Day of Rest

Friday was our day off. I worked all day Saturday, so Matt took Friday off, and we had our Saturday. Recently we have been in discussion with others about taking a Sabbath Day. A true Sabbath - a day of total rest, rejuvenation, and reflection on the goodness and grace of God. What a beautiful concept. In Jewish tradition, Shabbat begins Friday night and ends Saturday night. I think I am really in love with this concept, it is a day to look forward to and conjures up the mental image of Tevye and his family rushing to get everything ready for the rituals of the Friday night meal.

So far Matt and I have had two Sabbath days, or rather attempts at a successful, restful Sabbath. We've made grocery store trips, which I would like to eliminate from the day, and we have incorporated TV and technology, which some would say are not appropriate Sabbath day activities, as it distracts and separates you from a quiet, restful time spent with family and friends, or spent with rejuvenating activities. I haven't decided whether movies and the like should be illuminated (I think it should definitely be kept to the minimum), as Matt and I really enjoy cuddling up on the coach for 2 hours and watching a movie. I will have to consider this more. If any of you have a thought on the use of televised entertainment during a day of full rest, please comment.

So Friday went something like this.....

Wake up late, get up and bake some chocolate chip scones, brew some coffee, and enjoy with a side of the daily show. John Stewart is pretty much always appreciated in our house.

Then the infamous grocery store run. We picked up ingredients to make a dessert to share with friends that evening.

The afternoon was spent baking, and assembling this beautiful Strawberry Kiwi Tart. It was delicious with a shortbread crust, a thick coconut cream, topped with fruit and glazed with heated strawberry preserves. The only issue I had with this otherwise incredible dessert is that the cream turned a grayish color as it cooled. This may have been due to the bananas that were beat into it and perhaps browned, but that may not be the case.

We also had some couch/cuddle time while watching the movie Temple Grandin, which was a great movie. Claire Danes did an amazing job, and now I want to listen to interviews with the real Temple.

Matt went for a run while I gave myself a manicure and pedicure of sorts, then we got ready and were off to visit with friends for the evening. We sat on the porch and enjoyed wine and dessert, conversation, and the beautiful night.

This is my favorite picture of the day. How we feel trying to get a good picture of ourselves while taking it ourselves. " Lets try again, just one more."

Some may not want the work of preparing food on their day of rest, but I quite enjoy the opportunity to try a recipe that's been waiting for the perfect day. Last week we did just that and made Mexicali Sliders and Cajun Sweet Potato Fries. Delicious! I went a bit overboard and now have a large freezer bag full of the black bean burgers in the freezer.

We also made these Beach Cookies from the same blog. Yummy yummy. I used a bit to much shredded coconut, but it was still delicious.

So we have a lot to work on with our day of rest to make it truly that. We will see how it goes this coming Friday. My goal is a picked up house and dishes done before the day starts so it is not staring us in the face the entire time.

If any of you have tried to incorporate a Sabbath day into your routine, I would love to hear about it.