Average Read Time: 10- 15 minutes.

Time to explore the links, and where your curiosity takes you with them - unlimited :)

BS”D

It’s been a while, so there’s lot’s to fill you in on!

Whats inside:

• A catch up message from yours truly

• “Kosher” Crystal Course - it added a sparkle of joy to my month

• A bit about Mindvalley, an app/membership I find to be life enhancing

• Havura - a Jewish artist’s group and their magazine, Verklempt

• The latest Soulstrations I filled in with color, thanks to an art challenge

• Sneak peek of the cover to an upcoming coloring book

• Sneak page of the dedication page - Dedicated to You!

• My Artist’s Date adventures: Knitting Nation & Main Street Beat

• Book’s on my shelf this month

• Quick comparison of the books The Artist’s Way & Vein of Gold

• A mini-mention of Camp Nana Leia (fun, right?!) with workshops intended to add joy and connection to our lives. I’m excited!

• And…drumroll… A free printable of my favorite cheesecake recipe which I consider a slice of heaven - because I feel it was truly Heaven-sent.

Pour a cup of cozy and let’s enjoy our catch-up time!

Hello, shalom, hi! Wow, it’s been over two months since I wrote last. I thought, I planned, I wanted, I intended, to send out a monthly newsletter that actually went out “monthly” - however, I just couldn’t create the head space and time required, much as I enjoy connecting. I have good reason - and good news!!

Thank G♡D, I feel grateful to share that  our younger daughter gave birth to her second, a precious baby boy. Being that Pesach, Passover, was soon after, they moved in for a bit. It was a blessedly full house during the holiday, and after two months of being on, on, on, I am now catching my breath.

Reflecting now, on memories made - and marveling at how our Creator replenishes our energies from day to day. That nice long bath I took, did wonders, I must add. How are you doing?  What do you need right now?

I’m wondering what your go-to is for recharging your energy and spirit. Whatever it is, be sure you give yourself the time and care you crave.

Bottom line, we are the ones who know what our body and mind need best, and cliché as it sounds, we are better for others when we tend to ourselves - and we fell happier, too.

Speaking of happy, you probably sensed that connecting with you here is a mega-joy for me. I told myself that before jumping back into any sort of new routine, I’d take the time to fill you on my latest discoveries. I like to keep my word - even if it’s later than intended.

Here we go… :)

Delightful Doings & Discoveries

Kosher Crystals?!

Out of deep curiosity I registered for the fascinating Avnei Hahoshen crystal course led by Gila Slonim. Her classes are taught from a Torah perspective, and I found them to be enlightening, and soul-nurturing.

If you are curious about it as I was, head to her page, where she has a lovely free Hebrew-English calendar printable listing some of the qualities of  the crystals.

Is there a subject you are curious about lately? If so, a class, even on Zoom, can be a great way to make new friends and have a fun and fulfilling time doing so.

Thank you C. B. for sharing! In doing so, you expanded my world. You are a gem!

Mindvalley App for self-development

Have you heard of the Mindvalley self improvement app? I’ve been keeping an eye on their “masterclasses” for quite some time and finally decided to dive in.

I love how the daily modules are broken up for practical use, making it easy - and fun, to stick with. Taking on a “quest” as they call them, keeps me motivated since I’m constantly learning something new.

It’s a bit of an investment, but a mega-fraction of individual courses given outside the app, and you can take as many as you want at a given time.

When I first registered, I felt like a kid in a candy store, so I’m doing my best to be disciplined about not taking too many at once. Figures that one of the classes I chose is by the Israeli born author, Nir Iyal - named the same as his book: “Indistractable.” ;)

Havurah is a group of young Jewish orthodox creatives based in New York City. I came across their site via Instagram.

The artists started a quarterly art publication, Verklempt, with the first issue aptly named “Creation” and I chose to subscribe in support. A part of me wishes I had a group like this to join when I was in my twenties. Good for them!

Good for us, too - at any age and stage - enjoying these musings together. True friendship and support goes beyond age, space, time and place. We have proof in our connection right here :)

Art Challenge - Update and a Private View for You

This is the graphic I put together to mark the start of my joining the annual 100 Day Art Challenge.

I started off strong, and then got busy with life. I will pat myself on the back for sticking with it for 40 days, which is more than twice of last year when I participated.

Besides, I am very grateful for the challenge and to those who created it and facilitate it, since joining gave me the motivation and boost I needed to color in about ten “Soulstrations” to date - Enjoy a 10 second preview of them here.

I will be working with them as color templates for the scarves I still hope to create, in due time, G♡D willing, as well as for coloring examples for my next coloring book.

Speaking of which, here’s the sneak peak… drumroll please:

“Soulstration” is a coloring-page-only version of the poetry & illustration book “The Treasured Chest.” It will be filled with the illustrations only, (without the poetry) with a handful of the illustrations redesigned for this book.

Also, where the other was a square 8x8 book, this one is in the larger traditional size coloring book format of 8.5x11.

The Treasured Chest is still, and will always, remain close to my heart (um, chest ;), but I am creating this one for all the “coloristas” out there, who enjoy the traditional coloring book experience, specifically with larger pages for coloring ease.

Though I am not quite ready to set a release date yet, you will be of the first to know when it’s done!  

The dedication page - to you!

The dedication page on the upcoming coloring book is dedicated to - YOU!  See if you can spot the woman. Hint: She’s wearing shoes with pencil tips as the heels.

You can tell that I had fun with the poem  - its from my heart and soul. May it , please GD, be a tool that brings on a greater sense of inner calm and joy.

Hey, I’m just thinking - we should have a coloring party, when I finally get it out into the world. That would be fun - pease remind me to host one!

