Focused or Frazzled

Let’s see … start the laundry and load the dishwasher. And that’s before I head out for morning run and gathering of the horses for their morning feed. While those are running, put on the accounting hat, balance the books, (note to self… dont forget to throw laundry in dryer enroute to grocery shopping). After heading home, putting away the groceries, get the breakfast menu ready do last check around and last minute straightening up the house, before guests arrive.. When all that’s finished, get in a ride on either Gazi or Alle getting them ready for their next competitions. I mean G-d doesnt want me to give them up does He? My acquisitions of them for endurance and showing, respectively have truly been G-dincidences. Glancing at the watch, do the perfunctory grooming so I can tidy up, welcome guests, do do the welcome tour and fall into bed, thinking about all the things you still didn’t finish. Ah the joys of innkeeping even more so now since we’re in high season.

Sound familiar? Do you feel like all your minutes are accounted for before you even have time to think, carry on a meaningful conversation with your spouse, or relax? Rather than feeling like you actually participate in and enjoy your days, you’re being driven through life by all the things you must do?

Both Joani ’s fellowship and taking the time on Sundays for a bit of Sabbath has given me the proverbial food for thought .. In an effort to be the best innkeeper and wife or simply to serve God to the best of our abilities, we often find ourselves overcommitted, overextended. and str-r-r-retched . Is this the way God intended it? you wonder.

The truth is, God never intended us to live frazzled lives. But it takes faith, discipline, and persistence to manage time God’s way.
Frazzle = stress. And stress produces anxiety, frustration, , and crankiness.. In an effort to do it all, however, we forget what’s most important — and end up accomplishing nothing. As my DH always says “slow down to go faster”.

I’m convinced that the solution to our time problems can be found in Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.”

As I consider the phrase, “all these things will be provided for you,” I think of what provisions I need — peace, stability, and energy to do the things that are necessary.The key is to filter out the things that aren’t necessary and remind myself of my ultimate priority. Jesus didn’t say, “Seek first to complete your daily to-do list, clean the inn, ride the horses and to take care of your family.” Instead, He said, “Seek first the kingdom of God.”

Seeking first the kingdom of God is the most overlooked spiritual principle today. By trying to do so many things — even good things — we often leave little time to do the best thing. I’ve come to learn that just because something serves God’s kingdom doesn’t mean that I was meant to be the multi-tasking servant who is spread too thin. Instead, God promises that He will instruct us about the things He wants us to be doing if we are seeking Him each day. 1 Corinthians 10 :31 reminds us to do it all for the glory of G-d… Be it horses, the inn.. it’s ultimately all <i>his</i>

In Jeremiah 33:3, God tells us that He will answer us if we call out to Him and seek His direction. It doesn’t necessarily make worldly sense, and it isn’t always the natural thing to do. Sometimes it takes sheer discipline to turn to God first instead of turning to all of our responsibilities.

And when I feel the stress o meter rising, I can always be found reciting a Philippians 4:13 or a Shema. THere now I feel better

What spiritual quotes help you? Either way, do I hear an amen?

Keep on Singing

Lord, I lift Your name on high;
Lord, I love to sing Your praises;
I’m so glad You’re in my life;
I’m so glad You came to save us. You came from Heaven to earth;
To show the way,
From the earth to the cross,
My debt to pay,
From the cross to the grave,
From the grave to the sky;
Lord, I lift Your name on high!

I sang this worship song both recently at church and in the past at our synagogue. Regardless of the rendition, I’m uplifted for days after I hear and sing it. It becomes one of those songs you ” cant get out of your head.” It becomes a “mantra” as it were since I tend to repeat the stanzas without really “thinking” about it. I’ll do that when I’m waiting for my class to go at a show or if I’m tacking GaZi for a ride. and I’m feeling a little nervous. The gift of song is a precious connection for me to G-d.

