BEIT ABARAH: House of Crossing Over

Juicing Day 1

2012-02-01T15:46:00.003-07:00

That daily picture thing I mentioned last night will have to wait, I guess. Got nuthin' for ya today. It's almost 5 pm and I have only been up for about two hours. What a blessing to have older children who can manage without me. They all got their school work done and made breakfast and lunch for themselves while I laid in bed all day like a blob.

You see, the stomach flu that's been going around town hit me hard this morning and afternoon. Some of the children have been battling it last week. Now its my turn apparently. Headache, nausea. Sleeping all day.

Which I guess makes for a very easy first day of JUICING because I haven't wanted to eat. Right now, I'm sipping on ginger-carrot-apple juice and this is the first thing I've had all day. Two red delicious, three carrots and about an inch of ginger root. I am grateful to have had even this in the house, as I was planning on shopping this morning for fruits and veggies. But its a little sweet on this nauseous stomach. Taking me FOREVER to finish, not sure I can.

Oh yeah, the caffeine withdrawal headache I was anticipating would occur tomorrow, is competing with the flu headache for attention right now.

I also didn't get to weigh myself this morning for a start weight. Sigh! Not exactly the best first day experience, but at least tomorrow can't possibly be any worse. Right? Right?

blessings,

Gail

21 Day Juice/raw foods Feast

2012-01-31T23:38:00.004-07:00

A friend of mine announced today on Facebook that she is starting a 21 day juice/raw food fast. I asked her to wait till tomorrow and I would join her. Impetuous, you say? Surprisingly, no. I'd been looking at juicing sites all weekend long, wondering when I'd finally decide to do it again. I did an 8 day fast during Chanukkah in 2009. Those of you who've been hangin' with me for awhile might remember that.

So when I read her status, I jumped right in. No more of this weighing the consequences. Do I want to start right before Superbowl Sunday? February is my oldest son's 16th birthday (on the 16th). And on and on the excuses can pile up.

No, this time I just did it. Instant change in lifestyle. 21 days to health.

I'm toying with the idea of doing a daily pictorial journal. Not sure if anyone wants to see my mug for the next 21 days, but it might be something I'd like to look back on. It's almost 1am in South Dakota. Better get to sleep. Tomorrow might be a looong day.

oh, and that's not a typo in the title of this post - I'm calling it a Feast because I anticipate that in time I will look on it as such. maybe not so much tomorrow.
blessings,

Gail

Homeschool Hilarity

2012-01-30T23:39:00.003-07:00

The younger four children and I are studying the Middle Ages in history. Today I was discussing Justinian the Great with the children.

I said, 'when he was a boy, Justinian set out for Constantinople to find his uncle. It was a difficult and dangerous journey, taking several weeks. He had to go through dark forests and cross rivers and HIGH HILLS." (this of course was said in my southern accent).

To which son Viktor inquired: 'Why would he be in HIGH HEELS????????'

HAHAAHA! I love that guy!

What's YOUR funny homeschooling stories?

Gail

Delight

2012-01-21T11:52:00.003-07:00

I'm on an email bible commentary list from a teacher named Skip Moen. This was in today's box:

Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

Delight - This word (‘anag) is used for a garment that is delicate or luxurious. Here it means to feel great favor toward something. But notice carefully the object of our delight. It is not His forgiveness. It is not His rescue. It is not His blessings or promises. This verse makes it clear that we... do not delight in something God has done for us. We are delighted in His person – in who He is. Just like a fine piece of silk, the delight is not because of what can be done with the cloth, but because the cloth itself is so marvelous. The subject is desirable because it is attractive in and of itself.

-Skip Moen

You know what? I really like that. Too often the 'worth' of God in our lives is related to the latest thing He's done, or gonna do for us. And so we don't seek out just being with Him and delighting in Him.

That's what so great about His Sabbath - it is an appointment WITH Him to spend time together. No commerce, no work to get in the way. No striving, no worries. Just time together, delighting in one another - He and I. He and you.

Because of the nature of the REST on this day and because God ordained it to be this way, this is the PERFECT day in which to do this. He takes the distractions away from us!

Abba, I delight in You and I delight in Your Shabbat!

Test Taking: Homeschool Style

2012-01-09T14:53:00.002-07:00

Q1. In which battle did Napoleon die?
* his last battle

Q2. Where was the Declaration of Independence signed
?* at the bottom of the page

Q3. River Ravi flows in which state?
* liquid

Q4. What is the main reason for divorce?
* marriage

Q5. What is the main reason for failure?
* exams

Q6. What can you never eat for breakfast?
* Lunch & dinner

Q7. What looks like half an apple?
* The other half

Q8. If you throw a red stone into the blue sea what it will become?
* It will simply become wet

Q9. How can a man go eight days without sleeping ?
* No problem, he sleeps at night.

Q10. How can you lift an elephant with one hand?
* You will never find an elephant that has only one hand.

Q11. If you had three apples and four oranges in one hand and four apples and three oranges in other hand, what would you have ?
* Very large hands

Q12. If it took eight men ten hours to build a wall, how long would it take four men to build it?
* No time at all, the wall is already built.

Q13. How can u drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it?
*Any way you want, concrete floors are very hard to crack.

so....how well did YOU do?

Gail

Proverbs 31: the Law of Kindness

2012-01-06T08:48:00.003-07:00

The Law of Kindness.

Understanding that phrase from Proverbs 31 revolutionized my life. The phrase we read in English as "law of kindness" is in Hebrew: Torah of Chesed. I used to think she spoke with kindness whenever she talked. Well, that's nice, isn't it? And wouldnt it be ice if we all did that? But that's not the meaning of the Hebrew phrase.

The first five books of the bible are often referred to collectively as the Torah, a term unfortunately mistranslated into Greek as ‘nomos’ and into English as ‘law’. Why do I say unfortunate? Because the Hebrew word "Torah" does not mean 'law".

It means ‘teaching’ or 'instruction' or 'training', particularly the kind a craftsman provides to his apprentice. You know how it takes years, on the part of the apprentice, to watch, duplicate, emulate, or copy the master? Well, that is the essence of Torah.

The word of God is Torah, is alive, and active. More powerful than a two-edged sword.It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.*Hebrews 4:12*

Chesed is the word used over and over to express God's relationship with Israel and with all who become part of His chosen people by faith in His Messiah.

Here comes the revolutionary part. We see the Proverbs 31 woman speaking forth God's Torah!

Now, you all know SHE's still applicable to us today,in fact she's a role model for women in the church, right, and so is WHAT she speaks forth!

HalleluYAH!

blessings,

Gail

Proverbs 31:10 Who[b] can find a virtuous[c] wife? For her worth is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. 13 She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar. 15 She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants. 16 She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard. 17 She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms. 18 She perceives that her merchandise is good, And her lamp does not go out by night. 19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hand holds the spindle. 20 She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet. 22 She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants. 25 Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come. 26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. 27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “ Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.” 30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.

BEIT ABARAH: House of Crossing Over

2012-01-06T08:14:00.002-07:00

Did you notice I changed the name of this blog? (everything else is remaining the same though. At least for now.)

I learned a new Hebrew phrase today and immediately it stirred my spirit so much that I HAD to change the name of this blog. STANDING AT THE CROSSROADS was perfect as a title for this blog and for the place I was 'at' when I began writing several years ago. So many competing choices in life. So many different paths that could be taken. And there was little me, standing at the crossroads of all these choices, beholding Him, asking about the ancient paths, ‘Which one is the good way?’

“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask about the ancient paths, ‘Which one is the good way?’ Take it, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16

And then today I learned that Beit-Abarah is a name that literally means 'house of crossing over'. This was the place where the Israelites crossed the River under the leadership of Joshua in order to complete the Exodus from Egyptian bondage after those long years of Wilderness wanderings. It as here that John the Baptizer called the people to RETURN (which is what 'repent' really means). This is the Hebrew word 'teshuvah' which doesn't just mean feeling sorry for your actions, it means turning away from them completely AND RETURNING to the place from whence you came.

WELL....THAT's where I am now. In the house of crossing over. At the place of movement. No longer just standing and looking and inquiring...but in that place of CROSSING as action.

I paused for a considerable amount of time before I hit the delete button and changed the blog's name. I prayed a little. It was actually a little hard for me to change the name. There is significance in this name change, I'm just not sure what or how. I do know WHY though.

‎1As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 7Deep calls to deep ... in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. 8 By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. Psalm 42

blessings,

Gail

Sticks

2012-01-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

Right before we moved from our farmstead in Montana to South Dakota, my son Andrei received 40 Stick insects plus a terrarium habitat, for free. Now, this guy LOVES bugs and Sticks are up there at the top of his list. My, how he loves these creatures. When he got them, they had only just recently hatched and so were very young and tiny. He told me all about how they will grow to maturity and as they do, they will shed their old 'skin' and it will be replaced with new. He tasked himself with checking several times a day for these old skins and removing them from the tank when necessary, to keep it clean. He takes his job seriously.

I am struck with both his care and his determination. The process of them shedding is already built in to them, but unless Andrei removes these old skins, they will dirty up the living space. And so he helps do for them what they can not do.

I can't help think of the process God goes through with us, when we come to Him in repentance and desiring newness of life. He too helps do for us that which we can not do for ourselves. He helps us not only shed the 'skins' of old ways contrary to His will, but also helps clean up those dead and decaying sins that have to go somewhere.

Sticks shed by instinct, I doubt they think about it and question whether its a good thing or not. We humans think too much at times. Too often we don't just let God shed these old ways in our lives. We'd rather reason with our flesh that its good to keep just some of the old lying around.

Its a good thing those Sticks don't try to interfere with Andrei's cleaning their habitate the way WE interfere with God's cleaning of ours!

Blessings,

Gail

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T11:14:00.003-07:00

On the Gregorian calendar anyway. Our family of course still uses this calendar - it's next to impossible to be in the world and NOT use this one. But we also hold dearly to God's biblical time frame, as outlined in scripture. And according to Torah, today is not His new year for us. That's during Passover, in the Spring. (Exodus 12)

Nevertheless, this day today marks the 1st day of 2012 and with that comes the tendency to reflect back on 2011 and forward to ones' hopes for the new year. With that in mind, I'd like to encourage ya'll with something I read today in Proverbs 3. I was noticing how great this chapter is as a kinda New Years' resolution.

Do you want prosperity and peace (at least how God views these things), health and well being, the ability to know how to do the right thing? Of course we do!!!!

Proverbs 3 has it.

That's the key to "success".

Torah.

God's instructions for living in Covenant relationship with Him and fellow man.

Not in order to GAIN salvation, but BECAUSE of salvation, which was given as unmerited favor, lest any man boast. (Ephesians 2:8)

Happy New year and I pray that this is the year you will look at His Torah with (re)new(ed) sight as you continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling!

So go ahead right now and read Proverbs 3

1 My son, do not forget my TORAH, but keep my commands in your heart,

2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.11 My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.13 Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, 14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed.19 By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; 20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.21 My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; 22 they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. 23 Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, 26 for the LORD will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— when you already have it with you. 29 Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you. 30 Do not accuse anyone for no reason— when they have done you no harm.31 Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways.32 For the LORD detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence. 33 The LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous. 34 He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed. 35 The wise inherit honor, but fools get only shame.

blessings,

Gail

What's a Tree without Presents Under it?

2011-12-24T13:26:00.004-07:00

And what are presents without the tree? And what does any of this have to do with the Savior's birth anyway?

We just had a couple neighbors stop by to welcome us to the neighborhood, man and wife, seemed like real nice folks. And not just because they brought homemade cookies and fudge. That's my favorite part of being new to a neighborhood and it sure helps, it being Christmas and all.

They wished us a Merry Christmas when they came in the door, stayed a while chatting with us, and left with a "happy holidays". Even my children noticed the change in greeting.

