Artist Susan Fullenbaum Making The World a Better Place!

At Jewish Gift Place, we like to promote the gorgeous handmade products that our artists create.  But we also love to promote our artists when they do something that helps to make the world a better place! This week we added the work of Maryland artist, Susan Fullenbaum, of Stained Glass Designs to our website. Susan’s work is sleek and modern and her signature glass creations are instantly recognizable! But Susan is not only a talented artist, she is a proud wife and mother and is working hard to make a difference in the world! What an inspiration! Susan recently wrote:

“This is a monumental year for me. I will be cycling 3,000 miles across the United States, celebrating my 65th birthday in July and my 45th wedding anniversary in September.  We will be cycling the northern route crossing Washington, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, ending in Niagra Falls, Canada.

This is also the tenth year that I have cycled for leukemia and lymphoma and the first year that I will be cycling for Parkinson’s.  My brother Michael was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease a few years ago and I have seen this disease manifest itself. It is scary to know that Michael and another close relative has the same disease.  It is entirely possible that I or any of my children could also be afflicted.  For this reason, I need to support both organizations to raise funds to eradicate these diseases, if not in my lifetime, than in the lifetime of my grandchildren.”

We are blown away by Susan’s efforts and by her beautiful designs! To support Susan’s worthwhile cause, Jewish Gift Place will donate $5.00 from every purchase of Susan Fullenbaum’s Judaica collection to sponsor her ride across the country for Parkinson’s Disease, Leukemia and Lymphoma through August 31, 2010. It’s a win-win purchase! Follow Susan’s courageous journey across the United States in her travel blog at http://bikersusan.blogspot.com/

Check out these and other beautiful pieces of Susan Fullenbaum’s artwork at Jewish Gift Place!

All About Caesars Cove Haven Hotel in the Poconos (Well… Almost Everything…)

Disclaimer: This blog post has absolutely nothing to do with anything Jewish.

My 20th Wedding Anniversary

Hello friends, family, and new friends who have stumbled across this blog post and have wondered how my weekend was at Caesars Cove Haven Hotel in the Poconos…

It was AWESOMEEEE!!!!!

This was a very special weekend for my husband, Michael, and me. On June 3, 2010, we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. Actually, we call it 20 (+7) because we dated for 7 years before we got married. The last time we got away was to the Dominican Republic when our 8-1/2 year old was about 1, so that means it’s been 7 years since we went away alone together…all alone….no kids….no blackberry (well, I confiscated that on the drive up)…no computers….and did I mention no kids? (We love them! Joshua, 11, Ben, almost 6, and Daniel, 8.)

On Thursday night, June 3, we went out to dinner at the famous Parkside Restaurant in Corona, Queens. It’s one of my favorite places. The food is really really great. The ambiance is great, and the people are nice. At the bar, we met a guy, Tony, who I thought was a chef. Then he came by our table to see if all was well.  I asked him if he was the chef and he said he was the owner, so it was really interesting chatting with him for about 5-10 minutes. The Parkside has been there, I think, for at least 50 years. He took it over from his parents. They’re expanding. We had a great night.

I was hoping to get out on our vacation the next morning by 8:30 am. The plan was – drop the kids off at school and go straight. But packing is never easy at my house and I had to pack for me and 3 boys (and since I worked during the day and was out the night before, I couldn’t pack then). By noon we were on our way. I said, “Let’s take the Grand Central to the Triboro to the George Washington Bridge.” Mike said, “At this time, there shouldn’t be traffic on the Cross Bronx Expressway.” And I said, “OK.”   HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!!!! There’s ALWAYS traffic on the Cross Bronx!!! So, 1-1/2 hours later we got to the GW about 15 miles away, but WE WERE ON VACATION!!!!!

The Cove Haven Hotel – “Love Lives Here”

At 4:00 pm we pulled up to the Cove Haven Hotel in Lakeville, PA, in the Poconos. Somehow, I did not see the naked 12′ statue of David when we walked into the reception lobby, which Michael could not believe I missed, but I made sure to look for him we checked out. He was right there in the middle! You have to walk around him to get to the check-in desk. I did notice the big heart and a giant pink and red ribbon draped across the entire wall. Their logo is, “Love Lives Here.”

We got the keys to our room in the Harbour Towers  and followed the map to our room, only making one wrong turn. Who knew when I picked this room that I picked the most awesome location on the property? (According to me, but not to others which I’ll get to later.)  Our room was literally right over Lake Wallenpaupack. This is why I chose this hotel – because it’s on the lake. (There are three hotels to choose from – Cove Haven, Pocono Palace, and Paradise Stream). I had a choice of a Harbour Tower room with a fireplace or a balcony and I chose the balcony. The balcony was big and nice – about 6′ x 12′ with 2 iron chairs and a little table. We spent a lot of time at night after the shows on the balcony. We had such privacy, that we kept the curtains open the entire time and only had the trees right in front of us.

