Welcome to Home Shalom!

Welcome to Home Shalom and Shalom Farm. We pray your visit here be blessed. We are learning to walk in the Ways (Torah) of our Father YHVH and follow Y'shua, His Messiah until He returns to "set things straight". We call it a "Messi-Life". Our walk is niether tidy and nor perfect, but it is filled with passion, devotion and desire to serve our King. We are learning to be humble servants, and to be good stewards of the things that He has entrusted to us: His Word, Our marriage, our children, our family, our community, our health, and our farm. Hitch your horse and stay a while, our door is always open!



Tuesday, March 20, 2012

For the Love of Popcorn!



I love popcorn! I know it is not an uncommon thing to love popcorn, it is my hope that there are lots of popcorn lovers reading this post! Popcorn is the ultimate fun food. Growing up, we had a GIANT green Tupperware bowl that was THE popcorn bowl. My mom never got fancy with flavors, we were a classic popcorn family...just butter and salt...but it was always SO satisfying! My Grandma (on my dad's side), on the other hand, took popcorn to a whole 'nother level. When we would have popcorn at Grandma's house, she would butter it, but she would bring a tray of mixed seasonings to "flavor it how you like". (I like to think I take after my beloved Grandma!) I wish I could remember the things she had on that tray, but I can not (and she is no longer here to tell me). The only thing I do remember was, "Accent"!! (MSG!!! YIKES!!! That is one thing I will not be offering my family.) Classic butter and salt still holds high honors in my opinion... however, there is so much more that you can do with popcorn! So I thought it would be fun to do a series of posts sharing some of the ways we like to eat popcorn - beyond "the classic". I will be devoting a label in the side bar to "Popcorn" as well as it's own category on the my recipe page, to make popcorn ideas easy to find when you are looking for a little inspiration. If you have an "unconventional" way that you like your popcorn...please please share it in the comments. I would love to hear about it, try it and share it with my readers...as we stand together...for the love of popcorn! :-)

Making Popcorn:
Personally, I prefer my popcorn to be done the old fashioned way, over the stove, coals or fire. Growing up, we used to put it in the dutch oven with a lid and oil and when it got hot, we would just shake it (back and forth) to keep it from burning as it popped. I can here the sound of the pot scraping on the electric burner as I type this!! Then, 'they' come out with Presto air poppers, which were all the rage, so we got one and made it that way. They are handy for kids to use and very fast... and we have one today and we do it both ways. I do find the texture of air popped corn to be...more rubbery/chewing - most people don't notice though. Several years back, I ate microwave popcorn and it is nice because you can have popcorn with no dishes, but I feel I traded food quality, and budget prudence. However, in a pinch...(like a hotel room) I might cave and do it! :-) I haven't owned/used a microwave in about 15 years...so micro popcorn has fallen from my "radar". My favorite way to make popcorn however is with my Back to Basic Stove Top Stainless Steel Popper. It makes 6 Qrts at a time. When I was looking at Amazon to put it in my store, I found another brand (Great Northern)that looked very similar, it is also stainless and appears to have 1/2 qrt more capacity than mine - however it costs a fraction (1/3) of the price less! So I wanted to provide that one in our store too!

Storing Popcorn:
Did you know you could store popped popcorn? I had no idea until about a year or two ago, when I had a hankering to have it available on Shabbat (Sabbath). I like to prepare our food ahead for that day, so I made a big batch and put in in a a 5 gallon bucket (we were here having friends over), sealed with a Gamma Seal lid. It worked wonderfully. A week after I did the same thing again, but forgot about it, until the following Shabbat and it was still fresh and tasty! I think the longest we have kept it so far is about 10-12 days. I assume any airtight container will do the trick. I was so surprised (and pleased) to realize that! I don't know why it was such a surprise to me, 'they' have those holiday popcorn tins with popped popcorn for sale and bagged popcorn in convenience stores... However you see unrefrigerated meet and cheese on the end caps in the grocery stores now-a-days ... So you never what 'they' have done to food for sale to preserve it!!!! (Frightening!) Now I know...that homemade popcorn simply needs an airtight container as soon as it has cooled! (YES!)

Dip it Good:
When I was 20-something living in San Francisco, I had a girlfriend who had a strange thing she liked to do with her popcorn; She liked to dip it in yellow mustard! I thought she was so weird..until I TRIED it. It was delicious (and I never thought myself to be a huge fan of yellow mustard)!! My oldest daughter is hooked now too. We butter and salt the popcorn as usual and just get a little side plate with a blob of mustard and dip a kernel or two in it and eat it with a couple other kernels in hand...try it...tell me what you think..after 15 years...it still rates in my top 5 ways to eat popcorn to date!

A peek at what's to come:
My family and I have gotten excited about a new project we plan to work on together this year. We are going to develop a gourmet popcorn seasoning line to sell in our at farmer's market,co-ops, farm store and online. We are having the hardest time coming up with a name for the line...so we might need you help in that area!! You did such a great job helping us name our store we are hoping the same for our new popcorn seasoning line. :-) I'll get back to you on that...

Friday, March 16, 2012

Kulanu K'echad - All of us as One

Shabbat Shalom Mishpakhote! (Families)

This week I found myself in prayer for YOU while in worship to this song. Yah burdened me for your struggles and made me weep for you. I cried out for you in love and sympathy and in understanding. Then..... it was as if the clouds were cleared and the warmth of His ahava (love) dried up the tears and brought comfort, warmth, security and promise. He made me rejoice in His truth for us all. He reminded me how beautiful His plan for Shabbat (Sabbath) is - that on this day above all other days, we come together as Echued (ONE - unified) in Him. That no matter the storms that we WILL encounter (be they long or short) that He WILL bring us comfort, and provision. His promises stand the test of ALL trials! So lets rejoice together in Him - this Shabbat, every Shabbat and every day...as we live lives of worship together- no matter where we are on this earth!



Song by Ted Pearce
Lyrics:

Kulanu k'echad,
All of us as one

We've come together as One
We've come together in the name of Your Son
And with grateful hearts for all You have done
We come.... and let all who are thirsty come

Come glorify Yeshua, O come magnify the Lamb of God
O Come glorify Yeshua, and let all who are thirsty come!

