Little Blessings

This week's prep day was really hard for us. It felt like we'd never get there. It was just one thing after the other and everyone was stressed out. I had a doctor's appointment which totally put a kink in our plans, and then when I got home I had forgotten to stop at the store! 

I so wanted this shabbat to be special. Our last few have been a bit rough and didn't go as we had hoped. We weren't getting the full shalom of Elohim's presence! Thankfully it's not up to us to make shabbat holy, but we do need to fully enter into His rest. 

In spite of all of the struggles I was determined to make sure that we fully opened ourselves up to welcome the Divine. So as my hubby ran out to grab a few things I set the table and lit the candles. I even let each of my girls light their own candles for the first time. Then we sang L'cha Dodi and the girls danced around the kitchen. 

Once my husband came home it was time for kiddush and the blessings. But before he started he gave another attempt at blowing our shofar. In the past he had not been able to get any sounds out of it. It always sounded like he was just blowing air through a tube. He's practiced and practiced but still he wasn't able to get it. So much so that he wasn't even really interested in trying to blow it for real tonight. But with a little prompting he gave it another shot. 

At first it just sounded like air. But then it happened. The most beautiful sound came out of it, he finally did it! We were all so excited and it just felt like the most perfect start to having a wonderful shabbat. After that my hubby proceeded to bless us all and it was exactly what we had hoped for. 

Sometimes in life we just need those little blessings. Those things that happen and let us know that we are not forgotten. That Abba hears our cries, and knows our hearts. When we delight ourselves in the Most High then He is faithful to give us the desires of our heart. {Psalm 37:4}

Press on and faint not my friends. Look for the little blessings and be renewed in His strength! 

For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. -2 Corinthians 4:16

Are you salty?

Have you ever read the verse that talks about unsalty salt? 

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. -Matthew 5:13

This verse always seemed weird to me. Maybe it's just me but I've never had unsalty salt. So it just didn't make sense to me. But recently I needed to buy some sea salt. I normally just use regular table salt, but for what ever reason this time I needed sea salt.

That sea salt made my table salt seem very unsalty! I was so shocked. On the container it said to just use the same amount you would table salt. But when I did the results were barely edible! My container of table salt had lost it's savour! Whoa!

I'd love to say I'm like super spiritual and that my mind immediately went to that verse. But nope... It was well over a month later while I was cooking dinner that the Lord brought this concept to my mind. It was almost like the Lord was saying "how salty are you Tewauna?" 

I've never really thought about it before. I just took for granted that I'm to be "salt and light". I never took into consideration my saltiness. But that is something that matters! So how do we maintain our saltiness? If we keep reading we see in verse 16 that we need to "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

So that's the ticket! Good works. Doing what's right. OBEDIENCE! It never ceases to amaze me how often that is the answer. If we simply obey what the Lord says, no matter what we think or what people say, then we can continue to useful. But when we disobey we become "good for nothing". I don't want that to be me! How about you? 

What area in your life is the Lord calling you to surrender, or die to self? 

This is what it's all about!

Painting by Urban Renaissance

Today it was another day like before. We were doing a good job of sticking to our schedule and getting everything done. I was working through school work and we started doing our devotional. It was on Revelations 21:1-7 

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."

So naturally from there we talked about salvation and how our sins keep us away from God, but that Yeshua {Jesus} came to take away our sins so that we could be with God. Well my 4 year old (she'll be 5 next month) looked at me with so much remorse in her eyes and said "I want Jesus to forgive my sins so I can be with God". 

I asked her about her sins, and she told me what they were. Not obeying, pushing her sister, etc. Then I asked her if she deserved to be away from God and I could see that it hurt her to say yes. You could see her getting it but she just didn't want to say it. Who does? That moment when you realize that you are a sinner in need of a Savior is hard for even grown ups! Finally she said "yes, I deserve to be away from God" quickly adding "but I don't want to be". She even asked me if she could pray and ask Jesus to take her sins away. I told her we'd talk about it later. 

