Fall Plantings and Recipes! With Shawn Lindsey and Stephanie Maxie

Listen to "Fall Plantings and Recipes" here!

MOPS Update:  Now meeting at Watson Chapel in Madisonville!
MOPS Madisonville Facebook Page
MOPS with Katie, audio

Special thanks to the following groups from Tennessee Weslayan College!  Each group donated a day of servicee to beautify our community by planting flower bulbs!

Womens' Soccer
Mens' Soccer
Womens' Softball

Shawn Lindsey, Director of Public Works  (Thanks, Shawn for being my guest on the show!)

Battle of the Bulge dates:


Friday, 10/14    Tennessee Weslayan College Fruit Orchard at Depot Hill
Monday, 10/17  Tennessee Tree and Vine Planting
Friday, 10/21    McMinn Senior Center (Garden Beautiful Club)
Friday, 10/28    SR Median Planting

Fabulous Potato Soup from Frugalista Confessions  Author Stephanie Maxie 

6 potatoes

1 can chicken broth

16 ounces (oz.) heavy cream 

8 oz. sour cream

Bacon

Cheddar, shredded

Green onions, chopped

Directions:

1. Peel and dice potatoes. 
2. Boil potatoes, heavy cream,  and broth.  (Add water to cover.)
3. Cover & let boil for ten minutes.
4. Remove from heat and add sour cream.

Garnish with cheddar, bacon and onion!

Popcorn Ball Recipe

Adapted from The Little House Cookbook, Page 216

For 2 to 2 ½ dozen popcorn balls you will need:

Popped corn, 6 quarts

Molasses, 2 cups

Butter, 3 to 4 tablespoons

Pan, 6-quart; baking sheets, 2; kettle, 3-quart

1. Spread the unsalted, unbuttered corn evenly in th e6-quart pan.
2. Butter the baking sheets lightly.
3. In the kettle, (don’t skimp on size, molasses will expand)  bring molasses to a boil, and cook it over medium heat, stirring frequently with a spoon. 
4. Molasses is ready when it hardens as it is dripped into a cup of cold water.
5. Spread bubbling candy over the corn.  With buttered tongs, toss quickly to distribute it.  Then, with hands, shape into balls.
6. Store in air-tight container is not eating right away!

(Thanks to Gabriel, my nine-year-old for reading the recipe to me as I typed!)

To God be the glory!

~Katie

MOPS-Mothers of Preschoolers! The Motherhood Adventure With Friends

My interview with Gayle Wright of MOPS International here!!  Don't let isolation keep you from being the best mom you can be!  Go to MOPS.org to find a MOPS group near you!

Madisonville, Tennessee MOPS group on Facebook HERE!

Get SOLAR WISE!

Do you remember when you first saw solar panels or electric cars?  No, neither do I!  However, I do remember vowing to "use electricity from the sun" to power all my modern day conveniences!  

Enter physicist and entreprenuer Jim Stephens, owner of Solar Wise in Southeast Tennessee.  Jim is brilliant so I have to ask him to slow down when explaining things to me!  He has come out of retirement to make available affordable solar planels and systems.  These solar systems are so amazing you can actually live energy-independent!  Or if you are wise as well, your system will be on the grid and the Tennessee Valley Authority, (TVA) will pay you twice what they charge for the energy you produce!

• At this time the TVA reimbursement offer will pay for the entire system in 8 years with a 10 years contract.
• Federal Energy benefits will pay 30% of the system!
• Over 20 systems installed and working over the last  16 months!

Get wise...Solar Wise!

Soli Deo Gloria! ~K. De La Cruz

Got Tools?! Ben Finch; Social Media Tools Mini Seminar Report

Soli Deo Gloria! ~K. De La Cruz

Charlie Clark, Hiwassee Builders Supply, Built For Generations!

AUDIO PLAYER  An Athens staple, Hiwassee Builders Supply on Decatur Pike has a legacy of customer satisfaction and stability!  They've expanded into Knoxville and now, into Cleveland.   Construction may be be suffering, but this business has what it takes to stay for the long-haul!  Join in the conversation, hear the story of this multigenerational builder supply co.!

Soli Deo Gloria! ~K. De La Cruz

Jaci Velasquez is on the show!

Listen to Jaci's interview here!

Jaci's voice is unforgettable!  If you're meeting her here for the first time, you're in for a treat!  She's got some pipes and she's not afraid to use them!  

Jaci visited beautiful East Tennessee and updated me on her life.  She was a teen-pop icon in Christian music in the late 90s, reached the Latino-charts is back singing about how God can take a rough stone (i.e. any human) and turn it into a polished, gem...A diamond!  Which, by the way, is her latest yet-to-be-released recording.  If you were at her concert here in Athens, you heard it and ....  It is a hit!

But that's not all Jaci's up to!  She's set to release two films before the year's end, and a book about the realities of motherhood titled, "Coffee and Concealer."  (Both are in my mothering tool-box!) And I can't wait to pick up the book!

Check out Jaci's Facebook page for the latest updates!  http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/95364/jaci-velasquez-signs-with-inpop-records

Much love,

 ~K. De La Cruz

Annie Rose Robinson Interview AUDIO!!!

Listen to Annie Rose Robinson's Complete Interview Here!
Soli Deo Gloria! ~K. De La Cruz