Here we are at the last weekend of September. It is truly getting “Fall-ish” around here although I’m still waiting to see and hear the flocks of geese travelling south, one of my FAVOURITE things!!! This week has been pretty productive as we switch into planning mode for Day Camps 2019. Most of the Program Manual chapters have been allocated and I have contacted nearly all the potential editors, so far with success in their agreeing to take on the tasks. Yay! I have also been reviewing the Planning Guides. The Clergy & Coordinators Guide goes out to host communities when they have submitted their application forms and is designed to help them understand how the program works and also to help in advance preparations at the local level. Every two or three years we do some updating of this document and also the guides for Team Members and Team Leaders. This year I’m thinking we need a bit more of a “slash and burn” approach, since the current guides are really too wordy and could be pared down in order to make them more concise and readable. I might approach a few of our experienced local coordinators and ask them how we can make their guide more helpful and maybe also survey some Team Members and Leaders to get ideas about the content of their Guides. Lots to work on! Ha😊
The Harvest Newsletter is almost ready to go out but we still need the President’s Message and hopefully a copy of the poster for our upcoming Day Camps Coffeehouse, which will be happening on November 3rd. I would like to get a few copies of the poster printed in time for next Saturday’s Team Gathering so that Team Members can distribute them in their churches and schools. Jillian has offered to design the poster but has been extremely busy organising a baby shower for her sister, that is taking place at their church this afternoon. Hopefully once this big event is over she will have time to catch her breath and design the poster 😊
Tuesday afternoon Mikaela came over to have a chat about the Coffeehouse as she volunteered to be the coordinator this time. We drank hot apple cider and ate marmalade muffins and hopefully got things pretty well arranged. I still need to contact AJ to see if he is free to provide “sound” that evening and Jill to see if she will lend her amazing quilts on which everyone sits at our coffeehouses (think hippy-style ambience 😊)
Outside of office hours I have made a bit more progress on Christmas gifts by sewing another 8 fabric “buckets” as containers for the giant gingersnaps I plan to bake for this year’s cookie gifts. I also completed a knitted fish hat as a gift for one of my Godsons, only 3 more to go!!On sunny afternoons I’m still trying to accomplish various tasks on the porch, albeit usually wrapped in a shawl or blanket, because the days for sitting outside are rapidly coming to an end. Mandu still joins me although of course she has a cosy fur coat to keep her warm! She does have an irritating habit of changing her mind every ten minutes and so I need to be constantly shifting craft supplies off my lap to let her in or out as otherwise she sits yowling by the door!
The Huyers were supposed to be visiting this weekend but had to cancel due to a special event at their church however I shall still have a weekend visitor since tomorrow evening Steven is coming to dinner. He has spent the last year touring the world and working in England but is now back in Canada and gradually making his way to Alberta where most of his immediate family lives. I have very much enjoyed his regular texts with photos from his travels but it will also be great to see him again in person 😊
Of course next Saturday at this time I shall be setting out plates and mugs for the Team Gathering. As usual I have no idea how many are coming but Mikaela has volunteered to do badgering so I hope to get an update sometime soon.Well I must to head to the kitchen to begin some prep for tonight’s dinner but first we need a recipe. Since we are still in “Tomato Season” I thought I would share a simple but tasty sauce, which also makes use of fresh basil and mint from the herb garden.
Spaghetti with Tomato Mint Sauce
- 2 lbs. ripe tomatoe
- a small handful each of basil and mint leaves
- 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 Tbsps. olive oil
- 1 lb. kamut or whole-wheat spaghetti
Coarsely chop the tomatoes and set aside in a colander for a few minutes to drain off excess juices.Combine the tomatoes, shredded herbs, garlic and salt in a deep sauté pan and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.Meanwhile cook the pasta, drain and place in a large serving bowl. Off the heat, stir the olive oil into the tomatoes, which should have cooked down into a thick sauce. Pour the sauce over the pasta and garnish with a few more sprigs of mint. Serve immediately. Serves 3-4.