Jewish Diva Diaries

After a longer than expected summer hiatus, I am back!  Please enjoy my interview with Leslie Lopp, Preschool Director of the Alefbet Preschool at Congregation Beth Shalom, in which Leslie addresses identifying and accommodating special needs in preschool-age children.

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Administrative:

- Thank you to PennKnits, ToadyJoe, Tiarra Rose and NCTats for their awesome reviews on iTunes!

- Thank you to KnitJazz who I had the honor of meeting at STITCHES South.

- Passover Pathos Contest - I had three entries, all of which were great, so I decided to award $18 to the charity of each person's choice.  If you don't hear from me soon, e-mail me with your selection.

- Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms out there!

My Diva World

- Nanny trouble.  She's a bigger diva than me.  And she's now gone.

- Successful discount clothes shopping.  Who Knew?

- A fabulous Dunwoody Arts Festival, the first of many I suspect.

PeachyQueen's World: You've probably heard, but STITCHES South rocked.

- Had a great class with Candace Eisner Strick "Thumbing the Purl"

Market Highlights:

- Galesart.etsy.com – purchased some "lonely" skeins of  hand spun, hand dyed chunky/bulky boucle yarn.

- Jennifer Pace, PippsPurses.etsy.com. I loved her purses and her amazing stuffed owl.

- Lion Brand Yarn – the Winter/Spring catalog has amazing stuffed animal patterns.  Check them out!

- Nantucket Bagg makes reversible tote bag made out of durable material, lots of pockets, machine washable.  Its' a great gift for a knitter or any crafter.

- I met Rachael Herron, author of How to Knit a Love Song, and she kindly autographed my book for me.

- WEBS Yarn booth had me dazed and confused by the fabulous selection of bulky yarn.

- Glory-ous Knits, where I purchased for an amazing price Lambs Pride Bulky yarn $4.25/skein.

- I did not buy but highly recommend Think Outside the SOX which contains the winning patters from last year’s sock contest.  I suspect I will add it to my bookshelf soon.

- Knots-of-love.org - Knit or crochet hats for cancer patients

I'm already excited about STITCHES South 2011.

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At long last, here are my shownotes to Episode 15.

MY DIVA WEEK

My Georgia Staycation was fabulous.  The kids and I panned for gold at Crisson Gold Mine in Dahlonega, GA.  We went on Safari at the Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain, Georgia.  Then, we saw the fabulous "Nature Unleashed" exhibit at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Decatur, Georgia.  And my kids loved the movie "How to Train a Dragon."

My book club threw a party for our member at Chamberlain's Chocolate Factory.   If you live in the Atlanta area, be sure to stop by; it's a find!

YIDDISH WORDS OF THE WEEK courtesy of Leo Rostin's Joys of Yiddish

Ai-ai-ai and Oy-oy-oy.  Does it get more Yiddish than that?

PEACHY QUEEN'S WORLD:

Baby Patrick's Conversion is complete.  It was very appropriate that his conversion occurred during Passover.  Last year during Passover, I flew to Patrick's birth state to finalize his adoption.  This year, the family welcomed him formally into the Jewish community.  How cool is that?!

Contest:  Advice on How to Avoid Passover Pathos. The winner receives an $18 donation to a recognized US 501(c)(3) organization of your choice.

Tikon Olam Project: PICC Line Covers.  I decided to start a charity project - PICC line covers.  PICC lines are ports that run from a patient's arm to an artery near the patient's heart.  They are used by medical professionals to provide patients with medicine and chemotherapy as well as to take blood samples from the patient.  Patients with PICC lines have one or more ports literally dangling from their arm.  Not only do patients love the look of having a port hang from their arm, but patients also have to make sure that the ports do not catch on any clothing or other objects.

Four years ago, I became a leukemia patient and had multiple ports dangling from my arm for 6 months.  At the time, I was told to cut off the foot of a tube sock and slide the tube over my arm.  It didn't work very well.

TreasureGoddess on Ravelry introduced me PICC line covers which she knits for her son who has a chronic condition.  I have several different PICC line patterns posted on my new Ravelry Group, Jewish Diva Diaries.  Additionally, TreasureGoddess started a PICC Line Cover Ravelry group.

I look forward to seeing everyone's patterns!

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My Diva Week: Busy, but not in a way that indulges an inner diva. I welcomed family into our house, met my beautiful niece, nursed a ailing husband (well, actually, my ailing husband nursed his seriously-stressed wife), and began the search for summer camps for the kids.

For a great resource for camps in the Atlanta area, check out Atlanta Parent Magazine's Big Book of Camps 2010 or the Summer Day Camp link at www.atlantaparent.com.

PeachyQueen's World: I had a great time speaking with Vicki Libowsky of Kroger who helps me address how to have a budget friendly Passover.  In the interview, Vicki reveals:

• Why Passover products are so pricey (it's not as simple as supply and demand);
• What Kroger did to combat rising costs of Passover products;
• How to identify lower-cost Passover products;
• How communities can obtain a wider variety of Passover goods in their local supermarkets.

