Hello Blog Friends!
My goodness, September seems to be flying by, how can we already be past the middle of the month? As usual, there is quite a lot to report on the past week, so let’s get started-
Monday morning, I made an early start and prepared slides for the upcoming Alumni, Harvest Team Gathering. Next, I broke off to join a Zoom meeting for a Diocesan Committee, of which I am a member. That was a super long meeting so I grabbed a quick lunch and then returned to the work of CTM. The slide link was shared with the TG Speaker and Worship Team and much of the afternoon was spent badgering people to participate in upcoming activities.
Tuesday, after doing early chores and taking a walk, I logged onto my laptop only to find that there was no WiFi connection. AGH!!!! Having had issues, just a few weeks ago, with the modem. I knew how to do a reset, so tried that. Sadly, still no connection. Next, a call was made to a friend who has experience as an IT intern and he made a couple of suggestions, still nothing, so I finally “bit the bullet” and called the phone Provider-BELL. After waiting a loooong time, I spoke to a very nice human being who said they would send a new modem the following day. As I , then, had a late afternoon ,in-person meeting at the Synod Office, I packed up and Ubered downtown. It was another, exceptionally long meeting, but I made it home shortly after 8pm, with a bit of time to wind down before heading to bed. A small bright spot, that evening, was news that the last slot had been filled, so we now have all three Cook-along Chefs, woot, woot!
Wednesday morning, my workstation was set up in the dining room so as to keep a sharp eye on the door, in the hopes of the courier’s arrival. That morning it was necessary, if any work was going to get done, to set up a personal hotspot off my mobile. Even though it was worrying to think of how much data was being used, the long list of unanswered emails really needed to be tackled. By working through lunchtime, the list was finally checked off, however, there was no sign of the courier. Sigh. So, once again, it was time to call BELL. When an agent was, at last, reached, she reported that text would be sent when the parcel was nearby. It was now after 4pm, but around 430pm, the parcel was delivered. Sadly, the saga did not end there, as it proved the Fiber connection cable on the old modem could not be pulled out of its socket. In the end, my IT friend agreed to drop by,Thursday, on his way home from work. The poor Deacon fought his way through traffic ,arriving at 7pm and was persuaded to join me in some dinner, before he, finally, managed to put all the correct pieces together and the WiFi was finally restored, praise the Lord!!!!
Yesterday, after a super early start, the lawns were mown by 830am and “regular programming” resumed by 9! Among the many unanswered messages was an invitation from the diocesan Coordinator of Youth and Children’s Ministry to speak at the monthly, online gathering she hosts, for those leading these ministries at the parish level. Public speaking has never been my forté, but since it is an opportunity to talk about Day Camps, and since the talk is to be only 15 minutes long, I reluctantly accepted the invitation. More on this event, in a future post! Last evening I met with Miriam, one of the Worship Leaders for the October 2nd Team Gathering. We enjoyed High Tea together, while discussing music choices for that event and it was wonderful to hear that she is very willing to do all the slides for the 2027 Day Camp Program. She does an excellent job, even desiging the theme on each slide , this news is a big relief, as we plan for next year!
So here we are at the end of a totally frustrating week( albiet with some bright spots!!). It’s Saturday morning, the Bake is in the oven, and it’s time to share a recipe. These Oatmeal, Carrot Cookies have an autumnal vibe and are very “moreish”, so why not make a batch, this weekend.
Oatmeal Carror Cookies
- 1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1tsp sea salt
- 1tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 4Tbsps unsalted butter, softened
- 4oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup raw cane sugar
- ½ cup turbinado sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup finely grated carrot
Glaze
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2Tbsps unsalted butter
- ¼ cup icing sugar
- 3 to 4Tbsps milk
Whisk the flour, oats, cinnamon, salt & soda. In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese, beat in the sugar until fluffy, then the egg and carrot. Stir in the flour until well combined. Using a small ice cream scoop, (2Tbsps) portion out the dough on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake in a preheated, 350°,oven for 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile make the glaze by, beating together the butter, cream cheese and icing sugar. Add the milk slowly to obtain a thick pouring consistency. Cool the cookies, completely, before drizzling with the glaze. Makes about 2dozen cookies. They freeze well, if there are any leftover!