The day started off with looking for pants and long sleeves for BSM. It's too chilly in the mornings for short sleeves and shorts, and not hot enough in the afternoon for long sleeves to be oppressive. So I rummaged through the various bags in BSM's room and learned that (a) he has all of 3 pairs of pants in 18mo, one one which is for Shabbos and two of which are cut small and (b) he has 4 pairs of pants in 24mo, three of which are too heavy for early fall wear.
I sighed and put him in the one pair of pants that was going to work, and realized that I'd not only have to buy new clothing for BSM, but I'd have to buy new clothing that's in season. No upcoming bargoonies for this mother.
But then! (Did you sense a "but then" coming?) On the way to daycare! Tum te de duuuuum! I passed a bag of clothing next to a dumpster! So on my way back home I stopped and peeked inside. The stuff looked like boy clothing, and the one thing I pulled out said 18 mo. I took it home and Oh My Gosh, the whole bag is 18mo - 3T, all boy clothing, mostly 18mo/2T, mostly fall and winter clothing. Even some shoes! Thank you, Hashem. That, my friends, is one fewer thing I need to deal with. I'd much rather do a couple of loads of laundry than go shopping.
Half an hour after my clothing happiness, the movers called to tell me they were on their way. Sure enough, they showed up at 10:30, which impressed the heck out of me: that is indeed between 10 and 12, as the Sonigo representative promised, and it was an hour and a half after the movers called me, which is exactly when they said they'd show up. Wow.
That promptness set the tone for the whole Unpacking of the Lift. The four movers were fast, professional, cheerful, and nice. Sure, they tried to talk me into using our solid wood armoire in the living room instead of hiding it upstairs (it is a beautiful piece, and as heavy as a horse that just ate a miniature elephant), but they didn't complain when I said thanks but no thanks, I really did want it to go up that spiral staircase.
I got lots of rushes as I was Reunited with Our Stuff. I'm sure we brought more than we will keep, but I'm so happy to see The Stuff. So, so happy. The furniture fit better than I thought it would, even with the extra piece or two that I totally forgot we packed. The boxes, on the other hand, are literally overflowing. We need to move fast to get them inside before the rains start... The afternoon's and evening's tasks, however, were to dig out (a) BSM's room so he could nap (b) Husbinator's office so he could work and (c) our bedroom so we could sleep. Thank G-d, tomorrow's forecast does not include rain. But Thursday's does...
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
Day 229 (caught up again)
The lift is coming. the lift is coming!
I don't think much happened today, but the lift is coming tomorrow. I have moved from excited to stressed. Ack! They will want to put stuff places! And I don't know if it will fit where I think it will! And I need to move stuff around so it even has a chance of fitting!
Breathe in and out. In and out. In and out. Ack!
Well, at least I'm caught up on my blog posts, right? And I already moved our new beds from the master bedroom to the guest bedroom so the movers can put our American beds in the master bedroom, and I do have a spreadsheet with my best guess of all the furniture we have and in which room to put each piece, but aaaaaaaaaahhhh! I think it's time to call someone and freak out a little.
I don't think much happened today, but the lift is coming tomorrow. I have moved from excited to stressed. Ack! They will want to put stuff places! And I don't know if it will fit where I think it will! And I need to move stuff around so it even has a chance of fitting!
Breathe in and out. In and out. In and out. Ack!
Well, at least I'm caught up on my blog posts, right? And I already moved our new beds from the master bedroom to the guest bedroom so the movers can put our American beds in the master bedroom, and I do have a spreadsheet with my best guess of all the furniture we have and in which room to put each piece, but aaaaaaaaaahhhh! I think it's time to call someone and freak out a little.
Day 228 (Sunday, for those who are confused by the incorrect date-stamp)
Mr. Kornbluth emailed me today saying that he worked with the daughter of a CEO of a nearby solar company, so I sent him my CV. We'll see if anything comes of it. I also sent my CV to another recruiting firm, so that's considerably more job networking than I've done in a while.
Right now, I'm focusing on our stuff coming rather than the job-search. Our lift arrived in Ashdod today, and we should get it tomorrow or Tuesday. [Editor's note: ah, the glories of being behind in blogging! I shall spare you the tenterhooks, and let you know that as of Monday, our Stuff is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday between 10 and 12.] Naturally, before Sonigo delivers our lift, we need to finish paying them. And since we don't have Israeli checks (ah, we need to switch banks and get checks, already!) and are loathe to pay $45 for a wire transfer, I drove into Yerushalayim and did a Cash Swap in a parking lot. Oh, man, it was soooooo sketchy. Even the guy from the shipping company said he feels like he's doing a drug deal every time he does this! Seriously, I drove to a (well-lit) parking lot of a closed grocery store, and he counted a huge pile of hundreds, and we went our merry ways. Well, he gave me a receipt, but other than that...
Before the money exchange went down, though, I broke an empty glass bottle in the kitchen. Since BSM was home and awake, and Husbinator was at Mincha, some creative problem-solving was called for. This, my friends, is when to use TV as a babysitter. I found some Sesame Street songs on YouTube, and swept and sponjaed as BSM watched and danced. When I opened the front door to facilitate the disposal of the sponja water, BSM popped outside. The driveway is completely enclosed, and he wasn't playing in my broken glass, so I let him be.
Soon, I heard scraping and grunting, and I went outside to find BSM trying to drag a child-sized plastic chair inside. (I had forgotten about that chair. Husbinator just found it in an empty lot.) I helped BSM carry it inside, and I finished sponja-ing, BSM sat in the chair with his Yuval Doll in his lap, watching Sesame Street. It was pretty cute, this TV-Babysitter moment. But also a little creepy, with the unnatural stillness it engendered.
Right now, I'm focusing on our stuff coming rather than the job-search. Our lift arrived in Ashdod today, and we should get it tomorrow or Tuesday. [Editor's note: ah, the glories of being behind in blogging! I shall spare you the tenterhooks, and let you know that as of Monday, our Stuff is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday between 10 and 12.] Naturally, before Sonigo delivers our lift, we need to finish paying them. And since we don't have Israeli checks (ah, we need to switch banks and get checks, already!) and are loathe to pay $45 for a wire transfer, I drove into Yerushalayim and did a Cash Swap in a parking lot. Oh, man, it was soooooo sketchy. Even the guy from the shipping company said he feels like he's doing a drug deal every time he does this! Seriously, I drove to a (well-lit) parking lot of a closed grocery store, and he counted a huge pile of hundreds, and we went our merry ways. Well, he gave me a receipt, but other than that...
Before the money exchange went down, though, I broke an empty glass bottle in the kitchen. Since BSM was home and awake, and Husbinator was at Mincha, some creative problem-solving was called for. This, my friends, is when to use TV as a babysitter. I found some Sesame Street songs on YouTube, and swept and sponjaed as BSM watched and danced. When I opened the front door to facilitate the disposal of the sponja water, BSM popped outside. The driveway is completely enclosed, and he wasn't playing in my broken glass, so I let him be.
Soon, I heard scraping and grunting, and I went outside to find BSM trying to drag a child-sized plastic chair inside. (I had forgotten about that chair. Husbinator just found it in an empty lot.) I helped BSM carry it inside, and I finished sponja-ing, BSM sat in the chair with his Yuval Doll in his lap, watching Sesame Street. It was pretty cute, this TV-Babysitter moment. But also a little creepy, with the unnatural stillness it engendered.
Day 227 (Rosh HaShana 3? No, silly: Shabbos!)
I finally, finally, heard the rhythm of Parshas Haazinu. It really is a poem, and as such, needs to be read out loud. Also, Husbinator found the one Stone Chumash at shul, and I borrowed it overnight for help with the poetic language.
We had the Ornas over for lunch, with the help of the Kornbluths' folding table. (For some reason, I thought that the Ornas have 2 children, when I know perfectly well that they have three. The kitchen table we bought as a stop-gap measure sits six people who are willing to bump elbows. Hence borrowing the Kornbluths' table.) Mrs. Orna shall be my friend. It has been decided. (We actually decided this when she invited me over for a playdate a week or two ago, but I decided again during lunch. I really, really like her.)