There have been times in the past where I thought she got it. But not like this. This time it brought tears to my eyes! I had to walk away. I sent a quick message to a friend seeing if she also came to the same conclusion that I did. My friend agreed that she seemed ready. So I decided I'd talk to my hubby about it and let him handle it. In the past I've said it to him and he's said she's too young. Just let the thought stay with her. But in my heart I've always though back to Matthew 18 "... Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

When my husband came home for lunch I pulled him aside and told him what had happened. I was holding back tears as I recalled the look on our daughters face. I KNOW she understood, and she was serious. This time he agreed with me. based off of what I told him there was no denying it. So he said he'd pray about it and talk to her in the evening. 

After dinner he sat down with her and asked her about her day. She told him all the things she learned and what she thought was most exciting. Then he asked her about our Bible lesson today. She said "oh yea, we talked about Jesus and how he takes our sins away". Then with a little bit of frustration in her voice she added "I wanted to pray but mom told me we'd talk about it later". I didn't even think waiting would matter to her. But clearly it did. He then told her a little bit of his testimony. I sat there listening from the other room just in awe of the situation and how my prayers for my children to know the Lord from a young age were being answered. As he continued on she said "daddy, I really want to pray. I want Jesus to take my sins away." There was no stopping her. 

I sat there and listened as they prayed together, and my sweet little girl asked for Jesus to enter her heart. When they were finished she was beaming! I came in the room and she said "Mommy I prayed and Jesus took my sins away!" She was just so happy. I reminded her that it doesn't mean she'll be perfect now, but that when she messes up she still need to pray. She nodded her head in agreement and just continued smiling at me. 

In that moment I was just so humbled. If you asked me a week ago about the spiritual state of my children I would have told you I was failing. I would have told you that we try but I don't think it's sinking in. They fight, they fuss, I'm still working on first time obedience, and it's hard. But then when I least expect it, the Lord answers one of my hearts deepest desires! It's not about me. I am always going to fall short, but He is faithful! 

I know that as the years go by she will question her choice. Maybe she'll even want to rededicate herself to the Lord. But right now because of her child like faith and her heart being open to hear from the Lord, her name is written in the Lamb's book of life! No matter what may come her way that won't change, because of that not only am I rejoicing, but so are the angels!

Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. -Luke 15:10

if you'd like to know more about what it takes to be saved please go here

When you're loosing the fight...

I'm the type of person that looks at child rearing as bringing up soldiers for the Lord. Not in a militant and aggressive type of way, but rather that my goal is to train my children to love and serve the Lord. That means I'm in a battle with the enemy. Because his goal is the exact opposite. His goal is that my children would instead only love themselves and seek to serve themselves, which in turn would leave them enslaved to him. 

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? -Romans 6:16

You see our selfish fleshly desires lead us into bondage. How can I set my children up for that? Of course I must fight for them to be free.  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. {Romans 8:6} But when I slack off then I am failing. Which means I'm loosing the fight! That is a scary and sobering thought, and that's precisely where I have been! I mentioned before that I was struggling to get things together since the move and unfortunately it's been really hard on everyone. But what do you do when you're loosing the fight???? YOU PUT ON YOUR ARMOUR AND STAND! 

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints... -Ephesians 6:11-18

This past week as we celebrated the feast of Sukkot, or Tabernacles, {Leviticus 23:34-36} the Lord really dealt with me. He showed me where I was failing, why I was failing, and how to fix it. So I started this week with a new resolve! Determined to get back any ground that I had given over I made a plan of action. I know that this plan is only doable in His strength because I was seriously slacking before. Not only that, we have a baby coming! Once the baby is born if I don't have a grip on things I'll be drowning even more! Which is something I most certainly don't want. 

So starting today we've starting a new schedule, that gives us goals for the day. Having a goal gives you purpose, and direction. The other thing I'm doing is making sure that I have a quiet time with the Lord TWICE a day. I know for most moms getting it in once seems like a miracle. But I'm a firm believer that we make time for what we want. So I found the time to read my Bible and get alone with the Lord. It's not always easy and sometimes it literally feels like a fight! But I need it, so I do it. That truly is the key to me being successful at training up my children, and loving my husband. 

