Ice storm and more

I don't know how the days go by so quickly without the time to stop in for a little blogging. Well, I guess I do- 6 kids, a husband, and a home to care for will do that to a woman!

A little run down of the past week or so:

Last Thursday our area was pummeled by a very bad ice storm. It had rained all Wednesday and Thursday; Akiva and I went out for some errands on Thursday night (mainly to find 2 white long-sleeved shirts to make dresses for the girls). Driving home, I noticed that the trees looked strange; I asked him what it was, then realized it was ice coating them. It was beautiful, but eerie at the same time. I turned on the radio and heard the weather alert for a severe ice storm- be prepared for trees and lines down, travel was not advised.

The roads weren't yet slick, but it was starting to get very cold. I was glad to get home and toasty.

The power went out sometime during the night; we were one of the lucky ones to get power restored at about 3pm on Friday. Of course, I didn't know when the power would return, but still had to prepare food for Shabbat. I got to the store (with all 6 in tow), which had some power, but very little light in the store and all the fridge and ice aisles were closed off. I bought things that didn't need to be heated (as I wasn't sure if we'd be able to use the hot plate). Our rabbi and his family didn't fair as well. They live just across the street, but they didn't have their power back until Sunday afternoon. They realized they couldn't stay home for Shabbat, looked for local hotels, found they were all booked, and traveled a few towns over, reaching a hotel just a few minutes before Shabbat needed to be ushered in.

There were very few trees or limbs down in our immediate area, but a few miles west got hammered. I had to drive some leaves from the Hebrew school up to the town compost site, and along the way we saw an entire neighborhood with trees down in every yard, power lines still down. Driving along a section of highway a few days later revealed an stretch with trees downed as if a giant had stomped through. It's amazing what the weight of the ice could do to these substantial trees.

Last Sunday was the Federation's First Light. I was up all the previous evening finishing up the girls' Hanukah dresses, headbands, and bows. They came out very nice. I had to be at the site early to help with decorations and set-up. I made sure to have the kiddos dressed and ready, so that Yaniv wouldn't have to deal with that task. He and the littles were due to arrive at 5:30; Yaniv was enlisted to be the photographer for the event and needed to speak with the organizer beforehand. They showed up on time, thankfully, but after taking off the girls' coats I noticed that there was a rip in Miella's dress. I asked her what happened; she had taken scissors to it! Apparently, Yaniv didn't notice the scissor-taking, or if he did he chose to ignore it. *sob* I'm thankful that they didn't cut themselves, but sad about my hard work. The dress's skirt is patterned, and I do a bit of fabric left, so I'll attempt to mend it. (Pics to come)

Beth Schafer was great! The kids really enjoyed singing with her and the other children from the area synagogues. Akiva, who usually is reserved and doesn't enjoy singing very much, said he was a little nervous about being in front of an audience (about 200 people), but that more than that he had fun. Micah said he was scared stiff, but he didn't show it. Eitan and Amitai sung their little hearts out, while Miella and Annaya, though knowing the songs very well, chose to only sing the chorus.

I'm already looking forward to working with the committee for next year's event; it was a great group of people to work with.

Eitan, Amitai, Miella, and Annaya's last day of school was on Thursday. Kitah Aleph and Bet (1st and 2nd grade) put on a Hanukah play for us, with the Gan (kindergarten) participating as well. It was a well done show, and the kids really enjoyed themselves. (pics to come for this also).

Friday brought snow, lots of snow. We were set to get between 6-12", and though I haven't gone out with a measuring stick, it looks more than that. I'm thankful for our neighbors with snowblowers who helped to clear our driveway and sidewalks today (shoveling is not allowed on Shabbat). I'll bake up some orange cranberry bread for them later this week.

The kids had a blast sledding today. They and Yaniv went over to the meadow and were joined by other families enjoying the first real snow. The only down side was that there was no hot chocolate to come home to; we'll have to make sure they get some tomorrow- we're expecting another half foot! I did pick up a special cake for them on Friday, it was decorated with a snowman.

Our fish, Phin McCool, is looking very sick. He's a beta, quite a beautiful one, that we've had for almost 2 years. He's not a very cuddly pet, but he's very low maintenance, which was a prerequisite for us. I thought the kids would be upset over the thought of losing him, but no. Amitai was so torn up that he asked for a new fish right away, and even suggested that we just stop feeding him altogether, I guess to hurry along the inevitable. Goodness, that is so unlike my compassionate little guy, and has this mama's heart wondering.

I've planted a couple of amaryllis bulbs, and I hope I have as much success as last year. We had a gorgeous bloom from the bulb we got from our downhill neighbors.


Oh, I almost forgot. A couple of weeks ago a friend of ours rented some photography lights for the weekend. He asked Yaniv if he'd like to use them, so we set up a little studio in our living room. We hung a white sheet from one of the beams, got the kids dolled up, and snapped away. Yaniv got some great ones; he's busy processing them now, so hopefully I can get those posted soon.

Yaniv also had a couple of his pictures posted recently in the Jewish Journal. One will be a stock photo of the rabbi, and another was a front page picture that he took at the Mumbai memorial at Chabad. The asked if he'd be willing to attend events and photograph for them; he's so excited about this prospect.

All for now- be well!

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