Father the hour has come
For all the earth to glorify Your Son
And to be sanctified in truth, that we may be as One
And let all who are thirsty come

Much Love,


p.s. In the hopes not to confuse some folks who may be new to the Appointed Times of YHVH (God), Shavout is the 4th/middle feast, which happens 50 days after the day of First Fruits. It usually falls in June. This video just happened to be the best video/dance I found for the song in which Yah met me in prayer this week. :-) These folks used if for their Shavout celebration. :-)

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Betrothal - Life with the Warrens


It is my pleasure to introduce you to the Warren Family. We had the pleasure of meeting this family a couple years ago at Family Week in KY. When I was corresponding with Nancy (Momma Warren), I thought I would put this post in the "hopper" to do "down the line". But as the day unfolded...I found I could not wait to share them with you any longer! :-) They are from Oklahoma and have 4 older children (all pitcured above - with the newest addition to the family!). Even though our personal time with them was brief, it was sweet. This family's light shines bright for Yah. They love Him and live their lives - as sold out servants for Him. I am looking forward and am hopeful that we will get to know them better in the coming years, as they are an inspiration and encouragement to our family. They have raised their children to follow in His ways and their first son has just gotten betrothed this past fall! They have given me permission to share their story with you. If you want to be encouraged and just a peek into another family's life who is "walking" in Yah's Torah as best as they know how, in love and full acceptance Messiah...you might want to "follow" their blog...I do! :-) If you would like to meet them in person - you may be able to find them at Family Week (sponsored by HaYovel) or serving in the vineyards of Israel with HaYovel, or maybe you will see them in OK or in their big 'ol bus passing through your town as they minister (through life) where ever Yah sends them!

Here are Berret and Devin's Betrothal Links:

Bride in the Vineyard! (Or as Heather would say, "the vineyard snatchin'"!) If you are a 'Romantic' you must start the story here and you might want to get the tissues because..your gonna need them! (I did!)

Both Families prepare on the morning of the betrothal.

Pictures of the betrothal! So beautiful!

The young couple's pictures in Jerusalem. No one catches 'New Love' like Heather Meyers!

Agina, be sure to go back and visit their family blog...Life with the Warren Family, as the wedding is coming soon!

I am so blessed by witnessing (and sharing) these people and events with you! Having "come out" of the world and it's belief systems and it's casual approach (and warped views) of the holy covenant of marriage, these examples help us see there is so much more!!! I am soo very encouraged and hopeful for the next generation of young people who are raised in the Scriptures and who are strong enough IN HIM, to live set apart lives right from the start! How blessed they will be - NOT to have to sort through all the pain and damage that comes with the world's ways! Oh...These young people are still human and will have plenty to contend with in life..but they are "light years" ahead of us whom had who had to purge those things in which we adopted/subscribed/lived out...when Young People give their hearts and lives to Yah early on and choose to live for Him - they are a powerful force to reckoned with in the Kingdom of Heaven!!!! I rejoice with dance and singing for the banner of love that Yah has placed over them! May they always stay under it's glorious protection and provision!! May we be encouraged to press into the things that Yah has called us all to do! May we, as mothers and fathers, NEVER FORGET...we are raising Israel!! (YHVH's children)

In Him,

Honey Mustard Chicken ~ To Remember


"Recipes to Remember" is a new series of recipe posts, that are so simple to make, that you can remember them from heart!

Honey Mustard Chicken~ To Remember

1. Put chicken pieces of choice (with or without bones) in a baking dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and curry powder.

2. Make the sauce:
1 part Dijon (Spicy brown) Mustard
1 part Butter
2 parts Honey

(try 1/3 C as your "part" and adjust according to the amount of chicken you want to make)

Put it all in a small saucepan to melt together and mix. Pour over seasoned chicken pieces and bake in a hot oven (450F) for about 30 minutes until done.

Serve with rice (or noodles or other grain). Be sure to pour sauce over rice (Its so yummy!). This is very nice served with a salad or other green veggie. Quick and EASY! It will get raves!

I got this recipes from the For Zion's Sake Cookbook!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Herbal Treatment for Chicken Pox



Late in the day I suspected that Chazaq (my 2yr old) might have gotten chicken pox. At about 2 a.m., he woke, irritated and complaining and still hot. I confirmed my suspicion when he said his tummy hurt, he was still warm and a couple pox have popped out on his tummy and one on his head...hear we go! So I thought I would gather my thoughts here in a post before I lay my head down to sleep (at 4 am!) knowing that when I wake, I will be 'doctor mom'. So I thought I would share my notes with you and make further notes in the comment section of this post (in case you want to subscribe to the comments) as to what I did and its results.

When I treat things herbally, I like to hit it from every angle possible. The pox were no exception to this rule! My strategies: I wanted internal solutions for calming, soothing and building up the internal health/immunity to speed healing and speed the process (it is a very trying, uncomfortable and stressful experience...every moment seems as if it is an hour sometimes)! Calming and soothing nervine herbs that I like to use are catnip, lemon balm, chamomile, passionflower, linden flower and Valerian. Because it is a virus, I want to focus on herbs that are strong anti virals. Some strong anti virals (that I know I have) are Goldenseal, Echinacea, Olive leaf and St John's Wart. I also wanted external solutions to treat the skin's irritation, itching and healing so no scaring would occur and the outbreak would be more tolerable. Infection is a concern here, if pox get opened. So topically, we want to treat with antibacterial herbs, drawing, healing and soothing, anti itch and skin repairing herbs; sandalwood, calendula, chickweed, plantain, lavender, tea tree and oats are good for that. There MAY be a need to manage fevers if they get too high are cause one not sleep. I am generally one who thinks fevers need to run their course - but it is good to be "at the ready" as I always like to say. Boneset, burdock,elderflower and catnip are good at that. (As are cool baths or clothes behind the knees, neck, feet and bends of the arms. I have a good supply of ingredients on hand and would rotate remedies as needed and repeating ones that were most effective. The following suggestions are the remedies other have has success with, so i thought would list those here as well too.

Internal treatments

Tea: (Chazaq LOVES tea!)
1 part calendula
1 part red clover
2 parts oats (milky tops)
2 parts lemon balm
1 part passionflower

Mix together and store in airtight container. 1tsp of mixed herbs to 1C water. Cover while steeping cool and drink as often as possible.

Tinctures/Syrups:

Tincture for itching and rash
2 parts burdock root
1 part echinacea
1 part valerian

( I am assuming you know how to make a tincture. If not - please ask in the comments and I will post it when I can.)

Give 1/8 tsp every 2 hours. Since tinctures take time to make, it you don;t have this premade, you can mix the single premade tincture together (store bought or homemade).

Super Immunity Syrup,
2 parts oat
1 part astragulous root
1 part burdock root
1 part echinacea root and tops
( I am assuming you know how to make a syrup. If not - please ask in the comments and I will post it when I can.)

