Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year; the day on which we are closest to G-d and to the quintessence of our own souls. It is the Day of Atonement. “For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before G-d” (Leviticus 16:30).
For twenty-six hours, from several minutes before sunset on Tishrei 9 to after nightfall on Tishrei 10, we “afflict our souls”, which means we abstain from food and drink, do not wash or anoint our bodies, do not wear leather footwear, and abstain from sexual activity.
Before Yom Kippur we perform the Kaparot atonement service; we request and receive honey cake, in acknowledgement that we are all recipients in G-d’s world and in prayerful hope for a sweet and abundant year; eat a festive meal, immerse in a mikvah, and give extra charity. Late afternoon we eat the pre-fast meal, following which we bless our children, light a memorial candle as well as the holiday candles, and go to the synagogue for Kol Nidrei services.
In the course of Yom Kippur we hold five prayer services: Maariv, with its solemn Kol Nidrei service, on the eve of Yom Kippur; Shacharit–the morning prayer; Musaf, which includes a detailed account of the Yom Kippur Temple service; Minchah, which includes the reading of the Book of Jonah; and Ne’illah, the “closing of the gates” service at sunset. We say the Al Chet confession of sins eight times in the course of Yom Kippur, and recite Psalms every available moment.
The day is the most solemn of the year, yet an undertone of joy suffuses it: a joy that revels in the spirituality of the day and expresses the confidence that G-d will accept our repentance, forgive our sins, and seal our verdict for a year of life, health and happiness. The closing Neilah service climaxes in the resounding cries of “Hear O Israel… G-d is one.” Then joy erupts in song and dance (a Chabad custom is to sing the lively “Napoleon’s March”), followed by a single blast of the shofar, followed by the proclamation, “Next year in Jerusalem.” We then partake of a festive after-fast meal, making the evening after Yom Kippur a Yom Tov (festival) in its own right.
Teach your children that eating the day before the Yom Kippur fast is different from any other day. It should be done slowly and joyfully in preparation for the Day of Atonement.
Stay away from caffeine a few days before the fast to prevent withdrawal headaches and irritability. Use only small amounts of salt and spices in the Yom Kippur Eve Feast.
Make a schedule of small meals every couple of hours throughout the day before the fast. This prevents your stomach from being empty once you reach the final pre-fast meal, which can lead to overeating.
Plan to serve the final several hours before sunset so you can enjoy it. Getting food on the table at about 4:30, if sunset is at about 6, should give you time to eat, clean up and prepare yourself for Yom Kippur. Begin the meal with soup. Include kreplach (a meat filled pasta dumpling) in your chicken soup. Try sweet potato or pumpkin soup with a dairy or vegetarian meal.
Pre-Fast Menu
Honey Cake
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 fresh lemon rind, of grated
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup honey
1 cup Almond milk
3 1/2 cups unbleached white wheat flour, sifted
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped slivered almond
Preheat the oven to 350° and grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Place the eggs, lemon juice, lemon rind, oil, honey and almond milk in a bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low speed until well blended. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and cinnamon with a fork until mixed. Gradually add the flour mixture to the eggs mixture, mixing for about 5 minutes or until well blended. Fold in the slivered almonds. Pour the batter into the tube pan. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. When cool invert it on a decorative plate and using a doily sift over cake. Lift doily carefully so as to leave the design undistrubed.
Pumpkin Soup
1 beautiful 8-lb. pumpkin (about 14″ diameter) with a nice stem or “handle”
5 tbsp. butter
2 15-oz. cans pumpkin (not pie filling)
2 cups leeks, chopped (white and pale-green parts only)
3/4 cups onion, chopped
3/4 tsp. salt
2 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 tsp. curry powder (or to taste)
1 tbsp. fresh minced ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cayenne
6-1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1 cup apple cider
pinch of sugar
Topping:
fresh chives, chopped
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
To prepare the pumpkin tureen, slice off the upper one-quarter to one-third of the pumpkin to make a lid (as you would to prepare a Jack-O’-Lantern). Set lid aside.
Using a metal spoon, scoop out all the seeds and any stringy bits from the interior and discard. Pour in several cups of boiling water and swirl around to clean the “tureen.” Drain, wipe dry and set aside.*
To prepare soup, melt butter in a heavy 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks and onion and sauté until onions are softened, about 15 minutes. Mix in apples, pumpkin, sugar and spices. Add stock and cider and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Purée soup in pan with immersion blender (or working in batches, purée soup in blender). This can be made up to 2 days ahead.
