What we bought, spent and ate this week

Hello Dear Reader,

Regular readers will probably already know by now exactly what has been on our dinner table this past week as I have already posted or hinted about some new recipes I have made using up ingredients from the freezer and pantry. I am in the middle of a freezer and pantry challenge to clear out bit and bobs, using them in new and interesting recipes.

I always look forward to sitting down on a Friday morning to make up the menu and shopping list for the week ahead, but I am enjoying it even more at the moment, getting creative using up things like a random can of 4 bean mix, tapioca and gram flour.

Now on with what we bought, spent and ate this week-

What we bought

Shopping from Northside Discount Fruit Barn

Shopping from Coles

Shopping from Aldi

What we spent

Northside Discount Fruit Barn-$17.82

Coles-$32.15 + 60c for some marked down asian greens on Thursday afternoon

Aldi-$106.65

TOTAL-$156.02

What we ate

Friday-Baked Beans on Toast

Saturday-Sardines and Rosemary Pasta with Parsley and Garlic Crumb

Sunday-Tempura Whiting with steamed basmati rice and Bok Choy

Monday-Aromatic Chickpea Stew with Dates and Almonds with quinoa

Tuesday and Wednesday-Semolina Gnocchi with Oregano and Tomato Sauce with steamed green beans and balsamic. I will post this recipe on Monday, it is so good.

Thursday-Drunken Chicken with steamed basmati rice and Gai Lan

Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) is our most favourite asian green veg, it is not available very often so when I saw it at Coles on Thursday afternoon I snapped some up. Unfortunately it was quite wilted and sad looking so I asked if they would consider marking it down, they did, so instead of paying $1.80 a bunch, I got them for 30c a bunch. I bought 2 bunches and when I got home I gave them a good soak in some iced water and they came up like brand new. So deliciously crisp. This is how I cook asian greens, they all get the same treatment no matter what variety.

Over to you, what did you get up to on the food front this week?

Have a lovely day,

💗Fi

One Year Ago-This Weeks 5 Frugal Things on a Friday

Two Years Ago-Easy Banana Bread

Frugal Friday

We stopped by a local motorcycle shop to pick up some tires.  We had seen them laying outside for weeks and weeks so I messaged the owner to see if he wanted to get rid of them.  He told me to take all I wanted.  We got the three smaller ones which we will use on our dragon fruit plant supports.

The weather has made line drying clothes difficult lately.  I have ended up washing items that can be dried inside on the rainy days.  On the sunnier days I wash as much as I can of clothes that need tobe dried outside. 

In the kitchen - We ate leftovers.  It gives me a break from cooking and means that nothing goes to waste.  I made breadcrumbs with some bread ends and hot dog buns that did not turn out just right.  I also made gnocchi from scratch.  I have actually never eaten store bought gnocchi since making it is so easy. 

Starting a new business is not particularly cheap.  I took advantage of the "Black Friday" sales to purchase patterns. I was able to stretch my money further this way.

I have been taking advantage of the Dollar General Saturday coupons to buy pet food and household items.  It is an easy $5 savings on things I am planning to purchase. 

Rabbi Winston – Parshas Vayaishev, and Chanukah

Yosef had a dream, and he told it to his brothers, 

[which made] them hate him even more. 

(Bereishis 37:5)

DREAMS ARE A fascinating topic in and of themselves, but particularly so after seeing the significant role they have played in Jewish history. True, Ya’akov’s dream was really a prophecy, but being a prophet, could he have not learned the same things while conscious? Why did he have to see them in a dream specifically?

This week’s parsha starts off with dreams, and the story revolves around them. Clearly they are also prophecy, at least that is the way Yosef and Ya’akov looked at them. His brothers looked at them more as wild fantasies, at least the first one. The fact that their hatred of Yosef turned to jealousy may be an indication that they were beginning to suspect the Yosef’s night visions were more than just mere dreams.

The Talmud, recorded thousands of years later, long after the close of prophecy, also did not make light of dreams. On the contrary, it spends a couple of folio pages on the topic, even providing some of the more “common” interpretations. It does say that all dreams usually contain some aspect of nonsense, but the rest, according to the Talmud, is certainly interpretable. 

