Stuff in the Sky II

 JUPITER CLOSEST TO EARTH UNTIL 2021
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earth-and-jupiter-closer…2021

In 2012, Jupiter – largest planet in our solar system – will come nearest to Earth on December 1, at 15 hours UT (9 a.m. Central Standard Time). Then Jupiter will be only 378 million miles (609 million kilometers) away from us – still very, very distant – but closer than it will be again until the year 2021.

…Jupiter comes closest to Earth once each year, when our planet flies between Jupiter and the sun. Earth will fly between the sun and Jupiter next on December 3 at 2 UT. That is 8 p.m. Central Standard Time on December 2. We’ll go between the sun and Jupiter in early December, and that movement of Earth will place Jupiter opposite the sun in our sky – in other words, rising in the east as the sun is setting in the west.

… Jupiter passed its perihelion – or closest point to the sun – in March 2011. Since then, the giant planet has been getting farther from the sun in its 12-year orbit, and it will continue to get farther from the sun each year until its aphelion – or farthest point from the sun – in 2017… We’re swinging between the sun and Jupiter in early December. Jupiter is farther from the sun than it was at opposition last year, but it’s closer to the sun than it will be a year from now. Thus when we fly between the sun and Jupiter on December 2-3, 2012, Jupiter will be closer to us than it will be next year … or in the years following.

…Jupiter comes to opposition in 2012 in front of the constellation Taurus the Bull. There are many bright stars in this part of the sky, but Jupiter will outshine them all. The bright star close to Jupiter at this year’s opposition is Aldebaran, fiery Eye of the Bull in Taurus.

aNNa’S NoTe:  Jupiter is Yeshua our High Priest.  Taurus is Messiah come to judge.  December 1st is Shabbat.  This event makes this Shabbat even more special/significant, and I thought I’d let you know!

Thursday Thankfuls

• I’m thankful for finally buying the Carpenter’s X-mess album.  I love Karen Carpenter’s singing, and have thought about getting it for YEARS (decades, even), but never have, until now.  There are a few I have to pass on it, but the rest are wonderful!!  We really like the NSYNC ‘Home for X-mess’ album, too… but my forever ultimate favorite is Sarah MacClachlan’s ‘WinterSong’  Of course, all of the albums have songs we have to bypass (Jesus references), but I love mistletoe & holly songs… and a river to skate away on.
• Getting things done on our house.  I touched up the bathroom walls, removed paint scuffs from trim, and did some clean-up.  Brian helped pull down shredded wallpaper borders, and we both painted the boys’ walls.  We’re in the process of replacing the destroyed borders.  We’ve called a drywaller and talked to Excavator Brian about grading the drive.  I’ve got paint to work on the kitchen, maybe this weekend.  But the one good thing of the whole ‘house’ focus is that we’re really looking hard at our situation and rectifying long-ignored problems.
  
• Pictures!  It’s that time of the year – when we get the kids’ photos done up.  We got that done this week, and I’m SO glad – one less thing to worry about.  Owen was absolutely hilarious… Aaron is still having screaming fits, but the older three were utterly painless.  Our photographer was new and didn’t know enough poses to handle five children, but luckily we’ve been doing this for twelve years, so I could help out, a little.  And I’m WAY more relaxed about the results than I used to be, too.
• Leftovers.  We’ve been eating well this past week on leftovers.  It’s nice to clear all the holiday fixings out of the fridge, too.  My weight shows it.  I don’t want to talk about it, thanks. 
• Weight-loss  Thursday is my weigh-in, and I’m not grateful for the numbers… I’m back up FIVE pounds to 190.  Brian says it was water weight I lost when we had the flu, and it’s just natural it comes back.  But I lost 4 pounds of water weight… what about that extra pound????  Nevermind, I don’t want to talk about it.  But I *am* grateful that Brian’s agreed to shred with me.  He’s just one day behind, but he’s feeling it like I am, and we’re both convinced this is a positive step in the right direction for both of us.  Building endurance and strength while shedding the excess is HUGE, for the both of us.
• Getting a handle on things.  It is SO MUCH NICER to be able to pull chaos back into routine.  I’m very into routines – it keeps us on track, and that is very important.  The flu put the hurt to our routines, but this week we’ve been able to get back on track, and I’m feeling much better about it.
  
