Friendship Bread!

What is the world coming to? Okay so Meal Planning is a stretch for me. I am happy to report that so far for the last 9 days- I have only changed my plan one time. So I finally get the nerve to tell the crew at work that I am doing this and yes they did laugh. They said they were proud of me and then before the Parent's Day Out staff left you will never guess what happened!
The Director calls me into the kitchen and says there is a Ziploc bag of friendship bread starter left...... do I want it. I am like what is it? What do I have to do? She told me it has instructions, so I am like sure I will try it.
THEN I read the instructions................
Squeeze it? What is that about?
Well we will see if I can keep up with the task of making Friendship Bread. I mean come on I am not eating out every night but I am not sure I am up to this great task.

I also want to share if you are a CVS shopper- all their candy is on sale. If you purchase $15 worth of certain brands (which is easy to do with the big bags being $4.99 a bag) you get $7 in the extra care bucks. SO............ for those of you who go to churches who ask for candy for the Fall Festival they will host later in the month- stop by before Friday (Cleveland, TN is on the new schedule for CVS sales- here a new one begins every Friday). So if you spend $15 in candy- which you need for Fall Festival, yourself (I got peanut mnm's), children's parties, or trick or treater's- you will get $7 to spend later. I also bought Dum Dums so all my little friends can continue to stop by and see Dynamic and me. How is that for plugging candy donations for Fall Festival's!!!! :)

Speaking of saving money- Dynamic (Childhood Ministries assistant) and Resourceful (Resource Coordinator for Childhood Ministries) saved our church LOTS of money today. Well over $1,000 dollars. We did this two ways- one cutting out unused literature from our quarterly order and two- realizing we have most of our craft stuff for our Christmas Party because we bought last year during the "clearance" season from a crafting company! Way to go!

Also I personally racked up on skinless, boneless chicken breasts today. I visited for the first time Cook's - a local grocery store in Cleveland, TN. I noticed in the grocery story ads that they had the chicken for $1.99 per lb. I was headed to Bi-Lo where it was $3.69 per lb. when I remembered seeing this special. Well - now my freezer is stocked with this chicken for a while.

So, share with me how you have saved money recently...............
And stay tuned to see how I do with my friendship bread, can someone tell me why you squeeze this mixture?

Today's the Big Day

Well after being out recovering since my surgery on July 29th- I return "officially" to work today. I am anxious and excited. My doctor told me this week he thought I was good to return to my normal activities but cautioned I ease back into things. Those of you who know me well- that statement will be hard for me to follow.... I don't usually "ease" into anything- I plow right through it! However, more than any other time in my life I am trying to do what the doctor says and others have advised. Many of my friends and even some I have encountered I don't know well have stressed to me how important being careful and not overdoing it is when returning to my normal activities. And the time has come.....................
Today will be filled with 3 worship services (meaning 2 Sunday schools, 1 kid's church and 1 worship care for the Childhood Ministries area) and AWANA tonight! I will come home during the afternoon- my husband has spoken. A lot of times I will stay on Sunday afternoon. A lot of times it is so quiet then and I can get a lot accomplished. My husband is a marriage and family therapist. He is the counselor at our church part-time. Sundays are normally full of sessions. So we are just both at church. However, he says I will need to come home and rest before AWANA- he is so right I was already thinking (but really thinking it after a trip to CVS and Wal-mart wore me out on Saturday night).
I can't tell you how thankful I am for him. God gave me a gift in this precious, sweet, wise, patient and handsome man. My honeybunches is so funny- but he is so quiet not many people are able to see this side of him. Not to mention how glad I am the Tennessee Vols won on Saturday so he was much happier than 2 Saturdays ago.
I am also thankful for my second family- the Childhood Ministries Staff. I can not tell you how amazing they are. Two that have been there over a year now- I'll call the "Dynamic Duo". They are amazing that help set the pace. Then there is "Resourceful" who kept everyone happy with supplies and thought of things I didn't - my brain hasn't be working right. Two summer staff members have gone now but did so much as well - "Senorita" who is finishing up her last year of college and "Triathamom" who I still get to see on occasion (she would be proud my crock pot is ready with one of her new recipes to be plugged up in the morning). "Rosy" is back from her sabbatical this summer - I like to prefer to it as her "Road Trip". She has come back blazing a trail with the kiddie boo's not to mention keeping us in name tags. "Meigs Co." kept us covered in childcare and help cover so many other areas too. "Techno Momma" kept right on plugging away with buckets, childcare, volunteers all the while being the taxi driver to her girls. That only leaves "Double Trouble"! Not only have they done more than there fair share but they can consistently make me laugh. I always know they are up to something when they say - Am I in trouble because I did __________; only to find out I have no idea what they are talking about OR am completely happy they made a change or handled something.
These ladies worked long hours, covered things not their responsibility, delivered messages that were happy and some no so happy, solved problems, covered things I was suppose to and well just took care of anything and everything. A staff member's husband has dubbed be as the Big, Bad Boss Lady (BBBL) or sometimes just Boss Lady and BBBL and Boss Lady want them to know I am forever grateful to them. THANKS!