الأربعاء، 31 أكتوبر 2018

Caramel Bananas

Hello Dear Reader,

Just a really quick little recipe today. I had three slightly daggy bananas looking at me from the fruit bowl on Saturday and as I dislike waste of any sort and we were having a family dinner, I thought I would make some kind of dessert out of them.

Growing up, one of our most favourite and simple desserts was sliced banana, warm, home made custard and coconut sprinkled over the top, it was always such a treat. I did think about replicating this humble, childhood dessert, but in this instance I felt like caramel, so Caramel Bananas happened in my kitchen on Saturday night.

Ingredients for Caramel Bananas, clockwise from left-50 grams of butter, melted, 3 to 4 bananas, sliced in half lengthways, 1 tablespoon maple syrup and 100 grams of brown sugar

Add the brown sugar and maple syrup to the melted butter

And stir to combine

Lay sliced bananas in a small, shallow, greased casserole dish, pour over caramel sauce and bake for 20 minutes at 200C till golden and bubbly.

We served the bananas with vanilla ice-cream, with the gorgeous caramel sauce spooned over the top. Talk about easy and delicious!

What do you make with slightly overripe bananas? And what was your most favourite childhood dessert?

Have a lovely day
💗Fi

One Year Ago-What's Growing in the Garden in October-A Video
Two Years Ago-The Best Homemade Tartare Sauce

WAKE UP! AMERICAN JEWERY

LAKEWOOD: Doll With Knife Through Its Head Found Near Jewish School




A doll pinned to a tree with a knife going through its head was discovered near a Jewish school in Lakewood on Monday.

TLS first reported the discovery at around 9:00 AM, located in the wooded area off Swarthmore Avenue, near the Toras Menachem elementary boys school. The stuffed girl rag doll had a butcher knife stuck into its head. A second knife was stuck in the tree. Photo and article:  yeshivaworldnews

__________________________________

I’m afraid the Pittsburgh Shooting is going to bring the insane anti-semites out of their hiding places.

Guest post: The Stylish Room of Ninon, 5

A WAKE UP CALL TO AMERICAN JEWS – The Tragedy in Pittsburgh

The Tragedy in Pittsburgh

YOU TUBE REMOVED THIS VIDEO
Maybe it can be seen only on youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rhaRlNdNUM&feature=youtu.be


Before I listen to Rabbi Mizrachi, I read elsewhere:
Question?  Was this a messianic Christian congregation?
Does this support the above? "Jewish GOP Candidate Invites Messianic Clergy to Eulogize Pittsburgh Victims at Pence Rally" (jewishpress)
Why is so much written about this incident contradictory and confusing?
Is Pittsburgh to be compared to SF and TA?
Is this the message?

A WAKE UP CALL TO AMERICAN JEWS AND JEWS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD


Moments Before The End (What Will Happen In The World In End Of Days) Video


IT APPEARS YOUTUBE HAS CENSORED ALL OF RABBI MIZRACHI’S VIDEOS!

I CANNOT FIND THE VIDEOS I WANT TO POST.
SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS.



Moments Before The Messiah Arrives Video



November’s Sam’s Club Haul

We did a Sam’s Club stock up on some freezer items, some household items, and also picked up two Christmas gifts.


IT TEARS THE HEART. BD”E

And your brethren, the whole house of Israel, shall mourn the Fire.” 
Leviticus 10: in which the High Priest Aaron’s sons were killed by a fire sent from Heaven ...”

“The heart refuses to believe,”  said Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, “a major disaster befell the State of Israel and in Psagot”

Baruch Dayan HaEmet, the Atar Family taken to Heaven in a fiery crash. We all mourn such a tragic and heartbreaking fiery capture of eight (8) neshomas by HKB”H

الثلاثاء، 30 أكتوبر 2018

Cleaning the Kitchen Sink

Hello Dear Reader,

I have quite a ridged house cleaning schedule, I find I work best when I have a list of things to do at certain times of the week. It has worked so well over the years and it would feel strange not to keep doing it.