I think they spotted our Channukkah menorah and perhaps took note of the absence of a decorated tree laden down with wrapped packages.

I'm sure they are trying to process just what kind of people we may be. No tree for Christmas? No stockpile of gifts? Poor things, could it be that they just didn't have TIME to get a tree and decorate it? Are they too poor for presents for their 6 children? Or.....what's that nine branched thing in their living room, set up with candles....

Being a small town that loves to um...share info abut one another...perhaps they'll get help figuring us out. In the mean time, we look forward to our neighbors visiting with us and getting to know us and learning about how we do things. And maybe, just maybe...something of what we do (or don't do) to work out our faith in God and His Messiah will resonate with some of them.

Should make for interesting conversations at the fence post.

blessings,,
Gail

Why Bethlehem?

2011-12-24T11:54:00.005-07:00

Aren't they adorable? Or should I say WEREN'T they adorable. That was a while ago when this picture of our baby lambs was taken. We sure miss raising lambs, now that we no longer have the farmstead. We've been kinda reminiscing about them lately, especially since there is so much emphasis this time of year on the babe from Bethlehem, wrapped in swaddling clothes and found in a manger.

Did you ever wonder what the significance of Bethlehem was, in the GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD? If not, then you are in for a treat!

During the 1st century, Bethlehem and the immediate surrounding pasture lands were where the lambs were raised that would be used for Passover Temple services. Very near Bethlehem in a place called Migdal Eder (meaning watch tower). There's a prophesy in Micah about this "Watch Tower " as it related to Messiah. In this area of Bethlehem was the place where that ancient watch tower was used by the shepherds for protection from their enemies and wild beasts as well as the place that ewes were kept, which would give birth to the*potential* lambs used in Temple service. From this stock would be raised some very special lambs. Lambs without blemish.

Not all were born without blemish of course, and those who were born without blemish could certainly develop a blemish later and be 'disqualified'. But this was the place designated where they'd have their start in life. You may recall that scripture says these lambs were raised for a year and examined carefully before being declared by a levitical priest to be offered in the Passover services. This was the place where the shepherds were, who received the glad tidings of great joy. These shepherds were trained to care for the newborn lambs and to make sure that those born without blemish would be protected, and these particular ones would be carefully wrapped in gauze cloths for protection (and maybe identification?)

Can you imagine the impact the message from Luke 2:12 would have had on those shepherds? "This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Oh, Holy NIGHT! It seems the sign was that this One born was destined for something very special indeed, in terms of Temple service.

Today we call it Bethlehem (not sure why the change in name was necessary in the first place) but actually the Hebrew name is Beit Lechem, which in Hebrew means *House of bread*; remember that Y'shua claimed to be the Bread of Life).

So whats the deal with the lambs - why is that important to the Story? I'm glad you asked....

"Behold the Lamb, which takes away the sin of the word" declared John, to herald the beginning of Y'shua's ministry as Messiah. Did you know that was the FIRST authenticating sign that Y'shua IS the Promised One? And that it HAD to be THAT SIGN?

You see, John was no ordinary crazy guy from the wilderness. He was a Levitical priest, though because at that time the Temple priesthood was in shambles and being led by a corrupt priesthood not sanctioned by God, he wanted nothing to do with THAT. However, he still carried and took seriously the responsibilities of the office of priesthood. When he made that statement about Y'shua, he was working in his priestly capacity to declare a 'proper offering', which was mandated in the Torah. He was that priest who would declare Him to be THAT LAMB prophesied that would come. As Isaac said, 'father, where is the sacrifice?" and Abraham answered, 'God HIMSELF will provide the lamb', the true Levitical priest declared THIS ONE is THE ONE. A Levitical priest, HAD to be the one to declare "HERE IS THE LAMB FOR SACRIFICE".

And that is the significance of Him being born in Bethlehem.

Pretty awesome, huh?

blessings,

Gail

No room in the Inn

2011-12-23T21:24:00.004-07:00

Did you know that the word "INN" from Luke 2:7 does not mean a commercial building with rooms for travelers. The Greek word indicates it means a guest space, typically the upper room of a common village home.

A different Greek word is used in Luke 10:25-37 for inn when talking about the Good Samaritan and the inn the injured man was placed to recover.

When we were in Israel, we got to see some very simple village homes of the 1st century. These had two rooms - one for family and one for guests. It was funny for us (who had animals at the time on the farm) to find out that the family room had an area for the family's farm animals. They got brought in last thing at night and taken out first thing in the morning.

But in the birth story of Luke, clearly there was a definite crowding situation, even if it WASN"T a crowded inn and an innkeeper that turned Y'shua's parents away. Ever wonder why it was so crowded? Was it JUST because of the census?

It has to do with the TRUE timing of the birth of the Savior, which COMPLETELY gets lost when we celebrate His birth THIS time of year. John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us." During the... Feast of Tabernacles, every male Israelite is required to come to Jerusalem and dwell in tents (Hebrew word sukkah which describes "stables" or lodging places for animals.)

Dwelling in these booths (which were no better than shelters constructed for animals) for seven days and nights, once a year would remind the Hebrew people that these were their ancestor’s normal homes for the 40 years in the wilderness. There would be "no room in the inn" because the 'holy pilgrims' would be there early for Yom Teruah through Sukkot (a 3 week period).

Though nothing in the scriptures indicates the length of time the census taking would last, history bears out that people would have had up to a year to register. But, it also makes logistic sense that the Romans would count and tax the Hebrews in Israel when the largest number of them was in the land for these Feast days.

The clue is the time of year that the Master was born (which can be calculated by knowing when John the Baptist was born). Long story short, He was born sometime in September/October-ish. Smack during the time the Feast of Tabernacles is - a very appropriate time for the Word that tabernacled with us, to be born.

That's the 'aha moment'. No WONDER so many people came that time for the census - they'd be combining the pilgrimage with their duty to Ceaser, even though they had up to a year to register. According to the historian Josephus, during these three pilgrimage feasts, the population of “the metropolitan Jerusalem area” would swell from about a hundred twenty thousand to something over two million people. WOW! No wonder there's no room!

Whether you choose to commemorate the great Truth that the Word became flesh and tabernacled with us, during THIS time of year, or during Sukkot in the fall, may you draw closer to His Heart and His Torah each and every day!

blessings,

Gail

Inbetween the Books

2011-12-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

Did you ever wonder what happened during that period of time between the closing of the "old testament' and the start of the "new"? Well, it happened that a ruler who knew not YHWH sent a death decree for all who would NOT renounce YHWH, the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. What did it look like to NOT renounce Him? Those who stood for God refused to forsake and destroy the Torah, they clung to His set apart days including His 7th day, they refused to eat pig flesh and they refused to worship like the pagans around them.

This is the story of Channukkah.

Why would we think it would look any different today to NOT renounce Him?

Sharing the Glory

2011-12-05T19:36:00.003-07:00

I'm not going to tell you that the way most celebrate during the Christmas season has pagan origins and you shouldn't celebrate it.

I'm not gonna try to make you feel less than a good Christian for unintentionally mixing the pagan with the Holy in worshipping God. I am all for commemorating the birth of Jesus. After all, it is a beautiful thing that the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. It is worthy to celebrate.

But I will remind you of a couple scriptures and an important truth:

Isaiah 42:8 I am Jehovah, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.

Isaiah 48:11 For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; For how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another.

God does not share His glory with anyone.

So....are you making Him have to share His glory by the ways you celebrate Christmas?

Are you making Him have to compete for your time, efforts and affection on that day, or this season leading up to His 'day'?

If so, and only you and He know this.....don't you think He deserves better?

blessings,

Gail

All in a Day's Work

2011-11-21T08:41:00.007-07:00

It's time to tackle the floor of the Great Room. It has a beautiful hardwood floor, but something happened to it and it has to be replaced. We've got a plan in mind, but first we need to remove the old flooring and take it to the plywood sub floor. We'll live with it that way for a bit while we save up enough to pay for a combination of carpet and laminate 'wood' flooring. It'll look good once it's all done.

We started the project on a Sunday night, after we got a for sure 'go ahead' from the landlords. Unfortunately, the furnace wasn't working all that day, so you'll see most of the children in coats. It was ca-OLD!

We worked on it the next morning, in between school work. Of course, this is REAL LIFE school but math and reading are important too. I had a crock pot going with hot spiced apple cider for the workers.

Speaking of crock pots, the other day Andrei had a dream I crock potted him PB&J sandwiches. Funny thing was, he wasn't freaked out by that thought at all. HAHAHA. I guess I DO crock pot a lot of our meals......

blessings,

Gail

South Dakota

2011-11-17T13:28:00.023-07:00

Our new house used to be a B&B.

Yes, it takes two pictures to get it all in.

We were attracted to it because of the number of bedrooms (10) and that there are 7 baths. Also because the original part of the house was built in 1896. I've always wanted to live in an old house, with character and charm. This one fits the bill nicely!

Here are some pictures of the neighborhood around us. We're in city limits but there is a nice feel of being out in the country.

The back of the house with a handicap ramp leading into a bedroom on the main floor which is handicap accessible (including the bathroom).

If we were to find out that we are able to keep chickens, THIS would be their new home!

This is the side of the house, but used to be the main entrance of the original home.

Our front yard view.

We're renting and the landlords have kept the rent SUPER low, so we do all repairs. We also can repaint, if we want to/need to.

Here's the 'parlor', as you first walk in the front door:

From here you can turn left into the 1000sf great room or right into what we are calling the den. Here, the den: (note the beautiful hand painted mural on the wall, we don't really want to paint over that, but we've been told we can if we want to.)

That's Dutch in the foreground. He's a beautiful Rhyman Setter.

Boys diligently doing their schoolwork. From this den, you go into a foyer that I think was the original home's front room. I've commandeered this to be my little space.

Beautiful old stairs leading up to the second floor (there's three floors in all)where 7 of the bedrooms are:

Here's the hallway leading to 4 of the 7 rooms:

Ok, now we get to the fun part: the 1000sf Great Room. Sadly, the gorgeous hardwood floor is damaged beyond repair (just had a flooring expert in this afternoon) so we're going to have to do something in here to make it livable and not dangerous. I'm entertaining ideas for both what to do with the floor and also what to do with the grand space.

These pictures are out of order, now we are entering the kitchen:

Little nook in the kitchen:

Back to the damage in the Great Room:

Still part of the Great Room:

Different angle:

Ahh, yes! One of those bedrooms is a school room, of course!

Well, there ya have it! Our new home. Lots of exciting possibilities!

be blessed!

Gail

Sorrow that Produces Repentance

2011-11-13T09:15:00.003-07:00

If you've never experienced the High Holy days and Yom Kippur, (check out the topic index at the right for some things I've written about the High Holy Days) it's hard to explain the "spiritual cleansing' that can take place. We finished up this season for the year a while back and I am just now able to write about it. It was hands down, the MOST intense Yom Kippur I have ever experienced. I am certain that if it were not for knowing God, and trusting His faithfulness to me and my family, I'da been undone. He chose this time to present me with some information that was very hard to hear.

Don't get me wrong, this is also the most blessed time. Though it is difficult, it gives us an opportunity to take on the posture we all must take one way or the other - to recognize our helplessness without Him and His unwavering trustworthiness toward us.

Since God created these holy days in the first place FOR US, He is faithful to bring us through the intensity and out again, with Him. I wouldn't trade those times for anything, even my comfort.

I don't know what I'd do if someone tried to take these HOLY days away from me or tell me they are not for me, or are bondage or some other such nonsense.

For the sorrow that is according to God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10

blessings,

Gail

What Happened to Joy?

2011-11-12T23:42:00.003-07:00

by Skip Moen, D. Phil.

I’m not sure when it became clear, but suddenly I realized that joy was gone. I knew something was wrong. The spiritual destination was the same but somehow the days were taking on a sense of overwhelming burden. That verse from Hebrews haunted me. “Enter into rest”. Well, rest was about a far away as the next sunrise, somewhere on the other side of dark horizon.

