Recycled Furniture

As you all know by now, we've redone our kitchen. And as is well-known, it's not a cheap project. It cost a lot. Besides that I had a problem even finding suitable professionals to do the job. I wanted a few non-standard things in the kitchen, and I didn't want to knock down walls, change windows etc. We had to use the space that we had. One thing I did was to keep an entire wall of the old cabinets. It's from floor to ceiling, and I call it my "pantry." Since it wasn't connected to the plumbing or cooking, there was/is nothing wrong with it. I just made sure that the rest of the kitchen included its color in the color scheme.

But my real favorite "savings" was to recycle the specially built "table" that was part of the old kitchen. It was my design. It was an "island table" or "peninsula," since it attached to a wall and divided the "L Plan" between the kitchen and dining area. Instead of legs there was a closet. The center of the table was raised and that part was covered with heat proof ceramic tiles, the same as on the walls. The "overhang," which made it a table was on three sides. By using a bench on the long side and chairs, our entire family of seven could even sit there, though it was used more by the kids and their friends. And after the house emptied, it became "my spot." I sat there to prepare food, eat and even watch television.

Once I realized that I would really be making a new kitchen, I immediately saw a new use for it, aka recycling. By cutting off the table/overhangs I had the perfect piece of furniture for my Shabbat Candlesticks. For about a quarter of a century we've been using an old television table. Our kitchen guy agreed to saw off the overhangs, and the carpenter sent me wood to use for a mosaics project to cover the side that had been against the wall.

Thursday night I got the old tv table schlepped out to the recycling corner of our neighborhood, and Friday afternoon someone had already taken it.

Before Shabbat, I managed to clean and polish all the candlesticks and setup everything.

I'm very happy with my recycled cabinet.

Salad Meal on a Budget in The Center of Jerusalem

Yesterday, my friend and I decided that we wanted a simple, low calorie meal. We had just found her the perfect tzni'usdik, modest bathing suit, ok a bit more expensive than the same one would have been in Yafiz, Sha'ar Binyamin, but close enough to the price, so it wasn't worth traveling there. Yes, the store where I work does have great prices, not only the best over-age saleswoman!!! 

As only good friends could do, we both pointed to the nearby Cafe Ne'eman, on the iconic corner building on Jaffa and King Gorge, where you can get your choice of ready-made salads plus a fresh roll for all of NS24.90. I chose the Tuna and she took one of the White Cheese ones. And we both took the rolls home to freeze for some other occasion, or our husbands...

Even though Downtown Jerusalem was loaded with people, tourists, locals, families etc, the lovely tables for budget diners were empty, and we had our choice as to where to sit.  We could watch all the action on Jaffa Street, while we had a nice, leisurely lunch and chat.

They also have a nice selection of sandwiches, pastries and great coffee. "Fast food" does not always mean greasy and fattening.

When I'm Walking...

Since I can't afford to join a fitness club, I must find the best and cheapest possible way to keep my muscles at least as tight as they are.  I must admit that I've lost my swim-season look.  The best deal when it comes to exercise is walking, so I walk.

Our neighborhood is pretty flat for the top of a mountain, and the general circuit is over a kilometer, about a mile.  That's how I end up taking all sorts of pictures like my "caption this" series.  I also take pictures of the building going on here in Shiloh as I walk around.

Recently I've begun listening to shiurim, Torah/Bible classes on my new toy, the Q3 my husband was given by some Korean diplomat.  Matan has all sorts of classes online for free, which I enjoy.

Some neighbors have very professional, well-planned and cared-for gardens.  Few have horrendous overgrown messes, like mine.  And some people have... well, how would you caption this?