Lunch was still going strong at 1:15, and BSM was getting tired, so I brought him upstairs for his nap. He cried and cried, and when I finally went up to rock him to sleep, he only slept for 20 minutes before waking up and crying some more. To be fair, Dikla has told me that BSM refuses to sleep at her house (except when he accidentally falls asleep while he's sitting on her couch because he is Just That Tired). Sure enough, as soon as the Ornas left, BSM fell asleep and stayed asleep for his usual two hours. Now I know. BSM has some serious FOMO. ("FOMO," as I learned from my roommates in college means "fear of missing out.")
After Shabbos, I washed dishes. Thank G-d for paper, eh? After three days of Yontiff/Shabbos, I had half of a sink-load of dishes. That's it.
Oo! Also on Motzei Shabbos, Husbinator got the mail, and my first ever Israeli credit card came! Now when the checkout people at Rami Levy ask if I'm a loyalty club member, I can say yes. I can't actually give them my rewards number, because I don't know it, but one thing at a time. :-)
We had the Ornas over for lunch, with the help of the Kornbluths' folding table. (For some reason, I thought that the Ornas have 2 children, when I know perfectly well that they have three. The kitchen table we bought as a stop-gap measure sits six people who are willing to bump elbows. Hence borrowing the Kornbluths' table.) Mrs. Orna shall be my friend. It has been decided. (We actually decided this when she invited me over for a playdate a week or two ago, but I decided again during lunch. I really, really like her.)
Lunch was still going strong at 1:15, and BSM was getting tired, so I brought him upstairs for his nap. He cried and cried, and when I finally went up to rock him to sleep, he only slept for 20 minutes before waking up and crying some more. To be fair, Dikla has told me that BSM refuses to sleep at her house (except when he accidentally falls asleep while he's sitting on her couch because he is Just That Tired). Sure enough, as soon as the Ornas left, BSM fell asleep and stayed asleep for his usual two hours. Now I know. BSM has some serious FOMO. ("FOMO," as I learned from my roommates in college means "fear of missing out.")
After Shabbos, I washed dishes. Thank G-d for paper, eh? After three days of Yontiff/Shabbos, I had half of a sink-load of dishes. That's it.
Oo! Also on Motzei Shabbos, Husbinator got the mail, and my first ever Israeli credit card came! Now when the checkout people at Rami Levy ask if I'm a loyalty club member, I can say yes. I can't actually give them my rewards number, because I don't know it, but one thing at a time. :-)
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Day 226 (Rosh HaShana 2)
On the second day of Rosh HaShana, I didn't try to make it for the initial shofar-blowing. Instead, I saved up "BSM quiet-time" so I could hear some of the repetition of mussaf, and I listened to the all of the shofar blasts after davening. Again, BSM was kind in his nap schedule, and I managed to daven the amidahs at home, but his nap+lunch went long enough that I missed kedusha of mussaf. Again, nu-nu. I would have liked to get more shul time in, but I'm still thrilled that I managed to daven the amidah uninterrupted.
We ate lunch at our across-the-street-neighbors', whom I shall call the Kornbluths. They are Cool Folk. Mr. Kornbluth is getting his PhD in physics from Hebrew U, and Mrs. Kornbluth is just one of those people that I liked before I ever spoke to her. I will not lie: her cool outfit (sea-green and super-Israeli) when I met her on the first day of Rosh Hashana was actually the first thing that made me want to be friends. Yup, that's what I've come to: realizing that I judge people by their clothing. Siiiiiigh. Also, the fact that she let me look on with her for Torah-reading helped, but it was definitely her clothing that gave me that first big shove.
Anyway, lunch was lots of fun, and the Kornbluths even told us that you can generally see the glint of the Dead Sea itself a little after dawn, so tashlich wasn't as far-fetched as we thought.
We ate lunch at our across-the-street-neighbors', whom I shall call the Kornbluths. They are Cool Folk. Mr. Kornbluth is getting his PhD in physics from Hebrew U, and Mrs. Kornbluth is just one of those people that I liked before I ever spoke to her. I will not lie: her cool outfit (sea-green and super-Israeli) when I met her on the first day of Rosh Hashana was actually the first thing that made me want to be friends. Yup, that's what I've come to: realizing that I judge people by their clothing. Siiiiiigh. Also, the fact that she let me look on with her for Torah-reading helped, but it was definitely her clothing that gave me that first big shove.
Anyway, lunch was lots of fun, and the Kornbluths even told us that you can generally see the glint of the Dead Sea itself a little after dawn, so tashlich wasn't as far-fetched as we thought.
Day 225 (Rosh HaShana 1)
BSM very helpfully agreed to take his afternoon nap early, so I got to daven! Unfortunately, the timing of the nap meant that I didn't get to shul for the repetition of mussaf, as I had hoped to do, but I'm really glad that I was able to daven the amidahs at all.
As is the custom, we said tashlich in the afternoon. And as is the custom, we said it by a body of water. Kind of. You see, we live in the Judean Desert. There is a naturally-occurring body of water (that has water at this time of year!) relatively close to us: it's approximately a 15-minute drive away. (I'd like to visit it: I've heard of it, but haven't been there, yet.) So that was out. However, rather than saying tashlich at the local mikvah, or at a kiddie-pool into which someone has tipped some water and fish (as I've seen done in Yerushalayim), we said tashlich while facing the Dead Sea. It's there. Just before the Jordanian mountains, which we can always see. Really. Good enough, eh?
As is the custom, we said tashlich in the afternoon. And as is the custom, we said it by a body of water. Kind of. You see, we live in the Judean Desert. There is a naturally-occurring body of water (that has water at this time of year!) relatively close to us: it's approximately a 15-minute drive away. (I'd like to visit it: I've heard of it, but haven't been there, yet.) So that was out. However, rather than saying tashlich at the local mikvah, or at a kiddie-pool into which someone has tipped some water and fish (as I've seen done in Yerushalayim), we said tashlich while facing the Dead Sea. It's there. Just before the Jordanian mountains, which we can always see. Really. Good enough, eh?
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Day 224 (Erev Rosh Hashana)
Y'know, I thought I'd be finished with my part of the cooking yesterday. Nope.
I made deep-fried black-eyed peas (yum), noodles, onion rings, falafel (granted those last two involved dumping frozen stuff into a tray and putting in the oven, but still), and possibly more, but I don't remember. I also successfully lit the grill for grilled fish. Note: if you have neither pre-soaked coals nor lighter fluid, the key to getting your grill lit is a lot of huffing and puffing. And I'm fairly certain we left our bellows in America. "We won't have a fireplace in Israel!" we said. "Of course not!" Now that we're here, it turns out that pre-dipped charcoal is super-expensive, and we also have a wood-burning stove.
Well, our container has docked in Haifa, and it should be getting to Ashkelon (by train) on Sunday, and it'll get to us Monday or Tuesday. (At least, that's the plan.) So we'll see in the near future what we did and did not bring, and figure stuff out accordingly.
Shana tova to one and all!
I made deep-fried black-eyed peas (yum), noodles, onion rings, falafel (granted those last two involved dumping frozen stuff into a tray and putting in the oven, but still), and possibly more, but I don't remember. I also successfully lit the grill for grilled fish. Note: if you have neither pre-soaked coals nor lighter fluid, the key to getting your grill lit is a lot of huffing and puffing. And I'm fairly certain we left our bellows in America. "We won't have a fireplace in Israel!" we said. "Of course not!" Now that we're here, it turns out that pre-dipped charcoal is super-expensive, and we also have a wood-burning stove.
Well, our container has docked in Haifa, and it should be getting to Ashkelon (by train) on Sunday, and it'll get to us Monday or Tuesday. (At least, that's the plan.) So we'll see in the near future what we did and did not bring, and figure stuff out accordingly.