One of my favourite cleaning jobs is wiping over the entire kitchen on a Friday afternoon (I know, weird!) there are three reasons I love this job, I like to have a really clean kitchen to work in, it heralds the end of the working week and Friday night is "On Toast" of leftovers night so it also means a very easy night of cooking. Sweet! I always feel so good when I have finished this job.


I use only a few cleaning products to clean my kitchen thoroughly. Firstly I fill the smaller sink with very hot water then add a splash of washing up liquid and some eucalyptus oil, I use this to wipe over all surfaces of the kitchen, followed by a wipe with a clean dry cloth. Lastly I scrub the kitchen sink with bicarb, I sprinkle the bicarb directly onto the sink and use a damp cloth to scrub the sink. The bicarb has enough of an abrasive action to bring the sink up shiny and as good as new.




I also use bicarb on the glass stove top to really make it shine.



What do you use to clean your kitchen? And do you have a cleaning schedule, what works for you?

Have a lovely day,
💗Fi

Random Happenings

Earlier today Toby was playing with my parents' oldest dog and he ran over a water spigot/pipe in the back yard.  Truthfully it was in a bad spot - right out in the open and up out of the ground.  W had all of the materials to repair it.  While it had to be repaired, he decided to move it against the garden fence and brace it with a piece of rebar.  He also went ahead and wrapped it for winter.  He used half of a pool noodle purchased on clearance at Dollar General.  We paid just 10 cents for the noodle which works as well as the more expensive foam sold specifically for wrapping pipes.


Our angel fish laid eggs.  Of course not all of them survived, but we do have about 20 teeny, tiny angel fish babies swimming around.  They are too small to photograph just yet.  Instead here is a picture of the daddy fish who gets very annoyed when anyone tries to look at the babies.






Finally a couple of the acorn squash I had bought for wedding shower decorations had started to rot.  W sliced up the squash for the chickens to eat, but he saved the seeds.  I washed them and spread them out on a pet potty pad to dry.  This is my new favorite way to dry seeds.  The absorbent pads soak up the moisture quickly, and the seeds do not stick.  I did the same thing with pumpkin seeds last week.



Frugal or not so Frugal?

Last week’s frugal happenings in no particular order:

1. We filled out my daughter’s applications for graduate school.  Not a frugal task in and of itself, but we do keep an eye on both quality education and her graduating debt free.  We spent time researching a lot of options and are hopeful we are making the best choices.
2. I repotted a plant and winterized another.  (Using supplies I already had on hand.)
3. I printed and organized my Christmas season “to do” binder to keep myself on track.
4. I used our drying rack whenever possible for hanging laundry.
5. We ate at home every meal and as the month comes to a close I am excited to say we did a pretty good job of sticking to our monthly menu.
6. I checked a couple of books out from the library.

Doesn’t look like so much when I look at it....but I don’t think I did much spending or much out of the house so I suppose I’ll call it a win.

On the not so frugal front, but life update — I found out I have glaucoma — a closure variant that has quite possibly been causing the pain that my doctor thought was migraines.  I’ll be having eye surgery on the first eye tomorrow.  I don’t have a clue what my out of pocket expenses will be, but I honestly don’t care.  I’ve been in pain for almost 10 months at some level or another on a daily basis so if this offers any relief at all the costs will be worth it.

The Future Of The World And Israel

SWIFT RETRIBUTION
What Happened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Shabbos Parshas Vayera

In the same Parsha of Vayera, that Yitzchak is conceived, born, had a Bris and was weaned, on our holy Shabbos, in a conservative house of worship, two men were celebrating their new male twins in a ceremony the antithesis of Avraham Avinu’s Bris.
[hat tip to two comments on endofdays blog of Reb Dov bar Leib]

The Future Of The World And Israel


This shiur was recorded November 2016, and it is so relevant and should enter your heart.

