Cookies!

I just finished making a double batch of crispy chocolate chip cookies for dad's very belated birthday. He likes em crispy, even though I disagree heartily...they should be chewy, I make them they way he likes. Then I bagged them all up and hid them away so mom and I won't be tempted to help him eat them. :)

Now on to Shabbat preparation. May Yahweh bless you all this lovely day!

Sharing Music

This afternoon 3 friends of mine and I decided to spontaneously visit the Summer-Wood Alzheimer's facility to play music for whoever would listen. We didn't have a very large audience but up to 7 people watched and listened as we all took turns playing our songs. I felt very brave as I played 5 or so pieces on the violin as well as several piano pieces. I didn't feel as nervous as I thought I would. After an hour or so we packed up and went to another nursing home(can't remember the name) and repeated our music there. It was an enjoyable afternoon and I feel like I have a goal for next week to choose some fun familiar songs that the elderly would enjoy. I would love to play at both places again.

A Long Day And A Violin

I found out earlier this week that Dad was planning a trip to Portland OR on Thursday to pick up some equipment for his business. As soon as I heard, I knew I had to go with him. The promised violin for my birthday 3 weeks ago still wasn't in my hands and I knew we would find a violin shop in the city. So, a 10 hour round trip plus six hours in Portland...let me tell you about my day.

We hit the road around 6 AM everything still frosty and snowy. While Dad drove I enjoyed the new book I ordered on improving one's piano studio. Less than 50 miles from home there was no snow to be seen and the temperature was in the upper 40s! We stopped at our favorite gas station in Biggs OR and it was there that dad realized that he forgot his wallet, thankfully he still had his cash and I had my checkbook or we may have been driving back home mission unaccomplished. I drove the rest of the way to Portland. Dad picked up his first load which only took about 15 minutes.

Next stop the violin shop, they weren't open when we first got there so we waited in the car for a few minutes with the rain pouring down. It was so much fun walking into a violin shop with violins, violas, and cellos everywhere, yes it was my first time in a violin shop. Here's what happens when you live in a small town all your life: When you walk into our local music store, what you see is guitars everywhere and 2 violins, an acoustic for $100 and an electric for $500.

Knowing I had a tight budget to work with, I asked to try out violins below the cost of $1500. If you don't know anything about violins you may think that is expensive but it is not uncommon to see violins for many thousands more. Then there is the bow which can range from $60 to thousands of dollars! Anyway, I knew I didn't want to torture myself by playing around with anything I couldn't afford. I played through a line-up of violins and one by one eliminating the ones that didn't sound good to me. After choosing one that I liked, I asked for the prices and discovered that I had chosen the most expensive one in the line-up. Then learning that it didn't come with a case or a bow and that it would go over my set limit I decided I would need to try a few more and hopefully find one that I liked that wouldn't go over my limit.

We decided to take a break at this point and head over to Vancouver to pick up Dad's other load and visit Racz European Violin Shop. Mr. Racz played us a sampling of some of his beautiful and original compositions. Here is a link to once of his pieces being played by Tatiana Kolchanova Parente http://www.youtube.com/user/Flaviflip?feature=mhum#p/a/f/0/Ydr53BVLHx4

Then he allowed me to play one of his violins which was MUCH nicer than what I've been playing on and though not expensive, was above my set limit. Mr. Racz helped me with a few tips and we played an easy duet. He complemented me by telling me "you should play the violin". Feeling encouraged I reluctantly said goodbye and we headed back into Portland to find a violin.

In the car I told Dad that my goal was to never play my old violin again so we had to find something that I liked before we left for home. Dad chuckled and asked what I'm going to do with the old violin. I told him that I will hang it back on the wall for a decoration.