Most of us don’t remember our dreams in the morning, and the ones we do usually fade away after a few hours. I’m always amazed how I can wake up with a full memory of a dream, and within a short time, have a difficult time recalling much of it. Days later, I have forgotten it altogether, as if it was “written” in disappearing ink.

Last night I looked up online if dreaming also occurs in non-REM sleep. Lately I have found that I can drift off and within seconds have some kind of dream. Even more interesting is that I can be aware that it is only a dream, because I am still caught between the two realities. This is weird and fascinating stuff.

What is also interesting is how, after so many years and advancements in brain technology, we still don’t know for sure why we dream. Theories abound, but one thing is for certain. Dreams are like manuscripts that got torn up, thrown into the waste basket, and then reassembled without any care taken to know which pieces belong to which manuscript. 

It’s just so surreal how characters end up in plots that have nothing to do with them in real life. A few nights ago a neighbor of mine was in my dream, stuttering (he has no stutter) and bashful (he is not bashful at all), asking to use my washing machine. He certainly doesn’t need MY washing machine. Go figure.

People who lose loved ones speak about “visitations” during dreams, or at least “dream” of having them. A couple times, my father was in my dream, and I seemed to be aware that he had passed away. In one dream, he himself even told me that he could not do something for me because he was no longer alive. The brain can be VERY creative, even while asleep, perhaps ESPECIALLY while asleep.

The Ramchal explains what happens to a person while they sleep. Their levels of soul loosen up, and the upper levels are able to ascend to higher levels of spiritual reality, even meeting up with souls of those who have died. Kabbalah even teaches that it is possible for a person’s soul to learn Torah in the upper realms while asleep. 

Since a person’s levels of soul always remain connected, the nighttime experiences of the upper levels are communicated to the lower levels, and might be the reason for some dreams. It might also be the reason for deja vu, since past certain levels, time no longer exists as we know it, and the soul can see the future as well.

It’s a fascinating topic for sure. There may be several reasons why God made us with an ability/need to dream. I personally think one of them is to remind us that life is not just one level of consciousness, but many. Why is this important to recall? Because when we don’t, as we see in this week’s parsha, we can misread reality, and that can be, and usually is, disastrous. 

Spiritually this is true. There are five levels of consciousness, and there are different ways to access them, if you know how, if you are qualified, and most important of all, if you are worthy. These levels actually correspond to our five levels of soul, the upper four of which a person will have difficult accessing on lower spiritual levels, greatly limiting their vision. 

It’s like five people on five levels of an apartment building. Each floor faces the same direction and has the same sized window. But the view of the person on the second level will include more than the view of the person at ground level, as will be the case each floor up. The higher up you are, the more the view will incorporate, and therefore, the more accurate a description of reality it will be. 

That was certainly the case with Yosef and his brothers. It seems that his viewpoint was different from theirs, higher up. In 22 years, they would find out just how much higher up, when Divine Providence would force them to that higher level through a series of upsetting events. This  is a lesson to take to heart, because the same thing can be true about all of us. 

And, if you want to understand Chanukah on a more sophisticated level, then you should read my my book, “Once Revealed, Twice Concealed.” The PDF is available through my site, and the softcover and Kindle versions are purchasable through Amazon. There are things about Chanukah you would never have dreamed of, but SHOULD know.

CONNECTING THE DOTS

Issue #10: Chanukah

What was Esther’s strength in being able to stand up to Haman? Haman came from Amalek, and Amalek came from Eisav, whose spiritual merit was that he honored his father. This is why, we are told, Ya’akov Avinu was afraid of Eisav in last week’s parsha. For the 22 years that Ya’akov was away from home, he was unable to honor his father and mother, while Eisav did. Ya’akov was concerned that maybe it would give him the spiritual edge at the time of their confrontation.

Esther, on the other hand, had been an orphan. Parentless, she had no obligation to honor her parents, and therefore she never sinned in this mitzvah. Thus Esther was able to stand up to Haman, whose descendant had the merit of performing the mitzvah.

Nice vort, eh?

Are you kidding? There are so many questions that not only COULD be asked here, but MUST be asked here. This vort is like the one Rebi Akiva told his students to wake them up: What was Esther’s merit to be queen over 127 provinces? The fact that Sarah lived 127 perfect years.