To Serve:
Whip cream and nutmeg to a soft peak. Bring soup to simmer. Ladle soup into pumpkin, top with chives and cover with lid to take to the table. Put a bowl of the nutmeg whipped cream on the side for guests to dollop on their soup.
*If you’re serving this on a buffet, it’s a good idea to heat the pumpkin shell in a 200° F oven for 10 to 15 minutes before adding soup. The heated shell will act as a chafing dish.
Hungarian Vegetable Soup
2-3 Tablespoons canola oil
1 16 oz bag of frozen baby lima beans
1 16 oz bag of frozen baby peas
4 medium-large red potatoes, peeled and diced
1 med onion peeled and left whole
2 large parsley root peeled and sliced
2 large parsnips peeled and sliced
1 bag of mini peeled mini carrots (try to get the really small ones) or 6 medium carrots peeled and sliced
12 oz. Pasta cooked (can be small bowties, orzo, stars, or whatever)
2 Tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
salt and white pepper to taste
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. ground rosemary leaves
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
1. Heat oil in pot and add all vegetables and seasonings over med to hi heat. Saute for 15 minutes stirring often.
2. Add 12-13 cups of water, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 40-45 minutes with lid on pot.
3. Add frozen peas and cooked pasta. Pasta can be small bowties, orzo, stars, or whatever is preferred
4. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, heat and serve.TIP:Can be frozen, but be sure to freeze without pasta. SERVING SIZE: Serves 10-15.
Roast Chicken With Brown Rice Stuffing
1 roasting chicken
3/4 cup sherry
3/4 cups chicken stock
1 cup raw brown rice
2 tablespoons butter
ArrowrootStuffing:
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup dried currants
3 chicken livers, diced
6 large shallots, chopped fine
1 small onion, diced
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Marinate whole roasting chicken in 1/2 cup sherry for 3 to 4 hours.
Turn often.
Bring chicken stock to boil in saucepan, add rice and butter; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. (The rice will not be done.) Presoak pot, top and bottom, in water for 15 minutes.
In large mixing bowl, combine the stuffing.
Add the rice and whatever liquid is not absorbed, and 1/4 cup sherry.
Remove chicken from marinade.
Rub the insides lightly with salt.
Stuff with the dressing, sew up the opening, and truss the chicken.
Rub outside of bird with butter and lightly salt.
Place chicken in presoaked pot and add remaining sherry marinade.
Cover and place pot in cold oven.
Set temperature to 480°.
Cook 80 minutes.
Remove from oven and test for doneness by wiggling a leg if it moves freely in its socket, it’s almost done.
Baste chicken and return to oven without the lid to brown for about 10 minutes.
Watch carefully and baste frequently.
Pour sauce into heated pan, adjust seasoning if necessary, bring to a boil and thicken with arrowroot.
Turn often.
Bring chicken stock to boil in saucepan, add rice and butter; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. (The rice will not be done.) Presoak pot, top and bottom, in water for 15 minutes.
In large mixing bowl, combine the stuffing.
Add the rice and whatever liquid is not absorbed, and 1/4 cup sherry.
Remove chicken from marinade.
Rub the insides lightly with salt.
Stuff with the dressing, sew up the opening, and truss the chicken.
Rub outside of bird with butter and lightly salt.
Place chicken in presoaked pot and add remaining sherry marinade.
Cover and place pot in cold oven.
Set temperature to 480°.
Cook 80 minutes.
Remove from oven and test for doneness by wiggling a leg if it moves freely in its socket, it’s almost done.
Baste chicken and return to oven without the lid to brown for about 10 minutes.
Watch carefully and baste frequently.
Pour sauce into heated pan, adjust seasoning if necessary, bring to a boil and thicken with arrowroot.
Moroccan Beet Leaf & Swiss Chard Salad
1/3 cup peanut, grapeseed, or vegetable oil
2 bunches of Swiss chard & beet leaves with stems,
coarsely chopped (about 1 pound)
4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon harissa*, or to taste
1/4 cup white vinegar or lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Toss in the garlic, sautéing until just fragrant, then add the chard and cook for a few minutes. Sprinkle on a little salt, the paprika, cumin, and harissa, and cook for another minute, stirring. Pour the vinegar or lemon juice into the pan, and cook for another minute, or until it has begun to evaporate. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.
