Thinking of RivkA
Please join me in thinking of RivkA bat Tirzel, her love and her optimism, and channeling all the prayers and happy, healing thoughts we can muster her way.
It only looks easy.
Please join me in thinking of RivkA bat Tirzel, her love and her optimism, and channeling all the prayers and happy, healing thoughts we can muster her way.
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10:32 PM
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For your downloading and planning pleasure:
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In an attempt to get Gretta to eat more, I set up a blog to record her lunches.
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For your downloading and planning pleasure:
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Leah Larson won the Wells Fargo Someday Stories contest and thus the $100,000 for Yaldah Magazine!!!!
Congratulations GALORE to Leah, and abundant thanks to all who voted and helped promote her cause and the contest!
(I'm off to do a happy dance... Yipee!)
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8:49 PM
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(By request)
This is what I wrote last year for VetErans Day.
P.S. Thanks to the US Government for declaring the official spelling of the day with no apostrophe. I'm not so sure I agree stylistically, but it sure is easier to remember.
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7:12 AM
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I'm obsessively checking http://leah.clkl.com/ because voting ends MONDAY NIGHT November 10, 2008 at midnight (California time, 3:00 a.m. EST) , and Leah ("Evelyn in MA") and Danny have been neck-and-neck for the past few weeks.
9:42 a.m. this morning (EST), Danny was up by 25 votes, but at 9:54 a.m. Leah was up by 23!! This is going to be a total "nail-biter" and every vote is vital!!
Please, please, please, VOTE FOR LEAH!!!! go to http://leah.clkl.com/ and vote for "Evelyn in MA"
See this previous post for more informaiton.
Please note, according to the rules of the contest:
In order to maintain the fairness and integrity of this promotion and to
ensure that each voter has an equal impact on the voting results, voting has
been limited to one vote per person and per email address.
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"Hakarat haTov" is Hebrew for "recognizing the good", and is an important directive precept in Judaism. In this article the Rebbetzin's Husband * quotes Rabbi Moshe Feinstein zt"l, who said, for United States citizens, voting is an expression of hakarat hatov, or gratitude, for all the freedoms and rights we enjoy in this country.
(And when you do vote this Tuesday, don't forget to collect your free coffee from Starbucks, as their way of saying "thanks for voting!)November 2, 2008 is the (extended) deadline for an international gratitude-related project, the Reverend and Mrs. Loketch Tribute book.
Earlier this month we sent out requests world-wide for people to share their memories and well wishes for our beloved synagogue sexton and his wife, who are retiring after 42 years. The results have been overwhelming, both in volume and content.
Collecting, editing and assembling the replies, I've been struck repeatedly by the scope and power of kindness and gratitude. The letters that have poured in, have arrived in many different formats, recounting the kindnesses that range from a warm greeting, to arranging of marriages; from not taking offense at a potential slight, to a lifetime of teaching and counseling.
Every note in this project is meaningful. Just as Aesop said, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted,” the same can be said of expressions of gratitude. Even a quick e-mail can make a significant difference in how both the recipient and the sender perceive the world.
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(There were a lot of submissions that were not included in this carnival because they were outright SPAM, had nothing to do with the topic of the carnival, or violated the carnival guidelines. This month, SPAM outnumbered legitimate contributions 4:1! If you submitted something and feel yours was omitted in error, please review the guidelines and let me know.)
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11:36 PM
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Here's a quick and durable way to add a ribbon bookmark to a hardcover book, without defacing the book.
It's worth five minutes to install a set of bookmarks in a text at the beginning of a semester.
Thin satin ribbon spools often go on sale at craft and sewing stores (or the craft/sewing section of Wal-Mart) for 25 cents a spool.
For a text that I plan to study slowly and intently, I like to have four markers. To make this, I use two colors of ribbon, each cut to more than twice the height of the book. This will result in two markers of each of the two colors.

I start by poking a hole in the top of the spine with a thumbtack (or safety pin), just above the top of the pages.

I use a dental floss threader to attach the ribbon securely. In the picture below, you can see the floss threader threaded through the thumbtack hole.
I kept this picture in the tutorial because it shows the threader and the hole very clearly, but when I do this, I start with the loop on the opposite (inside) side of the book, with the lead on the outside.
Thread the ribbons through the floss threader's loop.