• More Hanukkah decorating this year than before.  Ever since we left christianity, we’ve been taking baby steps each year away from what I had been raised to do/celebrate.  I love that we’re still on that journey, we’re still learning and growing and adapting to the things of Yehovah.  That’s SO good!
• An unexpected check came in the mail this week.  We’d thought the big check from the side work covered everything Brian had done, but it turns out there was another $300 that he’d earned that we hadn’t gotten.  Surprise!  That’s covering ALL of our X-mess presents, this year.  (We do $60 per child… or thereabouts.)
• A warm, intimate, homey house that is energy efficient and meets our needs.  If there’s one thing we’ve been made aware of the past week or two, it’s that our house is inviting, cozy, and (aside from a future space issue) is perfect for us at this time.  In fact, I can’t help wondering if the whole point of the house-hunt adventure was to bring a realization that what we have set up here can’t be beat.  Because the more we talk about it, look at it and compare… what we have is better.
• A meeting of minds.  On the same topic, yesterday afternoon, I was looking out the window by my desk, and I thought, ‘That window could become a door, and we could add a room off the end of the house, right there, and not need to move at all!’  So when Brian came home, I said, ‘I have an idea, and just hear me out…’ and I told him what I was thinking.  If we add another bedroom for the boys, we don’t have to move, and we’d have enough room, here.  He grinned from ear to ear and said, ‘You aren’t going to believe this, but on the way home, I got the same idea.  Only I was thinking we add 15 feet to the WHOLE end of the house, so that there’s a bedroom for the boys, and a schoolroom.  We could even have a skylight in it, for you.’  ((He knows I have a thing about skylights.))  And it wouldn’t cost much, because it could just be on a slab, with no frills or fancies, just a simple and basic addition.  So we’re SERIOUSLY considering that, instead.
• Guidance into our mindset.  Our realtor friend came over to look at our place and give us his take on it’s worth, and… well, it was interesting.  First, there’s the sobering reality that most people don’t live like we do.  No TV, no fancy electronic gadgets (like Wii or iPods or whatever).  Most people don’t grow the kind of garden we have – or homestead critters and fruit and stuff.  Most people aren’t concerned about well depth/powerless accessibility, don’t care about whether a home has a woodstove.  People don’t think like we do, don’t value what we do.  But in times of difficulty, that $500,000 home isn’t going to be worth crap, but my little hidden homestead?  It’s value would surpass any mega-home.  Tom came thru and saw things I don’t let people see… and his jaw dropped.  He had no clue about things we accept as a way of life, and probably thinks we’re crazy, but I’m okay with that (now that the feeling of being exposed and vulnerable has lessened).  I just… I’m grateful the Lord led us to take a different path.
• So tomorrow is the THIRD payday in November.  Do you know how NICE that is??  I‘m so blessed.   Seriously.  It means we’re going to end the year a little ahead.  It never kicks in until the week after, of course – I don’t know why – but it’s always nice to not have to worry.
• THIRTY TWO days left to the end of the SMS period.  I’m relieved.  One of two things are going to happen:  either we’ll be raptured and Rev 7b will be fulfilled, or we won’t, and the SMS will be done.  Either way, it’ll be done, anyhow.  I’m so glad.  It’s been a long time, now.  Nine years.  I’m glad to be going into something different, regardless.  It’s exciting!

Low Fat Eggnog

My friend Trent posts daily on his FB about what kind of superhero cup he’s currently drinking his eggnog from.  You’d have to know Trent… he’s very much about superheroes.  It’s kind of a thing with him.  I love my friends’ quirks and hang-ups – I relate to people like that, cuz I have ‘em, too.  Besides, I happen to really like superheroes, too.  It’s a ‘save the world because society sucks and some vigilante action by a superior, gifted being is the only thing that will help at this point’ kind of thing.  Which is why I’m so ALL about Messiah – he’s the only viable superhero I see on the horizon.  But let’s not regress.  It’s not Trent’s superhero thing I’m posting about, it’s his eggnog thing that gets me.