*Harissa, a North African hot sauce, is available at Middle Eastern markets and specialty foods stores, and from pereg-spices.com. For a quick homemade harissa, mix 1/4 cup sambal oelek or other hot chili paste, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1 teaspoon ground coriander in a small bowl to blend. The harissa keeps for at least a week covered and chilled.
ROASTED AUTUMN ROOT VEGETABLES
No-stick vegetable spray
6 carrots
6 parsnips
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
20 round red or Yukon C potatoes, miniatures
2 beets, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
Kosher salt to taste
4 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
4 Tbsp. olive oil, or more, if needed
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a 10×15 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. Peel carrots and parsnips. Cut into 2-inch long sticks.
3. Place carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, miniature potatoes, beets and onion in baking dish.
4. Season lightly with salt. Drizzle vinegar and 4 Tbsp. olive oil on vegetables. Gently mix with a wooden or plastic spoon.
5. Roast vegetables for 1 hour, stirring and turning vegetables every 10 minutes so they roast evenly. If they start sticking to the pan, add more oil and stir.
6. Vegetables are ready when they are soft inside and brown on the outside. Serve immediately.
MAKE AHEAD METHOD:
Up to three days in advance, prepare vegetables through step #4. Place vegetables in a preheated oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes and adding more olive oil, if needed.
Remove pan from oven and bring vegetables to room temperature. Refrigerate. On the afternoon of Yom Kippur eve, bring to room temperature.
Before serving, place in a 450° F. oven and roast for 15 minutes, until vegetables are browned and warmed through. Stir every 3 minutes to avoid burning. Yield: 8 servings
Remove pan from oven and bring vegetables to room temperature. Refrigerate. On the afternoon of Yom Kippur eve, bring to room temperature.
Before serving, place in a 450° F. oven and roast for 15 minutes, until vegetables are browned and warmed through. Stir every 3 minutes to avoid burning. Yield: 8 servings
BAKED STUFFED APPLES
Nonstick vegetable spray
8 medium baking apples, such as Cortland, Gala, Braeburn or Fuji
15 dried apricots
12 pitted dates
12 dried figs
4 tsp. uncooked oatmeal (not quick or instant oats)
2 tsp. honey
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. cinnamon
8 medium baking apples, such as Cortland, Gala, Braeburn or Fuji
15 dried apricots
12 pitted dates
12 dried figs
4 tsp. uncooked oatmeal (not quick or instant oats)
2 tsp. honey
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 9×13 inch baking pan with no-stick vegetable spray.
2. With a knife, using a circular motion, core apples by cutting away the seeds and fibrous parts. Go slowly so you don’t hurt yourself. Cut 3/4 of the way down the apple. Don’t penetrate the skin at the bottom of the apple. Discard seeds and core.
3. Place apples in baking pan. Microwave for 5 minutes. Reserve.
4. Cut apricots, dates and figs into quarters. In a medium bowl, combine them with remaining ingredients and mix well. Spoon mixture into the center of apples, and press down to stuff with as much filling as possible.
5. Lightly coat a sheet of aluminum foil with nonstick spray. Loosely tent foil over apples. Bake for 30 minutes, or until apples soften.
6. Remove foil and bake for 5 minutes. Skins may pucker. Cool for 10 minutes and serve.
MAKE-AHEAD METHOD:
Prepare through step #5 up to three days ahead. Bring apples to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate. Three hours before dinner, return to room temperature. Before serving, microwave for 3 minutes. Warm in a 350° oven for 5 minutes.
Yield: 8 servings
Post-Fast Menu
Consider a dairy or vegetarian meal before the Yom Kippur Eve Feast to make sure no one ends up feeling stuffed. Casseroles, crepes and peppers stuffed with brown rice, TVP (textured vegetable protein) or ground tofu and chopped tomatoes are good choices.
Don’t eat meat during the Yom Kippur evening meal.Find food that’s easy to digest so stomach discomfort doesn’t deter you from focusing on what’s important.Post-Fast Menu
Break your Yom Kippur fast with these easy-to-make and light-to-eat food recipes:
Il Bollo (Yom Kippur Bread)
(Usually served in the living room, this bread is the first food consumed after fasting, before partaking in a full meal at the table.)
Flour – 5 1/2 cups, unbleached and divided.
Yeast – 2 envelopes, active and dry.
Sugar – 1 1/2 cups.
Warm water – 1 cup.
