Chanukah

Today is the last day of Chanukah..
We're going to be making raised baked donuts...
We're using this recipe from cooks.com..

BAKED RAISED DONUTS

In a large saucepan bring to a boiling point: 1 1/2 c. milk Remove from heat and stir in: 1/3 c. shortening 1/4 c. sugar 2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. nutmeg When lukewarm - add: 4 3/4 c. sifted flour 2 lg. well beaten eggs 2 yeast cakes, dissolved in 1/4 c. lukewarm water Beat dough until well mixed. Cover pan and let stand in a slightly warm place until dough is light and double in bulk, about 60 minutes. Turn dough onto a well floured board, turning 2 or 3 times to form a stiff ball. Roll lightly (avoid stretching) until about 1/2 inch thick. Cut with a 3 inch cutter. Place rings carefully 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Brush rings with butter and let rise in warm place until double in bulk (about 20 minutes). Bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. As soon as donuts are removed from oven, brush again with butter and roll in granulated sugar. Makes 2 1/2-3 dozen.

Yesterday the children made pretzels. They really enjoyed shaping them! I thought they tasted very good.

On our children's b-days we let them pick the place they would like to go and we then treat them out to a meal wherever they choose. We only take them and enjoy the time with them one on one..
Morgan-Britney chose to go to India Garden and then to a movie at the cheap seat theater. We love Indian food so we are really looking forward to it. We're heading out after our Shabbat celebration this evening..

Tomorrow we are having our Chanukah Feast. We are going to be having a turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and several other traditional dishes. I am then going to be making a few traditional Chanukah foods.

These recipes are from recipegoldmine.com

Sweet Potato Tzimmes

5 large sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in chunks and cooked
4 large carrots, peeled, cut in chunks and cooked
1 cup pitted prunes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons melted margarine
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
Salt, to taste
Orange juice, optional
2 or 3 apples, peeled and sliced

Mash sweet potatoes and carrots. Mix in the prunes. Add cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Combine honey and margarine.

Grease a 2-quart casserole dish. Alternate layers of mashed seasoned vegetables and apples, dribbling honey (and juice) mixture over each layer. End with vegetable layer. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes.

Sweet Kugel

This is a wonderful Chanukah treat.

1 (12 ounce) package wide egg noodles
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 (16 ounce) carton cream-style cottage cheese
1 (8 ounce) carton sour cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup corn flakes cereal

Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well; set aside. Combine eggs and next 7 ingredients; stir half of cottage cheese mixture into noodles. Spoon noodles into a lightly greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Pour remaining cottage cheese mixture over casserole; bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour. Sprinkle with corn flakes, then serve.

Yields 10 to 12 servings.

Me and the children have to head to the chiro at 1pm this afternoon. He is treating me and all but 2 of my children also. I am glad to be going in again. My hips have been popping in and out and clicking. OUCH!

Have a great day everyone!


Shabbat Shalom!!
I leave you with this..may this be your prayer on this Shabbat!

Come and make my heart Your home.
Come and be everything I am and all I know.
Search me through and through 'till my heart becomes a home for You.

A home for You, Lord.
A home for You, Lord.
Let everything I do open up,
A door for You to come through,
And that my heart would be a place where You want to be.
Come and make my heart Your home.
Come and be everything I am and all I know.
Search me through and through 'till my heart becomes a home for You.

You are my portion, filling up everything.
You are the fortune that's causing my heart to sing.
That it's amazing, that You could make Yourself at home with me.
Come and make my heart,
Come and make it Your home.
Come and be everything I am and all I know.
Search me through and through 'till my heart becomes a home for You.

Wild at Heart

This past Monday my children and I took a trip to the library. While there I ran across a book that I had already decided not to read. But this time I decided I was being led to read it and it had been recommended to me by some G-dly ladies at our home fellowship.
We came home and I sat down during our quiet time to begin reading this book. I couldn't put it down!
The book is Wild at Heart by John Eldridge.

It could not have come at a better time for me as my oldest son Josiah is leaving boyhood behind and transitioning into manhood. It opened my eyes to so many things I didn't understand about this process and it better helped me understand my dh.
John Eldridge wrote the book in such a way as to make the wisdom he offered easy to understand and grasp. He helped me to better see my L-rd who, yes, is a warrior!!

Why don't you check it out..
Wild at Heart by John Eldridge

A tip: Every book you read is worth praying about first! Take the good and leave the rest!

18 today!!!

Today my oldest child Morgan-Britney turns 18!

I am so proud of her! She is a sweet G-dly young lady. So full of compassion and kindness. She desires to obey the L-rd's word and do as He has called her too. She has a servant's heart; serving others bringing glory to YHWH.
She is very smart and has a great head on her shoulders. She is also a beautiful young lady; inside and out!
I am thankful for the relationship we share.:) :) :)

Happy Chanukah!!!!


Here are a few of the pics from our Chanukah so far..
Morgan-Britney made a scrapbook for all the children with some blank pages so they can add pics later..
Isaac made a gun belt and lasso for Micah
Morgan-Britney made a dollhouse mat for ZaraLayna
Gabriellia made a hankie that she hand embroidered Morgan-Britney's name on..









Today we made sugar cookies and frosted them! The children love doing this every year..










Blessings!!

Our weekend!

This past weekend was very busy! Friday night was Shabbat and we had homemade pizza for our Shabbat meal! We also finished up our Torah Portion (Parashah) for the week. Saturday was the first full day of Chanukah and we enjoyed our day together as a family! My lovely dh made a big huge pot of homemade chicken noodle soup for supper. It was yummy as his food always is. He then canned most of the the rest of it last night. Sunday morning was home fellowship which was here at our home. Afterwards we all share a meal together which I enjoy! Later that afternoon was a Holiday tea at another families home! We had a great time!

