Filed under: Family
Our Thanksgiving weekend continues…it’s always nice to spend time with my brother’s family! One more day of ‘vacation’ before heading back to Indiana!
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I think it’s mostly because it is one holiday that seems to just be centered around relationships (and food, of course).
We are enjoying a weekend with family, and had part one today with Jason’s family. After dinner, the kids enjoyed making a gingerbread house…
Hope you are enjoying your holiday and making some memories of your own!
Filed under: Church Planting | Tags: Lafayette, connexion, Connexion Christian Ministries, Indiana
Sherry posted this over the weekend on her blog, and I thought I would share it with you too. A little “virtual tour” of Connexion Place – the downtown campus of Connexion Christian Ministries.
Our “soft launch” for Connexion is in 12 days, and and our volunteers have been working day and night to finish all the preparations for our new location in Downtown Lafayette! It is a great building, and after transforming some of the space…will be a ton of fun for our kids too!
Here is the outside…(of course, a new sign has been ordered.)
We are located in downtown Lafayette, on Columbia Street–one of the main streets to cross over the river into West Lafayette.
Here is our Worship Area…it will be set up coffee house style with people sitting around tables up front and then rows of chairs in the back.
Now, here are two pictures of where our 3-5 year olds will be. This will be transformed into a jungle room…this is the room I am most excited to see! This room actually used to be a commercial kitchen…but we’ve been blessed with people that have vision and are creative…the kids are going to LOVE it! (Thanks Jason for the nice pose there, too).
This room is there all of our 1st -5th graders will worship and participate in the KIDMO experience…This will be transformed into a “beach” themed room, and be getting vinyl window coverings for added security .
And, last, but not least, the Connexion Cafe, where coffee and pastries will be served. We eventually hope to open up during the week for WI-FI and free coffee.
I’m looking forward to showing you the “after” pictures in a couple of weeks! Please keep us in your prayers as we work to finalize all the details and work towards our launch on December 7th.
What a short week! It’s barely even worth putting up a meal plan! But here it is anyway…
Monday- Whole Wheat Rotini with spaghetti sauce, steamed broccoli and salad.
Tuesday- “Bourbon” Chicken with brown rice and steamed veggies.
Wednesday-Sunday: ON THANKSGIVING VACATION! I’m not even going to begin to think about everything that we are going to eat while we’re in Illinois!
Filed under: Healthy Lifestyle, Meal Plans | Tags: baking, granola, meal prep, muffins
I officially declared today Baking Day at the Gordon house. Jason was at the Downtown Campus working on the sound system, so I took the opportunity to get some “bulk preparation” done. Our work-weeks are pretty hectic, so the idea is to get some baking/food prep done today to provide some easy breakfasts and snacks, as well as speed up dinner prep. The game plan? (Links to the recipes)
- Blueberry Muffins
- Yummo Granola
- Banana, Apple, Carrot Muffins
- English Muffins (to use for breakfast “McMuffins”)
- Freezer Breakfast Burritos
- Precook Ground Chuck
- Precook Brown Rice
See, I am not a morning person. I have tried to be…but not very successfully. We need quick and healthy breakfast ideas, and Abbie is always hungry when she comes home. Again, some healthy snacks are key–and she gets tired of carrots and apples and celery.
So here are my thoughts after the day…
I LOVE these Blueberry Muffins. I tried a new recipe (and actually just used a small container of blueberries), and really was pleased. The cinnamon and nutmeg give it a nice depth of flavor.
This granola is INCREDIBLE! And pretty healthy too. I used 1.5 cups of nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans) and omitted the sesame seeds. You can pretty much change the general recipe around to your preferences.
When I first saw the name of these muffins, I thought…hmm, strange. But I thought I’d give them a go to use up some of my carrots and bananas on hand. They are actually really good! I think next time I might cut the nutmeg and cloves a little, just to make it slightly less “spice-y”. This is a super-healthy option for snacks…and would be great as mini-muffins too!
This week Kroger had Ground Chuck for $1.77/lb., so I picked up 6lbs and precooked it today. Having pre-cooked ground beef is such a time saver, because you can grab it from the freezer and use it for pasta, tacos, chili, or anything you would normally use it for!
My experiment for today was the brown rice. I love brown rice and nutritionally, I prefer to use the “real deal” instead of instant rice. The problem is, I rarely have an hour to devote to cooking it! So, I devoted the hour today, and put four meals worth in the freezer. We’ll see how it goes reheating!
Sitting here typing this all out, I realized that I completely forgot to add my “freezer” waffles to the list this morning! I may have to make some tomorrow if I’m up to it. Those are great to have on hand to throw in the toaster, just like an Eggo waffle (only healthier)!
I love watching Peyton’s personality develop as he gets older. He still is easily frustrated…and gets very “passionate” about that frustration. But, I’m also seeing moments where he sees the best in a situation–which gives me hope as a Mom! 