1 tsp every hour at the on slot of the infection. After the first 24 hours, give 4-6 time daily until symptom are gone.

External Treatments
Powders: Powdered Lavendar and Calendula. Slippery Elm.

Disinfectant Powder
1 oz green clay
1T calendula flowers powder
1T comfrey root powder
1/2T golden seal or olive leaf powder

Sprinkle on sores.

Poultices: Chickweed and/plantain poultices. Calendula and Plantain poultice for swelling redness and fever reduction. Chamomile also good for swelling. Slippery Elm mixed with Calendula flowers. Tumeric Paste to draw and dry.

Infusion Baths:
* Fill a thin cloth bag with oats, calendula flowers and baking soda and put that into the bath. The kids would squeeze the oat milk onto their skin and even rub the bags over the irritated areas. These baths did wonders to relieve the itching and calm the children in another family.

Essential Oils: Lavendar, Tea Tree (Melaleuca) externally on pox or mixed with calamine lotion. (I have had great success with Lavendar, Chamomile, Tea tree for Chiggers, so I would like to see how it does on pox!

This post was shared at Wild Crafting Wednesday .

Monday, March 12, 2012

Help a Sista Out!

The following is a "guest post" by my dear friend Heather. I am hoping you will help support her effort to get the word out about Restoration in the Kingdom! Will you please take a moment to vote (right away)for her so that she may win the contest? She is very close friend and sister to me...many of you have become familiar with her and her beautiful photography. She is passionate and sold out for Yah and His ways! So can you help a sista out? OH...and she too is hosting a "thank you" give away for anyone who votes for her - she is giving away free digital copies of some prints from her time in Israel! If you would like to take advantage of that - go to her website to comment and see the prints. All the info is below. Much Love! p



Heyya!!! Wanted to let you know how to get some FREE Israel fine art prints from Heather Meyers Photography AND help her win a new iPad to be used for our non-profit work in Israel!

THE CONTEST
For this contest (on the PROSPER COMMUNITY) I had to write “I BELIEVE…” with a top and corresponding Scripture that resonated with me. Here’s mine:

MEANING BEHIND MY ENTRY
RESTORATION is so incredibly PERSONAL to me. As you can see in the photo I’m there at 10pm with messy hair and dark circles under my eyes, standing in front of our newly painted camper wall that we live in full time (which until recently was horribly water damaged). Not only do I lean on the Lord restoring small and big things in my life, the greater promises of RESTORATION that fill the Bible center around ISRAEL.

“I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.
I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,”
says the LORD your God.” Amos 9:14-15

This, TOO, is incredibly personal because Me and my husband and two babies have WORKED in vineyards, olive, and pomegranate groves in Israel, where beautiful fruit now flows from what used to be waste places of desert and swamp. We have devoted every essence of our beings in proclaiming the truths of Scripture, and to get people in touch with with this COVENANT LAND OF ISRAEL. (www.meyersgoseek.com)

WHAT YOU CAN DO!
HELP SPREAD THE WORD and share this photo and vote for it here http://theprospercommunity.com/contest.html (I’m #8!!!!), which is helping to launch a new faith-based community of world-wide photographers. The photo with the most votes, come 2pm on THIS Wed March 14th, will be featured as the winner and will be awarded a new IPAD (which will IMMENSELY help in our Israel media communication since our toddler just FRIED one of our two workhorse laptops that are our right arms!) Make this Scripture something that photographers across the world will be reading!!!!!!!!

MOST IMPORTANT ; WHAT YOU GET!
Aaaaaand, you’ re asking so where’s that free stuff I was referencing earlier???? Well, if you want to help me spread the word, I’m GIVING AWAY several High Resolution digital files of my FINE ART Scripture prints from Israel with a printing release! These are just a few of the images featured in my coffee table book ISRAEL A Living Word in a Living Land (and you can always purchase the book HERE if you want to support our work in Israel). (ps -This is kind of special thing – I don’t normally give away my digital files! That shows you HOW BAD we need the iPad!)

You can use these file by getting them printed and framed to grace your walls, or by using them as desktop wallpapers or screensavers -either way you get to keep these beautiful Scriptures somewhere to be reminded of the beauty of Israel and God’s eternal Word!

TO GET YOUR FREE STUFF
1. First go and VOTE HERE; http://theprospercommunity.com/contest.html for #8 Heather Meyers!

2. And then go and SHARE the link to this blog post on Facebook/Twitter/Forums/Blogs.
( You can always post something like “Heather Meyers loves Israel! Get your free Fine Art Scripture Prints and help her win an iPad so she can keep spreadin the word of God’s Eternal Covenants!)

3. For every DIFFERENT place you post you get an additional print!
(If you share on Facebook, you get PRINT#1. If you share on Facebook AND a Forum, you get PRINT#1 & PRINT#2, and so on)

4. Leave a comment in the comment box on my blog http://www.heathermeyers.com/ letting me know you voted and how many places you shared it!
(You’ll get an email from me with your files!)

THE CONTEST ENDS 2PM THIS WEDNESDAY MARCH 14th 2012!!!!!!! (and so does the free files!)

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Our Family Jots and Tittles

Shalom Readers, Family and Friends!

We have had a busy month here on the farm and my "Jots and Tittles" have suffered for it. So I thought I would catch you up on some of the things (list style) that we have been doing in that time. it is our hope to get pictures and post things more fully...but our schedule is not looking anymore light, until oh...say...... THANKSGIVING!!!! So I will do my best. :-)

In the last month-

The Farm: So many projects are getting planned (and replanned and planned again!, as well implemented. (I stick to reviewing things that are currently happening - to keep the post brief).
* We have had Amish help here the past week putting repairing, changing, moving and putting up fencing. We are preparing for more animals this year and "thinking ahead" with fencing to grow into. It requires a lot of capitol investment...and we are thankful to have help with the labor. It will continue into next week. He has doubled our sheep pasture by finishing fencing on the wooded side and adding some gates and repair. Is moving fence across the street to create a couple zones. One for goats (in the woods and brush) and the other for cows. After that we will be building a Turkey run with 6 ft fences and a brooder house...so I am guessing they will be around for a couple more weeks. One of two brothers will be here on any given day. It is neat to watch their methods and tools! They have also been eating lunch with us..which is equally interesting!

* We will be bringing in another team of Amish help (2 men - I believe) this week from the other side of the highway. :-) (Different church/Bishop) They have helped us with other building before. They will be building lean-too's onto the shed for starters.

