May your past be the sound Of your feet upon the ground- Carry on

Yesterday marked the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. 

Today, as a family, we attended a funeral for a member of our small congregation.

We have had three funerals this last year, which may not be many, 

but when our numbers are so few, another seems like a lot.

&, to each one, I have brought my children.

Maybe, some say, a child's place is not in with the mourners.

That death and grief are too much.

They do not dress in black.

They wear happy, clean, bright clothes,

& shine with the hope of a complete faith 

that everything will be all right.

We might be one less today,

or

many million less, 70 years ago,

but the 3 shinning faces in the back row

bring comfort in the promise of things yet to come.

So long as there is still 1 soul to carry on,

We can never be extinguished.

*Title provided by Writer(s): Nathaniel Joseph Ruess, Jeff Bhasker, Jack Antonoff, Andrew Dost, Nate Ruess

Counting down the days

Who can remember thinking...

By this time next week, I'll be back in school

By this time next week, I'll be out of school

By this time next week, I'll have graduated college

By this time next week, we'll be on vacation

By this time next week, I'll be driving my new car

By this time next week, we'll be married

By this time next week, we'll be in our 1st apartment

By this time next week, I'll have started my new job

By this time next week, the baby will be here

By this time next week, life will never be the same 

By this time next week.......

This week in what we aren't talking about

This is a tree, but we aren't talking about it.

No, I am not in denial,& when I say I have very little idea what is going in on, it is the truth.

I am the one in charge of what we are not talking about, & while I am reassured everyday by the pieces of fancy paper on my walls, saying I am one smart cookie, I don't feel like it.

Why we aren't talking about, what we aren't talking about:

We have been trying for a very long time to not talk about things, & would hate to invite bad energy into things now.

So we aren't talking about it.

We can, however, talk about this window all-the-live-long-day.

If you were hoping to be invited over to gaze longingly at my stained glass, you are just going to have to give up that dream.

Also, our address will not now, or ever, include the words, 'Wank Avenue'. Because there was a serious possibility it might.

I need a wig, bigger trousers & a stiff drink

Rumor has it, we are buying a house.

But we aren't talking about it.

I can't remember the last time I slept more than 4 hours straight.

My hair is falling out.

I am not sure if the night sweats are brought on by anxiety or menopause.

I may be suffering from a perpetual heart attack, brain aneurysm, or early on set dementia.

Please don't ask what my cortisol levels are.

I am living on breakfast cereal, good (birthday) chocolate and Mt. Dew Lemonade.

The plan has been expedited by about 6 months, which means that I am frantically trying to pay off the rest of our credit card debt- and getting really close!

If this works out we will be moving about 10 days before Hanukkah- blessedly not a commercialized, present-y holiday like all Gentiles believe it to be. But that means, that the commercialized, Holiday cousin is right there, too.

Hip, hip, hooray for the inter-faith Family!

Let's hope this doesn't go down in a raging blizzard.  

    

Elsa- Quick, Cheap & easy

The Royal Princess asked to be Elsa for Halloween.

I don't know about you, but I don't have the $$$$$ laying around to outfit my munchkins in store bought costumes.

If I can't make it at home or get it really cheap on Amazon, then there has to be a 2nd choice.

In less than an hour, for less than $10, using only basic sewing skills, this was quick, cheap & easy Elsa dress.

Supplies:

Tank top 1 size too big 

enough material to make a tube skirt

enough material to make the cape/train

glittery ribbon

fray check

Sewing machine & thread to match

Let's Go!

Firstly, get your filmy cape material, & after guessing at the dimensions needed ( leaving extra to gather at the top to make it flowy), douse the edges in fray check (remember to put cardboard under it!)

This will keep your seams from coming unraveled later.

Hang your cape somewhere to dry.

Find a good tutorial explaining how to make a tank top dress- it is almost the exact same thing!

Using the same idea, make a long tube skirt, & attach to your tank.

Remember- right sides together!

When your cape is dry, gather along the top edge & pin to your tank. Eyeball it, just anywhere that looks good to you.

Using a quick needle and thread, hand stitch the cape to the tank.

Cut your glittery ribbon to a length long enough to cover your handy work- leaving enough at the end to tuck under.

Sew.

You are almost there!

