool you need to
become Wonder Woman overnight, but a good parenting book
should help you remember that even Wonder Woman didnt
always like her job, and thats okay. As we start off our year of A
Fierce Flourishing in MOPS, Desperate is a book that will help you
figure out what flourishing looks like for you, even in sweatpants

and a t-shirt in a dusty living room. I highly recommend it and

hope you find it as reassuring as I did.

Autumn Blessings
Autumn brings to the soul relief,
As hot summer days, slip to and end
God sent the season for weary hearts
To restore, repair and mend
Unlike the Autumn trees,
That shed their changing leaves
God sent the season for failing hearts
To adhere, embrace and cleave.
Just as with the Autumn winds,
There comes a new refreshing rain
God sent the season for fraying hearts
To increase, grow and gain.
The Autumn sun is low to climb,
And dips much earlier into the night
God sent the season for sleepy hearts
To rise, shine and awake in His light.
God gave to us the Autumn season,
So we could have a respite and rest
For it is the season for our beset souls
To see how much we are blessed!
Psalm 16:9
Kings James Version
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth:
My flesh also shall rest in hope.
Copyright 2012 by Deborah Ann Belka

We are so thankful for the support of our Redeemer staff!

If you are looking for a church home, we would love to have you join us!
Thursday 6:30 pm

Sunday: Traditional 8 am

Websites to Wander Through

Here are some websites worth checking out:
www.babble.com

This is a great website to read for some parenting support.

www.livemom.com
This is a great site to use as a resource for things going on in
Austin.
http://austin.citymomsblog.com/2015/09/21/austinpumpkinpatches/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=facebo
ok&utm_source=socialnetwork
Cant make it to Sweet Berry Farms? Check out this list of
pumpkin patches in Central Texas.
http://freefuninaustin.com/2015/09/fall-daytrips-austintexas/
Looking for other fall activities? This looks like a great list of
ideas that will get you out of the city and able to explore the
great state of Texas!

Blended 9:30 am

Contemporary 10:45 am

Recipes

French Onion Soup

cup butter
3 medium white onions (sliced)
3 (14 oz) cans beef broth
1 tsp salt
tsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp Kraft grated parmesan
cheese
6-12 slices French bread
6 slices of Swiss cheese
6 slices of Mozzarella Cheese
6 Tbsp shredded parmesan
1. Saut onions in melted butter for 15-20 minutes until onions
begin to brown
2. Add beef broth, salt, garlic powder
3. Boil then reduce heat to simmer uncovered for 1 hour
4. Add parmesan cheese for last 10 minutes
5. Toast bread at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes
6. Put bread in oven safe bowl, pour soup on top, and then add
Swiss cheese, Mozzarella, and 1 Tbsp of shredded parmesan on top
7. Place bowl in oven and broil for 5-6 minutes

Pumpkin Cheesecake
MOPS MOMMA BIRTHDAYS!
Kristen Wagner- October 19
Mackenzie Clifford- November 14
Erika Shanks- November 15
Abby Cochran- November 30

Throw out some confetti and

CELBRATE LAVISHLY!

2 packages cream cheese

(8 oz. each) softened
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
dash ground cloves
dash ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1 graham cracker pie crust (6 oz.)
Preheat oven to 350. Beat cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar, vanilla
and spices in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until
well blended. Add eggs; beat just until blended.
Pour into crust. Bake 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool.
Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.
Top with whip cream if desired.