Really? 

What’s the CONNECTION?

WHAT’S the connection?

God. 

God?

Yes, God.

Why more here than anywhere else?

It’s not. It’s just that holidays like Purim and Chanukah which emphasize this point, that history doesn’t have to always makes sense to us, as long as it makes sense to God, is often the case. We like to believe that history can never be wackier than we can fathom, but the truth is, it can. 

Well, wackier to US. It is perfectly logical to God, and would be to us as well if we could see history as He does. This is in essence what God told Moshe Rabbeinu after his vision of Rebi Akiva’s cruel death, which he questioned (Menachos 29b). God told him, Kabbalah explains, that his answer lay in realms too high for him to fathom, so he would have to remain with his question for the time being, and just have FAITH. 

What would Moshe Rabbeinu have said had he lived to see the world today? What would he have asked God about the way people live and what they get away with? At least Nebuchadnetzar, as evil as he was, still believed in God. Today, even “decent” people don’t. 

For the Jew who had jumped ship and “gone with the flow”, the world is no big deal and he experiences everything as just par for the course. But, for the Jew who has remained faithful to the Torah way of life, history appears quite off-kilter. As Rebi Yehoshua ben Levi’s son told him, this is a world in which up is down and vice-versa (Pesachim 50a). 

However, when we light the Menorah, we open a spiritual portal through which we can glance at the world of God, in which up is up and down is down. We are reminded that though the history does not make sense to us, it does to God Who will, when the time is right, sort it all out. 

In the meantime, it is our job to do what we can to right the wrongs, and to remember that no matter how out of control history seems to be, God always has a handle on it. And, every once in a while He shines a light through the darkness to tell us this, so that we can remain faithful and hopeful. 

Rabbi Kahana – Vayeishev: Ya’akovism vs. Aisavism

BS”D 

Parashat Vayishlach-Vayaishev 5779

Rabbi Nachman Kahana

Ya’akovism vs. Aisavism

The central theme of these two parshiot is JEWISH IDENTITY – Ya’akovism vs. Aisavism, or to put it plainly: as with the practice of medicine where wellness is defined as the absence of sickness; in Judaism, Ya’akovism is defined as the absence of Aisavism. And just as a minor illness excludes the sufferer from the status of wellness, even an infinitesimal dose of Aisavism excludes a Jew from the distinctive, unique, sacred, aristocratic status of Ya’akovism.

In parashat Vayishlach, Ya’akov Aveinu returns home triumphantly, as Chazal say: “spiritually, physically and materially whole”. But a dark cloud hovers as he learns that waiting to greet him in Eretz Yisrael is his brother Aisav, accompanied by 400 “armed to the teeth” cohorts.

Ya’akov prepares for the fateful meeting, not only of two alienated brothers, but the collision of two ways of life, both of which are destined to influence humanity until the end of time.

Ya’akov is gripped with fear. He devises a three-pronged strategy: to appease Aisav with gifts, to pray, and to prepare for battle. And just to make sure, if these should fail, Ya’akov divides his loved ones and material possessions into two camps, so that in the event Aisav destroys one, the other will have an opportunity to survive.

Ya’akov is desperate. On this day, his destiny, and that of the Jewish nation hang in the balance; tomorrow it will be resolved in the life and death struggle between him and his brother.

In view of Ya’akov’s pessimism, we cannot escape the seemingly unexplainable change of heart on the part of Ya’akov. At the height of the drama, just before Ya’akov is about to meet his brother, he unites the two camps into one. The Torah even relates by name the order in which the family stood at the approach of Aisav: Bilhah and Zilpah with their children first, Leah and her children second, with Yosef and Rachel last.

How did his fear dissipate?

The answer is in the mysterious episode that separates the opening pesukim describing Ya’akov’s trepidations and the perilous meeting with Aisav – the all-night wrestling match between Ya’akov and the angel.

The mystery lies not only with a man physically fighting an angel, but the pasuk itself is contradictory. In chapter 32:25, the Torah says: “And Ya’akov remained alone – and a man began wrestling with him until daylight”. Now, if Ya’akov was “alone”, how did he wrestle with a man?

I submit that Ya’akov was indeed alone; the only man who was present was Ya’akov himself. 

