The View from Under the Covering
Amazing! I’ve had my blog here at WordPress.com for almost 6 weeks and received over 5,200 hits!
You ladies (and gentlemen, perhaps?) have been terrific in commenting and asking questions. Thank you for encouraging my wobbly blogging steps. Continue to let me know what you’d like to read or see on my blog. I’ve got dozens of posts in my brain. 
Maybe one of them is on a subject you want.
Its Friday and dear husband is home, time to go relax!
My blogging will be light this weekend until at least Tuesday. I have a midterm exam in Microeconomics on Monday and other weekend busyness. Here are some links to read and consider:
A long article about the hijab controversy in Europe and North America. [I do not necessarily agree with their slant and with the certain cases they have singled out as examples. Still, it gives a basic overview of this issue.]
Cannot tell this person’s theology, but they did include a lengthy article defending the HC.
A Messianic Jewish perspective
A pictorial guide to Western women’s covering. (Posted this twice?…you can enjoy it again:)
On Headcoverings from Thou and Thou Only. Excellent Read!!
And that’s all I’ve come up with today. Any other articles you would like to recommend?
I’ve been without chocolate for nearly 72 hours now…and I’m feeling remarkably well. 
Jeff announced after our final meal out for the Birthday-Weekend on last Sunday night that we are were going on a diet! He said he needed to lose some of his, ahem, love handles. He said it, I didn’t. One of my goals for the 1001 days challenge is to get rid of some extra body fat I’ve accumulated. That is hard to do if you sit at a computer for 8 + hours a day!
The secret, I’ve found, is to cut out the junk and watch portions. I also don’t like to ponder and plan too much what I have to eat all the time. My solution for work lunches this week has been a “health soup.” Low-fat and fills me up!
Lentil “Diet Soup” Stew
2 cups regular lentils, picked over and rinsed. Two or three carrots, chopped. 2 stalks celery, chopped. Half onion, diced. Two Potatoes, chopped up in bite-sizes.Two good-sized cloves garlic. 1 can crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce (15 oz). Olive oil. Balsamic Vinegar. Salt and Pepper.
Cover lentils in a few inches of water and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring, skimming and adding water as necessary. Add veggies, garlic, and 0nion. Simmer for another 20-30 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons of Olive Oil, a good few dashes of Balsamic Vinegar, S&P, and tomatoes. Stir and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with crackers or fresh bread.
Lentils are easier to digest than beans and cook faster, too. This cook time is longer to increase the thickness of the stew. The “earthiness” of the lentils may take a while to get used to. You can spice this up with Tabasco.
This quote is from Good Manners in A Nut Shell by Sally (Hines) Bradbeary, published date: 1941,
Q: Would a person be considered impolite to refuse to conform with conventions in whatever place or country he is visiting or living?
A: Yes! There is nobody more displeasing than a person who is obstinate in his conduct and not willing to change his ways just because the conventions of a community are not the practices he has been used to. One is always conspicuous who appears indifferent toward observing local customs, and his friends are ashamed of him. Convention has to do with a situation like the following: In Mexico when the women attend church at the old cathedrals, they always have their heads covered; but numbers of foreign women wander through the chapels and the churches hatless. This is thoughtless, of course, but certainly shows lack of respect for the natives and their religion.
….Observing conventions and rules of etiquette makes one a pleasant and polite person.
The author clearly shows the contemporary practice of Hat=Covering. The Mexican ladies probably wore lace mantillas or some other fabric covering, like their shawls pulled up over their heads. (Or perhaps, the higher class ladies wore hats, too?)
Another cultural aspect of the quote is pointing out the dichotomy tourists make between destination and actual place where people live. If the same foreign women had gone to church in the U.S. or Europe, they would most likely have worn their hats. An old cathedral in Mexico is a destination, a stop along the tour, not a sacred place where real people worship God.
The last veils I have to show you from my collection are my kerchiefs. The first one I ordered from She Maketh Herself Coverings a couple of years ago. This is the “Bush Veiling” or Dutch Cap which is a popular style for them to sell. It is made out of ivory eyelet fabric with a small lace trim.
You can’t see much from the front.