That is my game plan and today it has gone smoothly. We may not have done everything exactly on time, but we got everything accomplished! I'm choosing to stand, and fight back, that's what you do when you're loosing!


Until next time, be strong in the Lord!

Life and all that comes with it...

Painting by Carol Marine

Well I have just been an awful blogger lately! Sorry about that. Life just seems to be a little crazy. Between pregnancy brain, low iron, and training up two young ladies, life can kind of get a little hectic.

Seems like try as we might we just haven't been able to get our acts together since the move. I don't know if it's the pregnancy, or just a normal readjustment period, because this is our first move as a family. But I'm looking forward to getting it all figured out as we move forward. 

We've started homeschooling which has been going well. I'm using Easy Peasy Homeschool because it's a free curriculum. Yay free! But with all the excitement from the fall feasts we haven't been very consistent. I think as they girls get older that I'll start after the Holy Days, or something. We'll see.

Along with struggling to just get back into a routine I've been struggling to get back into having my own quiet time with the Lord. Which is MUCH needed. I've been reading but it's not the same as that consistent uninterrupted time with Him. As a mom (really just as a Christian in general) that time is so important. This life is SO hard to do on your own. I remember seeing a tweet once that said:
"note to self, don't try to do life with out God." How true it that! We just absolutely need Him. 

So my goal is to have two quiet times a day! At first I thought that was aiming too high, but then I thought about it. I spend far too much time on facebook, reading blogs, and watching netflix. If I go to bed earlier I can get in some Bible time at night. Then if I'm going to bed earlier, I will be able to get up earlier and I'll have Bible time then as well! Hopefully this works, but if not, I'll be happy to at least get in one of those times. I'm hoping to make this a new part of my life, not just something I do for this season. Two Bible times just sounds so amazing, and the more we are in the Word the more we get to know Him! I want to be so close to my Abba that you can't meet me, with out meeting Him! 

This is the heart of our family, and what we want for our home. So we're FINALLY getting around to putting up some Bible verses! Having scripture on the wall just reminds us through the day of why we do what we do, and Who we serve. 

As of now the only one that is up is in our bedroom. We figured that's the best place to start, since it all starts with us. So now when we wake up the first thing we see in the morning is: "Arise therefore, and be doing, and the Lord be with thee." This is from 1 chronicles 22:16b, it has to do with getting the Temple built, but it spoke to us. We have so much to "be doing" and this is a constant reminder to do it, and to make sure we keep the right focus. We're planning to put more up in every room, but since my hubby is hand paining them it's going to take some time. I'll share once it's all done. 

I think that about covers everything for right now, so I'll leave you with a little bit of exciting news. I had an ultrasound and we know the baby's gender. We're having a... BOY! My hubby is over the moon, and we're all just so excited to meet the newest addition to our family! 

Until next time, be strong in the Lord!

Hello Second Trimester!

Well it is official! I am no longer in the first trimester! I am now 15 weeks along, and feeling so much better. Only I'm extremely hungry, but that's better than not keeping anything down! I'm also dealing with some iron issues, that I plan to treat with yellowdock root. I'll post more on that once I start using it. 

In addition to feeling better, I'm also finally able to read again with out feeling like the whole room is spinning! So I'm pretty excited to start tackling some of my pregnancy reading.

Another thing I'm planning to do is adopt the custom of reciting Tehillim {Psalms} during the rest of my pregnancy. The custom is to recite either all of the tehillim in a month, or all of the tehillim in a week. But I'm just going to recite the ones that are recommended for pregnant women. Which are tehillim 1, 4, 5, 8, 20, 35, 57, 93, and 108. My hope is that in reciting these daily I will begin to memorize them and use them for comfort during my delivery.