Back in Portland I began the process of elimination on a new line-up of violins. At first I was at a loss, many of them just did not sound good to me. Finally I narrowed it to 2 violins that I couldn't decide which I liked better. One had a brighter tone and the other was warmer. I asked Dad for his opinion. I would play the same song on each and Dad would insist that the bright one sounded best, then I would play a different song and he would insist the warm one sounded the best. After going in circles like this for some time, I would torture myself by playing the one I had found earlier that I liked which was above my limit. We were both tired and starving and the shop was closing soon so I made my choice. I then tried many different chin rests until we found one that fit comfortably. With violin in hand we hit the road once again.

It poured rain like we haven't seen for a long time, the streets looked like rivers and there were huge puddles in the freeway. We got supper in Hood River at 7:30. Driving was a pain, I was sore from head to foot, the heated seats in the van are a blessing to a sore back. In some places there was fog so thick we could not see more than 20 feet ahead of us. We arrived safely home just after midnight. The cat and dog were both thrilled to see us back home. Mom wanted to see my new violin and as soon as I got it out of the case the cat claimed the case. I booted her out but she just sits next to it like it's her great treasure. Mom could tell right away that the new violin sounded nicer than the old one(I should hope so).

I know this was a rather long post so I'll end here but be watching for my next post which will include a photo of my new violin and maybe a video if I can polish something nice to play by then.

Hi everyone! I finally got my first violin video posted on youtube, thanks to my dad who helped me. Before you click, absolutely no laughing allowed or aloud unless you are willing to post up your own video of YOU playing the violin. :) And if you are going to criticize my playing, please only constructive criticism or encouragement so I can improve, alright? OK, so click away http://www.youtube.com/user/Flaviflip?feature=mhum I'll try to keep posting as I improve.

Gettin Old, yep!

It's my birthday eve tonight, yep tomorrow I'll officially be 29. Should I pluck out those two gray hairs that are up on top? A lot of people still mistake me for about 24, hopefully that's a good thing. I actually like the two gray hairs, they add character. I told my parents that I wasn't going to celebrate my birthday this year but they are rebellious parents. Dad told me that it wouldn't matter if I celebrated or not, that he still would celebrate. There are good things about birthdays like splurging and eating pizza for supper tonight, a yummy but bad for me treat away from the raw foods. And dad told me he would buy me a new violin for my birthday which is pretty special. I wasn't planning on upgrading my violin until I could prove to myself that I could really play. I don't really have any plans for the day, just hours of teaching, practice, and perhaps a visit in between with good friends. That's really the best part, the friends and the sweet words exchanged.

This is IT!

OK, so here goes...My latest very FUN endeavor, which has been taking between 1 and 3 hours of my time each day, I obsess over it day and night, I can hardly wait to be proficient at it, I hired a teacher to help me with it, it has inspired me in other areas of my life, iiiisss....maybe I won't tell after all,.... kiddin! It's my dearly beloved violin that I've had forever but just never got around to learning. I don't know how old I was when I first decided that I wanted to learn violin but I'm guessing I was about 5. At the time we were poor and there was no chance of getting lessons. Dad picked up a violin at an auction for about $25 back in the 80's and we ended up hanging it on the wall as a decoration for 10 years! When I was a teen I asked Mom if I could have it and she said yes. So I took it down, repaired it's cracks, refinished it, and restrung it. I think I was 16 or 17 when I first hired a teacher who said she would come out to our home for the lessons, at the time I was well on my journey in piano lessons and thinking about teaching. I found the teacher to be frustrating and not the most helpful and after about 4 lessons I learned that she didn't even play the violin herself!!! I was SHOCKED! I cancelled my lessons and put away my violin(I thought forever, yes, I was just being dramatic). Really though, I had lost the spark that I needed at that time to continue learning. Over the past 12 years(I know, I'm getting old) I've gotten the violin out and tried to screech out a song only to put it away very quickly, horrified at the awful sound. So... now I'm as surprised as anyone that my interest is reawakened at this time. While attending the Feast of Tabernacles I met another older beginning violin player who inspired me to try again. When I got home I opened my violin case and began playing and now I can't put it down. After 10 days of consistent practice I decided I'd better get a teacher before I developed some bad habits that were hard to fix. Being a music teacher myself, I understand how important it is to get that feedback from someone experienced. I had my 3rd lesson this morning and I've completed one and a half levels of "All For Strings" method. I'm eager to get down the art of vibrato and excited about learning some classical pieces. Next week I'm even hoping to take my violin to the Alzheimer's nursing home and play for the elderly, hopefully they'll forget how badly I play and welcome me back the following week. :D I'm already setting my sights BIG, maybe in ten years I'll be teaching violin lessons myself, perhaps when I'm 50 I can give a solo recital at the local theater. Ha, Ok so now you know and you can keep your eyes peeled for the video that hopefully I will soon post on youtube. I want to keep a record of my progress that way I can look back and be appalled at how bad I was and encouraged by my progress. Oh, and I forgot to mention how my violin practice has been inspiring me in another area. Since you can only practice so much before you get too tired from building all these new muscles for holding the violin, when I'm finished with my 3 hours of practice I just sit down at the piano and give it a few more hours of practice. It may sound crazy to you non musicians for me to practice music up to 5 hours a day, and to those of you who are musicians, well you probably wonder why stop at only 5 hours, right? I kind of go through these phases with my piano, sometimes I go for months without practicing(feel guilty for it too) but sometimes I just can't find a good enough reason to get into it. So any little bit counts, an hour or two and some goals to shoot for at the piano is a big thing for me right now. I have to say, I feel like a kid again!