Ya’akov was wrestling and struggling with himself – with a desperate spiritual dilemma: “HaShem promised that He would bring me home safely, so why am I terrified at the very thought of meeting my brother? What can Aisav do to me or to my family in light of HaShem’s promise? But the fact is my heart is filled with terror. Does this mean that I do not believe in HaShem’s promise? So who am I – a believing Jew who does not relate to the so-called realities of life but to HaShem the Master of all things; or am I so superficial that I am unable to overcome the tests that HaShem places in my path?”

All night Ya’akov struggles to define his spirituality, of which Aisav might also be a part, for they are twins in body but perhaps also in soul. Ya’akov agonizes with the greatest struggle that has ever crossed his path: “Is there still a part of Aisav within me, or did I succeed in exorcising it?” Ya’akov agonizes in this struggle during the night of his life, when the truth is imperceptible. But at the first rays of morning light, the light of clarity, Ya’akov resolves his perplexing spiritual dilemma, declaring, “I am a totally believing Jew. Not one iota of Aisav is within me. No more compromise. No gifts for Aisav. No more division into two camps. Rather reliance on the promise that HaShem chose me and my descendants for all time.”

Ya’akov returns to his family and merges the two camps into one, fully confident in his inner strength which he now projects to the family, and all are prepared to face the antagonist of all that is holy to Am Yisrael.

Ya’akov identifies himself as “Ya’akov” and “Yisrael”.

Regarding parashat Vayeshev, many quills have been broken and much ink spilled in attempts to explain why Yosef’s brothers wished to distance him from the family.

The rationale appearing in Rashi is that the brothers’ hatred stemmed from Yosef’s having revealed to their father that they had violated the prohibition against dismembering an animal while it is still alive. But this is highly problematic, for this act is forbidden even to the gentile descendants of Noah!

I submit: HaShem chose us, the descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya’akov from all the nations. But unlike the other nations whose cultures evolved in stages, with individuals integrating as families, families as tribes and tribes as nations, the Jewish People received our entire divine way of life in one moment at Mount Sinai. But what was the status of the Jewish “family” prior to HaShem’s revelation at Mount Sinai? Were they Jews like us in every sense of the word, or were they entirely non-Jews, or perhaps something else? In other words: were they Ya’akov or Aisav, or perhaps a little of both?

This question stood at the heart of the argument that erupted between Yosef and his brothers.

One of the seven Noachide laws is the prohibition against dismembering an organ or flesh from a living animal – אבר מן החי- “Ever Min HeChai”, literally, “a limb from the living”.

This commandment differs from the other Torah laws in that the Torah is stricter with the gentile than with a Jew in determining an animal’s moment of death. For Jews cutting the majority of the trachea and esophagus (or one of the two in the case of a kosher fowl), constitutes death of the animal permitting one to begin dismembering it. For non-Jews, however, an animal is considered dead only when its death throes entirely cease.

The dispute between Yosef and his brothers focused on the question of their religious/national status before receiving of the Torah, finding practical expression in how the moment of death that renders an animal to be dismembered.

The brothers argued that they were Jews -Ya’akov in every regard, and they would customarily cut limbs from animals immediately after cutting the trachea and esophagus, without waiting for the animal to come to rest. Yosef agreed that they were Jews in every sense, but only outside the Land of Israel. Inside the Land, they were obligated to abide by all the strictness applying to Jews and to non-Jews. Thus, according to Yosef’s approach regarding the Land of Israel, removing limbs from an animal when it is still moving constituted a violation of Ever Min HeChai.

What led Yosef to this conclusion was his mother Rachel’s death immediately upon her entrance into the Land. Rachel and Leah were forbidden to marry one husband since they were sisters. Yet Ya’akov, as a Jew, had converted them, and the law is that a convert is like a newborn, such that the family connection between the sisters had ceased. When Yosef saw that his mother had died immediately upon entering the land, he concluded that their conversion, with all of its ramifications, was binding only outside the Land. In the Land of Israel, however, they were bound by all the strictness applying to Jews and to non-Jews. It thus turned out that Rachel and Leah were still considered sisters according to the laws applying to non-Jews. That was why Rachel was taken away from Ya’akov.

