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It is the beginning of a new year! It is a year to start over, start fresh, and have a new beginning. Many people make New Year’s resolutions to achieve something that they want that they don’t already have. Your new year’s promise to yourself could be to stop smoking, lose some weight, finally get those bills paid, take that trip that you have putting off, or many other things that you want to achieve in the coming year.  While setting goals for ourselves is good and healthy to do, we shouldn’t lose sight of the things that we already have. God has blessed each and every one of us richly but sometimes we are so focused on what is to come, we fail to see what we already have.
Do you have any blessings or thoughts that you would like to share with us? Comment in the section below to tell us what God has blessed you with this year. 
 Christina Pritzlaff is married with two children. She has completed Early Childhood 1 & 2 classes, Infant Toddler classes, and completed the coursework for her Associates degree in Child Development. Christina splits her time between spending time with her family and working at New Beginnings. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her children, camping, fishing, reading, and doing counted cross-stitch.
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As I write this, I am sitting on a plane to travel home for the holidays. I had an interesting experience prior to boarding this flight that made me consider the type of Christmas spirit we should have as Christians approaching December 25th.
 “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:8-11).  Taleya Williamson is the Operations Manager at New Beginnings. She was born and raised in Puyallup, Washington and attended Evergreen Lutheran High School. Taleya recently graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran College with a Bachelors of Science in psychology with a minor in anthropology. In her free time, Taleya enjoys spending time with her husband, David.
As a part of the New Beginnings' program, we participate in family traditions including having a group meal over the holidays. Everyone brings a homemade dish to pass for the entire group - as we all know, WELS people love their potlucks! This provides an excellent opportunity for the mothers at New Beginnings to learn new cooking skills, as well as try new dishes. We were so excited about the dishes made this year, that we would like to share them with you. The main event - WHat's Thanksgiving without turkey? Our Executive Director, Brianne Hansen, has made the turkey for our Thanksgiving Dinner for 2 years. I suppose it is tradition now. We usually have about 15 people at our Thanksgiving Dinner, and a 15 pound turkey is just about perfect! INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the zest and juice of the lemon and 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves to the butter mixture. Set aside. Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out. Pat dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, halved lemon, shallots, and the garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place pieces of butter in the turkey cavity. Roast the turkey about 2 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Take the turkey out of the oven and let rest for 20 minutes. Slice the turkey and serve. the necessary (and delicious) sidesOkay, so let's be honest. Thanksgiving isn't all about the turkey - it's about the bird's friends! Here are some outstanding recipes made by our staff and residents that will leave your guests wanting more. The terrific part about these recipes is that not only are they the traditional, and completely necessary sides for any Thanksgiving celebration, they are also HOMEMADE completely from scratch! Even the cream of mushroom soup in the green bean casserole was created - no need for canned soup here, people. Are you dying for the recipes? After tasting these dishes, I know I was! For your tasting pleasure, I have included them below: green bean casseroleOur Resident Supervisor, Eden Ehlers, created this green bean casserole recipe from scratch. Boy, was it worth it! INGREDIENTS Baked "Fried" Onions
Green Bean Casserole
INSTRUCTIONS
cranberry sauceOur Program Manager, Karen O'Leary, made cranberry sauce this year. As we know, cranberry sauce is a hallmark Thanksgiving day side, and ....it is one of my favorites! INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice. Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and place sauce in a bowl. