Outside my window... At 11 a.m., it is 59 degrees outside. We had such a storm this past weekend that it uprooted a tree at the front of our subdivision.
I am learning... That I don't have as much energy as I think I have. LOL! I wasn't able to get a Day Book out last week after our Mishpacha (friends and family) shindig that we throw every year. Yesterday, Princess Butterfly had a pre-birthday party and when the last guest left, I collapsed until it was time to pick Sanban up from work.
I am thankful...For both the Mishpacha service/meal and Princess Butterfly's pre-birthday celebration. We were able to host some people that we've been inviting for years and they were finally able to come. We had a family come with whom our friendship started with our children being in so many of the same extracurricular activities. We have had years where our lives consisted of transferring our children to their car and their children transferring to ours. One of their boys made me laugh the year I got my new car. He said he should have a say-so in what kind of car we got because his bottom was always in it. LOL!
Sixteen years ago when we moved into our home, we invited an older couple to our housewarming. The following year, the husband died and we adopted the widow as our "aunt." All we have to say is the words "collard greens" and we know she will come pulling her little cart to make us her special punch and garlic bread. She stayed until nearly midnight that night laughing and talking with our "framily" who came from a state away. This "framily" and ours once spent 30 days traveling across the country in a car. At the time, there were just 4 in our family, Dancing Angel and The Grand Duchess, and they have one daughter. When you can spend a month traveling 7 people to a car, you know Yah has to be in it! Seeing our girls together again after all these years blessed me. Laughing until I lost my voice blessed me.
During the service, the blessings over the daughters blessed me because our newly made elder was able to bless his daughter with all of us watching on. She was crying and I was crying too. I also cried because Friend Hubby pulled the daughter of a good friend of ours who has passed away to bless his youngest daughter too. We have walked through so much of life with that family as well. I KNOW it is something he would have wanted Friend Hubby to do for his daughters.
Watching Princess Butterfly have such a great birthday party blessed me as well. While I was putting the finishing touches on the cake, Sanban helped get the games off to a great start. Friend Hubby found a place that sells 24" pizzas like they sell at the Jersey shore. You can feed a family of 10 from ONE of those. Later Friend Hubby led them in a competition-style game of Simon Says. It was fierce! Princess Butterfly's friends know her so well. She got either Bath & Bodyworks items, Dr. Who items, or more yarn for her yarn stash. Praise Yah!
Sixteen years ago when we moved into our home, we invited an older couple to our housewarming. The following year, the husband died and we adopted the widow as our "aunt." All we have to say is the words "collard greens" and we know she will come pulling her little cart to make us her special punch and garlic bread. She stayed until nearly midnight that night laughing and talking with our "framily" who came from a state away. This "framily" and ours once spent 30 days traveling across the country in a car. At the time, there were just 4 in our family, Dancing Angel and The Grand Duchess, and they have one daughter. When you can spend a month traveling 7 people to a car, you know Yah has to be in it! Seeing our girls together again after all these years blessed me. Laughing until I lost my voice blessed me.
During the service, the blessings over the daughters blessed me because our newly made elder was able to bless his daughter with all of us watching on. She was crying and I was crying too. I also cried because Friend Hubby pulled the daughter of a good friend of ours who has passed away to bless his youngest daughter too. We have walked through so much of life with that family as well. I KNOW it is something he would have wanted Friend Hubby to do for his daughters.
Watching Princess Butterfly have such a great birthday party blessed me as well. While I was putting the finishing touches on the cake, Sanban helped get the games off to a great start. Friend Hubby found a place that sells 24" pizzas like they sell at the Jersey shore. You can feed a family of 10 from ONE of those. Later Friend Hubby led them in a competition-style game of Simon Says. It was fierce! Princess Butterfly's friends know her so well. She got either Bath & Bodyworks items, Dr. Who items, or more yarn for her yarn stash. Praise Yah!
I am wearing... Pilates pants and a really old sweatshirt.
I am creating... I wasn't able to go and get my great-aunt to bring her to the Mishpacha service. I'm going to add another skein or two of yarn to the shawl.
I am going... To have Princess Butterfly make me some more coffee. This is not a one-cup day.
I am reading... I have read 56% of Nella Last's War. It really irritates me when I see in the reviews that she "compares marriage to slavery." I have only seen her reference that once in the book and she was irritated at her husband at the time. That doesn't mean she views her entire marriage as bondage. She shares many tender moments when in the midst of war her husband expresses his appreciation for her.
I'm at 20% for Fascinating Womanhood. I don't know if I have picked it up this week.
I've read 6% of Home Comforts, even though I have read more of it this past week. Like I said, it's over 900 pages so that percentage is not going to change too quickly.
I am listening to.... I have started falling asleep to Daily Audio Bible again. I used to listen faithfully back in 2011, but sometimes it wouldn't load on my iPod so I stopped listening. Now I can listen via an Android app. I also listen to Daily Audio Proverb every morning.
I am watching... I don't know who posted this video this week, but as my life has been too many times affected by narcissists, I found it to be an interesting take on it and how to alter your life course in order to not become a narcissist. Rabbi Frand: Confronting Narcissism.
I'm at 20% for Fascinating Womanhood. I don't know if I have picked it up this week.
I've read 6% of Home Comforts, even though I have read more of it this past week. Like I said, it's over 900 pages so that percentage is not going to change too quickly.
I am listening to.... I have started falling asleep to Daily Audio Bible again. I used to listen faithfully back in 2011, but sometimes it wouldn't load on my iPod so I stopped listening. Now I can listen via an Android app. I also listen to Daily Audio Proverb every morning.
I am watching... I don't know who posted this video this week, but as my life has been too many times affected by narcissists, I found it to be an interesting take on it and how to alter your life course in order to not become a narcissist. Rabbi Frand: Confronting Narcissism.
