The Final Count Down

it is 10:00 p.m. in the holy city of zefat.  i have just stopped working and have officially, called it a night.  i am proud to say that i have almost finished the pesach /spring cleaning.   i  had the two little kids with me for most of the day.   i kept on doing my cleaning and polishing thing, while i fed them barekas, eggs in pita sandwiches and lots of chocolate milk.  i threw in an occasional macaroon, here and there, too.  i finally took a break from cleaning and took the kids to a nearby park.  they were having a good time for a while.  that is until the 4 year old pushed the 2 year old off a slide.  that was enough for me.  luckily, no one got hurt.

i managed to finish the fridge yesterday and i did the small kitchen today.  i used a great oven cleaner that made my life easy.  i washed the floors with bleach today and will do all the floors again on sunday for the final count down before pesach.  i still haven't decided how i will cook the seder meal.  i have only one electric burner and i  have a toaster oven.  i asked my son to help me bring up a gas balloon from the shed downstairs, but so far, it hasn't gotten done.  i am not even sure it is full.  i don't even know if i really need to cook on four burners for one night.  i might be able to manage with only one burner if i start on sunday.  

i can cook a roast in wine in a pot and make a kugel in the toaster oven.  it's been my tradition to make mashed potatoes for the seder but  i've been doing the 'mash' for the last two shabbats. at this point, a  kugel probably, would be a good thing.  i can also bake the beets in the oven, which would save me a clean up job.  i don't know why everything in the kitchen ends up splattered in beet juice, when i cook them in a pot.

i can also bake a chicken in the toaster.  good news, my super duper dairy toaster oven came back to life, so i can use this new toaster for meat.  i will just have to take the tray pan and rack to the local mikveh on sunday to dunk.  i can even broil liver in the toaster to make chopped liver.  i think i'll be okay without the gas.  you should see my stove top.  it's shiny and white again.  i think i'll be able to manage.  i'm really only cooking for one holiday.  i'm not planning on making chicken soup or gefilte fish.  the big kids hate it and i think we'll all be stuffed after the matzah.  so it's chopped liver and chicken for the seder and meat and potatoes for the afternoon.

i already made a bunch of stuff for the shabbat meals.  i made a potted chicken with mushrooms, potatoes and squash and a spicy stir fry and mashed potatoes for lunch.  i need to make a few chicken cutlets and the fish tomorrow.  and of course, some salads, and we're good to go.  i have a pesach streusel cake and some macaroons for dessert.  i bought sunflower seeds and dates to nash and we still have strawberry sorbet to finish up.

i still need to wash the living room windows.  i'll ask my son to take them out for me when he gets home from work at 3:00 p.m.  it will take me about half an hour or more, so i should have plenty of time before shabbat to finish it. and then it's the three pieces of leather furniture in the t.v room to wash and i will have completed pesach.  oh i forgot, i still have my mother's brass candlesticks to  polish but i can do them on saturday night.  i already did my silver candlesticks and the daughter-in-law's pair and my son's kiddush cup and coaster.  i didn't have any polish so i used toothpaste,  it works!  I'll use lemons on the brass ones.

i think i need to wash the dogs.  it's been a really long time since they had a bath.  i really hate to dirty the bathroom.  it's shining and bright.  i even washed the shower curtains.  i will need to scrub out the garbage cans on sunday and do the kitchen counters.  i cover them with razor sharp industrial aluminum foil.  that's a task to do when you are wide awake.  i am sure i am forgeting something.  anyhow, shabbat shalom and happy pesach.