And while this one doesn’t refer to G-d as “He” , notice I said “He”. If I said praise the lord for “She” is good, well, i think we all know the reaction I would get from our esteemed male population . God, I think, has to be a male .. or maybe not? . Take a look at the Bible. He created men first, Adam… maybe that’s when “L-rd let there be light” came into being… What ever was He thinking? Think of names in the bible, now think of male names. Lets see, David, Peter, John, and it goes on. Now let’s think of Womens names. Mary, Eve….uh, there was probably a Donna or a Susan in there somewhere. But I digress.

The Lord God, or Jesus, or both, created the world with the blink of an eye. It took him six days, and supposedly he rested on the seventh. “On the eight day, God had a cocktail.” But as I said to my father when I was “knee high to a grasshopper” after Hebrew School… it’s all different roads to the same G-d.” I think I’ll go sing a Psalm of David.. hmmm or would that be Donna? Works for me.

Do I hear an amen?

Meditation in Cathedrals of Our Own

They say that these are not the best of times
But they’re the only times I’ve ever known
And I believe there is a time for meditation
In cathedrals of our own

How thoughtlessly we dissipate our energies
Perhaps we don’t fulfill each other’s fantasies
And as we stand upon the ledges of our lives
With our respective similarities
It’s either sadness or euphoria
- Billy Joel Summer Highland Falls

While I was raised Jewish and a belief in G-d, it was on a mountain run at Mt. Baldy that I actually had my “G-dincidence” and epiphany of G-d’s presence in my life. I’d spent more of my Shabbats in the “mountains of the L-rd” than in a synagogue. So when I came across God in the Wilderness, by “Adventure Rabbi”, Jamie Korngold this really got my attention. What I’ve been trying to articulate forever.. done brilliantly. . I even had to send this to my Joani in light(!) of our ongoing about the need to go to formal church service to pray versus meditation in cathedrals of our own. I’ve quoted this song to her several times.

Hiking trails, horse trails, and open spaces are filled with people who are not in church. Or are they? As the “Adventure Rabbi” writes in this book, many of her most powerful spiritual experiences have taken place outdoors, and she argues that she’s not wrong to take nature as her temple, because Judaism (and by extension Christianity) was founded outdoors, in deserts, on mountaintops, and by rivers. Humanity has always experienced the awe and “space of grace” as I call it that many associate with a feeling of being in the presence of the divine amid the beauty and wonder of the wilderness. It’s only relatively recently that worship was brought inside. Although Korngold writes from a Jewish perspective, her book contains ideas that are relevant to people of all religions, or those who lack one, but simply love to be outside.

Korngold writes that she was serving as the rabbi for a congregation in Canada when she began to feel restless; her obligations left her little time to enjoy the natural beauty around her. Combining nature with religion was her spiritual calling. For me, it was ultrarunning and now endurance riding. (Side note., I started thinking maybe the Adv. Rabbi and I were related)

God in the Wilderness pursues two basic tracks—Korngold gives the scriptural basis for praying and worshiping outdoors through citations from the Bible, and offers eight pieces of counsel to help nudge readers toward a more mindful way of living.

As the French philosopher Nicolas Malebranche wrote, “attention is the natural prayer of the soul,” and in the first lesson, “Cultivate the Patience to See Burning Bushes,” Korngold writes about a time she led a Jewish group on a hike and at first they were too distracted and too busy chatting to pay attention to their surroundings. Korngold postulates that Moses, if he were encumbered with a cell phone and a BlackBerry, might have missed the burning bush. “Heightened awareness,” she writes, “is the first step toward engaging the spiritual possibility that continually surround us.”

Readers are also reminded to to “Remember Sabbath Rest,” but thinks it’s okay if that rest involves hiking up a mountain—if you spend all week sitting at a computer, hiking (or riding : editor’s note) a form of rest

So get out in a cathedral of your own… talk to G-d and listen to His casual reply ( borrowed from John Denver).

Do i hear an amen?

