So what shall I do? You ask. Simple. Contact Moms Co-Coordinator Kristen Thayn (435.419.0133 or kristenthayn@gmail.com) and tell her you want one. Or two. Or twelve, if there are that many left. She’ll give you the skinny and get you hooked up. If you get the drift.

Or heck, if you’re with Rangely Moms and dig both the giving and receiving of things–in other words, if you want to help out on the 5th–chances are there’s a place for you, whether it’s making pies, answering phones, or slapping boxes into people’s hot little hands. Kristen can help you there, too. She’s the go-to gal for this little shindig, seee?

So we’ll catch  you there. Or somewhere. ‘Cause whether the Broncos are playing that day or not, we’re gonna be busy.

Mom #2: Yep, I think so. Somebody said it’s the third Thursday of the month now.

Mom #1: Awesome, then I can go! What’s the scoop?

Mom #2: Um…let’s see. January 19, 6:30 p.m. at Grace Baptist is what I hear. Just bring a dish to share and be ready to hang out and chat. Childcare’s provided, too!

Mom #2: Sa. Weet.

Beth Bishop's snow globe cake was a festive addition to a variety of sweet offerings.

This month’s Moms Cookie Exchange was so much fun that we thought we’d savor it awhile–in the form of the recipes you brought to share. We’ll be adding to the list as we receive more instructions for baked happiness, but to whet your appetite, here are a few of the goodies we came, saw, and tasted:

Ginger Crackles by Elizabeth Weathers

Preheat oven to 375.

Sift together:

• 2 c. flour
• 1 1/2 t. ginger
• 2 t. baking soda
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. salt

Then combine:

• 3/4 c. shortening, melted
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c. molasses

Combine dry and wet ingredients together and mix well.

Roll into balls, then roll the balls in sugar. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes.

Cayucos Brown Butter Cookies by Tarrah Patch

1 1/2 sticks butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter until it starts to caramelize.
It should smell nutty and you will see brown bits at the bottom of the
pan. Be careful not to burn the butter (or you will have to start over).
Pour browned butter into a bowl and stir in brown sugar and vanilla. In a
small bowl whisk flour and baking soda. Add flour mixture to butter
mixture until combined. Let cool to room temperature.
(The recipe doesn’t say to put the dough on waxed paper and roll it like I
did on mine, but I did the same thing with this dough and they came out
better than just dropping the dough by spoonfuls.) So you can do it
either way. After getting the dough on the cookie sheet, sprinkle with
sea salt. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes. Do not overbake or they will be crumbly and
dry.

Heath Toffee Crunch Cookies by Krissy Klein

• 1 c. butter
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 1 c. packed light brown sugar
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/2 t. salt
• 3 eggs
• 3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 t. baking soda
• 2 t. cream of tartar
• 1 1/3 c. (1 pkg.) Heath Bits O’ Brickle Toffee Bits

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a cookie sheet. Cream butter, sugars, vanilla, and salt. Add eggs and beat well. Stir flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar, then add to butter mixture. Stir in toffee bits. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 mins. or until lightly brown. Yield 6 dozen cookies.

Andes Mint Cookies by Krissy Klein

Brianne DiBenedetto doesn't mind her a little cookie exchange now and then. Even if it only involves Cheerios.

• 1/2 c. butter
• 3/4 c. dark brown sugar
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. baking powder
• 2 t. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 pkg. Andes creme baking chips
• 2 2/3 c. sifted all-purpose flour

Blend butter, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, and eggs until mixed. Stire in Andes mint chips and then flour. Chill in dough ball in fridge for 1 hour. Roll into small balls and slightly flatten with fork onto cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 mins. Yield 4 dozen cookies.

