Easy Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

This is an easy and quick meal.  The beautiful thing about it for this time of year is that it doesn't heat the house up.  We're already experiencing some humid days and the summer isn't even officially here.

Weekend Book Reviews

Vegetables Love Flowers by Lisa Mason Ziegler focuses on "companion planting for beauty and bounty".  I already add flowers to my garden to repel some bugs and attract pollinators.  I was inspired to expand the flower portion of my garden by this book.  My favorite part was the cut flower arrangements using simple flowers such as zinnias and celosia.  Another major bonus was the seasonal garden layouts combining vegetables and flowers. The author gives good information on companion flowers and herbs including growing tips, visitors to expect, and harvesting tips.  This is a wonderful book for any gardener.


Whitney Bowe's The Beauty of Dirty Skin shares with readers how what we eat plays a large part in the health of skin.  The author explains the science behind skin problems and how prescriptions are not necessarily the answer.  I appreciated have a plan laid out for a more natural way to care for my skin.  The medical side of the book can be a bit deep but not overwhelming.  The author provides a straightforward three week plan for better skin from the inside out.


Death of a Cookbook Author by Lee Hollis is the tenth book in the Haley Powell Mystery series.  Haley is invited by cookbook author and tv star Penelope Janice to participate in a 4th of July potluck.  She feels in over her head when she ends up with food poisoning and overhears a murder being planned.  Things take a confusing turn when one of the murder planners is found dead.  Then Haley finds herself being targeted.  I have read previous books in the series, but it is not necessary to enjoy this one.  The characters and setting of this book are fun.  Haley is a perfectly imperfect cozy mystery heroine. 


disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Frugal Friday

As I mentioned in Wednesday's garden post I transplanted marigolds from the garden down one side of the pheasant/turkey pens.  I hated to just throw away the plants and had given away all I could.  If even part of the transplants self-seed, I will have an ongoing supply. 


We picked over my in-laws' garden while they were out of town for a few days.  I left the squash in their refrigerator as we have more than enough for ourselves.  We did bring home a few blueberries and blackberries.  We ate squash, zucchini, lettuce, and raspberries from our own yard.


I received an email offering me a free two month subscription to Shudder on Roku.  I signed up and immediately cancelled so I would not forget.  The channel is open until the trial expires.


I took advantage of a free shipping offer to order three packages of herb seeds.  Before I ordered I priced around to make sure I was getting a good deal.  I ordered lamb's ear, which I have not found elsewhere, as well as lemon basil and calendula. 


I needed some snacks to have on hand and did not want to buy anything this week.  I had a small block of melting chocolate and plenty of individually bagged pretzels (bought when W was working).  I covered the pretzels in the chocolate for a tasty snack with no extra money spent.  We have also been snacking on popcorn popped in the microwave using this.  The popcorn pops quickly with none of the packaged microwave popcorn additives.

Theo's Charming, Bohemian-style Abode in Berlin

We've had quite a few pared-back homes on the blog this week so it's definitely time to shake things up a little, don't you think? Plus it's Friday - woohoo! So, today I'm bringing you the charming, boho home of Theo Melnik. Theo lives in Berlin with her boyfriend, herd of cats, countless plants and some very fine second-hand finds. Here's Theo to tell you a little more about her delightful abode in her own words...

Where is your apartment? 
It's in Berlin, in Neukölln actually :)

What do you do work-wise?
I am a copywriter / content creator. Essentially, I really love writing and taking pictures, and basically that is what I do for a hobby and also for my job #bestlife

You do indeed! Can you describe the layout of your apartment a little?
We have one bedroom, a living room, kitchen, bathroom, balcony, and a pantry.

What's your decorating philosophy?
I always look at materials. I like 'real' materials like wood, brass, marble and things like that. However, that doesn't mean it always needs to be expensive. For example, we've just built a kitchen surface using OSB and I totally love it. I just don't like it when materials pretend to be something they're not (like plastic veneers for example). Other than that I love mixing old and new (with probably more old stuff). I also love design classics, but ideally used ones, from their original time period. "

How do you select pieces for your home?
Honestly, sometimes I think items pick me. I often just spend hours on ebay searching for materials (or particular finishings) I like at the moment and then see what comes my way. I've found many of my favourite pieces that way.