A Sit Down Seder Sitcom

You’d better sit down Aunt Mildred.. .could be the family baggage but the family feud (food) food fight in the making Man your seder plate and let the games begin..
Latkes:
The latke makes a great food to do battle with since it is almost invariably hot and dripping with oil, always a great thing when trying to annihilate your opponent. Imagine your regular food wielding opponents screams when he gets hit in the face with a flying saucer made of sliced potatoes and oil dripping everywhere, dollop it with applesauce or sour cream for that extra kick, and proof of your kill. Latkes have one downside, they must be thrown like a Frisbee and therefore close contact fighting with them is discouraged.

Hamentashen:
Ask any Jewish food fight veteran and they’lll tell you, getting hit anywhere with a hamentashen is brutal. Its pointy sides representing the hats worn during the Revolutionary war are killers and allow the thrower to haul it anyway they like. They are also easily recoverable since they tend not to slide or roll away. The heavy prune filling works best for your aim and since no one likes the prune ones, you can be sure your opponent will not eat whatever you lob at them.  Game, set , match

Matzo Balls:
Must be one crazy food fight for someone to dip their hands in the soup pot to fish around in. Grab some of the chicken scraps for fights that you want to get messy, maybe throw some of the dill in to make it colorful. Matzo balls are tough to recover so your opponent will not be able to throw use them as their own weapon of food destruction and if they are like bubby made them, nice and fluffy, they will explode on contact.

Matzo:
Matzo just hurts, round shmura matzo can take an eye out and the square stuff when flung the right way will give you bloody cuts. The problem with matzo is that its lack of stickiness takes away from the traditional food fight factor.

Do I hear a dayhenu?

A Testament to Passover

As we begin the first night of Passover, we can we learn from the Old Testament and God’s relationship with His people,Israel?

Exodus 19:1-25.

1. In the third month after they set out from Egypt, Israel reaches the desert of Sinai and camps at the foot of the mountain. Verses 1-2. It is often when we are in the harsh situations, which feel like a desert, that God meets with us.

2. Moses goes up the mountain. The Lord tells Moses exactly what he is to say to the people of Israel, verse 3. God is always clear about what He tells His people.

3. The Lord reminds Israel of his past deliverance. Not that they should really need reminding, given that it was only a short time earlier. But God knows how fickle the human heart is and how forgetful the memory. Are we any different to Israel? Too quickly we forget God’s blessings and deliverances. This is one of the reasons keeping a journal, of quiet times and prayer requests, is invaluable.

4. The Lord sets a condition to His unique and unfailing relationship with Israel. Often God’s promises of blessing come with a condition. as in Psalm 37:4. The condition in this instance is Israel’s obedience, verse 5.

5. Israel responded to God by promising they would obey His words. It is easy to promise this when it has not been tested. God knows this. He knows Israel needs to learn to trust Him in all situations. The same is true for us. We need to trust God even when circumstances appear to tell us it is foolishness.

6. The people needed to be consecrated, prepared and ready to hear from God, verses 10-13. Do you come expectantly to meet with the Lord, eager to hear what He has to say to you?

7. The Lord tests Israel’s obedience by putting limits around the mountain and limits on who is allowed closer to Him,1 verse 12, 21-24. God is very clear as to what the limits are. He gives the limits more than once and warns the people against trying to force their way through the limits God has imposed, v20.

A relationship with the Lord is a two way thing. God promises to bless His people. For our part we need to be ready and prepared to listen when He speaks, we need to obey His commands and abide by any limits He sets. As you look at your life and your current situation, how can you learn from these seven steps and incorporate them to strengthen your relationship with the Lord?

We now return you to your regularly scheduled Passover preparations already in progress.For where there is Passover, can matzo be far behind. A a dry, cracker-like, bread replacement that we are forced to eat. And where there is matzo, there have been people trying desperately to make it more edible. In this case, they grind it up, add eggs and make kneidlach (dumplings).

On a very basic level, matzo ball soup is merely chicken stock, oil, eggs and broken up matzo. It’s not at all impossible to make, especially if you follow this extremely simple recipe, But what it lacks in uniqueness, it makes up for in consistency.
There are two matzo ball camps: those that like them heavy and leaden at the bottom of a bowl and those that like them light and fluffy–these are the latter, and in my mind, the better ones. If you can’t find matzo meal, pulse a few pieces of matzo in your food processor until it is a coarse powder. If you can’t find matzo, well, you obviously do not live in New York City. - But yes.. we did find it here   These would make bubbe (grandma) proud. Okay, we’re hungry. Genug shane! (Enough already!)