* We started building our garden with fresh compost and wood chips and our new (used) tractor clutch fried. So that went away to the shop and other things took place and that job sat - started - but unfinished. It is our hope tomorrow to place the rest of the compost we have and order the second load on Monday. The weather is good and we are VERY ready!

* Ben built a couple shelves and made some lighting/heat on the porch for some seed starting and we started some seeds a couple weeks ago. It seems so slow going, but we are sprouting!

* We had added Purple Martin houses to the property in the hopes to attract some to the farm for the first time this year. Ben did his homework and we have learned that they migrate up here from Brazil in March to search out their northern home. When they find it, they come back to it each spring there after. We are hopeful. I hope to post more on this later!

*We have started drawing water from our well and drinking from it. However it is not plumbed into the house/barn yet. We have sent it off the lab for testing (125 things!) and are STILL waiting for the results...but couldn't wait..it tastes great! We pump it by hand. The kids enjoy doing that! We'll keep you updated.

The House: We have finally finished our upstairs! It is so exciting! After 4 weeks of construction...and 2 years of living in a ROUGH second floor - we were able to move the kids upstairs again on Friday. I hope to post more on this too and do a video tour. We still have yet to dig pictures our of storage and the kids are itching to "decorate" there rooms after so long of having an insulation decor over by sheets and plastic! I am so happy to have it done for them. It also means that we have our own bedroom back, we were sharing it with 4 other children and a newt during construction! The children are upsatirs but I am left wiht thie newt. Elijah would like to finds it a new home and I don;t want that home to be my bedroom!! Does anyone want a newt? It comes with a small tank and the fixins/food!! He brought it from PA - it was a wonderful opportunity for animal stewardship when we were on 1 acer. Now that we have expaneded...well, my son is ready to move into larger livestock! :-) (Does Goodwill take Newts??!!) I digress......The recent move upstairs after constrution also means we don't have wall to wall bunch beds in our den any more and that I finally got to CLEAN both of these downstairs rooms which was put off because they we so crammed with furniture and people! The kids were so gracious and patient in the process of their wait for finished bedrooms in the last couple years!

I have been painting trim downstairs and freshing things. I feel like I am doing a very thorough "spring cleaning" this year...there is always MORE I COULD do....but then...i can only do so much right now. :-)

Also - I now have a linen closet!! I am still pinching myself! It is so wonderful! Closets make this momma happy! :-) We still have lots of rearranging to do downstairs and it is a good time of reassessing some things in storage again...we continue to choose and simplify. We keep our local Goodwill and Christian store house in business with donations! :-)

We plot and plan the summer kitchen - which likely have to wait another year - because of the budget. But it might be just as well, because we have moved it about 6 different places in our minds so far! So apparently ...it is a "process" that must be worked out. :-) I think we just came to a really good plan we are ready to settle on though! :-) (just in time to wait!)

We have converted an upright freezer to a fridge and moved it inside. It is so nice to have a FULL size fridge in the kitchen. I am LOVING it. I hope to post more on that later too. :-)

The Livestock: We started butchering our sheep. We have 6 more left, it is our goal to have that finished before our new breed arrives on the 19th.

The rest is plotting and planning still.

The Community: It has been exciting witnessing our friend's betrothal in an up close and personal way. I am helping the groom's mom plan, while he stayed here as a aprt of our house construction crew with other men. It is so neat to watch the (future) groom build his home and call his bridesmaid (out of state) every other night, and write letters on the nights between. His is hard at work building a home for them on the homestead and generating income to provide and communicating with her and planning. Its so romantic! It is neat to hear all the little things he is excited about and his plans for the future and see his attentiveness toward his brides needs. In the midst of his time here he (and other family members back home) broke out with chicken poxs! The betrothal was actually reschedules for that reason. So all that was also exciting. The couple will be officially Betrothed next week here in TN.

It is exciting communicating with dear friends from afar whom are praying about moving into the area and others who have gotten confirmation and ARE. We are so excited to open our home and hearts to others in Yah's family! Now that the kids have moved their closets out of the trailer, we can start setting it up for camping this spring...although it still has their old dressers in there...so we have figure out what to do with them. We have changed the clothes storage in their room to be self contained in the closets (which I LOVE), so now we need to repurpose the furniture or tkae yet another trip to good will! So that is all "unfinished business" that needs to be addressed this week.

Excitement is also mounting as we prepare for the YHVH's Spring Biblical Feasts and time away from the farm as well as company all around that time here on the farm! We are so blessed to have such family in Yah, we love them dearly! We kind of "phoned in" Purim this year. We were hoping to do something grand like we have in years past, but it just wasn't practical. We simply had pizza, popcorn and hametashin, talked about the book of Esther and let the kids watch Esther the Movie (which was recommended by a friend) while Ben and I continued to work on things upstairs to get the rooms ready for the kids to move into.

Health: We were anticipating a chicken pox outbreak in our home by now...but have not yet. We have a few children who have yet to get it and they were well exposed. I have never gotten it either (but have been exposed countless times in my life) so I wonder if they might have some of my "immunity" to it. I think we should know for sure by the end of this week. All is well otherwise. I pray it remains so!

The Chillin's: Hailey (13) is learning to play harp. She just picked it up (it was waiting there for ME to learn!) and just started playing. She has a firm foundation in piano and is picking it up very instinctively. We have a few material to help us and youtube! :-)Elijah (11) is making walking sticks in the hopes that there me a "market place" offered this year at Family Week. He goes into our woods, selects saplings, cuts them, sands them and finishes them and puts little finishing touches on them. He has also Ben dad's Chief helper in Butchering sheep and got a wonderful education in Dry walling and various construction. Naomi (almost 8) is learning to play the piano (with the help of Hailey and Momma) and could sit at it for HOURS on her own accord. She is very self motivated in it...It is very exciting to watch. She has also learned to tell time (and gotten her first watch) and learned how to count money. (Because she is excited about helping momma in (planned) our family store one day.) Gideon (6) has also learned to tell time (basically because Naomi did and he liked the idea of a watch! We will be celebrating his 6th birthday this week. He is also learning to read and pesters to learn Hebrew! The Hebrew is something momma is having a hard time making a regular thing again! He has been inspired by his new bedroom closet and has organized his clothed by color! I would be amazed, astounded and so excited, if this was a lasting thing! Eliana (just turned 5) Is learning the sounds to her letter and how to write them. We have started her in a preschool activity book so she can "do school" like the other kids. She loves it! It is very satisfying for her. She has also learned to ride her bike around our bumpy farm grass. It is so cute to watch because she is so tiny. Just a month ago - Gideon and Naomi would "lap her" as they rode around the house again and again...but NOW she keeps up with them! She is so proud of her self! (as are we!) :-) Chazaq (2) Has developed a love for puzzels, all kinds. He is also a day or two away from bring introduced to his new big-boy-bed in their new bedroom. I am so glad spring is here because He LOVES to be outside and take trips to the barn with the animals. It is need witness him being raised on the farm from the beginning. He has such a strong awareness of where his meat comes from! He loves to visit the animals and take care of them, he has witness the whole butchering process and he loves to eat them too! It is very strange to see such an awareness in a (just)2 year old on such things.