Shana tova to one and all!
Day 223 (the storm continues)
Today's baking included sweet potato kugel, butternut squash, roasted carrots, roasted cauliflower, apple cobbler, and applesauce. That pretty much describes my day!
Monday, September 22, 2014
Day 222 (now that's a baked-up storm)
Thank G-d and thank Grandma, that's what I say! Today, my Bosch and I made sweet rolls, chocolate chip cookies, two types of frosting, and a cream filling. The sweet rolls are good, but next time I need to sprinkle more cinnamon and sugar on them.
Speaking of baking, Mrs. Barzilai (who, by the way, is one year older than I am; I just figured since I went to the trouble of making up a family name, I don't need to make up fake first names, now) asked me for the apple pie recipe today! She said she's been looking for an apple cake like that for ages, and mine was delicious. I was flattered, ans still a little horrified that there is really no effective way to communicate that apple pie is not a cake. I tried, but I don't think I made any headway at all. Mrs. Barzilai clearly recognizes that this ain't your typical apple cake (hence asking for the recipe and loving that it has so many apples in every bite), but I haven't gotten her to make the mind-shift that this isn't a cake. at all. Speaking of cultural phenomena, and all. Apple pie: it seems that it really is American as. Oy, these poor, deprived people.
So, yeah: we're ready for yontiff: desserts are made!
Speaking of baking, Mrs. Barzilai (who, by the way, is one year older than I am; I just figured since I went to the trouble of making up a family name, I don't need to make up fake first names, now) asked me for the apple pie recipe today! She said she's been looking for an apple cake like that for ages, and mine was delicious. I was flattered, ans still a little horrified that there is really no effective way to communicate that apple pie is not a cake. I tried, but I don't think I made any headway at all. Mrs. Barzilai clearly recognizes that this ain't your typical apple cake (hence asking for the recipe and loving that it has so many apples in every bite), but I haven't gotten her to make the mind-shift that this isn't a cake. at all. Speaking of cultural phenomena, and all. Apple pie: it seems that it really is American as. Oy, these poor, deprived people.
So, yeah: we're ready for yontiff: desserts are made!
Day 221 (futility)
Thank G-d, Husbinator woke up feeling much, much better. However, since there was a chance that the stone had just moved, rather than passed, we decided to do the medical rounds, anyway.
We went first to the Clalit clinic on the Yishuv, where we were squeezed in to see the doctor. Kidney stones are not to be messed with, even in the bureaucratic culture of Israel. It turns out, however, that the Clalit general practitioner on our Yishuv is of the "I am an expert, and you are a lowly non-expert, so everything you say must be wrong" school of doctoring. After lecturing Husbinator on how everything he was saying was wrong, and he knows nothing about kidney stones (this is his third time with the stones, poor guy!), she relented and gave him a referral for an ultrasound.
Thankfully, the Clalit receptionist on the Yishuv is of the "I know how the system works, and you look like you could use some help" school, so she very kindly made some phone calls and scheduled an ultrasound for us, then drew us maps of how to get to the clinic in Central Jerusalem.
Long story short: we went, I got a great parking spot, Husbinator got an inconclusive ultrasound and was promised results in a week (seriously???), and I got a ticket. (Just because everyone else is parked on the sidewalk is no guarantee that I won't be the only one charged 500 shekel for that choice. I have no idea how parking works in this country.)
What we learned from this little experience is that Husbinator and I will probably be switching insurance carriers. (We'll keep BSM with Clalit, because he sees the pediatrician rather than the general practitioner. Also, the pediatric nurse speaks English. Also, Clalit has a 24-hour nurse AND pediatrician hotline, complete with video-chatting. This is a useful thing to have for a child.)
Later that day, we went to the library on the Yishuv. It took a bit of wandering around to find it, but we got there in the end. It's a tattered, tiny little thing, and it costs 100 shekel per person (including babies) per year for membership. Still, I feel it's important to support the local libray, so I figured we'd take out a 6-month membership to be all civic. But it turns out the librarian (also a very helpful lady, which is one of the reasons I was going to take out a membership) can't accept cash, and we still don't have Israeli checks. We could go to the Yishuv secretary and pay there, but I don't actually want to pay for the privilege of borrowing the few books from this library, anyway... So I'll sell out my local library and check out what the nearby Jerusalem neighborhoods have to offer Eventually.
We went first to the Clalit clinic on the Yishuv, where we were squeezed in to see the doctor. Kidney stones are not to be messed with, even in the bureaucratic culture of Israel. It turns out, however, that the Clalit general practitioner on our Yishuv is of the "I am an expert, and you are a lowly non-expert, so everything you say must be wrong" school of doctoring. After lecturing Husbinator on how everything he was saying was wrong, and he knows nothing about kidney stones (this is his third time with the stones, poor guy!), she relented and gave him a referral for an ultrasound.
Thankfully, the Clalit receptionist on the Yishuv is of the "I know how the system works, and you look like you could use some help" school, so she very kindly made some phone calls and scheduled an ultrasound for us, then drew us maps of how to get to the clinic in Central Jerusalem.
Long story short: we went, I got a great parking spot, Husbinator got an inconclusive ultrasound and was promised results in a week (seriously???), and I got a ticket. (Just because everyone else is parked on the sidewalk is no guarantee that I won't be the only one charged 500 shekel for that choice. I have no idea how parking works in this country.)
What we learned from this little experience is that Husbinator and I will probably be switching insurance carriers. (We'll keep BSM with Clalit, because he sees the pediatrician rather than the general practitioner. Also, the pediatric nurse speaks English. Also, Clalit has a 24-hour nurse AND pediatrician hotline, complete with video-chatting. This is a useful thing to have for a child.)
Later that day, we went to the library on the Yishuv. It took a bit of wandering around to find it, but we got there in the end. It's a tattered, tiny little thing, and it costs 100 shekel per person (including babies) per year for membership. Still, I feel it's important to support the local libray, so I figured we'd take out a 6-month membership to be all civic. But it turns out the librarian (also a very helpful lady, which is one of the reasons I was going to take out a membership) can't accept cash, and we still don't have Israeli checks. We could go to the Yishuv secretary and pay there, but I don't actually want to pay for the privilege of borrowing the few books from this library, anyway... So I'll sell out my local library and check out what the nearby Jerusalem neighborhoods have to offer Eventually.
Day 219 (El Frido)
For one reason and another, I decided to run into Rami Levy (our grocery store) today. I've been to Rami Levy on an Erev Shabbos once before, but I figured maybe I was exaggerating how crazy it was. Maybe since I had just moved, I was more easily overwhelmed. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to just pick up the three things on my list. Tip: it is just as crazy as I remembered, but if you use shopping bags instead of a cart, it's more navigable. While at Rami Levy, I saw a woman. I knew I'd met her, and I knew I liked her, and she greeted me by name and asked how I was doing, but I still couldn't place her. Luckily, I didn't work up the guts to ask her to remind me what her name was, because as I wished her Shabbat Shalom and turned to leave, it clicked. It was Landlady! I like that my brain has her face filed under, "someone I really, really like" even if my brain can't bother to file her under the seemingly more useful "landlady."
Speaking of people I like, we finally had Shabbos guests from the Yishuv! I'll call them the Barzilai's. Mrs. Barzilai is the lady who saw me playing with BSM on the sidewalk one day and invited us to come to the park with them: they're that sort of people. We had a very nice time, them being very nice people, and all.
Having the Barzilai's over also solidified the feeling of having picked a good community for ourselves. We have a few unusual customs on Friday night: we smell hadassim, Husbinator makes a long kiddush, and we make hamotzi over twelve challahs. Generally, people ask what's up, and Husbinator tells them. This time, Rabbi Barzilai was all, "Hey, look, hadassim! Like the grandfather who met Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai!" and, "Ah! You take your time when you get to Hashem's name!" When he saw the oodles of little rolls coming out for hamotzi, Rabbi Barzilai just said, "Look at that! You keep all of the customs!" It's like... it's like... we're fitting in. Weird, no?
