365 Project: Day 34

I really didn’t feel like taking a picture today. But sometimes, with zero creativity you can get something rather nice. I love these colors, they certainly match my current mood.

365 Project: Day 33

A small section of my CD collection. I wasn’t sure if I should blur the titles or keep them readable… I really miss buying physical CDs. Opening the box on the way home and flipping through the booklet while listening to the music on my discman…

Digital files and mp3 players are just not the same. They’re much smaller and more convenient, of course, but they just don’t have the same feel to them. Another disadvantage for young people (which is not relevant for me, being married and driving everywhere), is that you lose the conversation opportunity there used to be when you had to change a CD on the bus (or other public location). People around you could see what you listen to, and start a conversation if they thought you were worth it.

Nowadays, how’s anybody going to know what you’re listening to? Unless you’re one of those obnoxious kids who play music of their cellphone’s speaker, like it’s a boom box and we’re back in the early 90s…

קורבן של הפוסט פמיניזם הישראלי הזה

חברה טובה שלי אמרה לי פעם – כשאת רווקה, שואלים מתי חתונה. אחרי שהתחתנת, שואלים מתי ילד. אחרי הילד הראשון, לוחצים מתי השני. הזמן היחיד שיש לך שקט הוא כשאת בהריון. אין כרגע שום דבר שאת יכולה לעשות כדי לשפר את המצב, רק לחכות. אפשר להוסיף ולומר, כשסיימת צבא, שואלים מתי תואר. כשסיימת תואר, שואלים מתי תואר שני. התחלת לעבוד, שואלים מתי תהיי מנהלת וכו'. 

מצד אחד, אנחנו חייבות לצאת לעבודה, אחרת אנחנו לא ממשות את עצמנו. אנחנו חייבות להיות רזות, מטופחות, שאפתניות ומרתקות. מצד שני, יש את האמהות. בחו"ל יש יותר לגיטימציה לבחירה לא להביא ילדים בכלל אם אינך רוצה בכך, אך בישראל - אם אין לך לפחות 2 ילדים, את ממש כישלון כאישה. אחרי שהבאנו אותם, אומרים לנו שהם צריכים להיות מרכז העולם שלנו. מכרו לנו שכשאנחנו יוצאות לעבודה אנחנו נוטשות ומזניחות את הילדים. מכרו לנו שאם אנחנו מממשות את עצמנו מחוץ לבית, אז זה על חשבונם. עם מערכת ציפיות פוסט-פמיניסטית כזו, עם הלחצים הייחודים לישראל (בנוגע למשפחה), פלא שאנחנו עסוקות כל היום בהתנצלויות ורגשות אשמה?

לאחרונה עלו לכותרות מחאות רבות מספור, עם חלקן אני מזדהה יותר, עם חלקן פחות. חלקן רלוונטיות יותר לגבי וחלקן פחות. בתור אם בכלל וכאם עובדת בפרט, מחאת העגלות היא גם רלוונטית לגבי וגם מעוררת הזדהות. כהרגלי, אני לא מסכימה עם כל הטענות, אבל כשזה מגיע לחוק חינוך חינם ולסבסוד מעונות יום, אני לגמרי בעד.

תמיד כשמדברים על עלות המעונות, או מתלוננים על החופש הארוך והצורך למצוא מסגרות ותעסוקה יקרות עד מאד לילדים, קופצים מיד הקולות: "בשביל מה הבאתם ילדים אם אתם לא יכולים לבלות איתם?", "אתם מתייחסים לילדים כעול שצריך למצוא לו פתרון" וכו'. 

365 Project: Day 32

שבת שלום!

No matter how I set up the table, Noam wants a pocket for his silverware. He takes whatever elaborate fold I made, takes it apart, and says: pocket, please! Today I tried a new diagonal pocket fold and he got what he wanted…

365 Project: Day 31 (color week)

This is how I imagine the world would look like if you were color blind. Though I don’t and can’t know what it’s really like…

365 Project: Day 30 (color week)

I was looking for items which have strong base colors which were not made for children. I was surprised at how hard it was. It seems that grown ups have a more refined sense of color, excluding the color block fashion trend (which I hope will be gone by next year). This further reinforces the sense that most colors in the world are actually quite vague, and that our insistence that children learn all the names of the colors is somewhat artificial. I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t teach them colors, only that we should realize that it’s hardly a survival skill.

Tutorial: Semi quilted picnic set (part 2)

After we made such a nice blanket, we need a tote to carry it and other essentials (I never leave the house without baby wipes anymore).