Ben is feeling the pressure to be more active at work from both sides. The structure at work has changed and is tightening his freedom here ont he farm and the farm projects are demanding the resources....He is handling it like a champ - but if he comes to mind, please pray for him. It is a burden that can be great at times.

I have been thinking again an planning my seasoning line, when I can, that is. I have been investigating packaging and tossing names around....it is definitely a process though!

Hailey and I have started soaking our grains more, and are trying to stick to "soaked" breads. Hailey (my chief bread maker) likes making them and we all like eating them, so I think we have a match! It just takes a little change in habits to get it really regular.

Our neighbors has expressed great interest in buying kifer from us on a weekly basis. I think we will start doing that for her and may offer some other products...we'll see.

Sorry no pictures. It is nearing 1 am and I must go to bed - we have a big work day tomorrow.

We have two chapters of Psalm 119 that we have yet to record for you: Would it be ungrateful to ask Yah for a couple more hours in the day???

Its been busy, its been good. It's been real! I Love it! YHVH is so gracious to us!

Monday, March 5, 2012

Winker - Simple Family Games

Winker ( A circle game )

You will need a deck of cards. (Or a sheet of paper and a pencil)*

The object to the game is tp catch "the Winker".

A group of people sit in a circle. (It important to be in a circle for the game to work well.) The dealer, deals the amount of cards that there are people playing, being sure to include one King (only) in the stack. Shuffle and deal one card to each player. The player that receives the King, is the Winker. (The players descreatly look at their card to find out if they are the winker and returns it to the dealer.) The dealer declares, "Whoever's the Winker, better start winking" and the came begins. The Winker tries to wink at players in the circle without anyone seeing him do it, accept for the person being winked at. The player who "receives the wink" does so, very discreatly and without giving away who the Winker is. He says, "I'm out", which reveals that he has been winked at (and they have to keep quite, but catch watch the rest of the round)...if someone witnesses the Winker winking at someone else, he declares it and that round is over. If someone makes a wrong accusation of the Winker, than that accuser is also put out of the game. Laughter is sure to ensue in this game. It is more fun with more people, because it is harder to catch the Winker.

* If you do not have a deak of cards, you could similarly draw folded paper scraps out of a hat/bowl with little sayings on them. ONE will say, "You are the Winker".

To find more games like this, go to our Simple Family Games Page

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Sardines - Simple Family Games

Sardines

Sardines is a variation of Hide and Seek. 1 person hides while everyone else closes their eyes and counts. (We like to count to 60, but that may very based on the space and number people playing.) Then the counters all disperse and try to find the person that is hiding. When they find him, instead of revealing him, you discreatly join him in his hiding spot. As you can imagine, this is how the game gets it's name...it can get pretty cramped when you try hiding several people in one spot (without laughing!). You do this until their is only one person left to find the hiders (sardines), that is the person that hides first in the next round.


For an index of Simple Family Games visit the growing list on my Simple Family Games Page above.



This post was shared at Simple Lives Thursdays

Monday, February 27, 2012

Pancakes to Remember!


Ben is the pancake maker in our home. He has fiddled with the many recipes that I have provided, and in the process of his frustration of "which one to use", he discovered this tasty combination that requires no recipe! He simply, remembers the ratios and applies the increased increments when we have company for breakfast (which often!).

So this is our (generous 3-4 pancakes) per person pancake formula ratio:

1C each of wheat flour and milk
1T each of baking powder and Rapedura (or sugar of choice)
pinch of salt (tiny pinch up to a couple pinches depending on the size of your batch)

Throw it in a bowl, whisk it until smooth and fry it on a hot (coconut) oiled or buttered griddle/skillet.

So easy to remember, right?!! We no longer use make ahead mixes or read a recipe for our pancakes. It is so simple to whip up pancakes from memory in a snap, no matter how many people we have to serve that morning.

This post was shared at the Barn Hop

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Our Little Family Store


We are developing a little family store through Amazon. This is the first step (in many) of creating income that we will use to further the vision that YHVH (God) has put in us for ministry. What is that vision? (In a nut shell...) It is that our farm be a simple place where His people could come to find rest, refuge, resetting and encouragement. So whether they come to stay for a weekend, a week or a season...we want to provide a (FREE) place (or places). We are developing products (Herbal Salves, Remedies, teas and culinary herb and spice mixes to start)that we will make right here on the farm (and we are also going to sell other's products, homestead supplies, faith building resources and family supplies) in a "General Store" here on the farm and online...but for now...we have gathered some things in a little Amazon store that we believe are family enriching resources in the hopes to "prime the pump a little". By purchasing things through our store, it is the same great Amazon service and prices, but we get a small referral for having sent you there. Anything we earn through these Amazon referral purchases will be saved to build our first cottage/cabin on the farm to serve people.

We will be adding items and reviews of those items regularly. If you like this idea, please browse our store to get an idea of what we are caring now and what we hope to add later.

If there is anything you would like to purchase through our store at Amazon which is not listed. PLEASE contact us at Home Shalom and we can pot your item in the store to be purchased.

The store can be found any time up in the tabs at the top of this blog or you can click this link to go there directly and put it in your favorites. :-)

This post was shared at Simple Lives

Monday, February 20, 2012

Matzah Recipes Galore!

The Feast of Matzah is fast approaching and a friend of mine whom we will be spending it with the year (Yah willing), got me all excited about it. :-) So I got the bug to search for fresh recipes....I went a little nutso...I agree....but here is a list if links to recipes for the Feast of Matzah. I thought I would share them, to help spare you the the extra searh time, so you could explore some too, as you may have time in the coming weeks ahead. If you try anything and it's good, let me know, so I can make a note of that!

Matzah Brei seems to be all the rage! :-) You will see several versions in the following links/indexs. You also might consider checking my DIPS. They will go so nicely with Matzah!