And I happen to be on a fitness challenge.  I won’t call it a ‘diet’.  I’m not dieting.  I eat what I always eat, just no second helpings, and water instead of pop (unless we’re out to eat – I don’t trust their water).  Mostly I’m trying to move my too-easily-sedentary hiney into losing the baby weight that I put on over the last decade of pregnancy/nursing.  I might not be ‘dieting’, but I am trying to watch calories, and… eggnog?  It’s fattening.  No, seriously fattening – as in, 400 calories a cup fattening.  That’s a LOT.

And I had to razz Trent, because he picked on me about a year ago for drinking my first McDonald’s Caramel Latte/frappe and falling madly in love with the suckers.  He said, “Anna, those are calories in a cup!”  Um, Trent, my man?  SO IS EGGNOG.  ((I love it when I finally get the chance to razz back.  And that opportunity ALWAYS comes… sooner or later.))  Bwahahahahahaha!

But on another note, all of his posts about ‘drinking delicious, creamy eggnog in a Thor cup this evening’ is making me SO. Dadgum. Jealous!!  Because I want some.  I know – we don’t use the word ‘want’ in my house, but… I really, REALLY have a hankering for eggnog because of my buddy, Trent.  Who is torturing me, and therefore more liability than friend at the moment, but since he knows I say that in good humor, he’ll forgive me.  Eventually.

Now I am aware that there are low-fat options available.  I have tried more than a few… reasoning that if they’re ‘low fat’, they’re better, and therefore I can have them.  Did you know that the low-fat version is still almost 300 calories?  Sure, that’s about a hundred less, but… yikes!!!  And the fat is WORSE – it’s 20 grams of fat per cup.  You’re allowed FIFTY all day, hello!!  And the low-fat version is 10 grams… that’s still a FIFTH of your daily allowance!  I… can’t afford that.  Besides, eggnog is NOT cheap.  And the cartons are small.  I can buy a gallon of milk for the price of a little cardboard carton of eggnog!

So I went looking.  It’s all Trent’s fault – I’ll tell ya that, right now.  Wallow in guilt, dude.  ((LoL!!))  Because I have eggs.  I have more eggs than I know what to do with, on an average.  So why can’t I find a lower-fat, lower-calorie eggnog that is homemade and better for me?

Eggnog the Healthier Way #1
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/eggnog.html

• 6 cups 1% milk
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, (see Tip)
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup brandy, bourbon or rum
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup light whipping cream

1. Bring milk and nutmeg to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally.
2. Whisk eggs, sugar, flour and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Whisking constantly, gradually add hot milk; return mixture to saucepan.
3. Cook the eggnog over very low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 10 to 15 minutes. (Temperature must reach 160°F; do not let eggnog come to a simmer.) Remove from the heat and pour through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl.
4. Whisk in brandy (or bourbon or rum) and vanilla. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the eggnog and refrigerate until chilled, for at least 8 hours or overnight.
5. Just before serving, add cream to eggnog. Ladle into cups and serve garnished with more grated nutmeg.

Per serving: 142 calories; 4 g fat ( 2 g sat , 1 g mono ); 48 mg cholesterol; 19 g carbohydrates; 6 g protein; 0 g fiber; 127 mg sodium; 19 mg potassium.

Eggnog the Healthier Way #2
http://www.dietbites.com/article1059.html

• 6 beaten large eggs – and ensure they are fresh
• 2 cups of reduced fat milk
• 1/3 cup of Splenda which measures like sugar, cup per cup
• 2 Tablespoons of light rum OR 1 teaspoon of rum extract
• 2 Tablespoons of bourbon (optional)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or imitation vanilla
• ground nutmeg

1. Mix the eggs, reduced fat milk and Splenda in the pan and cook over medium heat while stirring. When the liquid is done, it will thicken and should cover a spoon with a thin coat.
2. Remove from the heat; you’ll need to quickly cool the hot liquid. You can accomplish this task using a myriad of methods – such as placing the pan in a large bowl of crushed ice.
3. Keep stirring the liquid for about 2-3 minutes then add the spirits and the vanilla extract.
4. Dust with ground nutmeg or stir 1/2 teaspoon into the main recipe but take care not to over-do as too much can ruin the recipe and nutmeg can be toxic when consumed in large doses (generally 1 teaspoon or more can do ill harm).
5. Top with light, reduced fat whipped cream if you wish – or serve in a beautiful punchbowl for party time and top with the whipped cream.