When I gave birth to my youngest I was praying the entire time. I didn't have much scripture memorized so I was just praying and calling on what I knew. But this time I'd like to be more prepared spiritually. It wasn't really until the end of my last pregnancy that I started to think of it as a spiritual experience. But really birth is Holy. All of pregnancy is. When else to we get to partner with YHVH in preforming a miracle? Normally He just does amazing things for us. But with pregnancy and childbirth there is work involved for us. It's nothing short of amazing.

For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. -Tehilim 139:13-14

Keeping Kosher

I will be the first to tell you that to eat Biblically clean you DO NOT have to buy everything kosher. In fact if you know what you're looking for, and you do most of your cooking from scratch you can completely avoid hechshers {the symbols on food that tell you if they are kosher or not}.

But in light of our almost dinner fiasco tonight, we have decided to go kosher. Now of course anything that we know to be clean we will still purchase, like cheese, but we will be making sure that the bulk of our products are hechshered.

So here's what happened. My husband purchased a bottle of sweet and sour sauce that he wanted me to use for dinner. Nothing wrong with that. Well I ended up reading the label, because we have a youngin' with allergies, and guess what I saw? CARMINE. Now if you don't know what carmine is let me just tell you that a it's unclean, and b it's gross. Carmine is a red food coloring that comes from the Cochineal bug, which is a cactus parasite.. Blech! 

Being that so many food additives are derived from rather unsavory sources, and we can't keep up with them all, we've decided to trust those whose job it is to make sure that unclean things do not get into our food. This also means I'll have to start digging into which hechshers are actually good. Because I know some rabbis believe that things that are derived from an unclean source are so far removed from the original source that they can be considered clean. We do not agree with that, nor do most Orthodox Jews, so those are the type of hechshers we will be sticking with. One hechsher that everyone is very familiar with it the OU symbol from the Orthodox Union. That's the most common one, but as I study things out I will share the other ones that I find to be valid. 

In the mean time while you're trying to figure things out READ READ READ those labels! Even if you don't keep kosher do you really want to eat a bug, just to make your food red? 

This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth: To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten. -Leviticus 11:46-47

Do and Be

I find myself often thinking of the things I'd like to do and be. I'd like to volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center. Because my life story isn't much different than theirs. Only, I went from a sinner dead in my sins, to a sinner saved by grace. I can tell them of the pit that Yeshua lifted me from and the love He has for them.

 I'd like to write a book. I could fill volumes on my life, and the pains I've seen. Or I could write about all the things that I sought to mask my inner hurts. Until finally finding the Redeemer of my Soul.

I'd love to be a doula. Because every miracle starts with birth. To be able to hold a mother's hand as she prepares to take part in the only way Elohim created for more Adams and Eves to enter the world. It's like a little piece of heaven on earth.

 But when I get lost in my dreams of doing and being I have to remind myself that I am doing and being exactly what Elohim has called me to. That outside of this role I'm in rebellion to my Creator. He has blessed me with a husband and children, and if He has blessed you also then this is where your miracle starts.

 So mother, be and do motherhood. It's not the end of your story but the beginning. With the birth of your first child your life is forever changed and the doing and being will not stop. It may look different than in your dreams. But that's because it's better than anything you could of ever imagined. The days are hard, and the nights are long. But when your children rise up and call you blessed, you'll be glad that you invested the time to do and be a mother.


 

Giants in The Faith

We all have them. People we absolutely look up to as the ideal Titus 2 or Proverbs 31 woman. But it's all to easy to get a little distracted by their "greatness".

I was reflecting on this while I was washing dishes the other night. I started thinking about this lady who I think is just so amazingly awesome. I was reflecting on how well her children have turned out and just the blessings that have been heaped upon her family. Which led to me kind of beating myself up a little. But then a thought came to me. A thought that was clearly from Abba because I was well down the road to self pity! 

What exactly has she done? In her younger years while she was still in the stage that I am in she just did what YHVH called her to do. She loved her husband and her children. She did the same things every day and put in the work to train up her children in the way they should go. 