Matzo Ball Soup adapted from Cooks.com

Makes 8 to 12 matzo balls

Matzo Balls
1/2 cup matzo meal
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons reserved chicken fat or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons chicken stock

For soup
2 to 3 quarts prepared chicken stock 1 carrot, thinly sliced
A few sprigs of dill

Mix all matzo ball ingredients in a bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Bring 1 1/2 quarts of well-salted water to a brisk boil in a medium sized pot.

Reduce the flame. Run your hands under water so they are thoroughly wet. Form matzo balls by dropping spoonfuls of matzo ball batter approximately 1-inch in diameter into the palm of your wet hands and rolling them loosely into balls. Drop them into the simmering salt water one at a time. Cover the pot and cook them for 30 to 40 minutes.

About ten minutes before the matzo balls are ready, bring prepared chicken stock to a simmer with the sliced carrot in it. Ladle some soup and a couple matzo balls into each bolw and top with a couple snips of dill. Eat immediately.

Almost Time to Passover

Tonight is the first night of Passover. As a kid, one of the standout holidays for me was Passover - love Passover. It is one of my favorite holidays. Each year with slight variation as to locale, our family would gather together for the traditional (but somewhat abbreviated version) Seder. It was a time of celebration; remembrance and reunion.

On the first two nights of Passover, an elaborate meal is served, and a traditional liturgy (assembled in a document called a Haggadah — which means “the telling”) surrounds that meal and is spoken by the family. The Haggadah tells the tale of the Jews’ transition from slavery to freedom, and talks about what that means for people today. There are special songs sung, special prayers said, and there is room for all to participate.
Passover is a holiday that lasts for eight days. This year the first night of Passover will be April  19 .  Passover remembers the struggles of Israelites while enslaved in Egypt, the process of their winning freedom and their physical/emotional/spiritual journey into that freedom. The word “Passover” refers to the angel of Death “passing over” the houses of the Israelites during plagues sent to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. The Passover rituals are meant to make us aware of the deepest meanings of enslavement and freedom, and to celebrate our relationship with G-d.

During the Exodus from slavery, people had to leave their dwellings immediately. There was no time to cook in advance. There was no time to let bread rise. So they had unleavened bread on their journey. This is why, in kosher or observant homes, all trace of leavening is removed from the home before the first night of Passover - no risen bread, no crackers with yeast in them, no yeast-assisted fermented products or beverages. The orthodox family will even have separate dishes and utensils used only for Passover which have never touched leaven.

Each family will have their own rendition. And there are many different Haggadahs - all of which have the same major sections, but may focus the evening differently.The Sederlasts about 5 hours, and it is time spent in such zesty joy that it passes in an instant. The best times were the 20 people plus gatherings at our cousins on Long Island. Lots of laughter, lots of fun, lots of reflection and of course, great food.

Life gives us brief moments with another…but sometimes in those brief moment we get memories that last a life time…

Do you have childhood memories of magic of Easter or Passover?

The Spiritual Endurance Ride

This was given to me by one of my Christian friends just prior to my first ultra running race of 50K. To this day, it is one of my major guideposts in life.

I think one of the more challenging things for me as a spiritually is to stay in the race; to keep going and not get burned out. This is not to say I ever consider rejecting God. I know that He exists as there is evidence all around me. I’m talking about keeping myself from becoming discouraged or backsliding. I do become weary on my Christian journey from time to time; I notice this more when I’m not taking the Sabbath rest I need.

Little by little I’m feeling like the only place my faith is excepted is in my church and home. With this kind of attitude it’s no wonder I feel like I need strength not to give up! It’s important for me to remember that the battle (spiritually speaking in society) is not mine but God’s and He being in me can help.