Right after we checked in, Michael called me from the balcony to show me the deer on the ground right below us.  The Harbour Towers are cool because it was built on a cliff. From the outside entrance, it looked like a two story hotel. So when we walked in the main door, there were no rooms so I started walking up, but then realized that we actually had to walk down to our room, and there was another level below ours. It wasn’t below ground, because it’s on this cliff. So even though we walked down, we were actually on the second level of the four level building and we were still high up over the lake. It was totally private and beautiful.

The Harbour Towers Room (Overlooking Lake Wallenpaupack)

The room was smaller than I thought from the 360 degree view room tour on the website, but I quickly adjusted to the size. From what I read from reviews on Trip Advisor and from the Cove Haven website, and speaking to the few people who have been there, I total expected a room with a very cheesy, 70′s-like decor. Michael and I joked (well, we were a little serious) that there better be a lava lamp in the room (there wasn’t). The only thing that seemed to have a 70′s pattern was the bedspread, otherwise the room had regular wall paper and regular carpet (I expected black and pink wallpaper or something very cheesy). That was it for the regular. I was never in a room with so many dimmer switches. There was a dimmer switch for the lighting over the bed, for the track lighting over the dresser, and for the bathroom lighting. Over our bed was “celestial lighting” which was a big shiny black circle – about 4′ in diameter, with little “stars” shining through, which could be adjusted with the dimmer. The bed was round.

Now for the bathroom. There wasn’t really a door separating the bathroom from the bedroom, although within the bathroom was the real bathroom with the toilet and a door. There was a clear glass octagonal (or hexagonal) shower for two and a pink heart shaped jacuzzi with a nicely tiled floor. It was niiiice.

Social Dining….Not

After checking out the room, we went to the Colliseum Grill where we ate dinner. It was buffet style all-you-can-eat Italian food with all kinds of pastas, sausage and peppers, salad, fish, eggplant parmigiana, sliced turkey and pork. It was pretty good. I read how it’s group seating so you can socialize with other guests. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about this, since Michael and I are not the outgoing type. The maitre d’ showed us to our empty table. We went up, got food, and then when we returned, we weren’t quite sure which table was ours, since there were lots of empty tables. So we sat down at what we thought was our table. Meanwhile, the table just to the right of us was filling up with other couples. About 15 minutes later, the maitre d’ came up to us and asked us our names – I guess to make sure we didn’t sneak in or probably because something in her master plan went wacky. Yup, we sat down at the wrong table and enjoyed our big table for 2 while the couples at the other table were talking and laughing throughout dinner. Hmmm…..We had an nice time anyway just the two of us.

We went straight from dinner to a game building where we did archery for a little while (we stunk, especially me – I didn’t even hit the round thing), then we went to the nightclub, which looked just like the nightclub on a cruise we went on 11 years ago (the vacation before our last vacation when I was pregnant with Joshua). There was a stage with 3 levels of seating and long tables perpendicular to the stage on each level.

First up was a mentalist. Michael thought he was OK, but I thought he was really amazing. I have no clue how he ripped up that newspaper, each time folding it in half and ripping again, and then he showed us that it wasn’t really ripped at all. And then he threw a deck of cards back and forth to 4 people in the audience who had to flip through the deck and pick a card. Then this mentalist was able to say which card each person picked. I thought that was pretty amazing. Then he gave 2 people books where they picked whatever page they wanted, then picked any word from the page, and he was able to tell them which word they picked.  How in the world???

Group Du Jour – Amazing Band!

Next up was a really really AMAZING band – Group Du Jour (this is a link to a YouTube video). First I thought they might be a fuddy duddy elevator music band, dressed in their tuxes and all, but they were incredible and amazing. The lead singer had an amazing soulful voice and belted out Journey and Foreigner, Diana Ross, rap songs, and songs from every era – songs like the Electric Slide, Lady in Red, and he and the other lead singer did an amazing job singing a rap song I never heard of before  – “Low ” by Flo Rida (link to a YouTube video by Flo Rida).  It had a syncopated beat with the two singers singing two different parts at the same time.  The singers were just fabulous.  Now that I’ve heard the real song, I think these guys sang it better (and the words are a bit strange).

Next up was a comedian, who was OK. We left before he was done and saw the band in the lobby. They said they were going back on in about 5 minutes, and it was really tempting to stay, but we left anyhow, and hung out on our balcony.

Time on Lake Wallenpaupack

The next morning we had a good buffet breakfast at the Colliseum Grill and sat with 3 other couples who I have no recollection of.  Saturday was absolutely beautiful. It was a hot and steamy day that reminded me of our honeymoon in Jamaica. We went down to the dock and started our activities with a speedboat. I LOVE speedboats! This was the fastest speedboat I was ever on! We were flying across the lake! We were with 2 other couples but we had the best seats in the boat – in the front. First I sat next to Mike, but then I moved to the opposite side where I leaned back, held up my hands, and let out a “WOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!”  The wind was whipping my face and my hair was flying! Nothing on earth is more invigorating than a speedboat ride!