[ME: Unfortunately, the world is mentally, politically and culturally confused, and this includes many, many people who claim to be Jewish. It so reminds me of Sodom and Gomorroh, the Generation of the Flood, and Dor HaFlagah all together. Woe is me, what will be? I just read an article that was unreal, but true: "Two mothers in Dallas, Texas were able to both carry their baby using a new method of In Vetro Fertilization. USA TODAY]

___________________


It appears in this photo, that makeshift white Jewish stars, containing red hearts with names of the Pittsburgh victims, are placed on what seem to be ‘crosses’?  Another gross anomaly.

الاثنين، 29 أكتوبر 2018

Ricotta Doughnuts

Hello Dear Reader,

Lovely Hubby had bought a large quantity of real ricotta a little while ago, you know the ones sold in a colander and vacuum sealed. I had popped it on the shopping list as I wanted some to serve with a slow cooked beef ragu I was making and as it was a new line Aldi are now stocking, he bought that one instead on the little container of, not so traditional, ricotta. I've always wondered what the difference was.

That left me with a lot of ricotta to use up, so I baked some with fennel, chilli and oregano and then there was exactly one cup left! What to do with one cup of fresh ricotta? Make Ricotta Doughnuts of course.

I love this super simple recipe, just mix a few ingredients together and lightly fry spoonfuls till golden. They are indeed just like little light doughnuts, with a lovely texture and flavour. I served them simply with a sprinkle of icing sugar and ice cream, but I think they would be even more delicious served with this sauce, just saying.

Make them today, you'll be so glad you did!

Ingredients for Ricotta Doughnuts, clockwise from left-1 cup plain flour, 3 tablespoons of milk of choice (I used Cocoquench) 1 cup of ricotta, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1 tablespoon of sugar

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and baking powder, and in a jug whisk together the ricotta and milk

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and using a butter knife, mix to combine, you will have a wet and sticky dough. Let dough rest for up to one hour if you can

Heat oil in a small saucepan till very hot and add heaped teaspoons of dough to hot oil

The little dough balls will turn themselves over but sometimes they need a little encouragement, they are ready when they are floating and have turned a golden brown

Pop onto some paper towel to absorb any excess oil, then sieve over icing sugar and serve immediately



Crunchy, light, golden balls of dough. Simple and so delicious.

Watch them disappear.

Have a lovely day,
💗Fi

Pittsburgh Mother, Children Thank Police in wake of Synagogue Shooting

Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


Weekly Goals Update: Week 43

Hopefully this week will go more smoothly than last.  I definitely need to work on some household stuff since the house is petty much in total chaos.  I have a few posts planned.  Be sure to go here to enter the book giveaway!


1.  Disaster Preparedness
Week 43 was gardening and livestock.  I feel like I have a pretty good handle on the garden.  We are expanding our fruit trees each year.  While I do continue to buy seeds, I often save my own.  We have piles of chickens as well as rabbits and turkeys.  For the time being they are pretty much pets rather than food.  The garden is something I have always done.  Homegrown food just tastes better!  I also have what I jokingly call my zombie apocalypse garden.  It is an herb garden full of medicinal herbs:  nettle, yarrow, etc. 


2.  Makeover the Garden
I managed to get in the garden one day to give everything a once over.  I lost one cabbage plant and will need to plant a few more seeds.  The seeds were older so the germination rate is not as good.


3.  Organize Recipes
*Sigh* I am going to get this done but it will probably be after Thanksgiving.


4.  Have 13 No Spend Grocery Weeks
Technically I bought groceries last week, but they were for my mom and ingredients for baked goods for my cousin.  Since my cousin and mom reimbursed me, I am counting that as a no spend week for myself.  That brings me to 14!  I hope to get a couple more in before the year ends. 


5. Focus on Saving
I did not do anything extra special last week for this.  I did take advantage of a couple of pet food coupons this past week to save money.  I have two savings goals.  We are working to completely pay off the credit card, and I am saving to purchase new living room furniture.  Obviously the furniture goal will be funded at a slower pace until the credit card is paid off.  For now I am saving quarters for furniture.  It will be interesting to see how much I can stash away.


6.  Etsy Store
I got nothing new listed last week.  I am working on a couple of projects and have a few quick projects planned for this week. 

