Things That Make Me Giggle and Clap

Can you see that really cute little graphic above?

Now, go and look at the top of your screen, or the tab in Firefox or IE, and you will see that same little cute graphic (can you tell that it's my shoes from my blog header?) next to the name of my blog!!!!

It's called a favicon and I have wanted one for a while. But it was too hard to get Blogger to do it.

Then I came across this great blog called Blogger Buster and let me tell you, it rocks.

In this post about favicons, Blogger Buster Queen (Goddess?) Amanda tells you how to make it work in Blogger. And so I did it! (Then I shared with my husband, who agreed that it's cool. Big praise! For the big test: What do you think, Dad?) Personally, I giggled and clapped.

While we're on the subject of Blogger (which I'm quite content using, by the way), Blogger Buster is also running a cool contest.

Since I've never been shy about making my say, here's the feature I want from Blogger:
A simple, easy-to-use method for backing up my blog, for exporting all my posts and comments into an off-line site so that my paranoia about losing all my work on my blog can end. Please?

(Because this is the current method that Blogger recommends for backing up your blog. And it sounds scary and awful. No thank you. I'll stick with paranoia about losing it rather than actually doing the losing on my own!)

Oh, and numbered comments would be nice too. But I'll go with my first wish.

There. I've put it out there. And you can too -- go to the Blogger Wish List or visit Blogger Buster for your own chance to enter this competition and have your say!

What would you change about Blogger?

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Five Places I've Been This Week:

Cottage Cheese Roast (sounds weirdly yummy)

Honey-Baked French Toast (I'm on a cooking kick, obviously. This was made for Shabbat morning in honor of "land of milk and honey" in this week's Torah portion. It was so good.)

Wordle - I think this looks so cool but I can't get it to work, keeps crashing in both Ffox and IE. What's up!?

Official Jewish Tartan - kippah tip to Susan

Ephraim's Crossword Puzzle Pointers - kippah tip to my mom

from my del.icio.us - where have you been?

Haveil Havalim is up!....and 5 places I've Been This Week

It's in 2 parts, Haveil Havalim Part 1 here and Haveil Havalim Part 2 here....and as usual, it's chock-full of the best of the Jewish blogosphere. Go check it out and learn something new!


Five Places I've Been This Week

Hypermiling

Crock-Pot Felafel ?!

Winter-Share CSA, count me in!

How to back up a blogger blog (I asked my twitter friends but had to google for the answer!)

Can Jews go Lox-Free?

from my del.icio.us
Where have you been?

Memes & Five Places....

Meme #1: From Auntie Liz...(she sent it on email)
You can only use one word and it's not as easy as you might think. Now copy or forward, change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It's really hard to only use one word answers.
1. Where is your cell phone? Counter
2. Where is your significant other? Here
3. Your hair? Curly
4. Your mother? Wise
5. Your father? Pal
6. Your favorite thing? Blog
7. Your dream last night? good
8. Your dream/goal? joy
9. The room you're in? playroom
10. Your fear? loss
11. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
12. Where were you last night? Ravinia
13. What you're not? Patient
14. Muffins? Yep.
15. One of your wish list items? DSLR (is that really one word?)
16. Where you grew up? Wisconsin
17. The last thing you did? Cook
18. What are you wearing? Comfy
19. Your TV? Nice.
20. Your pet? Children
21. Your computer? Laptop
22 Your life? Rockin'
23. Your mood? Calm
24. Missing someone? Harry
25. Your car? Hedwig
26. Something you're not wearing? Makeup
27. Your summer? Great.
28. Your favorite color? Purple
29. When is the last time you laughed? Lunch
30. Last time you cried? Movies
31. Who will resend this? Anyone!

(Feel free to play along....Consider yourself tagged!)

Meme #2: From Jendeis

This meme originated over an idea that was prompted by the book written by Larry Smith & Rachel Fershleiser, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure. It's a compilation based on the story that Hemingway once bet ten dollars that he could sum up his life in six words. His words were, "For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn."