• Thanks to all of the women who signed up to bring meals to moms with new babies! If you want to get on the list or want to bring a meal to someone specific, please contact Hospitality Chair Rebecca Elder at 675.2619.
• Speaking of which, a big congrats to moms Manda Palmer and Whitney Torsell, whose new baby boys Tanner and Tylan are welcome additions to the Rangely Moms family!
• Dec. 8 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. is our annual Rangely Moms Soup Dinner & Cookie Exchange. Bring two dozen of your favorite cookie concoctions to Heather Zadra’s house (154 Pinyon Circle), plus a container to haul treats home for the family. Soups, bread, and appetizers will complement the sweeter side of things.
• And don’t forget Dec. 10, the date of our Chili Dinner Fundraiser! Thanks to all those who have volunteered to bring food and tableware to this event–look for the reminder list via email soon. The dinner is at the EEC Building right after the Christmas Parade, so please bring your donation items to the EEC gym by 5 p.m. on the 10th. Money raised will help Rangely Moms help Rangely moms in the community. (Nope, it’s not a typo. Get it?)
• December’s meeting theme: Reindeer Games. That means an encore round (or two) of Pictionary Man’s headed your way! Plus, you get to wear your jammies if you’re so inclined. Snowflake, Christmas tree, and jingle bell patterns applauded.
• The December 1 meeting is also our holiday bread bake-off. Bring a loaf of your favorite sweet or savory bread to share, and we’ll vote on ‘em. This will most certainly be a carbo-loading extravaganza.
• Our fantastic childcare team will also be helping with some special events for the kiddos during this meeting. We’re planning on a storytime and games, so don’t leave the little ones behind!
• Tosha Clatterbaugh, who spoke at the November meeting about speech and language development, handed out an article that many of you found helpful. The link to that info: http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/lateblooming.htm. If you’re interested in getting your child’s language or physical progress screened, contact Horizons at 878.3196 or go to http://www.horizonsnwc.org/rio-blanco-county for more info. Screenings and services are free to families.
• Did you sign up to be someone’s Secret Santa at the November meeting? If so, just drop a little surprise something by to them every week until the next meeting on Dec. 1. Not sure who yours is or how to reach her? Contact a steering team member, who can get you contact info.
• Don’t forget that mentor and prayer request boxes are available at the front table during each meeting! The steering team prays regularly for these needs, and Moms mentors will either contact you or address your question in a meeting.
• If you haven’t yet, please send Heather Zadra a quick message about whether it’s okay to use your kids’ and your photos on the blog. Thanks!

Have a business you need added here? Email heatherzadra@gmail.com.

In past years, it’s come up every now and again: is Thursday morning the best time for moms to meet? For many women, it seems to be. The first Thursday of every month is easy to remember. It can be planned on and scheduled around.

But for other moms, that morning slot coincides with the beginning of their work days, or home schooling, or volunteer obligations. And while these women would love to make it to Moms (and sometimes still do), letting go of that much paycheck–or time–is a challenge, to say the least.

Enter an experiment: a Rangely Moms evening gathering, happening the same day as the morning meeting on Nov. 3. Women can choose to attend the usual meeting time from 8:45 to 11 a.m., when Horizons speech therapist Tosha Clatterbaugh will talk about children’s milestones and development, or from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., when homemade soups and bread will accompany a more informal chat/icebreaker session.

“We had a lady say she wished she could connect with other moms in town, but she couldn’t make the meeting time,” Rangely Moms Co-Chair Kristen Thayn says. “She asked if we would ever consider a meeting at night. So we decided to try it out.”

Other moms have expressed similar sentiments, Thayn says. For now, the evening meeting is just on a trial run, to see how many women attend the event. But if there’s a lot of interest and a good turnout, it could become a regular part of the Moms group offerings.

Like the morning meeting, the evening session will offer childcare, food, and time for women to talk and share common experiences in a “grown-ups only” environment. The cost remains the same at $5 per meeting, which helps cover craft, supply, and food expenses.

So if a gung-ho Moms maniac wanted to attend both meetings on Nov. 3, could she?

Sure, Thayn says. A main reason Rangely Moms exists is to help women grow in fellowship with each other. And if the group can double those opportunities next Thursday, all the better.

Krissy Klein with husband Zach and their four kiddos (from left): Aveahna, Aaron, Haleighann, and Zavrick.