Then we played tennis. I thought for sure I would beat Mike since I’ve played recently and Mike hasn’t played for years, but at 4-0 his, I decided that it was time for the next activity. Plus it was really hot out. So we headed for the beautiful heart shaped pool surrounded by tall trees. We brought some mixed drinks from the room, which was right next to the pool (another reason why the Harbour Towers is a great location), and I also got a Pina Colada.

XXX Not-So-Newlywed Game Too Much For Us

I didn’t want to miss the XXX Not-So-Newlywed game starting at 2:30, so we were only at the pool for about an hour. I didn’t know what I was doing when I took a raffle (I thought it was for a free night or something), and boy am I glad we weren’t picked (even if we were, we wouldn’t have acknowledged it) to be one of 4 couples in the game. Oh man – what humiliation!!! I can’t even repeat here the questions that were asked, so you could imagine the answers. Suffice it to say, the questions were very very private and I felt embarrassed for the contestants to have to say those words and acts (that’s all I’ll say about it) out loud.

With only 48 hours of vacation,  we didn’t want to stay in one place for too long, especially since  it was beautiful outside, and this game was indoors. We left after the women gave their answers but before the men gave their answers.  Then for the rest of the stay, when we saw one of those couples around, we’d whisper to each other, “That’s Couple #2,” or “That’s Couple #1.”  On Sunday, we took another speedboat ride with Couple #3, but we didn’t let them know that we knew they were Couple #3, especially knowing all the private things about what she did with what (that’s all I’m gonna say….)

Back to the Lake for an Exhausting  Workout

We headed back to the dock where we took a peddleboat out. What a workout! First the guy pointed far away to the left and showed us the buoys that we were not allowed to go past. Michael and I were bummed. We wanted to go beyond that and check out what was beyond the cove. The guy gave us a whistle in case of an emergency or a mechanical breakdown. So we went right, deeper into the cove, to check out our room from the lake and to check out the other homes around the cove. By the time we got to our room which was just a few hundred feet from the dock, I was ready to blow the whistle. That thing goes nowhere fast! I think for every 10 fast and furious rotations of the peddle, you go 2″. We finally made it back. I think I lost a few inches in my thighs after that trip.  (I’ll find out for sure when I get measured at Curves next week – since January I’ve been trying to get back to my wedding weight and I’ve lost inches everywhere but the thighs.)

We headed back to the pool where we jumped in and relaxed in the nice hot sunshine.

Strip Night (Steak!) and Some Socializing

Before we knew it, it was time to get ready for dinner. It was called Strip Night, where strip steak was served. This time, we did not screw up and were seated with 3 other very pleasant couples. We were all newbies there at Cove Haven. One couple was celebrating their 10th Anniversary, one couple was celebrating their 1st anniversary, and another very young couple (very young – they couldn’t have been more than 20) were just there for fun. We all talked about where we met, our weddings, and other small talk like that.

The first anniversary couple told a funny story about how her father, who’s some high ranking official at an air force base, fingerprinted and did a background check on her boyfriend before she  went on a second date with him.

The 10 year anniversary couple met when she served him a Sno-Cone at Walmart.  Very sweet!

Big Shot is Totally AWESOME!!

Then we were off to the show. WHAT AN AMAZING SHOW!!! First there was a DJ, which we missed, and then there was a very funny Jewish comedian, Ian Grossman (THERE! Got something Jewish in this blog post!). I can’t remember all his funny jokes, but I was hysterically laughing when he was mocking decorative pillows on a bed. He joked, “What’s the point? Put them on, take them off… Put them on, take them off… When it’s dinner for two, do you set the table with  7 soup bowls and then just put them all away?” If you’re not laughing, you had to be there, but it was really funny.

And then the main attraction – Big Shot – a Billy Joel cover band was up. When I heard that Big Shot would be there that weekend, I knew Cove Haven was the place to go. Billy Joel is very special to Michael and me. One of my first gifts to Michael was a Billy Joel piano book. He’s our favorite artist and we’ve been to at least 5 or 6 of his concerts including his 1982-1983 New Year’s Eve Concert, which was also one of our first (or maybe our first ) dates. The first song was “Angry Young Man” which is an incredible piano song, and the lead singer, Michael DelGuidice, is in incredibly talented piano player and singer.  He pounded away at the piano then pounded away at the mike. He sounded just like Billy Joel with all the voice and emotion.

