Another milestone

Several weeks ago, Ariella received her first Chumash. This momentous event was accompanied by a tiyul to the Old City and a program in the Cardo. We visited the Kever of David HaMelech, the four Sephardi Batei Knesset that are linked together, and the Churva shul (although we only stood outside). Here are a few prize pictures.

Ariella and her friends Ravid and Ayelet

Outside Kever David

In the Beit Knesset Eliyahu HaNavi

Outside the Churva

With the new ChumashThe kids were immediately able to open up and start learning, first individually and then as a group - how cool!With Saba and SavtaAt the KotelHope you enjoyed our nachas!

Dvora

Wordy-ish Motzaei Shabbat

Blogging takes time. I get all kinds of annoyed when the blogs I frequent don't update as often as I would like, but let's face it - we all have lives, and while they may be interesting to write about, the truth is that the more interesting the life, the less time to post. So this will be another ridiculous entry with some pics and little else. Call it the unacceptably verbose version of "Wordless Wednesday."

First, the continuation of Ayelet's birthday festivities:

1. birthday cake - chocolate "buttermilk" cake, chocolate fudge filling, vanilla frosting, design courtesy of Shana, who has since vowed to refrain from bow making in the future2. decorated sugar cookiesThose cookies were a result of an anniversary order for the 28th anniversary of friends of ours, ordered by their son, also a friend of ours and Dano's surrogate big brother.This is the platter they received, which had oatmeal peanut butter sandwiches, cappucino-cinnamon squares, chocolate caramel cookies bars, and sacher torte sandwiches. And here is the full selection of the decorated cookies:I had a lot of fun making them - hope they catch on!This was the regular platter from that Shabbat - all the aforementioned flavors plus ginger crinkles.

Next up, cookies that were part of a dessert bar at the sheva brachot that a friend made. The flavors were peanut butter bites, orange-cranberry-white chocolate cookies, thin mint sandwiches, and a new flavor, chocolate dipped pecan shortbread bars.

Here the new flavor gets its close-up:Next, Shalom Zachar cupcakes, along with a platter for the same celebration.Here is Shana's artsier pic of the same cupcakes
And the platter:Yes, Arica, this was from you - chocolate caramel sandwiches, lemon drop sandwiches, Mexican brownies, cherry chocolate chip cookies, and linzer cookies.

This was a collection of most of this week's flavors - this assortment was for a book debut party

Orange-cranberry-white chocolate cookies, chewy cherry oatmeal cookies, cinnamon squares, pecan pie thumbprints, apple crumble squares, chocolate dipped chocolate chip cookies, and lemon rosemary shortbread. (The other flavor, chocolate raspberry truffle brownies, is not pictured.)

Finally, a birthday cake for the tenth birthday of the sister of a bat mitzvah, whose yom huledet happened to fall out on the day of her sister's party. Yellow cake, chocolate filling, white vanilla frosting, and lots of fondant flowers, in line with the garden theme of the bat mitzvah, which BTW was beautiful. (Passaic people, it was Elana S.'s bat mitzvah, from the old country - her video had a shot of Dani in Morah Melissa's class and lot of girls from the grade - so cute and nostalgic!) Kol hakavod to Shana, who made all of the flowers and the number ten on the front of the cake, as well as critical design decisions. She is becoming an indispensible help!And that's all for now - hope you enjoyed the pix. I will not make any ridiculous pledges about posting more often, because honestly....

Shavua tov,

Dvora