Should I tell?

I've been debating over the past three weeks whether or not to share with my friends here my latest endeavor. Any time you start something new there is a bit of risk involved, will I follow through, will I succeed? Or will I give up when things get too busy or perhaps I'll be so bad at it that I won't want anyone to know that I ever tried? OK so the first two weeks passed by so quick and I've been having so much fun that now I'm investing even more time and money into it. Curious? Maybe I won't tell just yet. ;) I'll give a hint: it requires, daily concentration, motivation, dedication, and interest.

A Sweet Surprise

Ever since we returned from Sukkot I've been putting off the chore of changing water around the property. I always manage to get half soaked no matter what I do and with the weather getting cooler and my fingers and toes always being too cold anyway, it seems my dislike for the job is reasonable. For the past couple of days dad has reminded me to go out and move the water several times and today I told him that I would do it as soon as the sunshine warmed things up a bit. Finally by 5 in the evening I realized the sun wasn't going to warm things up and that I'd better get out and do what I said I would do. Reluctantly I put on my jacket then I stood in dad's office and told him how cold I was. He told me to go get dressed as if it were zero degrees outside. I took the jacket off and pulled pajamas on under my clothes and a sweatshirt over them, then the jacket and a hat. Still, I procrastinated, standing in his office(looking ridiculous with the pj bottoms poking out from under my skirt). Finally I began to feel quite toasty so I got my boots on, tucked my pjs into them and headed out to the orchard to move the hose from one dry tree to the next. As I pulled the hose to it's new position it caught and kinked, the spray from the sprinkler dribbled to a stop and in the quiet of the outdoors I heard faint but distinct meow that I was sure I would never hear again. I looked around and spotted Mimi, my 15 year old cat who had been missing for 3 weeks, thought to have been eaten by dogs. She was stuck on the other side of the fence in the neighbors yard, pacing back and forth meowing. I almost began climbing the fence to rescue her, but the mental picture of what the neighbors might see and what they might think was enough to stop me. I ran and hopped in the car, drove around the block, ran through the neighbors back yard to scoop little Mimi up. She had a wild look about her and she seemed thin and scared. I walked back to the car with her, just then the neighbor was driving up. I happened to glance down and remembered those stupid pajama pants poking out from under my skirt, they had untucked themselves when I ran to Mimi's rescue. Embarrassed, I smiled and waved at the neighbor and hurried back home with poor skinny Mimi. She was served a heaping plate full of her favorite cat food while Flavia sat scowling and growling from the other side of the room(jealous spoiled thing). Now Mimi sleeps happily on a pile of quilts in the bedroom, jumping up meowing and purring every time I enter. It will take a few days to feed the wild and starving look out of her eyes and fatten her up. I can't believe I had given her up as dead. After all the excitement I went back out to finish setting the water, I didn't care anymore if I did get soaked.