Here is a whole website dedicated to Matzah recipes!
http://matzobox.com/recipes

101 things to with matzah!
http://leitesculinaria.com/73985/writings-matzoh-recipes.html

(22)"Passover" recipe collection http://busycooks.about.com/cs/seasonalcooking/a/passoverrecipes.htm

Olive Oil Matzo
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/dining/24minirex.html

(43) "Easy Passover" Recipes
http://www.thekosherchannel.com/easy-passover-recipes.html

Matzo Spanikopita and Mazto Veggie Quisadilla's
http://www.npr.org/programs/watc/recipes/matzo.html

An extensive list of Passover recipes, including videos recipes!
http://kosher4passover.com/recipes.htm

Passover Recipe Index with other "Special Passover links"
http://www.koshercooking.com/recipes/passover/index.html

As Easy as Matzah Pie! (several Matzah Casserole Suggestions)
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/13/135345886/a-passover-recipe-as-easy-as-matzo-pie

Simple Traditional Dishes
http://www.aish.com/h/pes/r/m/87612867.html

A nice "Passover" recipe index
http://www.holidays.net/passover/recipes.htm

Food.com has a good list of recipes and have a neat way to browse them by catgory tabs like "quick and easy or healthy"
http://www.food.com/recipes/passover

Kashrut has some interesting recipe worth exploring.
http://www.kashrut.com/Passover/recipes/

And if that isn't enough, FoodNetwork has 64 more recipes to explore.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/passover/index.html

184 recipes were submitted at AllRecipes.com for Passover!
http://allrecipes.com/recipes/holidays-and-events/passover/top.aspx

Of course, I have posts from previous years for many recipes we like. So just click on my Matzah Label on my side bar anytime to access those posts. May your Feast of Matzah be a tasty and inspired one! :-)

Friday, February 17, 2012

Head Covered Woman

A sweet friend sent this to me and it made me smile. :-) So I thought I would send some love to other "Head Covered Women".

** A brother in Yah posted a (valid) concern about this video, in my comments. Please read this concern and my reply.



In Him,

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Moroccan Eggs


This egg dish is a family favorite! It is a hardy and flavorful sauce in which the eggs are poached. The blend of spices say "Morocco"! It is delicious unto itself, or you might stretch it over toast, over a bed of steamed collard greens or spinach, over fried potatoes, or a bed of rice, millet or quinoa. It is very good to have something else to sop up the delicious sauce!! (This will also spare your guests the inevitable urge to lick the plate!) (Ok...maybe that's just my kids.) :-) This dish is easy to make for a crowd if you have a big enough skillet/pan to do it in. They will feel like they have stayed over at a fancy B&B! This would also make a very flavorful and satisfying dinner too! You must tell me if you try it! (It makes me want to share more recipes with you!) :-)

This sauce is enough to make 4-8 servings or 8-16 eggs (depending on the size of your pan). If you are making less than 4 servings/8 eggs, you might consider cutting the sauce recipe in half. It has a little kick, but if you like it really spicy, just increase your cayenne pepper to taste. If you are serving this on top of (or beside) other things, prepare those things first, as this is pretty quick cooking.

olive oil
1 whole head of garlic
1 Qrt of plain tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp each of: cumin, paprika, coriander powder, cayenne pepper, sea salt
1/4 tsp each of: cinnamon, pepper
2 tsp of dried parsley OR cilantro (or a small handful of fresh, chopped)
eggs (2 per person)
(Give your sauce a taste, you may want to add a little rapedura, maple sugar or brown sugar to it - but I usually don't.)


1. Peel and cut your garlic into chunks. (I cut each clove into about 6-8 pieces chunks. You want the pieces to have a presence in your sauce)

2. Saute the garlic in the oil about 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and stir. Then add all the spices and stir and simmer. ( The aroma will fill the house and curious on-lookers are sure to arrive!)

3. Crack the desired amount of eggs into the sauce to poach. Cover the pan to simmer for about 5 minutes, give or take. It all depends on how you like your eggs cooked. We like them dippy (but no slimy whites!) - to firm but still with a tender yoke.

Scoop out eggs (and sauce) with a spoon . Garnish with salt and pepper to taste and parsley (or cilantro). Serve with your choice of sides. Enjoy!

**I always like to make more rice, potatoes, beans or greens than I need for one meal, because there are SO MANY delicious ways to re-use the leftovers for quick healthy delicious breakfasts! This is just one of them!

This recipe was shared at Simple Thursdays

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Our Family Jots and Tittles

Elijah was having fun playing with some cotton balls one day and fashioned himself a beard. Of course, chazaq wanted one, so he made him nice long Hebrew beard and little "fu man chu". It looks especially cute on Chazaq because his white hair matched the beards (and he is so small)! Gideon saw all the fun and wanted to get in on the action, so he designed a mustache attached to his hat, as you an see proudly displayed in the lower right hand picture. :-) (???) Oh what a homeschool momma allows in the hopes to encourage future engineers. :-) Having been a (former) professional make up artist back-in-the-day. I thought it was pretty good! :-)

We have received our first semi tractor trailer of compost for the next season. So we have started creating our garden plot. Isn't this steamy rich black dirt BEAUTIFUL?!!! Look at the steamy activity coming off this active living soil! It's black gold to us! We are so excited! Below, you an see the beginning of the process taking place. We still have lots to do, as other things have interrupted with other things...but we are anxious to get it finished. What you see with this paper is the width of our main garden. The length is about twice that - I think. We are going one row across at a time, so that we keep the tractor off the soil. I hope to do a post featuring the whole process as it continues and gets completely and then as we plant and cultivate and harvest. We were so tankful for the tractor, because the ground was too moist to get the tractor trailer back to the garden plot. It had to be dumped near the road, which was a good distance. That would have been a LOT of long trips with the wheel barrels. It is so nice to fill that 6 foot bucket and dump it right where you want it!
Ben got the pump on the well and we drew up our first water. It tastes GREAT! We have ordered out water test kit from the lab and are waiting for it to arrive. We are testing it for about 125 things so it will give a really good assessment of what we are looking at. I hope we won't have to filter it. It still has to be hooked up to the house and set up with solar yet.