* Hebrews 12:1-4, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.”

* Galatians 6:9, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”It’s these scriptures that I find so encouraging to press on in my faith knowing there will be an end to the race and a prize to be gained for enduring to that end.There are so many scriptures on faith in the Bible. In James 1:6 the Bible says, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.”

And on the quintessitential Montana winter day. before we head out.. we like to apply “comfort food ” to stomach. Apply directly and as often as necessary.

A throwback favorite from my childhood and working years in Manhattan that does it for me every time is rice pudding. Whenever I met Dad at “Shelley’s” for lunch in New York , lunch wasnt complete without their rice pudding for dessert. We were ready to take on the afternoon.

Adapted from Nigella Bites by Nigella Lawson.

• 2-1/2 cups milk (the original recipe calls for whole milk but you can make it with any type of milk except skim)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp. butter, divided
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 4 tbsp. rice (or any rice used for risotto)
• an additional 2 tbsp. sugar or 2 tbsp. vanilla sugar if you have any on hand

1. In a pan, heat the milk. As the milk heats, scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and add to the warming milk. If not using the vanilla pod, then add the 2 tsp. of vanilla extract to the warming milk and stir.
2. Just as the milk comes to the boil, turn off the heat.
3. In a large, wide saucepan, melt 2 tbsp. of the butter with 1 tbsp. of sugar. As soon as the butter is melted and bubbling, add the rice and stir for 1 minute.
4. Begin adding the milk to the rice, one ladle full at a time. Cook over medium-low heat, being careful not to scorch the rice. Stir constantly.
5. As the milk is absorbed, add another ladle full of milk and continue cooking the rice.
6. After about 20 minutes, taste the rice. If it’s plump and soft, then you know it’s cooked. If not, continue adding milk and cooking until the rice is done. If you need more milk, warm up some more.
7. Once the rice is cooked and the milk has been absorbed, take the rice pudding off the heat and add the remaining tablespoon of butter, either 2 tbsp. of sugar or vanilla sugar and the cinnamon if using. Mix well to combine everything.
8. Enjoy!

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
Trot on friends, trot on.

Friday Frenzies in Fish Creek

Friday’s are shaping up to be a fun type frenzy here. I guess it’s all how I hold it.. some days it’s easier. Here’s how I got there.

Besides, Shabbat, Fridays invevitably mean last minute cleaning for weekend guests… amen another full house of shooting clinic guests with final menu selections and preparation. Add that to the other ranching type chores, horsekeeping and it’s a gig. But I wouldnt have it any other way.

Even the most accomplished and well organized cooks sometimes go to the cupboard and find that whatever they needed desperately and immediately is not there. Some of us live close to a grocery store and we can nip out, whilst for others it can be quite a challenge. Below are a few very common ingredients for which there are substitutes.

Some of the most commonly used ingredients have very simple substitutions available when you are in a bind. One teaspoon of baking powder can be replaced by 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda plus 5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda plus 1/2 cup of buttermilk. One cup of butter can be substituted with 7/8 cup of shortening or 1 cup of margarine. Oil is not an exact substitute for butter especially if butter is needed in baking products.

It’s difficult to always stock all types of sugar but there are alternatives that you can choose from. for one cup of light brown sugar, use one cup of white sugar and one teaspoon of molasses and for one cup of dark sugar use one cup of white sugar and one tablespoon of molasses. Instead of one cup of white sugar you could either use one and three quarters of a cup of powdered (confectioners’) sugar or one cup of packed brown sugar. If you need a sweet liquid like corn syrup you could use one cup of sugar plus a quarter of a cup of liquid or honey.

If you need chocolate you’ll find that one ounce of is the same as three tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa and one tablespoon of fat. Instead of one tablespoon of cornstarch you could use two tablespoons of flour; instead of one tablespoon of flour (for thickening) try half a tablespoon of cornstarch; and instead of one cup sifted flour (for cooking) you could be really radical and try one and a half cups of bread crumbs or one cup of rolled oats. Lastly, instead of one cup of shortening you could use one cup and two tablespoons of butter or margarine.

