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| Almsgiving Preparations Schedule |
This is my trusty almsgiving preparations schedule that I put together several years ago, which I pull out every time and follow, with minor variations as needed. It lists everything from setting the date to the types of donations I will be making to all the different serving dishes I need to take down from the upper cabinets where they are stored to the order of serving the meal and concluding the ceremony. I will check off each thing on the list as I complete them.
On Wednesday, I asked gardener M to help me take down the plates and dishes reserved for use during the almsgiving. I will wash them all closer to the day. M also took down one of the sets of Christmas dishes and, although I will not be hosting any Christmas gathering on Christmas day, I will set the table with them, next week.
M watered the backyard while he was here and we started to prune the calamondin tree. I want the branches to be reduced in height by about half, so that the new fruit will be more within my reach. I picked whatever fruit there was on the branches that we cut down on Wednesday and I will make a small batch of calamondin marmalade with them.
I took inventory of the top shelf of the freezer in the evening, when I took out some butter to make a batch of cookies. There are quite a few odds and ends in there that must be used up.
I mixed up the cookie dough and daughter formed them into balls and flattened them with the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in sugar. I baked them and reserved one tray of them for the almsgiving and kept the rest for us to enjoy.
I made tuna salad sandwiches for our lunch, on Wednesday (Dancer got some tuna, too, and he was very happy). Dinner was "fridge buffet" - a selection of leftovers: rice, the last bits of chicken curry, garbanzo beans, roasted cauliflower, cucumber salad, etc. We had sugar cookies for dessert.
On Wednesday, I was grateful for
- Another sunny and warm (80F) day
- M's help with the garden and household tasks
- Having my almsgiving schedule to refer to
- Daughter is having minimal side effects from the flu vaccine
- Working appliances
- M's help with the garden and household tasks
- Having my almsgiving schedule to refer to
- Daughter is having minimal side effects from the flu vaccine
- Working appliances
Wednesday's joyful activity was crocheting.
Plans for Thursday include making the calamondin marmalade.
How was your Wednesday? What are your plans for Thursday?
80 degrees! You're about 50 degrees above us right now and it sounds wonderful because I'm cold. But I'm very lucky that we have working heat and plenty of things to layer up with. I may make some more cookies today. What kind of cookies did you make?
ReplyDeleteYes, it's 80F today, too (and then, we are supposed to have a cooling trend, next week). The nights are cool though; in the 40s. Yes, a working heater and warm clothes to layer up with are a blessing, aren't they? I made some sugar cookies. :)
DeleteFreezing cold here! I'm curled under a blanket on the sofa, beside the radiator but I can't get properly warm. It sounds as if you are nicely organised and on track with your preparations. I'm sure you'll get everything done without too much stress. What day are the monks coming? Do you still need to move the furniture around, now that the entertainment centre has gone?
ReplyDeleteElla
I'm sorry it's so cold over there! I checked weather in London and the daytime highs there are like our nighttime lows! Maybe a cup of hot tea will help warm you up?
DeleteI am more or less on track with my almsgiving preparations. The event is scheduled for Saturday, December 28. I will have a few things to move. The almsgiving will take place in the living room and I need to relocate the croton plant and put that plant stand in the corner between the bookcase and the sofa to hold the reliquary when the monks bring it and put the small folding table in front of the stand to keep the offerings of food, the vase of flowers, the incense stand, and the candle (these days, I don't bother to light the oil lamp)
Now I want to make cookies. Actually I want the make themselves and me just having to eat them warm from the oven. It's not too much to ask is it?
ReplyDeleteNo, not asking for too much at all! Maybe buy some refrigerated cookie dough to be baked as and when you want the cookies? Maybe order some cookies from a bakery? Maybe drop some heavy hints to a neighbor? If I lived closer to you, I might have brought you some.
DeleteI had never heard the word calamondin till thus afternoon, and here it is in your blog too!
ReplyDeleteSometimes, one hears a new word and then, one sees it everywhere! Although, I have written about my calamondin tree in several of my posts, earlier. :)
DeleteYou are very organized for the almsgiving. I'm sure that makes it go smoothly and less stressful. I finished all grading today, so I am back to being retired! Teaching one class went well, but I do not want to do it again. Today we had a lot of snow. I'll take your 80 degrees!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Celie; I try very hard to be organized for the almsgiving. Even so, there have been years when something cropped up and things became disorganized!
DeleteYay for being done with your grading and back to being retired! LOL. I guess teaching that one class showed you that you were really ready for retirement. :) It was 80F, again, today, too, but, now, we will be cooling down over the next few days. Nothing like snow and below zero temperatures, of course. Hope you stay warm and safe.
I really enjoy hearing about this tradition.
ReplyDeleteLucky Dancer to get some Tuna!
Thank you, Sharon. :)
DeleteOh, Dancer was very happy with his tuna! In fact, I had to open another can just for him! :D
What a good idea to keep a basic schedule for all the preparations for the almsgiving! It must make it easier to plan each time.
ReplyDeleteAt first I thought it was your day's to-do list and I was impressed as mine is always scrawled out in ball point pen!
Thank you, Bushlady. I used to keep a typed up master grocery list and menu, too, but, these days, I just handwrite those. My daily to do lists are either written down in my planner or typed up on the computer. Occasionally, they are written down in a notebook and then, I lose the notebook! :D
DeleteYou are so organized! Good for you. It's quite an effort to put this almsgiving together so your organization I'm sure really helps.
ReplyDeleteI've seen this cloth before (recently) and forgot to comment about it.
Is there a story behind it? It looks very pretty and I like the cutwork in the embroidery.
My mother made sugar cookies this way, dipping the glass in the colored sugar and pressing down the sugar cookie dough balls. They were so good.
Thank you, Debra. I do try to be organized when it comes to the almsgiving because I want it to be a serene occasion once it starts. I do not want to be rushing around during the ceremony, looking for some forgotten item (like a lighter to light the candle, or a new piece of soap for when the monks wash their hands, etc.) The monks have mentioned how organized my almsgivings tend to be. :)
DeleteThat is the table cloth I have been using on the formal dining table since Thanksgiving (until this morning, when I put the Christmas table cloth). I did the embroidery and the drawn-thread hemming. I made a set of matching napkins, too, but they are plain, with only the drawn-thread hemming and no embroidery.
My sugar cookies had just regular white sugar. But, colored sugar would look very festive. :)
What a great idea to keep a list of everything you need to prepare for the almsgiving. It must save you a lot of valuable organisation time. X
ReplyDeleteHaving a checklist is very helpful, Jules, because, sometimes, I tend to forget things! I used to have a similar checklist for Christmas gifts, organized by date when the gifts were to be given (back when I gave gifts to my daughter's teachers before school closed for the holidays and gifts to give to my office people before I took some time off for the holidays, etc.) I'm a lot more relaxed about Christmas gift giving, these days. :)
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