We all have probably been guilty of putting people on a much higher pedestal than they deserve. I'm pretty sure if you asked any one who you look up to about what it is that makes them who they are, they would glorify the Creator. They would tell you how He carried them through when they thought they would just pass out from the weight of life. 

You may look at their husbands and say oh my he's such a great leader, or look at that ministry. But what you don't realize is the time that she spent on her knees to pull that off. No married man can have a successful ministry without the support of his wife. 

Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. -Proverbs 31:23

You may look at her children and say oh my they are so obedient and respectful. But what you didn't see is the HOURS AND HOURS of training that had to take place. Or the moments where that very same woman was about to break down because she thought she couldn't take it another day. Until the Almighty stepped in and gave her strength. 

That same woman that you look at and think I can NEVER be that, did exactly what she was called to do.

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things... -Titus 2:3

She did what YHVH told us would lead to these blessings. I say none of this to take away from these women. Because we NEED them. YHVH tells us that we need the older women to teach the younger. 

That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. -Titus 2:4-5

I say this to encourage you (and me) that it's hard now, and we may feel like we're not accomplishing anything. But if we keep at it then we will see the fruits of our labors. So hang in there and be encouraged, because the best is yet to come. :o)

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. -Glatians 6:9

The Unborn Baby and The Biblical Feasts

Someone posted a video (see below) on facebook about how human gestation correlates to the Biblical feasts. This wasn't a new idea to me as I have read about it in the book, Everything Old is New Again, by Renee Stein.

But no matter how many times I hear about this, I'm still amazed. It is just the most maginificant thing to me. So I thought I would share it with you. This first video is the one I saw on fb. I don't know who the creators of the video are, and I have no affiliation with them. (just for the record)

This next video is the full Zola Levitt message. He goes further into detail about each feast and it's correlation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. -Psalm 13:14

A few updates!

image via google

There were a couple of projects that I mentioned before I disappeared on ya'll, and I just wanted to give some updates.

First is the Bible in 90 days challenge. It went well and the ladies that joined in the facebook group were awesome. I did not finish the plan, as my life kind of got derailed :o) but I did finish the Tanak (Old Testament) so that was pretty exciting. I have now actually read the entire Bible (I have read the NT previously). Not that I plan to stop reading but I think it is an accomplishment to have read the whole Bible. Too many people that profess some type of faith, have not read their whole Bible.

The other thing is my plan to do Trim Healthy Mama. Well obviously since I'm pregnant (YAY!!!) I'm not aiming to loose weight. But I do plan to still implement some of the principles from the book to not gain too much weight. Obviously there won't be any weight loss pictures, but I may give you a few belly shots :o)

Since we're on the topic of pregnancy I might as well share a bit of our plans with you. I am 13 weeks along and this time around we're hoping for a home birth. I'm still in the process of trying to find a midwife, but I have spoken to a few who I think would be good. I'm also planning to approach this pregnancy as natural as possible. In the past when I suffered from hypermesis gravidarum {aka extreme "morning" sickness}, I've taken prescription medication. But this time I have been treating it as naturally as possible. The only unnatural thing I've taken in Benadryl. But even that was limited.

I've been drinking red raspberry leaf tea, using peppermint essential oil, and some homeopathic medications to deal with the nausea and vomiting. Some days have been worse than others but thankfully I should be getting better soon, if my previous pregnancies are any indicator.

I also plan to use herbs to get my iron up. I tend to be anemic in my pregnancies (probably when not pregnant too) so I plan to use the herb Yellow Dock to get in my iron. I'm still trying to figure out all the herbs I want to use for my prenatal tincture, so when I figure that out I will share it. 

Since being nauseous I've had an aversion to reading paper books. I think it's the concentration or something, I don't know. But I LOVE books and reading! So that's been rough. I have a few books I'm planning to read this pregnancy once I can. They are:

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth {re-reading}
The Mother of All Pregnancy Books
The Birth Partner {plan to read with my hubby}
The Nursing Mother's Companion

wish list:
Spiritual Midwifery
Naturally Healthy Pregnancy
Husband-Coached Childbirth

So now you're all caught up :o) I'm really excited about this season of life, and I'm looking forward to sharing about it with you all! 

