Here we are zooming towards Holy Week. It seems that Ash Wednesday was only a few days ago and now I’m rushing towards Easter trying to complete the second dozen Pysanky and thinking about decorating some special containers to hold them for gift giving.
The week began with Monday evening’s Day Camp Committee meeting, at which we tackled a wide variety of subjects, from the progress of our awesome new Slideshow, to plans for the April Team Gathering and the Spring Coffeehouse. It is always so good to actually be able to consult with others, as so much of the Day Camps work is just myself hunched over a laptop! These monthly meetings and the enthusiasm and dedication of the committee are such a blessing.
Tuesday started out with consultations regarding the possibility of postponing the CTM AGM, scheduled for Sunday March 22nd.This entailed texts, emails, and calls, local and long distance. There were a number of reasons for doing this but first we needed to make sure if the By-laws allowed it-they do! So once the final decision had been made there ensued many emails try and make sure all potential attendees were informed.
With all that behind us it was time to get to the pile of follow-up suggestions and ideas from Monday’s meeting and to respond to a stack of emails from across Canada regarding host churches. There was even one joyous message, Thursday, confirming the return of a Team Member, YAY!
Back and forth in conversations with Arnee, the final edits of the Program Manual are also coming together. So suddenly it seems Day Camps 2015 is really beginning to take shape. At night I try very hard not to lie awake thinking of the gazillion bits and pieces still needed to make that a reality and instead to hark back to our December Committee meeting devotion when Sarah reminded us to embrace and learn from the “process” on the way towards the conclusion. The Lord does teach us so much in “process” and we so easily overlook those important lessons.
Back and forth in conversations with Arnee, the final edits of the Program Manual are also coming together. So suddenly it seems Day Camps 2015 is really beginning to take shape. At night I try very hard not to lie awake thinking of the gazillion bits and pieces still needed to make that a reality and instead to hark back to our December Committee meeting devotion when Sarah reminded us to embrace and learn from the “process” on the way towards the conclusion. The Lord does teach us so much in “process” and we so easily overlook those important lessons.
Next week the work of creating the Team crosses will begin, and this year they will be made of fimo clay after several years of using other media.
Meanwhile Alexander’s Birthday Crown has been packaged up in an Origami box, folded out of magazine pages and on Thursday evening a friend Kindly drove me to Fabricville where we carried out an exhaustive search for rainbow printed fabric from which I will be making 12 little cinch bags for his party. I finally settled on a green print with dogs, each of whom has a rainbow collar or coat! Now I just have to sew 12 bags AGH!!! Fortunately his party will take place in mid-April after the birth of his newest little sibling. His actual birthday is next Thursday and with the postponing of the AGM I was troubled as to how to get his crown to him on time, however I was delighted to discover that my former secretary Guylaine will be in town to celebrate her Mum’s birthday and she and her husband are willing to stop by the house tomorrow afternoon for a cup of tea and will take the parcel back to Ottawa. Whew!
My winter quilt is also slowly coming together. The wool quilt batt was delivered last week and now I am tying it using a black crochet cotton after which there will be the binding to sew on, also by hand. It would be nice to get it completed and stored away so that I can move forward with more seasonal projects!
Today is a bake and blog day and despite the official arrival of spring,it is SNOWING, yet again! Someone is looking at me with sad puppy eyes wanting his morning walk so before typing up this week’s recipe I think we will venture out into the Winter Wonderland. Sigh………
Back from an hour long expedition, I think there is just time to get this published before lunch, after which “Baking” begins- 4 loaves of Rosemary Ciabatta (as tomorrow is my turn to provide lunch at church) Lemon Raisin Chocolate Chip cookies (some of the batter will be packed up and also transported to church where the children and I are going to bake some fresh cookies for the lunch, since tomorrow’s story is about Zaccheus inviting Jesus home to his house and surely he provided fresh cookies!!!)
At the committee meeting everyone seemed to really enjoy the Sloppy Joes and Spinach Salad so it was decided that I should offer the recipe!
Sloppy Joes & Spinach Salad
Filling: –
3 Tbsps. olive oil- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 3 lbs. lean ground beef
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. cayenne
- ½ tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. chilli powder
- 2 tsps. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. hot sauce
- ½ tsp. dried basil
- 1-cup corn kernels
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 ¼ cups ketchup
- 8 large soft rolls
In a large pot set over low heat, sweat the onion, green pepper, and spices in the olive oil for 10minutes. Remove to a bowl and add the beef to the pot, breaking up all the lumps. Cook for 10 minutes or until completely browned. Return the vegetable mixture to the pot with all the other ingredients and simmer for 20minutes, stirring frequently. Serve over split rolls with Spinach Salad.
Salad: –
- 1-pound baby spinach well washed!
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cooked black beans, well drained
- ¼ cup grated sharp cheddar
- 1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
Dressing: –
- 1-cup vegetable oil
- 2 Tbsps. soy sauce
- 2 Tbsps. lemon juice
- ½ tsp. ground pepper
Place spinach in a large shallow servingbowl and top with the other ingredients. Whisk the dressing together in a jug and serve on the side. Serves 8. Filling also freezes well.