We did totally stump the Barzilai's at dessert though: they had never seen an apple pie. Is it a cake? Is it like a strudel? The only words the dictionary had for "pie" were "souflee" sort of words, so we agreed it was rather like a strudel. As Husbinator pointed out, if they can't identify an apple pie from eating one, then giving them the correct Hebrew word won't really help.
Speaking of people I like, we finally had Shabbos guests from the Yishuv! I'll call them the Barzilai's. Mrs. Barzilai is the lady who saw me playing with BSM on the sidewalk one day and invited us to come to the park with them: they're that sort of people. We had a very nice time, them being very nice people, and all.
Having the Barzilai's over also solidified the feeling of having picked a good community for ourselves. We have a few unusual customs on Friday night: we smell hadassim, Husbinator makes a long kiddush, and we make hamotzi over twelve challahs. Generally, people ask what's up, and Husbinator tells them. This time, Rabbi Barzilai was all, "Hey, look, hadassim! Like the grandfather who met Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai!" and, "Ah! You take your time when you get to Hashem's name!" When he saw the oodles of little rolls coming out for hamotzi, Rabbi Barzilai just said, "Look at that! You keep all of the customs!" It's like... it's like... we're fitting in. Weird, no?
We did totally stump the Barzilai's at dessert though: they had never seen an apple pie. Is it a cake? Is it like a strudel? The only words the dictionary had for "pie" were "souflee" sort of words, so we agreed it was rather like a strudel. As Husbinator pointed out, if they can't identify an apple pie from eating one, then giving them the correct Hebrew word won't really help.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Day 218 (a busy day)
BSM was back at daycare today, so I did lots of baking and grocery shopping.
You know you're shopping at a Jewy store when the clerk is ringing up your order and says, "You know these sodas aren't on sale, right?" He was partially right: there ain't no way I mean to buy full-price soda. Don't worry, though: these sodas actually were on sale, but the discount only showed up after the order reached 50 shekel.
I also got a free calendar from the grocery store. We hadn't seen any calendar giveaways yet, and we were getting kind of concerned. Talk about waiting until the last minute!
The real exciting acquisition of the day, though, was a second oven rack. Oh. My. Gosh. My life has changed. I can now cook FOUR 7x13's at a time instead of two. Yes, 7x13's. I can't fit two lasagna pans on one oven rack, so I get the skinny version of the--- Oh, shesh. I just realized that when my real baking pans show up (as opposed to the foil that I'm using now), I'll be back to two pans at a time. Not OK. Oh, my cookie sheets had better fit in this teeny little oven...
I am still really excited about the second oven rack, though.
You know you're shopping at a Jewy store when the clerk is ringing up your order and says, "You know these sodas aren't on sale, right?" He was partially right: there ain't no way I mean to buy full-price soda. Don't worry, though: these sodas actually were on sale, but the discount only showed up after the order reached 50 shekel.
I also got a free calendar from the grocery store. We hadn't seen any calendar giveaways yet, and we were getting kind of concerned. Talk about waiting until the last minute!
The real exciting acquisition of the day, though, was a second oven rack. Oh. My. Gosh. My life has changed. I can now cook FOUR 7x13's at a time instead of two. Yes, 7x13's. I can't fit two lasagna pans on one oven rack, so I get the skinny version of the--- Oh, shesh. I just realized that when my real baking pans show up (as opposed to the foil that I'm using now), I'll be back to two pans at a time. Not OK. Oh, my cookie sheets had better fit in this teeny little oven...
I am still really excited about the second oven rack, though.
Day 217 (a visit)
Since BSM had a fever yesterday, I had to either keep him home today or take him to the doctor before bringing him back to Dikla. Since I didn't feel like figuring out the doctor and having him tell me, "He had a fever for less than 12 hours. What do you want me to say?" I decided to keep BSM with me today. Anyway, that allowed me to gallivant hither and yon without having to be back by 1:30.
So I took BSM out to Malha, and we went to spend the 50 off 150 shekel coupon I got at the grocery store. It turns out, however, that the thing that printed out from the grocery store cash register isn't actually a coupon. It's a voucher that says I can get a coupon. So I put the stuff back and wasn't too upset, because even at 30% off, the stuff wasn't that great a price.
Also, I did still buy the one toy I've actually been looking for: a boy-appropriate doll. There was an 18-inch plush doll of some Israeli TV character ("Yuval HaMibulbal") missing it's battery box on clearance for 25 shekel. Perfect! A boy doll, complete with a button for BSM to push, and it doesn't make noises that will drive me nuts.
After that, we stopped by Home Center, and I found rolls of bamboo 50% off. It was perfect: the hardware store near us only had 5 in stock, rather than the 7 we need, and Home Center had 2 left. Perfect, perfect, perfect.
Afterwards, I (finally!) drove to Michlala to visit. It was so, so good to be back. I saw everyone I wanted to see: the (former) head of Machal, the (former) secretary, the guy who runs the lunchroom (and his wife!), the dorm mother (who opened her door when I knocked and exclaimed, "You're wearing shoes!") and even Uncle En. Just as importantly, I wandered around campus and smelled the classroom building and saw the steps and the trees and the flowers and the view of Yerushalyaim that I first fell in love with.
It was coming home.
So I took BSM out to Malha, and we went to spend the 50 off 150 shekel coupon I got at the grocery store. It turns out, however, that the thing that printed out from the grocery store cash register isn't actually a coupon. It's a voucher that says I can get a coupon. So I put the stuff back and wasn't too upset, because even at 30% off, the stuff wasn't that great a price.
Also, I did still buy the one toy I've actually been looking for: a boy-appropriate doll. There was an 18-inch plush doll of some Israeli TV character ("Yuval HaMibulbal") missing it's battery box on clearance for 25 shekel. Perfect! A boy doll, complete with a button for BSM to push, and it doesn't make noises that will drive me nuts.
After that, we stopped by Home Center, and I found rolls of bamboo 50% off. It was perfect: the hardware store near us only had 5 in stock, rather than the 7 we need, and Home Center had 2 left. Perfect, perfect, perfect.
Afterwards, I (finally!) drove to Michlala to visit. It was so, so good to be back. I saw everyone I wanted to see: the (former) head of Machal, the (former) secretary, the guy who runs the lunchroom (and his wife!), the dorm mother (who opened her door when I knocked and exclaimed, "You're wearing shoes!") and even Uncle En. Just as importantly, I wandered around campus and smelled the classroom building and saw the steps and the trees and the flowers and the view of Yerushalyaim that I first fell in love with.
It was coming home.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Day 216 (surprisingly productive)
BSM woke up with a low-grade fever this morning. Since we're not on the kibbutz anymore, that meant we got to spend allll day together. We did just fine :)
Even with lots of playing with TinyFriend LittleGuy, I still managed to toyvel the food processor blades we discovered in the food processor's secret drawer. While walking to the keli mikvah, I also located the mail distribution center (aka the mail room trailer). That was good, because we got a notice in our mail box that we have a package we need to pick up.
I went back when the mail room opened and got the package. Inside was... a charger for my laptop! Yay!!! A few weeks ago, my laptop stopped charging, and I've been borrowing Husbinator's laptop while I waited for a new charger to show. It has shown, and let me tell you: it's good to be back on my laptop once again.
Even with lots of playing with TinyFriend LittleGuy, I still managed to toyvel the food processor blades we discovered in the food processor's secret drawer. While walking to the keli mikvah, I also located the mail distribution center (aka the mail room trailer). That was good, because we got a notice in our mail box that we have a package we need to pick up.
I went back when the mail room opened and got the package. Inside was... a charger for my laptop! Yay!!! A few weeks ago, my laptop stopped charging, and I've been borrowing Husbinator's laptop while I waited for a new charger to show. It has shown, and let me tell you: it's good to be back on my laptop once again.