Do you have a favourite room? 
That's a hard one. I love them all. I guess whichever is the tidiest at any given moment? Right now I probably like the kitchen best but I am planning a semi-major bedroom update soon (which my boyfriend doesn't know about yet....) which I hope to share soon. So my favourite room might change in the near future ;) 

And do you have a favourite piece?
Oh wow, that's even harder! It's probably very silly but I absolutely love my cutlery - I got two vintage brass sets and adore both (though one of them is still my absolute favourite). We also just got a dishwasher and it's a game changer. Oh and the mirror in the bedroom and the kitchen table (which I bought respectively for 1€ and 1,50€ on ebay, which is incredible).

Ha! That's four pieces - but we'll forgive you, as your home is full of beautiful treasures so we'd find it hard to pick one too!

Thank you so much for the tour and telling us a little more about your home!

Theo shares daily snapshots of her home over on instagram.

And if you're looking for more beautiful, relaxed boho home tours this sunny weekend why not take a peek at a relaxed boho family home in Florida, the wonderfully relaxed, bohemian home of Carley Summers and the boho home of Paloma Lanna.

Have a fabulous weekend all!

PS 5 ways to add the Swedish love of balance into your life.


Photography: Theodore Melnik shared with kind permission. 

Parshat Beha’alotekha: Like a Child Running Away

Pachad David

Published by Mosdot “Orot Chaim U’Moshe” in Israel

Under the auspices of Moreinu v’Rabbeinu Hagaon Hatzaddik Rabbi David Chananya Pinto, shlita

Son of the tzaddik and miracle-worker Rabbi Moshe Ahron Pinto, zt”l, and grandson of the holy tzaddik and miracle-worker Rabbi Chaim Pinto, zy”a

Parshat Beha’alotekha

19 Sivan 5778

Like a Child Running Away

"They traveled a distance of three days” 

(Bamidbar 10:33)

Chazal explain that they traveled from Mount Sinai a distance of three days like a child running away from school. This implies that the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai was a heavy burden upon them, which they sought to escape, so they ran away.

This Midrash requires explanation. We are talking about important people who are called by Chazal, the "dor de'ah – generation of wisdom." They had just received the Torah and saw Divine revelations. Eye to eye, they saw the Shechinah of Hashem, and the revelation of Hashem at Mount Sinai.
Certainly they were instilled with the love of Hashem and His Torah; then why did they suddenly want to escape the place like a child running away from school?

We need to understand how one infers from the words "They traveled a distance of three days," that they were running away like a child escaping. Why can't we explain the words "They traveled" like by all other journeys that they simply traveled in the Wilderness, without explaining that they looked to escape? In addition, we can explain that the words "They traveled a distance of three days from the Mountain of the L-rd" signifies that they took with them the impression of the Mountain of the L-rd and the revelations there, as the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh says regarding the pasuk, "They journeyed from Rephidim," (homiletically – laxity) explaining that they departed from their laxity in Torah, meaning that now they reinforced their study of Torah.

I would like to suggest with siyata d'Shemaya, that Chazal explain like this because the behavior of Bnei Yisrael was very puzzling. A short while after Bnei Yisrael received the Torah and rose up to exalted heights spiritually, they suddenly experienced a steep drop, which manifested itself in various complaints against Hashem and His messengers; whether complaints about the lack of water, or lack of meat, and afterwards finding fault with Eretz Yisrael and slandering the Land.

Chazal were perplexed by these cases and asked how it was possible that those who received the Torah accompanied by thunderous lightning and the sound of the Shofar, and saw wondrous miracles, suddenly rebelled and fell time after time into the trap of the Yetzer Hara. Why didn't the Torah protect and guard them? After all the Torah is the antidote to the Yetzer Hara. Thus Chazal concluded that it must be that there was indeed some flaw in their acceptance of the Torah. Consequently, the Torah did not influence them to change their ways for the better. What was the flaw? That they ran away from the Mountain of the L-rd like a child running away from school.

It is true that they were obligated to travel from the place according to Hashem's command, as it is stated, "At the bidding of the L-rd, the children of Israel traveled, and at the bidding of the Lord, they encamped." But they shouldn't have left the place joyfully and hurriedly. Inwardly, they should have felt sorrow and difficulty in having to leave, and a disadvantage, that it was too bad that they had to leave such a holy and sanctified place. They should have expressed longing for the Mountain of the L-rd, a place that was so holy that even the animals were prohibited in grazing nearby, and now they had to leave the place suddenly. But instead they left the place without feeling any loss, and this is the proof that their acceptance of the Torah was like a burden and not a privilege.