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools THE BEST DRESSING...EVERWhen I say the best...ever, I mean it. This dressing is the best...EVER! Our Outreach Manager, Christina Pritzlaff, made a recipe for dressing that was passed down by her mother. Hopefully it was not meant to be a family secret because we have to spread this love around! INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS Follow the directions on the bag for preparing the stuffing. Add the chicken broth to the bacon and sausage grease to make the full amount required for the stuffing mix. We are just substituting some of the broth with the grease. Cook the fresh veggies in a pan with the butter and add it to the stuffing mixture. More tasty sides!CREAMY MAC & CHEESEOne of our mothers, Shaneka, made a classic Southern macaroni and cheese dish! It was one of our favorites. Shaneka always does an outstanding job making dishes for group dinners! INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9"x13" dish. Boil macaroni until tender (about 12 minutes) and drain. In a large bowl, combine the macaroni, cheese, milk, and eggs. Add salt and pepper. Transfer to prepared dish. Bake until golden and bubbly, abut 30 minutes. Savory garlic mashOne of our mothers, Kim, made crockpot garlic mashed potatoes! Who knew that you could make mashed potatoes in the crockpot? They tasted great! INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS Spray inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Add potatoes, thyme, garlic, butter, and chicken broth. Cover and cook for 5 hours on high. Add heavy cream and use a hand mixer to blend the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. What we have all been waiting for...dessert! |
| Thanksgiving is simply not the same without a stunning dessert! Peach cobbler is not only beautiful, but delicious too. INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS Melt butter in 9"x13" pan. Mix together flour, sugar, and milk. Pour mixture into plan. Spread peaches (including syrup) around the pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, until crust turns golden brown. |  This amazing peach cobbler was made by one of our mothers, Jasmira! It was an excellent ending to a fantastic dinner. And...GREAT NEWS...it is easy to make! |
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and we hope you did too! God has blessed New Beginnings so richly. All of our mothers, their babies, and the staff at New Beginnings wish you God's richest blessings this holiday season as well!
See below our chefs!
See below our chefs!
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| Typically, when someone thinks of February, the first thing that comes to mind is Valentine’s Day, the holiday of love. Valentine’s Day is somewhat of a debated holiday; you either love it or you hate it. Some people look forward to this holiday, and the gifts and memories that come with it. However, some people in relationships may feel overwhelmed with the pressure to make sure the day is special, whereas single people may feel the holiday just serves as a reminder that they are single, or alone. No matter what your personal opinion of Valentine’s Day is, the day can serve as two reminders to Christians; first, we should make showing Christian love a priority, whether it be to your significant other or to a stranger crossing the street; and second, we are never alone, even if a holiday can make us feel that way. |  |
 | My confirmation verse was Ephesians 5:2a, which says, “Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us.” Christ showed love to the whole world by being our Savior. As we begin Lent this month as well, we hear about Christ’s suffering and sacrifice. Christ dedicated his entire life to us and calls us to dedicate our lives to him, which means living a life of love. Although Valentine’s Day is typically about couples, the true purpose behind Valentine’s Day is showing someone that you care about them and love them. Valentine’s Day may have become a secular holiday narrowed to just couples, but it can serve as a reminder that we should show love to all around us, especially when it seems impossible, because Christ showed love to us by saving us from our sins. |
At New Beginnings, we do our best as staff and Resident Assistants to provide a family and community feel for our residents. However, no matter how hard we try, the residents, staff members, or RAs may feel lonely at times, just as anyone can. Valentine’s Day is occasionally referred to in jokes as “Single People Awareness Day.” This is an unfortunate outcome from a holiday based on showing people love and affection. However, as Christians we must remember that we are never alone. God constantly reassures us in his word that we are not alone. God is always by our side, so no matter what hardships come our way, he is still there to strengthen our faith through word and prayer.
Naomi Brandt is a resident assistant from Salt Lake City, Utah. While her major at Wisconsin Lutheran College is in Business Administration, she hopes to go to law school after graduation, and work in either law, politics, or public relations. New Beginnings has been a great opportunity for Naomi to expand her work experience, grow in her faith, and have a home away from home.
The travel industry naturally booms around the holidays. Airports are swamped, traffic is outrageous, and people’s schedules are crazy, all because everyone wants to head HOME. The value of spending Christmas with family and friends, in a warm welcome environment is immeasurable, and the thought of spending the holidays alone is almost unbearable for many. Unfortunately, not everyone can go home for the holidays.