A Charming German Home Full of Vintage Finds and Very Playful Cats!

Hola! My family and I are currently spending a few days in Spain over half-term. Loving the change of scenery (apparently, it snowed in Malmö yesterday - eeeek!) and I can't get enough of the tapas! Even when I'm not travelling, I love how the blog takes us on virtual journeys to new places in the name of design. And today, we're off to Cuxhaven, a seaside town on Germany’s North Sea coast where brightly colored shelters dot the sandy beach. The port is the gateway to the nearby tidal island of Neuwerk and the small Heligoland archipelago (sounds like we need to add it to our travel list!) - and home to creatives Sandra and Tom. The duo run online shops MiMaMeise, selling handmade jewellery and MiMaMeiseVintage, offering a treasure trove of vintage finds. Their charming home is peppered with vintage finds, plants and interesting details - all of which are enjoyed by two very playful cats! 


Solar System Globe*






Zappy Lighting by Schneid Studio


How's this for a 'winter garden'? I can practically feel the warm rays of sunlight on my skin! 


What a brilliant action shot! That cat!

I've seen this wonderful portrait before in a previous home tour. We're currently in a car driving up the Costa Brava coastline with the worst wifi connection, but when I get back to our apartment later I'll take a look through and come back with the details. If you can help, please do add them to the comment section - muchas gracias!



I loved this home tour - the relaxed, warm atmosphere really shines through in the pictures!

Those cats!

Is there anything that you love in particular about Sandra and Tom's home? 

See more pics from their home here and other fab German homes here

I'm taking it a little easier this week to enjoy some downtime with my family - but I've lined up two wonderful guest posts on Wednesday and Friday - so do pop back to take a peek! They're by two creative ladies I find super inspiring! 

Adios amigos!

Niki

Affilliated links marked with *
This post might contain spelling mistakes (especially my attempts to write in Spanish!) - sorry in advance!

About The Socialists of America




BD”E on the tragic slaughter of Jewish neshomas in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

الأحد، 28 أكتوبر 2018

Parshas Vayera 2017 – Terrorists and Liberals

How to Extend the Life of a Pumpkin

Hello Dear Reader,

Over the years I have learnt little tricks to extend the life of fresh produce, you paid for it, you might as well get to use all of it. I like to buy a whole pumpkin to reduce the amount of single use plastic coming into my home. However, buying a whole pumpkin can be hit and miss, firstly you don't know what the flesh looks like until you cut it and you run the risk of the pumpkin going off before you can use it all.

Here is what I do to make sure none of it is wasted.

Firstly when buying the pumpkin make sure the stalk is dry and intact, if the pumpkin has been dried properly the flesh will actually last a lot longer. Tap the pumpkin and if it sounds hollow it is usually a good pumpkin and has been dried properly. If the pumpkin hasn't been dried properly the flesh will be sappy, pale and will lack flavour.


When you do cut it, take out all the pulp and seeds, I cut the pumpkin into quarters first, take out all the pulp and seeds and let the quarters dry before storing them in the fridge. I use a spoon to scrape out all the fibrous, stringy pulp, try and take it right back to the actual pumpkin flesh. Then sit them in a dry place for a couple of hours to let them dry out a little. I will either wrap them in  a dry, clean, lint free tea towel and pop them in the crisper draw or store them in a tea towel lined, sealed container.


With the seeds, after they are washed and dried, I bake them in the oven with a little oil, salt and five spice. Deliciously crunchy and no waste. 


Over to you, what do you do to fresh produce to prevent waste?

Have a lovely day,
💗Fi

One Year Ago-My Clutter Magnet 

CHIEF RABBI LAU LAMBASTS YAIR LAPID

Supreme Court President Esther Hayut invokes fear tactic of “incitement”: "Criticism by elected officials of judges sometimes borders on incitement,
(notice that the Rabin incident is in the news, and making this statement intimates/coincides with this)

SUPREME COURT PRESIDENT: CRITICISM OF JUDGES BORDERS ON INCITEMENT
Supreme Court President Esther Hayut attacked politicians' criticism of judges, and said other elected officials who do not condemn the behavior give license to such speech, in an address Tuesday at the President's Residence. jpost


CHIEF RABBI LAU LAMBASTS YAIR LAPID

Lau particularly asked that Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid, to publicly condemn the vile statements that have been made about the rabbinate. 