The Rules
1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it to your blog including a visual illustration if you would like.
3. Link to the person who tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.

My six word memoir: "Blessings abound, it's not over yet!"

(Feel free to play along....Consider yourself tagged!)

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Five Places I've Been This Week

Sarah Silverman's Sister is a Rabbi!?

The Resume of the Future

Sustainable Shavuot Menu

ALA Recommended Reading List

Salmon and Feta Pasta...yum!

from my del.icio.us -- where have you been?

AND! Haveil Havalim is up over by Jack. It's wonderful, as usual...a great roundup of the week's Jewish blogosphere.

Chag Sameach!!!!!
(That means, Happy Shavuot!)

five places i've been this week

it's been a long and busy week. i've been barely keeping up...and definitely not reading/writing/responding to comments. sorry! but i've been out and about a little...so here are five places i've been this week...and here's to a new week of far more sleep and therefore far more motivation!

Using Unsharp Mask

Wooden Car Mezuzot (I have one of these and I want another one for my new car)

60 Things this Very Funny Guy Likes About Israel...from 60bloggers

Postville...are you following this story?!

Can I make these? Actually, I just want to eat them. But making them leads to eating...go click. Trust me.

From my del.icio.us...where have you been this week?

five places i've been this week

Which companies are green?

Ruth Gruber's excellent op-ed remembrance of 1948

Electric Radiant Floor Heating for Basement....mmm....this sounds nice.

Cool Laptop Skins (i'm so getting one of these for my hubby for dad's day...now you all know and he doesn't because he doesn't read my blog!)

Snacktime! *our new favorite musical obsession*


from my del.icio.us - where have you been?

(I promise to return to some normal posts tomorrow:-)

five places i've been this week

Haveil Havalim -- the Jewish blog carnival. I'm the host this week! Submit your post at this link...or email me directly phyl613 at yahoo.com!

Israel's youngest fallen soldier

First and Last Frost Dates...I'm planning to grow me some tomatoes.

Toilet Paper Roll craft ideas - something to do with 'em!

Molly's Kindergarten Journal ...feeling inadequate but also inspired!

from my del.icio.us ...where have you been this week?

Opportunitiy to Help...and Five Places I've Been

The Bloggers helping Jeni auction is now up and running, arranged by the amazing Bella. This is an amazing opportunity to help out Jen Ballantyne, who blogs here at The Comfy Place. She is currently in hospice but still blogging, her latest post was about how much she wants to help others. Go check out the auction by clicking here to go straight to the ebay store they have set up.

There are over 130 items in the auction, including:
* photography
* one of kind services and gifts
* gift certificates to online boutiques
* Hand Crafted items
* Yummy Bath Products
* Toys and clothing for baby and child
* Jewelry
* much more!

The auction will be up and running until Thursday, May 1st.

I think this is truly harnessing the power of the blogosphere. It's amazing that most, if not all, of the people who are participating have never met Jeni IRL (in real life). I find that to be awesome....

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Five Places I've Been This Week...

Toyota 2009 Corolla...welcome to the family, Hedwig the Corolla! Stay tuned for pics;-)

Healthy Living Organic T-shirts

Hadag Nachash lyrics...my latest music obsession

Family car stickers ...I had no idea I was such a trend-setter? follower?

Flourless chocolate-walnut cookies

from my del.icio.us -- where have you been?

Farfel & Cheese Casserole (and Five Places I've Been)

By popular request, from my recent post on Pesach cooking, here is the recipe for Farfel and Cheese Casserole. (Any one else missing the jewish-food.org archives? Where did they go?)

Farfel and Cheese Casserole

Original source: Laura Shomshak, via jewish-food.org

Yield 5-6 servings

3 1/2 cups matzah farfel (or 7 boards, crushed by your kids with rolling pins)
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
3 large eggs
1 tsp salt
pepper, onion powder, garlic powder to taste
2 cups fat-free yogurt
1 cup milk
1/2 pound (or more) grated cheddar cheese

Combine ingredients in a bowl. Butter/grease a casserole dish. Transfer mix to casserole, bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes until brown on top and bubbly around the edges.