Meet Drake…Drake is our Build-A-Bear friend (and bedtime buddy) that Peyton named after his best friend from Illinois. Drake’s newest outfit (seen here) is my latest glimpse of Peyton “seeing the glass half full”.
Yesterday, Jason and Abbie picked Peyton up at daycare and the Picture People were there with the class portraits available for purchase. We opted not to purchase since we just had our family pictures taken, but each of the kids got a free T-shirt with their picture on it. Abbie promptly took the opportunity to point out that Peyton’s shirt was WAY too small (what a great sister…always looking to rub it in!). But Peyton’s immediate reaction? That’s okay. It can be a new night shirt for Drake! He was so proud that this morning, he decided to take Drake for nap time at daycare and show all of his friends.
Filed under: Church Planting, Thankful Thursday | Tags: Thankful Thursday, Add new tag, connexion, Church Planting, launch
Another random installment of Thankful Thursday! Life is pretty crazy right now. We are 17 days away from our soft launch at Connexion, so the preparations are full speed ahead!!! Even though it is crazy, I am very thankful for so much right now!
- I am so blessed to be a part of a group of people who’s greatest desire is to reach the unreached and connect the unconnected…and really live that out, no matter what.
- Our launch team is amazing. I am so thankful for everyone who is putting in countless hours to make December 7th a reality.
- We are blessed to have Jason and Sherry in our lives. It is so nice to have another “ministry/church planting wife” to live life with…plus our kids adore their kids!
- The prayer support and financial support from friends and family across the country that allowed Jason to come onboard in September.
- I continue to stand in awe at how God has worked out the details-and continues to do so.
- My husband - who is doing exactly what God has uniquely created him to do. I never cease to be energized by his passion for this community.
- My kids- for keeping me grounded during the crazy excitement of the preparations for our launch.
- Some rest is coming amidst the craziness next week, when we travel and spend some time with family and friends.
Filed under: Meal Plans | Tags: dinner ideas, menu plan monday, Menus 4 Moms, weekly menu, what's for dinner
This week, I am using the Menus4Moms weekly menu. I get this in my inbox every week, but haven’t really used it the past couple of months. This last week it caught my eye, and it will work really well with what we have going on. Plus, the nice thing is they already have the grocery list and recipes ready for you. No hassle…just add your breakfast and lunch items and off you go! Click here for this week’s grocery list and recipes, or visit Menus4Moms to subscribe to their weekly email. There are even more menu ideas at OrgJunkie…no excuses for not knowing what to serve this week!
Monday
- Roast Beef with Potatoes and Carrots
- Sliced Peaches
- Dinner Rolls
Tuesday
- Sweet and Sour Meatballs (I may adjust this one)
- White Rice
- Sugar Snap Peas
Wednesday
- Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches
- Mashed Potatoes
- Broccoli
Thursday
- Chicken Pita Pockets
- Ge Ge’s Potato Salad
- Five Cup Salad
Friday
- Chef’s Salad
- Leftover Five Cup Salad
I must admit, this is one nice way to start the morning. It’s hard to believe that a month ago we were still paying over $3.00 a gallon. This makes me happy…only paying $30 for a full tank of gas. I’m hoping I can keep on track — lately I’ve only been using a tank every two weeks (or close to it).
I don’t know if there is any truth to it, but I’ve heard that gas prices may shoot up if OPEC decides to cut production when they meet on Monday. I may keep a full tank just in case!
One week ago today, history was made as we elected the first African-American President of the United States. Regardless of your political views, there is no argument that this election was ground-breaking. Last Wednesday, after Abbie got home from school, I sat down and we were talking about the historical significance of this year’s election. Ok, I didn’t exactly use those terms…but I hope that someday she might remember a sliver of what she was doing during this time when she reads about it years later in school.
As we were talking, I realized that Abbie really had no frame of reference for what I was about to say. She doesn’t see the world from the perspective of ”white people” or “black people”. Honestly, I don’t even think she would know what ”African-American” means. She’s aware that she has light skin, and some of her friends have darker skin…but to her it is no different than the fact that she has blue eyes instead of brown, or brown hair instead of blonde.
So I began to explain to her that the election this year was really special, because it’s the first time since the United States was a country that the President we elected has dark skin…because all the Presidents before have all had light skin like her and I. Her immediate response? “Well, that’s just freaky.” Initially, I wondered…wow, has my 6-year-old already been exposed to the predjudices of skin color? So I asked her what was freaky about it, and she responded “That’s just freaky…that all the other guys just had light skin. Don’t you think it’s freaky, Mom?.”
I am so grateful that from my daughter’s eyes, what is strange is that when looking at all of our Presidents, past and present, that there is only one whose skin is darker than the rest. That the strange-ness lies in the fact that there have not been more. I know the day will come when she will gain a broader understanding of what prejudice and discrimination lies in our past as Americans, but today I am grateful for her innocence, and her love for people.