Day 215 (success)
I finally got a grasp on how to take trumot and maasrot! This is good, because the pomegranates in our side garden are quickly ripening faster than we can eat them, one at a time, in the garden. Now all we need is a juicer, and we can pick those babies.
Here's Artscroll's text for how to take trumot and maasrot:
You can see why I just looked at that and went, "Huh???" North, south, upper, lower, possibly a coin, parts and other parts and the first part and who knows what.
So today I read the O-U and the CRC and the COR have to say, and now things make more sense. The CRC even has a diagram! Now I'm at the point where I can ask intelligent questions. How does the CRC's coin work: do they have to keep replacing it, since it keeps getting filled up? If not, then why not? What is the legal precedent for redeeming Maaser Rishon? Why can maaser be redeemed using a coin that is worth less than the maaser itself?
Much better than staring helplessly in confusion. When all I had was the text in the siddur, I felt like I was back in Microelectronics Theory again. That was the class where I'd raise my hand and say, "Professor? I don't even understand enough to ask a question right now. Could you maybe repeat the last two or three sentences in different words?" (And he would, because he was a good professor.)
In other exciting news, we fed a turtle today! I saw it in our driveway after I dropped off BSM at daycare, and I gave it some pomegranate seeds. Then I went inside and did some research, and I learned (a) that the turtle in question was actually a Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise, and (b) you're not supposed to feed them lots of fruit; they need leafy greens. Oops.
Husbinator found the turtle later, and we fed it some wilted lettuce. Fun times!
Here's Artscroll's text for how to take trumot and maasrot:
You can see why I just looked at that and went, "Huh???" North, south, upper, lower, possibly a coin, parts and other parts and the first part and who knows what.
So today I read the O-U and the CRC and the COR have to say, and now things make more sense. The CRC even has a diagram! Now I'm at the point where I can ask intelligent questions. How does the CRC's coin work: do they have to keep replacing it, since it keeps getting filled up? If not, then why not? What is the legal precedent for redeeming Maaser Rishon? Why can maaser be redeemed using a coin that is worth less than the maaser itself?
Much better than staring helplessly in confusion. When all I had was the text in the siddur, I felt like I was back in Microelectronics Theory again. That was the class where I'd raise my hand and say, "Professor? I don't even understand enough to ask a question right now. Could you maybe repeat the last two or three sentences in different words?" (And he would, because he was a good professor.)
In other exciting news, we fed a turtle today! I saw it in our driveway after I dropped off BSM at daycare, and I gave it some pomegranate seeds. Then I went inside and did some research, and I learned (a) that the turtle in question was actually a Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise, and (b) you're not supposed to feed them lots of fruit; they need leafy greens. Oops.
Husbinator found the turtle later, and we fed it some wilted lettuce. Fun times!
Monday, September 15, 2014
Day 214 (lazy Sunday)
Really, Sunday as a day off doesn't exist in Israel. But Husbinator works on an American schedule, and I haven't found a job yet, so Lazy Sunday it was.
Day 213 (Shabbos)
It seems that starting Wednesday evening may be too late in the week for our current situation: we did not manage to collect any Shabbos guests this week. So we had a quiet Shabbos, thoroughly enjoying Husbinator's authentic Yerushalmi kugel. The proof that it came out really well is that when I tasted it, I immediately went for a pickle. Now that's real Yerushalmi kugel!
This week, as always, there was a kiddush/shiur after davening. The eclectic collection of rabbis who were quoted in the speech (Rav Riskin, the Kloyzenburger Rebbe, Rav [J.B.] Soloveitchik, and the Sfas Emes) confirmed that this is a great community for us.
In the afternoon, I finally made it over to the ladies' shiur. I like that kids are welcome to come: they're not that distracting, and it keeps the logistics down to a minimum. Afterwards, I hung out and listened to the ladies complain about schools. I'm so glad to hear Israelis concerned with the same things that bother me: there don't seem to be any schools that offer both a strong religious and secular education.
While I was being all social with the ladies, BSM was being all social with the kids. And with the kid-sized table and chairs. And with the olives that fell off of their tree. I warned him that fresh olives are not entirely edible, but he took a bite anyway. I was all ready with the sympathy/I-told-you-so, but he did not react with the horror I expected from someone who just tasted an unprocessed olive. He just took another bite. What the heck???
This week, as always, there was a kiddush/shiur after davening. The eclectic collection of rabbis who were quoted in the speech (Rav Riskin, the Kloyzenburger Rebbe, Rav [J.B.] Soloveitchik, and the Sfas Emes) confirmed that this is a great community for us.
In the afternoon, I finally made it over to the ladies' shiur. I like that kids are welcome to come: they're not that distracting, and it keeps the logistics down to a minimum. Afterwards, I hung out and listened to the ladies complain about schools. I'm so glad to hear Israelis concerned with the same things that bother me: there don't seem to be any schools that offer both a strong religious and secular education.
While I was being all social with the ladies, BSM was being all social with the kids. And with the kid-sized table and chairs. And with the olives that fell off of their tree. I warned him that fresh olives are not entirely edible, but he took a bite anyway. I was all ready with the sympathy/I-told-you-so, but he did not react with the horror I expected from someone who just tasted an unprocessed olive. He just took another bite. What the heck???
Friday, September 12, 2014
Day 212 (Done!)
Fans. Done. Prey on my mind no more!
I managed to stay focused this morning, even with the fans, so the floors got sponja-ed while BSM was in daycare! It's nice to have clean floors again.
Speaking of BSM being in daycare, when he came home today, Dikla gave me two drawings. My little boy can color! Oh, I'm so proud of him!
In odder news, I made techina today. Husbinator bought a jar of techina base for me, and when I opened it, it seemed much thinner than it should be: especially since the directions say to add water. It did taste very concentrated, though, so I poured some out and added water (along garlic, lemon juice, and salt). Weird fact: when you mix a little water into techina concentrate, it gets thicker. Wild. So I added more water until it thinned out again. Learn something new every day, eh? I wonder why, but Erev Shabbos is not the day for scientific literature searches.
***
I managed to stay focused this morning, even with the fans, so the floors got sponja-ed while BSM was in daycare! It's nice to have clean floors again.
Speaking of BSM being in daycare, when he came home today, Dikla gave me two drawings. My little boy can color! Oh, I'm so proud of him!
In odder news, I made techina today. Husbinator bought a jar of techina base for me, and when I opened it, it seemed much thinner than it should be: especially since the directions say to add water. It did taste very concentrated, though, so I poured some out and added water (along garlic, lemon juice, and salt). Weird fact: when you mix a little water into techina concentrate, it gets thicker. Wild. So I added more water until it thinned out again. Learn something new every day, eh? I wonder why, but Erev Shabbos is not the day for scientific literature searches.
***
Day 211 (nearly there...)
The fans are UP. All fans are attached to the ceiling and in operating order, all fan blades are attached to the fans. Now we just have to get shorter light bulbs so the glass globe thingies will fit on, and then we can throw away the boxes.
I applied to two jobs, so I have that mixed feeling of productivity and uselessness, but there it is.
Other excitement today included talking to Eeeema! I also got a text from a woman on the Yishuv whom I shall call Avigayil, inviting me (and BSM) over for a playdate. The kids had a good time, and, more importantly, so did the mommies. At one point we were laughing so hard that Avigayil's son asked us what we were talking about. With amused horror, I answered the question honestly: "Laundry." There we were, having a great time giggling over... laundry. What have we come to?
I applied to two jobs, so I have that mixed feeling of productivity and uselessness, but there it is.
Other excitement today included talking to Eeeema! I also got a text from a woman on the Yishuv whom I shall call Avigayil, inviting me (and BSM) over for a playdate. The kids had a good time, and, more importantly, so did the mommies. At one point we were laughing so hard that Avigayil's son asked us what we were talking about. With amused horror, I answered the question honestly: "Laundry." There we were, having a great time giggling over... laundry. What have we come to?