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven... Ecclesiastes 3:1

Big Changes {Part 2}

If you haven't read part 1 go check that out and then com back to this one :o) 


We started attending our new fellowship full time in February. But then we had to stop because of the car situation. Thankfully though we were still able to listen in and keep up with the studies. It felt like forever that we were with out a car. But really it was like a month and half. 

Once we got a new car, my hubby got a new job, and things started getting back to normal. Then all of a sudden we were presented with an opportunity to move! We had been praying for a long time about moving. We needed more space and our neighborhood was terrible. So when we saw that we could we were so excited. But it had to happen quickly. Which is not always an easy thing, especially when you're pregnant!

SURPRISE! That's change number 3. We're expecting! So not only did we need more space for our family of 4, now we really needed more space since we're adding a fifth member to our family. Isn't it just so amazing how YHVH always answers at the exact right time. 

We are loving our new place. But I'm still not done getting everything set up, as I've been really sick. I'm one of the lucky few who get Hypermesis Gravidarum (aka extreme morning sickness). So I've been kind of out of commission. Which is also part of why I haven't been blogging. But thankfully I am starting to feel better. 

This year has been so full of changes and growth. We've had some set backs, some times of utter confusion, we've lost friends, and we've gained friends. But all in all we have seen YHVH's hand and we have been so blessed! 

I'm looking forward to having people over and being able to open up our home to others. Maybe even host a dinner for one of the feasts! We'll have to see what YHVH allows, but I'm praying that our home will be a blessing to others as well as to us. 

Now you're all caught up on what has been going on and I'm more convinced than ever that when we decide to follow after YHVH and seek His will in our lives, that He will direct our paths! 

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of Elohim, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 

Matthew 6:33

Big Changes {part 1}

Wow, I've been guilty of disappearing for awhile, but this time around was a little excessive! Sorry ya'll! We've had SO much going on that blogging just took a back seat.

This year has been full of ups, downs, twists and turns! Which shouldn't be a shocker since my family and I started the year with this declaration. I mean when you say that you're going to follow YHVH blindly and just go where He leads, you might as well expect some changes.

I've blogged about a bunch of the things that have gone on this year, but there are three big things I haven't shared yet.

The first is that we left our church. This one was HARD. But we sat in service, after service, and listened to our pastor preach on Truth or Tradition. Over, and over, he asked will we stand for God's truth or for our own traditions... Talk about conviction. Now he wasn't talking about Hebrew Roots, but none the less Abba used that to work in our hearts. It was amazing. This same topic was preached on for what felt like forever, and at pretty much every service! I think I felt the itch before my hubby but I just kept quiet and prayed. When I finally asked my hubby if he was making the same connections as I was he said he was. But just wasn't sure what to do. So again I was just quiet and in prayer.

Then one night I was chatting with a dear friend, and telling her how I was feeling. I told her about the messages, how there was no where for us to go, and how lonely I felt. She encouraged me to just wait and pray so I did. Only I didn't have to wait that long. The next day someone sent me a facebook friend request. But I didn't know them. Turns out  she was another believer that was local to me! But she didn't know that because my location isn't on FB. We started chatting about fellowship and when I told her that we didn't go anywhere for our Shabbat fellowship, she invited us to join her family!

My husband is usually VERY hesitant about going to new places, and especially in this situation of going to someone's house, that we had never met. So when I mentioned it to him I was figuring he'd say no. Well surprise, surprise! He said yes! That next Shabbat we head over to meet with her family, and really enjoyed the teaching and fellowship. We then went to church as normal on Sunday. But Sunday night, after the evening service, my hubby was washing dishes and I was sitting in the living room with the girls. All of a sudden he came into the living room and said "we're not going back to the church." I said "ok, like on Wednesday we're not going back?" "No, we're not going back ever."

