It looks as if weather is my main interest topic judging by the last few post titles but REALLY we have been having a bit of a ghastly time around here this past week. Overnight on Monday we had snow, freezing rain and then rain so Tuesday was full of huge puddles under which were sheets of ice. Shovelling was practically impossible and I even cracked my favourite trusty shovel due to the weight of the snow/ice mixture. UGH!!! Fortunately we have not lost power and although it is now -16C (so everything is frozen solid) it is bright and sunny and reasonably warm inside!! Of course this is not a huge consolation when one has to take 3 or 4 walks each day with a large strong and fearless dog who pulls in every direction and who has the advantage of having 4 paws instead of 2 feet!
Enough of the weather-
The world of Day Camps continues to “heat up” as even more communities contact us to ask if we can send them a Team. AGH!! Our committee is really going to need to consider the possibility of having 7 Teams in 2017, instead of the usual 6. We meet on February 20th and will certainly need to discuss and pray about this decision.On the flip side, there has also been news of a few potential Travelling Team members; no application forms yet (no surprise there 😊) but at least some signs of interest!
This week Arnee has been sending several emails a day with updates for Manual Chapters she is formatting so I’ve been doing a lot of proof reading and sending feedback on tons of small points. Yesterday I inserted our 2017 Logo onto a new Cover Page and spruced up the layout with a new font and all the 2017 info. We also had our promo bookmarks printed and they look super! I’ll have some helpers hand them out at Crossroads on the 19th. I’m looking forward especially to the Gathering this month since the speaker will be Sherri Everitt. Sherri and her family now live in Toronto but a number of years ago she and her husband, Rob were Senior Youth Camp Directors however we go back WAY further than that, as her family were long-time members of St. Matthew’s. Sherri and I started the Liturgical Dance Group there over 20 years ago and I think I’ve known her for at least 30 years .WOW!! Last summer she came back to SYC as a staff member, bringing along her teenage son and for this Crossroads he and the church band he plays in are all coming down for the weekend on a road trip. It should be a very special evening!!
Apart from the daily round of shovelling, I have also continued to knit furiously on the Icelandic Socks. The first one is now completed, except for blocking and I’m making some progress on the second. If it is not finished in the next few days I’ll have to lay it aside to complete a friend’s birthday gift (more socks!!!) because her birthday is in early March. Although it totally does not look at all like spring outside I’ve also been hunting through my fabric stash and choosing some pieces that will hopefully turn into spring clothes, decorations and Easter gifts.
Before starting on any of those I shall be getting ready to sew Jessica’s wedding outfit. Thursday evening she came to deliver the fabric, which she has bought on line. We shared a quick bowl of soup together before she dashed back to her studies so now I’m guarding the precious material in a drawer in my studio and will soon begin making the pattern. We have agreed that she will come a bit early on the day of our next committee meeting so some measurements can be taken, then the important job will begin. Having made several wedding outfits in the past, I’m not too daunted, just a few butterflies in my tummy 😊.
Before starting on any of those I shall be getting ready to sew Jessica’s wedding outfit. Thursday evening she came to deliver the fabric, which she has bought on line. We shared a quick bowl of soup together before she dashed back to her studies so now I’m guarding the precious material in a drawer in my studio and will soon begin making the pattern. We have agreed that she will come a bit early on the day of our next committee meeting so some measurements can be taken, then the important job will begin. Having made several wedding outfits in the past, I’m not too daunted, just a few butterflies in my tummy 😊.
Well it is snowing, yet again, so it’s time to be heading out with my wonky shovel but before I go we need a recipe! I have recently discovered that a number of Day Camp Alumnae, living away from home, are checking in on the blog for recipe inspiration. They are all on limited budgets (me too!!) but I’m hoping that they will be ambitious enough to try …
Country Oatmeal Bread
- ½ cups oatmeal
- 2 cups boiling water
- 4 Tbsps. butter or margarine
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsps. yeast
- ½ cup apple juice
- 2 cups whole-wheat flour
- 2 ½ -3 cups unbleached flour
Topping
1 egg, beaten with 2 Tbsps. milk
4 Tbsps. oatmeal
Place the oatmeal in a large mixing bowl and stir in the boiling water, butter, honey and salt. Let cool to lukewarm. Meanwhile dissolve the yeast in the warm apple juice. Stir the proofed yeast into the oat mixture; add the whole-wheat flour then as much unbleached flour as necessary to form a soft, but not sticky dough. Knead until smooth then place in a greased bowl, cover with a towel and allow to rise until double. Grease 2 9×5 loaf pans. Divide the dough in half and shape into loaves, place in the pans and let rise again. Brush each loaf with the beaten egg mixture and sprinkle with oats. Bake in a preheated 350º oven for 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on racks then turn out of the pans and cool completely. Freezes well.