The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fermenting Foods

I am so excited to share this next resource and carry it in our Family Amazon store.  The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fermenting Foods an indispensable resource in anyone's kitchen who would like to incorporated Lacto-Fermentation into their lifestyle.  The author Wardeh Harmon,  offers clear instructions on how to make a myriad of cultured foods.  If you really want to understand fermentation well - this is the book for you!  The first four chapters are all loaded with facts and history on fermenting foods.  If you don;t rerally care abut that stuff and just want a BUNCH of recipes in many categories to choose from, then the rest of the book is for you!  Either way - this is a great resource.  This book lacks the pretty pictures and the personal testimonials that are in the other book I featured on Lacto-Fermenting food, but it makes up for it with a much more thorough content matter.  It is also twice the content for half the price...so that is something to consider too.  In my opinion, it is worth having BOTH of these books in my kitchen library, because their recipes are different and it gives you a broader view on fermentation. The only thing I don't care for about this book is the title...as a matter of fact if it weren't for being familiar with the author from her blog and e-courses (which are fabulous!), I never would have picked up this book!  Now, I am so glad I did!  I have been enjoying and experimenting with the the recipes myself and it is a great source of inspiration for me to springboard into my own recipes as well. This resource is a keeper, I highly recommend it!

Cultured Food Life

I have been getting serious about culturing again...I always get the "itch" this time of year. But this time...it's a little different. This time, I am ready to make lasting changes of long term habit in this area. In my research I am convinced that the  things we can do with cultured foods can go far beyond sauerkraut and smoothies!!! So, I have been experimenting with different combinations of my own (which I will share with you soon!) and I have been looking for "inspiration" otherwise, so that I will have the variety that this momma requires to keep it a lasting lifestyle habit!

This time of year is a WONDERFUL time to make these changes too.  Fermenting food requires no heating up the kitchen and fresh produce is plentiful.  I have 6 half gallons of carrots spears, asparagus, cauliflower and onions and bell peppers fermenting as I type and I'm just getting started! Mmmm mmmm good!!!

I had this book, Cultured Food Life on my mental wish list since it was released, and last week I splurged! The day I received it, I sat down and read it form cover to cover! What a wonderful book! I decided, I had to carry it in our little Amazon family store (and one day our "real store" too) and feature it here, in the hopes that others will get it too! The book is simple and concise. It is beautiful and informative...but NOT overwelming. She shares the basics about cultured foods so that the very beginner will be informed, but not intimidated. She also shares her own testimony about how these foods have changed her health.

 I think the author, Donna Schwenk, has done and excellent job in conveying the simplicity of cultured foods in her first book.  At the same time, she offers lots of variety in what to DO with kefir, cultured vegetables and Kombucha, so that even the experienced "culturist" will appreciate and enjoy the book too!  I think this book will make a wonderful gift to share with someone who is new to fermented foods, so much so, that I bought another one the next day and sent it to my mom!


 

Hebrew Worship

I often find myself searching (and researching) for Messianic Song Books, with discs for our family to learn from. They are very hard to come by! (Suggestions welcome in the comments if you are aware fo some!) I didn't want popular music by Wilbur and folks like that - although it has its place and we LOVE it. I was hoping to find things similar to praise and worship books we used to have for church services -yet more Scriptural and Hebraic ...if that makes sense. Another problem I ran into was that what few Messianic song books that are out there, seem to be in chords for guitar and we are looking both scaled music and chords. Anyway, a while back (before I got on my very tight budget!) I found this WONDERFUL resource which seems to be a collabrative work between people in Germany, Holland and Israel (gotta love the internet - right?!). It is said to be the most popular collection of songs used in the Messianic gatherings in The Land. The song book has about 230 songs in it, and comes with a disc of about 30 of those songs. Which I have turned into a play list to share with you (below). There is an 8 CD set available which covers ALL 200+ songs in the book. I am hoping we will be able to get it this Spring. Please pray that we can (it is a very LARGE purchase and things are tight). If I do, I will be sure to share those in play lists too!

