Apples and Honey and Shofars, oh my!

Hello everyone!

Long time, no blog! I miss doing this and I apologize for the (inevitable) hiatus that comes with summer, school and work.

It's my favorite time of year, the high holy days! Last night Yom T'ruah began and continued into today. It's a time of remembering: remembering good times, God, provision and all that we've been blessed with. It's also a time of making things right with God and with each other. The biblical new year actually begins at Passover, contrary to what the Jewish community celebrates, but it is definitely a time of spiritual renewal and new beginnings. So, in light of the latter definition, happy new year and shana tova!

Us prepping for Yom T'ruah and getting liturgy together.

Toby pickin the strings.

Honeycake I made! (Recipe coming)

Chag Sameach (Happy Holiday)!

Have a great day!

~B~

absence makes the heart grow fonder...

Hello all,

It has been dreadfully long since I last wrote in my beloved little online journal. The starting of school for me, work for Toby and ministry for both has thrown us for quite a loop. So much of a loop that I scarcely remember to brush my teeth at night! However, life continues and God is still good and therefore I "keep calm and carry on" as they say. Well, sometimes.

Anyhow, I figure I'd like to share some insta-memories from the past few weeks since it's been so long!

And on another note, tonight at sundown begins Yom T'ruah (aka Rosh HaShannah) which means the day of blowing (shofars). It's a time of repentance and soul-searching and I LOVE it. I love all these Fall feasts that are about to come up, which hopefully I will make some time to share about them with you. But for now, I will live you with the instas of our lives and will see you next time.

~B~

Back to school! (pictured: my crazy calendar full of dates, obligations and deadlines, coffee,
Dream Visions and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer, and The Monk by Matthew Lewis.)

The Monster aka all of Shakespeare's plays combined in one brilliantly bound
book that basically weighs 200 pounds.

Jane Austen!

A friendly reminder at our new apartment's dumpster.

My lovely new (well, thrifted but new to me) teapot that I found for 6 bucks
at Goodwill thrift store. It's perfect, and I've been searching for years for the kettle
that would suit me best. Hooray! The cup is thrifted too :)

Got back into the challah baking gig this week and if felt good! Shabbat is not
the same without it!

It's pumpkin time!!! Come on, cool weather!

Times are stressful and I get discouraged sometimes, but this is a great reminder.

Autumn is here!

     After a brutal summer, the first and crisp signs of Autumn have FINALLY appeared! The leaves have begun to change, the air is cooler, and the high holy days are here. Yom T'Ruah (or the Day of Sounding) has just passed and it was wonderful.  It's so amazing to celebrate the feasts of the L-RD because it's not just some fun recreational thing that we do; it's a time that G-D Himself appointed for us to be near to Him. When the Shofar sounds, it's like a wake up call for us to get over ourselves and start focusing on the L-RD. It's kind of like, when you set an alarm and you keep hitting the snooze button and then someone either gets you up or you're late! G-D sets an alarm for us, to remind us to wake up, but we just keep hitting the snooze button because we know that once we get up, we can't go back to sleep. G-D, however, loves us so much that he keeps sounding the alarm, and if He has to, yanks off the covers, because he doesn't want us to be late for His party :) What a sweet and loving G-D we have!

     Well, in light of Yom T'ruah, one of the seasonal holiday treats is honey-cake. I made some the other day and the apartment was filled with the delightful smell of cinnamon and cloves...it was amazing. And I'm getting better at the challah-making so I'm quite excited about that. My other big endeavor has been switching from coffee to tea. It was scary at first and I was quite resistant to the fact, because I LOVE coffee with a burning love. But, it aggravates my acid reflux so...I switched to Earl Grey Tea...and I love it! I boil some water, stick some Earl Grey in my little teapot, and I've got a lovely morning set out for me. Also, I have bangs now, which is VERY new for me, but I quite like it. It's kind of edgy!

Well, that's all for now. Have a good weekend!

B