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Day 210 (Is it fans? Yes, it is!)
One day, the fans will be installed and I'll hardly give them a second thought. Until then, they consume me. Gah.
Since our neighbor came yesterday and spent a good bit of time and effort to diagnose and fix the problem with the fan we installed, we felt we should really hire him. It's only polite. Also, neither I nor Husbinator really had a burning desire to get more anchor plates into the ceiling. Frustrating work, that. So I assembled fans and fan blades and took down light fixtures this morning, and DIN, as I shall call this neighbor of ours, spent two hours putting in the rest of the anchor plates and making sure each hookup actually worked. I'm really glad we hired him: one of the hookups he was working with had wires coming and going in five (5!!!) separate directions. Oh, and DIN confirmed that our hookups are a really, really tricky size. Ha.
We still have to move one fan off of its hook and onto the anchor plate, and put the blades on two fans. Then we're done. And no one needs to hear or obsess over fans for a really long time. Until then, I'll just note that even with paying DIN to help with installation, these fans are still cheaper than any but the most basic floor fans.
Since our neighbor came yesterday and spent a good bit of time and effort to diagnose and fix the problem with the fan we installed, we felt we should really hire him. It's only polite. Also, neither I nor Husbinator really had a burning desire to get more anchor plates into the ceiling. Frustrating work, that. So I assembled fans and fan blades and took down light fixtures this morning, and DIN, as I shall call this neighbor of ours, spent two hours putting in the rest of the anchor plates and making sure each hookup actually worked. I'm really glad we hired him: one of the hookups he was working with had wires coming and going in five (5!!!) separate directions. Oh, and DIN confirmed that our hookups are a really, really tricky size. Ha.
We still have to move one fan off of its hook and onto the anchor plate, and put the blades on two fans. Then we're done. And no one needs to hear or obsess over fans for a really long time. Until then, I'll just note that even with paying DIN to help with installation, these fans are still cheaper than any but the most basic floor fans.
Day 209 (less stoopit fans)
About a week ago, I tried to buy BSM's iron supplement from the pharmacy near my house. The lady verty kindly offered to sell it to me, but told me it would be about half the price if I went to a Clalit pharmacy. (Clalit is my insurance company.) So today I went into Yerushalayim and bought the iron supplement from a Clalit pharmacy at about half price.
Since I parked in a grocery store's parking lot, I stopped in to see if they had anything we could use. They didn't, at least not at prices I liked. It's funny: every time I go into a new grocery store, I have mixed emotions. I'm disappointed that I won't be getting good bargains there, but I also feel satisfaction bordering on a strange pride that my grocery store has such good prices.
I don't feel this way about the hardware store in the shopping center closest to the Yishuv, though, so while in Yerushalayim, I went to various hardware stores and bought stuff for the house. Extension cords, some hooks, plastic bins, etc etc. I also bought curtains for the living room, though when I say "curtains," I mean "300 centimeter-long tablecloths." I folded over and sewed one end of each tablecloth throughout the day, and hung them tonight. Privacy at last!
In baby news, BSM cut another tooth yesterday or today. That's 5 teeth on the left and 2 on the right. I predict more teething in the near future... In other baby news, when I came to pick up the tiniest of Spidermen this afternoon, he looked at me, then walked away toward something more interesting than his mother. I really am happy that he loves daycare. Very, very happy. You see, he gives me lots of snuggles and wants me when he's sad, so I don't feel insecure :-)
Getting to the title of today's post, our handyman-neighbor stopped by today, and fixed our fan. It seems (so obviously once he diagnosed the problem) that I pulled the neutral wire loose while installing the fan. The incomplete circuit meant the fan wouldn't work. Ta-dum! He patched up the neutral wires and clicked in the fan, and magic! The fan went round and round! YAY!
***
Tablecloth curtains. Not too bad. We'll have to tie them up when BSM is awake, but we mostly need them after dark, anyway.
Since I parked in a grocery store's parking lot, I stopped in to see if they had anything we could use. They didn't, at least not at prices I liked. It's funny: every time I go into a new grocery store, I have mixed emotions. I'm disappointed that I won't be getting good bargains there, but I also feel satisfaction bordering on a strange pride that my grocery store has such good prices.
In baby news, BSM cut another tooth yesterday or today. That's 5 teeth on the left and 2 on the right. I predict more teething in the near future... In other baby news, when I came to pick up the tiniest of Spidermen this afternoon, he looked at me, then walked away toward something more interesting than his mother. I really am happy that he loves daycare. Very, very happy. You see, he gives me lots of snuggles and wants me when he's sad, so I don't feel insecure :-)
Getting to the title of today's post, our handyman-neighbor stopped by today, and fixed our fan. It seems (so obviously once he diagnosed the problem) that I pulled the neutral wire loose while installing the fan. The incomplete circuit meant the fan wouldn't work. Ta-dum! He patched up the neutral wires and clicked in the fan, and magic! The fan went round and round! YAY!
***
Tablecloth curtains. Not too bad. We'll have to tie them up when BSM is awake, but we mostly need them after dark, anyway.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Day 208 (cheer, but no Unifying Theme)
This morning, when I knocked on Dikla's door to drop off BSM, he started making his little "Ah, ah" noise that he makes whenever he wants something. So I maneuvered him closer to the direction in which his little hands were stretched, and he grabbed the door handle and tried to open the door. I'm so happy that he loves going to daycare.
I also really like that the supermarket near the Yishuv has a shelf of grade B produce for 3 ILS/kg (that's 38 cents per pound, using today's exchange rate). This means that I get to bake with fruit. This past Shabbos I made a delicious peach pie (recipe below), and today I just felt like baking muffins, so I baked peach muffins. (That recipe is also below.) I've never baked muffins with classic muffin tops before. It's fun. And as Husbinator said, "The muffins are brown, so you even get to pretend you're eating something healthy!"
AND BSM took a solid two hour nap this afternoon, instead of his usual seemingly-solid hour-and-a-half nap, so he was actually cheerful when he woke up, and remained cheerful until bedtime. 'Twas glorious, indeed, and I celebrated by taking him to the playground behind our house, and he had a great time climbing and sliding and looking and pointing.
Oh, AND he took a bath without my having to put on shorts and a T-shirt and climb in with him. Granted, this bath contained neither soap nor shampoo, but since it also didn't contain me or BSM tears, I'm cool with that. Give him a couple days to get used to being the only human in the tub, then I'll break out the shampoo. Meanwhile, rubbing the dirt off with only water will do just fine, thank you very much.
***
Peach Pie (Paula Deen)
I also really like that the supermarket near the Yishuv has a shelf of grade B produce for 3 ILS/kg (that's 38 cents per pound, using today's exchange rate). This means that I get to bake with fruit. This past Shabbos I made a delicious peach pie (recipe below), and today I just felt like baking muffins, so I baked peach muffins. (That recipe is also below.) I've never baked muffins with classic muffin tops before. It's fun. And as Husbinator said, "The muffins are brown, so you even get to pretend you're eating something healthy!"
AND BSM took a solid two hour nap this afternoon, instead of his usual seemingly-solid hour-and-a-half nap, so he was actually cheerful when he woke up, and remained cheerful until bedtime. 'Twas glorious, indeed, and I celebrated by taking him to the playground behind our house, and he had a great time climbing and sliding and looking and pointing.
Oh, AND he took a bath without my having to put on shorts and a T-shirt and climb in with him. Granted, this bath contained neither soap nor shampoo, but since it also didn't contain me or BSM tears, I'm cool with that. Give him a couple days to get used to being the only human in the tub, then I'll break out the shampoo. Meanwhile, rubbing the dirt off with only water will do just fine, thank you very much.
