Hamentaschen 2011

I made this movie about our hamentaschen this year.  We've been making them every year for a while but this year it was different for some reason.  Anyway, it was still fun, and I made this fun little video about them, so watch!

Ever since that movie "For Your Consideration" came out, Purim has a whole new meaning.  One of my favorite lines from that movie is something like "How could you do that as we all sit together at the Purim table."  I laughed so, so, so hard at that movie, but I wonder how many non-Jews thought it was funny.  Their Purim suedah was the saddest meal on earth.  I'm glad ours aren't like that!!

Purim starts Saturday night and we've got a weekend full of parties planned for us, plus giving out nice little mishloach manot packages.  How fun!  I'm looking forward to it so much I totally forgot that St Patrick's day is tomorrow.

And of course I'll probably wear the same costume I've worn for the last five years.  What can I say?

Happy Purim everyone!

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Face Jugs

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Face Jugs have a long history in the Southern US but nobody seems to know exactly their origins.  The most common stories are that they were invented as a way to warn children of the poisonous contents of the jars (be it arsenic or moonshine) or that they were meant to keep away evil spirits from the graves of family members.  Most believe the tradition began with slaves who worked pottery wheels for manufacturing goods and created face jugs for their own use.  One source even mentions that the face jugs may be an artistic coping technique, to deal with the harsh and oppressive conditions in which these people lived and worked.  The tradition of face jugs has continued to this day in many areas of the Southeast, especially in North Carolina and Georgia.
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I Heart Funamals

In this video, Amy (the artist behind Funamals) describes Funamals, how she came up with it, her past as a dancer, and is generally hilarious and awesome.  If I lived in Michigan I would try to make Amy my friend.

When I was in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a wedding I bought up a ton of her stuff at Minty Keen.  This is a store you must visit next time you find yourself in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I bought mostly presents for other people but I also bought a kitty magnet and a set of "um, hi" crab note cards for myself.  I also frequently haunt her etsy shop.  LOVE! IT!  In addition to her paintings and stationary, she sells hand-made textiles and puppets, and has a few stop-motion animation videos on her website using her paintings.  She's prolific and whimsical and really has a sense of humor that comes through her work.

Watch the video, then buy her stuff.  There is nothing else you can do.

Oh yeah, there is something else you can do, you can visit her website: www.thefunamals.com or her blog thefunamals.blogspot.com.

Growing and Not Growing

 

I had this going for 5 days.  It was really hard not to move the camera... I missed having it on me at all times.  But, I think this was a fun project.  It's nice to watch plants grow.  (Maybe I'll do more plants growing, like watching roots bud or sprouts...)

Cereal Box Gee-tar

Made By Joel strikes again! What a great blog, he has so many ideas for making fun toys and objects out of easy-to-find materials.

(Image and video credit to Made By Joel)

Sock Zombie!!!!

You've heard of sock monkeys, but how about sock zombies??

I have to make at least one of these crazy sock zombies.

Thank you, CRAFT magazine blog!

(Zombies are not just for Halloween, there could be a zombie invasion any time of the year).

Day of Atonement

Toby Cohen recreates the 1878 Maurycy Gottlieb painting, “The Day of Atonement."




Gmar chatima tova and have a safe and easy fast!






Thanks to Omanoot for the link and info about Toby Cohen's work!

Covering my hair?

I'm married and I'm Jewish and I don't cover my hair.

AHHHHH.

I mean to say: like all the other married women in my family, and most of the married women I know, I don't cover my hair. I don't want to cover my hair on a regular basis. I like my hair out and about.

However, I am going to shuls nearby that are more observant than me and I have been wondering if I should cover my hair when I'm at shul. When I would go to the Modern Orthodox shul in my neighborhood in Chicago, I would cover my hair because I wanted people to know I was married (it's kind of a single's scene sometimes) as well as out of respect of the customs of the shul. I know a few people who cover their hair only at shul, even at a Conservative shul. It feels weird to potentially wear a hat only at shul, but then again most men I know only weird their kippah at shul, too.

There's been a lot of buzz on the internet lately about women covering their hair, which has made me really think about it. If I go to one of these shuls and don't cover my hair, I am making a very strong statement. I also run the risk of people being unwilling to eat in my house (because for some reason not covering your hair - though it's not a law - will make people question your kashrut).

This is also compounded with the fact that I generally don't like the way I look in hats, and I have short hair which makes it challenging to use a scarf.

Redefining Rebbetzin posted today a link to a site (The Style Underground) where a woman not only makes scarves but also has videos on how to use them in interesting ways. Most of the techniques require having a ponytail to serve as a base for the wrap, but I could probably pull off this one:

I'm new to the community so nobody would know whether or not I always cover my hair (at shul or all the time). I'm definitely not going to cover my hair all the time, that would not be my style - although it kind of was my style freshman year of college. But maybe I will try out covering it at shul, or maybe just at some shuls, .... I DON'T KNOW. This is too much for me.

Maybe if I find a really cute scarf before Shabbat it will help me make up my mind.