(If your family is adventurous, you could add mushrooms, spinach, or even a can of tuna to this recipe.)

Delicious! What's your favorite recipe for Pesach?

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Five Places I've Been This Week

Healthy, Sustainable Passover Resources

Removing Permanent Marker

Jen's Going to Rwanda!

Feeding your fish on Pesach

Want Obama at your Seder?

from my del.icio.us...where have you been this week?

Five Places I've Been This Week

YahaDudes - I got one in duty free in Ben Gurion!

Irena Sendler Project

Pesach Art Projects

Child Restraint Laws by state

Ooh pretty

from my del.icio.us -- where have you been?

five places i've been this week

Anne Frank's One True Love (I just met Hannah Pick, Anne's childhood friend, while in Jerusalem. So this story called out to me...)

Make-Your-Own Breakfast Bars...interesting idea!

Help out the forgetful tooth fairy (guess who has his first loose tooth!?)

Say it ain't so!!!!!


My Outsourced Life by AJ Jacobs, a really funny and slightly scary article...I met him today!

Plus a bonus....this is pretty darn funny. I'm sure I'm the last person to find it but I still thought it was cute!

From my del.icio.us...where have you been?

five six places i've been this week

all about the crayola crayon colors (kippah tip to frume sarah)

wonder woman is just a chick in tights

caveman in the crib

you know your wife's a blogger when...

jen ballantyne's question: what would you do?

meet maya rubin

from my del.icio.us
where have you been?

p.s. i'm off to israel so there won't be any links next week...but i have learned how to post from email so there will be posts:-)

five places i've been this week

sweatshirt into cozy baby

psychedelic cupcakes

sayablessing.com -- tell me this is a joke?

13 annoying things to do at big-box stores

child barred from class in residency dispute -- kafka in real life?

from my del.icio.us

Where have you been?
Leave me your links...

aren't you excited? and five places I've Been This Week

Random List of Things I'm Excited About:

• Bring it On: In it To Win It is on TV. Yes, I'm that girl. I actually missed the premiere on abcFamily because the Packers game ran over...but my husband (isn't he great) found another time to TiVo it...
• Tomorrow's big Bloggy Giveaway party. I'm joining in, even though I just finished my big Tu BiShevat party... in case you need help, check out this post on preparing yourself for the giveaways
  
• I leave for Israel in 17 days!
• We're celebrating my daughter's 1st birthday next week. Wow.
• My brother posted on his blog. It's an exciting thing because of how rare it is. (Harry, you reading this?)

What are you excited about???

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five six places i've been this week
(it was a good week)

a 30-second plan for a better week

cupcake pincushion -- yummy!

unintended consequences

noodles with spicy tofu

100 books every child should read (*i* haven't read them all!)

sparkletopia beautiful and inspirational

from my del.icio.us ...add me to your network?

Catchy Title Here...and Five Places I've been This Week

I was so blessed to spend most of the weekend with NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth)'s Chicago and Northern regions this weekend at Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute. I love spending the time with the teenagers and seeing how much fun they have together in a Jewish setting.

But I'm exhausted! In many ways the teenagers are *exactly* like dealing with preschoolers and toddlers. Someday that's a post, eh? How teenagers and toddlers are alike. But seriously. You have to be incredibly specific with your instructions. They don't like to hear no. Sometimes they pout. Etc....

I'll be more interesting tomorrow, I promise!

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Five Places I've Been This Week (besides Camp!)

First the Bagel, now the Mohel

Day Zero, home of 101 in 1001

Printz Winners (Young Adult Fiction Prize) (I'm taking a challenge to read at least 6 of these)

Sweater into Purse

Red Rock Guitar Outfit - how cute is this!

from my del.icio.us. Where have you been?

Year-End, Blogs, and Five Places I've Been This Week

What a year it's been for me!