That was it, no explanation. I didn't know what to think or say. So I didn't say anything. When we discussed it later that evening he told me that he felt YHVH was telling him not to go back. He said he stood there questioning it for a second, and then was just like if this is what I believe YHVH is telling me why am I fighting it. So I said ok, and we agreed to just continue going to our new found Shabbat fellowship.

I don't want to make this post too long, so stay tuned for part 2 :o)

Natural Cleaning

image via google

Since it's almost prep day I thought it would be a good time to update you all on how I've been cleaning without chemicals! :o)

I have 3 items that are pretty much MUST haves. Distilled Vinegar, Peroxide  and Baking Soda. These are the only three items I use for all of my cleaning needs. Aside from washing dishes. For that I use a store bought dish soap. Although I'm thinking of switching to castile soap. 

My multi-purpose cleaner is distilled vinegar, water, and some lemon essential oil. Before I had the oil I would soak citrus peels in a jar of vinegar for 2 weeks, making sure to shake it everyday. Then at the end of 2 weeks I would have a lovely scented vinegar. Once the vinegary smell disappears all that's left is a clean scent. I love doing this and I actually have a jar with lemon peels in my cabinet now. :o)

For mopping I use vinegar and boiling water. I like to use the infused vinegar or add a few drops of essential oil into it. Lavender would be a great one to use. 

In the bathroom I use the baking soda and vinegar. For the toilet I put in some baking soda then pour in some vinegar. After it finishes fizzing I use my brush and scrub a little, then let it sit for a few minutes while I wipe down the rest of the toilet, and flush. For the tub, if it needs to be scrubbed I do baking soda and vinegar, if it just needs to be wiped down I just use my multipurpose cleaner. To get rid of mold and mildew I just spray some diluted peroxide on it and let it sit for a bit (up to an hour). Then I just wipe it away, or depending how bad it is I may need to scrub it a little. 

For those of you like me who like to use things like fabric refresher, I make my own too. In the past I used some fabric softener, water, and baking soda. But we don't use fabric softener anymore because of our youngest's eczema. So I just replaced it with some lavender essential oil! I love it. The scent doesn't last for very long but it leaves the house smelling fresh. 

For spot cleaning on carpets, rugs, or the couch I use peroxide. I just pour it on the spot and then wipe it up after a few minutes. 

For clogged drains, I pour some baking soda down it followed by vinegar and just repeat until it's completely unclogged. 


I think that's everything, but if I forgot one you're curious about just let me know. Shabbat Shalom :o)

SPRING!

I can not believe it is May already! The year is going by so fast. We've been pretty busy around here as my hubby has been back at work for a month.

In the last few weeks the weather has really started to warm up and we've gotten to get out and enjoy creation. This past weekend we went hiking, and then yesterday we went to feed the ducks and saw a swan!

Our hiking trip was rather impromptu. We were hoping to go see a local waterfall but then when we got there we realized we'd have to hike to find it! We never found the waterfall, but we had fun and we'll be going back to hunt for the waterfall again.

 

 

Can you see my hubby sitting out there???

 

Our 4 year old took this picture :o)

Then yesterday I had some errands to run and the girls were being so well behaved I decided to stop at a local spot that is know for having ducks.

 

 

We were blessed by the special treat of also getting to see a swan! The girls were so excited. 

 

 

 

We would've had even more fun, but I got scared of a goose that seemed like he might not like that we were feeding the ducks and not him! lol

 

 

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven... -Ecclesiastes 3:1

I'm THMing it {plus a cheat sheet!}

I mentioned in this weeks Torah Momma Journal that I was starting Trim Healthy Mama and I figured I might as well do an official post for it. It'll be nice to track my progress and I'm sure there are others that this could help. I was hesitant to post a before picture, but I must if I want this to be beneficial soooo we'll get to that eventually lol.

I started the plan on Shabbat (4-13-13) so I'm currently 5 days in. I've seen some amazing success stories and am really motivated to make this work. The program is so much more than another fad diet. It really teaches you about nutrition and how to eat for optimal health. This book is great if you need to loose weight, gain weight, maintain weight, get healthy, or stay healthy. I didn't realize how much havoc I was wreaking on my body, until reading it! Diabetes runs in my family and a I was putting myself at risk for developing it unknowingly. So this book truly is a blessing for me!