I wanted to use the leftover fabric from the blanket to create a fun tote with a trim, but if you decide to make it without, simply ignore those instructions.

I remembered that I am also a web developer, so instead of providing absolute measurements and letting you calculate yourself if you decide to make it a different size, I’m proud to present a built in calculator. Simply enter the final measurements you want, click “Calculate” and all the measurements will be miraculously updated.

Final measurements:

height	cm
width	cm
depth	cm

Calculate

Materials:
Main pieces, cut 4: 32cm X 42cm
Side pieces, cut 2 & strap, cut 1: 106cm X 12cm
Trim, cut 2: 108cm X 4cm
Zipper pocket top, cut 1: 8cm X 42cm
Zipper pocket bottom, cut 1: 15cm X 42cm
Zipper at least 40cm long
If you’d like to use this tote on a stroller, you’ll need snaps or Velcro.

365 Project: Day 29 (color week)

I had a girls day out with my sister today. We had a mini makeover and then went for a bit of shopping. We bought some earrings (which you see above) and sandals (we just didn’t have time for much more). She chose two pairs of sandals, one light blue and one pink (well, the second one was 50% off).

In Russian, Blue and Light Blue are totally different colors, with designated words (seenyee and goluboy respectively). Hebrew has two different words (kachol and tchelet, respectively), but the distinction is not as strict. This may seem ridiculous to English speakers (or other “primitive” languages which do not have this distinction), but if you ask a Russian or Hebrew speaker to get you the blue item, when it’s really light blue, we probably won’t understand what you want.

When you think about it like this, you start to understand how it’s possible to have less designated words for color, and still be able to function. In primitive cultures, it just seems ridiculous to have two (or more) words for colors which are so similar like “sea black” (which we would call blue), or “leaf black” (which we would call green), just like that primitive English which doesn’t have a word for “sky blue” and just calls it “blue”.

My mother made the necklace (we’re a crafty family), which is very long (I wear it wrapped around my neck 4 times), and full of different color stones. Following my own makeover, I found the ensembles with which this necklace works, and I’m finally enjoying it (instead of putting it on because I think I like it, looking in the mirror and taking it off), especially for adding a bit of color to a black dress.

365 Project: Day 28 (color week)

In the modern world, we are constantly exposed to artificial colors. Color becomes an attribute which is disconnected from the actual object, since objects can be made in whatever color we want.

In primitive cultures, you will find that they just don’t talk about color too much. In a way, it’s unnatural to even discuss colors isolated from the rest of the object’s attributes. What makes a cat a cat or a tree a tree, is not related to color. Though the cat has some color, it’s not what defines it.

In nature, we are rarely exposed to pure colors in the way they are manufactured today. For example, there aren’t many natural objects which are blue. Which is why that is one of the last colors which gets its own designated word as a language develops.

Children have more trouble understanding color than they do understanding other words and descriptions of objects (such as shape). In the past, they would only acquire the ability to identify colors fully around the age of 7 or 8. Nowadays, with the onslaught of colored-plastic-essential-for-development toys, children develop this ability much sooner, even as early as 2 years old.

What you see above is a toy xylophone which both my children love playing, which has 3 shades of blue and 2 shades of red. The manufacturers of this toy really couldn’t come up with a more balanced palette of 8 colors?

365 Project: Day 27 (color week)

This week is "color week", in tribute to Guy Deutscher’s book Through the Language Glass, which I enjoyed very much. In the book, Guy discusses the relationship of language, specifically the words we have to describe colors, and our perception of color.

In not-so-ancient times (only a few thousand years ago), and in existing primitive/isolated cultures there are/were less words to describe color. Some cultures have only black, white and red. They would group all the colors you see above into those three categories. Other cultures had yellow and/or green. Blue is usually one of the last colors to make an appearance, and actually doesn't appear in the Bible at all! Incredible.

Doesn’t make sense? Come back and read more in tomorrow’s post...

365 Project: Day 26

Saturday morning is the only day I allow myself to eat something like this. Not that I don't on other days, it's just that on Saturday I'm allowed. On Saturday I can enjoy this excellent pastry with little to no guilt.
By the way, I know it doesn't look like much, but it's really good. I have no idea what they put inside it to make it so tasty. Something sugary and fattening, I'm sure.

365 Project: Day 25

שבת שלום!

Got a new angle on the dinner table...

