Lovely World

friday

Lovely, lovely Margie of Resurrection Fern sent me this medicine bundle she made with some of her naturally-dyed fabric. Inside is a special stone. I am so happy to have this to enjoy. Margie has some recent posts up about natural dyes - go take a look. She also has a give-away going on for some of the fabrics she has made. Thank you for being a wonderful blog friend, Margie.

A few close-ups from around the house today. Happy weekend to you. I'm hoping to go to a dinner and moonlit ski at a local x-country ski center tomorrow night.

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Fear is a contraction, love is diffusion. -the Bnei Yissoscher

When I was young I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people. - Abraham Joshua Heschel

festival of lights

We have had a busy time celebrating this Hanukkah week. We attended a potluck party at our synagogue on Friday evening, and last night we hosted our annual Hanukkah party. This is always fun. The adults indulge in good food and talk, and the large gang of kids have a great time sitting together to eat at the "children's table" and planning and putting on a play about the Hanukkah story. They take great liberties in their dramatic retelling, and the costuming was quite spectacular this year. The adults also engaged in some intense dreidel game playing after dinner. Much chocolate gelt was consumed.

sweet new year

Rosh Hashanah begins this evening and I am feeling a sense of anticipation for this week of Jewish Holy Days. We are hosting the Rabbi and his family, as well as the assistant Rabbi/Cantor for dinner this evening before services. We were very honored to be asked to provide this meal, and my children are excited because they are friends with the Rabbi's children.

Rosh Hashanah brings me a sense of renewal at this harvest time. It also begins a week or so of personal review and soul searching, which culminates on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. The shofar, a ram's horn, is blown on Rosh Hashanah to symbolically "awaken" Jews from their complacent sleep to prepare for the judgement to come. The work of the Jew during these "Days of Awe" is to review one's behavior and to seek forgiveness for wrongs committed against God and against other people. On Yom Kippur, the goal is to be written in the Book of Life for another year.

My daughter borrowed one of the shofars from the synagogue last week. We have been listening to her blow it randomly all week. Sometimes it sounds pretty good. Sometimes it sounds like a sick cow, or worse. I'm hoping she will work up the will to blow it during services, if not this year, maybe next.

I added wings to my red bird, and made another bird in shades of brown. I am enjoying these little creatures, and I am so satisfied that they stand so well on those wire legs. Previous attempts at making bird legs did not go so well. I learn again that I have to make something a number of times to "figure out" how to truly make it.

holiday

 

Today I clean up (slowly, as I'm a wee bit tired) from the busyness of the past few days. Our Passover seder went well. Good company, delicious food, lots of children. The children put on a dramatic rendition of the Passover story - costumes, props, and much improvisation. Most all of our holiday celebrations are now accompanied by some sort of dramatical performance. A great tradition. Some friends stayed on quite late, and we talked and laughed and relaxed. I realize how rarely I do that anymore. Before I had kids, it was easy to stay up late. Now, sleep seems the luxury.

On Sunday, my mother had a family party at her house. That too was a nice time to catch up with each other, and remark how much all the children had grown. Holidays mark time, and I see the passing of that time most clearly at these family get-togethers.

I took the top photo at my mother's house. The bottom one is of our seder table.

children at Terezin

I recently found this book, "I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children's Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942-1944," at our public library. It broke my heart. It is so difficult to wrap my mind around the cruelty that exists in this world. Who would hurt a child? But look at the beautiful art work the children made while they were in this difficult place. It is as if by the sheer force of their creative spirit, they were able to move forward each day.

I think that this book would make a solid introduction for an older child to learn about the Holocaust of World War II. Like "The Diary of Anne Frank," this book is from the child's perspective and hence allows a contemporary child to understand history through their empathy for children in the past.

 

quotable sunday

When we really begin a new year it is decided:

who shall be truly alive; and who shall merely exist.

This is in honor of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, that my family celebrated this past week. Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, begins this evening. Yom Kippur demands a more serious reflection on the year past and the one to come. My intent is to go forward with an open heart and to "be truly alive." My hope is that all else important will follow.

more dolls and inspiration

I finished a few more Astrid dolls over the weekend. I was happy to find some (semi-) uninterrupted moments to myself after a flurry of busy events last week. Both of my kids are attending a ceramics day camp this week, so I'm hoping to catch up on some half-finished projects laying about my sewing room. The transition from school to summer is a bit strange, since we have suddenly gone from a structured schedule to a very free-form day. I feel that much of my personal creative and self-care time has taken a back burner. I'm sure I'm not alone!

I recently found these tiny boxes of sewing notions at my mother's house. I love how they look like a little library of books. They stand about 2 1/2 inches tall. One of my favorite parts is the fancy lady in silhouette on the front. It is hard to tell, but I believe she is holding her sewing.