I don't want to over load you with information, but I want you to get a feel for the what the plan is. Pretty much it's a low glycemic plan, that helps you understand how your body reacts to food. The book is kind of long (650 pages!) but it's really light hearted and fun. It's like sitting down with the sisters who wrote the book (Serene and Pearl), while they explain how to implement the plan.

Once you get the hang of how you should be eating it's actually really simple to navigate and there are TONS of recipes to get you going. So you're not left floundering in the wilderness trying to figure out what to eat. It's not a shed 30lbs in a month type of plan, so if you're in a hurry to loose weight you might need to readjust your thinking. This is a steady, HEATHY, approach to weight management that you can do happily for the rest of your life.

I think my favorite part about the plan is that I never leave a meal feeling hungry! Plus I get to have dessert when ever I want; and I mean good deserts, like ice cream and cake! It's not about deprivation, but about balance.

Ok well enough of me gushing over this awesome book! Here is my before picture and a link to my cheat sheet! Print it out and put it some place handy, like the fridge :o)

If you want to learn even more you can buy the book, like the facebook fan page, join the facebook group, or join the forum!

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Set-apart Spirit which is in you, which ye have of Elohim, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify Elohim in your body, and in your spirit, which are Elohim's. -1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Torah Momma Journal

 

 

 

What did I…

Offer thanks for?
My family. We've been making a lot of changes lately but we're at peace so life is good. Abba has been richly blessing us!

Accomplish?
I started the Trim Healthy Mama weight loss plan and it's been going well. I was a little nervous at first but it's actually pretty easy and I don't end a meal feeling hungry.

Struggle with?
Allergies! This week has been so rough for me allergy wise :o(

Teach my children?
We are working on our memory verses and lot's of character building.  My oldest is still learning to read but we're taking the approach right now of me reading to her and just getting her familiar with letter sounds. I've tried so many different things and this is what keeps us both from getting stressed out.

Study and learn?
I've been learning about nutrition and health the most lately. Between the THM plan and my herbal pursuits I haven't really been studying anything else.

Laugh about?
My girls have taken to telling knock knock jokes... enough said lol

Pray about?
Being a good wife, and momma. I really struggle but I know that YHVH knew what He was doing when He gave me this family and in His strength I can be who He has called me to be.

What is this week’s Torah portion and what did I learn from it?
Since I'm doing the 90 day plan I don't read the portions. In my plan this week I started reading about Solomon. So far this week I've read 1 Chron 26-29, 2 Chron 1, 1 Kings 1-4, a bunch of psalms including 119, Song of Solomon, and Proverbs 1-24. So I can't even begin to sum it all up but I will say that I am really loving reading in this order. There is so much that you can only see when you understand why certain things were written. You can understand the way the writer was thinking because you know what they were going through. It's awesome.

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I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. -3 John 1:4

 

If you're interested in linking up with TMJ go to Torah Family Living

Messiah Honoring DVDs

 

 

I posted earlier about how we like to watch certain preapproved shows but I realized I didn't mention how we acquire them. Well I recently found this great little gem called Christian Cinemas. They offer thousands of faith centered DVDs to purchase or to rent! We signed up for their rental program and are able to screen any of the DVDs we're interested in before we purchase them. We just started using this resource so we haven't seen very many movies yet, but there are SO many to choose from. They have DVDs that range from comedies to documentaries.

Their DVD rentals usually arrive within 3 days of submitting a request and you can keep them for as long as you like. They have different levels to the plan so you can choose to rent one or more DVDs at a time (they are currently offering a free two week trial). You can also purchase DVDs that you already know your family will love.  

In addition we use Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Instant Video in order to stream things direct. But the amount of faith based movies and shows are very limited.

One of these days I'll post a full list of the movies and shows we've seen but for now I just wanted to tell you about this awesome resource :o)

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes... Psalm 101:3

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