Garden Photos Autumn Bounty

Autumn is here and so comes the bounty from the garden. I took a stroll in the garden today for the first time since we returned from Sukkot. I was surprised to see how many tomatoes went to waste while we were gone. Still there were five crates mostly full after I picked and that's not even touching the cherry tomato patch.

The peppers, cabbage, beets, carrots, squash, green beans, potatoes, and herbs will be a yummy addition to our autumn diet.

Autumn Bounty

Yummy peppers and a HUGE beet!

Sukkot Photos

Mom and I sang several songs together.

Someone caught a profile photo of our family...

Sukkot Photos

YRM took quite a few photos and posted them on Facebook, I'm in a few of them. Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=512823&id=465899410342

Home from Sukkot

Wow, what a trip! We drove over 900 miles the first day making it to Belle Fourche SD by bedtime. On day two we visited the Laura Ingalls homestead in DeSmet SD, it was 5 hours out of our way but we had promised my niece that we would go and it was worth the stop. After that dad decided that we would drive nonstop to Indiana so we drove all night, arriving at our destination the following morning.

We tried to catch up on sleep before the first meeting but there was just no way. We nearly got scared half to death that first day when there was a misunderstanding and we thought we had to sing at the first meeting, thankfully it was only a misunderstanding! The feast was wonderful, we met so many people! We played music on several occasions, went horseback riding, hiking, there was a BBQ, pioneer day, visiting around the camp fire. Every day there was at least one service. We learned many things and saw 11 people baptized!

On the way home we drove 1100 miles to Rapid City on the first day, on day two we visited aunt Helen and uncle Art and cousin's Sue and Rich. We also saw Mnt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Cosmos. On day three we drove through Sturgis and visited cousins Julie and Bill, then we drove on to Belle Fourche and took Rachael through the cemetery where our great great grandfather is buried. After that we topped off the day with a stop at the BBCR(Big Bonato Canyon Ranch) where the original Bonato homesteads still stand. Rachael had never been there so I took her on a hike to the Greslin homestead. We had to crawl under or over about 7 fences and walk probably 2 or 3 miles. We collected a few rocks and a deer scull. When we got back, Martin had showed up so we stood around visiting for a bit before getting back on the road. We drove till Big Timber MN where we stayed for the night. Our last day of travel we stopped at Butte to look at the mines, in Alberton we checked out the bookstore, and in Haugan we visited the souvenier store, 50,000 silver dollars. After that we had no motivation but to drive till we got home.

At home I found Flavia waiting for me, she was so happy that she sat by me for hours just watching and purring and occasionally meowing at me. Sadly, my 15 year old cat Mimi was likely eaten by the neighbor's rowdy dogs while we were gone. We looked all around for evidence but found nothing. Only Uncle Tony's story of chasing the dogs off, later he discovered that not all the cats were showing up for meals.

I'm not so happy to get back to farming, I sure would like it to be the dead of winter right now. I had to pick up my 5 goats from the goat sitter, I think I'll sell them as fast as I can and buy new ones in the spring!

It is good to be home though, in spite of all the work that is staring me in the face. At least I have my own bed to rest in and all the wonderful comforts of home.

Sukkot Preparation Odds N' Ends

Sukkot is getting so close now and I'm excited! Since we are traveling for Sukkot there are many things to prepare. I packed my suitcase already just so it would be out of the way and I won't have to think about it anymore until it's time to load the van.