That silhouette reminds me that I really want to try some paper cutting. I recently picked up a x-acto knife with this in mind. I am inspired by Elsita and her "The Heart of Papercuts" blog. Be sure to check out this spectacular Frida Kahlo necklace she cut. I am also constantly amazed by the work of my friend Anna Kronick. She is a well known, professionally-trained papercutter from Russia. Her work emphasizes Jewish themes, but not exclusively. We own a cut she did of the biblical Miriam in joyous dance that was given to us when our own Miriam was born 9 years ago.

golden rule

This morning at breakfast, the kids started in with that little bickering that goes on, I'm sure, between siblings everywhere. This bickering is quite irritating to me, and I have tried many strategies to deal with it. I recently came across a list of examples of the golden rule as expressed by many of the world's religions. As my kids finished their oatmeal, I talked with them about this simple "rule" and declared that in honor of the month of June, we should all try to be more mindful of being kind to each other. Kids have short term memories, and no knack for keeping track of resolutions, but I think that this Mama should practice the golden rule as often as possible as an example for her kids.

Here's the list, found in Sue Patton Thoele's "The Mindful Woman."

Buddhism: Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful. (Buddha)

Judaism: What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary. Go and learn it. (Hillel)

Christianity: In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you. (Jesus)

Islam: Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself. (The Prophet Muhammad)

Hinduism: Do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you. (Mahabharata)

Sufism: The basis of Sufism is consideration of the hearts and feelings of others. If you haven't the will to gladden someone's heart, then at least beware lest you hurt someone's heart, for this is our path. (Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh)

Native American Spirituality: All things are our relatives; what we do to everything, we do to ourselves. (Black Elk)

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Happy June. It is really starting to feel like summer.

Passover

This is Passover week. We hosted a seder Tuesday evening, with 15 guests attending. I think I've gotten the hang of hosting large gatherings, but it is a lot of work. As is the case, everyone brought something and we ended up with a delicious dinner. As a Jew by conversion, I grew up celebrating Easter. Easter was always a favorite holiday of mine: the chicks, bunnies, colored eggs, and fresh Spring flowers. I always eagerly anticipated the way that Easter ushered in Spring. Well, I must say that Passover has found my heart. For me, it too holds the promise of Spring and all the fresh possibilities of that season.

The table was beautiful with the fresh flowers and ritual objects. The above photo shows our Miriam's cup and the orange of inclusion. The orange is a feminist statement, representing women's full participation in Jewish life and practice. You can read more here. I also, finally, finished the Afikomen napkin. I was sitting at my sewing machine hemming the edges about 20 minutes before the first guests arrived. (Note to self: try harder to plan ahead and not leave things to the last minute.) The Afikomen is a piece of matzoh that is set aside and eaten at the end of the meal. Typically, it is wrapped in a napkin or placed in a bag and hidden. The children hunt for it, and ransom it back to the adults for a reward. You can read more here.

My Afikomen napkin is based on a pattern found on Purl Soho. Many thanks to Courtney over at Woodland School for leading me to this pattern! I used a cotton print for the front, and a navy linen for the back. I used a dusty rose colored embroidery thread to stitch the layers together, following the pattern on the cotton. Even though the embroidery is a simple running stitch, it took me much longer than I anticipated.

I was determined to finish this. My husband was rolling his eyes as I dashed back and forth from food preparation to embroidery and back again. But, he has a good sense of humor and told me he truly appreciated my making such a nice thing for our family. I think the wrap looks nice with the matzoh bag I made.

Passover Matzoh

Passover is coming up next week. This Jewish holiday celebrates the Jews' freedom from slavery in Egypt and their entrance into a covenant with God. A significant way this holiday is observed is by refraining from eating any leavened bread (and various other grain products), substituting matzoh instead. Matzoh is unleavened bread, a cracker really.

I have wanted to make a matzoh bag for a while now. As a Jew by conversion, I did not grow up with holiday traditions or ritual items handed down to me. By making my own, for my family, I feel I can claim them as my own. This bag is used during the seder, the ritual meal during which the Passover story is read, songs are sung, and prayers are said. Three matzoh are traditional used at the seder, and the bag has dividers to accommodate these. I've added a place for a fourth piece of matzoh as well, after talking with my mother-in-law. She told me that this fourth piece is called, in modern observance, the matzoh of peace. I really liked that idea.

I love the fabric I chose. The top and bottom are a high quality 100% cotton vintage 1800s print. The interior dividers and bias trim are 100% linen in navy. I hemmed each layer of fabric for the opening to the bag. Then, I stacked the fabrics and sewed around three sides. Finally, I made a bias tape out of the navy linen (an interesting process in itself), and machine and hand-stitched this into place. I am going to use the fabric that is in the background of these photos for another passover project - an afikoman cover. The afikoman is a piece of matzoh that has been broken off one of the main pieces. It is wrapped up and hidden somewhere around the house for the children to find. Usually, the children receive some sort of reward (coins, small amusements) for bringing the afikomen back to the table. At the end of the seder, everyone eats a piece of the afikomen, signaling the conclusion of the meal.

A final thing to share is this sweet children's book, Jewish Days and Holidays, I recently found second-hand. It was published back in the 1970s. I love the simple text and the style of the illustrations. A check on Amazon indicates that it is out of print, although some used copies are available.