The song book in this collection is a very comprehensive tool! It is very clearly written and contains about 230 songs. (It run about $70.) Each song is written in Hebrew, Hebrew transliteration, AND English translation with Scriptural reference. The music AND the chords are also provided!!


Even if you don't know Hebrew or are still learning, this is beautiful music to have playing in the back ground of your Shabbat. I am just so tickled to share this with you. Enjoy!

Much Love,

For The Love of Work (with Little Ones)

It has always been a value of ours to raise our children with a strong work ethic. Some people might think that this is something only "farm families with 10 kids do", but that could not be further from the truth. We started this right from the start with our family, when we only had 2 kids and rented a house "down town" with about .27 acres of land! So I want to dispel that myth from the start. :-)

Now that we are on the farm and those first two kids are really at an age that their training for the years prior is showing it's fruits. They are a big help! Since we have chosen to homestead and our family has grown, there is no lack of opportunities to learn and do things. This is also a value we cultivated way before we ever kept Shabbat or knew there was such a thing as "Preparation Day"...yet like everything that YHVH leads us to do on Preparation Day is a wonderful exercise to put these principles in action! And it is followed by another wonderful object lesson of balancing our love of work by resting on Shabbat. It helps us to learn to be still as we sit back like YHVH did in the beginning and be satisfied with the work of our hands, the blessings that He has poured upon us and the ability turn it all off for Him. It's a beautiful thing.

Avinu Prayer

We listened to our new friend's radio show today...truth2U.org as we were driving home from a day full of sweet fellowship in the Body and we learned of this song. We enjoyed it so...We thought we would link it for you. It is The Lord's Prayer in Hebrew.

Avinu Prayer from Rob Hackenbruch on Vimeo.

Be Blessed,

Movie Review: Agenda -- Grinding America Down

This post may seem somewhat misplaced on this blog. Generally speaking, we consider ourselves Citizens of the Kingdom of YHVH, or Children of Israel, before we consider ourselves Americans. Nevertheless, we are Americans, and are thankful to have been born in this country--free to express our "religion" mostly free of Government intrusion. The founding of this nation was a miracle in so many ways, and it seems as though from YHVH's point of view, he has used America time and time again to advance his plan...especially in regards to freedom of religion, and the founding and support of modern day Israel.

2010 is a mid-term election year, and the trend seems to be to flood the theaters/internet with politally motivated smears and disinformation posing as documentaries in order to "fire up the base" and increase voter turnout. The timing of the release of this documentary made me suspiscious, but after seeing it I really have to recommend it.

I grew up in with hippie parents with hippie friends. I was born in an "experimental community" and was raised with the values of the far left. My father was a teacher at a university for a time. Even into my early twenties, in San Fransisco I was still attending protests and wore my greenpeace shirt proudly. In otherwords, I know first-hand what a radical leftest truly believes, and how that radical language needs to be phrased to be accepted by the masses. I know how radical messages need to be repackaged and rebranded before seeming mainstream and acceptable. I have watched for 2 decades as main-stream American culture has shifted more and more towards Socialism, while at the same time most Americans define themselves as Conservative.

This film clearly shows the plan and the process by which these changes have occured. This, thankfully, is NOT a conspiracy film with far-fetched theories that cannot be proven. What keeps this film from a becoming a potentially boring political tool and takes it to an (almost) spiritual message is references like this:

Saul Alinski (a Jew by the way) wrote "Rules for Radicals" and is credited by most of our modern left-leaning politians as highly influencing their thought. The dedication to this book reads like this: “Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history (and who is to know where mythology leaves off and history begins — or which is which), the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom — Lucifer

Although 'Lucifer' is not a biblically correct name for The Advasary, we know who he means.

