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...