This eggnog recipe makes ten generous servings for about 100 calories each

Eggnog the Healthier Way #3
http://www.dietbites.com/article1059.html

• 6 cups of skim or reduced fat milk
• 1 cup of Egg Beaters or comparable product
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract 
• 2 teaspoons of rum extract
• Ground nutmeg and cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)
• Sweetener to taste (Use the pink stuff, the blue stuff, the yellow stuff AND if you use the real stuff, be sure and measure carefully and remember to count those added calories. Real sugar will blow up anyone except ants when used in high quantities as it contains close to 800 calories per cup. And those tiny spoons of sugar add up quickly in the area of caloric values.

1. Heat the reduced fat milk, Egg Beaters and sweetener in the microwave on high until thickened, stirring every minute or so. You can also use your stove if you prefer.

1. Remove from microwave/stove-top and stir in the remaining ingredients. Next, cover the mixture very tightly with plastic wrap and chill. Sprinkle with additional ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon if desired. You can even add a dollop of non fat, sugar free topping for an added treat to the eggnog.

This recipe for Holiday Egg Nog makes about six – eight ounce servings for about 100 calories each.

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Stuff in the Sky I
(One of four, over the next week)

  ARKstorm IS COMING
http://www.theweatherspace.com/news…arkstorm…html
The ARKstorm was what would be predicted as a major rainfall event that would consist of a lot of snowfall in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, followed by a tropical air mass that melts all the snow.

Such a scenario might actually be coming, with the first round hitting on Wednesday, then Thursday into Friday, another on Saturday, and then lasting through Sunday as well. A full five days worth of heavy rainfall in Northern and Central California.  This will bring heavy mountain snow to the higher elevations, but below 8,000 feet it should be all rain. This will melt a lot of the snow that is already up there and cause major flooding in the Central Valley zones.  …San Francisco will get over eight inches of rainfall.
aNNa’S NoTe:  I see it, but… what about the bigger leg hitting Central America?  Cuz... that looks scary, too.  But flooding of a crazy amount in California for X-mess is kind of crazy, too.  Heads up, west coast people.  And as for it’s name?  Recall our Sukkot family banner this year had us in an ARK.  That I’ve compared the rapture time as ‘ark’ time.  The Mayan picture circulating on FB is of a man with an ‘ark’ on his back, in the water.  I’m just sayin’… there seem to be a lot of references.  It kinda geeks me!

 SMALLEST FULL MOON & PENUMBRAL ECLIPSE
http://earthsky.org/tonight/full-moon…and-penumbral-eclipse

The full moon will come during the night (November 27-28, 2012) for us in North America, and it comes with some interesting features. That is, in 2012, the November full moon gives the world its smallest full moon of the year – and in North America, a subtle, penumbral eclipse of the moon before sunrise November 28. Meanwhile, those in the world’s Eastern  Hemisphere – Europe, Africa, Asia, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand – will see this penumbral lunar eclipse after sunset November 28.

…Generally, at least 70% of the moon’s diameter must be immersed within the Earth’s penumbral shadow before the eclipse becomes noticeable. At greatest eclipse on November 28, the penumbral shadow will cover nearly 92% of the moon’s diameter.

aNNa’S NoTe:  This will happen at 7:12 EST (Michigan time) on the morning of November 28th.  And it won’t be a red moon or a ‘bite out of the’ moon… it’ll be more of a shadowy thing.  But because it’s an eclipse seen by the whole world, and in conjunction with the smallest full moon, it’s interesting to note.