The next song up was “Italian Restaurant,” and during the saxophone solo, I was thinking – this guy is amazing! He’s awesome! He’s right off the record! – and after the song, Michael D. introduced him – Mark Rivera – the sax player who played with Billy Joel for 28 years! I thought the guy looked familiar! Well, he seemed familiar from my nosebleed seats at Madison Square Garden. I can’t even tell you how great they were. If they play by you, and you love Billy Joel, you HAVE to see them. Around me, here on Long Island, they play at Mulcahey’s sometimes in Wantaugh. Michael has his own solo album and played a song from that. They also played a great song by Aerosmith, and the drummer went wild on a 10 minute drum solo. What a night! And our seats were great, but every seat there was great.

The Funniest Breakfast Ever!

The next morning crystallized it all for us. We were seated at breakfast with these 3 other couples, except this time, they weren’t newbies like us. As we found out, they were all part of the elite, “Forever Lovers” club (pronounced “Firever Luuhvirs” in a southern drawl). If we were sitting at the table for an hour, I was laughing for most of it. These couples were hysterical. The woman and the man who turned out not to be her husband on our right had been to the Cove Haven 12 times. The couple on our left had been there 6 times, and the couple across from us had been to the Cove Haven 3 times a year for the past few years. You become a member of the “Forever Lovers” club after your third visit to Cove Haven. And you get a pin, which they said they proudly wore when the first got it a few years ago, but now they don’t wear it anymore. That explains the pins I saw people wearing.

The Garden of Eden Apple Suite is Very Popular

Then I asked what kind of rooms they stayed in. The Cove Haven has about 6 or 7 different style rooms.  From my unofficial polling of the people we ate with over the weekend, it seemed like the most popular room was the Garden of Eden Apple Suite. The suite has NO WINDOWS. That really seemed barbaric to Michael and me. No windows? Not only did we love our windows, we loved our balcony, and we had such privacy, we slept with the door open to the balcony and the curtains open. We figured, if you don’t want to see the sunlight – fine – just have windows with the blackout shades closed all the time, but why no windows?

The defense contractor guy to our left (we know no names to incriminate the guilty), went into a long description of how awesome the concept of no windows actually is (which didn’t convince us). He said something like, “You step inside and you have no concept of day or night. All week long I have deadlines and meetings and places to go, but when I walk into that room, I leave it all behind and have no idea of the time.”

Then I asked about the pool in the suite (many suites have indoor pools). All couples agreed that once you get a room with a pool, you’ll never go back.

Here’s a note about something we learned from our breakfast friends, who all enthusiastically agreed with each other regarding the bubble bath:.  You’re supposed to buy the bubble bath at the gift shop. And they warned us – DO NOT pour the whole box in – just a little! Although, this one enthusiastic defense contractor guy told us that the first time he used the suds, he purposely put in the whole box just so that he could fill up the entire bathroom with suds. He and his wife (or maybe it was his secretary?) were very excited explaining how the suds overflowed the tub onto the floor and climbed up the 4′ Greek column in the bathroom (Cool! we didn’t have a Greek column), and then how he collected the suds in his arms and they filled his arms up to his mustache. They explained the special properties of these suds which make them all cling together. I was wondering about the huge mess these suds all over the floor made, but they said that it was no problem and just left a little bubble residue, and the water didn’t actually overflow the tub, just the suds.

That was just one of the many funny conversations we had on Sunday morning where we learned all about the tricks and nuances of a weekend at the Cove Haven Hotel.

And then he described how he and his wife pull the round bed to the floor into the nook, made especially for pulling the bed onto the floor, in front of the fireplace where they also lay out a blanket and have a picnic on the floor. I thought, “Just like the picture!”

Everything about these 3 couples was like a sales brochure, except they were real people. Although we were wondering afterwards if they were real, but I’m sure they were.

Another couple was excited to tell us about all the mirrors in the room. They told us how they bring their own DVD player for movies.  The husband was in the clear glass shower and his wife called out, “Honey, what’s the name of this movie?” So, as he explained it, from the shower, he looked in the bathroom mirror, which reflected off the closet mirror, which reflected off the bed mirror, which reflected off the dresser mirror, where he saw the TV and determined that it was “Starship Troopers” that his wife was watching. (I think there’s a funny cartoon drawing I should be inserting here…)  His wife said that the only part of the room where you cannot see the other person from a reflection in a mirror is the bathroom. They all agreed that the Garden of Eden Apple is the way to go – but that’s a room I’ll never stay in (I don’t think…)

Tips from the Very Wise and Experienced Forever Lovers

These 3 couples gave lots of handy tips that I’ll share with you:

• They all endorsed bringing your own drinks, snacks and candles (I never use candles at home, but when at Cove Haven….).
• Get the soap suds at the gift shop and only use a little.
• Bring a DVD player if you want to watch your own movies.
• Just because it’s a buffet, doesn’t mean you can’t order your own custom breakfast. And the guy on the left ordered eggs benedict. I tried the custom service out for a whirl and asked for hot chocolate and got it.
• These people LOVED their waiter so much that they ask for him every time they go. They’re like family – asking about each other’s kids – and now I know that this guy’s 14 year old son went to Hooters with his wrestling team and all he talked about was how great the hot sauce was (yeah). This waiter was really nice.  I don’t remember his name, but if you go and see a guy who has big arm muscles and looks like a famous football player who is now on some sports program – that’s him. He’s the guy who also does car commercials, has close cropped hair, and roundish glasses. I’ll fill in his name the next time I see him on TV. But that was our waiter, a really nice famous-looking guy.
• At the Strip Night dinner, even though it’s not buffet, if you don’t want the salad, you can get two appetizers.
• During the winter, the snow tubing and snowmobile rides are awesome.
• We should not miss Honest Phil’s tour of the rooms. I was iffy on that, and Michael was totally not into it, but after hearing these people carry on about how awesome Honest Phil is, and how funny the tour is, I really wanted to go, but we didn’t (which is just as well because we didn’t get home til 10 pm).
• Then they spoke more about Honest Phil, who has been the social director at the Cove Haven since 1973. They never miss the XXX Newlywed Game, hosted by Honest Phil, and the Horse Racing (where you roll die to advance a horse).  Each horse is given a XXX name and, apparently, it’s very funny.  (I won’t give you any of their  examples of how the announcer calls the horse race.)
• They gave us highlights of some funny XXX Newlywed questions and answers. These people were totally into watching it but none of them ever participated.
• They’re on a first name basis with all the bartenders.  It struck me how long so many of the staffers have been there.  One of our cocktail waitresses has been there for 17 years, and many others have been there for a very long time.
• Forever Lovers get to check out at 1:30 but newbies like us had to check out at 11 (so we had to bolt at 10:55) but we got a 1/2 hour extension.
• Deer feeding (which we didn’t get to) is a lot of fun and a great photo opportunity.  Honest Phil calls to the deer and the defense contractor guy one time counted 60 deer that came.

They were talking about the odd couples they’ve seen at the Cove Haven, like the 20 year old with the 70 year old. Or the bosses with their secretaries. Then I asked the women to my left if she’s the secretary to the guy on her left (I only asked because I was sure she wasn’t).  The important thing is that they’ve now been married for 10 years, but she WAS his secretary a little more than 10 years ago. Well, as he explained, she sort of worked for him in some capacity. And now they are happily remarried to each other.

The couple on our right seemed like an old married couple. Been there 6 times just the past year. She was wearing this sexy red thing to breakfast.  So when we left, I asked her  how long she’s been married and she said, “I’m not married.” I asked, “How long have you been together?” And she said, “Six months.” ….OK……

Engineering….Come In…. Emergency in Room 419….Engineering!

A running joke that Mike and I had was whenever the Engineering van passed us, which was at least a dozen times during our stay. Every time it passed we came up with some kind of emergency it must be responding to. Mike would put his hand over his mouth and make the sound like a CB radio and would say something like, “(static sounds) Errr.. Engineering…. come in….emergency in room 419…battery stuck in drain of champagne glass whirlpool….errr…(static) ….come in….Engineering!…” Mike’s an engineer so we wondered, if he worked there, would we get a room for free?

In Conclusion – My Review of the Cove Haven Hotel

I think it’s important before you visit the Caesars Cove Haven Hotel to read the reviews at Trip Advisor, so you are prepared.  I read about 30 of them, and I think they pretty accurately described what to expect – the good, the bad, the weird, the strange, the cool, and the ugly.  Below is my take-away:

• As you can tell, I had a great time and I hope to return soon (hopefully in less than 7 years).
• This is a 3 star hotel; it is not a 5 star hotel.  Like others have said on Trip Advisor, if you are expecting a 5 star hotel, you will be disappointed.
• You have to go there open-minded.  It is not a luxury tropical Caribbean resort with beautifully manicured lawns with beautiful trees and foliage and paved walking trails throughout.  As one review said on Trip Advisor, it looks like an industrial park, and I don’t think that description is far off.  There is one main road, with buildings to the left and right that look like functional strip motel rooms (I really would have loved to see what lurked behind those doors!).
• The heart-shaped pool was really beautiful – I think the most scenic and beautiful part of the property (and right across from my room).  The grounds around the pool were beautiful with tall, regal trees, and a hut that served drinks and food.
• The lake area was beautiful.  There was a beautiful path down to the lake with a nice deck.
• The speedboat ride was awesome!
• We could have passed on the bicycle built for two (Michael thought we should each have our own bike, but that wasn’t romantic (or lazy) enough for me, although I quickly found out that I had to pedal the whole time!).  It was very hilly there, which does not make for a relaxing bike ride.
• My room was very clean and nice, although I read complaints about the cleanliness of the rooms.
• My only complaint about the room is that the bed should have had a bed skirt.  I can’t remember staying at any hotel, whatever the star rating, where you actually see the boxspring and mattress, which was a little ratty looking (FYI – the Garden of Eden Apple Suite beds DO have bed skirts).
• Once you know what to expect, and you get there, and relax, you will have a great time.
• It was a very integrated place, so it was nice to see and be seated with  couples  of all different races there.