365 Project: Day 24 (Paul Simon)

Here we (my bff and I) are at the Paul Simon concert. We had great seats – first row on the gallery. There was no one in front of us, we had a clear view all the way to the stage. Paul Simon was tiny (even smaller than usual), but I think that unless you were in the very first row in the VIP section, that’s what you would get.

As you can see, there were about a million people there (or 20,000 – but who’s counting). I added a motion blur on the image because you could see people’s faces. I don’t know them, and I don’t want to offend anyone (with today’s automatic tagging systems, who knows what could happen).

The show was great! The balance between old and new songs was perfect. He hasn’t lost his voice a bit, despite his age (how, how can he be 70?!) He spoke to the crowd, he thanked us for the warm welcome etc, and said the obligatory “Shalom”.

There were some people dancing in the aisles, but mostly everyone in our area was very obedient, and stayed seated the whole time. There was a guy in the main area who was dancing as if he came to see Infected Mushroom instead of Paul Simon, but he looked like he was having so much fun, that we decided we should get up too. Lucky for us, the two people sitting behind us got up to go dance in the aisle, making it much more legitimate for us to stand up. We politely asked the guy behind us who was obsessively videoing the whole thing it that was ok, and he said it was fine. The next song was a quiet song, so we ended up sitting back down. After that we danced for the rest of the show. Two encores and a “You Can Call Me Al” later, and we were absolutely satisfied with the concert.

Unfortunately, none of the videos I took came out worthy of publishing, but I’m sure there are plenty of videos out there which can give you an idea of what it was like.

365 Project: Day 23

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe anyone?

To stay out of the unbearable heat, we've been eating early and going to the park late. When we came back this evening, the lights were already on. I keep expecting to see a fairy fluttering around inside the bush instead of a few mosquitoes...

365 Project: Day 22

what a waste of paper

Tomorrow is the last day I will receive a newspaper in the morning. I thought that it was worth the try, maybe I would be able to read it for a few minutes in the morning with my coffee. Guess what, I rarely did. There were many days where I didn't get around to reading it at all. The online version has a lot of the content anyway for free. So, I say goodbye to this waste of paper, I will stick with the cyberspace version.

Tutorial: Semi quilted picnic set (part 1)

It’s summer, and we go out to the park almost every day. My oldest hooks up with other kids and runs around and up and down the slides, but my little one still needs me to sit with her on the grass. I used to have a water proof blanket we got as a gift from work at some point, but it disappeared a while ago and I haven’t replaced it. Until now. And what could be better than a matching tote for carrying all the outing must haves?



Before you get started, decide the size you want your blanket to be. If you want your stitched diagonal squares to be symmetrical in all directions, you should take this into account in your calculations. I didn’t and was sorry later… I used my ruler’s width as the size of the squares, it makes it much easier to mark and make sure they’re straight and all the same size.
If you care about it being symmetrical you can do the following calculation: So, let’s say my square size is X, I’m using 8th grade math to figure out the diagonal size: X^2+X^2=Y^2 ==> Y=1.41X. In other words, multiply X by 1.41 to get the length of the of the diagonal. The length and width of the blanket should be some product of this number (it doesn’t have to be the same for both).

365 Project: Day 21

Dude, where's my car?

The sun has set, the sky is a dark shade of blue. The street lights have been on for a while. Looking due west, you can see the last bits of light.The summer solstice has past and the days are getting shorter. It's not really noticeable yet, but it will be soon.
Does this count as a poem?

365 Project: Day 20

pins and scissors and seam ripper oh my!

I had a very disappointing sewing disaster today. Yep, the skirt I made from the fabric I love is ruined. Oh well, at least I got an idea for today's picture out of it.

365 Project: Day 19

I've got hap-hap-happy feet

Chillaxin' in the park on Saturday afternoon. Fun.

My adventures with a stylist and the making of a skirt which followed

About 6 weeks ago, I won a facebook competition at one of the malls near where I work. The prize was 1000 NIS to spend in a store of my choice with a stylist, and a haircut. I had asked for a meeting with a stylist for my birthday, now – having won this excellent prize, I can ask for something else. I’m debating between a tablet of some sort or a makeup session (now that I know how to dress, I should learn how to wear makeup, right?). Money is, of course, not an issue in my fantasies of what I want for my birthday…

On Friday two weeks ago, I met with the stylist at the mall. First we sat down and discussed my body type and colors and she told me which colors and shapes I should wear. I have red hair, white skin with reddish highlights, blue eyes, and a non-slim hour glass shape (I’m really lucky – I gain weight evenly across all my body, so it doesn’t show as much as it could).
She recommended a V neckline but never spaghetti straps or elbow length shirts – they make your shoulders look much wider than they are. She recommended high waists and tucking my shirt in (sorry, I just can’t). She also said that because I’m tall, I could wear whatever length skirt or pants I want, but I still think that 3/4 length is not flattering to anyone really.