I don’t think that joy went missing for lack of obedience. I wasn’t aware of rebellion or self-determination crowding out the desire to follow Him. If I had to guess, I’d say that joy got left behind in all the “trying”. Joy was there, taking up the rear, as I pushed harder along the path. But if I looked at the ground beneath my feet, I probably would have seen only my own footprints. I was doing what the world trained me to do: lead. “Come on, Jesus. This way. I see the trail. Come on.” Of course, it’s no wonder I was exhausted at the end of the day. I was out-pacing God.

The first symptoms were subtle. Actually, had I been moving at His pace, I probably would have noticed them much more quickly. They were only a blurred indication because I was in such a hurry to get on with the journey. Now I see that a leisurely stroll would have concentrated my attention on the wilting scenery. But since I traveled too fast, all the green looked the same.

The first indication was wilting prayer. I should have stopped when I realized that I was struggling with the conversation. One day I simply forgot to go through the list of people who asked me to pray for them. I misplaced the sheet of paper (the list is quite long) and I tried to wing it. The next day I forgot a few more names, substituting my requests for the needs of others. I didn’t think about the shift until later, when it dawned on me that my prayers started sounding like a litany of complaints and personal needs instead of compassion for others. In my rush, I stepped on a lot of wildflowers along the path. I needed to slow the pace and watch my feet. But the more I prayed about my needs, the more my travel sped toward some solution – usually a solution that I wanted to make happen as quickly as possible.

A week of this frustration led to changes in my dreams. Old enemies started creeping back into the dark corners. They had no where to hide when the all the windows were wide open, but when my prayers pulled down a few shades, there was just enough shadow for a few imps to settle in. I discovered that some old patterns were clawing to gain attention. Instead of immediately asking for sunlight in the corners, I thought I could just sweep them out with the rest of the trash. But you can’t sweep away a shadow. It only leaves when the light goes on.

By this time, I was moving by momentum. Like all self-propelled transports, I was subject to entropy. Friction was mounting and the wheels were burning. But I pushed on. After all, isn’t that what we’re supposed to do: persevere? In our culture, persevere means something like push forward no matter what, even if all the alarms are going off to tell you that the engine is about to burn out.

A few days later I got a blindside shot. Out of nowhere (is there really such a place in God’s geography?) I was hit with a full-frontal attack. Already off balance from the rate of my travel, I bounced like a ricocheted billiard ball, right off the table. That’s when I woke up. “What am I doing here on the floor? I’m supposed to be in the game. What happened?”

I wonder if one of the greatest spiritual battles isn’t simply the battle about the speed of living. I don’t know about you, but the pace of my life seems to be always careening toward the edge of some crash or another. I rarely have that sense of “all is at peace in the tranquil world” that Jesus seems to have had. I see Him taking His time, acting with deliberate intention, never in a hurry. Why can’t I have that kind of life? Why must I live a life of balancing the work commitments with the family obligations with the social calendar with the worship service? Why are my days sixteen hours too short?

I am beginning to think that Joy is the sister of Slower. When I look at the path behind me, I notice that she is still there, holding hands with Slower, enjoying every step of the trip. She certainly seems to see a lot more of the landscape than I do. And I’m sure that she doesn’t have that anxious, worried face that I wear. In fact, now that I really look, the two of them seem to be spending more time sitting at the feet to Jesus than trotting along the trail.

I am reminded of the lessons in the wilderness. Get up and go when the cloud moves. Sit still and wait when it doesn’t. Forty years of training. It’s worth asking why the children of Israel were able to journey forward at such a leisurely pace. The answer, of course, is that God provided their needs. In fact, the rate of travel training seems to have been directly connected to the “God as provider” lessons. Manna, for example, only became a daily delivery after they traveled three days into the wilderness on their own and exhausted all of their own provisions. Wilderness training is like that: first God lets us use up all that we think we can carry with us. He lets us get right to the end of our well-planned travels, and then, when there is nothing left, He demonstrates His mercy by providing. No possibility of credit to us. No chance of human explanation. In the wilderness, it’s God’s show.

That’s worth remembering. You see, I don’t like traveling in the wilderness. I want to get back to civilization where I have some say in things, where life is “normal”. That’s why I try to go as fast as I can. “Come on, Jesus. Let’s get out of here. This place is dangerous and scary. But I can see the city walls over there, beyond that mountain. So, let’s go as fast as we can and leave this terrible place behind. The devil might be here in the wilderness.” Oh, that’s my attitude, all right. Get me out of this desert.

God, on the other hand, isn’t in one bit of a hurry to leave the wilderness. In fact, He’s very much at home in the desolate places. He chose Mt. Sinai to visit this planet for a special time of announcements. That was about as far into the wilderness as you would ever want to go. Yet God made it a holy place (twice). There is something special about the wilderness and God. The Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness. Hagar encountered God in the wilderness. Jesus often prayed alone in the wilderness. The wilderness is that place where we get stripped of our myths and fables of independence and control. It’s the place where life must be lived in total dependence. It’s God’s home – and our “uncomfortable” zone.

I need a wilderness change in perspective. God has slowed down my journey in order that I may get to know Him in His home, exactly that place where I am most afraid. Of course, I am most afraid there because I have so little control. But that’s the purpose of the wilderness, isn’t it? To strip me of my mythology about control. If I rush through this terrain, I will never allow myself the opportunity to know His deepest provisions. I will fail the ultimate trust test. The truth of the matter is that I need the wilderness if I am going to learn to follow rather than lead.

How about you? Are you doing all you can to escape the “uncomfortable” zone? Are you rushing over the trauma terrain in hopes of finding that “normal” life again? Or are you stepping through the wilderness, slowly, carefully, noticing the carpet of tiny flowers along the path?

Heavy Hearts

2011-11-11T21:51:00.003-07:00

Those of you who have been following our homesteading journey here remember that we have had to lose our beloved farmstead. Seems like it has been a long time coming, but it happened. We are no longer in Montana. Randy is now working as a train conductor (every boy's dream job) and recently got a transfer to South Dakota. It took a while for us to be able to find a place to rent, so the children and I have been apart from Randy (excepts for sporadic visits) since May.

We completed our move a little over two weeks ago and we're all living together once again. It sure is nice.

The adjustment on me has been harder than I expected and believe me I was already expecting it to be hard.

Today was another hard day and I'm not really sure why. It started out great too, we went to a homeschool swim day at the Y and I met two moms with children close in ages to mine....Randy got to join us for a bit before going to work....we all ate at an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet (what's not to love about THAT).

And then we went to the only health food store in town, sourcing out some farm fresh eggs and raw milk. Nuthin. I got the 'deer in the headlights' look from the staff there. I was told that there is a big campaign against raw milk in South Dakota. What a difference from the attitude in Montana.

And it hit me REAL hard what we've had to give up, or more acurately, what was taken from us. The children are adjusting better than I, God love 'em.

I know, I know, everyone at one time or another in their lives has to give up something dear that they don't won't to. I'm not the only one with a sob story. And I know that there are people out there with REAL problems and that we have so much to be thankful for.

I'll get over the homesickness. I'll get over having to give up my farmsteading dreams. I'll make a home here in South Dakota. My faith isn't wavering one bit. But right now, I am really really homesick for my old life. And, to be honest, I AM wondering what the heck we're doing here in South Dakota. In town, instead of the country (though our front view is of an empty field and we are on the outskirts of town).

This is a small town of 2,800 people, none of which homeschool (the group we swam with was in a larger town 40 miles away).

I hate change.

I'm not sure if you'd have caught that if I didn't state it just now.

To all you who thought you knew how your life was going to turn out...but are finding out that actually you have no control whatsoever...to all you who are struggling with making a life meaningful when you are living what YOU consider second best..to all you who have had a piece of your heart taken by things out of your control...let's all give ourselves a cyber hug this evening. We'll be ok. God is still in control. He still has our backs. We'll rise to begin again tomorrow.

Can you imagine facing these things WITHOUT Him? NO ONE can take Him from you! Never forget that. Never live for too long like you forgot that. We can't survive very long that way.

be blessed and shabbat shalom! May His peace wash over you and heal what is hurting you, as you read this.

Gail

Now that it's over for another year...

2011-11-01T10:11:00.003-06:00

I think a trap we can unwittingly fall into in trying to be 'relevant' and engaging in our nighborhoods is that we confuse God's authority to redeem a thing, with ours. Is that what we are trying to do with halloween?

He has the authority and power to redeem, we do not. He redeems people from darkness, are we glorying in it when we engage in halloween? In my new little town in northeastern South Dakota, most every costume was of a ghoul of some kind. Folks, try as you may to tone down the costumes for your little children, THIS is halloween.

Is it presumptuous to think that we can call what He calls dark, light? His written Word(therefore His heart on the matter) speaks on this subject so clearly, that as an act of love and honor to Him, I decide to ignore this day. Not hide from it, cowering in fear, but simply and decidedly to ignore it.

Will my new neighbors think I'm a kill joy? Perhaps. But as they get to know me on a deeper level than my candy serving ability, they'll soon learn to love me and learn I'm a barrel of clean fun.

But there will in heaven be no question as to my loyalty. And that's far more important to me!

blessings,

Gailh

Digger Days

2011-09-06T07:50:00.000-06:00

One of our local charities recently put on what they hope to be an annual event involving heavy digging machines. Digger Days they call it. Let's see....a fund raising event for Eagle Mount mixed with the promise of lots of dirt and digging. Add to this my four boys and Abigail and well... you know you got a fun filled day ahead.

From their website: "Eagle Mount Bozeman is committed to provide quality therapeutic recreational opportunities for people with disabilities and young people with cancer, and to provide support for families of participants so that “they shall mount up with wings as eagles.” (Isaiah 40:31)"

We're all over THAT! We'd have contributed even without the dirt, but that sure added to the fun!

As the children ran from machine to machine, which were on display and on loan from local businesses, they climbed in each one and changed all the stations to our local Christian radio station. They're so silly.

All but Abigail wanted to take a turn inside an active digger and learn how it's done.

In keeping with the dirt and gravel theme, participants also got to make concrete stepping stones.

Wonderful fun for a wonderful cause and a great way to spend a sabbath day, helping raise funds for some wonderful folks!

blessings,

Gail

Back-to-Homeschool

2011-09-05T18:05:00.012-06:00

The life of a homeschool family is....rather unique. If you are a mess-o-phobe and don't plan on getting over it, do not homeschool. If you aren't able to learn how to multitask, then forget homeschool teacher as a way of life. Case in point? My kitchen prep island this afternoon. I PROMISE it's not staged. Here's the wide shot. Odd, you say? Not for a homeschool family. Here's why:

Let's look closely at each item here.

What? You don't have a jar of dirt, gravel, rocks and water sitting on your counter? It's an experiment on sedimentary rock and separation of sediment. The bucket of plaster isn't a regular item on your table? It's for an experiment to document the effects of physical weathering and the power of plants. Skippy peanut butter? I'll bet you're wondering what experiment that is for, huh? Give up?

It goes with the homemade whole wheat bread I made early in the afternoon. Of course.

The lemons have both a shiny penny and a zinc coated nail stuck in them. Fruit salad? Or building an lemon powered battery? Maybe both. Multi-tasking at its finest.

Well, obviously we need to gauge the voltage of our lemon battery.

Oh, and THIS? One spent Iced Mocha DOUBLE shot. Naturally. What else do ya think powers this homeschool mamma????

Welcome back to homeschool!

blessings,

Gail

New Posts

2011-08-17T23:02:00.002-06:00

I have a few new blog posts at my teaching blog Beit Simcha in case you are interested. Feel free to "Follow" that blog if you are interested in joining me as I look at the scriptures from a Hebraic standpoint.

Things are kinda quiet here now that Hermela has gone back to Ethiopia. We are praying hard for God to continue to move mightily in her life!