Only a day after Supreme Court President Esther Hayut voiced outrage and regret that politicians were inciting against the Supreme Court, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau voiced a similar complaint, saying that both the politicians and the Supreme Court want to undermine the Chief Rabbinate.

Speaking at the induction ceremony of the Chief Rabbinate Council at the President’s Residence on Wednesday, Lau apologized for using the occasion and the venue in order to air his grievance, and asked President Reuven Rivlin to join him in condemning the hatred and incitement by mayoral candidates in Tel Aviv and Holon who are directing their venom against the rabbinate.

Lau particularly asked that Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid, who in the past has been far from complimentary with regard to the rabbinate, publicly condemn the vile statements that have been made about the rabbinate. jpost

السبت، 27 أكتوبر 2018

It’s That Time of Year

It's that time of year again in Israel. It is a holiday season.

We have three holiday seasons: One is Fall: the "High Holy Days" and Sukkot; the other is the Spring holidays of Passover, Independence day and Shavuot; and the third is our very newest - the Rabin festival in November.

This one has replaced the "May Day" workers celebrations in which Israel's Left energetically paraded throughout the land in solidarity with their big brother in the USSR and with the "workers of the world”. May Day has since quietly snuck out the back door with the sudden collapse and humiliation of its model, the USSR.

The Rabin festival has replaced it.

When Yitzchak Rabin was assassinated in November 1996 it was a national tragedy. Most Jews here felt it was a horrible thing that we Jews would ever think of solving our differences with assassinations or violence.

I say most because unfortunately, Jews have indeed used violence and murder as political, tools.

Think of the refugee and arms boat "Altalena". In 1948. Rabin was the commander on the beach who carried out Ben Gurion's orders to sink the ship and hopefully assassinate his poitical opponent Menachem Begin who was on board. It was Begin who averted civil war by ordering his people not to return fire. Seventeen Jews on board were murdered, some while swimming to shore.
Rabin has said on a number of occasions how proud he is of his role in this internecine bloodbath.

Think "the (hunting) Season" from 1946 - 1947 when the Haganna pursued and delivered Irgun members to the British occupying power for incarceration and hanging. Think of the many statements by literary and cultural icons of the Left, how they refer to "settlers" and the need to use force against them; even kill them.

Rabin offered Assad's Syria to expel the Jewish residents of the Golan in a deal with the tyrant. In response to the opposition on the part of the Golan residents he taunted, "the Golan "settlers" can spin like propellors". I don't care. On another occasion, he referred to the "settlers " like cancer.

And so the Rabin festival is foisted upon us annually. It would be enough to remind ourselves of the unacceptable use of force in solving our differences without creating and sustaining a demi-god myth, so very reminiscent of the Bolshevik "Socialist realism" of their mentors in the USSR.

More of the Rabin legacy:

Rabin was relieved of his command during the 1948 war and battle for the road to Jerusalem.
Rabin suffered a nervous break down as chief of staff days before the outbreak of the Six Days War.
Rabin promised the nation that he will never recognize the PLO and won the election of 1992 on that very platform. Less than a year later he brought us Yasser Arafat and armed his killers.
The rest is history.

He passed the Oslo tragedy by bribing two unscrupulous (one is sitting in jail now for drug smuggling) opposition members of Knesset to join his government and receive positions. Of course, he could count on the Arab MK's who loved the idea of bringing Arab terrorists to Israel.

This is a part of the"legacy" of Rabin that the thought police do not like to reveal.

No wonder that the crowds of Rabin legacy fans thin every year despite the shrill moralizing noise from the Left. Israelis are just not interested in the festival anymore. They are too busy dealing with the real legacy of Rabin. The damn that he unlocked still flows rivers of tears.

