Category: Me, Myself & I

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Home

Israel is home. It was from the very first time I stepped foot on her soil 20 years ago.

I came with my family to visit my uncle. We spent 2 weeks driving from north to south, east to west, seeing as much as we could in the short amount of time that we had. 2 years later at the age of 19, I came on my own and spent 8 months on a kibbutz as a volunteer. I made friends with some of the local girls on the kibbutz and we went traveling together with some of the other volunteers, spent time in the north and in hostels in Tel Aviv. Another 2 trips and I knew I would one day live here.

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Paul and I discussed moving to Israel for ages but it was never the right time. Also, Paul had never actually been to Israel so I think it was more of an abstract concept to him. Until he came for a visit and that was that.

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We have been here now for just under a year and a half and each day I fall more in love with our home.

This week marks Israels birthday, her independence, Yom Ha’atzmaut. The streets are filled with flags, cars are dressed up with flags, balconies have flags flying. The kids are learning the history of our home and come home every day excited about celebrating. 

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The day before Yom Ha’atzmaut is a day of mourning, Yom Ha’zikaron. A day where we remember all the fallen, the soldiers, the victims of terror, those that have given their lives for the freedom we now enjoy.

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This beautiful country, this proud people go from heartfelt mourning and deep grief to celebration and joy and I can say with absolute certainty that I am proud to be a part of it, proud to be Israeli.

**all photos taken by Paul

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Clean All The Things

Spring cleaning. Pesach cleaning. Just all the cleaning.

So far since last Friday we have done the following:

  • Cleaned Aaron’s room.
  • Cleaned Faith’s room.
  • Sorted out Aaron’s cupboard.
  • Sorted out Faith’s cupboard.
  • Cleaned out both pantry cupboards.
  • Swept, vacuumed and steam mopped all the floors (which will have to be redone on Friday).
  • Deep cleaned my oven and stove top (which caused me heart failure when the gas hobs stopped working because they got wet, they now work just fine).
  • De-calking the kettle.
  • I’ve done at least 8 loads of laundry since last weekend including, blankets, duvets, linen, clothes, towels and kitchen cloths & mop cloths.

Still to be done this afternoon and tomorrow morning:

  • Cleaning the fridge and freezer.
  • Cleaning all the kitchen surfaces.
  • Cleaning the microwave.
  • Deep cleaning the bathrooms.
  • Dusting.
  • Sorting out my cupboard.
  • Sweeping, vacuuming and steam mopping all the  floors again.

And after all the cleaning is done, I have to pack away all my day to day crockery and cutlery and kitchen things and unpack all the Pesach things and wash what needs washing before it can be used.

And then the great Pesach cooking can commence.

I already need a nap...

I need a nap already!

 

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#Zombieprompts Week 14

Share your best soup recipe.

We’ve just seen the end of winter here in the Northern Hemisphere (good riddance!) so no more soup for us. Although chicken soup is always welcome, even in 40°C weather.

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This winter I made a few ‘throw everything in the pot’ soups and they all actually turned out really well.

In my opinion there are a few basic steps that MUST happen in order for any soup to be good, regardless of the ingredients.

  • Onion. Diced finely and fried until golden. Every soup should start with this as a base.
  • Herbs. Dried or fresh or frozen. You can use whatever you have on hand and don’t be shy, the more the merrier.
  • Time. You cant rush a good soup. Cook your veggies on a lower heat for longer. If you can, make your soup the day before you need it. Soup always tastes better the next day.

So, here is a basic recipe. You can adapt it depending what veggies you have in your fridge.

