A New Adventure | Peaches Prattlings

{October 3, 2015} Warm wishes this Sukkot

We are in the middle of Sukkot and I send you warm wishes.

Sukkot is a holiday that Jews celebratein the fall, it marks the end of the harvest. It ha been referred to as the Jewish Thanksgiving.

We celebrate by eating outside in buildings or booths constructed in our backyards. It is traditionally made of wood and has a thatched roof, the important part is that even though your head is covered, you can still look up abs see g-d.

This is a joyous holiday and one of the fun traditions is that once the sukkah is built, then you decorate it. Some use vegetation such as leaves and flowers, some use lights and make paper chains, some use fruits and vegetables.

The point is to enjoy it while it’s up, so you decorate it to your liking. If you are more religious or observant, you would eat in it, every meal, maybe even sleep in it.

Tonight, neighbors of GES and ACS hosted in their backyard, it was great. We had friends, family, food, fire andfun, what more could you want!

Warm wishes to you and yours.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukot

{September 30, 2015} Hap to me! I’m 44!!!

OMG! I’m 44, can you believe it?

As my friend KWH says…Hap to me! Hap to me! Hap to me!

First…I have to thank everyone for all of the FABULOUS birthday wishes, I am truly a lucky girl. My first birthday wish came early, it was yesterday and KWH texted to wish me an early happy birthday, a good way to start.

I got up and worked out with MS and CG, so I started my birthday sweatin’ my arse off! Felt good! I guess I’m not too old, I kept up, put in a good workout and didn’t pass out after. Wahoo!

In between working out and shower, I had phone calls and texts, I was off to a great start to my birthday. There were two texts from SDL and Miss A and JCH and my first call, PSM singing and wishing me a happy birthday [and it’s our 8 month anniversary, cool, huh?] A great way to start my birthday day.

Then GES, MGS and EMS called and sang happy birthday to me, it was awesome! Now, there is a tradition, much easier with younger kids, maybe you do this…after you sing Happy Birthday, you chant “Are you one? Are you two? Are you three…” when you’re a kid, it doesn’t take long, when you get older…so they sang “Are you one? Are you two? Are you five? Are you ten”…When they got to 40 [Are you going to stop us? Yes! When you get to 44!]. A fabulous call!

The next call was from my dad, another family tradition my grandmother started. “This is Western Union calling for JJ, is JJ available?” “I’m here” Then the singing started “Happy Birthday” and “Are you one? Are you two?” How much laughing did you do before 7:30am today? LOVE!!!

Then it was shower and get ready for work, head out in the downpour, crazy traffic, omg! As soon as I saw the highway from the street, I took back roads and it still took me 40/45 minutes to go 12 miles! Others, it took about an hour!

A little while after I got to work, HH came in to where I was with a bag containing a funny card and some glitter nail polish, which I loved! She’s the one who introduced me to the party nail, it was perfect! And then CH came in with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, sunflower right in the middle, so pretty and a really cute card that everyone signed, it was so touching!

I got a few calls while I was at work, SRH and LaLa I got to talk to, I missed a call from TS, but got a great voice mail and I hope we can catch up this weekend.

After work I headed to the hotel to grab a quick bite to eat and sit down at last and look at FaceBook and start to thank everyone for their amazing birthday wishes! I ran out of time before I had to go out, so I know what my evening activity will be tomorrow! I am so touched and thankful for all the amazing birthday wishes I have received and I’m still receiving, I am a very lucky woman. THANK YOU!

The text messages keep coming in! AM, ST, CWB and if I’ve forgotten anyone, I’m sorry!

Even Google got in the game!!!

PSM and Mollie picked me up about 8pm and took me to my sister’s house where there was a surprise party happening! ACS was home with the girls, there were some neighbors there already and then CO’F, JF and MF came over, then all of a sudden the lights were out and the singing and candles started! “Happy birthday to you” “Are you one!” OMG!

What did they put the candles in, since I can’t have cake? Gluten free, vegan cupcakes, how cool is my family!!! PSM and GES coordinated and it was great! I got to eat a sweet on my birthday and you couldn’t tell!!! There were also “regular” cupcakes for everyone else, which the kids of course loved.

