Service Auction!

This description below copied from my emails...

Last Saturday morning at our Relief Society Enrichment meeting we had a “Service Auction”

Organised by a young 30-ish returned missionary

(who served in Hollywood USA! born and brought up in the Eastern Cape)

Jade Mtembu – did you know her?

(She is one of the  glamourous ones, with loads of enthusiasm and creativity.)

I love being in her energetic and really thoroughly good presence.

In the weeks before we volunteered a service or more that we were prepared to do.

There were some ‘things’ too – like a dress, some shoes, some cupcakes etc.

These were all written on the board.

We had a questionnaire to fill in to begin the morning, which gave us points – our “currency”

Then the bidding began!

Great hilarity and excitement all around.

I was interested in the couple of children and babies present looking on wide-eyed!

I had 495 points as my currency.

I was only really interested in “A massage”.

I realised some of the other sisters were really keen to win it.

So, thinking I was blessed to be able to pay for one, I let it go.

Then I noticed – the young adult sister sitting next to me really wanted the pair of shoes size 6.

I decided if she ran out of points I would bid and get them and give the shoes to her.

Then I realised some of the sisters were really keen on for eg. Apple cake, a meal for a family etc

I started keeping a record of those and thought “I can do that for her, although she might be outbid here.”

So… as I can, I will do some of those little things for some of my Sisters who were sad to be outbid.

Interesting morning for me as a keen observer of people.

We will be doing another “Service Auction” later in the year.

It was ENORMOUSLY popular!

And great fun too!

I finished off with a slice of the most delicious cake – vanilla sponge with a middle filling of

caramel and fresh strawberries and bananas and a topping of fresh whipped cream.  Very tasty!

A good couple of hours interacting with my hilarious and energetic Sisters here.

I offered “Tea for Two” which was won by a sister whose company I will thoroughly enjoy.

You can perhaps see the items for auction listed on the board.

The lady leaning forward on the left is Neo Madela.

She and I will be going for Tea for Two.

We will enjoy ourselves!

The room filled up to overflowing with later arrivals.
A wonderful idea - thank you Jade!

Cinnamon Rolls

Kayla Westpfahl made these for us when they came for supper

last week.

They were delicious!

I asked for the recipe.

I made them for last weekend.

Mixing them with my Kenwood Chef mixer and the dough hook

caused the mixer to strain and the machine to go poof!

And smoke poured out of the back and front of it.

Glenn took it apart and after he and Douglas trying to get parts for it

declared it past repair - they do not make spare parts for my 23 year old mixer any more.

...A pause to respect my mixer that has served me so well...

And... I was so thrilled to see my dough rising so beautifully!

Baking in the oven.

This is Paula Deen's recipe.
When it came out of the oven I put an icing glaze on it while it was still warm.

I can heartily recommend these delicious cinnamon rolls!

You will find it on the internet at
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/cinnamon-rolls-recipe.html

if you want to try them too.
Sorry... I don't know how to link yet...

There... I did it - I think...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/cinnamon-rolls-recipe.html

Very good I must say!

Thank you Kayla for introducing us to these.

I will make them again - for a special occasion!

Early Friday Morning...

Oh, how I love the city in the early morning!

I was interested in the Adult World downstairs, 

and upstairs the sign for a Christian Church. 

And this is a favourite corner for

homeless people to pull out their cardboard and blankets and sleep for the night.

Lunch at Burger Box

We detoured on on our way home from Vereeniging to have lunch at the Burger Box.

It was wonderful!

We will go there again...

Footloose Morning

Well...

When I made the Cinnamon Rolls last week,

my trusty Kenwood Chef went poof!

I have known it was on it's way out -

I was reconciled to getting a hand mixer when it expired.

Douglas and Glenn found a Kenwood chef later model 

hardly used, on Gumtree.

We went to Vereeniging this morning to fetch it.

Lovely drive!

We are (mostly) toll road avoiders,

so we took the Golden Highway 

which we haven't driven for many years!

Enjoy the drive...

We passed Soccer City.

I hope to go on a tour of the precinct someday.

Impressive Soccer City Stadium.

Grand houses close by.

The Dakota drive-in.

Remember it?

And all over the countryside we passed - new houses!

The taxi stations at strategic points.

We were intrigued by 

Zakariyya Park spelling.

RDP houses dotted all over.

(Reconstruction and Development Programme)

Basic houses...

Power to the People all over too.

Excellent signposting all over too.

I see lots of evidence of increased pride in places.

Blooming shopping centres all over too.

With informal traders right outside.

And of course... McDonalds.

This truck is Dryden transport.

I wonder if the Dryden is one of my relatives.

My mother's third name is Dryden after her mother's maiden name.

Power lines all over on our drive this morning!

Houses on one side of the road, and many mielie fields on the other.

Herds of cattle periodically too.

I wondered where they came from...

Iscor on the horizon...

We fetched the food mixer from a brick manufacturer employee.

As Vi and I waited in the car I saw this 

"Keep of the Grass" sign.

It's many years since I have seen one in our country!

And back home again.

We ended up on a different road by accident, and decided to come home via

Westonaria and Randfontein.

Space, space, space!

Lots of empty (seeming) ground all this route.

 And these dear little purple flowers all over along the sides of the road...

Evidence all over as well of road repairs.

A mine in the distance.

Huge logs on the back of this truck.

Good steel bars holding them on.

I was glad to pass it.

A man at the road crossing selling decorated miner hats 

that supporters wear at soccer games.

More herds of cattle.

A police road block.

No problem for us...

Evidence all over of development.

Interesting clouds.

Interesting new houses.

I wonder how they got this car up there, and how it is attached?

Randfontein town...

I wonder what these piles of stones and sand are for?

And we left Randfontein and headed home.

There are those in the country who cry 'doom and gloom'...

I see evidence of 'growth' all around me.

The truth is probably that there is always both

intertwined all the time.

The opposition in all things.

I thoroughly enjoyed our time out of time this morning!