And while I remember Macy’s more fondly for it’s annual thanksgiving day parade that we ‘d watch as the aromas of turkey cooking filled the house, they also have Tools of the Trade

Remember that some of the best recipes around have been ‘cooked’ up by people desperately trying to cover their tracks; so the advice would be ‘be bold, be daring, but use your initiative!’

We bake whole wheat banana walnut bread and store it in our freezer. We use butter, not shortening, for better taste. Use small loaf pans, not the mini single-serve size, but not the large loaf size. When a friend comes by, I take a loaf from our freezer just for them. Because it’s a small loaf, we don’t feel obligated to eat like pigs and I don’t have half a loaf going stale.

An speaking of pigs… a little shabbat rules here.
1. Pork is forbidden, but a pig in a blanket makes a nice hors d’oeuvre.
2. One mitzvah can change the world; two will just make you tired.
3. Never leave a restaurant empty-handed.
4. The important Jewish holidays are the ones on which alternate-side-of-the-street parking is suspended.
5 A bad matzoh ball makes a good paperweight. and of course
6. No meal is complete without leftovers.

Shabbat Shalom friends

Get Me to the Church on Time

And you shall write them on the entryways of your dwellings and your gates
Deuteronomy 6:9

One of the first things we did upon landing here in the last best place in Montana was place our mezzuzah on the front doorpost. I felt laced with grace immediatey. I’ve talked before aobut being the transition from bein’ a city slicker to gone country… especially in light of being the “resident Jew” in these here parts. . Although I went to college in rural upstate New York, earning the nickname “Hayseed,”, it’s definitely a case of city girl gone country. “Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore”. To which I say amen..

The original meaning of the word “mezuzah” is not a description of the tiny scroll itself, but is the Hebrew word for “doorpost” which where it is placed. Even more comforting is that Sunday’s are becoming our “G-d and GaZi” day.. Well let’s just say it’s a semi regular thang. We have found here a church in town that we go to and then head back to head out on the horses. Maybe it’s my fervent prayer that I’ll maintain the full and upright when I board GaZi!

Our pastor James is a young guy and really delves into the “word” and goes back and forth connecting passages from Old and New Testament. I find it refreshing as well as really educational. His demeanor is such that you feel more like we’re all sittin’ around the kitchen table for Sunday Morning coffee. Ah must be Montana… here you might be Jewish if

And in yet another slant and hat tip to Jeff Foxworthy, you might just be a Jewish Redneck if:

1. You think that marrying your first cousin is not only permitted, but biblically mandated
2. Your home is mobile and your sukkah ain’t
3. You have a gun rack in your sukkah
4. You speak more English than your shul president
5. You light Shabbat candles from your cigarette
6. The only plant in your home is your lulav
7. When you hear the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, you let your hunting dogs loose
8. Your idea of bathing is using the mikvah
9. Your siddur lists the Sabbath greeting as : “Shabbot Shalom Y’all”
10. Your Shabbat suit was a blue light special at K-mart
11. Willie Nelson sang at your Bar/Bat Mitzvah
12. You’ve ever fired a shotgun at the sound of Haman’s name and finally
13. our Rabbi ever yelled “Yee-Haw” during his sermon

And this has happened to me here already ;you miss worship one Sunday morning and by 2 o’clock that afternoon you have had a dozen phone calls inquiring about your health.being of an interfaith marriage… you can really spot the devoted christian worshippers here

1. A member requests to be buried in his four-wheel drive truck because, “I ain’t never been in a hole it couldn’t get me out of”.
2. A singing group is known as “The O.K. Chorale.”
3. Baptism is referred to as “branding.”
4. Finding and returning lost sheep is not just a parable.
5. Four generations of one family sit together in worship every Sunday.
6. High notes on the organ set dogs in the parking lot to howling.
7. In the annual stewardship drive there is at least one pledge of “two calves.”
8. It’s not heaven, but you can see heaven from there.
9. Never in its entire 100-year history has one of its pastors had to buy any meat or vegetables.
10. Opening day of deer hunting season is recognized as an official church holiday. - our pastor is an avid hunter.
11. People grumble about Noah letting coyotes on the Ark.
12. People wonder when Jesus fed the 5,000 whether the two fish were bass or catfish.
13. Prayers regarding the weather are a standard part of every worship service.”

