MOPS

Pumpkin Pie French Toast

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Pumpkin Pie French Toast

by Erin Chase

Pumpkin Pie French Toast

It’s a holiday week for most of us…if you aren’t traveling for spring break, you may want to try this!  Try this scrumptious seasonal treat for a little something special.

Or, go ahead and break all the rules and have this breakfast for dinner!

Ingredients

  • 14 slices whole wheat sandwich bread
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1 tsp homemade pumpkin pie spice
  • Butter and syrup for serving
  • Fresh fruit or smoothie as side

Directions

  1. Set out the bread for dipping.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, pumpkin and pie spice until smooth.
  3. Dip each side of the bread in the mixture and cook on a hot, greased griddle or skillet. Flip after 1 – 2 minutes.
  4. Once all are cooked, serve with butter and maple. And a side of fresh fruit.
  5. If freezing, let cool completely to reduce freezer burn.
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Thursday: Turkey Trot Time!

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Ready, Set, Gobble Gobble!!!  It’s not too late to sign up!!  Register your kids for FREE (no t-shirt) for the Wobbler Gobbler!!

Thanksgiving week has arrived! Here is some important information for you to know to help make the Issaquah Turkey Trot run smoothly and keep everyone safe.
 
Online Registration ends Tuesday at 11:00pm. There is still time to invite your friends and get yourself registered! (We still have t-shirts available. If you are able to choose your t-shirt from the drop down menu when you register, that means we still have t-shirts in that size available).  

T-shirt Pick Up /In Person Registration On WEDNESDAY: We want to strongly encourage you to pick up your t-shirts on Wednesday from 12pm-8pm at the Sports Authority in Issaquah. Turkey Trotters get a 15% off your entire purchase coupon – Sports Authority will be donating 10% of all turkey trotters in-store purchases to the food bank. Coupons will also be available at the store. We will only be accepting cash or check for those registering at Sports Authority or Thanksgiving morning. 
 
Thanksgiving Morning: 

PARKING: Please park in the Pickering Square (PCC, Michaels, Office Depot) parking lot or Costco Warehouse Parking. Enter on 11th Ave or 12th Ave to park. 10th Avenue (street between Costco and the Pickering Barn) will be CLOSED. DO NOT park or use the Holiday Inn’s parking lot. 

START LINE: Located at the City of Issaquah NW Building located behind Lowe’s (1775 12th Ave NW, Issaquah, WA 98027). 

There will be designated areas for the runners, joggers & walkers to wait until their race begins. Look for the designated signs where you should group together. Remember there are different start times for each group so the route isn’t crowded and will help keep everyone safe. 

THANKSGIVING MORNING SCHEDULE
7:30am – T-shirt Pickup & Day of Registration Open
9:00am – Race begins for runners
9:02am – Race begins for joggers
9:05am – Race beings for walkers
Note: The Start Line will remain open until 9:15am if you wish to avoid the crowd and start the route after the official start times.
 
There will be a large timer at the finish line so you can get an idea of what your time was. If you want a more official time, I would suggest you bring your own stopwatch. 

There will be signs and volunteers along the route to help direct you and keep you safe. You can view the route by visiting: http://www.issaquahturkeytrot.org/route.html

DAY OF REGISTRATION: If you plan on registering the day of the event we only accept can accept cash or check only. We are quickly running out of extra t-shirts so if you know of anyone who wants a t-shirt, I would encourage them to register soon! 

GOBBLE WOBBLE: Kids can pick up a Gobble Wobble punch card at Sports Authority or at the Information Booth before the race. We will have volunteers with balloons along the route that will hole punch their card. Tell your kiddos to look for the balloons! At the finish line there will be a prize bag for them {even if your child does not do the entire route we will have a prize bag for them just for coming}. 
 
FOOD DONATIONS: The Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank is always in need of food. If you would like to bring non-perishable donations we will be collecting them Thanksgiving morning and making a delivery to the Food Bank on Friday. Please bring your donations to the Information Booth. You can see specific items the Issaquah Food Bank needs by visiting their website: www.issaquahfoodbank.org
 
SPONSORS: Please give a very special thanks to our 2013 Turkey Trot Sponsors: Zeeks Pizza, Ben & Jerry’s, Sports Authority, Carson & Noel, Rock Mountain Products, Wells Fargo – Private Bank, Swedish Hospital-Issaquah, Dr. Christian P. Manley Orthodontics, Huntington Learning Center and Golazo. 
 
We have so much to be thankful for this upcoming holiday – and part of that is thanking YOU for supporting the Issaquah Turkey Trot – The Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank is going to be so impressed with how our community came together once again for this event to help many families through the holiday season.

If you have any more questions, please visit our FAQ Page or feel free to email us.
 
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Sock Drive Results!

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Thanks to everyone that helped out with this outreach activity!  Our MOPS group was able to provide socks to 75 homeless men living in the area!  That’s a lot of warm, dry feet around here at a time when temps have dropped significantly!  Thank you everyone & thanks Mary for coordinating this effort!

 

November’s MNO: Turkey Trot

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Monica mentioned this morning that November’s MNO is more like a Family Day Out! It’s a great way to kick off Thanksgiving Day (and it seriously lightens the guilt of the glutony to follow!).