We got our delivery of land fill(they call it "chert" here). Ben started grading the land around the shed/root cellar with the tractor and our new grader attachment. Ben says it is working very nicely. We need another load of chert though. After that is complete we will be ready to add on to the shed. Ben says the combination of these two things should solve our water problem we have been experiencing in the root cellar. (I do hope he's right!) :-)

We had some guys come in and chip up the rest of our fallen cedar trees and grind the stumps. (YES!) I am very thankful for that too. ol' Blue (our farm truck) was hauled away to see if it can be fixed once and for all. We are not sure what it wrong with it, but about 75% of the time when we go to use her, she just won't start up for us. So hopefully we can get to the bottom of this once and for all, otherwise, we might have to retire her.
We think we have about 6 ewes ready to lamb. This will be our first lambing! We are very excited about it! So we have separated those ewes and given them some of their own space. We have also given them a separate place in the barn. As our week unfolded, Ben we decided to sell and butcher through our heard to bring in another breed of sheet (more on that below). The guy from our local feed mill game buy and made us and wants to buy our 6 bred sheep after talking with Ben. he is suppose to pick them up on Sunday. That was kind of a bitter sweet thing, because, we wanted to experience their lambing but it is for the best. We will separate the boy out of the flock then and start butchering, as we prepare for our new flock of At Croix to arrive in March 19th.

The St Croix Sheep that we will be switching to are coming out of AL. They are registered (pure bread) and we will continue to keep them that way. St Croix are hair sheep that are used for meat and sometimes milk. They are a bigger breed than the Black Belly Barbados almost twice the weight. They are known for their parasite resistance, good momma's and prolific lambers (usually twins but often 3). They are more docile than BBB and they are also prolific milkers. (They have been used in dairies in the past.) Being more docile and trusting will make them much nicer to care for, since they will be friendly and approach us and trust us instead of more leery BBB who have a much stronger "survival instinct". We are hoping everything works out! I will post more on them, as the things unfold. We have ordered an adult ram, and 2 bread adult ewes, 4 young ewes and 1 young ram. We hope that Shomare, our guard Donkey will adjust nicely too them. We will keep a fence between them to start and give him some time to warm up to them. We hope to have all the BBB gone before they get here. We are hoping we do not have any more pregnant ewes in the bunch. We will probably have to sell them if we do.

This is the "year of the animals" at Shalom farm. It is so exciting to finally see it coming! I have decided not to buy meat that we do not raise our selves with maybe a couple very small exceptions (fish being one - but I would also like to seriously look into raising Talapia after we get all the current animals settled). This is a motivator for sure. :-)

Last Shabbat we had an open house, it was wonderful. We met two new families from the next town over who are homesteading. One of the ladies said we were "answer to prayer" as they had been praying about community. That made me feel good too. We like them a lot and look forward to cultivating good friendships with them. That was a wonderful treat. The Fourniers stayed the night, so we got to do some much needed "one on one" time that we have been lacking in the last couple mouths. This was the first Naomi has been back since she left too, which was also nice. She said she felt like it was coming home. (That made me feel good.) We also had three men (with their children) travel from Memphis (3 hours away) to join us! That was a real treat too. They were new folks that a friend of ours had met and they are new to Torah and hungry for fellowship. We just LOVE to have our doors open for people who are coming into the truth of His Scriptures. The Smith's were here too, so it was nice really nice to have such good friends to introduce to new folks.

We started making plans for Family Week and looking ahead to the Spring Feasts. (Which is ALWAYS fun and good!)

We had a very sad day this week. Our favorite cat, Jack, was hit my a car and killed. He was the sweetest cat. A big lover, mild mannered and easy going. A good farm cat and hunter, but really enjoyed our company. He would just be a rag doll for Chazaq to play with, he was tolerant. Yet he was still a good mouser so he held his own on the farm! Ben found him in the road when he left to go to the neighbor's to get milk. We were heart broken. Elijah buried him next to Shiloh (our beagle whom we lost last year to a car too!) You would think we live on Main Street or something, with having lost two pets in one year, but we don't!!! We live on a dead end road with only 2 neighbors past our house! :-( We have about 1/4 mile of hilly road footage that runs through the center of our property, our house is close the road. It is quite and peaceful out here, traffic is rare. This just isn't something we thought would be a high risk for us. :-( We miss you already sweet Jacky Boy!


Some of Jack's baby pictures with his two little sisters (in the bowl: Jill and Cali).
Below: Jack is making himself at home in Dot's Bed (The Dog!) What is amazing, is that Dot, let him get away with that! We think he was her favorite too. There is Jack "sittin' pretty" by the ash can and letting Chazaq play with him. Chazaq would carry him in the most compromising ways, and Jack would just go limp and indulge him in it. We would run to the poor cat's aid time and time again, but only to find him purring in the midst of it! He would love to come in at nap time (how did he know when nap time was?) and sneak upstairs to snuggle with Eliana or Gideon.


We visited some new friends that don't live far from us - this Shabbat. It was sweet to spend more time with them and see their off grid homestead. We got some great idea for the homestead too. When we returned home, we learned that we had our first lamb born on the farm while we were gone! It was a such a precious gift, because they were scheduled for sale the next morning! We had 6 expecting ewes (our first sale on the farm!) leaving Sunday (today). It was the oldest night of the year last night, we were concerned for the safety of the bran new baby out in that cold night, but they had access to the barn and heat lamp which would help some...but I think it was 13 degrees here last night. When checked on them, they seemed to be doing very well! So we were relieved. It was a baby ewe (girl), by the way. I think Hailey has determined in her mind that she wants to take charge if the farm's sheep operations, from now on. :-) (Baby's have that effect on us girls that way!) :-)

Here we are gathering the ewes to go in the trailer to go to their new home. (The baby is going too.) Their new owner is a local guy who runs our little feed mill here in town.


In addition to that, we talked with our dear friend's, the Smiths on Shabbat. They had their first calf born to them earlier on that same day!! But that is not all, we had also got an email from other friends, that morning and they had their long awaited baby girl that Shabbat too! Tiqvah Shalom (LOVE the name!) The momma was hopeful for a girl after 4 boys, and her wish was granted! So we had a blessed "birthing" Shabbat down here in TN this week! Aaahhhh....it is such a beautiful thing!!

Something is going on with the clutch of the tractor. :-( We are taking into the place we bought it from. I hope they will cover it...but we are not sure yet. Either way we hop it is fixed and returned quickly because there are so many things that need to get done with it!