Today I delivered the goats to the goat sitter then mom and I made a huge batch of veggie juice and green smoothies. We are going 100% raw for a few days before and after Yom Kippur. Since she is trying to improve her health and I'm trying to keep mine we thought it was a good time to insert a bit of a fast before a fast followed by another bit of a fast. :) Though right now I'm craving cheese and corn chips, I'll resist the urge and drinking my peach, blackberry, spinach, banana, and swiss chard smoothie, which by the way is quite delicious!

Tomorrow dad and I will drive to either Biggs OR, or Portland to pick up my niece Rachael who will be keeping the feasts with us. I'm very excited to be including her. She will miss 3 weeks of school so my job through out the feast is to make sure she stays caught up on homework in between high days and Sabbaths. I pray that by including her, Torah observant lifestyle will affect her life positively in the long run.

So somehow between now and early Tuesday morning we have to pack the last minute stuff like ice chests with food for the road and fresh produce from the garden, and yes, of course we will take our Champion juicer...I'll be juicing each day whether in a hotel or a sukkah. Perhaps I will sew on the last of my buttons for the new jumper I made while dad is driving.

The bright side of all this busy-ness is that we have Shabbat to rest on and Yom Kippur as well. Two days to set aside all busy plans and preparations and focus on Yahweh. During this season, extra days off from work are SO appreciated!

Then there is my poor cat Flavia, she doesn't get to keep the feast with us this year :( Last year we took her to the mountains with us and even though she hated the drive she enjoyed the stay. This year the amount of miles we have to drive, I decided would be harder on her than being separated from the family. She thinks she is a person after all, sleeps on the bed, watches tv, and she likes me to watch her eat several times a day. Sometimes she won't touch her food unless I stand there and watch, it's crazy! Also she is best friends with our dog who gets to come to the feast...it's just not fair being a cat I guess. Hope she eats while I'm gone.

Anyway after 2 and a half days of driving we should reach our destination in Indiana, Yahweh willing.

May Yahweh bless your Yom Kippur and Sukkot!

Something new

These days I have been preparing for Sukkot. Our family will be traveling to Indiana to meet with some brethren there. I'm so excited about the trip and being the goosy girl that I am I just had to have some new clothes for the trip! One thing you learn really fast when you dress in modest dresses all the time(not to mention, natural fibers) is that there is no where convenient to shop especially in a town like Moses Lake. So I decided to order a few unsewn jumpers and a dress online. After my order arrived and I examined the lovely cut-outs, I started thinking about the insides of all my other homemade garments which begin to fray after being washed once. I knew the only answer was to buy a serger so I headed to town the next day and bought a Bernina 1150.The store had to order it and while I waited for it's arrival I learned how to operate the same machine at the store. The funny part of it is that I had ordered the garments unsewn to save money but then here I am buying a new serger! Dad did reassure me that since I've been sewing since I was 10 years old that it would be a good investment so I went ahead. After my new little treasure arrived I set to serging my garments. It's so unbelievable!!! Every edge that I've sewn...and I was just smiling the whole time knowing that the insides of my clothes would look as nice as the outsides even after being washed. I've officially renamed my serger "the happiness machine" lol! Mom says I'm totally spoiled but I don't care...just look at the inside of my dress!

Cats Love Cantaloupe

Mom and I have been doing some major diet makeover in our kitchen lately. It's been on the to do list for quite some time but getting around to doing the to do list isn't always as easy as it sounds. A while back I bought the book Whole Foods And Healing Recipes by Ron Lagerquist. It gathered dust for about 5 months before I felt so bad about keeping it hidden away in the bedroom that I brought it out to re-read. By some miracle I was able to persuade mom to read it too and next thing I knew we were buying carrots, corn, and cantaloupe!

Now speaking of cantaloupe, we've been buying "herds of cantaloupe"(as Lagerquist says) each week for a dollar a piece at the roadside stand. Now mom is not convinced yet that we should juice the whole cantaloupe rind and all but did you know that is the most nutritious way to eat a cantaloupe? According to Lagerquist's research, cantaloupe(rind and all) are high in vitamin A and C, myoinositol, and a large amount of digestive enzymes. They are also good for weight loss and in fighting off certain types of cancer!