***
Peach Pie (Paula Deen)
7 cups fresh peaches, peeled and thickly sliced (can substitute frozen slices)
½ lemon, juiced (I used 3T lemon juice)
1 ½ cups sugar
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon nutmeg (I don't love nutmeg, and I don't have any on hand, so I substituted cinnamon)
5 tablespoons butter, divided (if you use unsalted margarine, remember to add a pinch of salt)
1 prepared pastry for a 9” double crust pie
1 egg
½ lemon, juiced (I used 3T lemon juice)
1 ½ cups sugar
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon nutmeg (I don't love nutmeg, and I don't have any on hand, so I substituted cinnamon)
5 tablespoons butter, divided (if you use unsalted margarine, remember to add a pinch of salt)
1 prepared pastry for a 9” double crust pie
1 egg
Pre heat oven to 425º F.
Roll one half of the pie dough out to fit the bottom of your pie pan, allowing a 1” over hang and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
In a large sauce pan, add peaches, lemon juice, sugar and flour and stir until coated. Bring fruit mixture to a low boil. Reduce heat to low and cook until fruit is just slightly tender. Remove pan from heat. Stir in almond extract, nutmeg and three tablespoons butter. Allow to cool slightly.
Remove pie pan from refrigerator and fill with the cooled mixture. Dot the top of the fruit with the pieces of the remaining two tablespoons butter. Roll out the second crust and decorate the top of the pie with a lattice top or any special way you like. (If covering the top of your pie completely with the top crust, make sure to cut slits in the top to allow the steam to escape) Decoratively crimp the edges.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg together with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the top of your pie with the egg wash.
Bake for 10 minutes then lower heat to 350ºF for an additional 30 minutes or until the top is golden and the fruit is bubbly.
Cool before slicing.
***
4 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice (I don't have any on hand, so I skipped it)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I don't have any on hand, so I skipped it)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (since I skipped 1 t of other spices, I put in 2t cinnamon)
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice (I don't have any on hand, so I skipped it)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I don't have any on hand, so I skipped it)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (since I skipped 1 t of other spices, I put in 2t cinnamon)
(I also threw in a little more than a teaspoon of vanilla)2 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups milk
4 peaches, diced (not peeled) or 3 cups small whole berries or other fruit, diced
granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups milk
4 peaches, diced (not peeled) or 3 cups small whole berries or other fruit, diced
granulated sugar
Combine flour, salt, baking powder, brown sugar, allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in eggs, vegetable oil and milk, then gently stir in fruit. Grease 16 muffin cups, and heap batter into cups; they'll be very full. (I.e., fill those cups all the way up to the tippy top.) Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until muffins test done. Makes 16 muffins. (I used foil muffin cups that seem a bit larger than I remember my muffin tins as being, and I made 18 muffins.)
Day 207 (TWO stoopit fans)
The good news is that it takes me about 5 minutes to put together and hang a fan assuming that (1) I've put together this model fan recently and (2) the anchor plate is already installed in the ceiling. The bad news is that the second fan didn't work any better than the first fan. Thank G-d, I met another one of our neighbors this morning, and he's a handyman, so I asked him to help us out. I figure if he can diagnose what the heckles is going on with this one (or two, but who's counting), we can install the other 4 or 5. Growl.
In much more cheerful news, I got to Skype with Ema and Abba today. That was very good stuff; we should do that more often. It also reminded me that at some point I want to take a video of the house for a little virtual tour, but what are the chances of that happening any time soon?
In other cheerful news, Husbinator and I had a low-key date night. He doesn't work on Sundays, so after BSM went to bed, we made a nice hamburger dinner, and watched a movie. Nothing crazy, but definitely a date night. Ahhh.
In much more cheerful news, I got to Skype with Ema and Abba today. That was very good stuff; we should do that more often. It also reminded me that at some point I want to take a video of the house for a little virtual tour, but what are the chances of that happening any time soon?
In other cheerful news, Husbinator and I had a low-key date night. He doesn't work on Sundays, so after BSM went to bed, we made a nice hamburger dinner, and watched a movie. Nothing crazy, but definitely a date night. Ahhh.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Day 205 (stoopit fan)
Husbinator and I took time on an Erev Shabbos to finish putting up the fan. We even kept putting it up after BSM got home from daycare. This means that we perforce let our 14-month-old play with screws and anchors and screwdriver tips so we could finally clean up our spare bedroom and have a ceiling fan (and light) in it. In the end, we did finish putting the fan together and wiring it and hanging it on the anchor plate. And the darn thing won't turn on. We took it down, checked the wires, rehung it, nada.
ACK!
We asked our Shabbos guests to bring a voltmeter, and they did. In fact, Mr. Guest had just installed the second ceiling fan in his home, so he took the fan down himself, tested the wires (they were good), and rehung the fan. Still nothing. Nice to know we didn't mess up, frustrating anyway. Gar, gar, gar.
ACK!
We asked our Shabbos guests to bring a voltmeter, and they did. In fact, Mr. Guest had just installed the second ceiling fan in his home, so he took the fan down himself, tested the wires (they were good), and rehung the fan. Still nothing. Nice to know we didn't mess up, frustrating anyway. Gar, gar, gar.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Day 204 (more DIY)
I finished putting the crib together today (with another trip to the hardware store, of course), and then I turned to the ceiling fan.
The combination of having a concrete ceiling and wires coming out of the fixture hook-up in two separate directions is making securing the anchor plate considerably more complicated than we anticipated. We knew about the concrete ceiling: hence the hammer-drill and the safety goggles (and the impromptu face mask that I yoinksed from Husbinator: if I do the laundry, and I find an undershirt with almost as much "hole" as "shirt", I will absolutely claim it as my very own bandana/shmatte). Also because of the concrete ceiling, we bought some super-special anchors. I think they're called sleeve anchors. I could now tell a a long, boring story about bolt diameters and nut diameters and drill-bit sizes and frustration.
Instead, I will talk about BSM. He's named after both mine and Husbinator's grandfathers. My Grandpa owned a hardware store for years and years. My little BSM is a holy terror in hardware stores. He likes grabbing things in grocery stores, and he just haaas to play with things in toystores, but Heaven help us all when that boy gets into a hardware store. Hinges! Screws! Drill bits! Boxes of nails and sections of pipe! I now only go to the hardware store when BSM is in daycare.
The combination of having a concrete ceiling and wires coming out of the fixture hook-up in two separate directions is making securing the anchor plate considerably more complicated than we anticipated. We knew about the concrete ceiling: hence the hammer-drill and the safety goggles (and the impromptu face mask that I yoinksed from Husbinator: if I do the laundry, and I find an undershirt with almost as much "hole" as "shirt", I will absolutely claim it as my very own bandana/shmatte). Also because of the concrete ceiling, we bought some super-special anchors. I think they're called sleeve anchors. I could now tell a a long, boring story about bolt diameters and nut diameters and drill-bit sizes and frustration.
Instead, I will talk about BSM. He's named after both mine and Husbinator's grandfathers. My Grandpa owned a hardware store for years and years. My little BSM is a holy terror in hardware stores. He likes grabbing things in grocery stores, and he just haaas to play with things in toystores, but Heaven help us all when that boy gets into a hardware store. Hinges! Screws! Drill bits! Boxes of nails and sections of pipe! I now only go to the hardware store when BSM is in daycare.
Day 203 (DIY)
I mostly put together a crib today, and I took down the light fixture in the spare bedroom, and I studied the instructions for installing the ceiling fans we bought. When I stopped by the local hardware store to pick up another drill bit and a pair of safety glasses, the owner of the store gave me a drawn out, "Hi!" Then he followed up with the (English), "Long time no see!" Yeah, I kind of go there a lot. I don't think I've been there twice in one day yet, but I may be wrong.
Meanwhile, Husbinator was directing furniture delivery. When we moved to the Yishuv, the Aunty Em clan looked at their furniture and offered us two couches, a large desk, a computer chair, and an area rug. We need all of these things (we don't have any sofas coming in our lift, and Husbinator has been working from a too-small desk). But alas, we left our well-loved Jeep Grand Cherokee in America. Instead, we now have a deeply beloved Hyundai Accent (which claims to be a Hyundai Esteem), and that's not moving a whole lot of furniture.