Mainstream conservative Christians ignorantly say things like "we follow the Law of the LORD" when they really only mean the Ten Commandments, (while ignoring the 4th commandment). Our brothers and sisters in "the Church" have little idea how much they have drifted from the ideals found in the True, Perfect, and Etnernal word of YHVH. This drift at first was simply the result of time and man's imperfect nature. Dispensationalist theology allowed us to compartmentalize biblical history, and thereby put the founders of our faith into a box marked "that was for back then". Eventually, with Constintine's approval, Christianity had a new face and it no longer resembled Moses, Yahshua, or YHVH. Believers who did not accept the new official "rebranding" of the faith were simply put to death.

Likewise, most of the 'American left' say that they believe strongly in the constitution--while ignorantly participating in it's dismantling. They see the constitution as a 'living document' whose principles change with the culture. Our leaders from both parties have led us slowly from the original principles that made America unique and a blessing to the world, and have started to pick up the pace. The idea of our Founding Father's ideas being relevant to today seems (to most) as silly as saying Christians should follow the whole Law of Moses. The same type of overnight radicalization that occurred in Constantine's day is being planned for our nation, and therefore the world. Sadly, I think many will cheer this transformation with no clue of the consequences.

If you have a chance to see this film, don't miss it. I will even go so far as to suggest owning a copy yourself. There is also an entire section devoted to homeschooling and a brief history of the public school concept. Go to www.agendadocumentary.com.

Ben

Kandoo Kangaroo

Kandoo Kangaroo Hops into Homeschool, by Susna Ratner is a precious little children's book especially for your preschoolers up to about 2nd grade. It seems to make both children and mommy smile every time we read it. It is a sweet book about a 6 year old little "girl" kangaroo who starts getting inquisitive, asking her momma all kinds of questions and their is very natural response to easing her into the idea of homeschooling. It edifies family, a lifestyle of learning, relationships. community and Scripture. The animations is also very attractive. It gets a thumbs up from this mommy!

Charcoal Remedies

I am nearing the end of a wonderful book that I want to share with you called Charcoal Remedies.com . Odd name for a book I know. The link will take you to the author's website, which will give you a much better overview of this man's work and his resources. He has served abroad in missionary style health care for many years, is a believer and a Sabbath keeper to boot! (Gotta love that!)


I was inspired to search out charcoal remedies from a post (linked) over at Declared Unto Him (Formerly Learning Pomegranate) about Charcoal Poultices. Researching charcoal seriously has been on my "long list" of things to do for years. Now that we are on the homestead and co-mingling with poisonous spiders regularly...this priority got shifted to the top of the list very fast!

I was researching and looking for some bulk charcoal to fiddle with and came across the above site. When I ordered the charcoal, I grabbed his books and tossed it into my cart as a half hearted "accessory" to my order. I am SO thankful I did! This book is incredibly thorough and filed with uses, history and documentation about charcoal that I had no idea existed. The uses for charcoal go far beyond bug bites, it is a priceless detoxifier that can be used in many many ways for many many things, internally and externally.

If you are taking responsibility for the health and health care of your family via natural means...I HIGHLY recommend adding this book to your resource library (along with some charcoal with it!). It now holds a prestigious place in our home medicine/remedy chest and bookshelf.

Botany in a Day

Botany in a Day, by Thomas J. Elpel

This has proven to be a wonderfully helpful book for me! I am going to have the (older) kids use it too.

It describes the Patterns Method of identifying plants. I knew I was ignorant in recognizing specific characteristics in plants. I didn't know what to look for, nor did I know of understand the terms used in my plant books. They were speaking another language to me! I knew I needed to overcome that, so that I could get the most of my resources. I copied a couple lists of botanical terms with the intent to memorize them...but in the mean time, I found this book. It is helping me in so many ways. In addition to learning batanical terms as a side effect, I am learning the families of plants. As it turns out, not only traits of the plants that are similar in most families (like same shaped leaves for instance), but their attributes/uses are often simlar too! So...instead of learning about one plant at time (which I still do too) I can learn about groups of plants! How wonderful!! I see so much more now when I wild craft. It is so encouraging to progress at notable speed in my studies. This book has been instrumental in that! His illustrations are monochromatic drawings...which used to drive me crazy because I didn't know what i was looking for, and I thought I needed live color photos...but now I get it! It actually helps me define what to look for in person, better. I don't know maybe its just me....