Yosef’s halachic position maintained that his father should have divorced Leah before they entered the Land, thereby saving Rachel from death.

In Parashat Vayechi, when close to his death, Ya’akov revealed to Yosef that his conclusion based on Rachel’s death that the strictness of both Jews and non-Jews applied to the family in Eretz Yisrael was erroneous. Your mother Rachel died and was buried there because fifteen hundred years later, with the destruction of the First Temple, those setting out for the exile would pass by way of Efrat, and Rachel would emerge from her grave to weep and pray for her children.

Ya’akov rejects the notion that he and his children are anything less than total “Ya’akov,” without a trace of Aisav.

Two parshiot of uncompromising Jewish identity.

Conclusion: There are many opportunities in life when one is called upon to define and clarify his role as a Jew. For us in Eretz Yisrael there is no room for choice – we eat, drink, breath and live in the eternal shadow of our forefathers. We are not jew-ISH, we are Jews!

In contrast, the most conscious jew in galut who wants to be a “Ya’akov” cannot let go of the Aisavism in his soul.

In the matter of Ya’akov vs. Aisav it matters not if one is a leading rabbinic figure or an assimilated Jew, both are not Ya’akovs because they choose to live with Aisav. With the difference between the rabbis and the assimilated camp being the quantitative degree of Aisavism they choose to bring into their lives.

The intermarried Jew identifies totally with Aisav, whereas the “ben torah” in galut is Ya’akov prior to that significant night when he fought with the Aisavism in him to become absolute Ya’akov.

In current times…

An example of what I mean is transpiring at this very moment in the State of Connecticut where Agudat Yisrael is holding its 97th yearly conference in an exclusive hotel and enjoying the pleasures that an Aisavistic culture can provide. Leading Chareidi rabbinic figures are there. What will they answer in the real world where absolute truth reigns?

Shabbat Shalom,

Nachman Kahana

Copyright © 5779/2018 

This Weeks 5 Frugal Things on a Friday

Hello Dear Reader,

Holy cow, what a hot week we've had, usually we can count on being at least a few degrees cooler that the city, but not this week. We've had very high temperatures plus hot and dry westerly winds that have carried in a thick blanket of dust.

We have been living in the air conditioning, keeping all the windows and doors closed tight, not even hanging out the washing. We will have to wash down the outside of the house when this weather event finally ends, this job was already on my to-do list but now it really needs to be done, the dust has settled onto the security screens and in the window and door tracks.

But this minor inconvenience is nothing compared to the devastation caused by fires burning out of control further on up the coast. My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by these terrifying fires, every night we have been watching the news, fires are so completely devastating, destroying everything in their path. And just how amazing are our rural fire brigade and emergency services who give their all to try and save homes and lives. They are true hero's.

This week has seen me start on planning for Christmas in a big way, yesterday afternoon I did the small amount of Christmas gift shopping, the Christmas cards are written out and ready to send on Monday and tonight we are having dinner with our son and his partner tonight to plan what will be happening on Christmas day. As in most families when new relationships bloom and grow the way we celebrate special occasions will be different. We are open to change and will be happy to support whatever they want to do for Christmas day.

Our daughter and her partner may not be coming down for Christmas this year as flights are stupid expensive and they are saving like crazy for their home they will be building next year. Their usual house/pet sitter is not available also and they just don't feel they can find and trust someone else to look after their beautiful cats. Again we are totally fine with that and wouldn't stress them out by insisting they join us. I always say do what is right for you and don't worry about what anyone else thinks.

Now, after that little update, I'll get on with the frugal things from Chez SHI.

1. Made two loaves of bread. It's been ages since I made bread and it felt good to be doing it again. I will have to make the trip up to Simply Good to buy some rye flour as I am completely out. These loaves are just plain white bread, they are yummy but I prefer bread with some goodness.

2. Mended a bag that had come unstitched, when our daughter was down here a few weeks ago she must have gone to Daiso and bought home one of their bags. She had popped it on my sewing table to be mended and only just discovered it on Sunday when I was in there making a little drawstring makeup bag. I should have changed the colour of the thread to match the bag, but done is better than not.

3. Made a couple of meat free meals during my freezer and pantry challenge, both these meals are meat free, economical and totally delicious.