And while Sunday’s are supposed to a day of rest… we all seem to be jammin’ a bit to get to the church on time… What else keep it simple … from Real Simple… These oatmeal raspberry bars.. will have you jammin’ as well

Oatmeal Raspberry Bars

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups quick oats
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 1/2 cups raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350° F. Place the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and butter in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until the ingredients are combined and a crumbly dough is formed. Add the oats and lemon zest. Pulse quickly twice to combine. Press 2/3 of the dough firmly into a greased 9-by-13-inch pan. Spread the jam evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining dough over the jam, gently pressing down. Bake until golden brown. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut into 24 bars. Store in airtight containers.

Innkeeper as Superwoman?

While I am decidedly not Orthodox, here’s some answers from another kind of Jewish mom

The truth about the Jewish superwoman.

Are you a superwoman?

1) Being raised with a strong work ethic - ki adam laamal yulad (Job 5:7) - man was created to work. They expect to work.

I remember daddy’s desk “pre-Internet”.. neatly organized stacked paperwork… he knew where as and could recreate it on a dime when asked. I was also raised with a strong work ethic. We always worked summers and part time through college. Since graduating, I have always worked - done the “Sunday going to meeting clothes” corporate world stint for many years. Now I’ve gone country to open and run an inn.. no small task either, but truly a labor of love.

2) They actually LIKE to work and can feel uncomfortable doing nothing - “I’ll rest when I’m in the grave.”

Well….I do enjoy my vegging out time. That consists of riding and training the horses. Even when I’m in the middle of computer work… if I need a break… I’ll go clean a bathroom… even if we havent had guests… ah cathartic.

3) Super organized - they don’t waste their time looking for their car keys, having to run to the makolet (corner store) in the middle of cooking because they are out of something etc. I have an ultra race or endurance ride coming up… I’m packed and ready to go two weeks before.. Meeting with my accountant… got the stuff packedand ready to go so i dont have to think about it the morning of.

4) Patient husbandsMy husband is a doll. He’s a great cook, and generally gives me my “space”. As Thoreau said “Let there be spaces in your togetherness”. It works for us.

5) Don’t sweat the small stuff - they don’t lose energy because their neighbor didn’t answer them when they said hello etc.

Plead guilty or should that be insanity to this one. A work in progress for me.

6) Do it now - they wash the soup dishes while their husband sings zmirot,(maybe that’s why we don’t sing in my house?) wash the food processor as soon as the kugel goes in the oven etc.

Yes a I never leave dirty dishes or an unclean counter as that is a pet peeve of mine. I dotwo to three loads of laundry daily. Thank G-d for central vac and housecleaner who comes when needed. A major luxury…

7) Know their limits - they may leave all weddings at 10 because if they’re not in bed by 11 they can’t function the next day etc.

Yup, been there done that… No nonsense - set limits and stick to them - supper is lasagna, if you don’t like it you can make yourself a sandwich. Breakfasts though are totally guided by what the guests want but still figured out the night before so there’s less chaos.

So, what do you think makes a superwoman?

I think it is a myth. You never know what goes behind closed doors, anyways.

I think I’ll go muck a stall right after I bake up a batch o’ oatmeal cookies. I think there is no limit on what you can do with a basic oatmeal cookie. An unprecedented opportunity for creativity either way, they’re one of my favourite cookies.

These oatmeal apple cookies are no exception. . After throwing in the optional walnuts and raisins, came out with bot ha hearty and “semi” healthy cookie. From Recipezaar

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup chopped dried apples

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, cinnamon and baking soda.
Gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Fold in oat and apples. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let stand for 1 minute before removing to wire racks. Makes 48 cookies and energy to… trot on friends, trot on.