Looking up...

Things that are looking up...

...the temperature
...summer vacation
...pool season
...the seedlings in the garden

Yep. Summer is here and I'm reveling in the blue skies, the canopy of trees, and the general air of delight that accompanies summer around here.

What's looking up in your life?
See Beth's You Capture for more (today's theme is "sky")

Why Didn't I Think of That?

aka "Why I'm not a millionaire from animal-shaped rubber bands"

Have you seen these?

Can someone please explain how rubber bands shaped like animals, cars, and other shapes make for exciting and highly necessary bracelets for small children?

And WHY?

But the joy...in a $2 bag of rubber bands....
might just be worth it.

Faces...

Life's busy but not too busy for these adorable faces.
(Pictures from our great Shavuot outing...)

Sweet as Honey

Chag Sameach - Shavuot is here!
Shavuot is the holiday that celebrates the giving of the Torah.
It tends to be a slightly overlooked holiday, even though it's really one of the most important!
On the eve of the holiday, it's traditional to stay up all night and study Torah. (This isn't the most kid-friendly part of the holiday.)
It's also known as Chag ha-Bikkurim, the celebration of the first fruits of the harvest, which can be extended nicely into celebrating nature as well.

So, in honor of Shavuot, we started a new family tradition, a nature hike walk.
But, not just any walk of course. We talked about Torah and we talked about God, and we talked about nature. We brought books and read bible stories along the way.

Here's Abba reading about Abraham's Search for God:

Walking on the path...

We made some drawings and told stories about them. Sam is explaining his flower, so is Yael.

And what is a hike walk without snacks?


And because Torah is sweet as honey, we stopped by the honey beehives at the nature center.
(We didn't get too close to the maybe-friendly-but-not-likely bees.)

A good holiday always comes with dessert. Shavuot is known for its desserts, since it's customary to eat dairy on this holiday. That makes ice cream, cheesecake, and other dairy desserts a special part of this holiday.
So I made a cake with sprinkles in it (trust me, they're in there) because Torah is colorful!

How did your family celebrate?

See how LeighAnn and her family made Torah-inspired cupcakes 

Plus, check out the #Torah tag on Twitter to see how many of us spent Erev Shavuot.

Read Auntie Liz's post about Torah and Twitter.

Here's what @RebMark had to say about Tweeting Torah as well.

(it was so much fun, so many of my colleagues and friends were creative and inspiring with their #Torah tweets!)

Chocolate Crunch Bars

I like to bake, and I've discovered that the Hebrew School teachers are a great audience for whatever I want to make. This is useful, because the baked goods don't sit around my house being eaten by, um, ME.

So I made a banana bread for the last day of Hebrew School, but that didn't seem decadent enough to celebrate the end. I wanted something else, something that looked gooey and delicious....I paged through my favorite cookbook and discovered this recipe. Notes and any changes mine.

Sinfully Rich Chocolate Crunch Bars (Adapted from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion)

Crust
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup light corn syrup (interestingly enough, this is an item that I keep on hand. Why? No clue.)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping
2 cups chocolate chips
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening (I used butter because I couldn't find any shortening in the house)
2/3 cup chopped nuts (I was in a hurry so I put the walnuts into a bag and beat on them with a rolling pin. This works!)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan. (I don't have a 10x15 inch pan. I have a 10x14 inch pan. I actually took out my measuring tape and measured because I wasn't sure. I used the slightly smaller pan and it seemed okay but if you have the extra inch, it would be better.) Do not spend 15 minutes trying to decide if your pan is the right size. Just get over it. Trust me on this one.

In a medium-sized large mixing bowl (trust me), stir together the oats, sugar, butter, corn syrup, vanilla and salt. Press into the prepared pan. Possibly the coolest tip: use the greased bottom of a loaf pan (which fit perfectly in my 10 inch pan, by the way) to press it down evenly. That's a tip from the cookbook, which is partly why I love this cook book. Bake for 10-14 minutes. It will bubble up a little, that's okay. Err on the side of more baking, rather than less. Especially if your pan is one inch too small. Trust me on this one too. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.

Make the topping: melt the chocolate chips and shortening (or butter) in the microwave (or stove) and stir until smooth. Spread evenly over the crust, sprinkle on the nuts. Cover loosely (I used plastic wrap and it was fine, but a little messy.) and refrigerate until firm. I bet you could speed this up in the freezer but I did it overnight.

Cut into squares. It was very sticky. I cut long strips and then removed the strips to a cutting board to make small bite-sized pieces. 

I forgot to take a picture, so after the teachers had some, I remembered and used my blackberry to snap this shot. (Do you like my pink container? It has a handle - perfect for carrying baked goods...)

These were a big hit with the teachers and other friends - and they were pretty easy! Sticky and chewy and chocolatey....mmmm....

I know I'm too late for this month's edition of the Kosher Cooking Carnival, but you can check it out here...

Using Big Words?

David: Mom, how do you spell APPREKATE?
Me: What? What does that mean?
David: You know, like when you're really happy about something someone's done.
Me: You mean APPRECIATE?
David: Yeah, that's it.

Once upon a time, I informed my parents that an event was being held at a PresBYTErian church. They spent about ten minutes laughing until they could explain the correct pronunciation of the word. I guess it runs in the family.

But I'm sure you're also wondering why David wanted to spell "appreciate"....

Here is what he wrote in the thank you note to his Sunday School teacher:

Dear Ms. K,
I've had a great time being in your Sunday School class.
It is fun to read the magazines that we learn from.
I learned that it's best to stay away from friends most of the time during class.
Thank you for letting me be in your class. I appreciate it very much.
Best regards,
David

Yep, a whole year of religious school....

Rosh Chodesh Sivan

Today is Rosh Chodesh Sivan, the first day of the month of Sivan.
Make sure you check out how the Women of the Wall are celebrating this Rosh Chodesh.

Sivan is here
the counting comes to a close
counting up
counting down
either way
we are almost here.

We stand at Sinai
in this month
oh so soon
oh so close
are we ready?
are we ever ready?

Our foremothers stood
at Sinai
together
with our forefathers
were you there?
i saw you there.

It's almost here
the new moon tells me so
ready or not
here it comes

We've been counting the Omer, we've been preparing ourselves, we've been readying our hearts and minds and lives to remember and recreate the moment that we stood at Sinai...and it's almost here. Tradition says that the Israelites arrived and camped at Mount Sinai on Rosh Chodesh Sivan. The journey is almost complete.

Are you ready?