I began 2007 pregnant and started blogging not long after my 3rd baby was born in February, while I was on maternity leave. Since then, I've written 200 posts* and have been having a ball in blog-land. I blogged about Passover, my favorite Jewish children's books, but things didn't take off until I joined a 30-day blogging challenge in August. Definitely kick-started me, and I'm now hooked on comments and contests. I took a bottled water challenge, and I started writing haikus, which led me to join in the Haiku Friday fun with weekly haikus of the Torah portion. My oldest child started kindergarten, and I was there to blog about it. I joined in the Wrapped Emotions party and I was even chosen to be a guest blogger. I participated in some group writing projects and I've gotten some awards. I went to the mikveh, and, you guessed it, I blogged about it. I hosted a Chanukah Countdown Party and, possibly my coolest blogging achievement, I was invited to be a Biennial Blogger for the Union for Reform Judaism Biennial Convention. (Plus, I've actually done things outside of my blogging life!)

Plus I've made lots of new friends and found a whole new community out here in blogworld.

What's on tap for 2008 here at Ima on and off the Bima?

You can look forward to a Tu B'Shevat Tree Celebration Week (maybe I'll come up with a better name) in January. How do you find someone to give you a giveaway??? I need one. Anyone out there in the Internet want to give me something to give away to my loyal readers? For Tu B'Shevat, it might be best to have a "green" themed giveaway. Or a tree.

Other than that, stay tuned. Who knows what I'll have up my sleeve here! I'm traveling to Israel in February so hopefully I'll be able to blog that trip as well.

In honor of this little wrap-up, I thought I'd share some linky-love to some of my current favorite blog-reads. One of the first posts I ever wrote was about blog-reading so it makes sense to list a few more! These are not all the blogs I read (love my Google Reader) but they're some of the ones I check for new posts first! Go visit my friends.

Around the Island -- Robin (in Israel) can always be counted on for great writing and interesting stories.

Beyond the Map -- Bella is thoughtful and thought-provoking. I love reading her posts.

Cheerio Road -- Karen is the author of Momma Zen and her blog really shows how she puts her writing into real life practice. Good for her for showing that she's not all talk but really lives her message. (read her book, it's great)

Frume Sarah -- is a new "real" friend that I met at the Biennial, and I'm so excited to have found, as Anne Shirley would say, a kindred spirit. She writes a great blog (and poor baby, her whole family ended up with lice this week. Visit her and give sympathy!)

Scribbit -- Michelle at Scribbit is a mom living in Alaska of all places, and she shares things like winter camping (why???) and hosts a writing contest each month too.

UPDATED: My brother insists that I link to his blog here too. He is having an Israel adventure and posting all sorts of fun things. Go visit him and comment. I'm trying to teach him how addicting much fun comments are!

for some other blogs I read (like this one, this one, or this one), go here.

*Crazy isn't it -- this little wrap-up post is #200!!!

Happy New Year to all y'all out there....may this year bring blessings and peace. Keep on visiting!

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Five Places I've Been This Week...

Holiday Muzak Kills Brain Cells

Eco-Friendly Promo Products

Coffee Cozy Tutorial

Benazir Bhutto assassinated!

Breaking the Code of Ritual Observance

from my del.icio.us. Where have you been?

Ooh, pick me!...and 5 Places I've Been

I can't figure out why I'm so intrigued by the contest/giveaway aspect of the bloggy world. Is it all about getting something for nothing? I'm not sure. But either way, as I said before, I'm on a winning streak...which seems to continue...

I won a t-shirt from Tees for Change at Crunchy Domestic Goddess's recent Green Girly Gift Guide Giveaway! I'm so excited for my Seek Balance t-shirt.

And I even won a giveaway while I was at the Biennial Convention! Who knew...

So here I go again...

Musings of a Housewife is giving away a really cool Lands End diaper bag.

ACED magazine is giving away Season 7 of the Gilmore Girls.

Mod*Mom is giving away a year's supply of Dropp's Laundry Detergent...a pretty cool looking new product.

And I usually don't enter these kinds of contests (I like to think I have a chance of winning...) but I'm entered for a cruise at the DIY network...because the contest ends on my birthday. So maybe...

plus a few others....have you ever seen Prizey?