At New Beginnings, a physical home is provided, both for residents and resident assistants. However, New Beginnings is much more than just a physical home, and this has been especially true for the month of December. A lot of what makes home so appealing around the holidays is the Christian loving environment, full of traditions, food, and God’s Word. As a college student, I sometimes miss out on the Christmas spirit, because I am far away from home. This year New Beginnings helped both the residents and Resident Assistants celebrate Christmas through our devotions, tree decorating, and Christmas dinner, and therefore gave me a Home for the Holidays. I am incredibly thankful for my earthly home for the holidays, and grateful for the daily reminders at New Beginnings that I can always look forward to my home in heaven as well.
Naomi Brandt is a resident assistant from Salt Lake City, Utah. While her major at Wisconsin Lutheran College is in Business Administration, she hopes to go to law school after graduation, and work in either law, politics, or public relations. New Beginnings has been a great opportunity for Naomi to expand her work experience, grow in her faith, and have a home away from home.
I think we can all relate to the familiar feeling of end-of-the-year stress. Whether it’s finishing up the school semester, getting important tasks done at work, finishing up shopping for presents, or planning family Christmas dinners and parties, there’s a lot going on this time of the year! Balancing work and personal obligations can be especially hard when there’s so many demands coming from both sides. It’s easy in times like this to become too productive and overwork ourselves, causing exhaustion and stress that affects our health, relationships, and even our spiritual lives.
Jesus told his followers in John 9:4 to work while it is day, which reminds us to not waste the time we’re given here on Earth. However, we can’t forget how big of an advocate God is for rest! Even God, as powerful and almighty as he is, set aside the seventh day after creation to be a day of rest after seeing all the work he had done (Genesis 2:1-3). That’s how we got the Sabbath. And while designing and creating everything in existence may seem like a much bigger task than what is on our plates, he still wants the same thing for us. Setting aside time to peacefully rest and temporarily let go of commitments allows us to complete them and serve him even better afterwards.
Jesus is our Sabbath, and in him we can find the peace and rest we need to feel rejuvenated after daily struggles take their toll on us. Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Remember during the Christmas season that God has blessed us with this time to be with our loved ones and to meditate on his love for us. It’s easy to worry about what still needs to be done or what’s coming up in the New Year, but rely on him to bring you through it and give you the rest that you’ve earned!
A Former Resident Supervisor
What comes to mind when I say "Christmas Traditions"? Do the thoughts of tree decorating, baking Christmas cookies, gift wrapping and attending Christmas service come to mind? How about getting together with family and friends? In my family, we have a tradition of hiding a small, toy bird in the tree every year for the children to look for. Not all families celebrate Christmas with the same traditions and that is okay. We all come from different families with different backgrounds and different traditions. At New Beginnings we strive to expose our residents to traditions such as decorating the Christmas tree or making Christmas cookies. Many of the moms at New Beginnings have never participated in these Christmas time traditions.
Now, imagine if some of those well-loved traditions to you participate in where not there. Could you go without putting up a tree? How about going without the gifts for this year? "It just wouldn't be Christmas without Uncle Jack around." Has that thought ever crossed your mind about a loved one who has passed? Do you really believe Christmas has changed because things seem different? How about if you lost your job or fell on hard times? Is it still Christmas?
The answer is simply "Yes". It is still Christmas. Just because something has changed, doesn't mean the true meaning of Christmas has changed. The fact is that Jesus was still born part God yet part man. He still lived the perfect life and suffered our terrible punishment for us. We celebrate Christmas to celebrate his birth and the fulfillment of the prophecy.
Where is the best place to celebrate such a joyous event? Around a tree? Opening gifts? The best place to celebrate His birth would be in His house. If you have not made going to church on Christmas your tradition, I urge you to do so for that is where we can truly celebrate. For those of us who do make this our tradition, how blessed we are that no matter how much things change for us here on earth, we know that Christ was born, Christ has risen, and Christ will rise again in Glory one day to take us all home.
May God bless you this Christmas.