I didn't take these pictures, but you get the idea

Regarding colors, she recommended green, blue, brown and purple (which I already knew) and no red, orange or yellow (how boring, but I guess she’s right). She said nothing about black, because everyone wears black so stylists are on a mission to ignore that color, even though it’s one of the best colors for me. She also recommended off-white instead of white-white (which I wouldn’t have thought of myself), and camel (I disagree entirely).

Now starts the fun: we went to the store and tried out a million outfits. We picked a pair of black skinny dress pants which I would have never picked out myself, ever. They looked amazing! The cut was just right! I also got a drapy-tied black sleeveless top with an off-white lining and it was also perfect. The tied part hid any extra flab I have around my middle, without making me look like I was trying. Excellent. I also got a nicely tailored blue dress. We were running out of time and we needed to pick a 4th item, so I ended up with a light pink top which looked really nice on the hanger, but not on me. I have no idea what I was thinking when I took it, it’s a classic mistake of taking what there is. By the time I got home I already knew it was wrong for me, so I went back the next week and exchanged it for a black tailored dress. Much better.

365 Project: Day 18

שבת שלום!

Thank god it's Friday... I tried a new napkin fold today. See how the napkin matches the tablecloth?

365 Project: Day 17

geological layers

Noam likes to eat a mix of breakfast cereals (not only for breakfast). He's pretty consistent about which ones he wants, so instead of mixing them up each time he asks for it, we make a container of "mix" to use. Convenient.
It's Noam's job to bring me the cereal boxes and put them back. I fill the container, and he "mixes" it. This is what it looks like before Noam shakes it all up.

365 Project: Day 16

reflection

Today all four of us took a trip on the train to Tel-Aviv. Noam was very excited about the train ride, he couldn't sit still the whole way. Hodaya was nice and calm, which is as much as you can expect from an 11 month old baby who couldn't care less about the train. In fact, I was surprised she didn't cry because of the noise level (which was quite high).
We had pizza and ice cream and went home.
The point was to take the train, the mall was just an excuse. I choose to take credit for raising Noam well, but it could be that it's just luck - when he thinks about going to the mall he thinks ice cream, not shop 'till you drop. Which is great and easy on the budget.
This is the view from the fast food area, including its reflection. I usually come to Tel-Aviv via train and this stop, so for me this is the basic experience of Tel-Aviv - seeing it through Azrielli center's windows.

365 Project: Day 15

when in doubt

I was going to take a picture of something else today, but it didn't work out. I was running out of options, as It was already quite late, so I went for the easiest solution and took a picture of the sunset. Summer is fun, see all the people at the park, even at this late hour (and that's just the small corner we see from our window)?
I was thinking what I should write to go with today's picture, and I decided I would Google-research the effects of sunset on our feelings. Well, apparently nobody has ever conducted a study checking the reasons we have nostalgic-happy-sad feelings when we see the sun set or rise. What a disappointment.
I will suggest my own absolutely baseless theory, that our feelings are rooted in the evolutionary need to gather the tribe and go inside when it gets dark. Or maybe it's just our feeling small and insignificant compared to the majesty of the sun and sky. Or maybe it's something physiological. I guess I'll leave it to the poets to decide and just enjoy the view.

365 Project: Day 14

pretty in pink

I started this project taking a picture of something pretty on the way to the park, and I am constantly surprised by the wealth of pretty things in that 5 minute walk (in an absolutely urban area).
Every time we walk by this patch of roses I have to explain to Noam why they have thorns, why they grow these "little tomatoes that we don't eat" etc.
A few days ago we noticed some purple leaves and he asked why they weren't green. I explained that meant that there would be a new rose there soon, and sure enough - here it is!

365 Project: Day 12 + 1

where's my garlic?

For those who feel that 13 is bad luck, a special hamsa for warding off the evil eye. We should consider ourselves lucky, no matter how we feel about the number 13, because if we were Chinese, we would have to worry about several other numbers:
- 4 is a near homophone for death in many eastern cultures.
- 5 is similar to “not”, so that 54 means “not death” which diffuses the negativity of both numbers.
etc.
I believe you make your own luck, but just in case, I’m naming this post day 12+1. You can make the calculation yourself.

