housekeeping

So .. .you know how when you are in a meeting . .. .the facilitator says to you .. .
we have a few housekeeping things to take care of. .
it will likely mean that it will involve a bit of doing and it could involve you.

I have two opportunities for you.
Next week I will be hosting a grad dress day.
I thought to myself. . .wouldn't it be fun to see all your high school grad dresses and perhaps. .
you could put it on and model if for us . . .either a year or two later.. .
or like me. . (doing the math here. . . 31 years later)
I pulled mine out of the cedar chest. . gave it a bit of a hand wash. .
and am waiting for the rain to stop so I can have my picture taken outside. ..
(natural lighting always helps. . .)
We'll do the event for a few days next week.
You post your grad dress .. . .then and now if you like.
Give us the details of the dress. . who made it . . . yada yada yada. .
Throw in a few other morsels of delightful info. . .and then let me know by way of comment and I'll link you at the bottom of the post. . .
Let's see. . .today is Friday. . .
I'll announce it once more tomorrow. .
and the event will be Monday and Tuesday.

Now for the second piece of housekeeping .. .
"calling all Mennonite women who love to cook"
I would like to start the blog version of the Mennonite cookbook.
I have posted most of my favorite Mennonite recipes but there are so many wonderful recipes .. .not necessarily mennonite that I know you would love to share.
This is an opportunity for women such as Kathy, Anneliese, Charlotte, Betty and others that do not have their own blog .. .but have much to share in the way of recipes.
This is how it will work. . . I will start a blog. . and I will invite members to participate.
Once you are invited you may have access to the blog and be one of the authors. You will post your recipes and entries that are related to food. 
So. . . even if you have a blog already .. .you are welcome to join.
Think of it as a big church cookbook.
I will be the administrator and will have editorial license. . and so if you are interested in joining the
Mennonite Blog cookbook. . . .please email me. . .(Mennonite roots are helpful but not mandatory)
(email address is on my link)

Sound fun? I'd love to have your input and ideas on this today.
Well, . .off you go. . . I think you have things to do .. .
Have a wonderful day my friends.

Comments

  1. lovella what a great idea, this online mennonite cookbook!!
    that just means i have to get to be more computer savvy and my brain has to learn more, but i am up for the challenge!
    grad dress.......um wearing it today, saddly not going to happen, 1. i don't have it anymore..2....ahem...it sadly doesn't fit anymore either...i could possibly find a picture of the before.....do i have the guts is the question..........=^D

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  2. do it charlotte. ..just do it. (on both counts.. . .I'm really willing to teach you how to blog. . and about the picture. .send it over girl.

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  3. Grad dresses? I might just be able to dig up a photo from the archives...but my grad dress was passed along a few sizes ago (if you know what I mean!). No...I guess you don't know what I mean, if you are planning to model your grad dress.

    An on-line Mennonite cookbook sounds great! I can submit a few recipes that I have already blogged...and then add others as I 'get cooking'.

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  4. I know I have my orange and yellow flowered grad dress tucked away in an unused closet. Sometimes I wonder why I'm keeping some of these old gowns etc. Then I think that just maybe someday my granddaughters might want to do a fashion show or something and I just close the doors again. I'm with you, the rain will have to stop to take that photo out there.
    Hmn...If only I also had a wig with long dark hair parted down the middle, the whole outfit would "match" better. I'm also thinking I can send you the picture with my head cut off.
    As to the recipes ... sounds like fun. I'm always for checking out new ones and sharing. Where do you get all these ideas from? =)

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  5. Oh fun! I will post a photo of my grad dress but will not be able to get into it now due to pregnancy! I have a VERY legit reason :)
    As for the Mennonite cookbook, I'd love to join in on that as well.

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  6. Ohh... I'll pass on the grad dress with all of the above excuses (except the pregnacy one ! smile)

    but I love your Mennonite online cookbook idea, count me in!!

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  7. Well our house fire 10 years ago damaged my grad dress, but I have my girls dresses in the spare room closet. For fun I will run right up there and try them on...you should be here just to laugh. IF they fit ( I'm not talking do up) I just may post those, as they are the closest thing to a grad dress that I have.
    And yes, I will join your cookbook blog. Never enough recipes to enjoy. what a great idea. I may need your assistance, but that is part of the fun. Kathy

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  8. I think the Mennonite cook book idea could even turn into a real book, with paper pages and glossy photos! You never know...perhaps you are starting a new career...

    I am looking forward to the grad dresses project. I'm just sorry I don't have one to share, as I did not go to the prom, and even if I did, it certainly would not fit me now (but I'm working on that!). Nevertheless, this is a wonderful idea, Lovella, and it will be a trip down fashion memory lane!

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  9. Grad dress/prom dress: Two different things, at least in my time and place. Am I right in thinking that the Mennonite girls didn't dance, so graduation dress was for a banquet, and not just for wearing under your graduation robe? (I have no idea what dress I wore under my grad robe...at any of my graduations come to think of it.)

    LOVE your idea of a Mennonite cooking blog. Have you done a search of all blogs to flag other Mennos who are posting such things? The more the merrier. This could be world wide Menno hit!

    For the technologically challenged who want to post a picture of a grad dress but only have an old photograph: It is pretty easy to take a digital picture of a photograph (don't use flash, and use a tripod if you can) and just use the picture of the picture for posting. It will be a tiny bit blurry, but what the heck.