This book first goes through some evolution blah blah. Than it discusses the benefits of learning plant families, then it jumps right in and teaching you plant families. It tells you how to maximise the book as a resource/field guide, than the majority of the book is a resource guide to identify plant families. It is wonderful tool. I wouldn't say it is a stand alone tool; however, i think it has helped me better use some guides that I had and it certainly helps me see the whole plant Kingdom in a new light! Its sort of holistic approach to learning how to identify plants.

Disclaimer. It has a strong evaluational position - so that is very present in his writings. I just read through that stuff...it doesn't bother me...but thought I would mention it.

Thomas Elpel has also authored a wonderful book for kids too. However, I do NOT want to recommend it. I got a lot out of it...but will not allow it to sit on the shelf for the kids. It is HEAVY in things I disagree with and I will not let that junk soak into my kids heads by allowing them to access the book freely. However, I am considering reading parts of it to my older children (explaining my issues with the parts we are ignoring) as we study botany together. His method of teaching in the children's book was wonderful! It sticks in your brain. The illustrations were vibrant and very effective. It is done in a story format that Living Book Homeschoolers love! Maybe one day I will use it as inspiration to write a Biblically friendly version! (But I've got alot to learn first.) :-)

Singing The Word

We have tried a new CD for Children's Music and like it very much. It is called God Our Provider and can be found at Singing The Word It is part of a collection in which we are looking forward to reviewing more CDs. It is Scripture put to music. There is also a "Books of the Bible" memorization song on this disc. The music style varies through out the CD, which we like.

You can download it or get the CD.

Thought I would pass it on.

Interlinier Bible on Sale!

Interlinear Bible on sale! 29.95 That is a great price! This was in the side bar as I was searching Scripture on BibleGateway.com on Shabbat. (Not sure how long it will run for.) I think we paid 60-70 for the same one a couple years ago! It takes a little getting used to using, but have we found it to be a very valuable tool in our studies. Especially if you are learning Hebrew or Greek. I think we were referred to this one from Brad Scott if I remember correctly. If you have been hoping for a good sale...this might be it!

Thought I would share.

Swim Suit Edition

I don't know about you, but swim suit shopping for us girls, rates right up there with having my nails pulled out. :-) Whenever I am confronted by something I dread doing, I tend to put it off until I decide I can no longer, than I dive into it like William Wallace leading his army into the Scottish Revolution!! :-) So.... I made a good list of options for future reference for our own use and to share with others. I wanted to enclose sample pictures, but had to draw a "time line" in the project, so you will have to search them out yourself. Some sites have many options, so be sure to browse around when you are in the market. I hope this can take the pain out of trying to mix modesty and summer water play!

Personally speaking, I love loose fitting swim pants (even though i normally where long skirts as a rule for daily dress). I can frolic with the kids without being self conscious and worrying about my skirt flying up in the water. Am I the only one who gets creeped-out when I see someone in swim goggles swimming my way while in a swim skirt that is floating on the surface???

We have been using rash gaurd shirts and board shorts for all my kids. They are GREAT options when they are smaller and really active. I found them with flowers at target for my younger girls this year. That was a blessing. (but the shorts are too short for my older daughter!) We have always found the longer shorts at Lands End in the past which is very nice. (but a little more expensive) My daughter however, is turning 12 and is hoping for something more feminine than a board short...so we'll see how this unfolds. :-)

I would love to hear your feedback in the comment section! How do you keep modest at the pool/lake/etc. I would especially like you to share if you have an tips, tricks or links to share!