Well, it’s back to reality for me.  I got an awesome running hug from my baby, Ben, and I missed all the boys.  I am grateful to my sister, Jennifer, and brother-in-law, Rich, for watching the boys for 2 nights, and I am grateful that my boys were so good that Jenn and Rich said they’d watch them again.  It’s back to work here at Jewish Gift Place, and back to homework and tests and lunches and little league and play dates and figuring out summer plans and all that other stuff that I forgot about for 2 days.

I highly recommend getting away every now and then, but it’s nice to be back home.

Jewish Crocheted Kippot and Yarmulkes

Risa has just added some gorgeous crocheted kippot and yarmulke that you will be pleased to purchase not only because they are so beautiful, but because you can feel good about buying them.

These Jewish yarmulkes are made by the women of Mayaworks in Guatemala, a proud member of the Fair Trade Federation. That means that your purchase of these beautiful kippot and yarmulkes brings income to the artisans who create them — which means better food on their family table, better access to health care and school for their children, and hope for a more stable life. With your purchase you can make a difference in the lives of a Mayan family!

MayaWorks groups are organized in many Guatemalan villages because of the considerable strengths of Mayan women, their traditional weaving capabilities, their desire to learn modern business practices, and their determination to benefit their families and communities. At Jewish Gift Place we are all about women power and we are proud to sell the work of these amazing artisans!

Looking for the Best Jewish Father’s Day Gifts?

This year Father’s Day is Sunday, June 20, 2010. If you’ve begun your search for the best Father’s Day gifts, then a list of our top seven Jewish Father’s Day gifts will surely help!

This list has something for everyone. Whether it’s your husband, father, grandfather, father-in-law, favorite uncle, friend, teacher, or coach, we have the perfect gift to express your love and gratitude this Father’s Day. Plus we are adding Free Shipping with coupon code FD10 which expires June 11, 2010.

We’ve got plenty of ideas to help guide you to the perfect gift for dad…because he’s worth it.

Bat Mitzvah Celebration!

A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post about my niece, Becky’s, Bat Mitzvah celebration for which my family traveled across the country from New York to Seattle to attend. Well time flies! This month we returned to celebrate my niece Rachel’s Bat Mitzvah and it was another wonderful event.

This time around the group included my family of 3, my two sisters with their families, and my brother with his family for a total of 16! We stayed at the very cool Marriott hotel at the Redmond Town Center which surrounded us with shopping opportunities galore! There were many functions planned for us to enjoy over the long weekend including a lovely brunch at the Westin hotel in Bellevue. Needless to say, we ate a lot!

The Bat Mitzvah service was held once again at the stunning Goldfarb Schwartz Sanctuary at the Temple De Hirsch Sinai in Bellevue, Washington. Surrounded by soaring pine trees, the Sanctuary was the perfect backdrop for a very joyous occasion. Rachel did a spectacular job reciting from the Torah and her speech was lovely.  Building on the value of compassion and her responsibility to the community as a Bat Mitzvah, Rachel organized donations of stuffed animals to the Seattle Children’s Hospital. We could not have been prouder.

From there we left for a wonderful celebration held at the Bellevue Arts Museum. The Bellevue Arts Museum is the Pacific Northwest’s center for the exploration of art, craft and design, emphasizing the work of regional artists. (I couldn’t help but think how much Risa would love it!)

The main floor of the museum was set up for the party and the rest of the museum was open for guests to wander through and enjoy the exhibits. The food was first rate, the DJ got everyone on the dance floor and the Horah dance was a highlight. A standout of the party were the artists that were hired to create t-shirts for the guests. So fitting for the venue! The artists airbrushed a plain white t-shirt with whatever the guest requested. They were a hit! The night flew by too quickly!

When my niece Becky had her Bat Mitzvah, I gave her a little piece of jewelry to help her remember her special day for years to come. I gave her the Seeka Bat Mitzvah necklace.

But, now it was Rachel’s turn and I didn’t want to give her the same thing so I decided upon the Angie Olami Garnet Pomegranate Necklace. I like the symbolism of the pomegranate. It’s one of the seven species of which the land of Israel was blessed, and is a symbol of abundance and new beginnings. A legend arose within Judaism that each and every pomegranate contained 613 seeds, representing the 613 commandments of Torah.  I thought this was very fitting as a Bat Mitzvah gift.

Before we knew it, the weekend was over and it was time for us to return home. We made many great memories on this trip and we are still sorting through all the photos! Mazel Tov Rachel!

Check Out These AWESOME Handmade Pottery Mugs!