Artist’s Dates - fun, fun, fun…!

Knitting Nation, Nyack N.Y.

Took myself on an “artist’s date” to Knitting Nation in Nyack, NY. What a sensory experience. I don’t knit, but I’d love to learn someday.

My maternal grandmother a”h taught me when I was about seven, I wonder if it’s the same as riding a bike… somehow I feel there’s a bit more to it ;)

An unexpected delight between all the spools was a large rack of whimsical buttons that held me mesmerized. Wish I took a photo to share.

Well, you can always ask me to take you there. I’m more than happy to go back for a visit!

Thanks so much, Z.S., for telling me about this little gem of a shop!

Main Street Beat, Nyack, N.Y.

Not too far from Knitting Nation is another cool and cozy shop filled with a different kind of treasure - books, and old records!!

As a teen of the 80’s, an afternoon browsing through records (or books) was bliss. Fast forward to early April… I stepped into this shop named Main Street Beat, and this is the record that caught my eye - Mary Poppins!

Bonus for me - I didn’t even realize at first, it’s got a story inside!! A gift in a gift. This was a spoon full of sugar to my Pesach cleaning, that’s for sure :)

Perhaps you are familiar with the line from the popular children’s book “If you give a mouse a cookie… he will want a glass of milk to go with it”

Well, here I was with a record and no player, since we gave ours away during our last move after saving it in storage for over two decades.

So… I treated myself to a record player in the guise of a small piece of vintage-looking luggage. It’s a lot more compact than the old one we had from the 90’s. Simply supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, don’t you think?!

Had to include the link to the song - listen for a lift and a smile.

And that is how, my dear friend, I got the house in shape for the holiday, while keeping my spirits up. All it took was inviting Mary Poppins!

I think Poppins will become an annual pre-Passover visitor. If only she would stay for the seder, but you know how she loves to fly… ;)

Books Bountiful Books

Revisiting Happy Money, by Ken Honda. I love that he has a generosity and gratitude mindset. Fits with my vibe. When I came across this great article the Tablet magazine, “Lessons of a Jewish Millionaire’ by Anthony Berteaux it made me feel connected on another level, and I jumped at the chance to take his Money EQ course on Mindvalley.

If you are curious, but not interested in committing to a full course, he’s got lots of videos on YouTube for you to view.

For anyone interested in specifically Jewish “Torah-based” approach / perspective to finances, check out this podcast by Yael Trush: Jewish Money Matters -Episode 320: The Why of Money with Rabbi YY Jacobson

Though I didn’t watch this all the way through (yet), I found myself nodding to everything I heard thus far. Wishing you abundance, always! B’hatzlacha!

A dear friend introduced me to the delightful poetry of Hayim Nachman Bialik. Most recently she gifted me with a copy of his biography.

This talented poet captured the heart of so many in his time - and continues to do so in ours. Reading about his life will surely be a rewarding experience. I look forward to it! Hayim Nahman Bialik: Poet of Hebrew by Avner Holtzman.

Thank you, S.T., for this ongoing delightful gift experience! Your friendship is the true gift!

I heard of Young Forever by Dr. Mark Hyman from my dear friend Leah Smart, who interviewed him on her LinkedIn self development podcast In the Arena.

 Though I have yet to read this one, too, I must admit, I am drawn to picking up an apple or veggie each time I see it on my kitchen counter - so it’s already helping me feel at my best!

 Thank you Leah for sharing your radiant light. I pick up golden nuggets each time I tune into your show.

Artist’s Way or Vein of Gold? Where to begin…

I believe I mentioned Vein of Gold by Julia Cameron in my previous newsletter. It’s a biggie, and I had to set it aside for the past two months. I look forward to picking up where I left off.

Already, I got so much out of it - though I must warn you, it’s not for the faint of heart. I find it very different than The Artist’s Way, which had me do some deep introspection, but it was more of the kind that led to a skip in my step, straight off the bat, and a whistle as you go kind of feel.

 With Vein of Gold it has been more of a deep dig into the past, with the treasure being a greater sense of wholeness. I must mention again, that I am only a quarter of the way through, so who knows, it might just be all fun and games from here.

 Thank you J.B. for taking that initial Artist’s Way journey with me. Working through the book together was an experience I shall cherish forever. You are a blessing.

Bottom line, recommendation…

If you are new to Julia Cameron’s books, start with the more popular / famous “The Artist’s Way” (over four million copies sold!) and only afterwards dive into Vein of Gold when you are good and ready.

Or…  See below!

Join my upcoming Artist’s Way Workshop!

B”H

More on that

coming soon!

with the launch of

Camp Nana Leia

Where us lovely ladies get to have fun, too!

(Workshop will be held on Zoom)

You’ll be of the first to hear of the details. Stay tuned - or, reach out :)

Wait! Before you go - enjoy my Cheesecake Recipe!

Print this blue-ribbon-worthy cheesecake recipe.

        Photo credit: Tina Guina on Unsplash

The auspicious Jewish holiday of Shavuot is coming up this month, and there is a tradition to eat dairy foods - somehow cheesecake has became a holiday highlight. Yum, yum!

 Did you hear about the one I bake just about every year? It’s got a Michelin star pedigree. I included it in my “For the Love of Shabbos” e-book.

 G♡D willing, I plan to self-publish the print version later this year, however in the meantime, enjoy a printable of the recipe here in lieu of my usual coloring page. Make it n’ bake it. Send me kisses later! Betayavon - Bon Appetit!

Well, that’s it for me. Two months of catch up. It’s been fun!

Sending you balloons filled with blessings,

Hugs!!