Learning some of these fascinating facts on cantaloupe has been enough to keep me interested in eating it for breakfast...but the rinds? A few year back(honestly it was like 13 years back) we realized that our cat Mimi LOVES cantaloupe! We found it funny so we tried feeding her all sorts of fruits and veggies. She didn't really catch on to the vegan concept. We did have another cat that liked peaches and pineapple, and our cat Amy tasted Dr. Pepper once...um that's another story though. So, back to the rinds. Last year I had too many cantaloupe in the garden and they were starting to rot so I took little old Mimi out there and showed her where to harvest and she just dug those fanged teeth right into the rind and began eating. So the cat knows what's good for her and she's not going to let the taste of a tough cantaloupe rind get in the way of her raw food consumption! So take a lesson from my cat and eat your rinds.

Well so far each morning I'm still throwing the rinds out the back door hoping to hit the compost bucket and occasionally I'll throw one toward the cat. And if one of these mornings you catch me gnawing on cantaloupe rind...don't raise your eyebrows at me, I'm just trying to follow Mimi's good example.

A long day in the life of me.

I didn't feel like doing anything today, not sure what's up with that. When lack of motivation strikes what is one to do? I woke at the reasonable time of 6:30 and hopped right out of bed. I made straight for the kitchen and juiced 9 carrots, a huge beet greens and all, 3 stalks of celery, 5 small cucumbers, half of a yellow pepper, and an apple. With a breakfast like that I should have felt ready for the long day of hard work that lay ahead(and for those of you who are wondering if I drank all that juice by myself, no I did not, I shared with dad and mom). Next I headed for the barn but somehow I ended up sitting in dad's office(which, by the way is in the opposite direction) when I should have been milking the goats. I did eventually make it out to the barn a half hour late. After coming back in and cleaning the kitchen the "blahs" hit. I was determined to go outside and get something done but since I was feeling uninspired I asked dad to assign me a job! He gave me a few things to do and it's a good thing they were quick and easy because half way into the first job I was BORED and it was hot. I followed with a few chores of my own choosing and gave them 100% of my half hearted effort. By 1 in the afternoon I was fed up so I showered and set up my sewing station to do some mending. I mended one skirt in about 10 minutes then got sidetracked by the fabric supply in the sewing room which proved to be somewhat productive since I was able to sort out a few things that needed to go away. I never found the dream piece of fabric to make a new dress from but I did manage to cover every surface in the living room with pieces of clothing and cloth.

Somehow in the middle of that I started thinking about FOOD! Homemade bread and nutty crackers, yum! Last time I had thought to make bread I could not find my favorite recipe but I was pretty certain I knew where to find the cracker recipe. So I abandoned the sewing machine, the clothing scattered all over the place, and the boxes in the sewing room for the recipe shelf in the kitchen. To my delight I found both the bread and cracker recipe together! I set to digging out the grains, nuts, and seeds that make the yummiest bread and crackers.

Now as it's getting to be evening, the crackers are finished and the bread is rising. I still feel like a slug but at least sometime in the next hour I'll be a slug full of the yummiest bread ever. Then with the way I feel, perhaps I should take a nap...maybe I should have taken a nap this morning at 11 when the thought first crossed my mind...on the other hand would I have found my favorite bread recipe if I had taken a nap?...come to think of it, I can't take a nap(exasperated sigh), I have a big mess to clean up!

