Hello Blog Friends!
Here we are whizzing through August, having just passed the midway point! Elementary and High School students here in Québec only have a couple more precious weeks left of their summer holidays and CEGEP (Junior College) students return to classes this coming week. Whew!! where did the summer go?
But there is still time for one more Day Camp and it will be happening at First Filipino Baptist Church, starting on Monday J. At last count I heard they have 64 campers registered so it looks as if they wlil be bursting at the seams, it is hoped they have plenty of helpers, but at least we know that the church is VERY experienced so I’m confident plans are well in hand. My dear friend Jillian had hoped to be helping this year as her little one is now 1 year old but, as Jillian is returning to teaching this autumn, next week she will need to be at the school where she works as the staff always return from vacation a week before the children.
This week I have been doing a lot of follow-up from our August 7th DC committee meeting and have sent out requests to several people who we very much hope will agree to edit/rewrite sections of the 2025 program manual. First drafts have also been written for both our 2025 funding campaign and the alumni Advent Study Program. The latter two documents have been sent to one of the committee for suggestions of improvements and/or changes 😊.
Yesterday, Junior Youth Camp ended, for the campers, although the staff stay until today to clean the site, thus saving CTM a considerable cleaning fee. Early in the coming week, I am expecting a flood of messages, as a number of the staff will need reimbursing for various expenses incurred at Camp 😊.
Meanwhile I shall soon start work on my own manual chapter “the Creative Connection” and hope to get that done and off my “to-do” list, before theend of the month.
Outside work hours, there is always gardening. The weather has been pretty good after last weekend’s nasty storm. Every evening there have been dire warnings of “severe thunderstorms” but, so far, nothing has materialised 😊.
I have continued to make my weekly 30-stem Challenge arrangements and early Thursday mowed the lawns.
Last Sunday I finished varnishing the 11 pairs of “veggie” earrings, destined as birthday and Christmas presents and during the week have been attempting to make gift boxes for them, using old calendar pages. They were a little tricky to reproduce from an old sample box, but I’m quite pleased with the results. Evenings I completed the 3rd pair of fingerless gloves (also for the Christmas stash) and have now cast on a 4th pair, yay 😊!!!
This weekend there will be lunchtime guests both today and tomorrow. Mae Anne is joining me today and Janice, with baby Melinda is coming tomorrow, after church, for brunch.
For Mae Anne I have made and Italian Sausage salad, which will be served with freshly baked focaccia and followed by melon wedges, anise biscotti and iced espresso. When Janice comes on Sunday I’m planning to do Shakshuka with Arab bread, followed by prune and almond phyllo rolls and iced mint tea.
As Mae Anne will be here in 30 minutes I had better type in the salad recipe, but will wait until later this afternoon to hit the “Publish” button so that I can add a photo of it 😊.
Italian Sausage Salad
- 2 Italian Sausages, precooked and sliced
- 1 Romaine lettuce, washed and torn into pieces
- ½ red onion, finely sliced
- 1 cup cubed mozzarella
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 8 black olives, sliced
- ¼ cup each balsamic vinegar and olive oil
- 2 Tbsps. fresh basil, chopped
- ¼ cup finely grated fresh Parmesan
- salt and pepper to taste
Place the lettuce in a large salad bowl. Arrange the sausage, mozzarella, tomato, onion and olives on top of the lettuce. Whisk together the vinegar, oil, Parmesan, basil and salt& pepper. Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad. Serves 2