We cringe at the thought of public pools, the immodesty and "summer break" culture that is present there. That and "the shore" on the East Coast in season are just not places we go. However, I was raised in the lakes of Michigan and my dad always had a boat...I love the water...so we find happy mediums. Private Pools, smaller lakes, and rivers and creeks. We have our own 16ft above ground pool we usually put up. We also go to public areas in the off hours...we like to show up in the late afternoon when everyone else is sun stroked and on their way home for dinner. We either snack before we go, pack a picnic or just eat late that night. There was a precious spot in Mount Gretna, PA that had a lake that was very family oriented (I noticed no "summer breakers and Mackin'" going on and trust me these momma's eyes were scanning the perimeter!) Being new to this area, we may just stick to our pool...but we got word of a nice on the river with a lifegaurd at this Hippy spot called The Farm which is real close by...I am hoping to check it out. I would love to hear your comments on this too!

Here are my links:

Cute, 2 piece swim dress design, feminine and good coverage. These folks have expanded! Many fabrics to choose from. Swim fabric and patterns also for sale for you sewing types! A little pricey, but worth it. Smallest to largest sizes. I do not see a nursing friendly option...but I bet that could be worked out with the custom suit if need be. It is a 2 piece so you could work it out with a little wiggling (getting off your dress and putting baby under). We have been eyeballing these guys for a couple years. I think this is what my oldest daughter will end up choosing this year.

Slim Perfect
Modest, Classy and Feminine - this site is a must see! Swim Culottes even!

Hydrochic - Sporty, classic and EXCELLENT coverage. Long swim skirts with pants under and even 3/4 length sleeve options for swim tops. (or long short sleeves or wide tank with high neck) Wide range of sizes. Pricey but I could see how it is worth it! Especially if you have lots of girls who can get hand-me downs!

Swim Skirt - to the knee! They also have skorts 16-17"; Separates and Zip Dry shorts with a 7-almost 9" inseam; Even quick dry pants.

PLUS SWIMWEAR Classic styles, many options, including plus swim pants.

Board Shorts - Here are some girls board shorts (what surfers wear). They will handle rugged sports and have some long styles to the knee. It's a nice option with a Rash Guard Shirt if you can find a feminine print. They are loose fitting, unlike a "biker short" style which sticks to the body. They are a bit of a boyish cut, but color and a pretty print shirt might create a perfect balance for some. (Nice for your super active free spirit girls who would tend to be hanging overhead on monkey bars or have skirts fly up as they flip and flop in the grass or on the beach -showing unders. I have three of those...what ar ethe chances??!) :-)

Divine Modestee
Pretty and modern stylish custom mix-n-match styles with skirts. (pricey) I purchases this one year, and found that sizes run small and they do NOT take returns. It was an expensive experiment, but their suites are nice and high quality. (I personally lean toward more coverage now though.)

Becoming Swim Dress -so cute feminine,classy, mature and modest! (Some sheer and does not appear to be nursing friendly, but worth asking.)

Conservative Athletic Suits (for plus sizes too) simple conservative one piece tank suites with high necks and low legs. They have cute cover-ups (maxi dresses!) and good swim shoes.

Just Keep Swimming!

Aline and Howie

We met this delightful couple, Aline and Howie when we were camping in KY. They are musicians from the UK and they peddal thier artistic wares. I enjoy their music and have one of their albums called "Remember". You can go to their website (linked above) and check them out and play their music for free. they blog there and also sell their stuff. Check 'm out. I would describe their style as - folk, meets, jazz, meets Israel.

I love introducing hands and feet in The Body! ;-) Its so much nicer together!

Ronen Shalom

This is one of my favorite artists. I absolutly love worshiping YHVH with Him. I prayed for a "new song" (new artist and music) to labor to when i had my last baby (3 months ago). Abba gave me two new artists - this was one. I danced and sang in labor! I also brought forth my precious baby boy out of the water, while worshiping with Ronen Shalom. I was excited to find these two videos to share with you.