In the same month that Rabin was assassinated, another Jew was killed as well. This Jew was killed because he was recognized as the undisputed advocate and defender of Jews everywhere.

He wasn't killed because he was giving away our land to our enemies and endangering Jews. On the contrary Slowly but increasingly his legacy will be celebrated as the other one fades

https://ift.tt/2DOWJjb

Sunny Side Up Sunday

Hello Dear Reader,


Today I am grateful for the upbringing our Mum and Dad gave us. Mum always involved us in the housework and cooking. Even as a very young child I can remember helping Mum make her double bed and cream the butter and sugar for cakes using the rotary beater. As teenagers we vacuumed and mopped the house on weekends and were expected to wash and wipe up after dinner. We helped with the grocery shop every week too. It didn't hurt us one little bit, in fact it gave us important life tools to cope with real life.

Mum made my first Ballroom Dancing dress and did my hair

Mum was quite "old fashioned" something I really didn't enjoy at the time, petticoats, singlets, famine home made clothes and foam rollers for curled hair were a big part of our lives. But looking back we were always beautifully dressed and cared for. Mum often dressed us as twins, sewing the clothes herself, what a woman.

Mum also made our school uniforms while we lived in Gympie

What are you grateful for today?

Have a lovely day,
💗Fi

One Year Ago-What we bought, spent and ate this week
Two Years Ago-This Weeks 5 Frugal Things on a Friday

American -and- Israeli Liberalism


THE AMERICAN LIBERALISM THAT FAILED

Our brothers, the liberal Jews in the United States, are among those who want to revive the socialist revolution. Many of them are hardcore about globalism.

As a result, they worked tirelessly to eliminate the candidacy of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. This is in contrast with the conservative positions of the American Right, a supporter of capitalism, patriotism and the right of every state to govern itself.

Our brothers, the liberal Jews in the United States, are in the eye of the storm and take a most visible position in the campaign against President Trump and the conservatives.

Where has liberalism led us? To cheap and free sex, which resulted in sexual harassment; lack of respect from children to their parents and teachers; lack of respect from young people to adults; and the lack of respect from soldiers to their commanders in the military where parents “have taken over.”

So much so that carrying out military tasks is secondary to the soldier’s comfort. “Liberalism led us and continues to lead us toward use of drugs and now we are in the midst of the battle to forbid the free use of cannabis. (“Liberal” Canada and several “liberal” American states have already approved it.) Liberalism has led the world to greed, the pursuit of publicity, and the takeover of the media by tycoons who in turn control the state. Because, after all, greed and popularity in the media have become global values.

Everyone submits to the media tycoons, from politicians to army commanders to entertainers.

Hollywood, which is the “bastion of liberalism,” has taught us to ask, “When a woman says ‘No,’ what does she mean?” It leads the world in the areas of sexual harassment and free, cheap and compulsive sex. Harvey Weinstein, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Dustin Hoffman and Kevin Spacey are just some examples.

During the peak of their famous movies, to force a woman with a hug until she surrendered and hugged back was a normal sight worthy of applause. Even the flower children of the 1970s, who were a liberal symbol, were a role model for millions of people around the world.

HOLLYWOOD PAINTED them, perhaps rightly so, as people who used sex as a “commodity” and relegated the family framework and values to media. Family values were a non-priority and they have yielded to the communal way of life. Remember the musical Hair?

Globally, our Jewish brothers led the Communist Revolution in Russia at the beginning of the last century, which ultimately failed. Trotsky and Marx set the ideological tone, while 30% of Bolshevik leaders were our Jewish brothers.

The revolution led to Bolshevik regimes that were totalitarian, corrupt, cruel, bloody – and barren of liberalism and freedom. Ultimately, the conservative American capitalist regime defeated them.

Those who argue for the justification of the failed revolution claim that people were simply not prepared for communism. This is a familiar and condescending claim that suits the global liberal elite as well as it does the American Jewish community.

Another point with a direct connection to Israel is that global liberalism led to the “migration of the Muslim peoples” to Europe and other places. The Muslims are growing and their political influence is increasing and influencing the positions of the so-called liberals across Europe.