Aromatic Chickpea Stew with Dates and Almonds

Baked Semolina Gnocchi with Oregano and Tomato Sauce (recipe coming on Monday)

4. Caught the warm up water from the shower and also the water from the aircondioning outlet and used it to keep the few remaining potted plants hydrated.

That's Ninja photo bombing!

5. Packed my morning tea and lunch everyday for work, I do this every week, it's a no-brainer. I would never buy lunch when I have food to bring in from home.

Over to you, are you experiencing wild weather in your neck of the woods? And how did you save money this week?

Have a lovely day,

💗Fi

One Year Ago-Chicken, Mango and Coconut Curry

Two Years Ago-What we spent and ate this fortnight

Remembering Pre–War Climate and How it Resembles Today

AGUDAS YISRAEL: the beginning

(Agudat Yisra’el; Aguda[h]; Union of Israel) is a political movement of Orthodox Jewry, founded at a conference in Kattowitz (Upper Silesia; today Katowice, Poland) in May 1912. Subsequently, branches of the movement were established in most countries of Western and Eastern Europe, as well as in the United States and pre-state Israel. It was in interwar Eastern Europe, though, that Agudas Yisroel reached the pinnacle of its political achievement and institutional development. Hasidic rebbes in Poland and yeshiva heads in Lithuania legitimized the movement religiously, and their followers formed the bulk of its constituency.



Members of a hakhsharah (training farm that prepared young Jews for settlement in Palestine) affiliated with Agudas Yisroel, Mosty Wielkie, Poland (now Velikiye Mosty, Ukr.), 1930s. The Hebrew sign reads: “Kibbutz Hakhsharah of Agudas Yisroel in Poland, named after Maharam of Lublin [Rabbi Me’ir ben Gedalyah], Mosty Wielkie.” (YIVO)

WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS MOVEMENT TO SETTLE IN ISRAEL? WHY IS IT NOT STILL PART OF THE AGUDAH AGENDA? 

TODAY THEY ARE ENTRENCHED IN GOLUS AMERICA

Agudah Convention – November 22-25, 2018 

Theme:  Forward Moving into the Future

SESSION:  ANTI-SEMITISM REARS ITS UGLY HEAD... AGAIN: HALACHIC AND HASHKAFIC PERSPECTIVE

Some prophetic comments from the Opening Segment of this Session (Program):
(these are pulled from the speakers comments, because they reflect “Today’s World”)

“Too many people trying to claim ‘Victim’”
“Sensationalize Improprieties: Racism, Sexism, and even Antisemitism”
“Perhaps things are being exaggerated”
“Victimization is being weaponized …”
“Oftentimes the World wasn’t even aware of what was going on [before/during the War]”
“Antisemitism is Alive and Well r”l Very Real in Europe and in America.

To this I wish to express that we are hearing the same attitudes that were voiced before WWII. Pittsburgh was the “shot heard round the world”, and now we have violence and attacks constantly in the news. “We Don’t Want You Here!” shouted at Jews. Is anyone listening? Do you hear the voices from Shamayim, warning? This happens at the end of each Golus as it winds down. We are now in our last Golus. Do the Jews in America really want it to end like the others? Why aren’t more Jews waking up and making plans? Why wait for the attempt at Rescue? Bring your possessions with you now, before you will have to leave them behind.

Each Golus has the same pattern:  From expulsion to rescue, settlement, prosperity, tragedy and finally dispersal and expulsion. Wikipedia and the Jewish Diaspora.

SESSION:  ARE WE SUFFERING FROM A CONNECTION TO HASHEM DEFICIT?

Speaker:  "Emunah is the basis and foundation of Yiddishkeit” (Program)

I will do my best to explain the following,
to address the gravity of the above topic:

To this I wish to recommend listening to Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi ybl’c who speaks from a Seminar held with the religious community in Boro Park/Monsey. He speaks about Yidden expressing a “fracture in their connection to Hashem”, a “confusion of basic understanding in Rambam’s 13 Ikkarim. Listen The Coming Hard Times

In his Shiurim, the Rabbi has spoken about frum children who are distancing themselves from their parents, family, community, out of desperation because they feel and think they no longer connect to yiddishkeit. chv”s  Rabbi Mizrachi eloquently explains how these frum children are growing up with questions, and they are dismissed (to put it mildly) by their parents and instructors, which leads to frustration, doubt and disconnect.

