A blog about Wal-mart and other randomness...

Shalom ya'll. So today I braved the city streets solo for the second time since getting here last Tuesday!

After perusing the online flyers I set out on my mission to Wal-mart for a grocery haul for the weekend, well actually I am used to shopping for more than two so it'll probably last way longer than just the weekend. Anyway I got there and the grocery section of the store was pretty well the same size as our entire Wal-mart back home, pretty crazy!

 On my way back from my expedition however, I had to take a detour around some road work and I am pretty sure that the road I took was never plowed after the dump of snow we got last weekend (where is my Subaru when I need it?? Oh yeah...it's at home in Ontario *sniff sniff*) and somehow my usual enthusiasm for taking such roads was replaced by the realization of the very likely possibility of getting stuck :P....I don't like getting stuck...duh that's why I own an AWD Subaru with snow treads! (winter driving = soooo much fun now!!). Thankfully due to my awesome driving skills I didn't get stuck, but I did miss my turn which required me to drive further on such streets as the one formerly mentioned until I figured out where the heck I was and got back to where I needed to be!

Yeah it's all very different than what I am used to. Back home the drive to town is the most relaxing part of the whole outing. Rolling hills, and trees instead of the drum of rolling tires and crazy drivers who think the use of their signals are a waste of their time. *Sigh*

So that was my "big" outing today, then I came home and finally got my suit cases out of the kitchen/living space in my sister's place and gave them a home in the furnace room  >>>>>

And yo! Behold! A feat of thrifty engineering if I do say so myself!
<<<
**Note to self I need more plaid shirts

Shabbat is coming people!

Chanukkah Stars

If I were home right now I would be starting to decorate for Chanukkah, but since I am not at home and my sister doesn't have any decorations yet, yesterday I made a few to get us started. :) 

 I used acrylic paint for these, but I have also done this same thing using spray paint, which is much faster because you can just paint your sticks all at once but if you want a more unique and varied look than painting by hand is the better choice.

Supplies

paint 

paint brushes

hot glue gun

glue sticks

craft sticks

glitter

newspaper/paper(for drop sheet)

cup of water (to clean brushes)

small dish to hold paint 

thread or fishing line

 

Laying 6 sticks side by side is easier than painting each stick individually.

Depending on the paint you use and how fast it dries will effect how long you'll have to wait before you can start gluing the stars together. I found the acrylic paint dried pretty quick so once I painted a second set of 6 sticks I could start gluing the first set.

Hang these around the house and/or use suction cup hooks and hang them in your windows.

If you want to be able to put them outside make sure to use paint that will hold up outdoors

Happy Chanukkah

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Travels and Treasures

Well I left my Grandparents on Tuesday, bound for middle earth(well as far as Canada is concerned) to spend the rest of my time away with my sister! I got to fly during sundown which is always fun(and beautiful in a different way). What also proved to be a great blessing was while I was waiting for my second connecting flight they announced that it had somehow been overbooked and they needed two volunteers to take a later flight. Long story short I got a free supper and a $200 travel voucher (good for a year) just for having to wait a couple more hours! Baruch HaShem what a great surprise blessing! With a sister a few Provinces away it will definitely come in handy!

I have also confirmed that flying does give me a bit of a headache! Even though I made sure to eat more this time, on the last leg of the trip I could feel another one coming on, good thing I remembered to put the pain-killers in my carry on this time. Oh well it beats getting sick like some people...no thankfully none of my neighbours got sick this time! :)

While in Victoria I was really hit with a culture clash. I have never felt the extremes of the high class vs the low class on such a personal level before and for the first time in my life I was really hit with how meagre our means really are, and how little we have financially. It was a really strange experience, one that is hard to fully explain. I mean I have always know we didn't have a lot but at the same time I have never thought of us as not having much either. We have a roof over our heads, have never gone hungry, family, friends and so much more HaShem has blessed us with. We have what we need and we are happy.

 It was a really really odd experience observing the lifestyle where going on expensive vacations, buying all new appliances, renovating their entire house, getting a brand new car every 3 years, or countless other things like it was no big deal. This is their normal, and I guess that is what struck me as so strange.

It can make a person feel very small if you don't have your focus on what is really important in life and I would be lying if I said I didn't at times feel like a "poor little country girl". But really, I honestly wouldn't trade what I have for that lifestyle. I was so thankful for the experience because it acted as a proof for myself that I am totally content with what I have, and with what I don't have. The treasure G-d has blessed us with is indescribable and greater than much fine gold!

Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. 

Psalm 119:127  

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 
Luke 12:34  

Flying away from the sunset!

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On a Shabbat Afternoon

 

Last night I had the special privilege of sharing Shabbat with my Grandparents! I wasn't sure how everything was going to go, I was just praying all day that HaShem would allow me the opportunity to have Erev Shabbat in some way shape or form.

Anyway I made Challah Friday afternoon. Then when sunset came around I pulled out my candles and siddur and invited Grandma to join me as I was going to say my Shabbat blessings. I struck that match and watched the flame catch on the wicks of those two tiny tea light candles I had hopefully shoved into my suitcase 5 days before and began to say the blessing...it was the most natural candle lighting I have ever done. After I finished the Shabbat prayer I felt so honoured to be able to recite Eishet Chayil for my Grandma and wish her Shabbat Shalom.

 G-d is so good, and I am so thankful for the time I have been able to spend with my Grandma and Grandpa T. listening to them tell stories of this or that, looking through old(or new photos), or just laughing together.