We just added a beautiful collection of handmade pottery mugs to the site!  I ABSOLUTELY LOVE them!!!  You think I’m kidding? I bought one for practically everyone I know!  Check out this photo, and it doesn’t even show all the ones I got!

This new collection includes Jewish mugs, as well as mugs that can be personalized with a name or phrase! The Jewish mugs are engraved with really fun phrases like “Chai Maintenance,” “Oy Vey,” and “Bubbie” – perfect as gift for a Jewish mother or Jewish grandmother who loves her morning coffee!  The 20 oz. handmade pottery mugs are made in Northeastern Pennsylvania by artist JoAnne Stratakos. These substantial and gorgeous pottery mugs are great for gift giving.  Decorative, and extremely functional, these pottery coffee mugs are dishwasher safe and microwaveable.

If you have an occasion coming up for a guy or gal and just have no clue what to get them, these mugs make the perfect gift.

I am giving/have given these mugs for the following occasions:

• Mother’s Day
• Father’s Day
• Birthdays
• Teacher’s end-of-year gift

The mugs come with a choice of flowers for $25,  or you can get a personalized mug for $30.  I know, from giving out a bunch of these this past weekend for Mother’s Day, people LOVE this gift!  You can also give the pottery mugs as gifts for Administrative Professional Day (which just passed), Hanukkah, or a housewarming gift.

Although I love all crafty things, I have a special place in my heart for pottery.  For years I did pottery.  I took classes and then just did studio time creating pieces that I use every day in my house.  I made a set of dinner plates, salad plates, small bowls, and soup bowls.  I made several big bowls for pasta and an even bigger bowl for fruit.

I think one of the most challenging pieces I’ve made are mugs, which is why I do NOT have a set of mugs in the house.  Unlike all the other pieces, there are 2 parts to the mug – the mug and the handle, which has to be joined very well into the main mug.  I don’t remember exactly why I gave up on mugs, but I just didn’t get good at it.  Maybe I’ll take a picture and show you a really ugly (but clever!) mug that I created.  I cut off about 1/2″ from the top rim of the mug, but left a piece attached, then swirled it over the edge and created a handle out of it. (Update – I found the mugs  I made and took photos – see below.)

Making any kind of pottery by hand is a big job, and although I’m sure JoAnn can throw (that’s the term used in pottery for making things) mugs pretty quickly, these are the steps that I used to make a piece:

• kneed the clay to get all the air bubbles out
• center the clay on the wheel and throw the mug
• hand-build the handle and join it to the mug
• let the piece air dry
• finish the piece on the bottom and smooth it all out
• fire the piece once
• glaze the piece
• fire the piece again

I love these pottery mugs and I’m sure you will too!

Here are photos of the mugs that I made 13 years ago and detailed photos of that mug I was talking about above – the wacky (but clever!) one never seen before!

Risa's Handmade Pottery Mugs

THE UGLY MUG

About 1/2" of the rim was cut almost off and flipped around to create the handle

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing some of my own creations.  Maybe another time  I’ll show off my pottery bowls, plates, cookie jars, and pencil holders.

Check out my B-I-L, Kenny Borsykowsky, and Israeli President Shimon Peres!

How cool is this?

Last Monday, May 3, 2010, Kenny attended the Jerusalem International Writer’s Festival.  Shimon Peres was an honored guest.  Crowds were gathered around Shimon Peres and Kenny wanted to shake his hand or speak with him, but stayed off to the side, not really sure what to say.  Then Shimon Peres pointed to Kenny and said something like, “Tell me about you.”  And that began an almost 20 minute conversation between Kenny and Shimon Peres.

Shimon Peres asked Kenny where he was from, and Kenny told him he was from New York and that he made aliyah 15 years ago.  Kenny told Shimon Peres that he had met him once before in New York when he was about 13 years old.  At that time, about 8-10 kids who were representatives of different youth groups were invited to Shimon Peres’ hotel room to meet him.

Shimon Peres asked, “Who’s the Zionist?” and Kenny told him that his mom, grandmother and great-grandmother were Zionists and that his grandmother worked with Golda Meir.

Here’s some information about Shimon Peres that I got from Wikipedia that I thought you might find interesting:

Shimon Peres is the ninth and current President of the State of Israel.  He served twice as the eigth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister.  He has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years.

Shimon Peres took office as President on July 15, 2007.  Presidents are elected by the Knesset for one 7 year term.  The President is the head of state of Israel, however, the real executive power lies with the Prime Minister.

The powers of the President of Israel are generally equivalent to those held by heads of state in other parliamentary democracies.   The president signs every law (except those that pertain to the president’s powers) and international or bilateral treaties approved by the Knesset. In addition, he or she appoints the Governor of the Bank of Israel, judges to secular and rabbinical courts, and kadis to Islamic courts, as well as members of several councils, authorities, foundations and academies.   He  also confirms and endorses the credentials of ambassadors and receives the credentials of the foreign diplomats.