Falling Behind
(an almost-’stream of consciousness’ post)

I feel very much like I just can’t seem to keep up, these days…

Well, we asked our realtor friend if he would come and give us an appraisal on our house this coming week. Whether we move (or get raptured) or not, it would be nice to know what our property is worth – remember, we bought the acreage and then a house and barn kit for this place we’re currently at, and everything was put together from scratch, so we have no idea what the place is worth.  And we REALLY liked that property that we went to see – it has double the acreage, double the living space, half the traffic, half the neighbors, an eighth the easement issues, and the barn is Brian’s dream.  We’ve been four times to see it (now that we know it’s vacant, and want to try to scope out if critters/gardens/kids will fit).  With that in mind, we thought it would be a good idea to get a ballpark figure on our home/property.  And even if we DON’T move… knowing what we appraise at would be beneficial.

As a result, we’ve been looking at our house this weekend, and… wOw. The kids have put the hurt to this place in the seven years we’ve been here. There is a LOT that needs to be done to get it nice enough to even THINK of selling. The boys have literally picked huge patches of navy blue paint off their walls in their bedrooms, the wallpaper borders are just shredded in the parlor, the trim has been snapped in two in places…

Granted, there are FIVE children who are 12 and under (and mostly destructive boys) in this house 24/7/365… that’s quadruple the amount of abuse the normal house endures. So I guess – considering – it’s not SO bad… but it’s still a LOT. At least there are no holes in the walls.  But we need to get our friend Excavator Brian out here to grade the drive (from the McCoy boy’s burnouts, which are now potholes that put the hurt to our car’s suspension and my neck).  And we need a drywaller to come do something with the closet faces we never finished… speaking of, the boys bent the metal runners of their bi-fold doors in two, again, and are on their fifth curtain rod… they snap those like toothpicks.

Worse, the dust. And the cobwebs. I *JUST* deep cleaned the house in September for Elul, mind you… and it’s like it never happened… there are elaborate cobwebs just everywhere, in the corners of the ceilings… it’s crazy. Brian says it’s from the McCoys flying up and down the gravel drive, and partly from our chickens… I don’t know.  I’ve never had this before… to this extent.  Four days in our house, and stuff is COVERED in dust.  That fast.  This weekend we changed the air filters on our furnace – they were literally coated in a heavy layer of dust.

Then there’s life beating my bottom. First there was the feasts, then two weeks of canning salsa, then spaghetti sauce…  followed by my mad Halloween costuming.  After that was cooking/pureeing/freezing a ton of pumpkin, then processing nine QUARTS of honey – triple what we had last time!  Then we were hit with two solid weeks solid of the flu… by the time it was over, I had a day and a half before Thanksgiving to try to wash/clean/de-sick everything AND bake.  On top of all of that, Brian’s been off eight days (four last week and four again this week) which messes with our routine, too!

We’re keeping up with schooling, but I don’t feel like we’re really enjoying it as much as we could be, y’know? Like we’re filling the appropriate slots instead of having fun and learning new things. It’s like there are too many distractions, too many clots sticking up the drain… my analogies lack, but you get the idea.  And I’m partly NOT complaining – we’re busy, fruitful, accomplishing, creative… but wha, the train’s traveling WAY faster than I’m comfortable with, these days…!!!

And my blog. I haven’t had the time to do a decent post in… FOREVER. It’s not that there aren’t any in my head, I just don’t have the time/wherewithal to actually sit down and document stuff, put things together, and have a decent presentation. It’s driving me a little crazy. You probably noticed I’ve simplified and went back to the old look here, so that my mind would (hopefully) kick back in with the familiarity to help recover some semblance of clarity… dunno, though.  Maybe we just need to get thru the crazy seasonal stuff before I can stop going full-out for a while.

