As we near the end of January, the sap my not yet be rising in the Sugar Maples, but the sap of Day Camps excitement is already beginning to bubble up around here!
This past Monday evening we held our monthly committee meeting and were treated to a preview of the new 2015 promotional materials being designed by two of our members. A two-sided coloured bookmark (one side has info for churches, the other for prospective Team) plus a 4 minute promo movie based around the 4 “Cs” of Day Camps-Community, Content, Creativity and Challenge.
The movie is now in my hands (figuratively, it has actually “arrived” in this computer!)and the bookmark is nearing completion. Woot woot! We spent time at the meeting having a short preliminary discussion around some of the Retreat Week plans and goals for making the 2015 Retreat the best ever! We also set a date for Spring Crafts Day/Liturgical Dance Recording Day so now a decision REALLY needs to be made about the choice of a dance piece to choreograph. A few good suggestions have been made but the “wow” moment still eludes me! Sigh.
The balance of weekday mornings included a flurry of office work to contact people involved (or potentially involved!!) in all this planning and in sending out badgering emails to others who have not met various deadlines, like those writing Manual Chapters (AGH!!)A few responses have already come back mostly positive so we keep praying we are on the right road. There was also general office stuff to handle, such as tidying up the Board Meeting Minutes, and Wednesday was our monthly Guest Blogger Post, written by Carmen do take time to read it.
Afternoons have included quite a bit of sewing: – a chair cover for the secretary at Isaiah 40, the completion of one of the wedding veils (the really simple one!), some gift bags, remodelling an old dress etc. This afternoon I’m going to make another Japanese Monk’s Bag, one of my favourite patterns, found here.Next week one of the Team Leaders is going to stay over a few nights as she has a stage at a nearby nursing home. The poor dear lives way outside the city and would need to leave her home at 430am to come by commuter train, so I said “yes” when she asked. The whole low water pressure/no washing machine thing may make things a bit tricksy, but I’m sure we will manage!
Wednesday Jill came for a visit, we had not seen each other since before Christmas and since she is a “sort of” committee member at present she caught up on the world of Day Camps and I caught up on her world of Youth Leadership and then we both caught up on our mutual interests of sewing, quilting and knitting!!
Then, on Thursday Jessica came for lunch and to give me a final opportunity to proof the Day Camp Movie. We had a good visit and discussed her academic plans while I finished up some sewing. At lunch I proudly displayed my new AMAZING butter dish, a Christmas gift from Barb, whose son and daughter-in-law have recently started an Etsy Shop of lovely pottery items. I’m sure I have the only butter dish in the whole world, commissioned to include a ceramic portrait of Wil!!! I just love it.
Last evening Steven Craig came for dinner and we had a similar catch up time (without the knitting and sewing, although I did convince him to put in some work on the Winter jigsaw puzzle!) but I always enjoy hearing about his ICVF Ministry and whether he enjoys it or not, I tell him about Day Camps (I think he really does enjoy it!)
We definitely both enjoyed dinner: – Spiced Mussels and Belgian Frites followed by Apple Pandowdy. Our family has always followed Friday Fish Night so I tentatively asked if he liked mussels (they are sort of a love or hate thing with most people) fortunately he does like them so we both appreciated our little feast.
The Apple Pandowdy is a yummy Winter dessert so I thought I would finish off by sharing that recipe: –
- 2 ½ lbs. apples, peeled, cored and thinly
sliced - ¾ cup Maple Syrup
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- Pastry for a single piecrust
Place the apples, syrup and cranberries in a deep oval baking dish. Toss to combine and top with the butter, cut into small bits. Roll out the pastry into an oval and arrange atop the apples, crimping the edges. With a sharp knife, cut several 1-inch squares in the pastry leaving them in place. Bake for 30mins. in a preheated 350° oven, then raise the temperature to 400° and bake for another 30mins or until golden brown and bubbling. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Serves 4-6
Very amazing butter dish!
I am sure I taught Steven to knit at some point in his distant past – maybe you should see if he is interested in reviving the skill next visit!
Nancy
Excellent, I shall provide him with wool and needles. I know several men who are very gifted knitters! How is his handsewing?