Pull the floss threaders taught.

Feed the tail end of the threader back through the threader's loop on the inside, and pull taught again.
Tuck the long end of the tail into the space between the cover and the book's pages. I use a cake tester or barbecue skewer to help push the tail and keep it from bunching up.
Lifting the ribbon up and over the back of the book, secure the ribbon/threader knot with a tiny bit of glue. Be careful not to let the glue get on the pages or interfere with the pages' movement.

Below is a better picture of what the finished product/floss knot looks like from the outside/spine of the book:

Obviously, this isn't suited to heirloom or very expensive books. But, for a "working text", I think the floss is discreet and unobtrusive. I suppose, it could be painted to match the book's spine, too.

Trim the excess length of ribbon on the diagonal, and (optional) add a dot of nail polish to the ribbon ends to prevent fraying.
A few bookdarts conveniently tucked away on the back page, and voila! Ready to study!
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11:44 PM
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Julie is a hero. SHE doesn't know it. She's plugging along, running on empty, very cranky and tired. But she has a profound sense of duty and an indomitable determination.
Julie is fighting in the trenches, a Private in the war against Cancer.
As an oncology graduate student, she has little control over the strategic response or course of the battle. She must subdue her ego and muster her will every day to face tedious, exacting, frustrating, endless work with unclear results.
She often feels like a forgotten and unattended cog in the Great Machine of Science. And yet, she endures. Mindfully, and despite setbacks and threats of futility, she marches forward every day, and fights the Good Fight.
There is no way to know whether her work will be successful. But heroism isn't about success. Heroism is about facing the difficult, scary, and painful, despite the difficulties, fears, and pain.
Even if her work never leads to a specific advance in our understanding or treatment of Cancer, what she's doing matters. It matters because no war is won without the sacrifice of heroes. And those of us who benefit, owe them our gratitude and support.
Julie is having a tough day today. If you get a chance, please send her a comment of encouragement. Think of it as a letter to a soldier.
(P.S. Kudos to Leah and RivkA's kids, who just fought in this same war, on different fronts.)
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11:42 AM
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I'm kvelling vicariously today.
Last month, G6 posted about her teen-aged son Joey's dream to be on the television game show, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"
The show involves answering successive trivia questions. Each question doubles the reward, but carries the risk of losing all.
Joey is an Orthodox Jew, and is thus committed to observing Jewish Law.
He applied to the show, and, after a long wait, received an invitation to be on it. But the only date available was during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, during the time where participating would be forbidden.
Here is how he responded to the invitation.
At this point, he must have secured a Heavenly Reward that surpasses anything he could have won on that show.
But wait! There's more! Joey received a second call! The program's representative found another date.... AGAIN on a (different) Jewish holiday (Shmini Atzeret) during which work is prohibited. AGAIN, he declined.
I believe, just as in the format of the "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" program, Joey just answered another question, doubling his reward.
His real payoff may be in a Realm beyond the reaches of the Blogosphere, but can you imagine how happy I was to read, that he was able to answer positively to the unprecedented third call?
Joey, when people want to know the definition of kiddush hashem, they can look to your example! May you enjoy every success!
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Update, unrelated, but related, too: Interestingly enough, I just came across this: "Who wants to Be a Millionaire?" (מי כעמך ישראל?)===============================================
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2:04 PM
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The Sukkot/Shmini Atzeret Meal Planners for 2008 ~ 5769 are up. Enjoy!
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3:33 PM
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[I know this is a bit off-topic for this blog, but I appreciate your bearing with me, as the deadline is quickly approaching, and we're trying to get a large and international response. - CLKL]
As you may know, Rev. Loketch has retired after 41 years as the Shamash of Young Israel of Brookline.
He and Mrs. Loketch have relocated to Detroit to be near their children. Rev. and Mrs. Loketch are spending the holidays in Detroit, but we hope they will return to Brookline afterwards so we can honor them appropriately for a lifetime of service to the community.
We are creating an album of our good wishes and special memories to present to them.
Please send us any photographs (copies, or originals if you want the Loketches to keep them), memories, good wishes (or even your children's drawings) that you would like to include in our album.
Please mail or email whatever you would like us to include, BY OCTOBER 26, 2008
to:
Young Israel of Brookline
ATTN: Rev. and Mrs. Loketch Tribute
62 Green Street
Brookline, MA 02446
e-mail: Tribute *at* yibrookline *dot* org
You may FAX us at: (928)752-8458 (Note: This is NOT the synagogue's FAX number.)
We also have a Facebook group: Loketch Tribute
[I've posted some of the memories received electronically on the facebook group in the discussion section.]
The Loketches have touched so many lives, in so many ways. Everybody is invited to participate, so please feel free to forward this request to anyone you feel might wish to be involved.
Thank you for your participation in this demonstration of our gratitude to and deep affection for Rev. and Mrs. Loketch.
[This is an edited version of the letter sent from the] Tribute Committee (in formation)
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10:02 AM
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This is my favorite sukkah decorating project to make with a group of kids that span a large age range.
I've done this every year for many years with large groups of kids from the community, to decorate our synagogue's HUGE sukkah, with Boy Scout troops, and Bnei Akiva. We've also used this with our family sukkah at home.
The beauty is that it's a cheap, easy, and age-independent project. Since everyone gets their own page to color, minimal cooperation skills are required. I like how everyone works together on one big project, but each can take his own page to a corner of the room, without having to stake out space on a group coloring project.