Eggs – 3.
Olive oil – 1/2 cup.
Anise seeds – 2 tbsp.
Vanilla extract – 2 tsp.
Salt – 2 tsp.
Lemon rind – 1 tsp., grated. (optional)
Egg yolk – 1.
Cold water – 1 tsp.
Also needed: A clean kitchen towel.
Keep all ingredients at room temperature. In a large bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups flour with dry yeast, 1 tsp. sugar and the warm water. Whip until you have a very smooth, soft dough. Lightly sprinkle over its top half a handful of flour. Cover it with the clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a warm spot for about 2 hours (or until doubled in size).
Heat the olive oil in a small pan. Add anise seeds and stir until lightly toasted. Keep to a side.
Next, return to the flour mixture. Add eggs, 1 1/4 cups sugar, oil and seeds and beat well. Add the vanilla extract, salt and grated lemon rind. Again beat well and keep adding enough flour from time to time. Continue until you get a soft dough.
Spread the rest of the flour on a working surface. Then, put the soft flour dough over it and knead, gathering the flour. Go on kneading until you have a dough stiff enough to hold its shape. Divide this stiff dough into two equal parts. Knead each part for a minute or two, and let rest for 5 minutes. Then shape each part into a 12-inch oval loaf, and put on a lightly oiled and generously floured baking sheet.
Cover with the towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 – 2 hours (or until more than doubled in bulk).
Brush the top of the loaves with the egg yolk (beaten with 1 tsp. water) and place them in a preheated 450° oven. Lower the heat to 350° instantly and bake for 30 minutes or until dark brown.
Serve with small glasses of sweet vermouth.
Cucumber Salad With Dill
Water – 1 cup.
White vinegar – 1 cup.
Salt – 1/4 tsp.
Sugar – 1 cup.
Cucumbers – 2 large (hot-house variety), sliced paper-thin.
Dried dill weed or Fresh minced dill – 2 tbsp.
Bibb lettuce – 1 head.
Arugala – 1 bunch.
Cherry tomatoes (for garnish)
A large glass bowl
In the large glass bowl, combine the water, vinegar, salt and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add the cucumbers and toss.
Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
Take it out of the freezer and drain. Garnish with watercress and cherry tomatoes. Serve on lettuce leaves.
Beet and Onion Salad
Beets – 5 (pickled, drained and sliced)
Onion – 1 large, red , peeled and thinly sliced.
Cucumber – 1, peeled and thinly sliced.
Olive oil – 1/3 cup.
Juice of 1 lemon
Eggs – 2 hard-boiled, peeled and chopped.
Parsley – 1 cup, minced.
Lettuce leaves
Also needed: A large and a small bowl.
Mix the beets, onion and cucumber together in a large salad bowl. Toss the ingredients well.
Combine the olive oil and lemon juice in the small bowl.
Add some salt and pepper to the beet mixture for seasoning. Garnish with chopped egg and parsley. Just before serving, pour the olive oil mixture over it and toss.
Serve in a bowl or on a bed of lettuce.
Cheese Blintzes with Blueberry Sauce
Cheese Blintzes:
4 large beaten eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
Filling:
1 pound farmers cheese
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup sugar or more to taste
Blueberry Sauce:
12 oz. Blueberries, rinsed or Frozen
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
2Tbsp. water
To make the blintzes, beat together all the blintz ingredients and let the batter rest for at least a half hour. Heat a small skillet (about 7 inches) and add a pat of butter. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into the pan and swirl it around, pouring off excess. Don’t let it brown. Flip and cook the other side for a few seconds. Then turn blintz out onto a towel. Repeat with with remaining batter and pats of butter.
To make the filling, mix together all the filling ingredients in a large bowl. To make the sauce, put all ingredients in a sauce pan, partially cover and cook over med heat until thicken. Stir occasionally. Do not boil hard, just simmer. This may take about 30 minutes to thicken. Serve warm over blintzes.
To assemble, place 1 blintz on a work surface and place 1 tablespoon on top. Fold envelope style and roll up. Continue with remaining blintzes and filling. Fry filled blintzes in butter until golden brown. Serve with Blueberry sauce and top with sour cream.
