Countdown To Purim

it is 7:30 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. tomorrow is the fast of esther and we go to hear the megilah in the evening. i have been baking and preparing sweets for the past week. i didn't make huge quantities this year. the prices are sky high.

i managed to make a few dozen hamentashen yesterday. i made some with the combination of white and rye flour. i filled them with an apricot and almond filling. these are very american in style. the triangle shapes aren't perfect. the filling is exploding out of the hamentashen. these are not your picture perfect hamentashen.

i also made up a batch of non gluten hamentashen, using both, brown rice and tapioca flours. i filled them with poppy seeds, ground almonds and raisins. they were surprisingly, easy to make. they are also sugar free. i used just a bit of date honey syrup in the dough.

i put everything in the freezer. i lost about six pounds, recently. i've been running around town and only ate about once a day. i am definately, trying to get down to my pre son's wedding weight. i have another twelve pounds to go. i can't believe that i gained so much weight in only a few years. i guess depression will do that to you.

i made a batch of chocolates and didn't eat any. i seem to only want to eat chicken, yogurt and almonds lately. i guess i should clarify that i don't eat all of these things together, being an observant jewish lady. i've already had my yogurt and nuts today so i guess it's time to broil up some chicken. i am honestly, getting rather hungry.

i baked some 'sephardi' sugar cookies yesterday. i was all out of oil, eggs and white sugar. i 'helped' myself to some oil and sugar from the kids' pantry. after all, they're always borrowing things from me. perhaps 'borrowing' is not the correct word, here. the recipe said to let the cookies cool off before shaking powdered sugar on them. i can't seem to ever follow the recipe, all the way. i am officially through with my purim baking. what i have already made will just have to suffice even if the daughter in law wants me to make a cake. tomorrow, i plan on cooking brown rice and lentils for my party. the upstairs party room is almost organized.

i am completely spent. i was up til 1:00 a.m. babysitting last night. sahar threw up all over the bed, rug and himself. i got him into fresh pajamas and another bed. while he slept, i did the clean up. i threw the blanket, bedding and even the pillow, into the washing machine. i washed the part of the rug that was stinky and put it outside to dry. i threw the pillow and bedding into the dryer and remade the bed. i cleaned the floor as best as i could with wet wipes.

i woke up at 9:00 a.m. just in time to see sahar leave for his purim party at daycare. he was a really cute clown with a very runny nose. i then got ready for the purim party at the seniors' center. i dressed up as a chassid, complete with fake beard and streimel with peyot. i was the hit of the morning. i danced with a lot of the elders and took pictures with them. i was also left in charge of about nine from the dementia group. two of the men got a tad aggressive when i tried to contain them in a certain area. it suddenly turned hot today and i was melting under the chassidic black robe.

i had a silly royal blue elephant head dress that was never used for purim and an extra large friend without a costume. at first i thought about her being the elephant man. afterwards, i sewed fancy trim onto her long black and blue fleece robe and turned it into a royal robe. i added a pink sequined crown to the elephant hat and voila! you have the elephant queen. we're definately having fun now!