While Grandma was having a rest I got out for a walk late Shabbat afternoon. *sigh* no seriously that was an enormously "satisfied, it was seriously renewing to the soul" type of sigh ha ha! Solitude is truly golden. And what could be more peaceful than the sea side! :) There is just something about that

twinge of salt smell in the air. 

I even dipped my toes in the ocean...okay well that was slightly by accident but hey! >

Really my only regret of the day was that I didn't go to Shul this morning. I had one picked out but the weather was looking questionable and since it was a reasonable distance to walk I didn't chance it. I should have gone though, who cares if I would have gotten caught in a little rain, oh well next time!

Shavua Tov!

                                                                                                                                       

Sat down at Grandma T's piano on a Shabbat afternoon and this is what happened! :)

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Personal Parshah - Vayera - Of Faith and Flights

Well after a long day of travel yesterday, I have arrived safe and sound at my Grandparents!

It's not that I don't like flying, but a whole day of the constant roar of an aircraft engine can take it's toll on a person who enjoys the shalom of solitude :). The last half of the trip I was fighting a mild migraine too(packed the meds in my checked bag...dumb!) so by the time we got in the car to drive home from the airport I was starting to feel especially dizzy and a little sick, blah worst part about migraines! Thankfully after taking an ibuprofen and getting some good food into me (Grandma you make gooood biscuits!!) I started feeling much better.  

At least I don't get sick while flying! Something I can't say about the poor guy who was seated next to me on the second stretch of the trip....Oh that awkward moment when someone is leaning into a paper barf bag and the stewardess is going through the cabin selling headsets :S yep! I experienced that one for the 1st time! I think I'm going to start carrying Gravol on flights from now on, simply so if it ever happens again I'll have something I can offer to the person!

 Other than that it was a pretty uneventful flight. I mean besides the simply awesome bird's eye(and beyond) view of the lands and the heavens!  

When I took off in the morning it was cold and dreary...at least until we got up above the clouds.

 I came to this section of the morning prayers (see photo at the left) and it was pretty much at that moment I looked out to this ------------------------------------------->

 
While on the flight I got thinking about faith too.

 In this week's Parshah we read one of the most amazing displays of faith in the Torah: the akeida (the binding of Isaac). Abraham had such complete faith in HaShem and His promises that he was willing to follow through on the sacrifice of his beloved son!
  
Sometimes people can accuse us of having a "blind faith". Something that is foolish and void of any "logical thought" or rationale. I got thinking about this on my flight yesterday and had to ask myself: "Is my faith in HaShem anymore "blind" than the faith I have that this pilot knows what he is doing and that he's going to get us to our destination safely?" How much more then should I have such an unwavering and unquestioning faith and confidence in the Creator of the universe!?

With that thought, here are a couple more pictures. How one can see this and not be in awe of G-d is very very strange to me! Lila Tov

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Lech Lecha

How come when you go to actually write a list your mind goes completely blank?!

I am very excited to be going to visit my grandparents and then my sister next week but I hate packing...or really even thinking about packing. But I am super stoked to see my sister again!! I always knew we were tight but having been without her for almost half a year now after doing everything together (and I do mean pretty much everything...including working together) I am starting to go through sister/best friend withdrawal!!

I am not so sure how I will fare though, being cooped up in a city for over a month though *gasps* with no dog and without access to a piano!! AH! the other night I had to stop thinking about it plus I think I was going to make my mum cry ha ha! Well it's nice to know I'm earning my keep enough they aren't going to kick me out yet :D

Hmm so I was just thinking yet again I see how this week's parshah is lining up with life events again. Lech lecha - "Go forth". It wasn't the plan to go visit my sister now...actually it wasn't until January that I was planning on going. Of course I wasn't planning shoulder injuries, I wasn't planning on not being able to do my job anymore. But I can definitely say that this is all HaShem's doing and it is marvellous in my eyes.

Time for a little ice and heat relief (I said it was marvellous...not comfortable) and then an attempt at shut eye.

Lila tov

Bushes, brambles, and them things that inspired Velcro.

Toy Story clouds!! :)

Today I was out walking with the dog and decided to do some trail blazing through the bush. Now the regularity of sleep has become somewhat of a novelty these days and the few hours I did sack in last night were interrupted by a few feline/canine games of chase. So needless to say I wasn't exactly functioning at peak "bushwhacking"capacity. So after walking headlong into a few branches I stopped to let my spinning eyes catch up and noticed a clump of burrs hitching a ride on my jacket and began picking them off, "hmm yep, no wonder these inspired Velcro*".

As I continued picking, I started thinking(rhyme alert!)...we really need to watch out for these little guys when we are "walking through" life too. Thorns either completely over power us or allow us to escape with just our wounds and usually some scars to remember them by...but these guys hang on and, if we're not careful, will continue building up into a great big mess if we aren't diligent to do the pick work(if you have ever picked burrs out of a horses mane...you'll really get this!!). It is not the giant leap that claims the most victims but the constant compromise of footing that causes the most to fall. This idea fits in nicely with our parshah this week too actually With each generation man became more and more corrupt until ultimately they we're so utterly consumed in their evil HaShem had to do de-burr the earth! Yes they we're so far gone they we're walking burrs!! Picture that! :P

So the next time we have to pick a burr or hitchhiker off our sweater or shoelace(or dog Oy vey!...glad mines a Shorthair!!) maybe we can also remember to do a quick scan of our life too just to be sure we haven't been procrastinating our picking.

*George de Mestral was inspired by the creative design of the burr in 1948 and "Velcro" was patented in 1955.