The children and I will be going back to (home) school in the coming days. I may post a bit about what we'll be studying this year, for those who may be interested.

Until then....

blessings!

Gail

I choose YOU!

2011-08-16T21:02:00.000-06:00

Can I just say how glad I am to be living in a country with freedom of religion (not freedom FROM, but OF religion). This way I can chose, among the many choices available of ones to follow. I choose Chai (Life) and the One who creates and sustains Life. I pick YHWH, the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the One who sent Himself - His very own WORD- to earth to show me the Way. And you know what the greatest thing is? He chose ME first!!!!!From the foundation of the world!

Blessings,

Gail

Long Distance Love

2011-08-05T20:13:00.002-06:00

Circumstances are such that my husband Randy and the children and I are apart for a season. Not of our own choosing, but clearly God's plan. It has been hard on us and hard on him.

As a family we often have others in our home on Friday nights to welcome the 7th day Sabbath, which in Hebraic thought begins at sundown on Friday night to sundown on Saturday night.

We light candles to remind us to be examples of the True Light of the World as His ambassadors. We break bread, traditional challah, to remember that Y'shua is the only real Bread of Life. We eat this with honey butter, to remember that the Land our fathers received and we have been promised is a Land flowing with Milk and Honey; and that His Covenant with us is not a burden, but is sweet.

We bless YHWH for the fruit of the vine, wine which represents joy in our lives. True Joy only comes through having a relationship with the Most High.

And then the father of the household blesses his wife and each child in turn. Randy's tradition is to speak words of encouragement to us and share the blessings he has received that week because we are in his life. When we have company, we allow each family to do the same if they desire. It is a highlight of everyone's week. Imagine how this blesses the wife and children to hear this every week!

But since being parted, we have not been able to do this all together like we are used to doing, except one time Randy was able to Skype us and do this. That was wonderful.

So tonight I received this in my email, from my husband, to bless us on this erev Shabbat:

My heart is filled with the gladness of the Shabbat this evening. I miss that we are not together for this celebration, but we can celebrate it together even at this distance. I don't have candles to light so if some one there could light them tonight it would be good. Remember, we name them each week. Who has a good name for them this week?

I do have some bread and even though it isn't challah, it does look tasty. I also have honey butter to go with it, the sweetness of it reminds me of when we will all be together again.

Joseph, had no way of letting his father know that he was still alive. Don't you know that he had the power, means and authority to have messengers of any number to go out seeking his father to let him know that he was alive. He was patient and allowed God's plan to work. We must also be patient and watch for His plan for us to unveil itself, have no doubt that He does indeed have one.

The wine, is representative of joy of course. We have talked about this much in the past, my joys this week are "A" plenty, I got through "switch" week without breaking anything, you guys got to do some wonderful fun things, Andrew got new shoes, but most of all my loving conversation with my bride earlier tonight.

Well I have some Messianic music going, bread and honey butter and wine................. Shabbat Sahlom!

I thought ya'll would be encouraged by this to know that families can stay close no matter the distance in miles between them!

Hug your family close tonight, be thankful for them and above all remember to praise God for His goodness and faithfulness to us!

Shabbat Shalom!

Gail

Restless.

2011-08-03T00:56:00.001-06:00

Restless. Can't sleep. Got orphans on my mind. Praying for the families who are stepping forward to be a family for the precious children here in Bozeman from Ethiopia and the Philippines. Praying for those who are struggling to hear a clear direction and for His faith to follow through when/as they do.

Praying for the children who know they have to go back to their home countries in a few short days. Praying for peace for them.

We are entering the part of the hosting program that is the hardest - the one that, if it were not for the strength of the Holy One, would do us all in. The Last Monday. The Last Tuesday. The Last Community Picnic. The Last....

How do you say goodbye - even for a little while - to those you have committed yourself to? Those who have taken a little bit, or a lot, of your heart. How do you adequately communicate (within the guidelines of the program which insists you can not promise to come back for the children) that you indeed will move heaven and earth to go get them when the paperwork is done? How can you physically remove yourself from that one last embrace as your child boards the airplane that will take them away from you?

Though our family is merely an advocate for our beautiful little host child Hermela, how well my heart remembers these times right before our Andrei and Viktor had to go back to the Russian orphanage. The fear. The Uncertainty. Will they be ok until we can get them? Will they wait in quiet confidence, or will they despair as the days go on and on. They've waited so long for a family...can they hold on just a little bit longer? Can I?

Oh how my heart breaks for these families at these last precious moments each has with their child/children. I still remember vividly what it feels like to be one of those hopeful moms, saying goodbye.. but just for a little while. I also know what it feels like to be an advocate - the link between the Forever Family and the child or children. Will a family come forward for them? Will they be able to follow through? Did I do enough for them?

As I pray, I notice Restless gives way to Faith and Hope because I remember Who's plan this is in the first place and Faith and Hope bursts forth into praise for the Holy One and what He is doing in these lives.

Yes!

I remember now.

In the beginning God.

And forever....God.

And I can sleep now, knowing that each family, each mom and dad and sister and brother; each hopeful child...is loved beyond measure by the One Who sets the solitary in families. And He desires to meet each one in an intimate way and take them into a faith journey with Him that is so personal, so unique that words can not express.

Good night and sweet dreams!

Will you join me in praying for all involved? I'd love to hear from you!

Scenes From the Heaton Homestead

2011-07-31T00:09:00.000-06:00

Here's another video I made using Scenes From the Heaton Homestead. Enjoy!

Gail

Creating Videos from Still Photos

2011-07-30T21:49:00.000-06:00

If ya'll get the chance, give this video a look-see and let me know what you think. I'm playing around with the idea of offering a service to turn your photos into a video, complete with music and captions. Not sure how much to charge for this service, so I'd love feedback! Thanks!

Here is my test run: a video of last year's Summer of Hope hosting experience with Kelly and Ana from Colombia.

Summer Of Hope 2010

be blessed!

Gail

Hermela

2011-07-10T17:44:00.000-06:00

Not knowing what to expect in the way of understanding how the American shower works, I must say I am happy to report that the first one was a success! Hermela actually got less water on the bathroom floor than some of my own boys do! I showed her the special shampoo for her hair type, which I tracked down after going to three different stores, but she said she wasn't going to wash her hair then. I figure she knows best how often. Her hair must have been straightened for the trip over here because now she has those delightful curls I was expecting her to have. I like the natural look so much better. Why do we always want what we don't have?

She is still very quiet and reserved, but is so sweet! We invited one of the other Ethiopian girls and her host family to join us at the movies this afternoon - a big hit for them to see each other again! They weren't expecting that. My guys loved the silly movie Cars 2. Ok, I did too. We're really big Secret agent spy fans.

Hermela is a very picky eater, I am really hoping this improves because she's not eating enough. I think our foods are so different from hers that it was hard on her these first two days. I'm sure this will get better for her when she settles in and feels more comfortable. She hardly touched her breakfast. She was most comfortable with the scrambled eggs with hot sauce. And she ate only a half of a home grilled burger and a little piece of homemade banana bread for lunch. Dinner was 1/2 a banana, a few pieces of fresh pineapple, and some rice and banana bread. She passed up a lot of food, including injera, their staple bread. I'll have to start taking pictures of the Ethiopian food, since I can't take any of her.

Blessings,

Gail

First Moments with Hermela

2011-07-10T02:45:00.000-06:00

Hermela is a very sweet girl and did very well with all these new people in her life. I imagine it is very intimidating having so many new names to remember (she did admit she's a bit nervous about having to remember everyone's names) but she seems very much up to the task! I wonder when I should tell her that we've named ALL the chickens!

She's got a delightful wit and I am so excited to see her personality unfold as she gets more comfortable around us.

Setting the bedtime routine was the only thing we attempted when we got home from the airport, well past midnight. Brushing teeth and getting on jammies, explaining the toilet etc.

We put a night light in the room, and left the door open, as per her instructions. She said she was ok with sleeping by herself. So far so good (with her new stuffed bear toy) but she knows Molly and Abigail are nearby. As tired as I am now, I can't wait to see what the morning holds with this precious little one!

blessings,

Gail

Summer of Hope - Ethiopian Style

2011-07-09T18:39:00.000-06:00

I've come out of blog hibernation to tell ya'll that our family is hosting again, through the Summer of Hope program here in Montana. We get to be host family for Hermela, a precious little orphan girl from Addis Abbiba, Ethiopia. She's 12 and she came here with three other Ethiopian children last night at 11:45 pm. She'll be here for one month and in that time we will work very hard to make her feel welcomed and loved and to find her a FOREVER FAMILY.

It is a policy of Ethiopia that we NOT post pictures of her. I know, I know, that is VERY Disappointing!

Please, everyone, pray for her and for the other children. They are so brave to come all this way. God loves the orphan and so I know she has a very bright future!

Be blessed!

Gail

Abigail's Bar Mitzvah

2011-05-19T14:01:00.013-06:00

Abigail is now a Bar Mitzvah - a daughter of the Commandments! We had her ceremony back in March and celebrated with our little Torah study fellowship. It was a sweet day and she did a great job with her Hebrew and with her Torah portion speech.

Our fellowship did all the decorating and catering. The tables were set with a garden theme and spring colors, Abigail's favorite! The tables were decorated with kitchen utensils which were also gifts to her, as well as those fun 'cookies -in- a- jar' treats that she was also able to take home. Everyone knows she loves to bake!

We sure had fun making the cookies in the weeks leading up to Passover and Unleavened Bread. "Hurry up, we gotta make cookies before we rid the house of yeast!"

Abigail was able to pick the lunch menu and she chose a Thanksgiving dinner theme: turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, three kinds of stuffing, green beens, fruit salad, dinner rolls and lots of pies! It truly was a day of giving thanks!

As we assembled for Hebraic worship songs and dancing and just before her ceremony part of the day, she got just a *little* nervous and held my hand for the remainder of the time. It was so sweet and I felt so honored to be her anchor and strong shoulder.

Randy got up first to speak, welcoming guests and setting the tone for the rest of the celebration. He then called up various men to join with him and Abigail where she would read from the Torah scroll in Hebrew and expound on her Torah portion (in English). He called up her three brothers who are bar mitzvah's and several men who have been important to our family. He noted how crowded it had become up there and said he hoped that every young woman- in- training such as Abigail would have many godly men in her life.

Looks like her brother Viktor is either giving her some last minute advise, or he's telling her a joke.

This tiny little Torah scroll is what known as a Torah trainer. We bought it years ago for Andrew, so he could practice his Hebrew. It's gone through 4 children now and is fast becoming very precious to our family. (as the Word of YHWH should be!)

Abigail learned Hebrew all on her own, with hardly any help from ME or her dad.

YES! She's a DAUGHTER OF THE TORAH!

Yup! the CHAIR DANCE!

Mazel Tov, Abigail!

P.U.S.H.

2011-05-15T10:20:00.000-06:00

I first published this in December of 2009 and thought it was good to repost here. I don't remember where it came from, so I can't give proper credit. But it really is encouraging to me and I hope it is to ya'll as well.

A man was sleeping one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to Push against the rock with all his might...

So, this the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sunup to sundown, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might! Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.

Since the man was showing discouragement, the adversary (Satan) decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind: (He will do it every time)! 'You have been pushing against that rock for a long time and it hasn't moved.' Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.

Satan said, 'Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be good enough.'

That's what the weary man planned to do, but decided to make it a matter of Prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. 'Lord,' he said, 'I have labored long and hard in Your Service, putting all my strength to do that which You have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?'

The Lord responded compassionately, 'My friend, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed.. But, is that really so?

Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back shiny and brown; your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. True, you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be Obedient and to push and to exercise your Faith and trust in My Wisdom. That you have done. Now I, my friend, will move the rock.'

***

At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He Wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him. By all means, exercise the Faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God Who moves the Mountains.