If you’ve not attended the Issaquah Turkey Trot before, it is not timed, it is not competitive, and you can walk or run the 5K (3.1 miles). It is FAMILY FRIENDLY, in fact, kids are encouraged to participate in the “Wobbler Gobbler” which is a punch card (which is $7 to register for). Kids that get all the punches along the way get a prize at the end of the Turket Trot! To register for adults it is $25 & if you register before November 10th, you are guaranteed a t-shirt.  To register for the Turkey Trot, CLICK HERE.  The Trot begins at 9am for runners.  And check the calendar tab to RSVP on the evite so Monica knows to look/wait for you on Thanksgiving morning!

Halloween Costume Swap

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Before you toss out that “old” costume or head to the store to buy a new one, plan to participate in National Costume Swap Day with Macaroni Kid on Saturday, October 12, 2013 from 8:00am-10:00am.

We’ve come to the conclusion that National Costume Swap Day is about showing our children a better way to celebrate!  Because something as simple as a costume swap does make a difference.  “Swapping the costumes of only half of the children who celebrate Halloween would reduce annual landfill waste by 6,250 tons!”

Admittedly, swapping costumes is a shift in the way kids think; it has become the norm to decide what you “want to be” and then head to the nearest box store and buy a new costume.  A swap offers children the chance to make a costume decision with an open-mind and possibilities laid out before them!  Dare I say it may even be reminiscent of those times you raided your parent’s closet to put together a costume … you know, back in the day!

Here’s the bottom line: Halloween has become a holiday filled with traditions that are unhealthy for our children and our planet. We owe it to ourselves and future generations to serve as role models.  Participating in a costume swap not only encourages celebrating in a way that is healthier and more earth-conscience, but it also empowers our children to think about how small changes can have a big impact.  All while still having fun!

A costume swap is recycling at its most fun. Kids get new-to-them costumes, and parents get to save money and the planet.  National Costume Swap Day is the brainchild of Corey and Lynn, moms living right here in Issaquah, and founders of a grassroots, non-profit known as Green Halloween®. For the past three years Macaroni Kid has partnered with Small Threads, Adventure Kids, and CleanScapes to bring this event to our community with DROP-SWAP-SHOP, and we can’t wait to do it again this year!
Here’s how …

Anytime between now and October 11th, participants are encouraged to drop off swap-able costumes during business hours at one of these locations:

In exchange for costume(s) you will be given a Swap Ticket to be brought back for the event on October 12th from 8:00 am to 10:00 am at Small Threads for Kids.

If you’re a little reluctant to give swapping a try, local businesses are providing great incentives. In addition to swapping, you can also shop with 20% discount off purchases at Small Threads and get a discount at Adventure Kids Playcare.  To make sure you get to the swap on time, AKP is opening early at 7:00 am.  If you’re new to AKP, be sure you’ve filled out 1st Visit Forms.  Both offers are only valid during the event on October 12th.

If you are a community business interested in participating as a sponsor (including our Swag Bag program), please contact Danaatdanav@macaronikid.com.

PANTS PARTY!

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Eastside Baby Corner’s 4th Annual Pants Party!

Saturday, September 7th from 10am-1pm at EBC Hub – 1510 NW Maple Street in Issaquah.

Bring a donation of new or gently used pants for children, ages 0-12, and stay to enjoy a fun filled day of games, food and fun.  Visit the Eastside Fire & Rescue fire truck, have fun with bubbles, coloring, and fun activities!

Eastside Baby Corner’s “Pants Party” is a great to help local kids in need in our community get off to a great start this school year. The goal? To collect at least 3 pairs of pants for every school aged child we serve during the first 6-8 weeks of school.  That’s 2,500 pairs of pants! 

EBC helps children succeed in school by providing clothes, shoes, socks and school supplies.

Pants may also be dropped off at the following locations:

For more information, to volunteer or to sponsor, please contact Cori Benson at corib@babycorner.org, 425.865.0234, ext. 705.

Pants Party!
Pants Party!

Dessert Walk

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Don’t forget! Mary, Queen of Peace’s 🍰 dessert walk 🍪is this weekend in conjunction with Summerfest. If you volunteered to bring a dessert, don’t forget to have it there before 4 PM. Even if you didn’t volunteered to bring a dessert, please consider doing so to increase our exposure at the church. The more desserts we have, the more fun will have entertaining the crowds during Summerfest & getting out the MOPS word.🌞

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Breakfast, Bags, & MOPPETS

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Our MOPS breakfast this morning was a big hit!  Not only did people enjoy the breakfast, we were able to raise $387.50 to donate to the Harrington House!  One woman even wrote a $50 check.  🙂

Special thanks to those moms who donated their time today (and after Saturday’s mass) to speak, cook, socialize, serve, etc. for this event!  It was a success & was a lot of fun to have a time to catch up with MOPS mom’s outside of our regular meetings.  And one last thank you goes out to Denisse & Kari for undertaking this major event & pulling it off in stellar fashion.  You guys are amazing!!  We were asked to “do this more often” by one parishioner that attended the breakfast.

The event was not only a success for Harrington House, but it was a success as far as getting MOPS’ name out there to the parish.  We got ourselves 2 new MOPPET caregivers, 2 sub caregivers, & 1 that is mulling over the possibility of being  a MOPPETS caregiver!!  We also spoke to a few mom’s that may join our group next year.

Heroes of the Day!
Heroes of the Day!

The other thing that began today was the Activity bags in the Cry Room!  They were a hit (at least with my kids!).  Thanks goes out to Kari (great idea!!), Sandy, Stephanie, Katie & Mary for taking on this project.  The bags are great & are sure to become a staple at MQP for the kids!

Bags on the wall in the cry room
Bags on the wall in the cry room
busy with the new activity bags
busy with the new activity bags