This video linked below, is one of my most favorite songs. I sing it so the hills of TN ring forth with worship! The link option was disabled...so you have to go there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkIxtr3UQi8&feature=related

Much Love,

A Women Called Golda

The stirring chronicle of Golda Meir's life, with Ingrid Bergman giving her final performance and posthumously winning an Emmy Award as Outstanding Actress. The film, taking Golda through her 1977 meeting with Anwar Sadat, earned an Emmy nomination as Outstanding Drama Special and nominations to Judy Davis, the Australian actress who played the young Golda, and Leonard Nimoy, who played Golda's husband, Morris Meyerson. In addition, Emmy Award nominations went to Michel Legrand for his music and to the film's editor and sound mixer. Robert Loggia took the role of Anwar Sadat after Jose Ferrer gave it up for personal reasons. The two-part, four-hour "A Woman Called Golda" was filmed entirely in Israel.

Golda Meir, a Russian-born Jew raised in Wisconsin who served as prime minister of Israel from 1969-74 -- one of the most turbulent periods in the country's history. Often called the Iron Lady of Israel, the fiercely determined Meir led the nation through the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany.

We saw this film for the first time this week. We highly recommend it! Surprisingly it was made for TV back in the 80's. We watched it in two sittings. It is appropriate for the whole family (little ones would probably find it boring.)

We learned a lot about Golda Meir and the founding of Eretz Israel. It is not a documentary, there was artistic license taken. The film starts with Golda in her later years, addressing a classroom of Students in the American school she attended as a child. She responded to questions from the children and "flashed back" to her life.

A great "homeschool" movie if you are studying the history of Eretz Israel. I think we are going to add it to our family library.

You can find it for rent on Netflix or for sale at Amazon.com.

Wildcrafting Herbs

Last summer I had a passion ignited for wildcrafting herbs. Basically, that just means identifying, harvesting and using herbs that grow wild. We bought 85 acers with lots of life on it. So I got some good clippers and started doing some homework. Here are some great links I wanted to share, but forgot to post them (oops).

http://www.wildcrafting.com/
http://www.wildcrafting.net/
http://www.herbmentor.com/

Herb TV

Wildcrafting is a great survival tool for the whole family to learn, weather you are camping, at a park, in the wilderness or in your back yard. This has become a major focus in "Science" in our homeschool and will continue to be for years to come! Wildcrafting skills will prove to be a valuable tool in maintaining natural healthly lifestyles and you could even save someones life! (Not to mention it is very economical!)

Health Insurance Alternative For The Body of Messiah

This is a wonderful alternative to traditional healthcare that some friend told us about. They new people who use it and had really posative experiances.

We are very attracted to it's structure. Basically, instead of making a monthly payment into big business medical scams (in my opinion), you send a check directly to another family in the body of Messiah who has medical bill needs. If ever you have a need the same thing happens for you! It is how The Body is suppose to work! Samaritan Ministries has facilitated that so that it may happen. It is something we are excited to become a part of this year, we plan to get it started by Spring.

http://www.samaritanministries.org/

The Children of Huang Shi

A true Story - This was a whole other facet of WW2, The Japanese side and their infitration into China. This is an amazing story about a British journalist that was sent in undercover and ended up being a sole survivor trying to find his way in China. He meets up with a revelutionary Chinese soldier and a woman who works in the red cross and they effect his destinany greatly as he finds himself in a remote boys' orphange with no one to care for the boys - he becomes the one - this is the beginning of an amazing adventure that everyone should learn about! We highly recommend it!



The official site link
There is some adult content, so please prescreen this film before viewing it with your children.

The Ritchie Boys

We have been increasingly interested in watching WW2 movies, from all differnt angles. There are so many stories to be told from so many people who were involved in differnt facets of the war that you never knew exsisted. We are going list a few of our favorites.

This is a documentary about Special Intelligence Unit made up of Jewish American Immagrants, used to extract special information during the war. Below are a link to the main website and the trailer.

We highly recommend it!

The trailer:


The main site:
http://www.ritchieboys.com/EN/home.html

Paperclips

This is a wonderful documentary about an ongoing 8th grade classroom project of exploring the Holocost in rural TN that turned into something amazing. I was really surprised how much I cried! We highly recommend it!

Below is the trailer and a link to the main site for more infomation.



The main site:
Paperclips the movie