I’m thankful today for hot water.  Last week, after getting home after a short afternoon of shopping with my daughter, I casually walked into my laundry room to throw a load of clothes into the washer. My hot water heater had just begun to crack, leak and spill out onto my laundry floor. What if that would have happened while we were shopping and my house was totally flooded?! God was so gracious in allowing the leak to be found quickly and for our plumber friend to replace the whole unit, (up and running!) in 3 hours !!!! (on this 49 degree night!) The thought of a cold shower was more than I could imagine. Thank you, Lord for my hot water. And while I’m in the laundry room, Lord, thank you for my washing machine and dryer ….. I know I take them for granted, every time I turn them on ….. God really is interested in all the little things in our lives!

And sometimes He needs to remind me of that …… thank you, Jehovah Jireh. <><

Love, Lynn

Autumn Spice Cake

Dry Ingredients

1 ½ cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tsp.ginger
1TBSP. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. allspice
1 TBSP. cocoa powder

Wet Ingredients

2 eggs (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup apple sauce
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup vegetable oil

Mix all wet ingredients together and then incorporate dry ingredients little by little. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. When cake has cooled, sprinkle powdered sugar on top of cake. Cut into slices and serve with some hot chocolate or hot apple cider.

Enjoy and Happy Autumn!

Love, Diane

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp molasses
2 tsp unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
8 cups crushed air-popped popcorn

Instructions
Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray and set it aside.
Combine the sugar, corn syrup, water and molasses in a heavy, large saucepan, and set over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then clip a candy thermometer to the inside of the pan and, without stirring, bring the mixture to 280°F (soft crack).
Stir in the butter and vanilla, then the salt and baking soda. Be careful; the mixture will boil up. Immediately stir in the popcorn. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and smooth to a thin layer. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour, then break into chunks and store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to five days.
 Serving size: 1 oz.

Remember all of those great ideas Cherie gave us at the October meeting for a great family “stay-cation”?  Don’t you wish you had a list of all her great location ideas???  Great news!  Cherie gave me this list for you!!!

Make sure after you’ve read all her great idea to leave a comment…maybe give us all one of  your ideas.

Tampa Area

October Mom’s Night Out

 
What a great time we had at Lynn’s house…we ate cookies, chatted, and yes, a few of us worked on pumpkins.  Thank you so much to Lynn for opening up her home!

The more I think about the character of God, the more amazing He becomes in my own heart and my own finite mind. The wonderful thing about God’s love is that it never, ever stops! He loves us the same today as He did yesterday  …. and His love for us will not change tomorrow …. or ever, for that matter. With that truth in mind, why are so many people living less-than-productive lives? The answer lies in our ability to accept a crucial truth to our hearts …. it is God’s unconditional love that changes us and brings lasting fulfillment …… peace …… love …… joy . Once we come to that understanding, we are ready to take the first step toward living the extraordinary life.  If you have never asked Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior, you can exchange your old way of living for a new, extraordinary life. Tell Him that you want His life to be yours and accept His death on the cross as full payment for your sins. Agree with Him that you can do NOTHING in your own strength to save yourself. It is only through faith in God’s Son that you are saved …. period!  Once you have asked Jesus to save you and to be the Lord of your life, you are ready to begin the basics … committing your desires, hopes and dreams to God … and then stand back and be ready to be amazed at the way He works everything together for good and for His glory!!

Love, Lynn McNeal
MOPS Mentor 

What a great meeting we had this October! We focused on saving during the adventure: saving lives, money and time!

We celebrated lots of birthdays as a kick off for the evening’s events. With an awesome instructional time from Mrs. Robinson, we learned the highlights of CPR and other safety related issues. We saw a fun demonstration by Kim for a creative twist on decorating pumpkins for the Fall and were intrigued by Cherie Miller’s plan for a “stay-cation.” Renee taught us a little bit about her fantastic savings using the websites below and encouraged us all to give it a try!

www.hotcouponworld.com

www.couponmom.com

www.moneysavingmom.com

At the conclusion of the meeting Kathryn shared that FBCTT Mops will be participating in Operation Christmas Child this year, as one of our service projects. Lists of suggested gift items and instructions can be found by reading more about this project here. Completed shoe boxes will be collected at the November meeting.

October is also full of awesome opportunities to get involved and meet other moms including Toddler Times in the FBCTT Gym, a Mother’s Night out at Lynn McNeals, and the FBCTT Fall Festival. Be sure to check out the October calendar of events here.

To catch up on other news, you can view the October newsletter as well.

We’re looking forward to this exciting month and of course, to seeing you in November!

Here’s one way to have some fun with your kids while keeping the cost low!  Share you ideas for fun on a budget by leaving a comment.

Temple Terrace Reads!
A Family Fun Reading Festival – Admission if FREE

Temple Terrace Fire Station Open House

When:  Saturday, October 4, 2008    Time:  10 am – 2 pm
Where:  Flotto Avenue between Temple Terrace Elemtary, Temple Terrace Fire Station, and Temple Terrace Public Library
Parking:  Free parking available at Temple Terrace Plaza on the corner of 56th Street and Bullard Parkway.  There will be supervised crossing.

Lots of fun things to do like face painting, crafts, games & more!
(food available for purchase)

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. —Acts 16:31

Every believer has a unique and special story of their life alternating situation that leads them to Christ. I went to a Billy Graham Crusade here in Tampa when I was 12 and I got saved! After that my whole life began to change wanting to know more about our great and awesome God. My loneliness of trying to figure things out on my own got easier and I had the urge to serve “My Jesus” with an overflowing heart. Over the years I have been involved in several evangelical courses that taught me how to write “My Story” of how I came to faith in Christ Jesus in preparation to share with others. The stories, as we read them aloud in class were different and very personal. Some were saved out of a life of drugs/alcohol, immorality, loneliness, helplessness and many different forms of abuses. Others were church attendees who came to Christ after years of biblical instruction.
The apostle Paul had a problem encounter with the Savior that turned him from a persecutor into a preacher of the gospel (Acts 26). In contrast, Timothy was quietly bathed in the Scriptures from early childhood, resulting in his salvation experience (2 Tim. 3:14-15). No two faith journeys are identical. But each has the common element of turning to the Lord Jesus in faith to be saved from sin and to receive a new heart. A heart for Jesus!
Can you recount the steps that helped you accept Christ in your life? Did you receive a new heart? What is your story? 

I would love for you to feel free to share/blog “your story”. If you need any help, please let me know, I would love to help.

Love,
Diane Bockus
MOPS Mentor

The Bockus Family