Chanukiah Fused Glass Workshop

When Austin Jewish Business Network was hosting a fused glass workshop with the opportunity to make one-of-a-kind chanukiyot, Alyssa and I were immediately interested. It was a multistep process. On the first night, our assignment was to layer and pile various colored glass. We cut glass shards, rods, dots, sheets, and all sorts of other things that felt dangerous.

When we returned the next week, our pieces had been fused together and were in one very pointy and sharp block of glass. We were taught how to use the grinder machines to shave off the edges to smooth out the lines and corners. This felt like something we weren't qualified to do.


When we determined that the sides weren't all even, the studio owner explained that the most efficient way to even it out was to use the professional tile saw. Again, this seemed like a questionable choice...


Next up, we used the sand blaster to help the smooth and shine!

At the end of Night 2, we had smooth blocks of glass, ready to be reshaped in the kiln and have candle holders glued on top.

And finally, we had completed works of art ready to add light to the upcoming holiday.

Spencer's Shul School Kindergarten Consecration

After a few years, our shul community was excited to welcome back the Kindergarten Consecration ceremony in person. Spencer received a teeny Torah and was supposedly celebrating the start to his formal Jewish education.

Winter Fest

Exactly 1 week after we attended a local Fall Fest, tides were turned, and we were excited to attend a Winter Fest. A local YMCA hosted this incredible event, free for the community. There were so many fantastic activities for everyone to do. The kids went immediately to the "snow." Yes, temps were in the 70's that day, but that didn't stop these Texans from whining about how cold the ice was.




Next, we headed to the ice slide for sledding!


What's a really great Winter Fest without cookie decorating?



One kid was really into jumping on the inflatable structures:

peekaboo! guest surprise on the inflatable slide

Two kids were excited about jumping on the trampolines:


We found another slide to ride on. (Surprisingly this one got us wetter because of the recent rain.)

We crafted:

We raced cars:

And we rode trains:

We're ready to fly into winter!

School Fall Fest

While we are new to our elementary school this year, they have been missing their huge annual Fall Fest since 2019 and were very excited to bring it back. Our kiddos had a great time with the unlimited wristbands, allowing them to participate in so many great activities.