We have some friends scheduled to finish the second floor starting Monday! We are so excited! We moved all the furniture from the upstairs to the down stairs - which makes for cozy rooms...but it will be worth it. Our contractors will be staying with us during that time too (since they are friends)...so we will have 10-11 people tucked into 2 bedrooms and one main living space, for about a week! :-) I seriously entertained...taking a trip with the kids...but it would not be fiscally responsible. It will also be very tricky to do while I am juice fasting still! So....that idea went almost as fast as it came. :-)

Friday, February 3, 2012

Betroth You to Me

This is one of my most favorite artists and my favorite song. It's one of those songs, I get lost in - in worship and sing at the top of my lungs and start swaying, dancing and spin too..You know.... the kind of song you end up embarressing yourself with, if anyone else walks into the room! :-) So join me and blast it! :-)



Shabbat Shalom!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Homemade Yogurt

I got this recipe from a dear girlfriend about 2 1/2 years ago. I was expressing my dissatisfaction with my own homemade yogurt method, it was not as thick as I wanted and was "lacking". She showed me hers and gave me a taster and I was sold! It is so simple to do! I use raw organic grass fed milk (because that is what we drink) and Stonyfield Farm Organic Plain Yogurt for my starter on my first batch. I have doubled her recipe, because our family is bigger. So if your crock pot is too small or you only want to make a quart, and a starter, just cut the recipe in half. The crock pot is never plugged in.

1/2 gallon milk
1/2 pint (1 Cup) of plain yogurt



  • Prepare a crockpot filled about 2/3 way full of water that is a little hotter than 110F (use a candy thermometer) and cover to keep warm. (I use 6C in my 5qrt crock)

  • Heat milk gently on the stove to reach 160F (use a candy thermometer).

  • Let cool to 110F (any hotter and it could kill your culture)

  • Add 1C yogurt and mix.

  • Pour into 2 Qrt jars and 1 pint jar and put a lid on them.

  • Test your water in the crock to see if it is at 110. That is the ideal temp. Add a little cool or hot to reach ideal temp quickly if needed. Put all three jars in the crock.

  • Put the crock lid on and insulate the top with a heavy bath towel covering the crock completely. (I like to use two towels....just to be sure.) :-)

  • Let sit (UNPLUGGED!) overnight or 12-24 hours.

  • Keep the pint jar set aside in the fridge to use as your starter for the next batch of yogurt, enjoy the others!

**You can also do this method using a small insulated cooler instead of a crockpot if you would rather. :-)

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Champis the Sheep Herding Rabbit

I thought I would share this with my fellow shepards. We got a kick out of it (especially the kids)and we thought you would too. You can go to the blog listed at the end. It is not in English, but there is a "translate" button up in the right hand corner. If you hit it, will translate it all into English for you.






This post was shared at Homestead Barn Hop

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Our Family Jots and Tittles

It seems as though this week has been packed with excitement as we "get to know" our new tractor and how it works with it's attachments. The farm came with a 6ft bush bog. We didn't realize how valuable it was until just recently, when we priced an equivalent used one for $1250! You can imagine our appreciation grew very rapidly! It was sitting in the field unmoved for over two years (it was very heavy, we didn't have the means to move it and didn't have any place to put it if we did). The rod and pto shaft were jammed pretty good, but Ben dislodged them, and Elijah oiled them up. He took her for a test run in our side yard and it worked wonderfully! So we are very excited about that!!

The (well) pump house was built (YES!). We drilled the well almost two years ago...got the solar pump equipment all gathered about a year ago...then it was a matter of putting up the building to house it all. Now that is finished (almost... Ben is anchoring it to the concrete right now and it still has to be primed and painted. I will so be SOOOOO happy to get off our chlorinated fluoridated town water once and for all. We have been drinking out of a Berkey and bathing with a filter...The animals get whatever rain water we collect...but not if it runs dry...the have to drink from the tap. The garden never had a choice. :-( But this is year...that should all change!! We still have to install the pump and solar and connect it to the house and get the water tested (and possibly filter it) so we are drinking our own water yet...but it is getting closer by the week.

The pump house is 10x10 on a cement slab with a drain and quite tall to accommodate the specific equipment. (13-14 feet in the center I think. So it will be perfect for hanging a deer or other assorted things.) :-) One side is higher than the other by a foot. That is not an error, that was part of Ben's plan, to have the angle right for the solar panel. (He had to remind me of that.) :-) The interior is lined with Tyvek. We had our Amish neighbors build the pump house for us. His mills his own wood. He is the one who built our shed above our root cellar (and may possibly build our turkey brooder house this spring). We are pleased with it. It is so nice to see plans come together (Do you remember A-Team 1980's sit-com?! HA!!).

Eliana is coming along with studying her alphabet. She really enjoys sitting down with me to "study". Gideon's reading is also coming along. My biggest focus with Naomi right now is math. We spent so much time getting language and reading going that, we are now shifting our focus for her. She is ready though. She is enjoying learning how to tell time and count money. I am showing her patterns in math and we found Racko to be a fun game to help reinforce sequencing and thinking skills. Hailey is doing double lessons to finish her math book (Saxon) and Elijah conquering spelling tests quickly as that has become a focus for him...if he can get his mind off of his flock of turkeys coming this spring. :-)

Ben and I have our thoughts wrapped up in the many, many farm projects on deck. Our taxes are done and sent in and we are expecting a sizable return and we shuffled some things around, so we have some money to work with. (YES!!) We finally got our Farm Tax ID number - so that helps with some of the bigger farm investments, because sales tax in TN is pretty high. It looks like we might actually be able to finish the interior of our second floor (after 2 years) and get the sewer system fixed once and for all, as well! YES! (That means I get to move my playset back into it's original spot when it is all finished. YES! But it also means I am going to have my yard torn up a lots more again this spring...But it's so worth it! I'll keep you updated as things unfold.

Some of the ladies and I are starting a Book Study/Discussion together at the Messianic Keepers at Home Forum if anyone would like to join us. The book we are reading/discussing together is Mama's Torah, by Batyah Wootan.

I am on Day 22 of my Juice Feast. Ben has actually joined me in the Juice Feast for a week too! This is his 4th day. If you want to check in on us every now and then, I am journaling our experience at http://www.gettingrawdiculous.blogspot.com/ . So I leave you with this:






Blessings and Shalom to You and Yours!

for the Tribe of Ben

Friday, January 27, 2012

Yehudim Believer's

Suzanne from Profound Prophecy recently introduced herself to me via email and I went to her site to browse a little in the hopes to get to know her better. This was a video they had listed on their site. I found it very encouraging - so I wanted to share it with you for this Shabbat. I pray it encourages you too! I believe there has always been a remnant - We acknowledge them! We thank them! ..... Maranatha Yeshua!



Shabbat Shalom! May you have a beautiful date with the King of the Universe!