Looking back

Sometimes looking back can be such an eye opener. Here I sit rather absorbed in my life right now and it is so easy to forget where I came from and how I got to where I am. Sometimes it's good not to think about the past too much, I mean, you don't want to dwell on past mistakes since it's done and cannot be changed. I've been running into more and more people lately who are Torah observant as I seek fellowship and friends. Sometimes in my search I meet people who are suffering, struggling, or wrestling with their circumstances, people who want to know where Yahweh is in their trouble, and why isn't He helping them or answering their prayers? I try my best to give these people encouraging words or scriptures and relating to them in the best way I know how. One day recently I was thinking on a certain person I've been writing to and wondering how they ever got to be in such a dark place, nothing I can say makes this person feel better, all they can see is how terrible their circumstances are right now. I'm not even sure if I can relate to them because it is so far from where I am now. Something prompted me to browse my old journal and I discovered that about 6 years ago I was in a similar dark place! I was shocked at how some of my own writings looked so much like some of the correspondence I had received from my friend. As I read further I was amazed how over time Yahweh worked through me as I sought Him above worldly pursuits that tempted me and the peace He gave me to live my life as He was directing not as I wished. It seems so long ago now that I even had these feelings of anxiety, hopelessness, and no sense of direction. Yahweh was faithful! My life is not what I asked Him to make it in the sense of worldly desires and hopes but He has filled it with meaning and has helped me to live each day with a good attitude, contentment, and a servants heart. I'm so thankful for what Yahweh has done in my life. I would pray for everyone to find this same peace He has bestowed on my life...I truly believe that Yahweh can do this for anyone who seeks Him, no matter what the circumstance. Seek Him until you find!

Goat care ect.

Spring time can be such an inspiring time of year with blossoms on the fruit trees, the greenhouse full to the brim with plants, a soft breeze with the wind chimes singing, and the warm sun shining through the clouds after a sprinkling rain. Some where in the midst of all that inspiration though fits goats and all the fun that goes with them...like electric fence repair, one goat who escapes about 5 times a day regardless of the condition of the fence, giving shots(ugh), trimming feet(which includes getting kicked over and over and over), oh yes and don't forget getting ready for birthing. I'm coming up on the one year anniversary of me purchasing my first goats. Originally I thought it would be nice to get some goats to eat the pastures down because we had too much mowing to do, then I though that if I was going so far as to buy goats then I should get them bred that way they would be productive in more than one way. Don't be fooled though, nothing is ever as simple as it may seem...pregnant goats need supplements, alfalfa, grain, salt licks, shots, shelter, feet trimmed....oh and don't forget, they think they are people and so they aren't happy enough with their own company, they want me to stay in the barn and visit them.
Well this week we had to give shots, since the idea doesn't make my stomach feel too well mom offered to come and help. It still didn't go very well, goats just don't have much skin on their necks and we couldn't get one of the goats to stand still at all! In frustration we didn't finish that day. The next day I read that giving the shot behind the front elbow was a much easier place so I set out with determination to get those shots done. We have a milking stanchion so I went ahead and locked the goats one by one in the stanchion and administered the shots with ease. I was so happy!!! It didn't even make me feel sick. With the right tools and some good advice a job can be made so much simpler and make a beginner like me feel like a pro.

Passover Preparation

Here we are and passover is just before us! We had hoped to drive to MO to keep passover with the YRM assembly but as it has neared a long trip seemed more unlikely. With a house being prepared for sale, my brother's kids coming for a week long visit, and many other smaller interruptions. We use passover as a good reason to do some spring cleaning each year as we clean out the crumbs, leaven, and fermented foods. This year somehow most of the cleaning got put off to the last week so while we were spending the week with the children we tried to fit in our spring cleaning as well. Then if things are difficult enough already I got hit with a throat virus Thursday that knocked me off me feet for the day(I had fever,chills, faintness,weakness,headache,achy muscles, not to mention a swollen sore throat), happily for everyone I was able to work the next day but nearing the end of Sabbath I couldn't even speak above a whisper sooo I'm still rather speechless today but the house is quiet and peaceful since the children have gone back home to Oregon. Now in the next 24 hours we have to see if we can finish the spring cleaning and then it's on to eating delicious homemade unleavened bread for the next week, Yum!
Thank Yahweh for sending us Yashua as a passover lamb! HalleluYah!

To garden or not to garden?