365 Project: Day 12

round and round

During the week, I usually take both kids to the park by myself, and since my little one is still in a stroller, the older one can't take his bike. Sorry, I can't manage it safety-wise crossing the street and I can't carry the bike home when he gets tired...
Today, we all went to the park together and since my husband was there to deal with the bike issue, I finally got to see him riding it. He was so cute, and so grown up all at the same time, even if he still has training wheels (I mean, he's not even 4 yet).
This image, with the big wheel of the bicycle against the small stroller wheel, could be seen as a metaphor to the way Noam is growing so quickly (he'll be in first grade in just 2 short years), and how Hodaya is still so small (but not for long)...
This picture was taken with my cell phone, not too shabby. I'm pretty sure it's mostly luck, but it's possible that I might actually be improving my photography skills (it's one of the targets of this project, remember?).

Timmy the Lamb - Crochet Doll Tutorial

My son loves Timmy the Lamb. I agree. Stop frame animation is one of my favorite animation types, and this one is styled so nicely. The stories have little or no speech, so they are appropriate for younger ages, but the story has enough nuances to be interesting to older children and grownups as well.
Timmy the lamb is not to be confused with Shaun the sheep, who may or may not be related to Timmy. They are similar, but Shaun has wool on his head and Timmy does not.
No sheep were harmed during the making of this project. The Timmy doll is made entirely with synthetic yarns.

So, let's get started.

365 Project: Day 11

שבת שלום!

It's Friday afternoon again! They're both sleeping and I had a short nap too (yeah!).
We've been alternating between two tablecloths for the past few months, because all my other tablecloths got wrinkled and I was too lazy to iron them. I spent about half an hour today, in crazy hot and humid weather, ironing two tablecloths. On the one hand, it looks really nice. On the other hand, I am never buying another tablecloth which requires ironing. Ever.
I went through a paper craft book my mother bought me a while ago (thanks for supporting my addiction), trying to find some fancy napkin fold. When I saw the silverware pocket idea, I knew that Noam would love it. So, not so fancy, but still pretty. Sure enough, when he woke up from his nap he said "oooh, nice".

365 Project: Day 10

from my desk @ work

When I was in London in 2004 with my (then-not-yet) husband, I couldn't find anything to buy at Hamley's, but I also couldn't NOT buy anything.
On a side note, while we were there, so was Mick Jagger. He bought a fancy toy helicopter that can really fly. We had sent the cashier to check something for us, and when he came back he asked the second cashier if it's true that she had served Mick Jagger. She said she didn't know who that was. He was appalled.
Anyway, the magic 8 ball caught my eye, but when we got back home it sat in a drawer for ~7 years before I decided to take it to work. It's great for all those pesky questions people tend to ask you:
When will the fix be ready?
The magic 8 ball says to "ask again later".
Will you be done today?
The magic 8 ball says "it is decidedly so".
Want to go to lunch?
The magic 8 ball says "yes".
About a year ago, we got the lucky bamboo from work, it had to do with some "green" activity. I think they make quite a superstitious pair.

Knit Teddy Bear Tutorial

Equipment:

1 set 4mm double pointed needles (called sock needles in Hebrew)
About 1/3 ball of yarn (33 grams)
Some black yarn for the eyes and nose
Tapestry needle
A ribbon for the neck.
Polyfil (or other) stuffing

Abbreviations:

K: knit
Kfb: knit front back: knit in the front of the stitch, and another in the back of the stitch to increase.
K2tog: knit 2 together
[…] instructions inside the [..] should be repeated as many times as specified.

Dr. Martens Baby Booties Pattern (Crochet)

Because I love Doc Martens shoes so much and since I have no idea where to get them in Israel, I decided to live vicariously through my baby daughter and make some for her. Unfortunately, there were no patterns available, so I decided to write up my original pattern.

Gauge: I used worsted weight yarn and a 4mm crochet hook to fit a 5 month old baby.
Materials: brown & yellow yarn for sole, black yarn for laces, red (or other color) yarn for shoe.

Baby Ball Beginners Project - Tutorial (Crochet)

I used worsted weight yarn and 4mm crochet hook, but really - gauge is not important for this project. Just make sure the stitches are tight enough so that the stuffing doesn't show through.
You can change colors at any point to make an interesting pattern.

You can learn basic stitches here.

abbreviations:
ch - chain
sc - single crochet
st - stitch
idec - invisible decrease. Instructions for this can be found here.