This effect is making Europe hostile toward Israel. Are liberal American Jews trying to help us in this matter? Do American liberal Jews help us fighting the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement that targets Israel, or are they in fact part of the BDS establishment?

My liberal friends, what are you so proud of and arrogant about?

I support the conservatism that upholds family values, holds nation-states responsible for themselves, and works toward eliminating drug use.

I support turning sex into something pure; creating a relationship of respect between children and parents and between students and teachers; stopping immigration that harms security; and not returning to the corrupt socialism paradigm but rather to a more enlightened capitalism.

I also support the return of values and the desanctification of money; the aspiration for excellence and the return of control over the army to the commanders; and I support the return of control in the schools to the teachers, less liberal and more disciplined.

BY ODED TIRA, The author is an IDF brigadier-general in the reserves and a member of the Association of Reserve Officers for Israel. JPOST


Israeli Liberalism

Jewish Agency Affirms Commitment to Declaration of Independence 
[Against the Jewish Nation State Law]

The Jewish Agency for Israel’s board of governors passes a resolution reaffirming the Jewish people’s commitment to the basic values outlined in Israel’s Declaration of Independence, as a protest against the Jewish nation-state law passed in the Knesset which defines Israel as the national home of the Jewish people. The Agency’s head Isaac Herzog initiated and promoted the decision. timesofisrael


WHAT A DISGRACE! 
IDF to provide morning-after pills in effort to decrease abortions

Treatment to join a range of services army provides to discreetly prevent unwanted pregnancies

Army to provide ‘morning after pills’ to our Jewish Female soldiers, the same mothers to be after military service. Is this what these innocent young girls and women should go through? Does this mean, sex in the tanks? It could mean dereliction of duty and citizens becoming victims of army and military actions with our enemies. Our ’enemy cousins’ are chuckling at Israeli army curbing military-abortions: Israeli soldiers aborting future Israeli children! just what our so-called Palestinians give out candies and exuberantly cheer. timesofisrael


Book Giveaway: Go To My Grave

Go To My Grave by Catriona McPherson is a mystery set in a bed and breakfast.  Donna is in charge of the current visitors - cousins returning many years after a tragic event.  The book is an interesting gothic style mystery.  This descriptive book is full and twists and turns.  It is perfect for reading on a cold fall day.  You can win your own copy courtesy of the publisher.  To enter simply leave a comment letting me know your favorite fall activity.  Good luck!







a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Contest is open to US Residents.

الجمعة، 26 أكتوبر 2018

What we bought, spent and ate this week

Hello Dear Reader,

With Lovely Hubby and I now empty nesters we have been eating lots of leftovers, I made this beaut Bolognese Bake on Sunday and it made quite a lot, talk about the gift that keeps giving. We had it for dinner on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, it also supplied lunch on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

You know the swings and roundabouts I mentioned in last weeks 5 Frugal Things post, well it was definitely more of a high end, swing-a-thon on the food budget this week. But eating at home is always going to be cheaper than going out, so I am not going to give that too much thought.

If you're looking at the photo below and thinking how many tomatoes do they need? Well, I didn't purposely count out 26 tomatoes to take home, they were out the front of the Northside Discount Fruit Barn in one of those "sold by the bucket" tables. I didn't know how many there were until I emptied the bucket out into one of my mesh bags for weighing at the register! Never mind, they have been great in my salad sandwiches for lunches and I have also roasted a huge tray of red capsicum, tomatoes, egg plant, onions and garlic to be used on Pizzas with left over roast lamb for tonights dinner.

Now on with the rest of the food-

What we bought

Shopping from Northside Discount Fruit Barn

Shopping from Coles

Shopping from Aldi

What we spent 
Northside Discount Fruit Barn-$72.90
Coles-$17.18
Aldi-$48.40
Marjax Meats-$74.90 (Rolled Loin of Pork and a Butterflied leg of Lamb)

TOTAL-$213.38-way up on last weeks $87.15, Swings and Roundabouts!

