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