This morning we headed to the library where we all picked out good books to devour! We're huge book people in our home!
I checked out the book 90 Minutes in Heaven for my oldest dd Morgan-Britney to read. When I shared this with her my 13 year old son asked me if he could read it so he is currently reading it and has said he loves it so far!
I would recommend reading it if you have not! It was a great book!

This week my oldest dd turns 18!! I am so proud of her and who she is! She loves the L-rd and lives her life for him. She is kind and has a servant's heart! I am amazed at the how much more mature and far she is in her walk with the L-rd then I was at her age! I am so thankful for that! And I am thankful that we are very good friends! We share and talk with each other daily! I am thankful to share this with my dd as it is a true privilege to have this sort of relationship with her as I know this is not always the case. I know it wasn't for mom and me..

I am thankful for my dd..
I am thankful for all of my children! They bring me so much joy! Every age is a new adventure for me as a mama! There is nothing I would rather be doing then being their mama and raising them up for the L-rd!
I am thankful for my dh who is the sweetest and G-dliest man I know! I love his kind and giving heart. I love how after all these years I can say I love him more now than I did the day I married him.
I am thankful for my lovely home!
I am most thankful for my L-rd and Saviour who saved me from a life of death and that His spirit lives within me!
I am thankful for YWHW's word and that it brings light into my life!
I am thankful that I have that light to give freely to others!

Happy Chanukah!!

Blessings!

Each week we read a Torah Portion (Parashah). We work on it starting on Monday and then finish up on Shabbat . So for this week's Shabbat the Torah Portion is:

Parashat Miketz

Genesis 41:1–44:17
1 Kings 3:15–4:1 Acts 7:9–16;
Matthew 7:2

pregnancy pics..

I do have a pregnancy blog.. but I thought I would post some pregnancy pictures taken today here also...
I am 20 weeks tomorrow with baby # 11. So halfway there! :)

Who I am is not who I was..

I have always had trouble with compliments. I am like everyone else and enjoy getting them. I need to hear that others see G-dly truths in my life and that there are fruits in my children and in my life. But when someone irl (online it's easier) says something compliment wise I am just never sure how to respond. Every day I look in the mirror at myself and I see this person staring back at me. This woman who isn't all she wants to be. I know who I truly am and I see so many character flaws and faults. I see how far I still have to go...
But then if I stop and ponder who I was years ago I can see how much my life has changed. How different I am and how much YHWH has changed in me! It's hard for me to recognize that person. I am ever so thankful that He did not leave me as I was!!

Tuesday night my children wanted to have a game night/family night. So after supper and chores were finished we all started with a game of hide and seek. It was fun hiding all over the house and having to run to base which was my glider in the living room. At one point I was hiding upstairs and Gabby who was *it* came into her room where I was hiding behind the door. Thankfully she didn't see me so I dashed out the doorway and literally flew down the stairs as fast as my pregnant body would move. All the while thinking how funny I must look with belly bobbing down the stairs!! I made it to base and had a good laugh at myself.
We then went onto play Mother May I and Simon Says. We ended our game playing with the memory game. We all had the giggles and had a great time! During our game of hide and seek my 4 yr. old dd ZaraLayna came up to me and hugged me. She then looked up at me with her big beautiful blue eyes and said, "I'm so happy!" It was then I realized again how simple things like playing games and allowing myself to be child again with my children meant more to them than most anything else I do. And again I have been pondering how the woman I am today is not who I used to be.
When I first started having children I truly did not enjoy doing things like this. I didn't enjoy going to the park, playing games or anything of the sort. I avoided them like the plague. I just stuck to being a mama and let my dh do those dreaded activities. But somewhere over the years Yeshua has changed my heart and today I LOVE doing these things with my children. I really enjoy my kiddos! I LOVE playing games with them and being with them.

I used to love being anywhere but at home. I would much rather be out than at home. But again I see such a change. I still love being with others but now it's only so much at a time becuz the truth be told I would rather be with my family at home than anywhere else in the world! Home has become my safe haven where the love of my children and amazing dh brings me peace and comfort. This is how Hashem wants our homes to be; filled with His love that we then give to each other.

As I have been reading thru this week's Parashah (Torah Portion) I have seen such devastating issues in these families that have had drastic consquences for all involved. Judah's sons not being willing to give Tamar a child and being struck dead to Judah not following through with his promise to give Shelah to her as a husband when he was grown. Tamar then took the situation into own hands pretending to be a harlot and conceiving a child with Judah himself!
If we would but live righteous lives and follow the whole of YHWH's word our lives would produce such wonderful bounty and fruit!
I am thankful that Hashem left us with these examples. It gives me much to meditate upon...

I know I have not arrived yet but thru YHWH's word and His strength I can try to live my life for His glory and years from now be able to look back and see that once again I don't recognize that person!

Daily dailies..

This morning I took myself and 4 of my children to the chiro. After the appt. we headed to Staples for printer paper which we were out of. I am able to save alot of money with homeschooling because I copy my children's schoolwork and then I can reuse it with another child.
I, of course stopped at Starbuck's for a coffee..:)

Here are a few pictures of the weather in our neighborhood. It is cold! BRR!






I was so excited to hear from a good friend of mine. It has been many months since I heard from her last. We met when we lived in PA but then we moved here and she actually planned on moving here but they had to wait a bit longer. Then in August they moved to an area by Indy and I had not heard from her since then. We were able to reconnect and talk on the phone for several hours. It truly blessed me! And we live close enough to visit!! :)

I am truly blessed! I have wonderful children, an amazing husband, sweet friends, a warm home on cold winter days, lots of food in our pantry and many other blessings!

Who is rich? He who rejoices in his portion. ~The Talmud