Chazal explain that they feared that perhaps Hashem would add more commandments. This is surprising because they should have understood that a person without Torah is like a body without a soul. So too at Mount Sinai, as long as they were there and Hashem was at the mountain top, Mount Sinai remained holy. However, after the holy Shechinah departed from there, and they had to leave the place, the place became like any other location. Now it was incumbent upon Bnei Yisrael to create in every place that they would be a dwelling where the Shechinah would reside. But they behaved exactly in an opposite manner and ran away like a child running away from school, without bothering to create a dwelling for Hashem in another place, as Mount Sinai had been.

And so it is regarding prayer. Even if one prayed with concentration and devotion, but at the end of the prayer, when reciting "Aleinu l'shabayach" he already left the Beit Haknesset, he demonstrates that the entire prayer was a burden and hardship for him, and he was just waiting for the moment that he could remove the heavy burden from his neck… Certainly such a prayer is not successful and it is not wholehearted.

Similarly, when Bnei Yisrael left the Mountain of Hashem and immediately sinned and voiced false accusations against Hashem and His leadership, it indicates that they ran away as a child who runs away from school, and they were glad to leave Mount Sinai quickly, because they still didn't understand fully the value and importance of the Torah. This is why even accepting the Torah did not protect them and help them improve their ways, because if they had appreciated the magnitude and importance of the Torah, they would have felt bad leaving the holy site of the Mountain of the L-rd, even though they were obligated to continue on their journey according to Hashem's command.

Walking in Their Ways
No one is infallible

There is a story that illustrates to what extent challenges bring a person closer to Hashem. Even if he is not a Jew, he can recognize Hashem clearly. My dear disciple, Mr. Haver, whom I merited with the help of Hashem to bring him to full repentance, met his friend, Mr. Rivero, in Argentina, who is not Jewish.

This man was enormously wealthy and had many assets. He was missing nothing. In their emotional meeting (on May, 2011) after greeting each other warmly, an interesting conversation developed between them. My disciple Mr. Haver told Mr. Rivero that his Rabbi, Rabbi David, shlit"a, was presently in Argentina, and he asked if he would accompany him to receive a blessing from the Rabbi as well. Mr. Rivero replied proudly with complete self-assurance, "I have everything, so why do I need a blessing…I have lots of money and a wife and children. I am not missing anything."
And by the way he added, "My wife is Jewish." Mr. Haver then told him, "If so, you have some connection to the Jewish people, and moreover, your children are Jewish.”

To this Mr. Rivero responded scornfully and said, "My wife and children have nothing to do with Judaism! Every week they attend the Church services (Rachmana litztlan) and they have no trace of Judaism." My disciple Mr. Haver continued to relate, "At that moment I gazed at him as if seeing a thoughtless and foolish person who does not understand at all what the purpose of man is in the world. Inwardly I recited the blessing, "for not having made me a gentile." I thanked Hashem from the bottom of my heart that "He did not assign our portion like theirs nor our lot like all their multitudes.”

Two days later, Mr. Rivero called his friend Mr. Haver frantically. On the other end, he unmistakably heard a broken voice that was evidently tearful. He begged to arrange an urgent meeting with Rabbi David…

Mr. Haver was puzzled. Only two days ago Mr. Rivero expressed outright contempt for the Rabbi's blessing. He even responded with arrogance that he did not need blessings at all, since he possessed everything he needed. What happened suddenly?!

His astonishment did not last long, and in a broken voice Mr. Rivero told him that suddenly he did not feel well. When he was rushed to the hospital, he underwent tests and the result was that he was diagnosed with the cursed disease, may G-d have mercy on him.

In a flash, his peaceful life turned chaotic. He found himself in a storm and turbulent sea of treatments and medications, and he was beside himself. In his grief, he recalled his meeting with Mr. Haver, who spoke to him about the Rabbi's blessing, and now he wanted to be blessed in the merit of his saintly ancestors to be saved and get cured.

Within a few hours, he came to see me and told me the story. I turned to him and blessed him with all my heart that Hashem should send him a complete cure and restore his health as before. I am sure that if he would recover, it would cause a great Kiddush and Hashem and Hashem's Name would be glorified.

In addition, when he came to me, he offered me an enormous sum of money for the benefit of our holy institutions, but I rejected his generous contribution, because my sole intention was to glorify Hashem's Name in the world.

