1. Announcements
MOPS MOMENTS
May 22 – MOPS Meeting
8 May 2008
Please join us for our last MOPS
meeting of the season. There will Stop and Smell the Roses, Please!
be lots of brunch food and good By Rachel Dumont
conversation… We will also have
an informal, open discussion on I’m hopelessly in love with God’s creation. During the long winter months, I
“What MOPS has meant to me”. close my eyes and dream about flowers - roses, to be exact. I spend
countless hours in the dark of night dreaming – well, ok, scheming – of where
June 6 - quot;Moving Awayquot; Brunch
I can add a new flowerbed in the spring. And, like clockwork at the end of
Dena Salazar is moving back to
February, I muster up enough courage to ask my husband if it would be ok if
California in June…. Please join
I make, yet another, amoeba-shaped flower bed in our tightly packed yard.
us in sending her off at 9:30am
As always, my husband gives me that look of resignation that says “Another
at Rachel Dumont's house.
one? Don’t you have enough roses already!?” True, a new bed will add at
Please bring a brunch item for a
least 10 minutes of grass-cutting time to his already long, weekend mowing
breakfast potluck. RSVP to
routine. But I just can’t seem to help myself. How can I not use this
Rachel by May 22. Check your
opportunity to cultivate a small part of God’s creation - not only for my
e-mail for details and directions.
family - but also for my community, to enjoy?
June 14 - Women’s Breakfast
I am a woman of many interests, and in my 36 years, I have tried a number
Please join all the women of New
of hobbies. Musicians run in my family, and I’d like to say that I can play
Hope here on Saturday morning,
both the piano and the classical guitar well. But let’s be honest. I’m not very
June 14 from 9am – 12pm. The
good at either, and really have no intention of getting any better. I do like
theme will be springy and light; we
to cook, but when push comes to shove, hot dogs and Mac ‘n cheese it is –
will do a gardening craft, and Rachel
especially if I’ve been digging in the dirt for half the day… I like to design
Dumont will be giving the message
seasonal crafts such as wreaths for my front door and the like; however, my
titled “Dwelling in God’s Garden”.
patience wears thin after burning my fingers too many times with the hot-
Tickets are $5 and childcare is
glue gun. Sorry, but gardening wins, hands down.
provided. Bring a friend!
Summer Playdates at Swansea Park Because I feel so passionately about gardening, I look for every opportunity
Please join us at Swansea park with to share this interest with my children. My youngest daughter, Cassandra, is
a bagged lunch and your children in 3, and the main way I engage her at such a young age is to simply let her play
around the garden. We watch butterflies flitter around the butterfly
tow on the following dates at 10am.
bushes; we run away from the bees buzzing around the Russian sage; and of
Be sure to check your e-mail for
course, we stop to inspect and smell all the roses. I’ll let her pick little
rain dates…
flowers to play with like creeping phlox or hardy geranium, all in an effort
Thursday, 12 June 2008 for her to enjoy the natural beauty surrounding her.
Thursday, 10 July 2008
Thursday, 14 August 2008 My 6-year-old daughter, Rebekah, is at the age where she is willing and able
to take a more active part in gardening. I take her with me to garden
Gifts for MOPPETTS Helpers nurseries to buy a few plants, then we’ll go home, and she will help me plant
We are very blessed to have a what we bought. She helps me pull weeds - well, sort of - and water with her
wonderful group of women that own watering can. As we go about our tasks, I teach her about the various
volunteer their time to care types of plants by name, and how to distinguish their various stages of
for our children during our growth. I show her what a flower bud looks like before it becomes a flower,
MOPS meetings. An envelope Continued on back…
will be passed in our next
couple meetings for monetary MOPS Purpose Statement quot;To nurture every mother of a preschooler by
contributions. Thanks so much! meeting her distinct needs to the glory of Jesus Christ.quot;

2. Announcements, Cont. Stop and Smell the Roses, Please, Continued….
MOPS Registrations for Fall and what a seedpod looks like after the flowers have bloomed. I point out
2008 will be mailed out mid- the various types of beneficial bugs crawling all over the plants, and what they do.
August, so be looking out for And as we cultivate the garden together, I pray that God will cultivate a love for
them. In addition, if you have a Him in her heart as she digs.
friend you’d like us to send a
registration to, please e-mail When I am feeling anxious, stressed, confused, or even lonely, most often you’ll
Jen Vieira with the details. find me puttering around in my flowerbeds. As I nurture my plants, I am
constantly overwhelmed by the thought that my garden represents a living miracle
Mom’s Birthdays in June of God’s grace in my life. Just as all my many types of perennial flowers and roses
Brooke Wyman – 6/16 have unique needs, so do we. God gives us exactly what we need to promote godly
Love Fragola – 6/22 character in our lives. And just as I heavily prune my roses a certain times in their
Jen Mathias – 6/30 growing cycle, I remember that when God prunes me through difficult trials, His
purpose is to produce holiness in me - just as my roses will produce abundantly
MOPS Steering Committee beautiful flowers if I cut back their branches exactly at the right time.
Fall 2007 – Spring 2008
Our family enjoys walking in the garden after dinner to, literally, smell the roses.
Coordinator My roses all smell so differently. Some smell soapy, some lemony, some like sweet
Jen Vieira apples, and Rebekah’s personal favorite smells like tutti-fruity candy. Tears came
t. 508-567-1292 to my eyes the day she nicknamed this tender apricot rose, “The Lollipop Rose”. I
e. djv82@verizon.net take such delight in watching my girls enjoy my passion, but more importantly, I
love to see them discover their Creator through His beautiful handiwork. God’s
Discussion Group Leader / fingerprints are everywhere. Sometimes we just need to stop and smell the roses
Prayer Box in order to recognize Him.
Rachel Dumont
t. 401-289-0369 American Chop Suey from the kitchen of Rachel Dumont
e. rachelgdumont@gmail.com
1 lb ground beef
Creative Activities 4-5 oz. macaroni noodles
Jessica Cook (3) 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
t. 508-674-2969 (1) 14 oz. can tomatoes
e. jmf111575@hotmail.com 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped chunky
1 onion, chopped chunky
Suzi Hull ½ tsp. garlic powder and onion powder
t. 508-673-3858 1 tsp. paprika
e. whull99@comcast.net a sprinkling of dried basil, sage thyme, rosemary, oregano
¼ tsp. pepper, salt to taste
Finance
grated cheddar for garnish
Sarah Duboyce
t. 508-994-2075 1. Brown beef. Add onions and peppers at the end of browning meat and sauté a
e. sardub@yahoo.com bit. Drain off fat.
2. Cook noodles al dente.
Secretary
3. Add all other ingredients to meat mixture and simmer. Add pasta at end.
Winnie Lee
4. When serving, sprinkle cheese on top of portions.
t. 401-624-8624
*This recipe freezes really well; however, leave out the noodles when freezing.
e. leewinniepooh@yahoo.com
After de-thawing, just cook up some fresh noodles and add to meat mixture when
MOPS Mentor heating.
Cathy Bringhurst
*The rose on the cover of this newsletter was taken by Rachel Dumont in her beloved rose
t. 508-324-4500
garden. This lovely rose, called the Eglantyne rose, won Honorable Mention by the American
e. cbringhurst@nhcc.ws Rose Society in 2007.