Expanding the Passover Table

When you have a blended family the holidays can either be full of happy noise as your ever-growing family fills the house, or it can be sadly quiet as it’s the other parents’ turn to surround themselves with the children.  Ju-Boy and I have experienced both situations, and we can assuredly say that it’s so much more enjoyable when the table expands to accommodate children, grandchildren and friends.

He Was A Happy Dog

When your child is not well you want to do anything to make her feel better, to put a smile on her face.  And such was the case with Tinky.

Well… yes and no.

Purim Is Coming — 5772 (2012)

Happy Rosh Chodesh Adar (today is the first day of the Jewish month of Adar.  The first day of the month is considered a minor holiday, and there are special prayers, observances and traditions.  Adar is an especially happy month, since the holiday of Purim takes place in Adar, and Purim is one of my favorite holidays.  Think Halloween, Mardi Gras and spring break all rolled into one amazing holiday!

Blowing Some Horns

Guest posts on a blog are a two-way street.  They’re great when someone writes one on your blog, giving it a different feel, maybe even a different point of view from your own.  It relieves stagnation (as if my blog, or yours, could ever suffer from that affliction!).  They’re also great when one of your blogger friends ask you to write a guest post for their blog.  You get a good feeling, and it’s Sally Fields at the Oscars all over again — you like me, right now, you like me!

Dining In The Dark

New York City, November 1965

Even though I was just shy of being three years old I have some vague memories of the Northeast Blackout of 1965.  I remember being in the house with my mother, the kitchen lit with candles.  My mother was worried about my father, most probably trapped in the bowels of the New York subway system.  She and I sat in the kitchen, and she fed me spoonfuls of something (sorry, my memory is not that great) by candlelight.

I can say that my meal with Ju-Boy the other night was a bit similar, except that there was no candlelight, but there were spoonfuls of something…

Chatting With Miriyummy: Toby Curwin

Meet Toby Curwin. Even though I met her only once, and for a few minutes at that, I feel like I’ve known her forever!

Some Soup and Some Socks (Zhuzz One, Knit Two)

I just wanted to show off Ju-Boy's grandson Brave-Boy and his winter ensemble that I knit for him. He's already outgrown it. I guess I'll just have to pick up the sticks and knit a larger size.

Winter is here for most of us.  One of the most warming and comforting things for me to have in the winter is a nice, hot bowl of soup.

There are many ways to make soup.  One way NOT to make it is…

Hats Off To Channah

Most of the time I give you a recipe for something yummy, something nice you can do to feed yourself, your family, your friends and even your community.  I’m not going to do that today.  Today you are going to get something different, a recipe for a mitzvah, an act of human kindness, something you can do to help someone else.

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 37,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 14 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Chanuka, oh Hannukkah

Yes, it’s that time of year again — glowing lights, fried foods and sweet little presents.  To help us get in the mood here is the latest collection of Chanuka videos going viral this year.  Who’s your favorite?  Those sweet-toned YU boys in the Maccabeats, or the cool kids in the Fountainheads ?  Or maybe you have another favorite?  Check them out and let me know.