Football! I mean she really LOVES football. That’s her weird thing about her. Did you know that only 1 in 4 women really love football! I’m sure her husband, Ben, loves that about her.

Let’s meet Renee Saarloos, a 20 something who’s been at UPC 4 years. Shortcake (her nickname) grew up in Michigan and Iowa and married a Canadian. So does she like American football or Canadian football? Good question to ask when you see her. What I love about Renee is her smile and laugh that light up a room. She prefers dogs, a good thing because she has a cute energetic dog.

Daisies or Roses: Gerber daisies

Vanilla or Chocolate: Chocolate

Hobbies or Interests: Reading

Favorite Dessert: brownies

Favorite vacation spot (real or imagined): Phoenix

Job: Client Liason

Favorite TV Show: Grey’s Anatomy (good choice)

What’s the happiest memory from your childhood: Summer vacations to Colorado

Can you think of a time when yhour faith was streched or put into action: Dealing with my parent’s divorce.

Tonight we had our annual “Decorate the tree” party. The girls were so excited (nothing like being 4 and 2 1/2 at Christmas time.) We made cookies and a cheeseball. Last year I ate so much of this cheeseball and drank so much eggnog that I literally got sick! This year I showed more self-restraint, and instead ate a bunch of cookies and chocolates!!
Here’s the cheeseball recipe I got from my mother-in-law, as well as one from Alisa. So take your pick. And isn’t the cheeseball snowman a cute idea - I found it on Flickr and maybe I’ll try it next time (but I’ll probably make him lying down, since another picture was of the snowman with his head fallen off!!)

CHEESE BALL from Alisa Villarreal

12 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
8 oz. Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 c. chopped bell pepper
1 1/2 T. Grated onion
1/2 can (4 1/2 oz. size) of crushed pineapple, well-drained
1/2 t. Seasoned Salt

Mix all the above ingredients, roll in chopped pecans, and serve with Sociables Crackers.

Cheeseball from Rinnie Hersman/Lynda Hersman

8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. Cheddar cheese, cubed
2 tsp. Worshestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. onion powder
chopped pecans/walnuts

Mix all together in a cuisinart/blender. Shape into ball. Roll in chopped walnuts or pecans. Chill. Serve with crackers.

DISCLAIMER: The following antidote is not a personal story, but from an email that was passed on to me by a friend. It is in no way about my sister, Pam Johnson, and her gullibility level.

“One year at Thanksgiving, my mom went to my sister’s house for the traditional feast.

Knowing how gullible my sister is, my mom decided to play a trick. She told my sister that she needed something from the store. When my sister left, my mom took the turkey out of the oven, removed the stuffing, stuffed a Cornish hen, and inserted it into the turkey, and re-stuffed the turkey. She then placed the bird(s) back in the oven.

When it was time for dinner, my sister pulled the turkey out of the oven and proceeded to remove the stuffing. When her serving spoon hit something, she reached in and pulled out the little bird. With a look of total shock on her face, my mother exclaimed, “Patricia, you’ve cooked a pregnant bird!” At the reality of this horrifying news, my sister started to cry.

It took the family two hours to convince her that turkeys lay eggs!”

I LOVE Thanksgiving food - most of all turkey and the other things we always have every year. Once Erik’s mom and sisters and I were discussing when to have a yearly Ethiopian meal (Ethiopian food, if you’ve never had it, is really spicy and delicious.) They suggested Thanksgiving, but I had to veto that because I love Thanksgiving food so much (so we decided to have “Ethiopian Easter” instead.)

One of my favorite dishes at Thanksgiving and Christmas is sweet potato casserole. I like it with pecans, and Pam likes it with baby marshmallows, so usually I make half of it with each. Here’s the recipe (which I got from my mom, of course!!):

Sweet Potato Casserole from Rinnie Hersman
4 cups mashed sweet potato (I use canned ones)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping (mix together):
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup pecans

OR baby marshmallows

Combine first 5 ingredients and put in a 9×13 pan. Top with brown sugar/pecan mix OR baby marshmallows (or half of each.) Bake at 375 for 35 minutes.

This next recipe is from Alisa Villarreal. She says “I have a wonderful cornbread dressing recipe handed down from my Nanny and Mom.”

CORNBREAD DRESSING from Alisa Villarreal
Make 2 pans of cornbread (cool and crumble)
Toast 4 slices of wheat bread (cool and cut into small cubes)
2 Tbsp. poultry seasoning
Mix above together in a large pan and set aside

Saute in 1/4 stick of butter:
1 cup celery (cut up small)
1 large onion (diced)
2 bunches of green onions (chopped with tops & all)
Add:
2 cans undiluted Chicken with Rice Soup
Heat all the above.

Pour heated ingredients into cornbread/toast mix and stir well. Place in 9 x 13 greased baking dish. Can make a day ahead to save time. When ready to bake, pour 1 can of chicken broth over entire mixture. Cover with foil. Bake at 325 for 60 min, remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes.

This is a photo of the women in my Life Group. Starting top right is Pam, Hana, Suzy (in the middle), Becky, Renee, Me, and Jill. Maybe you’re seen them around church. Last

Tuesday our Life Group celebrated Thanksgiving together. Mike made 2 turkeys; one fried and one smoked. Everyone was there which made it extra special and of course more fun. We each brought a food item. I LOVE Thanksgiving food.

My husband and I joined this Life Group in the spring and at first I’ll admit it was a little awkward. We didn’t really know the people. We’d never even seen most of them. But since them I’ve gotten to know them better, some better than others. Now they’re friends instead of strangers. And I have opened up to them more.

I love my Life Group. I love that we celebrated Thanksgiving together as a family. I guess this is my family away from family. I encourage you to consider joining a Life Group if you’re not in one. I’m glad I did.