When everything seems to go wrong..........................Just P.U.S.H.

When the job gets you down..................................Just P.U.S.H.

When people don't do as you think they should.............Just P.U.S.H.

When your money is 'gone' and the bills are due...........Just P.U.S.H.

When people just don't understand you .....................Just P.U.S.H.

P = Pray

U = Until

S = Something

H = Happens

Isaiah 55

2011-05-07T12:03:00.002-06:00

If you are interested, I have posted my latest blog post on Beit Simcha, my Torah/bible teaching site. It's about the The Good News of Isaiah 55.

I was reading Isaiah today and was struck with how it really encapsulates the "Good News" that Messiah Y'shua came to bring us at His first appearance. I especially like how it really spells out WHO this passage is meant for. Hint: its not some people in a far off place or time, its not just for people of a certain DNA lineage. It's all you who are (spiritually)thirsty, and you who have no (spiritual strength) money.

Hey! That's ME! that's YOU! That's EVERYONE!

I kinda jumped the verses around in a kind of comment format, I hope it blesses you to look at it this way, as much as it blessed me to see it this way.

So, what are you waiting for...go check it out at the link above. Let me know what you think!

blessings,

Gail

Today is national day of prayer...

2011-05-05T16:11:00.001-06:00

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, {and turn back to Torah} then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

II Chronicles 7:14

blessings!

Gail

My Other Blog

2011-04-23T10:56:00.002-06:00

There is so much happening in our lives right now that I can NOT write about yet, so I haven't written ANYTHING. Maybe I will change that soon. In the meantime, if you do not already read my other blog, which is more from a Torah teaching perspective, here is my latest post there.

blessings,

Gail

Chag Pesach Sameach!

2011-04-18T08:13:00.004-06:00

(happy passover)

The LAMB has been selected and slain, from the foundation of the world, His blood put on the doorposts of our hearts. We are ready to leave behind that which has enslaved us and go worship YHWH in Spirit and in Truth! Are YOU ready?

Behold! The King has called a banquet! And He has requested US to come! Can you imagine the honor?

Will we respond to the divine invitation or will we, like Vashti in the Esther story, refuse our King and Husband?

Come to the Banquet! All you who are Hungry! Come! All who thirst for EVERLASTING water!

¹ “Come, all you who are thirsty,

come to the waters;

and you who have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without cost.

^{² Why spend money on what is not bread,}

and your labor on what does not satisfy?

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,

and you will delight in the richest of fare.

^{³ Give ear and come to me;}

listen, that you may live.

I will make an everlasting covenant with you,

my faithful love promised to David.

^{⁴ See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,}

a ruler and commander of the peoples.

^{⁵ Surely you will summon nations you know not,}

and nations you do not know will come running to you,

because of the LORD your God,

the Holy One of Israel,

for he has endowed you with splendor.”

⁶ Seek the LORD while he may be found;

call on him while he is near.

^{⁷ Let the wicked forsake their ways}

and the unrighteous their thoughts.

Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the LORD.

^{⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,}

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

^{¹⁰ As the rain and the snow}

come down from heaven,

and do not return to it

without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish,

so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

^{¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:}

It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

^{¹² You will go out in joy}

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills

will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field

will clap their hands.

^{¹³ Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,}

and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.

This will be for the LORD’s renown,

for an everlasting sign,

that will endure forever.”

Isaiah 55

blessings!

Gail

I'm Still Around....

2011-03-29T20:51:00.003-06:00

So much happening here lately, I haven't known how to share, or how much to share.

Things seem to be winding down in the spiritual refiners fire and for the first time in AGES, we are beginning to see what all this has been for. And it is amazing. Truly amazing. The kind of stuff that I've read about happening to OTHER PEOPLE, other families.

I can't say much yet. But soon. And even then, there will be so much more I will want to say, but will not be able to.

YHWH has been at work all this time, through all the difficulties we've been going through. Working behind the scenes to bring about something amazing.

Stay tuned.....

blessings,

Gail

and I will be posting Abigail's Bat Mitzvah pictures soon! Her special day was amazing!

Momentary Troubles

2011-03-04T11:06:00.004-07:00

Though outwardly we are wasting away,

yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. Our light and momentary troubles

are achieving

for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 2 Cor 4:16-17

YHWH's refining fires are at full blast at the Heaton Homestead these days. For the most part, the only way you'd know it is the occasional smell of burnt up fleshly desires and dreams when the 'fire' gets out of hand because WE do not let God control the burn off.

Otherwise, there is a sweet aroma of lives here being perfected (completed) and made more and more into the image of the Master Y'shua, Who showed us by His life what it means to be completely surrendered to the will of the Father, even to the point of physical death. No, we won't come close to THAT, but we are learning to die to selfish ambition and desires. And we are learning to want only that which He wants for us.

There are big changes happening right now. I don't mind talking about them, as the Spirit leads. Only so that He gets the glory though. My story and my family's story is not for those who would read my words and use them against us. This has happened before, when I said we wanted to adopt again. It was hurtful to learn that these words proclaiming love for the orphan would be used against us. Shame on those who prowled this blog of mine in hopes of finding something that damage me and my children and my husband. Yes, all of us. We're in this together. It is not for me to avenge, only for the Father to deal with those who were cruel.

So, these words of mine are not for those who have sought our destruction. They CAN be for those who once sought to hurt, but have reached out in friendship and reconciliation. YHWH is amazing in His capacity to move hearts and bring restoration and reconciliation. I want to be a part of that. I welcome that.

And so, as the Spirit leads, I will share what YHWH is doing in our lives, as we are refined and purified and stripped of those things that we once thought were so necessary, but are learning WITH HIM that are not really that important.

The first step in this process is letting go of our farm animals. Our dairy cow and goat left to go back to the wonderful homes where they originally came from. That took some of the sting out, but it is hard to let go of the lifestyle we had here on the farmstead.

As of today, we only have the chickens and ducks left, all the other animals are gone or are awaiting being picked up.

That will leave us with my two indoor cats, Andrew's dog, Abigail's dog and Molly's Horse.

There is a whole lot we do not know right now, but we do know that YHWH is faithful to us His people and He will never leave us or forsake us.

blessings,

Gail

Holding On

2011-02-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

"Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open."

-Corrie ten Boom

Tillie

2011-02-23T10:45:00.006-07:00

Tillie just left in the trailer for her new home. Randy and Molly will drive the hour or so to her new home, which was her first home.

She represents so much to me. She made our 'farmstead' official when she first arrived all those years ago. She made me a "Ma Engalls" type, churning her fresh cream into butter, crafting her milk into cheese, yogurt and kefir. I will always treasure the memories I have had here on this beautiful farm, with my beautiful (and yes, sometimes stubborn ) cow - the one who made me a farm girl instead of the city girl I was raised to be.

I guess its poetic that she is the first to leave, thereby representing the dismantling of this once so very new but now so very comfortable lifestyle I thought I'd always have.

There is a time to grieve...

....and then a time to look forward to the future.

Today I grieve. Just today.

Tomorrow I'll be about my Father's business, looking to Him for His glorious future.

blessings,

Gail

The Calling

2011-02-19T12:05:00.002-07:00

...we soon find it is not what we have been called to leave behind that is important as what we have been called to search for. It is not where we came from or what we came out of that really matters - as all our stories will be different; instead the important thing is Who we are called to follow, and where He is calling us to go.

-Bill Bullock, torah teacher

Blessings on this beautiful Sabbath day,

Gail

Reliance

2011-02-17T12:40:00.002-07:00

Sometime....just sometimes, I really wish the children didn't rely on me so much. They're coming to me to help them process some recent developments, which are leading to some BIG changes in our family. I want to be there for them. I am supposed to be there for them. But I don't have very many answers to give right now.

This is an interesting season in our lives - they are finding that Mom isn't really who they need to rely on, or should rely on. It's humbling for me, who up to this point has been able to be that rock. But at the same time, I am thankful for the transference. Their dad and I can take them just so far and then they need to be taken further in to the heart of YHWH by YHWH Himself. I think this is one of those defining moments.

I pray the transition is smooth - from me and their dad to YHWH, as it should be.

As I type this, I just heard Landon - the baby, age 11 - from the other room say, "I think God wants (.....)* for us."

That's what I want to hear. I want to hear that the children are grappling with what YHWH wants for us. *(details omitted because it is not yet time to give you all details).

Please pray that what is happening to us will be used (or that we will allow YHWH to use it) to draw us closer to Him - as a family and as individuals.

blessings,

Gail

Bread Baking Class with Abigail

2011-02-10T12:54:00.008-07:00

Abigail's been saving up for a simple, modest laptop computer, which she hopes to be able to buy in March, for her 13th birthday. I've been helping her come up with creative ways to earn a little extra $$$, besides the chicken and duck egg business she shares with her brothers.

We both love to bake bread and I am always interested in sharing this skill with those who were not raised learning how to do this. So we came up with a Bread Baking class that we offered last Monday afternoon for the first time. We hope to offer it again, as well as an advanced baking class. It appealed to homeschoolers - children and their mom's alike. We kept this first test run of a class small, so if there were any 'kinks' to work out, it wouldn't be overwhelming in a larger group.

Here are the lovely guinea pigs....uhh, I mean willing participants, representing three families besides ours. We held the class in our kitchen.

Each participant got to take home a pie tin filled with cinnamon rolls to bake later. Oh yes. We ate them on that day, during the class too. We're not stupid. We used our basic whole wheat bread dough recipe, cut in half for the rolls. That yielded one bread loaf and lots of cinnamon rolls.

Abigail's famous buttermilk biscuits, made with real butter!

We ate those that day, with a choice of honey butter or molasses and butter or chocolate gravy. Or all three.

Here's Abigail's braided whole wheat loaf, half of the recipe. Yes, we could not wait for the picture to be taken before digging in. Everyone got their own baked loaf to take home.

I believe it was a great time had by ALL! We can't wait to do this again!

Here's a link to our webstore if you are interested in purchasing a great DVD on The Art of Breadmaking. Use coupon code: heaton10 to get 10% off the order. 100% of the proceeds goes toward adoption assistance funding.

blessings,

Gail

Date With Abigail

2011-02-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

Abigail's Bat Mitzvah celebration is coming up in March and she is almost finished with her Torah paper. We thought we'd go to the local bookstore/coffee shop to put the finishing touches on it.

Well, right away Abigail thought she'd study best with hot chocolate and a brownie. Great idea!

We think we'll have to do this again next Sunday as well.

blessings,

Gail

Montana Sunset

2011-02-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

Who's The New Guy?

2011-01-31T23:12:00.002-07:00

A friend of ours got us a wonderful kitty bed the other day, to welcome our new baby, Mozzie. Well, as you can see, this IS the bed, but it is NOT Mozzie in it.

THIS is Mozzie.

With the recent couple of heavy posts I've written lately, I thought everyone would like a little something cute to look at. Mozzie always me smile too.

blessings,

Gail

How Do You Compete?

2011-01-31T21:57:00.002-07:00

I desire so much for my children to love the things that YHVH loves and hate the things He hates. I want them to put no unclean thing before their eyes. I want them to spend time on worthy pursuits. I don't expect perfection, but I hate when I see things go in the WRONG direction, and not at least moving toward God's perfect will for them.

Can I tell you how very much I HATE the TV? Now, let me preface this by saying I just spent two and one half hours watching the movie Hildago with the family. It was my choice to watch it. Everyone was already downstairs in the basement (Randy's office and where the only TV is. It is kept on all the time when he is home and down there) and frankly, I was lonely all by myself on the main level. So down I went. I'd heard Hildago was a good movie and the older children had already seen it, so that's what we decided on.

Now, truth be told, if I could have thought of something ELSE for us all to do, (and been able to pull it off) I would have. That's just the thing. I don't have anything to offer them that will compete with that blasted TV. And apparently I am the only one who sees its danger. It divides the family and robs the children of time with their dad. And robs me of time with my husband.