    My family slide pictures were recently given to me on a DVD. Since I couldn't capture the pictures off the DVD into my computer, I just took pictures of the pictures up on the computer screen as the DVD played. Where there is a will, there is always a way...

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  10. Oh so much fun! Can a novice contribute to a cookbook? Can we share memories and/or photos around the recipes? Great idea!

    grad dress? are you kidding?

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  11. The closest thing I might have to a grad dress (40 years later) is my prom dress. My other photos are all in Seattle. Fun idea Lovella. Have a great day...

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  12. Hmm, I don't have my grad dress anymore, perhaps I can scan my senior photo if I can find it.

    I love the idea of an online cookbook! Count me in. I need to know how to set up gmail.

    Blessings

    Linda

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  13. Great ideas popping up all over!
    Grad dress?? Never had one!
    About the online Mennonite cookbook..what a super idea! I'm willing to contribute to that!

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  14. I have been reading your blog for weeks now and am just leaving my first comment. I love to read about your life (it sounds perfect to me) and look at all of the beautiful photos you take.
    My Dad was born in Ontario so I spent a few weeks every summer visiting one of his cousins. It brings back good memories when I see food boxes in your kitchen with French and English on them. That fascinated me as a kid :-)

    I have never visited the other provinces in Canada, but I think British Columbia looks breathtakingly beautiful. I hope to get there some day.

    I love the idea of your Mennonite recipe blog. I would be an eager reader.

    Tomorrow I am going to try your brownies to celebrate my son's return from a 2 week trip to San Diego.

    Have a wonderful weekend.
    Kim

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  15. Well....being brought up as an English girl meant that we didnt 'do' graduation in the same way as you. We simply left school!
    so I cant show you anything from those days, but would love to join in the cookbook idea.

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  16. Sounds like great fun! I know you Mennonite gals know how to cook!!

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  17. Vee, I like that as a title. . mennonite girls can cook. .
    I will have to add a description on the bottom that others can cook too since I think this might end up being a multi ethnic cookbook. . .of sorts.. . how fun.

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  18. Hello Lovella!
    Since "happy@home" posted for the first time today, I decided, to come out, too!
    My lurking days are officially over! :-)

    I have been enjoying your blog for a number of weeks now, actually, since your friend Monica suggested I read her story on your blog.
    Every morning I look forward to seeing what's new on your site and particularly love your photos.
    You are quite the photographer!
    I love the Mennonite Cookbook idea and am looking forward to seeing what all might show up there!
    The Grad Dress thing is not going to happen over here. Don't have it anymore and am not even sure if there is a picture, anywhere!
    However, I will double check on that!
    Have a wonderful weekend!

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  19. I'll enjoy looking at the grad photos but I'd have to scan in mine and don't have a scanner. However, it was 40 years ago today that the originals were taken!

    I have More With Less Cookbook. Love all those recipes!

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  20. What great ideas! I'd love to join the Mennonite online recipe box. I've tried several of your recipes and they are great, and would love to see what all shows up on the site! I have a few favourites I'd love to share, but will we need to be official bloggers to participate?

    As far as the grad gown goes, it's long history - but there are a few very embarrassing photos around. Again, do we need to be official bloggers to send them to you? Perhaps we "lurkers" should just take the plunge and start blogging!!

    Wonderful photos today!

    Lori

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  21. I have no idea where my grad dress is...it wasn't particularly special since it was under a grad gown. Sorry Lovella...

    (oh i'm so glad i have no idea where that dress is - it wouldn't fit anyway :)

    I'm looking forward to the online Mennonite cookbook - my "More With Less" is getting worn out!

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  22. Well you sure are full of ideas today aren't you. I'm too tired to think about these ideas tonite. To Jill: I am a mennonite girl and I was allowed to dance at my grad. My mom grew up sort of the liberal type of mennonite and she is a very good dancer and she always encouraged us to dance. We girls though, didn't really like to dance so we didn't too often. So mennonite girls can cook and dance. Who'da thunk it!

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  23. Love the idea of the online cookbook!

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  24. Dear Lovella,

    My name is Jennifer and I stumbled across your blog at Easter time when I was searching for a good recipe for Paska. I was born and raised in a Mennonite community in the Niagara Region (Ontario - although my roots are British). I married my best friend and moved to his hometown of Calgary about 4 years ago. Since being in Calgary I have not had any mennonite connections and have had to continue the Mennonite cooking traditions on my own with help from my beloved "aunties" recipes from back home. My love and I left Calgary in the new year for Switzerland where he is working for the year. Your camera would have the time of its life here - I have taken to photography myself since arriving. Much to my horror forgot to bring my Paska recipe with me to Switzerland and soas Easter approached I frantically began searching the internet for a recipe - I just can't imagine Easter without it even though I don't eat it myself due to diet restrictions. And that's how I found you... living here in the Swiss Alps where my love and I are enjoying a quicker "honeymoon" year with more time to devote to cultivating our relationships with the Lord and with one another. I pop in and check out your blog on occasion - delight in the recipes and in your search for our Father's heart. I would love to be privy to your "mennonite cookbook". Although I probably will not have very much to contribute, I would love to glean from your community's tried and true recipes as I desire to pass on that part of my upbringing to my new family as well. My gmail address, which I don't use often but will check in from time to time, is jenfrentz@gmail.com. Wishing you a beautiful, restful day in the arms of our Saviour... Jennifer

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  25. I'm so thrilled you carried through with the blog. It is just beautiful, in content, photos and thought.

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