What we ate

Friday-Baked Beans on Toast

Saturday-Lemon Myrtle and Ginger Chicken with steamed Basmati rice and Mustard Green


Wednesday-Super Special, Creamy Potato and Salmon Bake with steamed Asparagus


Thursday-Lamb and Pork Roast with Roast Potato and Pumpkin, Cauliflower Cheese and Steamed Broccoli. This is what our daughter requested for her Birthday dinner.

Join in, what was on your family table this week?

A Striking Blue and White Swedish Home Full of Contrast

This beauty of a home oozes elegance. So, when I found out the owners, Felicia Alm and her partner Viktor are in their early to mid-twenties, I couldn't believe it! When I was 24, I lived with a flat mate (Beth) in a tiny flat in Earls Court. It was a massively fun time, but our accommodation was nowhere near as sophisticated and mature as this beautiful space (to put it into perspective, we were once burgled and didn't notice for days!!).  Located just up the coast in Landskrona, this 72 m2 (775 foot square) apartment is in a building dating back to 1890 and blessed with 'spegeldörr' (traditional panel doors), a tiled masonry stove, herringbone floors and stucco ceilings. I chatted to Felicia to find out more about the renovation, her sustainable mindset and shopping for secondhand finds.




The side cabinet was sourced at an antique shop in Rydebäck (a great tip for locals!)

Do you and Viktor work in the design world?
I have a bachelor degree in architecture and visual communication and at the moment dream about working with interior design full time. As a hobby, I also create posters and offer freelance graphic design. Viktor works for his family business in the healthcare sector - but we both have a great interest in architecture and real estate. 

Is this the first time you have carried out a renovation project?
Over the past 3 years we have lived in three different apartments that we bought, renovated and then sold. Now it feels like we have found home, or at least for the moment haha! You can either call us two restless souls or real estate lovers.

Did the apartment need an extensive amount of work? 
When we moved into our current apartment in April 2017, it was in need of a total renovation. So we spent the whole summer of 2017 renovating it. We tried to do as much as we could ourselves. We felt it was important to try to keep the different spatial features of the apartment while making it modern and personal.


What do you love most about your apartment?
Our blue bedroom is my favorite room in the apartment. In my opinion, the blue colour contributes to a calm, relaxing and harmonious vibe. The colour is Kvällshimmel (evening sky) from Jotun LADY. I really love to decorate with color and contrast.

 Felicia picked up the fabulous chaise longue secondhand on Blocket.

How do you approach home decorating?
I have always had a great passion for architecture, interior design and graphic design. My interior style is quite varied and I like to mix old and new. I am someone who likes things to happen in my environment, therefore our home is constantly changing. When it comes to my home, I can be kind of impulsive. So, if I get a good idea I will probably execute it the next day, haha!



Where do you buy items for your home?
Because I like to change and refresh our home regularly, I think it's important to think sustainably. I therefore try to shop at Blocket (Sweden's version of Ebay) or antique stores - which are also cheaper. You can find really unique things out there. 

The sitting room / dining area is painted in Silverpil 10 by Alcro - and picture shelves from IKEA have been painted in the same tone.


What are your go-to interior shops?
Blocket, H&M Home and Ellos.

IKEA Sevedal kitchen cabinets with Eneryda handles.  

Thank you so much for inviting us into your beautiful home Felicia!

Did you spy her cute dog Ester? She's kind of hard to spot but looks so at home!

See more of Felicia's elegant apartment over on her blog and instagram - or if you're now in the mood for blue - take a scroll through these fabulous spaces!

It's the Swedish half-term next week and we're heading off to Spain (you're so welcome to follow along on Instagram stories!). Since I'm the worse screen time offender in the family (I blame it on my job!) - I'm going to try to set a good example and step away my phone / computer as much as possible. This means a reduced number of posts. However, if you can always pop into my Home Viewing Exhibition over at the Swedish Design Museum where I'm constantly adding new Swedish homes - including a summer cottage on its very own island and a 'funkis' bungalow!

I hope you have a FABULOUS weekend!

Niki

Credits: Felicia Alm
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