From the Back. The kerchief doesn’t come with snaps or anything to hold it underneath my hair. I’ve just been using a small safety pin. My hair is in a ponytail again and two clippies hold the kerchief on my head at the sides. [I will take more photos later to show what the kerchiefs look like laying out flat.]
The following kerchief I traced from the Dutch Cap but made a little longer in the back. I used some leftover soft poly cotton fabric from my stash. I sewed a rolled edge all the way around instead of using lace. This gives a slight ripple effect to the edge of the fabric.
I wear the kerchiefs most often these days because of the heat. Plus, they tend to be less “shocking” to the sensibilities of others. The Cap makes folks drop their coffee or stare in traffic and miss their turn. I’m serious! If I would be lead to adopt the Plain life-path, this wouldn’t deter me but for now, I’d rather just be more low-key.
The NPR station made an announcement a little while ago for all Lawton residents to “voluntarily” boil their water. The eastern part of town has been having water main difficulties and with the heavy rain, I guess they aren’t too sure about the rest of the supply.
Hmmmm…..so, I sit here thinking like Hamlet….to Boil or not to Boil, that is the question. Whether tis nobler to chance the putrid waters or seek safety in the witch’s cauldron true…
I think the voluntary boil order is hilarious…come on, people, its like the President saying there won’t be a shortage of gasoline. Everyone is going to buy up gasoline(bottled water) and there will be a shortage. Just tell us to boil it and be done with it!
Inspired from the Tznius.com scarves, I made a couple scarves of my own. I prefer 100% cotton voile, which can be difficult to find in fabric stores. Farmhouse Fabrics carries a selection of voiles and bastiste for heirloom sewing that might work for scarves.
To make my scarves, I cut a 45 inch (or however wide the fabric is) square. To get a perfect cut from the store, I ask for 1 1/4 yards. Then I cut it in half across the diagonal to make two triangles. Hem the raw edges (a narrow rolled edge works) and you have a light-weight scarf!
Sometimes I forget I’m wearing this one because it is so light! Perfect for these hot, muggy summers. I have some more fabric waiting to be cut up and hemmed. Stay tunned for more scarf fun. Cara Michele asked for tying directions. Sounds like a great project for this weekend!
Color, color, color! I love color! Next in the line up for my photo journal tour are headscarves. I purchased them from Tznius.com about four years ago when I was first considering headcovering. The company sells Jewish modest clothing, including some awesome fashionable (and practical) skirts! I am warning you to hide your plastic before visiting their site or else you’ll click-click and buy oodles of lovely stuff.
This is a plain cotton square scarf tied in the Classic style. I like this tie the best. The color is actually a dark lilac but comes across blue on some screens (sorry!) The fabric is satiny smooth and light as a feather.
This is how it looks from the back. My hair is in a ponytail, hanging free underneath the scarf.
I also like to tuck up the length in the back under the main knot. I own another cotton scarf in dark brown.
This rectangular scarf is Jeff’s favorite. It is rayon with small fringes at each end. I tied it in the Crown style.
And from the back. You can see that my hair fits into a pocket. It takes a little fussing to get it to stay.
A little tip if you purchase a scarf from Tznius.com:
Handwash each scarf separately several times. The dyes released heavily from my scarves but was no fading in the fabric. Perhaps they’ve fixed this issue since then. Just in case…
[Fixed, thanks for the tips! I was trying to upload too many photos at once. I guess that means everyone gets more posts to read!]
I’ve been trying most of the evening to post my next installment of photos but it seems to go kablooey every time I try to upload from Windows Live Writer.
I got it to upload…then no photos. Urrgghh!!
I’ll get it eventually…
Jeff taught me how to play Rummy on Saturday night. That was fun! I had beginner’s luck in the first hand, beating him 95-65. We played best out of three and he ended up winning. Ahh, well, you can only do so much!
As part of my Birthday-weekend celebrations, Jeff took me out for an honest-to-goodness picnic, with basket and cloth napkins. We drove out to the Wildlife Refuge, got set up, started to eat and then we hear thunder. It was a 5 minute picnic! He felt so bad that we didn’t get the full experience. I guess we’ll have to try again.;)
We had a great time together this weekend. I am one truly blessed woman to have Jeff in my life!