   Krissy Klein may be one of the newer members of the Moms Steering Team, but she’s no stranger to her duty as Head of Crafts (or, as some of us like to call her, the Craftmaster). We could tell you what makes her so good at her job, but you’ll see for yourself at next week’s meeting (this isn’t a plug, we promise [Thursday, Oct. 6 from 8.45-11 a.m. at Grace Baptist. Be there!!]). She also voices her passion for crafting, her family, and her faith pretty well herself:

My husband’s name is Zachariah (Zach). We have four children–Aaron is 5, Haleighann is 3, Aveahna is 2, and Zavrick is 1. Home to me is Grand Junction, Colorado and Odessa, Texas. We found this beautiful little haven while looking for work.

My job in Moms is the Craft Lady. I was asked if I would join in and help because our dear friend Manda (Palmer) was moving away. I gladly took up the challenge.
You asked what excites me about the position, but what doesn’t excite me about crafts is the better question! I am pretty much addicted to crafts and anything involved with crafts. And I’m very excited about reaching out to other moms and growing new friendships. I’ve never done anything like this before…..it’s so exciting!!!

You also asked what flavor of ice cream I would be…I’d totally be coffee ice cream, because coffee is what keeps me going with four kids 5 years old and under. It also happens to be my favorite color, brown. Plus, it smells wonderful, and everyone loves coffee, right?

The most fun or exciting thing I have ever done would be that, every summer throughout my teenage years, I used to do a program through a Christian church camp called TNT, and we would backpack the Continental Divide and/or 14ers. Pretty awesome stuff. Backpack everything for the entire week in and backpack everything out! Quite the thrill getting up there and well worth the work.

Something you wouldn’t know about me unless I told you? I was a competitive gymnast growing up.

The best advice I’ve ever been given: I live by a quote. :) “As a mother, my job is to take care of what is possible and trust God with the impossible.”

What I loved about the first meeting was being able to visit and catch up with all of the moms and meet the new moms that attended. It was a great meeting!

The Klein kids on Aaron's fifth birthday. Photos courtesy of Krissy Klein.

Welcome, and hello hello to our cyber audience out there! It’s time again for Babymeet, where your children are proven not only to be the cutest kids in town, but very probably the next born leaders of the free world! Today we have two lil’ darlings on the changing pad, so to speak. Please welcome almost 10-month-old Isabella Macey Cox, second daughter of Jason and Marybel Cox, and six-month-old Bentley Connor Baker (a.k.a. “Bug”), son of Heather and Ronnie Baker!

Isabella: It’s a pleasure, I’m sure.
Bentley: Yeah, thank you. Thank you very much.
Rangely Moms: We certainly appreciate your time today. Now let’s start by your telling me a little bit about yourselves, if you would.
Bentley: Well, you know, I’m a pretty smiley kid all the way around. Never really have met a stranger, if you know what I mean. My momma, she says I can have a little bit of a…what’s the word? It’s a biggie, three syllables are still a lot with only a coupla teeth. Um…attitude. Yeah, that’s it. She says I can have an attitude, but I know she wouldn’t trade me for all the milk in Diaryland.
Isabella: Yes, and my mom, well, she just loves me, too. I mean, it helps that I’m a really good natured baby, and believe me, I know that from experience. I have this little friend who’s a real fireball, you know? Constantly telling me how throwing big fits and screaming her head off is the best way to get things done. But I’ve never really seen her point of view. Mom seems to like me just fine when I’m chillin.’ Which I do a lot.
Moms: Well, that’s great to hear. Sounds like you’ve both got some fans out there. Do your mommies say you’re a lot different than your siblings or other babies they’ve been around?
Isabella: Yeah, I hear Mom and Dad talk about how I’m a lot more busy than Kaitlyn, my big sister, was. They seem to take it all in stride, though. I read recently in Infant Development Journal that it’s pretty common for parents to be more relaxed and comfortable raising a second child.
Bentley: Oh, you read that article too? We ought to start a book club, Izzy. We’d have lots to talk about. Anyway, this is my momma’s first baby, and then there’s my half-brother, Killian, who lives in Texas right now. We hope he’ll be coming to live with us one day real soon. Anyway, Momma used to spend lots of time watching a little girl, and says she wasn’t nearly so active as me but that she was a lot louder! Har, har.
Isabella: Watch it there, Bug. My mommy learned self-defense at last month’s Moms meeting and she could take your momma down in a heartbeat.
Bentley: Whoa, slow down there, Izzy! I never meant any harm by it. It’s just what my mom says. And kindly keep from threatening her, if you please.
Isabella: I’m sorry, Bentley. I was just dying to watch my Mom execute that whole “jam thumbs into eyeballs” move she learned last month. It worked really well on my dad. Just kidding. Ha, ha, ha!
Moms: Okay, kids, we’re going to ask just a couple more questions and let you get down to naptime. We appreciate your attention span, especially given that most babies your age have none.
Isabella and Bentley: No problem.
Moms: Can you tell us a bit about your favorite things these days: lovies, food, the people in your lives you couldn’t live without?
Bentley: I’ll admit I’m a sucker for a special lil’ birdy I like to call Girdy. He’s one of the lights in my life, next to Mom and Dad, of course. And I’m a big fan of Grandma, Grandpa, and my Uncle Bo, too. As far as other things, I don’t mind me a little heat from a warm fire or blanket, flashing lights, the usual baby stuff.
Isabella: Yeah, Mom’s the bomb. Her, and tags on just about anything.
Moms: Okay, guys, I think this is the last question for today. Tell me what’s changed for your family since you arrived in this crazy world of ours?
Isabella: My mom says that how her time’s used up now is the biggest thing. Now she has to get both Kaitlyn and me ready, and that can be hard. She does a good job, though, of making time for each of us, including my dad. Like I said, she pretty much rocks the casbah.
Bentley: Yeah, my mom and dad are so glad to have me because it’s changed their pri-…prior-…what’s important to them. And they’re closer to each other now, too. Momma says she’s a happier person with me around. And, I mean, look at these red curls and this dimply grin. Can you really blame her?
Moms: Nope, we sure can’t. You’re lucky we even got through this interview without some serious smooches from both of you. I bet there’s some time for that now, though! Thanks again for your time, babies, and thanks to our cyber audience tuning in from around the world. We hope you all have a droolicious day!

