GO OUT AND DO A MITZVAH

Go ahead...

...give away all your worldly possessions to charity and live in a monastery in the Himalayas--maybe you’ll achieve higher consciousness and eternal bliss.

But before you do that, consider the alternative: Keep your home, your marriage, your kids, your career--keep your life the way it is, but do it higher.

That’s the idea behind what we call mitzvahs. A mitzvah is a connection between your world and a Higher Force. Through a mitzvah, you take some part of your mundane little world and make it higher.

The goal? To get out of life everything that life was meant to give. And to make the world into everything the world was meant to be. Because life is meant to be beautiful and the world is meant to be divine.

HAPPY NEW YEAR and I HOPE THAT 2009 IS A GREAT YEAR FOR EVERYONE!!

100 YEARS AGO

THE YEAR 1908

• This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine!
• The year is 1908.
• One hundred years ago.
• What a difference a century makes!
• Here are some statistics for the Year 1908 :

************ ********* ********* ******

• The average life expectancy was 47 years.
• Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
• Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
• There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles
• Of paved roads.
• The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
• The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
• The average wage in 1908 was 22 cents per hour.
• The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year .
• A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
• A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year,
• and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
• More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .
• Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!
• Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which
• Were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard. '
• Sugar cost four cents a pound.
• Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
• Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
• Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used
• Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
• Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from
• Entering into their country for any reason.
• Five leading causes of death were:
• 1. Pneumonia and influenza
• 2. Tuberculosis
• 3. Diarrhea
• 4. Heart disease
• 5. Stroke
• The American flag had 45 stars.
• The population of Las Vegas , Nevada, was only 30!!!!
• Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea
• Hadn't been invented yet.
• There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
• Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.
• Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
• Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter
• at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said,
• 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind,regulates the stomach
• and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health'
• ( Shocking? DUH! )
• Eighteen percent of households had at least
• One full-time servant or domestic help.
• There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE ! U.S.A. !
• Now I forwarded this from someone else without typing
• It myself, and sent it to you and others all over Canada & U.S.A
• Possibly the world, in a matter of seconds!
• Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.
• IT STAGGERS THE MIND

STONEHENGE II

WHEN WE WERE DRIVING BACK FROM KERRVILLE LAST WEEK WE CAME ACROSS STONEHENGE II. YOU DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS ANOTHER ONE HERE DID YOU? CLOSE YOUR EYES AND YOU COULD BE IN ENGLAND...NOT

LAST NIGHT OF HANNUKAH

Lighting the Hanukah Menorah is the essential observance of the Jewish festival of Hanukah. Hanukah candles are lit to commemorate the the miracle of the Maccabees' victory and the miracle of the oil that burnt for eight days in the Temple. Each of the eight nights of Hanukah, all members of the family should gather around the Hanukah Menorah. Before lighting the candles, the blessings below are recited. The first two blessings below are recited each night.

• BLESSING
• Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by His commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the lights of Hanukah.

• BLESSING
• Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who wrought miracles for our fathers in days of old, at this season.

Sevivon

Sevivon Sov Sov Sov Chanukah Hu Chag Tov Chanukah Hu Chag Tov Sevivon Sov Sov Sov Chag Simcha hu la'am Nes Gadol Haya Sham Nes Gadol Haya Sham Chag Simcha hu la'am Translation: Dreidel spin spin spin Chanukah is a nice holiday Chanukah is a nice holiday Dreidel spin spin spin It's a joyous holiday for the nation A great miracle happened there A great miracle happened there It's a joyous holiday for the people

CHANGE IS COMING

I finally finished my Obama Quilt I have been working on this past month. It is for a special show called "A CELEBRATION IN ART QUILTS" for President Obama's Inauguration. This is probably the most conservative quilt I have made in years! It is pretty cool to be part of this fabulous show! If you are anywhere near Washington please stop by and see it.