While we were enjoying the goodies, LR showed up, with the cutest card from the family, this was getting better and then GES finally got home from curriculum night at the girls’ school, it was a party! A little while after everyone left, RG showed up, how fabulous and when I got back to the hotel, TS called, how lucky am I!!!

So…my presents! You can’t have a birthday without presents!!! I opened my gifts from my dad this morning and he nailed it! There was a mug, tote bag, t-shirt and mug all with Al Hirschfield on it. OMG! He is the best! I have loved Al Hirschfield since I was a kid! http://www.alhirschfeldfoundation.org/. And there were four musical and awesome cards!

When I got in the car tonight, there was a present from PSM. A cool set of picture dominos, you can almost tell a story with them! And there was a minion and a great card. What a great guy I have! Thank you PSM! And a card from his family, JM, SM and their kids, J and M. THANK YOU!

When I got to GES’, the girls ran up with hugs and cards, then after cupcakes…I got a Go-Pro camera!!!! And an accessory pack! And free storage in the cloud, OMG! That was my gift from dad, GES, ACS, EJS and MGS, wow, am I spoiled or what??? The answer is yes!!!

I do want to send a HUGE HAPPY BIRTHDAY to NB, my twin! Happy birthday my friend, I am so glad you’re in my life, I cant imagine my life without you in it! We’ve been friends since freshmen year of college and we are four hours apart, how crazy is that!!! Happy birthday!!!

So…I have had a fabulous birthday [if I have forgotten anything, please forgive me!]. I am off to a brand new year and you have all helped me start off on the right foot, thank you!

{September 25, 2015} Rita Rudner is funny, timeless and classy

The longest running solo act in Las Vegas says a lot.

She was also voted nicest comedian for quite a few years. Her act, tonight, she said two bad words, a** and sh*t, that’s pretty impressive for a comedian these days, wouldn’t you agree? With all the foul mouthed comics out there, and don’t get me wrong, they have their place, some of them, it’s refreshing.

I started following Rita Rudner years ago, I love stand up comedians, doesn’t matter male or female, as long a they are funny, makes sense, right? She has great timing and delivery and just says what’s on her mind, although I know most of it is rehearsed, the way she says it, makes you think it’s not all scripted.

She’s poignant, current, on point and just talks about real life. There is still talk of her life as a celebrity, but more about her life as a mother and wife, but funny, funny, funny.

Dad took me to see her a few years ago in Las Vegas and also got me a copy of her book, autographed, wahoo! And it’s one of my treasured possessions.

So great to get to see her in Boston, I’m looking forward to the next time!

Quotes: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/rita_rudner.html

http://www.ritafunny.com/

{September 24, 2015} What have you made in the microwave? A quiche?

I did!

Did you even know you could make a quiche in the microwave? To be honest, I figured you could, just wasn’t positive. C’mon, what can’t you make in the microwave!?

Well, the one thing I don’t like about my hotel room is no oven, as much as I microwave, but I would love to be able to bake things, you know what I mean? Well, I was going to pre-Yom Kippur dinner and I knew for their main meal, they were having brisket and that’s just not for me.

I thought about what I wanted and that’s when I started wondering if there were microwave recipes that I might like and I thought, quiche! And it was awesome! I followed some of the recipe and the rest I improvised.

I used polenta on the bottom of the pie pan, then I mixed some spinach, broccoli, a mix of different vegan cheeses and four eggs. It was a cross between a quiche and a frittata, score!

Then I put it in the microwave for 15 minutes and let me tell you, I would have preferred to eat it when it came out of the microwave, it smelled and looked great! In hindsight, I think I should have cooked it without the mozzarella on top and put the mozzarella on when reheating it the next day, but still yummy! I had it for left overs at lunch today, it was good!

So…yes, you can make a quiche in the microwave!

And now for my next trick…

{September 20, 2015} Start with a 5k, end with a musical

That sounds like a pretty good day, doesn’t it?

Well, that’s what happened. Until earlier in the week I had forgotten that I had signed up for a 5k, go figure! So…the alarm goes off at 7am, we leave about 7:30 for what I didn’t know was a five minute drive to the start of the race! It was the Cambridge Fall Classic 5k, http://classic5k.com/fall-classic. I registered too late for the pint glass, darn it! We waited a bit and a few minutes before 8 I picked up my race bib and t-shirt. Hey what do I always say is why I do races…for the t-shirt! Why should this be any different!