You can find Vicki at the Toco Hills Kroger at 2205 LaVista Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, (404) 633-8694.

Thank you to Vicki and to Kroger for speaking with us and for providing such a valuable service to the Atlanta Jewish community!

Podcast of the Week: Life Habits Mentoring with Karel Vrendenberg found on iTunes and at lifehabits.podbean.com.

Last, but not least, What's on my Needles.

My DH's Valentine's Day gift is finally done!   Lorne's Hat from the Yarn Harlot, knitted in Lion's Brand Wool-Ease (Heather).

Now, it's time to treat me.  I've started knitting Miss Lambert's Lace Sampler in Indiecita alpaca yarn, natural color.

And did I mention my yarn fest?  Look what my mother brought me from Peru.  Alpaca in two shades - natural and charcoal

And check out these pink beauties from South America.........................................

Finally, look what I found at Tuesday Morning.  I have no idea what the yarn will become, but I know it will be beautiful.

Happy Passover Y'all!

Diane

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I have broken from tradition and am devoting this episode to my son's favorite holiday - Purim. Before going any further, you may want to know more about the Purim story. While I could simply give you a summary here, I suggest you check these far more entertaining sources:

Or, for a more modern spin,

And now, enjoy my interview with Rabbi Mark Zimmerman, rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom as we discuss:

- The historical basis for Purim (or the lack thereof); - Why the Talmudic rabbis favored Purim over Chanukkah; - and how pacifism and Jewish nationalism have shaped the holidays we celebrate today.

Rabbi Zimmerman held a similar discussion with the Preschool parents at the synagogue several years ago, and I could not wait for him to reprise this discussion for the podcast.

In his discussion, Rabbi Zimmerman mentions the following:

- JTS - the Jewish Theological Seminary, which represents the Conservative Movement of Judaism, - the Talmud and the Talmudic Period - Theodore Gaster and the Dead Sea Scrolls - Four Strange Books of the Bible by Daniel Jonah and Esther Koheleth

The Rabbi's Favorite Websites: www.jpost.com www.HaAretz.com and www.Facebook.com

Learn more about Rabbi Mark Zimmerman: www.BShalom.net www.sidduraudio.com www.Haftorahaudio.com

Customs associated with Purim: - Costumes and parades - Groggers - noise makers - Hamentaschen, a three-sided cookie with a jelly filling. You can find a Food Network recipe here. - Shalach Manot (or Mishloach Manot; - the Purim shpeil - and lots of alcohol and merriment.

And, before I forget, I want to give credit to another source I consulted in making this podcast: 1001 Questions and Answers About Judaism by David Gross, (Robson Books 1987).

Chag Sameach! Happy Purim y'all!

Diane

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Who said turning 40 is all bad?  Especially when you have listeners who have catapulted your little podcast to the fifth most popular Jewish podcast on Podbean.com.  I love you guys!

Yiddish Word of the Week: Mishpacha - family.  Mishpacha does not just mean Mom, Dad, and the kids; it includes dear friends who you would make family members if only you could.  I would love to know the similarities and differences between Haverim and Mishpacha.  I suspect they are the same in that they both encompass dear friends, but I would love to hear from someone in the know.

PeachyQueen's World:  Why we are choosing to convert our child under the Conservative movement of Judaism.  Also, a story about the shotgun bris that wasn't.

Sources:

What's On My Needles:

I finished the Torah cover in the nick of time.  Here it is on the Torah featuring my son's Hebrew name.  Below is the entire scroll

And, for those who have never seen a Torah, below is a picture of my son's scroll.  The actual Torah is written on parchment sans pictures or English or alphabet blocks, but this picture should give you a good idea as to what a Torah looks like.

Next on my needles is a Valentine's Day gift for the hubby.  (Note the transition from the Jewish to the not-so-Jewish.)

Finally, in a fit of madness, I joined the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics.  My goal is to knit the three kippot by the end of the Olympics.  Don't bother calling Vegas; the odds are not in my favor.

See you next week for an awesome podcast!

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I regret to inform you that Episode 11 is delayed until such time that I am no longer trying to cough up a lung.  I hope to have a new post soon.

Introduction:

Wedding plans, moving plans, DeKalb County plans to close the boys' Montessori programs.  Yes, it's been a busy two weeks.

On my Needles:

• Preparing a cover for the miniature Torah scroll my son is going to receive on his consecration in two weeks.
• Greg's sweater is done (minus the zipper), and I couldn't be more pleased.

And have I shown you pictures of Adrien's Skull Cap?

And what do you think about the Penguin for Patrick?

Did I hear someone say, "What about the kippot"?  What's a kippah?   (How's that for sidestepping an issue?)

PeachyQueen's World:  Interview with Rabbit Irit Printz on Technology and Judaism

Rabbi Printz's was nice enough to take time to speak with me about the impact, good and bad, that technology has had on Judiasm.  She shared with us her top five favorite websites:

www.hebcal.com

www.kosher.com

www.kosherwine.com

www.myjewishlearning.com

www.kolel.org

You can learn more about Rabbi Printz at her website,  www.rabbiprintz.com

Talk to you in two weeks!

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