• Location: Cafritz Art Center, 150 King St., Silver Spring, MD
• Dates: February 9 - March 5, 2009
• Opening Reception: Friday, February 13th

This show, organized by Susan Walen, comes from an all-volunteer, grass-roots, multi-ethnic group of fiber artists from all across the United States and as far away as Australia. Our work is in tribute to our new President, in gratitude for the hope and inspiration he has brought us. We present these art quilts at an unforgettable historic moment in our country's history.

"THE INNER MEANING"

The Torah portion for this week is Mikeitz (Genesis 41:1-44:17) which means "The Inner Meaning". Today many people are accustomed to giving and getting gifts on Chanukah, which is fine - as long as we remember that fancy gifts are not what Chanukah's about. In fact, one of the main lessons of Chanukah is the essential Jewish belief that it is something's inner meaning that counts and not its impressive price-tag or external appearance. That is why I am thinking about all my friends and family today. I am so happy to have everyone in my life and even though I don't always say "THANK YOU", I appreciate each and everyone of you!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HANNUKAH

My own personal reindeer, YOGI.

My friend, Debby, sent me this cartoon. Isn't it cute? I did bake about 4 dozen sugar cookies the other day to take to the hill country. So I could relate to this cartoon! Speaking of the hill country, here are some more pictures from our trip.

Texas Longhorn

Daniel shooting his bow.

Jack and Daniel shooting.

Michael with his shotgun shooting skeet. He is eleven.

Perry taking a shot at the skeet.

Daniel shooting skeet. He is sixteen.

Jack helping Avery hold the rifle correctly.

Lane taking his turn.

Sitting by the campfire at night. It was really cold that night!!

Lane playing the guitar for us.

Lane, Daniel, Jack, Linda, ME, Avery, Caleb and Alex.

HILL COUNTRY VACATION

Our neighbors invited us to spend a few days at their ranch outside of Kerrville, Texas. They live on the YO RANCH and have 40 acres.

What is so unusual about this place is all of the wild game you can see roaming their property. We saw all kinds of deer and sheep that I didn't even know existed. There were even 13 Tom Turkeys at their feeder yesterday morning!!! (too bad it wasn't Thanksgiving time)

That was really exciting. I had a great time with my camera snapping all kinds of photos. We went to a shooting range and shot rifles and shotguns. I have to say that I was an EXCELLENT shot with the rifle.

But I think the most exciting animal was in their trophy room. It was a Bison that Jack had shot and they turned it into a rug. More to come in the next few days...

MUG SHOTS OF THE YEAR 2008

First of all let me tell you how wonderful my house smells right now! I have been baking cookies and finished the job this morning. Later today I will put the icing on them. This morning I saw an article about mug shots. Most of them show messed up looking people at their worst. They are actually picking the shot of the year. I think # 16 is the winner! Check it out:

COOKIE DAY

Today is my day to bake holiday cookies. I am going to mix the dough and bake cookies this afternoon. I love doing this because it makes the house smell great! I will also bake a few banana chocolate chip muffins. We are heading to the hill country to visit another family at their ranch over the holidays. I want to share all the baked good with them since it will be over one of the nights of Hannukah. This sugar cookie recipe is the BEST! Feel free to use it: BUTTER COOKIE DOUGH

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1 1/4 confectioners' sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 3 cups all purpose flour

1. In a large bowl, with electric mixer on medium high, beat butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, salt, and baking powder.
2. Mix in flour on low speed until dough just holds together. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour.
3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. On lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch and use cookie cutters. Place on greased baking sheets for 15 to 18 minutes, until lightly browned on edges. Remove to wire rack and cool completely. Decorate with icing paints and candies.

COOKIE ICING PAINTS Beat 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 Tbs. powdered egg white, 2 Tbs. water until blended.

THREAD PAINTING

I finally tried thread painting last night on my OBAMA quilt. It was like coloring on fabric without the crayons! I still have more to do but at least it is a start!

GONNA BE A BEAR

THROUGH A CHILD'S EYES