Our Family Jots and Tittles

Sunday & Monday - We made and canned 20 pints of apple butter and dehydrated a 5 gallon bucket of apples.

We have gotten back into the swing of our early morning rising once again, and back to our family Hebrew lessons, which we have all missed for several months! We are really foggy on many things, so we are reviewing, until our minds are sharp with that information once again - then we will move forward. It is so good to be back! It is actually something we all enjoy. If the smaller kids are awake, they sit at the table with us with puzzles, school lessons, books and things like that while we do our lessons. It is nice to all learn together;it's like our own little one room family school house! It's also nice for the littles to learn to be quiet and listen to the Hebrew as we learn it - which will make it that more familiar to them when we eventually know enough to teach it to them.

Ben and Elijah did a "dry run" of hunting this morning, as they both rose early put on their doe scents and staked out the deer pattern for their morning path. They are planning on going out a lot more often this year than they did last year. They are hoping as much as daily, although that seems a lofty goal. It is so nice being able to hunt deer in your own "yard"!

I am craving malt vinegar potato chips and red meat (deer season can't come fast enough for this expectant momma!) I could eat a mushroom cheese burger every day this week and be quite happy. :-) I am not able to keep down water anymore, so I have to drink sparkling water for my hydration. :-(

Tuesday - Today we had fun recording the kids' reciting 1 Corinthians 13 from memory. We had learned it together as a family several months ago and said we would post it. I apologize that it has taken us this long to get it done. I thought it would encourage us all in our newest attempt to learn (the much longer) Psalm 119. :-) They didn't know I was recording this version that I am posting. It was our "practice" run. The one that they knew I was recording was so much more "formal". I much preferred sharing my "real kids" with you all. {Scratches, giggles and all. However, we are missing the baby (22 months), it was naptime. Had we included him, it might have been a little TOO real to accomplish the task.} :-) I hope you enjoy it.



A dear friend stopped by with special delivery of some clothes from an Amish seamstress that is making me a couple dresses and aprons. That was nice, but I missed seeing her! I was laying down and didn't even know she was here until I woke!

Little Chazaq (22mo) is really enjoying playing with "Little People" and reading books and playing with playdough. He also loves to pull a kitchen chair around to get a good look at whatever it is going on at the counter. :-) The food processor is his favorite thing to watch! The other thing he has tried to use a kitchen chair for is to reach the knob for opening a door. It doesn't work so well when the door opens inward! But he still tries! :-) This is SUCH a fun age! They are so snuggley and sweet, yet stretching their wings to become more independent. I love to watch the little boy bloom. The tantrums I could do without - but we work through those. :-) He sits at the piano with his big brothers and sisters and loves to watch them play. He puts his own hands to the piano too - not like most (almost) 2 yr old boys do - but rather - with proper hand position! It's what he sees, so it is what he copies!! (How cool is that?!!) We caught him in mid attempt to climb out of his crib - so we know those baby-days are numbered. He has gotten pretty good at the stairs, but he still makes a momma little nervous (after Elijah's tumble down the spiral stairs, head over foot as a toddler at that Museum in VT and momma's back injury caused by slipping on wet exterior stairs to our flat in San Francisco...it is one of "those things" I am sensitive to.)

Wednesday- Everyone is getting excited to go to Michigan to spend Thanksgiving with my Brother's family. Hailey and Elijah Especially as they have the most memories and experiences with the cousins. They are reminiscing and excited to see how everyone has grown (forgetting they too have grown!). The little children's ears are peeled to learn all they can, as they anticipate the visit. They are also very excited to see Granny who will be there as well. They have been making little gifts to share with them. Momma too has turned her attention to making meals and Thanksgiving planning, arranging a farm sitter and starting to do what ever I can to prepare, in bits and pieces for the trip. Our drive is about 12 hours. I do hope my prego stomach fairs it well. (Prayer welcome!)

I am also trying to remember to take more pictures for our Jot & Tittles. Gramma Carol is reminding me - "more pictures please!". I am hoping the video above will by me another week and I hope incorporate more pictures in the next Tittles!

Thursday- Baked Banana Breakfast
We have been enjoying a new breakfast recently. I call it Baked Banana Breakfast, its a fast warming food for breakfast that sticks to your bones. It's made like this.

Preheat oven to 375F
Slice bananas into about 1/2 inch rounds and dip them in orange juice. (This adds a citrus note, and also keeps them from browning.) Then fill a casserole dish 1/2 way to the top with the sliced-dipped bananas (we use a deep 9x13 for our family - make it as big or small as you need). Then top generously with (homemade) granola to fill the rest of the dish. Bake for about 10-15 minutes. Serve in a bowl and top with (whole raw organic) milk. It is fabulous! This is WAY better than raw banana's in granola or oatmeal with bananas, in our opinion! If you give it a try - let us know what you think!

Friday-
Friends from AL stopped by a little visit while they were in the area.
I kept preparations for Shabbat simple today; this is the menu we prepared ahead:

Erev Shabbat Meal:
Spiced Picnic Chicken
Roasted Beets
Fruit Salad

Breakfast:
Baked Banana Breakfast (mentioned above) done in the crockpot (on High for a couple hours) made with the chocolate granola that Elijah made this week.

Lunch to eat before we left:
Peaches and Cottage Cheese and Salad

Shabbat Meal to take:
Beef Enchiladas
Cream Corn Soup
Apples

Shabbat- Our morning started with Ben and I studying the chiastic structure of the Scriptures with the help from Tony Robinson. Then after all the children rose, ate and had a little outside time, we gathered to practice memorizing our Psalm. We have decided to try to put each portion to a tune to aid the process and make it more fun for everyone. That is not an easy task to do with some of that wording...but with a team effort - we started to get the swing of it. So that, with a little worship, is how we spent out morning before leaving for fellowship. The day was sweet and long with Mishpacha (Family) in Yah. We drove an hour away for fellowship, to a small multi-generational gathering of 6 families gathered in one home. We left at 11:30 am and got home at 11:30 pm. I remember the days when we were the first people headed out of the church on Sunday's after a 1 1/2 hours service because we had "seen enough" and all wanted to get on with our day. Yet, now when we gather with believers, it is like a kinship we just don't want to end...kids (and even an unnamed pregnant woman) were curled up on the couch tuckered, but not willing to call it quits. :-) We joked about gathering into the first day at it ran late - and who was going to be the one to fall out the window (Acts 20:9). It was a good time, and we discussed trying to make a more regular meeting. Half of the group was really longing for more regular fellowship. We had people who had been in this walk between 1 and 13 yrs -- new folks and old friends. Of course there was lots of discussion of Scriptures, personal testimonies and even a talk of gathering the men for an intentional mens'/elders' meeting a few times a year - so that they may support and challenge each other in ways that are exclusive to their needs/responsibilities. It was a good day....

We'll see you next week- May Yah bless you and keep you!

Much Love,

Ben, Pamela+ and the Tribe