We spent a summer several years ago renting a house from our friends while our home was being built. We had no TV there expect for this tiny one that only played VHS tapes. The children still talk about how fun that summer was when we played together and talked together instead of some going off to the TV.

I want that again.

I am not one who wishes for things, but if I could have one wish, it would be that the TV just explode.

It won't happen, I know.

And so I pray for a change. And I pray that somehow my children's spirits will be protected. And I do damage control where I can. And I pray that I too won't get sucked in again.

Psalm 101

¹ I will sing of your love and justice;
to you, YHWH, I will sing praise.
² I will be careful to lead a blameless life—
when will you come to me?

I will conduct the affairs of my house
with a blameless heart.
³ I will not look with approval
on anything that is vile.

I hate what faithless people do;
I will have no part in it.
⁴ The perverse of heart shall be far from me;
I will have nothing to do with what is evil.

⁵ Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret,
I will put to silence;
whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart,
I will not tolerate.

⁶ My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
the one whose walk is blameless
will minister to me.

⁷ No one who practices deceit
will dwell in my house;
no one who speaks falsely
will stand in my presence.

⁸ Every morning I will put to silence
all the wicked in the land;
I will cut off every evildoer
from the city of YHWH.

Are You Burdened Today?

2011-01-28T12:45:00.003-07:00

I am looking forward to having friends over for Erev Shabbat dinner tonight. I've got a great dinner planned: beef enchiladas, refried beans and corn/salsa rice, chips, homemade guacamole and salsa with lots of cilantro. Flan is being brought by our guests. Doesn't that sound so good????

I've been on this crazy calorie restricted diet for almost three weeks while I try to FINALLY deal with the last bits of a food addiction, so tonight will be a treat for me (though I'll get to practice moderation).

I must confess, I am REALLY looking forward to laying my burdens down( for 24 hours, at least). Laying them down and pretending they don't exist are two entirely different things, I am learning.

You see, I am facing struggles in my life that, if it were not for YHWH's constant love and care for me, would probably do me in.

I won't go into details (to protect those involved) and because we all face struggles from time to time that seem so big that we believe we'll get swallowed up in them. So details don't matter. What matters is what we do with these uh..hum... "challenges".

Right now I want to hide from the challenges and pretend everything is okay. Can't I just say this is what it means to lay my burdens down and give them to YHWH? Oh, I'm an expert at putting unpleasant things completely out of my mind. (Until it shows up in food issues down the road, that is. ) Well, I'm no longer turning to food to give me the comfort that I lack in my life. So I have to deal with it head on.

I'm a people pleaser and I want everyone to like me. But recently, as I have written about before, I have been set free from worrying what others think of me. So now, I don't have that to fall back on either.

So here I am, in unchartered waters. Faced with a life that somehow isn't what I signed up for all those years ago. I am faced with trying to fix a situation that doesn't want fixing by the other party involved.

And I must continue to react not out of anger and hurt, but in a godly way. Because that's the right thing to do and because its who I was created to be and because and maybe most importantly because I have little eyes watching me.

This is perhaps the greatest fear I have and the greatest challenge I have ever faced. Can I do it?

I don't know. All I know is that YHWH loves me so much and He wants His best for me. I know He will always be with me and never leave me nor forsake me.

Do you know this One? Do you know through experience that He is there for YOU? That He loves YOU like this? Would that none of you ever have to face what I am facing, but it is in the trials of life that we can really get to know YHWH.

Dear friends, you can count on Him for all your needs. You can be in the midst of a raging storm and still have His Presence. But you have to ask. You have to cry out to Him and call on Him and then you have to be content that He might not take the challenge from you. Will you be okay with that? Will you be okay that He allows you to continue in that bad situation when you want relief so much? Will you continue to love and obey Him and long for His Presence even when you know He can do something to change the situation but doesn't?

I think you have to get to that place, before He will make Himself real to you DESPITE the situation.

I've prayed for years that my situation would be different. It never has. But in all those years of lack, not once have I suffered lack from YHWH. Would I know this about Him if my life were different? No, I would not. And so I am thankful for my life.

So, how about YOU? Are you burdened today? Will you bury it tonight, trying not to think about it; trying to not carry a burden on the sabbath, or will you really give it to Him to use for His glory and your betterment? I pray that you choose His LIFE! Please pray for me too.

blessings,

Gail

The Big Day!

2011-01-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

Here are just some random pictures of the bar mitzvah last Shabbat.

This first one is of our little 'trainer Torah' scroll - the one the boys and Andrew used to practice reading from in Hebrew. They both carried it together in a procession, up to the place where they were going to read and speak from.

While a blessing was chanted in Hebrew for the reading of the Torah, the boys help it up. Yeah, they were glad it wasn't one of the 'real' ones that are much larger.

Viktor, reading the paper he wrote on his torah portion. Big brother Andrew got the honor of being up there with him and his dad and a few men of the congregation.

Viktor reading from the scroll, in Hebrew.

Andrei, reading in English from the bible.

Andrei reading in Hebrew from the scroll.

Proud papa and his boys.

Don't they look happy??

That men's Hebraic dance they worked so hard on. Please note the snow boots Andrei is wearing. Yes. That one slipped by me.

Because the boys love chess so much, the tables were decorated with little chess sets. THIS was a big hit with everyone. It was so fun to watch young and old alike, playing together.

Proud big sister Molly loving on Viktor as he waits to go up to read.

Mazel Tov!

Shabbat Shalom!

2011-01-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

This was Erev Shabbat (Friday evening) before the boys' bar mitzvah that next day, so we wanted to make the meal special and in honor of them. They wanted Israeli foods. I love that. We had Israeli chicken (baked with garlic, oregano and cumin), tabbouleh salad and Israeli chopped salad (three colored peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers with olive oil and lemon), hummus and pita.

Randy had everyone sit at the table and he and Andrew came dressed in a tallit. He then looked at the twins and asked them why they were under dressed for such a special occasion as this. They looked at each other and back at dad, wondering what was up. He then suggested that they get dressed properly and took them to where their very own tallits were waiting.

They had no idea what was up, but they were pretty excited.

Ok. NOW they are dressed for dinner.

With Kylie gone (and me taking the picture) the table sure looks empty. Hum...I'm gonna havta do something about that one of these day, huh?

We also were able to get the boys each a small rams horn shofar. Let the party begin!

The shofars came in these really awesome bags, one with the phrase "blow the trumpet in Zion" and the other one is a picture of Jerusalem.

What a special night that was!

blessings,

Gail

Sons of the Commandments

2011-01-08T21:47:00.003-07:00

What a beautiful day in the Lord today. My twin sons publicly dedicated their lives to the One Who is so Worthy of their devotion. Their Bar Mitzvah celebration was amazing! The Spirit of God was in our midst today and He gave a personal touch to each one who was there. Try as I might, I can't put it into words, but He had so much to bless us with today. I've got a bunch of pictures to post, maybe I can do it tomorrow. But I just wanted to write this little post tonight, before I go off to bed - I'm exhausted - and exclaim that we serve a God that is so wonderful, Who so much wants to be a part of our lives, Who is so ready to woo us and draw us to Him, Who uses imperfect vessels to bring His light and His love to the dark places in one another's' life.

He is amazing and watching Him in our midst today was powerful!

Blessings,

gail

Puddy Tat

2011-01-07T19:11:00.002-07:00

THe other day we got to to meet our new puddy tat! He's being well loved until he gets old enough to come home with us. I know, I know. Why am I getting a new kitty when I have, like a ga-zillion, barns cats outside? 'Cause I need me sumptin else to love.

He's gonna be an indoor cat. We're thinking of naming him Mozzy. But we're open to ideas. Any suggestions?

blessings,

Gail

Hebraic Dancing

2011-01-03T19:34:00.008-07:00

The boys have been practicing their Hebraic dances for their bar mitzvah celebration, thanks to our friends who are both excellent dance instructors.

There'll be plenty of loud, hand clappin' and foot stompin' music, that's for sure!

We're gonna do a full blown Torah service on Shabbat, with each boy picking out the worship music, reading from the Torah scroll in English AND Hebrew and then expounding on the passage. I can't wait!

blessings,

Gail

The Twins are 13!!

2011-01-02T19:02:00.000-07:00

13 years ago today the world became a better place because two little boys were born. They had a hard start in life, but the Father was always with them and is still with them today. His love never fails. Happy Birthday to Andrei and Viktor, who have overcome so much! I am so blessed to have you as my sons!

This is the picture I carried around in my wallet, while waiting to go get them from the orphanage in Russia after hosting them for the summer of '2004. It's the first picture I ever saw of them. The one I was looking at when I heard THE VOICE tell me, "these are your boys, now go get them."

Summer of 2004:

And after we brought them home to their FOREVER FAMILY. Landon(two years younger) is in the middle.

They have been very diligent in preparing for their upcoming Bar Mitzvah ceremony, which will be this Shabat.

blessings,

gail

A New Year?

2011-01-01T11:12:00.008-07:00

Our family observes a 'new year' according to the reckoning of God in scripture (Exodus 12:2. "This month shall be the beginning of your months, It shall be the first month of the year to you.") which puts it during God's Feast of Passover in the Spirng. So we do our Year- end reflections and new year look-aheads at that time.

BUT since we live in a world that recognizes a new year differently, on Jan. 1st, we can't ignore that and still make it on time to any appointment, lol.

Last year I let everyone stay up 'till midnight. I fell asleep long before that, of course. But it was fun for the children. My only rule was: "you wake ME up and there's gonna be trouble......" said in my most menacing voice.

This year I had an opportunity to teach them something that I feel is important. The four younger children ordinarily do not stay up past 10, and this year I explained why they would not be staying up to midnight this year, even though they did last year. The older two have been known to stay up past midnight on 'regular' nights (teen age sleep patterns as they are) so they were exempt from this 'new rule'.

I explained that for them, staying up to midnight, waiting for the start of 2011, might actually be honoring January 1st as the start of a new year which might actually be *DIShonoring* to Yah since He already told us when HE wanted us to recognize the start of a new year. I explained that we have to know when the world recognizes its calendar because we have to function in this world, but we don't have to honor the world's ways or days.

And because December 31 was a Friday and that evening turns into Sabbath, we needed to make sure that whatever we did on that evening was honoring to Sabbath FIRST and certainly make sure that whatever we did was not DIShonoring to the Sabbath.

And so too do I want us to have this perspective on ANY man made celebration or man made holiday we might encounter as a family. My litmus test is pretty simple: does the practice honor God the way He deserves and desires to be honored? Does it DIShonor Him? I know there are a variety of ideas on just what IS or IS NOT honoring to Him, but I'm a simple gal and reliable way to know these things is to look at what the written scriptures say - not what the rest of us say.

So, what we did Friday night was to bring our dinner downstairs to where the TV is (this is also my husband's home office) and set it up there, on a table. We had loaded- nachos, hummus and pita (for Viktor who can't have dairy), homemade pizza, homemade chicken wings, chips with salsa, Ruffles potato chips with that plastic- tasting- cheese- dipping sauce from a jar. Yes, with the exception of the hummus and pita, this was NOT my menu plan. Oh, and I mustn't forget the root beer floats. Andrew reminded me that we have had these every Dec. 31st so we needed to this year as well.

Starting at about 7:30, we watched Fiddler on the Roof, and after it was over, the younger children and I went to bed!

May the civil year 2011 be a joyous one in the LORD and may it find you even closer to Yah!

blessings,

Gail

Grumble? Dispute? Who ME?

2010-12-29T12:03:00.003-07:00

Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. Php 2:14-16

Do all things without grumbling or disputing? Are you sure that's in the bible? Are you sure that's for us? Isn't the law dead? Wait. That's new testament isn't it? Uh...that means we have to obey, yes? I don't want to be legalistic. That sounds legalistic to me.

Opps! I am both grumbling AND disputing.