May God bless you this Christmas.
Christina Pritzlaff is married with two children. She has completed Early Childhood 1 & 2 classes, Infant Toddler classes, and completed the coursework for her Associates degree in Child Development. Christina splits her time between spending time with her family and working at New Beginnings. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her children, camping, fishing, reading, and doing counted cross-stitch.
Yeah, I know the title got your attention! So let’s just jump right into it, shall we?
At New Beginnings we recently had a Thanksgiving Dinner in place of our regular Thursday night group session. Everyone brought a dish to pass and we had an amazing meal of turkey, cheesy potatoes, salad (made by staff), corn bread dressing (Shaneka), homemade mac n’ cheese (Dana), green bean casserole (Resident Assistants), apple pie (Volunteer, Lisa), and more! What a blessing.
After the meal, we had a short devotion and then wrote down some of the blessings in our lives. I was surprised by the range of answers: friends, family, sharing this meal together, police officers, education, toys (yes, kids were present, but I am thankful for toys too!), and Jesus, were just some of the answers. One of the blessings that surprised me most was “haters,” and I can honestly tell you it was written down by more than one person. Now before I go any further, let’s see how Urban Dictionary defines a “hater:”
At New Beginnings we recently had a Thanksgiving Dinner in place of our regular Thursday night group session. Everyone brought a dish to pass and we had an amazing meal of turkey, cheesy potatoes, salad (made by staff), corn bread dressing (Shaneka), homemade mac n’ cheese (Dana), green bean casserole (Resident Assistants), apple pie (Volunteer, Lisa), and more! What a blessing.
After the meal, we had a short devotion and then wrote down some of the blessings in our lives. I was surprised by the range of answers: friends, family, sharing this meal together, police officers, education, toys (yes, kids were present, but I am thankful for toys too!), and Jesus, were just some of the answers. One of the blessings that surprised me most was “haters,” and I can honestly tell you it was written down by more than one person. Now before I go any further, let’s see how Urban Dictionary defines a “hater:”
hater
A person that simply cannot be happy for another person's success. So rather than be happy they make a point of exposing a flaw in that person.
Hating, the result of being a hater, is not exactly jealousy. The hater doesn't really want to be the person he or she hates, rather the hater wants to knock someone else down a notch.
I can honestly say that I would never think to write down this blessing, but I am happy that someone did! I believe that all of us have experienced a “hater” or two in our lifetime; you know, that person who isn’t happy for you when you finish your degree, fall in love, or start bettering yourself? Yep.
It is unfortunate that our residents also experience this; coming into the New Beginnings’ program can be a major life change. Often times, our residents have at least one “friend,” or even family member, that does not support their decision to make a change in their lives. Despite the lack of support, we can all have the motivation to move forward knowing that we have a support system at New Beginnings AND, more importantly, that God supports us!
It is unfortunate that our residents also experience this; coming into the New Beginnings’ program can be a major life change. Often times, our residents have at least one “friend,” or even family member, that does not support their decision to make a change in their lives. Despite the lack of support, we can all have the motivation to move forward knowing that we have a support system at New Beginnings AND, more importantly, that God supports us!
In fact, God is not a stranger to haters ; he says in Psalm 69: 4-5 “Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal. You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you.” God also knows that people who criticize those who are on the right track do so because sin loves company. He says,
“ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:29-32).
Ultimately, we can be thankful for our “haters” because they remind us that we are on the right track. In fact, our hope is that those who criticize us for doing well will soon follow in our footsteps! God never said our path would be easy, but he did say…say it along with me, I know you know this one…
“ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).
On this Thanksgiving, New Beginnings prays that you can find a blessing in everything. Wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving, from our family to yours!
 | Brianne Kluge is the Home Manager at New Beginnings. She grew up in Marshall, WI and graduated from Lakeside Lutheran High School. Brianne has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. In her free time, she enjoys singing, camping, refurbishing furniture and spending time with her fiancé, Daniel. |
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