'Throw Everything In The Pot' Soup
A thick, smooth soup, perfect with fresh bread. The recipe below includes veggies I happen to have in my fridge at the time of writing this.
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Ingredients
  1. 2 tablespoons olive oil (I use 2 'ice cubes' with chopped herbs from my freezer, very Pinterersty of me)
  2. 1 large onion, diced
  3. Herbs such as rosemary, thyme, cilantro, mixed Italian herbs, basically whatever you have on hand
  4. Garlic, either fresh, chopped or garlic powder
  5. Salt & pepper to taste
The following veggies are not set, use all or some or add what you have
  1. Potatoes, peeled and cubed
  2. Sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  3. Carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
  4. Turnips, peeled and cubed
  5. Leeks, leaves chopped off, cut into 1 cm thick slices
  6. Celery, leaves chopped off, cut into 1 cm thick slices
  7. Water to cover chopped veggies
Instructions
  1. Once you have washed, peeled, diced and chopped all the veggies, add your olive oil and onion to a large pot and saute until golden.
  2. Add remaining veggies to the pot and sprinkle with the herbs, salt and pepper.
  3. Stir the veggies until they are all coated in the oil and spices.
  4. Keep stirring the veggies every 5 minutes or so until they are all heated through and starting to soften.
  5. Add enough water to the pot so that all the veggies are covered. I usually add about 1 cm above the veggie line.
  6. Turn down your heat to a simmer, cover the pot, leaving a small gap to allow steam to escape and simmer for an hour or longer until veggies are soft and falling apart when poked with a fork.
  7. Remove soup from heat and allow to cool slightly.
  8. You can leave the soup at this point and have a chunky broth or you can blend the veggies with a stick blender which is what I do.
  9. Reheat the soup when you are ready to eat.
Notes
  1. You can really add any veggies you want to this soup, peppers, squash, pumpkin, you name it you can add it.
A Bit of This A Bit of That https://gnatj.com/
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#Zombieprompts Week 13

What are you ready to let go of this year?

I’m ready to accept that I am in my late 30’s and my body will never be what it was in my early 20’s again.

My butt is jiggly, my boobs are no longer perky, my belly is round, no matter what exercise I do, I am never getting rid of that little c-section roll over my scar.

I’m okay with this. It doesn’t mean I’m going to let myself go. I’m doing Pilates and I want to start walking/jogging/running/gasping for breath again. 

I’m eating healthier and trying to drink more water.

My aim is to be healthy not skinny. I’m not 20 anymore and that’s okay! 

 

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Picture of the park across the road from our apartment, taken by Paul
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#Zombieprompts Week 12

What is one new thing you want to learn this year?

Knitting!

Its not a new thing, I’ve known how to knit for years. But only basic knitting and purling.

Now I am teaching myself how to add stitches and decrease stitches and how to make shapes and how to make little stuffed toys.

I don’t think I’m too keen on making jerseys and other wearable things. I want to make fun things.

I’ve made over a dozen small variegated grey hearts that I want to turn into baby mobiles. I will use about five or six grey hearts and then add an accent coloured heart depending on if its a boy or a girl baby and possibly embroider their name on it. I want to hang them using a thing silver ribbon and an embroidery hoop. Hold thumbs it turns out the way I want it to.

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This last weekend I came across a pattern for little mice. They each take about 45 minutes from start to finish. The pattern calls for embroidered eyes but I wasn’t happy with the way they came out. I was contemplating what to do when I remembered that in my late granny’s sewing box was a little packet that said ‘owl eyes (2)’. I dug it out and they were perfect. That particular little mouse is going to live with my Sister in Law, Yana. I also made three more mice and since they don’t have eyes yet, they will be The 3 Blind Mice. At least until I can get to the craft store and buy some more eyes.

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Next up, I found a pattern for little bunnies that looks relatively easy to do.  Maybe after that I will try something a bit bigger. 

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*Updated: They are sooooooo easy to do! And now I am making a bigger one that I will turn into a bear.

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#Zombieprompts Week 11

Share your goals and resolutions for 2016 and discuss what you want your life to look like one year from now.

Well, since I don’t do resolutions (I just feel like crap when they inevitably get broken), I guess I will concentrate on what I want my life to look like this time next year.

I want us to be happy.

I want the kids to have advanced a grade in school and to be happy and have good friends.

I want to be able to hold at least a basic conversation in Hebrew.

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Pic taken by Paul

I want us to possibly have a small (weekend) car so we can travel a bit and explore more of our amazing country.

I want to be able to go to South Africa for a visit and to see all my friends.

I want to have a dog (or a cat, or a ferret, or something else small and fluffy) to love.