Baby spotlight Isabella Cox (right) gets some serious sister time with her favorite sibling, Kaitlyn. Photo courtesy of Marybel Cox.

Bentley Baker pulls out all the stops when the camera comes out. Photo courtesy of Heather Baker.

The Fulks’ purpose in this move? “To build relationships with people,” husband Cody writes. “Within that we will be sharing the love of Christ. More specifically we are partnering with a ministry (Shalom) involved in helping orphans and street children, and church planting.” See more on their website, http://www.followingjesustouganda.com/, and in an upcoming feature about the Fulk family on the Rangely Moms blog.

The Fulks are convinced of their calling to this new place, but the reality is that newborn/infant items readily available in the United States are much less so in Uganda. As a result, the Rangely Moms group wants to help Michaela and the Fulks’ baby girl get the supplies they need. Michaela writes that they can make good use of the following items:

-Newborn pacifiers (I have stage 2), Nuk is probably the best? Two is fine.
-Reusable (I have to be able to wash them) breast pads (3-4 sets would be good)
-Thermometer battery (LR41 and CR2032. I have 2 different thermometers
-Onesies:
2 for each period (0-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12). I hate to be picky about this,
but the way the sun and hand washing is here, our clothes wear out
really quickly. The ones that come in a package would wear out and
stretch out very quickly here, so I don’t think those would be the
best. Again, used is totally fine.
-A hand breast pump (if possible…I know this might be pricey but
maybe there is a mom who doesn’t need one anymore). If we foster or
adopt a child soon, I would like to either breastfeed them or be able
to give them my milk. There is no formula here, so I thought this
would be handy to have.
-Two bottles
-Maybe one or 2 toys but none with batteries and small, like a rattle.
-A breastfeeding cover

If you have any of these items or would like to purchase them for Michaela, let Tarrah know. Or you can send them directly yourself to

Thanks for considering helping a mom who’s out in the mission field and who would certainly feel God’s love in the actions of our Rangely Moms!

If you need a refresher on the facts, guidelines, and strategies that will do your kids’ bodies good, Ward has graciously provided her presentation here. A big thanks to Sarah for her time and expertise in educating us this month!

MOMS Nutrition Presentation

Moms visit and ask questions after Sarah Ward's nutrition presentation.

A centerpiece decoration at the January meeting. The bear figures were given out to lucky moms with numbers under their chairs.