Because we’re a LONG way from being done with the madness.  I’m two books behind on scrapbooking, and it’s been three months since developing anything, so I’m due for that, too. Then there’s the holidays that are still coming up… gift buying, Hanukkah’s week-long festivities, X-mess visits, the parade, library events, Caroler Nite… taking the kids shopping for the cousins, getting a trip in just the two of us to shop for the little stuff… 

SO GLAD that I declined doing ‘The Messiah’ this year – it would’ve meant a two-hour round trip once a week to rehearsals.  ((They weren’t keen on the idea of letting Lydia participate, even though she’s taller than half the participants, auditioned for and was accepted to and SOLOED for one of the premier singing groups in the Great Lakes region… can harmonize and read music, and would’ve been a huge asset to the group.  I’m sick of the BS… your loss, people.  Of both her AND me.))  It’s just as well… that would’ve been even MORE on our plates, and I’m glad it isn’t, at this point!  And honestly, I handled it wrong – I was nice (aka stupid) and asked permission to bring Lydia.  I should’ve just shown up with her if we were going to do it, and screw propriety.  I’m STILL too hung up on propriety.  Will that EVER go away?  Because I really need to lose the nice side I’ve got.  It’s too natural, and I’m sick of paying for it.

I forgot to add the weight-loss stuff!  It has been MAYHEM, recording caloric intake and fat burning thru exercise, the 30-day Shred and the hurt that’s putting to my poor wussy body, time on the elliptical, watching portion control, making sure I drink at least 6 cups of water a day… my new goal is 177lbx by New Years (since I met my New Years goal of 185 on Thanksgiving!), but it takes some serious dedication, lemme tell ya!

I’m just a little overwhelmed, at the moment.  Don’t worry, I’ll be alright.  We’re about halfway thru the crazy seasonal stuff, right?  The sickness is gone, Brian’s back to work today, school will get back on track, and we’re actually re-claiming this place from disrepair, a little.  These are all good things.  I’ve left the issue (or non-issue) of moving in Yehovah’s hands – if He wants us to buy/sell, He’ll arrange things for us.  If not, I can make things work, here.  Organizing the coming weeks should help my peace of mind, and we’re financially stable, so there’s another thing that makes life a little less stressful.  It’s just a matter of getting back on top of what I can, and trusting about the rest. 

Hanukkah’s A’Coming!
(Part II:  The Gift of Garland… for you.)

So I told you that I was looking for decorations for Hanukkah.  That I was searching Etsy and Pinterest for ideas.  I found a good number of fun things, pretty things… but some of them are SO expensive!!  There were Star of David garland that were only $3.50… but shipping was $14.  What. Is. That?  I was annoyed.  It wasn’t even that pretty.

There were garlands made out of popsicle sticks that looked like they’d split in the making and not live thru many seasons.  And then I found this:

It’s made by SuzySentiments, and I thought the idea was so nice!  A little stark, but not bad!  So I thought about it… I’m good at hand lettering, but I’m not sure if I’d want to, and then what about the background?  A stamp?  Maybe… but then I thought, what if I find a nice snowflake clipart free on-line, put it in Word, then use WordArt to make the letters?  I could just print everything, and string it together from there.

I decided to do one that says ‘Happy * Hanukkah’, and then another one that says ‘Light of the World’.  I included snowflakes to separate the words, and a letter ‘C’ for those who prefer the alternate spelling.  But they’re EASY to do up.  Simply print them on white cardstock, mount on colored paper for some punch if you choose, and string them with a hole puncher and ribbon, and it’s done.  And I can even laminate it for longer lasting decorations.

Anyhow, I saved/uploaded the files I made,
so anyone who would like them, is welcome to print them:

Happy Hanukkah Garland
Light of the World Garland

  

Hanukkah’s A’Coming!
(Part I:  Anna succumbs to subway art.  Briefly.)

Hey, did you know that – in spite of the whole X-mess inundation going on all around us – that there’s a holiday coming up in two weeks that’s totally worth celebrating?  Sure – it’s Hanukkah, the Festival of lights!  The Light of the World – Yeshua Ha’Mosiach – was conceived on Hanukkah.  The New Testament even shows Him celebrating Hanukkah (in case you wondered ‘What would Messiah do?’).  It’s actually kind of ironic – there’s no mention of ‘christmas’ in the scriptures at all… and church people are ALL over that, but there’s mention of Hanukkah – in reference to Christ! – and church people TOTALLY blow it off.