This story is etched in my heart. I thought a lot about it and concluded to myself: How wrong a person can be thinking arrogantly that nothing can befall him. Mr. Rivero was so sure of himself at first, and his heart was full of pride, believing that "My strength and the might of my hand that has accumulated this wealth for me." He thought that everything was in his control, and his wealth and his family's welfare was secure. But in a moment he experienced catastrophe. His empire crumbled before his eyes when his health failed, and he became entirely broken. This is because everything ultimately depends on the Ribbono Shel Olam.

What opened his eyes to see truth? His suffering and anguish made him see and understand the true reality. Therefore, it is forbidden for a person to ignore the truth that everything is only in Hashem's control, and one should not wait, G-d forbid, until he is sent a painful reminder from Heaven. He must recall his infallibility at all times and always realize Hashem's Divine Providence. He should always aspire to advance continuously in his study of Torah and fear of Hashem.

The Haftarah
“Sing and rejoice” (Zecharia 2:14)

The connection to the parashah: The haftarah mentions the Menorah and the lamps that the Navi Zecharia envisioned, and the parashah discusses the commandment to Aharon HaCohen about lighting the lamps toward the face of the Menorah.

DIY * Summer party

 O yeah, een tiener in huis...

...en dat moet natuurlijk gevierd worden!

Want 10 klinkt toch echt veeeeel ouder dan 9 aldus Romy zelf. 

We bedachten dat het leuk zou zijn om slippers te pimpen.
Met Ymke haar verjaardag deden we dat ook rond die leeftijd en dat was een groot succes. 

Bij de action, zeeman en wibra hadden ze leuke slippers. 

Toen we bij de action ook nog de feestketting, Hawaï-rokjes en haarbanden zagen was het feest compleet. Voor nog geen 4 euro pp hadden ze een geweldige outfit hoe leuk is dat! 

Helaas werkte het weer die dag net niet zo mee dus we versierden alles binnen ipv buiten.

Door de jaren heen spaarde ik de papieren lampionnen en die konden we nu gezellig boven de tafel hangen. 

Aan het kledingrek van de Ikea hingen we de rokjes, slingers en haarbanden. 

De tafel versierden we met allemaal accessoires die bij het thema 'Summer party' pasten.

Romy was helemaal enthousiast en kon niet wachten tot de meiden arriveerden. 

Stiekem vond ik het een beetje spannend, want zouden sommige meiden het niet kinderachtig vinden?

Nou die angst was gelukkig nergens voor nodig want ze vlogen allemaal naar het rek om iets uit te zoeken en in een mum van tijd hadden we 12 feestelijke meiden rond hopsen. Haha alle foto's van dat moment zijn bewogen zo snel ging het! 

Eerst werden de kadootjes verstopt. Daarna cup cakes versierd en opgesmikkeld.

Toen de slippers in beeld kwamen bereikte de feestvreugde een hoogtepunt.

Ze kregen allemaal een leeg bakje om, uit de kralendozen op de grond, kralen uit te zoeken die ze wilden gebruiken. Door de jaren heen heb ik heel wat kralen verzameld en met nog wat letterkralen van de action was er keus genoeg.

Met een gaatjestang prikte ik gaatjes in de slipperbandjes. In het eerste gat knoopte ik visdraad vast en zo konden ze gaan rijgen tot bij het volgende gaatje. Daar moest de draad even van voor naar achter, dan een keer om de band heen gewikkeld en weer via de achterkant door het gaatje naar voren om weer verder te kunnen rijgen. 

De meiden die klaar waren gingen hun nagels lakken. 

Daarna was het tijd voor een heuse fotosessie. 

Wat hadden ze een lol! 

Thuisfeestjes blijf ik toch echt de leukste vinden! 

 Vieren jullie ook themafeestjes thuis? 

Traveling With The Aron

TRAVELING WITH THE ARON

Roy S. Neuberger 

There is a unique passage in this week’s Parsha. 

It begins with the words we utter each time we open the Aron Kodesh to withdraw the Sefer Torah: “Vayehi binsoa ha’aron …it came to pass, when the aron journeyed forth, that Moshe said, ‘Arise, Oh G-d, so that Your enemies may be scattered and those that hate You flee from before Your countenance.’ And when it gently came to rest, he said, ‘Return, Oh G-d, to the myriads of the thousands of Israel.’” (Bamidbar 10:35-6) 

There is no other such passage in the Torah. Why is it unique? 