If you have ribbon left over, & everyone agrees- add some around the waist.

Ta-Da!

Toss  some white long Johns underneath for a toasty finishing touch!

Milestones

Buying a house is like buying a wedding dress-

regardless of what you or anyone else thinks you should end up with,

you will instantly know it is the one.

Buying a house is also like childbirth- even if I grew that baby for 10 months,

 I still couldn't even fathom it, until they were here.

If I was ever on Jeopardy: Here comes the Bride Finale or how I messed up the Fall holidays, for $600

Well, what we can take away from the last 6 months, is nothing really ever goes according to plan, so when it does, it's a very pleasant surprise.

This is not that kind of story, though, I suppose everything worked out in the end, and so that really qualifies for a happy ending.

The short version- we ended up being unable to travel out of state for our Friends wedding  :(

But, no one died, so win!

Long version- 

The week before we were supposed to leave, our beloved GPH came up lame with some blood clots in his lungs, & our Aunt Lady, preggo with #3, was encouraged to hang out near home due to some health complications (read about it here!)

But it all worked out in the end, & the kids were able to wear their snazzy clothes for 

Erev Rosh Hashanah, when you are supposed to wear fancy new clothes anyway.

That is where it started down the hill.......

What is wrong this picture, you say? Look closely at the water pump with Henry's thumb stuck in it.....

Sorry, going to be late, son is stuck to water pump.

There was a brief parting of the the clouds when these little morsels of yum turned out.....

But, by then I had been cleaning house & children, cooking & running around a-l-l day.

By the time we made it to Temple that evening, the kids were absolutely wired & I was absolutely exhausted.

Somewhere along the way, they all decided they were getting chilly & tired (it was cold & late)

so the obvious answer, was to pile on Mom. 

Later, the Rabbi asked if I had liked her remarks, and while I am sure I heard something, I was busy not dropping sleeping children- who of course woke up for the Oneg.....

By the time we got home it was almost 11.......

Rosh Hashanah morning dawned bright & early!!!!

Husband had work stuff, so he trotted off before I so much as moved, which left me with an entourage & hours of religious service to get through.

So we played a drinking game.

The Temple has a lovely, big pipe organ & choir loft. Since we only use the big sanctuary for the High Holidays, they go all out- everything is spit shined, & a choir is found.

When you only do this once a year, you really make the most of it, & if you pay for a choir, darn it, you want to hear it.

When you are a small person, or the parent of a small person, you really wish that they could speed up all the lovely singing and include a toe tapper.

If you are me & trying to survive, you hand your children a piece of fancy organic Apple Honey candy every time the music starts (bonus for at least keeping with the theme!)

Along about 2 1/2 hours in, I got a little cocky. There were only a few more pages in the Machzor- the finish was in sight.

I had been invited to the Bima to read a prayer for our country & congregation.

I didn't die, throw up, or mess it up too terribly, but this left certain people unattended.

I am pleased to say, no one got up, ran around, or screamed inappropriate things.

Was fairly certain at this point that I was winning.....

George felt otherwise. 

Bubble bursted.....

Moving on, because there are plenty of Fall Holidays to mess up.....

Yom Kippur

While not a horrible blunder, one that would cause the Rabbi to sigh like she does so often when I mess things up-

Mary wore the (formerly catholic) family 1st communion gown.

It worked out nicely, that her bestie was wearing a formerly-also-Christian white dress, though we could never settle on which event.

Also, I finally got my toe tapper in Oseh Shalom, & may or may not have have been excited to hear that big organ rock out (my exact words).

Because there is still more.....

I have never really understood why the Jews felt the need to tack on another holiday, but they have.

Sukkot

something of a harvest festival, requiring you build a three sided tent with an open top, in which you can recline to study Torah, & eat your meals- preferably with people you have invited over.

Someone (me) had the wise idea to get the local Jewish community together for a shin dig, for which we required a Sukkah (tent)

We tried-

Having actually never done one before, for being exhausted & for being out of Jewish Holiday money, it's really not too shabby. Do all of us a favor & don't google the  pretty ones.

But, we all survived. I can't say that anyone has a particularly revived spirit for the New Year, but it's safe to say, that we all have a wonderful sense of accomplishment for having made it.