Bar Mitzvahpalooza, the sequel

Every few months, there is an explosion of bar mitzvahs in the yishuv. Three weeks ago we went to a bar mitzvah, two weeks ago we went to a bar mitzvah and there was a second one on the yishuv that we were not a part of, and this week we went to two bar mitzvahs and there was a third we were not a part of. In the upcoming weeks, there are at least three more, though not of families we are friendly with. It has been a whirlwind, though! This past Thursday, we went to Sammy's bar mitzvah party - a neighbor and one of David's students. Then on Friday night, we went to an oneg for Naftali's bar mitzvah. I made some very cute mini-cupcakes: chocolate with chocolate buttercream (sorry, no pix of that one), red velvet with cinnamon buttercream, and lemon with lemon buttercream, sprinkled with yellow sugar.

The red velvet, combined with the next treat I made for the oneg, is my new obsession. I keep working ongetting just the right recipe, with the right texture, moistness, and balance of red and chocolate flavors. The other item is cake pops - yellow cake, which has a white drizzle, and chocolate, which has a dark drizzle.David says that they taste like Entenmann's chocolate covered pop'ems, but I think they are just fun to make and to eat. They were definitely gobbled up at the oneg.

On Shabbat morning, David and Dani and I all attended the hashkama minyan for Sammy's laining, then moved on to the 8 o'clock for Naftali's, where Ariella joined us. She especially enjoyed standing near David and catching the flying candy, though she did say that she needed to ice her head when she got home, since she got bonked in the forehead by candy projectiles. Both boys did a great job and were a credit to their excellent teacher. Shana, Ayelet, and Lola ate lunch at home, while David, Dani and I joined Naftali's celebration lunch. The only snafu - a fuse blew on our main floor, so that stayed dark until after Shabbat. On Motza"sh, David's basketball team played their first, and what turned out to be their last, playoff game. Oh well, it was a good run, and the first loss of the season.

On Sunday, David and I went out for breakfast to Bonofait, a local eatery, and enjoyed an okay Israeli breakfast for two. Sunday evening was the last installment of Naftali's bar mitzvah, a party for family and out of town friends, and a few local close friends. It was a fun party, and Dani had a blast dancing. Pretty sure he will want a party with music when his turn rolls around. Now we take a little bar mitzvah breather, and get on with the business of life.

Dvora