Anyhow, when we went to Bronners this year, I was hoping to find some Hanukkah decorations.  I’ve never had any, and I wanted to do up our house with some.  And y’know… Bronners is THE world’s largest CHRISTmas store (that’s their slogan!).  Y’know what they have for Hanukkah?  One very short end aisle, half full.  There was a shofar, a few window clings, two tiny menorahs, and three sizes of wooden driedles.  And that’s IT.  If that isn’t telling, I don’t know what is.

So I’m on my own, apparently.  Only not… because there are Jews on Pinterest and etsy.  And if you want ideas for decorating?  Pinterest and Etsy are great places to start.  So I went on a hunt, to see what I could find!

First, I have to tell you, I got snowflake cups a few years ago, and bought them to use for our gelt cups.  Every day of the Hanukkah festival, kids find candy in their gelt cups.  It’s really fun.  I’ve got a little ‘Hanukkah’ station, where our little (mostly for looks) first menorah sits by the gelt cups… but it lacked something decorative.  So I went looking for a Hanukkah plaque or poster to put behind them.  Lemme tell ya… there’s not much out there for hand-painted Hanukkah pretties.

  BUT!  There’s this new yuppie phenom in crafty circles that revolves around something called ‘Subway Art’.  Basically, it’s words, in all different fonts and sizes and colors, put together sideways and vertical and in boxes and shapes in order to make the words look decorative.  I’ve seen a LOT of them for winter, thanksgiving, fall, harvest… it’s kind of a thing, right now.  New craze.  I haven’t printed any of the freebies offered, as I’m not really a ‘subway art’ kinda gal… but when you’re hard pressed?  It can work.

I found Hanukkah ‘subway art’ free on a weblog called ‘Peonies and Poppy Seeds’, and it comes in 8×10 size, and a bigger size, too.  But it’s actually not too bad, and I liked it, so I printed it, cut it square, mounted it on yellow and then navy paper, and it looks very pretty.  The pattern is available (free) on-line, here (LINK).  Thank you for this art, ladies.  I think it turned out very pretty… but I might add an even bolder blue behind it, if I ever get ’round to buying some posterboard.  ((Put it on my to do list!))

If you’re interested in more subway art, you can do a search on Pinterest… but here are a few others I have found…

Thankful A to Z

A - Aaron, my four-year old hugger-boy with the goofy smile…
B - Brian. He’s a handsome, amazing, fantastic husband and a good man.
C – Creator.  Yehovah, my fortress, my hope and my trust!
D – Dinner with my family tomorrow.  And I don’t have to cook.  ((LoL!!))
E – Ethan.  His little smiles warm my heart.
F - Facebook, for keeping me connected to good friends.
G – Goals. I’m thankful for always having something to shoot for!
H  – Health and happiness.  For both my family and myself.
 I – Isaac, My handsome, crazy little man.
J  – Judaism, from which I have learned more than I ever did from churchianity.
K  – Keeping busy.  It keeps my mind sharp and my hands full.
L  – Lydia Rose, my smart, lovely, beautiful princess.  She’s so incredible.
M  – Messiah Yeshua, my lord who has saved me with His blood and water.
N – Needs.  All of our needs are met, and then some, Barauch HaShem Adonai.
O – Owen, my baby with the chubby cheeks and hands and belly laughs.
 P – Pumpkin Spice cake – that I’m baking for thanksgiving dinner.
Q – Quiet evenings snuggled with my hubbie by candlelight
R -  Rapture hopes.  I have much to look forward to!
S – Shelves!  After 7 yrs, we’re building THE shelves this weekend!
T – Truth.  And what I have been given, this year and beyond.
U – UPS deliveries that are being hidden away until such a time…!!!!
V – Vacation days.  Brian’s off Thursday thru Sunday.  Woot Woot!
W – Weight goal achieved… I made my New Years’ Challenge by T-day.
X – Xanga... my place to share, learn, and just speak out.
Y – Youthful Spirit.  I feel young and happy and on top of things.
Z – Zany kid antics to fill the day with laughter