I am looking forward to... Celebrating my Princess Butterfly's actual birthday this coming weekend, just our family. My BABY is turning 16. Where has the time gone?
One of my favorite things... Watching Princess Butterfly using her crafting skills to make decorations for her party and then asking if I or her older sisters have ever been as crafty as she. Are you kidding me?
Going down the table of contents for the Keepers at Home Handbook, I have done ceramics, counted cross stitch, crochet, knitting, latch hooking, macrame, rubber stamping, stenciling, sewing, and tole painting, not to mention my occasional DIY projects.
Dancing Angel and The Grand Duchess have done basketweaving, calligraphy, candlemaking, candlewicking, decoupage, drawing, knitting, latch hooking, pressed flowers, rubber stamping, scrapbooking, and soap making.
She's so cute. LOL!
Going down the table of contents for the Keepers at Home Handbook, I have done ceramics, counted cross stitch, crochet, knitting, latch hooking, macrame, rubber stamping, stenciling, sewing, and tole painting, not to mention my occasional DIY projects.
Dancing Angel and The Grand Duchess have done basketweaving, calligraphy, candlemaking, candlewicking, decoupage, drawing, knitting, latch hooking, pressed flowers, rubber stamping, scrapbooking, and soap making.
She's so cute. LOL!
A few plans for the rest of the week: Staying focused at work. I'm already late. Friend Hubby remarked the other day how much more difficult it seems getting started in the morning has been since the time change than it has in the past. I am still trying to get out of the bed earlier in the morning and making the most of daylight for work.
From the learning rooms...
Senior: Last week, we fasted and prayed for his ACT test this past weekend. He missed the deadline to register for the local public university so it looks like private school will be the way to go. There are only 3 weeks left for the deadline for the BIG Eagle scholarship. He's not moving like he wants to make it. Still, no nice mommy where this is concerned.
Sophomore: She has passed her community college assessment and has been declared college ready for reading and writing. She will begin her first college course next semester. For one semester only, I will have 3 students in college classes.
We finished reading Things Fall Apart aloud together. I thought the destruction of their way of life due to European colonization in the name of Christianity was so sad. I'm not against evangelism, but I think it is most effective when it is indigenous, coming from a native born. It is no wonder so many African countries finally regained their independence from colonization. Talk about narcissism on the most grandiose of scales.
We are now reading An Artist of the Floating World. Since Sanban will not be able to take Japanese 4 at the community college this semester, it will be nice to keep up his interest in the country of his birth.
We finished reading Things Fall Apart aloud together. I thought the destruction of their way of life due to European colonization in the name of Christianity was so sad. I'm not against evangelism, but I think it is most effective when it is indigenous, coming from a native born. It is no wonder so many African countries finally regained their independence from colonization. Talk about narcissism on the most grandiose of scales.
We are now reading An Artist of the Floating World. Since Sanban will not be able to take Japanese 4 at the community college this semester, it will be nice to keep up his interest in the country of his birth.
From the kitchen... There is a restaurant in our town that makes the most amazing roasted chicken. The server told us that they brine the chicken in apple cider vinegar. I didn't find an exact recipe, but I tried this one last week and it was AMAZING! I didn't grill the chicken (Obviously, I was not meant for that method of cooking. I am still smarting over my last failed attempt). I just broiled them in my counter top oven instead. Loved it!
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| Grilled Apple Cider Vinegar Chicken |
Around the house... The day of the San Bernardino shooting was also the 6th anniversary of the death of our good friend and neighbor. I opted out of Facebook completely that day and only read the highlights on my tablet notifications. I was able to work on my pantry. I got the dryer completely cleaned off, which is not small feet since it tends to serve as a catchall. I also had my most productive day at work all week and got off work and exercised. Facebook is toxic, especially on days like that. Freedom feels good.
I also went to At Home and bought a wall ironing board and iron holder that I have been putting off for 16 years because something else always was more important.
In my reading of Home Comforts, I am at a point where she discusses the setting of a meal. The setting of a table for dinner used to be such an important act. In our busy lifestyles, making dinner more of an "event" can either be a drain or a joy depending on how you look at it. When we began keeping the Sabbath, we had no other model but how it is done in Judaism. We didn't want to get out of one frying pan and into the fire, so we stopped doing things like lighting candles and laying a special table. We just kept it relaxed, but seeing as it is a set-apart event, I'm thinking of bringing in some elements that are special and only for that day and other special days like the New Moon (which was last night, but because of the birthday party, we were not able to "mark" it). I would love to do something like "THIS." I love how it is winter, yet not Christmas themed.
Matthew 22:36-40 ISR98 “Teacher, which is the great command in the Torah?” And יהושע said to him, “ ‘You shall love יהוה your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your mind.’ “This is the first and great command. “And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ “On these two commands hang all the Torah and the Prophets.”
Matthew 5:17 ISR98 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to complete."
Isaiah 66:23 ISR98 “And it shall be that from New Moon to New Moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,” declares YHVH."
I'm also looking for winter wreaths for the front door on Pinterest. Have I mentioned how much I love having craft store apps on my phone? I can buy one item a day and use the 40% and 50% off coupons to build a tablescape like this. At Home doesn't have these coupons, but it does give a military discount, as does Michael's. I'm not one to declare all things pagan, but apparently the circular ones have negative connotations. I like to avoid the very appearance of evil.
I like the square ones.
NO Grand Duchess, I would NOT use the burlap bow. (my child -- sigh)
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| This one is nice because the snow covered pine cones remind me of where I grew up without having the actual FEEL of snow. (smile) |
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| I don't like the colors, but I love the printed blessing. |
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