Hello Blog Friends!
Oh my goodness, how did we already reach the end of September? This month has certainly whizzed by and the past week is no exception.
The week began with the completion of the Networks newsletter draft, which I sent on to Guylaine for proofing. She plans to look it over this weekend so that we can send it out in advance of the Thanksgiving Holiday, which is NEXT WEEKEND…AGH!!!!!
Of course Thanksgiving Weekend also means- Harvest Thanksgiving Team Gathering so, this week, time has been spent sending out to alumni various types of reminders in the hopes of reaching as many people as possible. I think there are about 15 names on the list but the numbers change on a daily basis.
Wednesday I needed to send out the agenda for our upcoming committee meeting and I also followed up on some of last month’s agenda items that have not yet been resolved. One of our committee members has been doing a fantastic job of creating the donor letter, which needs to go out in advance of the 2024 grant application we hope to submit in early November and we were back and forth all week, tweaking the text, finding the right photos etc.
By mid-week she and I had tested it ready to send but I had to wait for final approval from the CTM Treasurer. Thankfully, he gave his approval and so the letter went off Thursday afternoon. That morning I also sent an initial email to a list of people who I hope might be persuaded to be “presenters” at our fourth annual Carols & Cocoa event that is planned for Saturday December 9th. Although that date is still more than 2 months away we do need to make sure we have enough content promised to provide at least an hour-long program. Everyone will need to make a video of their presentation and then those videos are edited to create a smooth running order, all of which takes hours of time SO we do need to establish the list as soon as possible.
Yesterday I spent quite a while creating the 2024 Day Camps fillable application form for host communities and also updating the information sheet that accompanies the form. These documents will be finalised next week by which time our new logo should be ready 😊. As always, I am super pumped to see what Josiah has created for us, he is a gifted graphic designer and has made amazing logos for our other five programs.
Of course there are always many projects happening outside of office hours. This week I devoted some time each afternoon to working on the sketches for the Psalm book I am illustrating. Monday afternoon Bishop Mary dropped by to pick up some sewing I had done for her and delivered 2 more garments that need alterations.
Wednesday an acquaintance arrived at my door with several more sewing problems for me to sort out so it looks as if the Psalm sketches will need to be temporarily put on the back burner while I work through the growing pile of sewing 😊.
Then on Thursday I broke up my workday to welcome my friend, Barb, for lunch. Barb and I met over thirty years ago when her young family joined St. Matthew’s Church. I babysat for them for several years and two of her children became Day Camp travelling teams members, when they were teens. Josiah (see above 😊) is her son and is now an ordained priest living with his wife and children in Ontario. Yesterday was Barb’s birthday and so a special lunch was in order along with the giving of a small gift I had made for her. We had also agreed that part of her birthday gift would be a Japanese anemone seedling from my garden but as the ground is currently bone dry and, consequently rock hard it was decided to postpone attempting to dig it up until we have had some rain.
And so, today I will soon be hosting another lunch, this time for Mae Anne. Blog readers will know that she is one of my monthly visitors and is also an active member of the Day Camp committee. I am taking advantage of it being a Bake day and we will soon be digging into a Butternut Squash and Sage Galette, which is currently in the oven 😊.
Before closing off there is still time to type in this week’s recipe. As the weather gets cooler I think we may need to gear up for month of “October Soups” and so, even though today is last day of September I thought I would kick off the new month with: –
Bok Choy and Mushroom Pho
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 Tbsp. freshly grated gingerroot
- 8 cups homemade bone broth (chicken, beef or lamb)
- 1 Sriracha stock cube
- ¼ cup Tamari
- 1 head Bok Choy, roughly chopped
- 4oz.mushrooms,sliced
- 3 blocks organic spelt ramen noodles
- Fresh Cilantro and Hot Sauce, for serving
In a cast iron Dutch oven, heat the oil and sauté the shallot, garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Crumble in the stock cube and stir in the Tamari. Simmer for 20 minutes. Increase heat and bring to a gentle boil. Add the bok choy, mushrooms and ramen and cook for approx. 4 minutes, or until the ramen is al dente. Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro and hot sauce. Serves 4 as a main course.