Rabbi Mizrachi says this is the complete opposite of what they should to tole; these children are intelligent and bright thinking; they want to know more, more deeply, in order to increase their attachment to Hashem. Telling them that “that's what my father did, and what his father did, this is what we do” is not the proper approach for the children of this generation. Rabbi Mizrachi says so much more on this topic that is superbly relevant and ‘emesdig’ of the highest spirituality. 

The 2018 Agudah Theme is actually Prophecy; its time to truly move into the future:  The future is Eretz Yisrael.

Weekly Goals Update: Week 47

First an explanation for the total lack of posts here.  My dad ended up back in the hospital for the third time in just over a month.  He was worse than the previous two times.  Thankfully this time (after several days) he ended up with the right mix of doctors.  He had his gall bladder removed and is on the mend.  Life has been topsy turvy here, but I am expecting it to get back to normal. 


1.  Disaster Preparedness
I abandoned this goal after this weekly "missions" got too out there for me.


2.  Makeover the Garden
After everything that happened I did not get any planting done.  I do not have high hopes for this week either.  Life is like that some times.


3.  Organize Recipes
No - yet again.


4. Have 13 No Spend Grocery Weeks - Done
I did skip the grocery store Thanksgiving week.  I expect to skip it a couple more times before the year is out.  Cold weather makes me want to stay home.  If I lived where it snowed regularly, I would never leave.


5.  Focus on Saving
I did very little "Black Friday" shopping.  I bought patterns on sale from Etsy.  I tried to think ahead to the coming seasons and take advantage of the sales.  I spent a fair amount, but it was patterns I planned to buy.


6.  Etsy Shop
I failed horribly on my list an item every day goal.  Between getting ready for Thanksgiving and everything else that was happening, it fell to the wayside.

My Favourite Corner Right Now!

My bedroom always becomes a bit of a haven in the winter time, do you find the same? There's something so toasty about climbing under the duvet and reading a book or watching a Netflix series (we're currently watching Shooter, have you seen it?). Given the temperatures right now in Sweden (it was minus 3 when I left this morning - brrrrr!) and the fact that we happen to have the most comfortable bed in the world (thank you Carpe Diem Beds) I could quite happily stay in this very spot until spring! Here are a few latest snaps from my favourite corner of our house right now.

Do you have a favourite corner right now?

If you're looking for a new, ultra cosy bed, I can HIGHLY recommend my Sandö bed (read more about it here). It's like a cosy nest!

Carpe Diem Beds have also recently released this beautiful short film which describes the handcraft that goes into each bed and the connection with the incredible nature on Sweden's West Coast.



Other items include the Portrait H print in wood frame*, wooden stool*, waffle throw from Granit (I'm not sure if they still sell this), natural linen throw. The lamp was made by a friend in England. The wall is painted in Blushing Peach and the floor in Strong White. If I've missed anything, just give me a shout in the comment section below.

Stay toasty!

I'm Moscow bound! Yay!

Niki


This post is brought to you in collaboration with Carpe Diem Beds. As always, all words are my own and I only ever work with brands I love. This really is my favourite corner of my bedroom, and the bed really is the most comfortable one I've ever had the pleasure of sleeping in! Thank yo for supporting the hand-picked businesses that make My Scandinavian Home possible. 

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Rabbi Mizrachi on Different Souls – Continued Current Events

Various Soul Murderers vs Soul Savers 

 Current Events

Rabbi Mizrachi continues delving into the warnings of current events that are accelerating in the world, not just in Eretz Yisrael, and mostly in Chu”l. One could surmise that the “heat” is increasing on our enemies, a clear sign of progress into this final Golus and the impending Geula.

There is a video of hundreds of US Marines landing in the Arctic. Are they preparing for a possible war? Or is this an offense maneuver to prevent any movements toward war? [if you are interested: https://youtu.be/T2eSzw8cOUc]

My Freezer and Pantry Challenge Update

Hello Dear Reader,

Today I thought I would do a little update of how my freezer and pantry challenge is going. I took a leaf out of "The Frugal Girl's" book and are slowly whittling down the bits and bobs in my freezer and some long overlooked items in my pantry. I did an inventory of what I had in both my freezer and over stuffed pantry and made up a list from there on how I was going to use up these food items.