(thanks to my friend who inspired this silliness in me)

blessings,

Gail

Torchlighter

2010-12-28T12:44:00.002-07:00

I first became familiar with this dvd series several years ago when we bought the Jim Elliot title. We were all so taken with his story in this animated version, that we ended up studying him and reading several books on his time in Ecuador among the "auca' people. From that we branched out to the other missionaries serving alongside him, as well as learning about the amazing woman Elizabeth Elliot, his widow. It was such a wonderful springboard to study other heros who ended up giving their lives so that others could live free from spiritual bondage.

I am really excited to have this series in my collection for sale. I just got a shipment in the mail and we are looking forward to watching them all and then letting others know how to get them.

In addition to the animated story (geared for children ages 8-12) each DVD features a full-length documentary; a four-lesson leader’s guide; complete, reproducible study materials; English and Spanish tracks; subtitles and more.

Local people can pick them up here, and the rest of ya'll can order them from my website:

I can offer 10% off just 'cause you read about them here on my blog. Use coupon code: heaton10

I'd love to hear what you think of them!

blessings,

Gail

Giving

2010-12-20T12:45:00.004-07:00

Here's a long story made short,

but still hard to put into words.

A story about peace that finally came

after much soul searching.

A story of old dreams dying and new ones springing forth.

Remember that new venture the children and I leaped into? The one involving becoming distributors for Freedom Film Distributors?

There's one more interesting twist to that, that I need to share now. I've been putting it off because it's one thing to say this to my family and another to say it publicly. I needed a bit more courage to be firm in my resolution. No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of YHVH. I wanted to be sure that I would really follow through, without wavering. (Luke 9:62)

After all, what I feel 'led' or 'called' to do is a bit of a radical departure for the likes of me. Especially in these uncertain economic times our family faces.

Yah has done a work in me to restore my faith in His Provision for this family and as a result:

Drum roll please........

The $$ from the sale of the DVDs will not be used for grand adventures on the homeschooling trail like I originally thought.

No.

All profits from each sale will go toward raising funds for families to adopt. Oh, to never again hear someone say that they can not adopt because they do not have the $$. I don't know all the details of what Yah will do here, but I am excited to be a part of it.

So, please take a look at my website again, and see if there is anything that you would like to purchase. I get a percentage of all sales and I promise the entire amount will go toward adoptions! I already have a few families in mind that I want to bless this way and I am open to suggestions!

blessings,

Gail

Sorrow

2010-12-19T08:55:00.004-07:00

I don't usually cross post and try to avoid self referencing my two blogs, but I felt compelled to share with you all what I wrote at my other blog, the one that is more bible study oriented. It fits here too. I welcome your thoughts and impressions. You may read it here.

blessings,

Gail

Migraines

2010-12-16T17:39:00.007-07:00

I have learned in the past several months that I have migraines when I come into contact with certain food triggers or stress or have poor sleep habits AND have unconfessed sin due to the fear of what others think of me. Self imposed guilt over things that Yah has not charged me with.

I have learned recently that this is a warning bell that I am entering into an area that Yah doesn't intend for me to go. He does this for my protection and to keep me connected to HIM, and not venturing off into the realm of the fear of man.

And so, today I have been battling a mild migraine, not able (not willing??) to take the time to get quietly before the Holy One and seek Him. I choose to do that now, after writing this post.

He wants all of us. He wants to guide us and direct us and He will not allow another to do that in our lives - even if it is ourselves. He does not want us to have guilt over things that He does not call sin., anymore than He wants us to assume guiltlessness over those things He does call sin.

I can't wait to cast my burdens on Him! How 'bout you? have you plugged in to the Source today? Are you letting Him direct your steps or are you letting man?

blessings,

Gail

Will Work for Chocolate....

2010-12-07T14:29:00.004-07:00

...and books

Just pretend you see pictures of my hard working children and myself, boxing up the unsold books from our local library's recent book sale.

And then taking them to the library's basement.

And then taking the tables to an out of the way corner.

And then getting a bag of chocolate from the library director.

And then getting candy canes.

And then getting a stack of free books to take home.

And then us eating the candy canes and the chocolate.

That was our morning today.

Ahhhhh! Life is good!

blessings,

Gail

Molly's First Day

2010-12-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

...of work! She got the job at her favorite locally owned grocery store and the best part is that she doen't have to work on any Shabbats! Very exciting! She'll be working a few hours in the mornings.

We always do our family bible/Torah study in the morning before school work begins, so we'll have to adjust that somewhat so she can still be a part of it. After all, she's our song leader.

I got up uncharacteristically (wow, you should have seen that word before the ol' spell checker kicked in) early and made her a a cheese omelet, English muffin and grapes. Bless her heart, she was so nervous she hardly ate a thing.

Golly, I sure do miss her already, but I am so proud of her and the young woman she is becoming! Look out world - here comes Molly!

blessings,

Gail

Inherit the Land

2010-12-05T22:06:00.006-07:00

This DVD will cast a vision for your family by providing an introductory look at the blessings found when families work in an agrarian lifestyle. We've traveled across the US and captured stories of families experiencing the joy of working in God's creation. From a simple garden in a suburban backyard, to a full-fledged multi-thousand acre farm, or something in between, these stories will not only bless those that are contemplating an agrarian path, but all families that have a heart turned toward home and enjoy seeing a beautiful picture of family life.

I just previewed this film tonight. WOW! What a bunch of inspiring stories of families all across the USA doing what now seems to us to be as natural as breathing. Hands down they are all better at it than we are, but as long as we make improvements on our farmstead each year, I'm good with that.

It's refreshing to learn of other families feeling the call or the pull to live a simpler lifestyle, more geared to the land. I love reading blogs of other agrarian families doing things similar to what we do here in little ol' Montana. And this is like 45 minutes of pure bliss for me! I'm sure I'll be watching it over and over again this winter, as we get cooped up in snow drifts measured by yards and I get itchin' to get back to the land!

You can order the film from us here:

blessings,

Gail

Sunday Mornin' on the Homestead

2010-12-05T09:04:00.000-07:00

They're not all there, but I just love this picture of the children, all lined up, fillin' their plates on a Sunday morning.

The Grinch

2010-12-04T15:09:00.006-07:00

Little known fact: Viktor Irick Heaton, when he grins, looks JUST LIKE the Grinch who stole Christmas. So off we went last night to our little town's "Festival of Lights" party, to track down the Grinch at the local library.

I think it is so appropriate that this event coincided this year with the 3rd night of Channukah. I'm sure this fact was lost on most, but our family sure thought the timing was great!

Blessings,

Gail

Making the Most of It

2010-12-04T13:43:00.010-07:00

As I wrote in an earlier post about Christmas, there are many families who are becoming dissatisfied with some of the distracting trappings of this man made holiday, but are not wanting to give it up completely. And for you, I'd like to offer a new, fun family tradition to celebrate the birth of Messiah this time of year that doesn't involve trees.

I understand that one of the hardest parts, if not the hardest part in throwing out the bad, is that much of the bad involve traditions we hold dear because of the precious memories of family togetherness. And let's be honest, these traditions - even if we recognize them as not God-honoring , are just so darn fun! While it sounds great to say that "I'll eagerly give it ALL up for God", the truth of the matter is that we are all on a different level of faith, and for some, it is too hard to let it all go at once. Perhaps you need new traditions that you can build memories around each year, at the same time as you let go of others. No one likes a void in their lives and so it is very difficult for some to give it all up and then have nothing.

How 'bout get your children to build some mini sukkah's? A sukkah is a temporary shelter, the kind that the Israelites used while wandering the dessert and the kind that Messiah was in at the time of His birth. In fact, Messiah was actually born during the fall Feast of God called Sukkot (in either September or October). The other name of Sukkot is The Feast Of Tabernacles. How perfect that God chose then, to tabernacle with us - to become flesh and live among us, starting out as a tiny babe.

Building and decorating a sukkah is a great thing to do to not only teach about this holy feast day of God, but it is as much fun, if not more fun than decorating a tree. Play music, drink cider, and decorate the sukkah.

The pictures here are of little sukkahs the children made years ago. We still bring them out on Sukkkot, but they are great for Christmas too! Why not? It's actually the Feast Of Tabernacles that we should be pairing with Messiah's birth. A sukkah goes much better with Messiah than a tree does.

Sukkah building and decorating can become a lovely annual family tradition, either with these miniatures, or better yet - build a real one in your yard or family room!

Look around the web for ideas on celebrating Sukkot from a Christian perspective and you'll find lots of ideas to make this a special family celebration.

And who knows, once you see how spiritually fulfilling celebrating Sukkot is, you may even put a sukkah up in the Fall, too!

blessings,

Gail

Baby Grands and Baby Dreams

2010-12-03T10:39:00.006-07:00

After three long months of being in the piano store's showroom....after I had secretly decided that I'm gonna go bring it back to fill our home with song, our baby grand sold.

Oh what a bitter sweet morning this is. Actually, I don't see the sweet in it at all. Just the bitter. I must be having an off day, because usually I can find something sweet in any bad circumstance. Today...this morning...I can not.

The thing is, when Randy and I put it up to be sold, we intended the $$ to go toward bringing home another orphan, this time from Ethopia, a little girl age 9. Aberash. After all, trading one 'baby' for another in this way brought a music of its own that would exceed even the most accomplished pianist playing a concerto. That was a great trade off; sacrificing the sound of the ivories for the sound of laughter and merriment from a child now in a Forever family. Oh, that would fill the house with a kind of music from heaven itself.

But now the room sits devoid of the piano and we are devoid of hope in adoption. No music - no promise of laughter to come. Just daily bills and grocery needs. Mundane things that should not be paid for with the proceeds of a baby grand.

My heart cries for little Aberash and for all the orphans like her who have a family wanting her, but no way to make it happen.

Please Lord!!!! Help bring these children a family!

Gail

So How Much Do Ducks Weigh Anyway?

2010-12-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

It seems Abigail's been bragging a bit too much about hers being the only duck laying eggs already, though her three brothers got their females at the same time she did. Oh, she's bragged at the size of her white eggs compared to the chicken eggs,

She bragged that she's sold dozens of 'em at $3 a dozen.

Well, the boys are sick of it! They got together and researched why theirs aren't laying yet. The consensus is that their particular breeds need to be a certain weight before full maturity and before those eggs come.

So off they went, ducks in hand, to locate the nearest scale. They choose my antique hanging scale, which hangs on the back porch.

Viktor's was first up. His female weighs about 5 and one half pounds, and needs to be 6 or 7 pounds. Landon's is the same breed as Viktor's and is about 6 pounds. Andrei's is 4 pounds and still needs another half pound or so for his breed. They informed me it wasn't a precise weight because the ducks didn't really cooperate on the scale. Imagine that.

Standing on a chair didn't really work.

Ok, maybe this will.

Careful now!

Hold 'er steady.

AHHHHH! Nuthin' like a little sibling competition to warm ya up on a cold day on the Montana farmstead.

blessings,

Gail

Errand day

2010-12-01T08:13:00.002-07:00

The children and I usually only go out one day a week during the school week to run errands. After all, homeschooling implies home. Oh, I don't say this to make homeschoolers who are always on the road feel bad. For some families, it works to always be on the go. It doesn't work for us. Plus gas is too expensive in a 15 passenger van. Why a 15 passenger van for a family of only 9? Wishful thinking, that's why.

Tuesdays are the in-town day because of the boys' chess club. So each Tuesday, after doing school work in the morning, and having lunch at home, we pile in the van that is still too large for us, and head to town, laded down with frozen cow milk; fresh goat milk; duck and chicken eggs to deliver. Hopefully soon we'll also be loaded down with videos to deliver to local customers. If we need to grocery shop, this also occurs on this day.