After your walk you think, What am I going to do with all these treasures? Started a big pot of soup on the stove and figure out what you are going to do with all this stuff? Consider setting out simple ceramic or wooden bowls lined with a pretty cloth napkin or scrap, and fill with some of your goods. Texture abounds with natural elements, and will warm up a table scape, a coffee table, a fireplace hearth. Try getting out the hot glue gun and affixing your items to the candles you packed away at last spring. Small glass jars make great votive holders when dressed up with a few pressed leaves and acorns. Fill a bowl or plate with goodies around large pillar candles and use as a centerpiece. If you can’t find enough natural material near your home, check out the bulk grain section at your supermarket. Fall is about harvest, so any grain can be used to add that element to your home. Even cracked corn meant for the bird feeder can look great in a jar as a base for a candle.
Incorporate the elemental colors from Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. Nature inspires the most beautiful colors! Colors reflecting Air will make your home breathe and fell clean. Earth inspired colors will ground and peaceful a room. Colors pulling from Water inspire playful fun and yet calming at the same time. Those reflecting Fire will say bold confidence and create excitement. Using a nature inspired decor will create a cohesive theme for the house and make finding and purchasing items simpler and less expensive. Finding a color theme that works through an entire house can be a challenge, but there are a number of basic autumn colors that work in most rooms of your home.
Display fall flowers, pumpkins and gourds throughout the house, as well. These seasonal touches of wildlife and agriculture will add a beautiful touch of the outdoors to the inside of any house. Additionally, autumn flowers can be dried and displayed well into the fall season as a potpourri. Fall is full of rich colors, aromas, and textures. You will not have to look very far to come up with your own unique ideas, but here are a few to get you started. Of course, we always think of pumpkins when fall arrives, but there are also a plethora of gourds and squash abounding as well. Some strategically placed gourds can bring those autumn tones into your home with very little effort. Another idea is to make a pretty centerpiece arrangement using hay, dried corn cobs, and colorful fall leaves. Keep these items looking fresh by spraying them with a clear coat of shellac and they will last all season.
nuts and/or dried fruits. Choose different shapes, sizes, and textures for a unique arrangement. After pouring in the first layers of beans and lentils, place a pillar candle in the middle of the vase so that the wick is at just about the same height as the rim of the vase. This simple display is reminiscent of traditional cornucopias, but it’s a bit more modern and will last an entire season.
Use mini pumpkins as candle holders. Using a sharp knife, cut off the pumpkin stems so the tops are flat. Hold a taper candle to the top of the pumpkin and trace around the base with a pencil. Trace the circle and cut out a hole that is half an inch or so deep (deep enough so that the candle will be steady). Place the candle into the hole and it should be kept in place. Run a few them down the length of a table. For an elegant take on this look try spray-painting the pumpkins all one color. (Always use caution when decorating with lit candles.)
The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding of the shofar, the ram’s horn. The shofar is sounded on both days of Rosh Hashanah (unless the first day of the holiday falls on Shabbat, in which case we only sound the shofar on the second day). The sounding of the shofar represents, among other things, the trumpet blast of a people’s coronation of their king. The cry of the shofar is also a call to repentance; for Rosh Hashanah is also the anniversary of man’s first sin and his repentance thereof, and serves as the first of the “Ten Days of Repentance” which will culminate in 
“Barukh atah Adonai, Elohaynu, melekh ha-olam, borei p?riy ha-gafen.”"Barukh atah Adonai, Elohaynu, melekh ha-olam, asher bachar banu mee-kol am, v’rom’manu mee-kol lashon v’kee’d’shanu b’meetzvotav, va-teeten lanu, Adonai Elohaynu, b’ahavah et yom [ha-shabbat ha-zeh v'et yom] ha-zikkaron ha-zeh, yom zikhron t’ruah b’b'ahavah [b'ahava] meekra kodesh, zeicher leetzeeyat meetz’rayeem, kiy vanu vacharta v?otanu qidashta mikol ha?amiym, u’d'var’kha emet v’qayam la’ad.”