One of the things Kenny said to Shimon Peres was that he was surprised that he was at the event for such a long time (over two hours).  Shimon Peres asked, “Why?” and Kenny said, “Well, you are the President!”

VERY VERY COOL, KENNY!

We Have a Winner of our Mother’s Day Contest!

Congratulations to Sara Bernstein who won our Mother’s Day Contest!

We asked the question, “What does Emily Rosenfeld like to do for fun?”

And she answered, “For fun, Emily likes to take walks and bike rides with her son and read to him. She also loves to cook, spend time in her garden and see friends.”

Well, everyone who entered the contest got the answer correct.  We put all the names in a hat and picked Sara.

She won this beautiful Emily Rosenfeld Hebrew/English Love  Bracelet.

Don’t miss the Interview with Emily Rosenfeld and the interviews with our other artists at Interview with the Artist.

Happy Mother’s Day!  I hope it is nice and sunny by you on Sunday.

Mother’s Day Contest – Win a FREE Emily Rosenfeld “Ahava” Bracelet

Next Sunday, May 9, 2010, is Mother’s Day! Lisa did a great job writing up our Top 10 Jewish Mother’s Day Gifts. Also, we are excited to have a Mother’s Day Contest. We are giving away one free Emily Rosenfeld Hebrew/English Love  Bracelet.

To enter, you will need to answer this question:

“What does Emily Rosenfeld like to do for fun?”

Send your response to risa (at) jewishgiftplace.com to enter the contest. (Hint – have you seen our AWESOME “Interview with the Artist” series?)  Get in your entries by 5/1/10.

Here’s an excerpt from of our Top 10 Jewish Mother’s Day Gift article, but don’t miss the entire article for great ideas to give your Jewish Mother.

She loved you before you were born and continues to love you no matter how old you get, no matter how far apart you may live. At Jewish Gift Place, we love this day not only because we are moms, but it falls right in the heart of spring, when the flowers are in full bloom and it’s not too hot yet, but not too cold. However, our mothers would still make us put on a sweater, for sure. But that’s what we all love about our moms. They are always looking out for us and putting us first. So now, more than ever, is the perfect time to show your mom your love and appreciation for all that she does.

Have a wonderful Mother’s Day!

The Moms at Jewish Gift Place

Risa Borsykowsky, Ulana Illiano, Lisa Storms

Ben’s Matzah Balls and Joshua’s Passover Mini-Marshmallow/Hail Launcher

I’ve been meaning to get these photos up for almost a month now. It seems like Passover was ages ago. So much preparation and then it’s over like a flash. Well, it didn’t really go by like a flash at the time, but it seems that way now. I spent a lot of time with my brother and his kids, who were in from Maine for a week. We went to the Central Park Zoo one day, then the Metropolitan Museum of Art another day, and we fit Passover in between those days.

Here are photos of my baby, Benjamin, 5, who will be 6 in June. He loves to help me cook and he has become quite the matzah ball maker. He loves matzah ball soup, so we had already made it a few times before Passover. He did the whole thing, from opening up the bags, to cracking the eggs, adding the oil, and making the matzah balls. The only problem is that I used 3 boxes instead of the usual 1 box, but still put them all in the same pot (see the last photo – you only see the top layer of matzah balls – the lucky ones that floated to the surface), so instead of having lots of big matzah balls, we had lots of small ones. They were still tasty anyhow.

Also, check out the photos of my big boy, Joshua, 10, who will be 11 in a few weeks. I bought mini-marshmallows for the plague of hail. For everyone at the table, they had little cups filled with the marshmallows. But that wasn’t good enough for Joshua. No – he had to design and build the FIRST EVER PASSOVER MINI-MARSHMALLOW/HAIL LAUNCHER!!! (His dad and 2 grandpas are/were engineers so that explains it.) Joshua spent over an hour building this out of blocks and rubber bands, pencils, and a doubled up plastic spoon. We were doing some painting in the house (nothing like company to get a house in shape – sort of), so that’s why he’s covered in white paint.

Here you can see the PASSOVER MINI-MARSHMALLOW/HAIL LAUNCHER in action. The video is really lousy. My always reliable digital camera, which used to take great videos, now takes lousy videos, so I’ll have to get another one (and NOT give that one to the kids). Enjoy the video!

And, to wrap things up, my first Passover went very well (or at least that’s what my family told me). It was really unlike any Passover I’ve attended because there were lots of songs, and I spent time talking about Miriam’s role in the Passover Seder, and showing off the Emily Rosenfeld Miriam’s Cup. I played Debbie Friedman’s Miriam’s Cup song, which was great.

I hope you had a very Happy Passover, as well.

JOSHUA’S FIRST EVER PASSOVER MINI-MARSHMALLOW/HAIL LAUNCHER!!!