 

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That exercise thing…

It’s no secret that I hate anything resembling exercise. I’ve joined many gyms with good intentions that fizzle out after a month or so.

The fact is though, I’m not getting any younger and my metabolism isnt getting any faster. And even though I’m eating far healthier than ever I’m still feeling flabby and saggy and old. I need to do something to get a bit fitter. I’m not talking body building type muscles or CrossFit or anything, just something that gets my heart rate up and my muscles a little toned.

One of the good things about being car-less is that I walk a lot more than I used to. According to the health app on my iPhone I average about 4 500 steps (~3km) per weekday and about 9 500 steps (~6km) per weekend day. Not bad. But no where near good enough.

So when Rolene told me that our friend Alyssa was starting a Friday morning Pilates class I jumped at the chance to do some more exercise. It also helps that Pilates is pretty much the only exercise I think doesn’t suck.

I really enjoyed my first class last week and I felt it for days afterwards. I cant wait for tomorrows class too. Now I need to find some time to do a half hour or so on my own once or twice a week too.

And soon it will be summer and the pool will be open, I want to start doing laps too. 

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So, here’s to getting fitter!

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#ZombiePrompts Week 10

What are you looking forward to right now?

Pretty spring prettiness!
Pretty spring prettiness!
  • My mom in law is coming to visit us for Pesach. It’s her first visit to Israel and the first time we will have seen her in person since we moved. The kids are super excited and already planning all the things they want to do when she is here.
  • Pesach. Last year our lift had not arrived yet, so we had no furniture and all my lovely Pesach things (most of which came from my late granny) couldn’t be used. This year I am hosting the seder and my mom in law, my brother, sister in law and nephew, my sister in law’s sister and kids and her mom and my sister from another mister, Rolene, are all coming to me. Its the first time I am hosting Pesach and to do it in Israel, surrounded by family is the best feeling!
  • Spring/Summer (and summer vacation). I’m tired of being cold. I’m tired of wearing layers. I want to wear my slops and sun dresses and go to the pool.
  • Purim. I have THE BEST costume this year. Cannot wait to put it together.
  • Lunch. I’m really hungry and I can’t wait for my shwarma to arrive 😉

 

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Oops, I did it again…

…kind of.

I didn’t lose anything this time but I did mess up my monthly transport pass.

So a few weeks ago I wrote a post about the fact that we are not buying a car anytime soon and that public transport is cheaper and that I only pay ₪299/month for all my transport (buses and trains between Modi’in, Lod and Tel Aviv).

Well, yesterday, I wasn’t really paying attention when I asked the bus driver to give me a monthly pass. He asked if I wanted the pass to Ramle (which includes my office in Lod) and I said yes, when I meant to get the one to Tel Aviv (which includes everything between Modi’in and Tel Aviv AND my office).

I only realised after I got off the bus. When I promptly kicked myself. I mean really, it was almost ₪50 cheaper than normal and I didn’t notice. Really wasn’t paying attention.

doh

What this meant was that I then had to pay separately for my transport to Tel Aviv for ulpan as well as my transport home. That’s 3 buses and a train which came to roughly ₪40! For just 1 day. Its almost the same as the difference in the monthly pass! And I make that trip twice a week! That would be ₪320 a month!

So this morning I stopped off at the Kavim office (again) in Modi’in and asked them, in Hebrew (yay me!), if they could refund me and then give me the correct pass. And they did. Thankfully they allowed me to get the correct pass and I am only out of pocket that ₪40  from yesterday. It would have been a crazy expensive month if I couldn’t fix my silly mistake.

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#ZombiePrompts Week 9

What do you love about your current life?

Wow, so many things.

I love that we are a cohesive family unit. 

I love that my kids have good friends.

And that our kids are speaking fluent Hebrew (especially when I need a translator).

My job is good. Its a fantastic working environment and I have great friends and the #BestBossEver.

Summer is on its way. I LOVE summer. Winter can suck it!

My mom in law is coming to visit. She has never been to Israel and I cant wait to show her our beautiful country and our home.

I love that I am content and happy. Truly, deeply happy. There is nothing better.

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