We had quite a bit of time to kill, so we went to Dunkin Donuts so PSM could get some breakfast, I can’t eat more than a granola bar or banana before I run. Then we took Mollie back to the house and headed back to the race start, it was due to start at 9. I’m glad we showed up when we did to get my packet, the place filled up quickly. A trip to the port-o-potty. which, first thing in the morning is just fine. I think I was the first person to use it, it still smelled clean and the toilet paper hadn’t been opened yet and there was hand cleaner Wahoo!

I thought the race started at 9am, I was wrong, so PSM hated to leave, but he had yoga scheduled and we didn’t know when this thing would start! Besides, he’ll be there for my half marathon next month! The run finally started about 9:30 and I ran the first mile, then walked the second and did run/walk for the third mile. I thought I did pretty well since I haven’t much running in the last few weeks because of my back. So…43:54, I’m happy!

I accomplished my 3 goals: #3 – Time under 45:00, #2 – Finish with people behind me, #1 – FINISH! Check, check and check!

After the race I walked back to Paul’s place, showered, chilled and waited for him to get home. After he got home and showered, we headed to brunch, a veggie omelet with my fake cheese, yum! Gluten free bread, not bad and an order of French toast made with gluten free bread, honestly not bad.

Then a jaunt down to Marathon Running, http://www.marathonsports.com/, the running store by the start of the Boston Marathon, we passed over the start line, pretty cool. I got a new pair of my running shoes. It turns out they retired the ones I had, Mizuno Wave Runner 16, boo. They are now on 18, oh well, I like them, they’re just not the same. And when went to look for them online, no dice, wow! But it is a very cool store, the shoes weren’t too much, for that brand, gotta break them in before my next 2 races!

So…if you happen to find a pair of the Mizuno Wave Rider 16, size 8, please pass them my way! http://www.ethostream.com/CentralAuth/success/success.php?siteid=25504&mac=50%3A1A%3AC5%3AFA%3A57%3AA3&osmmodal=&RemainingTime=86400&portal=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.elementhotels.com%2FLexington&primaryAdProviderName=ValueClick“

Then next door to the candy store, where else! We bought smarties, no high fructose corn syrup! for us and Necco wafers for PSM. We had a total of one smartie each tonight! Let’s see how long it takes for us to finish these!

Then on to McGreevy’s Irish Pub and Sports Bar, this is the bar owned by the Drop Kick Murphy’s, big fans of the Patriots! how cool is that! http://www.mcgreevysboston.com/.

But wait…there’s more!

We head down to the Huntington Theater, http://www.huntingtontheatre.org/, to pick up our tickets for the evening. We don’t do things small around here!

After we picked up the tickets, we went to Ginger Exchange, http://www.gingerexchange.com/symphony/, a great restaurant that used to be Betty’s Noodle House, but Betty retired about two years ago. It really was enjoyable, I had vegetable pho soup with rice noodles, veggies and tofu, quite pleased. PSM had udon soup and got to add fresh red pepper chili paste, I think I saw some tears, he was happy.

After dinner, we walked the half a block back to the theater to settle in with everyone else for ‘A Little Night Music’, http://www.huntingtontheatre.org/season/2015-2016/a-little-night-music/, a wonderful musical about reunited lovers, passions reignited, jealousy, a weekend in the country, yup, that’s about it. And it’s where “Send in the clowns” comes from, kinda cool. After seeing it the show, the song makes more sense which in and of itself is cool.

After the show, it was back to PSM’s to get my stuff and head back to the hotel so I can tell you all about our day and what a day! Are you tired yet? You should be we walked 18,409 steps!

{September 19, 2015} Black light yoga! Score!

Tonight we did something kinda cool.

I think I’ve told you that PSM likes yoga, let me rephrase…he lllooovvvveeessss yoga. So it took all of about 10 seconds after I saw the posting to sign us both up for this event.

The event was called Soul Pose Yoga, http://soulpose.com/, an outdoor yoga event, starting at 7pm, black light to be exact. How cool does that sound?!

We got there about 6:30, signed in and got our yoga mats, towels and special Soul Pose bracelet and charm. We did get some souvenirs of course, I couldn’t let this go by! I got us some belts for stretching, a bag for my new yoga mat and a water bottle for PSM.