In addition to the free downloadable sentence files below, you'll need a plastic disposable tablecloth in a bright color (not white), scissors, markers or crayons, and packing tape. One or two sticks or dowels, a bit wider than the tablecloth, is helpful but optional. We sometimes scavenge branches for this, for a rustic and natural (read:free) look.
(The sentence files are quite large. Right click and select "save target as..." to download them.)
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3:16 AM
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Here's another free download to help keep track of things when there's a lot of cooking to do.
It's an "Oven Scheduler". Print one out for the refrigerator to help prevent oven overload (and human memory overloads!)

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10:08 AM
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[Maybe this should be filed under "better (almost) late than never..." but I've received quite a few requests for these meal planners. I'll try to get the Sukkot version uploaded shortly after Rosh Hashanah, and update the link below with it then. In the mean time, please accept my wishes for everyone to enjoy health, happiness, peace and prosperity in the coming year.]
Per request, here are my meal planners for your (free) downloading pleasure:
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10:08 PM
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Welcome to the September, 2008 edition of the Carnival of Overdue Thanks.
It's a relatively short edition, because the upcoming Jewish holidays are keeping many of us focused on non-blog related preparations.
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Trent's Everything’s So Easy for Pauline: Thoughts on Luck, Fate, Money, and Life posted at The Simple Dollar, is overflowing with gratitude, grace, and perspective.
G6 expresses "mundane gratitude" in I'm Thankful for my Family posted at Guess Who's Coming To Dinner by letting go and supervising less. May she know many a "snowglobe shabbos" in the upcoming year.
Ruti's A Thank You, To Elie's Mom. posted at Ki Yachol Nuchal!.
Gretchen's A wedding anniversary -- a good opportunity for gratitude. posted at The Happiness Project turns a celebration into a gratitude milestone.
ProfK's On Sexual Abuse and Denial in the Community posted at Conversations in Klal at first might seem like a strange addition, but I think we all owe thanks to her family.
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Donna Freedman presents Thanks, Dad, for useful life skills posted at Smart Spending, saying, "Thanks to the guy who taught how to make do, how to figure your way around a problem if you can't go through it, and, most of all, how not to give up."
Nicholas Powiull presents Conscious Flex: Life Changing Gratitude & Why it Works That Way: by Nicholas Powiull posted at Conscious Flex.
Kevin Brink presents The Lost Art of Saying Thank You posted at The Red Stapler Chronicles.
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(There were a large number of submissions that were not included in this carnival because they were outright SPAM, had nothing to do with the topic of the carnival, or violated the carnival guidelines. If you submitted something and feel yours was omitted in error, please review the guidelines and let me know.)
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I'm so excited!
Leah Larson, the 17 yr. old founder of YALDAH Magazine, is a finalist in Wells Fargo's $100,000 "Someday Stories" contest!!