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Five Places I've Been This Week (wow, it's been busy!)

It's Only Stuff

Five Things People Say About Christmas That Drive Me Nuts

FreeRice (a new obsession, let me tell you)

December Group Writing Project Finale at MamaBlogga

Amazing Art Journals from Ali Edwards

from my del.icio.us
Where have you been?

five places i've been this week

feeling so worn out from the biennial...here's where i've been this week...


Firefox web browser...anyone else having trouble with IE this week?

Limmud Chevruta Publications

ZIV tzedakah fund is closing!? This is a shocker to the Jewish world.

Woman Strips at Kotel in the Men's Section - this one is just crazy.

GreenDimes - stop junk mail, what a great gift!

from my del.icio.us
Where have you been?

Gift of the Moment....in hiding

The snow has come.

It's cold, it's slippery. My car is covered with ice.

The front entryway is strewn with boots and coats and hats and mittens. The floor is streaked with melted snow and ice, and the dried residue of both.

The babies seem overwhelmed by it. Coats and hats and mittens, boots and blankets. Multiple layers of clothing making them feel slightly stuffed.

The biggest, though, is thrilled by it. Each time he walks outside, he scoops up some snow to make a snowball. He wears his snowpants with pride, his balaklava with delight. It's never too cold, he plays outside and thrills to the weather.

The prompt at Wrapped Emotions is to enjoy the gifts of the moment. This week has been tiring and overwhelming. It's Chanukah, there's the pressure to make each night special. My middle child has started waking up at 5am and demanding breakfast. Loudly.

Finding the gifts has been tricky.

But they're there...hiding in secret.

Yael giggles when she sees me and dances whenever she hears music.
Sam is newly obsessed with the Lion King and now has learned the joy of soundtracks.
David is thrilled by each Chanukah moment and bursts into random bits of Chanukah song.

I have to find these or the days will overwhelm. Deep breaths...

See more Wrapped Emotions participants here....

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Five Places I've Been This Week...

One Less Candle (Save the world, light one less candle???)

Honey as Cough Syrup

Bacon Cookies....ewwwwww (but it is a great blog!)

No Limit Texas Dreidel

Five Things Every Blogger Should Know from Scribbit

from my del.icio.us

Where have you been?

5 Places I've Been This Week

I haven't been so many places online this week...because of all the places I've been in real life...but here goes:

Ten Tips for Keeping a Toddler Busy on a Plane

Thanksgiving Pie Recipes...yum!

Buy Nothing Day

Hibernation/Sleep Feature on Windows Vista Help

FootWarming Craft Projects

from my del.icio.us

Where have you been?

Life with Family...& Five Places I've Been This Week

This week, Melody encouraged us to spend time with our family as her prompt at Wrapped Emotions....

I love my job. There are so many wonderful things about what I do in my work...and it's a lot of work, let me tell you, but it's very rewarding. I do work a lot of evening and weekend hours, but right now, I'm so lucky that my children are young and I can spend time with them during other parts of the day. Mornings are often more flexible, and this week I was able to spend a lot of time with my little ones especially. (My biggest one is in Kindergarten so he goes to school for part of the day.)

I have one day off each week, Tuesday. While one day off is not exactly enough (imho), it is sometimes very nice to have a day in the middle of the week to spend with my kids!

This week, my parents came to hang out and the kids made a big pile of leaves. Here are some of the pics of that day...

It is truly a blessing to be able to share these moments with my kids. I am such a lucky mama!!!!

See more Wrapped Emotions participants here...

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Five Places I've Been This Week

Bloggy Giveaways...who didn't spend all their time this week entering giveaways?

Gift for the Mom With Everything

Gap Slave Kids -- who made your jeans?

Cool Photo Crafts

ImageChef -- others have discovered this before me, but how fun

Where have you been?

from my del.icio.us (add me to your network?)

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I am thankful for Melody and her creation of the Wrapped Emotions project!