Is that the question of late or not?! I'm sure that there are places all over where gardening is the last thing on people's minds but here in Moses Lake we have had sunny day after sunny day. The greenhouse doesn't even think of getting below freezing anymore even on cold nights. Sadly for the cats that used to live in there(I booted them out to the barn) I have filled most of the shelves with trays of seedlings. I started feeling a little anxious after starting over 500 tomatoes, 200 peppers, and several hundreds of flowers and greens. And no, I couldn't stop there when I ran out of starter pots I ordered enough to fill every crack and cranny of that greenhouse with starts...the only problem now is that when all those starts outgrow their cell pots I will have to transplant them into 4 inch pots so somehow between now and transplanting time I need to come up with a way to expand my greenhouse capacity by four times! Next week I plan to put up a mini grow tunnel made of 3 or 4 PVC pipes bent into half circles and covered with plastic. I don't know how many plant will fit into that but it will surely relieve the greenhouse of some of the expansion difficulties. Thankfully last year uncle Tony gave me nearly 5000 4 inch pots so I don't think I'll run out of those. Perhaps you could call me a planting addict. :D

So what do I do when I become overwhelmed by my own life that when it becomes so full that I don't think I can take anymore? Usually I end the day with a great big deep breath and I tell myself, "just one moment at a time, Yahweh will give me the grace to deal with this moment and each moment just one at a time." 2 Corinthians 12:9
"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Yahshua may rest upon me." So what Yahweh gives me is all I need. If it feels like too much, it's likely that I'm wrong because surely Yahweh is not! I'm not supposed to be worrying over tomorrow anyway. Matthew 6:34 says "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself." Sometimes just knowing that I shouldn't be worrying isn't enough to bring my racing mind at night calm down enough for sleep. This is truly where prayer and sometime focusing on a specific verse is helpful. One lesson I've learned from being a bit of a worrier is that no matter how busy, overwhelming, or painful life gets, the sun still rises in the morning and life still goes on. Yahweh gives me the strength to move through whatever it is that lies in my path each day.

My life today...

Life doesn't seem to slow down much these days. Every day is packed full of the many things that must be done. Psalm 104:23 "Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening." Yesterday I slept in unintentionally but once I was up I ended up working pretty much nonstop for 12 hours. Somehow that doesn't seem right to me but there is certain work that can't wait for me while I take a break. Even though I was beat at the end of the day I feel that Yahweh approves, after all He is the one who seems to be putting this work before me, I know that I didn't ask for it! I don't mind really, at least not right now. Sure there are times when I feel like pulling my hair out(usually when the day is late and I'm tired). In the long run, I know it's Yahweh who has given me the work and and for that reason I feel much more content doing it willingly and joyfully. Colossians 3:23 "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;"

Fruit diet proves itself!

Here I am on day 20 of an all raw diet on which I'm only allowed to eat raw fresh fruits and freshly juiced vegetables. I have 8 more days to go and so far I'm impressed, I have lost close to 14 pounds. I wasn't in dire need of weight loss but over the past few years my weight has been creeping up and I just felt like I needed a fresh and healthy start.

It has not been the easiest thing to do but certainly not the hardest either. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would say it rates a 6 in difficulty. Mornings are always a breeze, I'm fine with eating fruit for breakfast and most of the time fruit for lunch is fine too, its' always when the dinner bell strikes that I begin reasoning with myself over whether or not it's worth it to stay on the diet. I figured out that I just need to talk myself through the difficult moments when I'm craving mom's home-made fettuccine or chicken and dressing. If I can make it through the last few hours in a day then I know I can make it through the entire 4 weeks.

So now, as I'm nearing the end of this diet, I'm thinking more on how I can improve my eating habits on a more permanent basis. I know Yahweh would want me to take better care of my body day to day throughout the year on not just on some freak fruit fast to loose a few pounds. I think I'll definitely include more raw and whole foods, less dairy, more fish, drastically less refined sugar and flour. And...I think I'll take the time, finally after all my life of avoiding the kitchen, and learn how to cook. :)

I decided to try my hand at blogging, so here goes...