365 project: Day 9

healthy summer snack

Today I decided we would make use of the excellent fruit of the season and take a healthy box of fruit to the park. I added the cucumber and tomatoes so that I wouldn't have to worry about cutting up more stuff for dinner later, when they would be tired from playing outside. Guess what, after this nutritious snack, Noam asked for and got bread with chocolate spread for dinner. I wonder if that cancels out any health benefits he got earlier.

365 Project: Day 8

French is easy if you have the right tools

If I'm not going for dark red/purple heavy-metal-rock kind of look (which I haven't lately), my favorite is a french manicure (I do my feet as well). I used to pay a manicurist to do it for me, but then I realized that it was just a waste of money.
I bought white nail polish with a thin brush, the really sheer-see-through-light pink nail polish for the slightly blurring effect and a quick drying top coat. I like CHIC nail polish because it gives great value for money, they cost only about 10-15 NIS a bottle, and they're smooth and durable.
The thin brush makes applying the thin white line so easy, and the top coat ensures everything dries before I have a chance to ruin it by touching anything.
Now, after several months I've been doing it on my own, I usually get it right at the first or second try. Not too shabby.
On the other hand, the picture was taken really late at night, the lighting was impossible and I couldn't get the camera to focus without the flash, so photography-wise, not the best item. Still, gotta take one a day, I'll do better next time...
Maybe I'll make this a recurring thing as well, "beauty Tuesday".

365 Project: Getting Started

The 365 project is a photography project where you document a year of your life by taking a daily photo. I came across this concept in one of the many blogs I read (though I'm not sure which).
The idea really grabbed me, though I couldn't quite put my finger on why. Then, I started noticing things around me I thought would make a good picture, and soon after that I decided that I would start. Only I didn't. I kept "seeing" things, but just didn't jump in. Then, one day, on the way back from the park with the kids, I saw these trees and flowers growing from a neighbor's garden. There was a strip of sunlight on some of the flowers, and the whole thing was just beautiful. I took a picture of it with my cell phone, but it didn't come out very nice - the light was all wrong and the flowers didn't show very well. Now, I know I'm a terrible photographer - but I thought I could do better than that.
The next day was partly cloudy and the lighting was much better. I took a few pictures of those same flowers & trees, only this time it came out pretty good not bad. And that's how I started (I'm writing this on day 8 of the project, the earlier photos are actually back dated).

For me, this project is about seeing the little things in life which we don't always stop to notice. I want to take pictures which I wouldn't otherwise take: i.e. (1) no photos of my children (who really get plenty of camera time) and (2) no photos of things I make. My last "rule" is that I will only take pictures of good/pretty things, (3) no funny signs or sarcastic scenes (which I like in general, it's just out of scope for this project). I also hope it will improve my photo-taking skills ('cause I really need it), even if most of the pictures a taken with the cell phone I mentioned before...

I keep calling it project 365 (instead of 365 project), I guess I have project runway on the mind...

See my 365 project photos here.

Project 365: Day 7

city skyline in the morning, 

from our only west facing window

We don't really have a good view of the sunrise, there are lots of buildings in that direction, but I've got to say that even the other direction is pretty this early in the morning, even if you can't hear the birds through the picture.
This reminds me a bit of my childhood bedroom, which faced west, but for a few minutes every morning - the sun would shine on the windows of the houses across the street and reflect straight into my room.

365 Project: Day 6

Boys have cool toys, but this is really about the colors

Boys have the best toys. Girls have the best clothes. One of the things that makes Lego (or Duplo in this case) so great is the way the colors go together. Sometimes it's intentional (you should see my boy purposely putting only bricks of different colors one next to each other), and sometimes accidental (when he wants to build something REALLY BIG AND TALL), but always interesting. It could almost be used as is as a fabric design.

365 Project: Day 5

city skyline at sunset, from our only west facing window

There's just something about the sunset which makes everyone a little emotional and kind of nostalgic (to what?). I wonder if there is some evolutionary root to this, something like: Hey, the sun is going down, I guess we'd better get back in the cave, cuddle and protect each other from wild beasts. Or maybe it's just pretty.
It's nice having this kind of view, even if it's only from one window (our next apartment will definitely face south-west, no doubt about it).

365 Project: Day 4

שבת שלום

I'm thinking this should be a recurring item: It's Friday afternoon, everything is quiet. The food is all ready, the house is clean and the table all set for Friday evening Shabat dinner. Maybe this will inspire me to put some effort into designing the place settings differently each week.