Here we are whizzing through January, which is just as well given that the weather continues to be appalling!
Last Saturday we had a monster snowstorm but after a long morning of heavy duty shovelling Alexander called and insisted on driving me to Jillian’s wedding so I quickly changed out of sweaty work clothes into a suitable dress and joined the expedition as we drove very slowly through the snow-filled streets. After the ceremony, the Huyers brought me home and Timothy helped with more shovelling while Victoria set up beds for the boys. Then he and Victoria left for the reception while I took charge of my 3 little Godsons. We enjoyed Chicken Noodle Soup, had story time and everyone (me too!) was in bed by 830pm 😊 a very long, full day!!
Sunday we shared in house church (now officially called “The Pod”) and in the afternoon headed to St. Peter’s for the Praise & Thanksgiving Gathering. It was quite wild driving through the snow-clogged streets trying to balance 2 giant slow cookers full of hot lemonade, oh my! But it was a real blessing that close to 40 people of all ages turned out for the Gathering and everyone really appreciated the hot lemonade and caramel popcorn, which I had prepared.
Monday evening we held our monthly Day Camp Committee meeting and covered plenty of territory, especially spending time discussing some new components of the Program and how we would incorporate them into the Manual.
On Tuesday I had a great meeting with Arnee our AMAZING Manual typist and formatting expert. She is about to leave for a month in Ireland but will be working from there and so we needed to talk about the changes while she was still on the same side of the Atlantic😊.
All the committee discussions led to a week of good stuff as I spent time reaching out to possible host locations both “regulars” and “newbies”. The many emails flying back and forth have brought both exciting possibilities and a few disappointments so I can already see that God has a TON of work for us to do this summer as we share the good news about Jesus with communities across Canada.
We also heard, this week about 2 Team Member candidates from the York Region of the Diocese of Toronto. Lauren was on Team last summer, and would like to return and she has encouraged her friend, Alexandra, to also apply. There are several others from last year whom we hope will sign up but, as usual, the biggest struggle will be finding enough young adults of leadership age and capabilities. Being a Team Leader is a huge job so those candidates are key to forming strong Teams.
As of Thursday Victoria has been back staying, along with a friend. They are attending a conference hosted by The Isaiah 40 Foundation and being held at a church out in the suburbs. The conference ends late this afternoon and Luiza will go home to Ottawa but Victoria is staying on since tomorrow afternoon is the monthly CTM Board meeting. Timothy and the 3 boys will be driving down too so today I’ve been preparing a one-pot supper that can be served right after the meeting tomorrow before the Huyers make the long drive back to Ottawa. The little boys are not very adventurous eaters so I decided to fall back on a tasty childhood favourite- Sloppy Joes. During the week I baked hamburger buns on which to serve the filling and for dessert we will have tangerines and biscotti. Soon I will need to turn my attention to setting the table for tonight’s dinner with Victoria and Luiza. We are having Leek and Potato soup with Cheese Scones and for dessert sliced kiwis and porcupines. But before heading for the kitchen I thought it would be nice to share the Sloppy Joe recipe. It is quick to put together and (usually 😊) a hit even with picky eaters!!
Sloppy Joes
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 Tbsps. vegetable oil
- 2 lbs. lean ground beef
- ¼ tsp. cayenne
- ½ tsp. each chilli powder and paprika
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 2 tsps. Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp. hot sauce
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
Heat the oil and sauté the onion and green pepper with the chilli powder, cayenne, paprika & salt and pepper, over low heat for 15 minutes or until soft. Remove the vegetables to a bowl and in the same pot brown the beef over medium heat, breaking up the clumps. Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer gently for 45minutes. Serve over split buns or slices of country bread. Serves 6-8. Freezes well 😊.