There is a machlokes in the Gemora (Shabbos 115b-116a). According to Rebbe, the two possukim which comprise this passage are in themselves a separate sefer, which means that, in fact, the “Chumash” consists of seven rather than five seforim. Like everything else in the Torah, this is not an academic, theoretical matter. Rather it is an existential question. Upon these two possukim hang matters of life and death. 

My friends, the winds of war are blowing. Let’s not underestimate the danger. In the Golan and in Gaza our enemies are becoming extremely aggressive, pushing against us on every side. “All the nations surround me …. They encircle me. They also surround me…. They encircle me like bees …. (Tehillim 118) On a recent day of great jubilation in Yerushalayim, our enemies chose to intensify their hatred. On that same day, the nations descended from Esav demonstrated their solidarity with the descendants of Yishmael. We are indeed surrounded. 

“Min hamaitzar … from the straits did I call upon G-d.” (Tehillim 118)

Once, long ago – during our college years – my wife and I were summer fire lookouts in Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. From a mountain top we had a view stretching one hundred fifty miles in each direction. We learned there that one spark can ignite a vast forest. 

*Crater Lake National Park, Oregon with “our mountain” on the horizon.

Today, the world is like a dry forest. One spark is all that is needed. No one should underestimate. We are surely close to the Dawn of Redemption. Whether it will be a day “burning like an oven” or a day “with healing on its wings” (Malachi 3:19)depends on us. 

“Vayehi binsoa aron…. When the Aron would travel.” How are we going to travel through life with a chance of safe passage? Are we going to walk with the Aron Kodesh or are we going to “go it alone?” Will we allow the Aron to “reside tranquilly … among the myriad thousands of Israel?” Upon this everything depends. 

We have just completed the Yom Tov of Shavuos, during which we accepted the Torah, for which we prepared intensely during the seven weeks of Sefiras HaOmer. Are we going to walk with that Torah throughout history? 

That is the question, maybe the only question.

What distinguishes these two possukim to such an extent that they can be considered a discrete book of the Torah? It seems that they are in a separate time and place from the surrounding passages, which describe the fateful first steps as Am Yisroeljourneyed away from Har Sinai. Those first steps have been described, with terrible clarity, as follows: like “a child running away from school.” (Ramban on Bamidbar 10:35, citing a Midrash) 

The words of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch zt”l describe the spiritual state of our ancestors as they left Har Sinai: “Moshe’s will was in perfect harmony with the Will of Hashem, but this exalted quality … is the very antithesis of the low state of mind in which Moshe’s generation was still mired…. Only in the End of Days will [Moshe’s state of mind become] a national characteristic of the entire Jewish people.”

Suddenly we have these two possukim, which lift us out of this rebellious moment and carry us away from Midbar Sinai to a high vantage point from which we can view all past and future Jewish history. From this high place the Torah is going to pose the central question which will concern Am Yisroel forever: will we walk with the Aron or will we – G-d forbid! – walk alone? 

Right now, after Shavuos, we are entering the “long, hot summer,” always the most dangerous time of the year for Klal Yisroel. As missiles fall on the Golan and hate-filled mobs riot in Gaza, this is the one question we must ask: will we travel with the Aron or travel alone? 

I quoted above the holy words of Dovid Hamelech, but I omitted part of the possuk. Here is the complete thought: “All the nations surround me. In the Name of Hashem I cut them down.” (Tehillim 118) My friends, we are not going to survive unless we live “b’shaim Hashem.” We cannot defeat the entire world, which is pushing in on us from all sides. We must learn from Dovid Hamelech. This was how he approached Golias and this is how he approached all of life. This is our formula for survival and this is the way we will welcome his descendant, our Redeemer. There is no other way to confront the tsunami of hatred that surrounds us. 

Now, at the end of history – as well as in the Midbar at the beginning of our history – if we walk with the Aron Kodesh we will live to return with the Aron Kodesh. If we walk with the Aron, then all of Hashem’s enemies – our enemies – will be scattered,“and those that hate You [will] flee from before Your Countenance.”

May Hashem soon bring these two possukim – this separate Sefer in the Chumash – to pass! May He bless us with the completion of our Journey through history, when the Aron will once again come to rest among us and we will all, as a unified nation, repeat the words of Moshe our Teacher, “Return, Oh G-d, to the myriads of the thousands of Israel.”

(*Note to editor: rights to use this picture were purchased by me in January, 2015)

*          *          *          *

Roy Neuberger, author and public speaker, can be reached at roy@2020vision.co.il.

© Copyright 2018 by Roy S. Neuberger