(Note: Registration requires a zip code. This is not meant to exclude those living outside the US, but rather, it is used to determine where the charitable donations (to Boys and Girls Clubs, Habitat for Humanity, or Junior Achievement) are to be distributed. If you live outside the US, you could use the zipcode for Leah's home town of Sharon, MA, which is 02067.)
More about Leah and YALDAH Magazine:
Look for YALDAH magazine at some (not sure which) Barnes & Noble stores, or order it directly from the YALDAH website.
Subscriptions are available at amazon, too.
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UPDATES: Spreading the word!
I started the "Vote for Leah" Facebook Group before discovering that there already was a group with over 80 members!. Please join either or both, and help spread the word!
Thanks, G6, for spreading the word: Support Strong Jewish Women Everywhere
Ezzie embedded the Leah's contest video submission in his post about Leah. Sephardi Lady of Orthonomics posted about it, too.
Mother in Israel shared it here. A living Nadneyda also spread the word here.
Wow! Reese on the Radio (WRKO) generously and kindly mentioned Leah and YALDAH and the contest on-air, less than 14 minutes after I clicked "send" on an e-mail to him. I'm so impressed that he can keep up with e-mail while running his live call-in program! Maybe he can share a few productivity tips!
Many thanks to Maimonides School for mentioning Leah and the contest in their newsletter.
Beyond Teshuva posted about Leah and the contest here, and Writes Like She Talks put a notice in Haveil Havalim.
A great article was posted in the October 17, 2008 issue of the Boston Herald newspaper.
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8:04 AM
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My tutorial, "Make your own cookie cutter from clip art and a foil pan" gets a lot of international interest, and continues to receive feedback in many languages.
Thus, I was delighted to find this detailed post in Spanish, with pictures that recreates and explains the method for a Spanish-speaking audience.
I was tickled to recognize my own thumb in one of the pictures (7th one down). I think that picture got mixed in with her own child's photos. Hey, even though I can't go on vacation to visit, at least my thumb did.
Great work, Cooke Mila!
P.S. Thanks to Chava for encouraging (okay, insisting) I submit Juggling Frogs to MarthaBlog be reviewed. I followed your instructions! I bet she'll come up with a fantastic list of new blogs for all of us to discover.
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7:09 AM
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Last month, I announced this new carnival, motivated by a thank you note I read that morning.
I have been overwhelmed by the quality and variety of posts - some submitted and others I've discovered - during this month. I'm not sure what I expected, but you over-delivered. Thank you.
It is an honor to present the first edition of the Carnival of Overdue Thanks.
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Baila expresses her Gratitude to an entire community, in this beautiful and moving post.
Ruti Mizrachi's For Mama, a"h made me weep. It's a Jewish tradition to say "May her memory be for a blessing". Clearly, hers is. Her example is a blessing, too. I forwarded this to many people, including therapists who work with trauma patients.
Cynthia Samuels honors her heroic friend Rachel in Triumph Is Expensive saying, "Thanks to my friend whose work made a real dent in danger in the world."
Leora remembers a beautiful and enduring act of kindness in Thanks for the Beets.
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Ilana-Davita thanks Mother in Israel for connecting a number of kids in Ilana's class with a professional baseball player across the world.
Ariella presents Thanks (a primer for wedding thank-you-note etiquette or "Thank you note 101" for newlyweds) and her thoughts on written thanks due after receiving a gratuity in Thanks for the tip.
Robert's moment of gratitude transformed a brief encounter with a stranger and took my breath away.
Adam Berry shares some of the teachings of interdenominational meditation teacher Sri Chinmoy. Adam's post, The unexpected power of gratitude, shows, "The power of gratitude in our daily lives" through the idea that gratitude is something that you become rather than show.
Anna Farmery submitted a memory of an outing with her father, and how he built her confidence.
Caterina Rando sent in an article where she draws a distinction between compliments and acknowledgement, and recommends adding the latter as a habit in order to attract clients, saying, "Gratitude looks good on everyone. Here are some ideas for upping our acknowledgement where we need it most."
It wasn't submitted, but Seth's Old marketing with new tools, though written for marketers, gives a few pointers for ways to personalize thank-you-notes.
Home Life Weekly offers: "I would like to give my free printable thank you cards to the world to spread the word of thanks"
(There were a surprisingly large number of submissions that were not included in this carnival because they were outright SPAM, had nothing to do with the topic of the carnival, or violated the carnival guidelines. If you submitted something and feel yours was omitted in error, please review the guidelines and let me know.)
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