After we signed in, we painted each other’s faces with glow in the dark paint. I wish I could show you, we’ll, I’d show you him…he gave me a bright red moustsche…hmmm…

Then we walked down to the field past the mansion that was lit up for the event. I thought the night session would be more fun than the morning session, I was right.

We looked for new mats, any mats that were still rolled up, part of the package we got. We got settled in and looked out in the sea of people. The only requirement was to wear a white top, very cool to see, especially after the sun went down.

There was a vibe in the air as we started, the instructor was certified in something like 14 different forms of yoga, impressive. She wore a mess ‘o day-glo stuff on her head, fingers.

It was a nice session with music, nothing too difficult, I say that as someone who does not do a lot of yoga. PSM enjoyed it, definitely got a good workout. She also had a good sense of humor, keeping us all entertained and moving.

It was great to do all this as the sun was going down and then it was night time and we were all aglow.

Ok, now…the best part? PSM didn’t know a thing until we got near the sign in tent and we heard a call to all yogis! Then he was all excited and like a kid!

The calendar invite said only “something you’ll like”. Was I right? You betcha!

Ohm…

{September 18, 2015} A double date…The Book of Mormon

Tonight was so much fun!

After work PSM and I headed downtown to meet GES and ACS at Rock Bottom Brewery for dinner before going to the theater. They had gotten there first so had settled into some wings while they waited for us. We got there and placed some orders, my sister knows me so well, they waited to order guacamole, I do love it so! Oh man, there was so much garlic, yum! Those chips were sal-ty! A good combo!

It was great to sit together and enjoy each other’s company, we actually haven’t done that before, had dinner, just the four of us out on the town, very nice. It really was enjoyable to sit and talk, laugh, joke, find out more about each other and just relax, that was the best part, relaxing with my best friends.

After a really good dinner, let me tell you, their veggie burger was great! I had forgotten how much I liked it! Everyone enjoyed their food, bonus! We all headed to the theater in time to climb to the balcony, find our seats and settle in to enjoy the show. Luckily the two people who don’t like heights were fine! This is the second time I’ve seen the show and it was just as good as the time I saw it with dad on Broadway, but everyone else was seeing it for the first time and I can tell you they all enjoyed it, it was a great performance and a lot of surprises, things you might not expect, which may have made it even better.

The show pokes fun at religion, tied up in a Mormon blanket. It is clever and funny and if you are open minded, I think you’d really like the show.

So kids…what’s next?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Mormon_(musical)

{September 14, 2015} L’Shana Tova

A happy, healthy and sweet new year I wish for you.

As we talked about yesterday, last night, Erev Rosh Hashanah, marked the beginning of the Jewish New Year. I know we’ve talked about it before, but I thought we would chat about a few things tonight.

The symbols you see are all representative of Rosh Hashanah.

As you can tell and might know, the dove is the symbol for peace and love, apples dipped in honey is something we eat to help us have a sweet new year.

The shofar is a rams horn that is blown at different times in the service, symbolizing joyous new beginnings, this is a powerful expression and brings so many emotions to heart. It is not an easy thing to do, many try and it’s wonderful to hear new people try, especially kids, but when someone experienced blows the shofar, I have to tell you, there is nothing like it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5FcH5hKGqs

This is a time of reflection, understanding, welcoming and asking for your name to be written in the book of life. “On Rosh Hashanah it is written, on Yom Kippur it is sealed”.

I wish you happiness, health and a sweet new year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosh_hashanah

{September 12, 2015} It’s opening day!

Today was opening day for soccer and softball. How cute are they?

I wasn’t there, but EJS started her day with soccer. Then it was MGS’ turn, so cute! I remember when EJS first started playing soccer, soooo cute, like hearding cats!

These girls were great and adorable, of course! MGS also had a great cheering section of course. I think she had fun, just needs a little practice and confidence.

A few hours later, it was time for EJS’ first game of the season. She was great! I haven’t been to one of her games yet, so this was a real treat!

I saw her get to bat twice and do something new…catcher! Check out her form, pretty impressive, don’t you think?

And what a cheering section! Me, My dad, MGS, GES, ACS and M&C O and their dog Bella, PSM and his dog Mollie. Pretty impressive, wouldn’t you agree?

Today was just the beginning and I’m looking forward to many more opportunities!