The first day of Rosh Hashanah (or the second day if the holiday begins on Shabbat) includes the tashlikh ceremony, in which we symbolically toss away our sins by throwing bread crumbs into a body of running water. To make this ritual more concrete, you might help your children to make a list beforehand of the things they want to throw away. As part of tashlikh, you can throw this piece of paper in the trash (not in the water, where the paper will just be a pollutant.) You can also turn the preparation for tashlikh into an art project. Children can paint, with watercolors, what they wish to get rid of in the coming year. When you float the drawings in water, these unwanted habits will magically disappear.
cloth. Round Challahs are even better (to symbolize a perfect, cyclical year to come), and Challah with raisins are sometimes used for added sweetness. One of the things found on almost every Rosh Hashanah table are apples cut into slices and honey. It is customery to eat a slice of apple dipped in honey, and recite two blessings while doing so. Sweet chestnuts are New Year’s food for Jews from Transylvania, who eat them when reciting the Shehecheyanu, the prayer for new fruits at Rosh Hashanah. Black-eyed peas probably arrived in ancient Judea from China via the Silk Route, and consuming them on Rosh Hashanah is a Middle Eastern tradition dating back to the Talmud.
outdoor decor. Cattails can be grouped together in a tall flower pot, or tied with a ribbon and laid on a ground. 
Using different Feng Shui design ideas one can transform a dark, dreary corner to a well-lit corner that is full of life and vitality. Shining a light up through a palm plant makes the light dance on the walls and ceiling making wonderful designs.
part of your house or the problem areas to encourage the optimal flow of Chi. While experimenting with the Feng Shui design ideas, as stated above, instead of using the Feng Shui design in the whole house , it is best to target particular problem areas first and then move systematically from room to room as a means of improving Chi flow in all parts of your living space.
Josef Frank was a renowned and prominent Austrian-Swedish architect and designer. Because of Swedens architecture and design, the artist stood out as the father of modern art in Scandinavia. It was in the Swedish soil where Josef was able to excel in the art world while working for Svenskt Tenn, the textile company that has created many designs that made him win the title of father of modern art.
that emerged in 1930s and was widely admired in the decades following the Second World War. Educated in Vienna he worked on architecture and interiors and after the war he entered academic life, becoming Professor of Building Design at the Wiener Kunstgewerbeschule in 1919, a post he held until 1925. From 1921 to 1924 he worked alongside Peter Behrens, Josef Hoffmann, Oskar Straad, and Oskar Wlach on the design of Viennese apartment buildings and, in the following year, founded the Haus und Garten interior design firm.But Frank fell from grace when he emerged as a forceful critic of the extremes of modern architecture and design during the early 1930s. Dismissing the demands for a unified modern style, Frank insisted that it was pluralism, not uniformity, that most characterized life in the new machine age. He called instead for a more humane modernism, one that responded to people’s everyday needs and left room for sentimentality and historical influences.
In 1932 he made contact with Estrid Ericson, the founder of Stockholm furnishings firm Svenskt Tenn, and two years later emigrated to Sweden where he would work as a chief designer for the company until his death 33 years later. His work came to define Swedish (or Scandinavian) modern design, producing colorful, cozy, and eclectic designs that provided a refreshing alternative to the architectural mainstream of the day and presaged the coming revolt against modernism in the 1960s. 
Abrahamszoon Massa
thermostat at a lower setting that will force your system to work harder. Worse yet, it’s easy to forget to turn it back up. Stick with the warmest setting you can tolerate, and try other stay cool ideas.
rod and the wall is covered, or hot air will rise through the gap. It’s possible to buy curtains and shades with thermal ratings, so shop around or make your own. Window coverings have the added benefit of keeping heat from radiating outward during the winter. Shutters are a wonderful option as in indoor window treatment.
is around.
Cook outdoors. Grilling is a classic summer pastime. Best of all, it keeps heat outside. Of course, you want to minimize the environmental impact of outdoor cooking so don’t use chemical fire starters.
Spend more time outdoors or away from home. A trip to the woods will be cooler and a walk is great exercise. Visit a friend and enjoy their air conditioning too? A little window shopping never hurt anyone, and it’s likely there are several ice cold destinations within walking distance or a short bicycle ride from your home. While eating out is a luxury for a lot of people these days, blowing a couple hours with a frosty drink and a book someplace cool isn’t a bad way to spend a sweltering summer afternoon.
rates to their customers. Take advantage of these. In any event, even a properly vented clothes dryer radiates heat. Restrict its use to the coolest part of the day. Wherever possible, line dry clothes. It worked for our parents’ generation, and it will work for ours. A simple line between two sturdy supports will do, and umbrella-style clothes lines are an affordable investment. Line drying is more of a challenge for apartment dwellers. You may be able to get away with a small line on a porch — check your lease terms. It’s also possible to dry indoors, and there are many retractable lines and racks made just for that purpose. Indoor drying may be the best choice if your area is dusty, or if you happen to be particularly susceptible to outdoor allergens.