So far this is how I've used some or all of those items-

1. Some dates and chia went into these Date, Chia and Coconut Biscuits

2. Some semolina in a dish of amazing Baked Semolina Gnocchi with Oregano and Tomato Sauce, this is a wonderful recipe and I will be posting it next Monday. There is enough semolina left over to make another batch of this, which will definitely be happening again soon, it was so good.

3. An open packet of puff pastry, a small quantity of frozen peas and some potatoes in these Curried Potato and Pea Parcels

4. Half a bottle of frozen passata, some frozen breadcrumbs and 2 tins of sardines went into this Sardine and Rosemary Pasta with Parsley and Garlic Crumb

5. Some frozen cream and a loaf of frozen Brioche was used up in this Cheese and Chorizo Bread Pudding

6. A carton of frozen butter milk went into a batch of my Light and Fluffy Pancakes for breakfast last Sunday

7. I have taken out the left over stock from the last time I made Drunken Chicken plus half a tetra pack of frozen chicken stock (as I will probably need a bit more stock) to make another Drunken Chicken for dinner tonight.

8. And lastly we used up a frozen container of Upmarket Rice and Beans for an easy dinner one night. This is a photo of what items we had in the freezer next door (our Sons and Partners home) there is only the lime juice and zest plus the passionfruit pulp to use up now. I will be making a huge batch of Lime and Passionfruit Butter to give away at Christmas time.

I still have quite a way to go until my freezer is empty and my pantry, not quite so full, but slow and steady will win the race.

Have you ever done a freezer or pantry challenge? If so, what interesting bits and bobs did you find?

Have a lovely day
💗Fi

One Year Ago-Easy and Delicious, Slow Cooker Chorizo and Beans
Two Years Ago-My Plastic Replacement for November

A Stunning White Farmhouse in The Snow

It snowed here this morning. Nothing major, just a light sprinkling, but it was enough to make me feel all warm inside! Do you love the first flurry of snow too? I felt nothing captures the cosy mood today like this beautifully simple farmhouse in the Indiana countryside. Photographer and stylist Angie Wendricks has struck the perfect balance between minimalism and warmth thanks to the white washed floors and walls and rustic furniture. Look out for soft, natural textiles, simple bouquets of flowers and the odd candle too!

The beauty of having furniture on wheels like this table, is that you can easily move it around depending on where you need it - you can even roll it outside (not that you'd want to in the snow of course!).  

I have a similar stool beside my bed which I sourced here* (I see they currently have a beautiful side table too - but there's only one left*, so you'd need to be quick!). The kitchen cabinets are from IKEA.

Kitchen Aid range

These images of Angie's homes are from a selection taken over the past year - which is why the Smeg is in a different position! I still wanted to include the image all the same, as I think it helps to understand the shape of the room - and get a better look at that stunning table! 

Angie's Ikea sofa has been covered with a Bemz linen cover (a girl after my own heart - I'm loving my linen sofa cover!). My bench / coffee table is almost identical too - pick up a similar one here.

This is such a pretty idea: white candles in vintage baking moulds! 

 The black wood burning stove looks really striking in the all white space and helps to show off the immense ceiling height - imagine how it looks all aglow with the snow outside?!

Woooow, this home is just beautiful, don't you think?

If this hasn't got us all in the mood for winter (and a white Christmas!), I don't know what will!

Could you imagine rocking around here this December?!

See more gorgeous pictures of Angie's home at @countryroadliving and www.angiewendricks.com.

Other countryside cabins I love (I'm on a roll now - there's no stopping me!) - include this little Danish cabin in the woods, an idyllic lakeside cabin in Canada and Leanne Ford's dreamy white cabin.

Speaking of cold weather, I'm currently packing for my trip to Moscow tomorrow (I'm talking at an event about Pure Scandinavian Design there on Friday) - I've never been to Russia before so I'm super excited. Just got to work out what to pack to keep the minus temperatures at bay! Tips welcome!

Have a cosy day - keep warm!

Niki

Photography: Angie Wendricks, shared with kind permission. 

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