So Husbinator searched on Janglo (a forum for English-speakers in Israel), and he found a couple of private delivery guys. You know the type: he owns a pickup truck, grabs a buddy, and poof! Instant movers! Well, when Husbinator met the guys, they did not have a pickup truck. They did not have an SUV. They did not even have a crossover with a roof rack. This is what they had:
For those of you who can't see the picture, I shall describe their "truck" in words: a teeny little hatchback with a pallet tied onto the roof. Seriously. And with this little engine that could, they moved two couches, one large desk, a computer chair, and an area rug. In one trip.
It's lovely to have a fully-furnished dwelling again. Couches are awesome.
Meanwhile, Husbinator was directing furniture delivery. When we moved to the Yishuv, the Aunty Em clan looked at their furniture and offered us two couches, a large desk, a computer chair, and an area rug. We need all of these things (we don't have any sofas coming in our lift, and Husbinator has been working from a too-small desk). But alas, we left our well-loved Jeep Grand Cherokee in America. Instead, we now have a deeply beloved Hyundai Accent (which claims to be a Hyundai Esteem), and that's not moving a whole lot of furniture.
So Husbinator searched on Janglo (a forum for English-speakers in Israel), and he found a couple of private delivery guys. You know the type: he owns a pickup truck, grabs a buddy, and poof! Instant movers! Well, when Husbinator met the guys, they did not have a pickup truck. They did not have an SUV. They did not even have a crossover with a roof rack. This is what they had:
For those of you who can't see the picture, I shall describe their "truck" in words: a teeny little hatchback with a pallet tied onto the roof. Seriously. And with this little engine that could, they moved two couches, one large desk, a computer chair, and an area rug. In one trip.
It's lovely to have a fully-furnished dwelling again. Couches are awesome.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Day 202 (cuteness and niceness and goodness)
This morning (the morning after our little trip to the little zoo), BSM picked up a plastic goat and said, "Meeeeehhh," repeatedly. I tried to get it on video, but as soon as I took out the cellphone, he just wanted to play with that. As soon as the cellphone was away, BSM went back to bleating at his goat. (Or perhaps with his goat. I don't know.)
I'm also fairly cetain that BSM said "dai" to me today. "Dai" as in "Dayenu", as in "enough," as in the official motto of the Israeli Toddler's Association. The boy is 14 months old.
This afternoon, when I was playing with BSM on the sidewalk, one of the women from shul passed me with her kids and invited me to come with them to the park. That is nice. I appreciate that. So we did, and she and I chatted as much as we could between not letting our kids do anything too dangerous. This is a nice lady, I tell you.
Also in the good/nice category, Rabbi Rimon, who wrote the Shmita book that I keep gushing about, spoke at the Yishuv tonight. Husbinator stayed home with sleeping BSM (who woke up sobbing for the first time in a while--woops), and I went to the Shmita shiur. It was enlightening and interesting, and I gained some clarity on a few points I wasn't 100% on from what I've read so far of his book. Good stuff.
I'm also fairly cetain that BSM said "dai" to me today. "Dai" as in "Dayenu", as in "enough," as in the official motto of the Israeli Toddler's Association. The boy is 14 months old.
This afternoon, when I was playing with BSM on the sidewalk, one of the women from shul passed me with her kids and invited me to come with them to the park. That is nice. I appreciate that. So we did, and she and I chatted as much as we could between not letting our kids do anything too dangerous. This is a nice lady, I tell you.
Also in the good/nice category, Rabbi Rimon, who wrote the Shmita book that I keep gushing about, spoke at the Yishuv tonight. Husbinator stayed home with sleeping BSM (who woke up sobbing for the first time in a while--woops), and I went to the Shmita shiur. It was enlightening and interesting, and I gained some clarity on a few points I wasn't 100% on from what I've read so far of his book. Good stuff.
Day 201 (hangin')
Labor day: a day in which we rest from labor. Not celebrated in Israel on the first Monday of September, unless one of the family members works American hours.
We had a nice, relaxing day, ending with the little zoo that's about a half-hour away.
In the morning, we got a call from an accountant's office. We met him at the fair for immigrants a few weeks ago, and we've been trying to set up an initial consultation since then. Since we're constrained by American working hours (see above), and the accountant is based out of Ramat Gan (which is not particularly close to us), finding a mutually agreeable time has been rather difficult. In fact, it's been so difficult that we've decided not to work with this guy (as wonderful as we are sure he is), and look for someone closer to home, instead. Unfortunately, we've had a hard time communicating that to the accountant's Israeli secretary. Being nice and tactful and non-confrontational, and all.
Back to today, when we got two calls from the secretary. The second time she called, I spontaneously decided to be blunt and clear. After all, I read about being blunt and clear and concise in an article about Israeli communication styles that I read in ulpan. So I thanked her for the office's tremendous efforts to get together, but since we're so inflexible, we'll have to go with someone closer. She said that the accountant is so, so flexible, and she's sure we can arrange a meeting any time that's good for us. I thanked her again, and told her we will find a different accountant. Okay, have a good day, all the best. Done! Oh, the feelings of victory and freedom and jubilation and pride! I can't believe I just did that, but yay and yay and yay.
In the evening, Husbinator and I took BSM (or BSM and I took Husbinator, depending how you look at it) to the little zoo that BSM and I visited recently. We had a nice time looking at and feeding the animals. We also ate lots and lots of fresh figs, since the little zoo is full of fig trees. So, so yummy. When we were done, Husbinator finally saw BSM go down (and up) a slide. Fun for the whole family! Only 5 shekel a head! It was a very nice outing.
In other news, later tonight, it was really cool. As in, I sat outside for a bit and got a little too chilly. Aaaaaahhhhhhh.
We had a nice, relaxing day, ending with the little zoo that's about a half-hour away.
In the morning, we got a call from an accountant's office. We met him at the fair for immigrants a few weeks ago, and we've been trying to set up an initial consultation since then. Since we're constrained by American working hours (see above), and the accountant is based out of Ramat Gan (which is not particularly close to us), finding a mutually agreeable time has been rather difficult. In fact, it's been so difficult that we've decided not to work with this guy (as wonderful as we are sure he is), and look for someone closer to home, instead. Unfortunately, we've had a hard time communicating that to the accountant's Israeli secretary. Being nice and tactful and non-confrontational, and all.
Back to today, when we got two calls from the secretary. The second time she called, I spontaneously decided to be blunt and clear. After all, I read about being blunt and clear and concise in an article about Israeli communication styles that I read in ulpan. So I thanked her for the office's tremendous efforts to get together, but since we're so inflexible, we'll have to go with someone closer. She said that the accountant is so, so flexible, and she's sure we can arrange a meeting any time that's good for us. I thanked her again, and told her we will find a different accountant. Okay, have a good day, all the best. Done! Oh, the feelings of victory and freedom and jubilation and pride! I can't believe I just did that, but yay and yay and yay.
In the evening, Husbinator and I took BSM (or BSM and I took Husbinator, depending how you look at it) to the little zoo that BSM and I visited recently. We had a nice time looking at and feeding the animals. We also ate lots and lots of fresh figs, since the little zoo is full of fig trees. So, so yummy. When we were done, Husbinator finally saw BSM go down (and up) a slide. Fun for the whole family! Only 5 shekel a head! It was a very nice outing.
In other news, later tonight, it was really cool. As in, I sat outside for a bit and got a little too chilly. Aaaaaahhhhhhh.
Monday, September 1, 2014
Day 200 (fence)
We put up lots and lots of bamboo today. A job well done: all fences are now bamboo-ed. Almost. The last 10 yards between our house and the shul still need bamboo, but we cleaned out the hardware store, and they don't know when they'll get more in. It's okay, though: we did a good day's work.
In other news, BSM continues to seem happy at his daycare. Thank G-d!
In other news, BSM continues to seem happy at his daycare. Thank G-d!
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