During the hour and a half of the chess club, I run the errands with the remaining children. If there is something we need to do that will take longer, then we just head out for the library earlier. We try to get to the library early enough for the chess boys to grab a new book for literature or history or science class or just for fun, before the club starts. I used to have a very well stocked homeschool book library, but I've had to sell so many of them. It took some getting used to going to the library regularly, but I have learned to incorporate what's available into our school subjects instead of relying on what's at home.

This plan works for us now, but in the beginning of implementing it, it was difficult to learn to consolidate errands into one day. Life actually rarely ever goes according to plan and so yes, there are weeks where I actually have to be out EVERY DAY. *gasp*

Humm...now that I've written this post, ya think I'll end up having to go out every day this week?

Any of you do the once a week errand thing?

blessings,

Gail

A Time to Shelter..a Time to Begin to Let Go

2010-11-30T10:32:00.008-07:00

Every Tuesday is the three younger boys' chess club at our local library. I like it because it helps hone those analytical skills but also, quite frankly because they get to interact with other children.

My philosophy of child rearing when it comes to outside influences is this: err on the side of caution while they are young and in the formative years (or when you first bring them home in adoption, even if they are older) and then as they get more mature, allow controlled periods of interaction with a wide group of children. I make no apologies for sheltering them when they are young. The trick is, to know your child(ren) so well that you can tell (with prayer and insight from YHVH) when to allow more and more outside influences. It will differ, depending on the individual child. For example, Andrei and Viktor, (almost 13) though the same age as Abigail and actually older than Landon (11) have only just started in the past year participating in activities away from me, whereas Abigail and Landon have for longer. I've tried off and on for some time, with my twins, but their peer dependency has led to some poor choices on their part in the past when I was eased up the restrictions, so to protect them I have had to eliminate danger areas.

While at the Sukkot Feast site this year in Missouri, they all had free reign to come and go among the other children there. It was so good to see how much they all had matured, especially Viktor! Poor guy, he'd always seem to find the bad apple in the bunch of children and glob on to the bad behavior. But praise Yah, they are at the stage now where they can have more opportunities to branch out on their own. We do so much as a family, and I won't want to change that, but as they grow up, they should have some time to peruse individual interests too.

Molly, now 17 has been pretty independent for some time now. And she is doing beautifully! But I'll tell ya what, there was a time in her younger days when I wondered if I was EVER gonna be able to send her out into the world on her own, lol. She's got another job interview today at 4, by the way. This one she feels really good about, if she gets the job. And she won't have to work on Sabbath!!!

Andrew (almost 15) is way ready for much more independence, but the opportunities just are not presenting themselves fast enough, though he did get to go away to Camp Yeshua last summer in Oklahoma. That was his first time away and first time on an airplane by himself. I completely trust that he is capable of handling himself away from me! Not that I want him away, mind you. I sure love his company. I am looking for opportunities for him, so if you have any suggestions, let me know. He's not into youth groups and worldly groups that put on a face of godliness.

I have learned the hard way with my oldest, Kylie (now 20 and off to college far away) that if I wait too long to allow them to experiment outside the beliefs of our family, it may be too late for me to influence them back to center. It is far better to allow some worldly influences in their life while I still have their heart. It is far better for them to reach out and get whacked (and side tracked) while they are still in the nurturing environment of home.

But in the early and formative years? I still advocate for lots of sheltering.

blessings,

Gail

Goat Milk Recipes: Part 2

2010-11-29T22:45:00.011-07:00

So, I've been hearing about goat's milk fudge and goat's milk caramels. And yeah, they both sounded weird enough for me to try making.

So I did.

The evening.

You see, it was my attempt to advert a mutiny. Everyone wanted chocolate and we are all out of the Russel Stover stash we got from the outlet store in Missouri this past September. Yes. Already out. Who said it was supposed to last all year? Not me.

Funny thing though. The caramels turned out too soft and the fudge...well....not so soft. Apparently I didn't let the caramels boil long enough and I let the fudge go too long. But the taste on each are outstanding. So you get the recipe. Just don't do what I did. Do what I say, not what I do. Humm.....where have I heard that before?

First the fudge:

Place 3 cups sugar

and 2/3 cup cocoa powder in a large pan (I got this chocolate, which is darker than it appears in the picture, from my wonderful sister in law from Missouri, from a little Amish store. We all went shopping there when the children and I visited them in September. I went there specifically to buy this cocoa powder. I got sidetracked with chocolate covered seafoam candy and forgot to buy the cocoa. So I took hers. Family can do that, right?)

and adding 1 ½ cups goat milk

and ½ cup butter

mixing well

Heat to the 'soft ball' stage, remove from heat and stir in a teaspoon vanilla and a cup of chopped walnuts. (I didn't have any walnuts). You can also stir in ¼ cup peanut butter. (I used the extra crunchy kind. Made up for no walnuts)

Beat by hand until it just begins to lose the glossy look then turn into an 8x8 pan and cool. (Note from experience: don't beat too long or it will be difficult to pour smoothly into pans. ) My one and only 8x8 pan pan was being used for the caramels so I used these:

It had set up so quickly that I knew I'd done something wrong. If you look closely, you can see that it didn't even make it to the edges before it hardened. That happened in the other pan too and I ...silly me...thought to fix it with the back of a spoon. Nope. That just made it look all lumpy and gross. As if chocolate anything can ever look gross. You don't get to see a picture of that. I've got a reputation to uphold, you now. My world is always a beautiful picture.

And yup, hard as a brick now that they are completely cooled. But delicious. The family doesn't seem to mind.

Ingredients
3 cups sugar

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1 ½ cups goat milk

½ cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

¼ cup peanut butter (optional)

Here is the pan of caramels. I should have figured something wasn't right because the color is too light. They taste great though. But next time I'll figure out how to read a candy thermometer. I used a standard milk caramel recipe and substituted goat's milk for regular. That adds a nice touch. These are so soft that they do not keep their shape. They're in the fridge now, maybe that'll help the texture.

So yeah. I'm a candy maker. And there was no mutiny. This time.

blessings,

Gail

His Provision

2010-11-29T16:02:00.004-07:00

This morning, as I was cutting up one of our home raised chickens that I'd crock potted over night, I was thanking my Heavenly Father for providing us this healthy and tasty meat for our table. It has been so long since we have been able to afford to buy meat at the store but thanks be to YHVH, we have not had to. We have chicken, beef and lamb that we raised, waiting for us in the freezer. That has helped us considerably.

So I was in a mood of thankfulness, while at the same time worrying about the sudden announcement that we have no grain or hay for the animals now, after this morning's feedings. In fact, the animals didn't get enough hay. I knew we were low, but I was hoping for a miraculous stretching like the loaves and fish. I was thinking that tomorrow I can go out and sell some eggs and dairy products and maybe have enough for a few bales of hay, to tide us over until the next paycheck. But the animals needed hay NOW.

For all I want to believe that we are a praying family, I don't believe we really are. Oh sure, the children and I have a prayer time each morning during bible/Torah time but sometimes those prayers seem too sanitized, too easy, too rote almost. So as I'm cutting up my chicken, the thought struck me (God maybe???) that maybe we should actually pray - and mean it - for Yah to provide TODAY. I was a little scared about that. I don't want to put Him to the test. I don't want to make assumptions about what His will is. I don't want to pray and not have it answered. Especially in front of the children.

Well, I didn't gather the family together to pray. But I became very mindful that it is okay to ask the Father that we be able to buy hay today. I prayed "I know you can do this if you want to".

Lame prayer, I know. But it was said in faith. Provision for just TODAY. That was a big step for me.

In the mail today, which came this afternoon, was an envelope with no return address. Enclosed were the words "hugs" and $$ enough to buy hay. TODAY.

Not only is the $$ a HUGE blessing, but the timing is too, for I just learned an important lesson in prayer. Just for today.

May the one YHVH used to bless us this way be blessed! Thank you!

blessings,

Gail

Goat milk Recipes: Part 1

2010-11-28T22:12:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to experiment a bit with our goat's milk. The family is not partial to it's robust flavor, much preferring our cow's milk. So we have been able to bless another family with this milk since they have allergies to cow's milk and LOVE the taste of the goat milk. I love it when the Holy One uses us to bless others. Win-win situation if you ask me!

Three fun and fancy recipes (or maybe more like unexpected recipes) that I want to try are goats milk caramels; goats milk fudge; and Cajeta (cajeta is a Spanish delicacy made with goat milk cooked very slowly with sugar to create a thick syrup, much like caramel It is similar to dulce de leche, which is made with cow's milk.

I started with cajeta first. I made two separate batches of Cajeta in my crock pot, letting the first one work over night. This one ended up being a little over done I think, though the taste was wonderful but it was very very thick. I had to thin it out with some water to get it to the consistency I wanted and to be pourable into the jars. Abigail ate this batch by the spoonfuls, that and it had reduced so much over night, so I only had enough left for a half pint jar after everyone got their taste test.

The second batch I made during the day, where I could watch the color unfold before my eyes and regulate its thickness and color. I stopped this second batch before the color got real dark and while it was still pourable. That's what's in the pint jar.

4 cups whole goat's milk

2 cup fine granulated white sugar

1 vanilla bean split in two or 1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

Add all ingredients to slow cooker

Cook UNCOVERED! on high about 10 hours. Stir and scrape the sides in the last few hours

When finished, put in wide-mouthed jars or other sealed container and store in the fridge until use. It's supossed to be good for 6 months. I doubt anyone has had some left over that long though.

It's good as an icecream topper and in anything that calls for caramel sauce. YUM!

Next up: goat milk fudge.

blessings,

Gail

The Gods of Commercialism

2010-11-28T11:59:00.007-07:00

This time of year is filled with admonitions to "Keep Christ in Christmas" and suggestions on "Ways to have a Spiritual Christmas". I know they have their place in the lives of those who are in the process of weeding out the traditions which are not pleasing to YHVH, and for that, I am thankful for these suggestions. I am also thankful to those who write about the horrid mixture of the pagan ways with worship of the Most High, encouraging us to take a hard, prayerful look at what we are REALLY doing when we mix pagan aspects into worship of Jesus this time of year.

I get excited to hear that every year more and more of His people are becoming disillusioned with what has happened to "Christ in Christmas" and desire to strip away the commercialism from just honoring Jesus. I am excited to hear that every year more and more of His people have their spiritual eyes opened to see what Yah is telling them about some of these long held, but erroneous traditions that have sprung up over the years to worship baby Jesus and exalt His birth.

God's people are all at different points in their walk on this path to living out their faith the way YHVH intends. For many, this change starts with a growing dissatisfaction with the commercialism of celebrating Messiah's birth. There is nothing in scripture that says we CAN NOT acknowledge His birth. And I am so glad that many are now recognizing that the focus somewhere along the way has shifted from Him to GIFTS and FOOD and BUYING FRENZIES and DECORATIONS and FAMILY TRADITIONS. And they want to go back to just Jesus.

It is to this group that I want to address this post - those of you who see a great disconnect from what you feel in your Spirit is the way to acknowledge Messiah and what is actually happening every year at Christmas time.

Here is my message. I suggest you take Christ OUT of Christmas completely and give the holiday back to the gods of commercialism. Buy the gifts and prepare the lavish foods, concentrate on those wonderful family traditions but leave God out of it. There are just too many traditions with this holiday that spring from pagan roots to risk inadvertently mixing the pagan with the holy in worship. Does your Christmas tree help YOU focus on the Light of the World? If so, then you are mixing the pagan with the holy in worship.

The LORD your God will cut off before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land, and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.” You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates.

Deuteronomy 12

The golden calf incident makes it very clear what YHVH thinks of us using pagan practices mixed in with how we worship Him. It is good to even err on the side of caution and not do anything that even might have the appearance of paganism. And you know what? We do not need trees, mistle toe, *gasp* or Santa and his merry band of elves, to proclaim the majesty and worth of our Savior! He really does not need these things! And neither do we. The Truth of Who He is stands on its own!

Thankfully, there are other ways, even another entire time of year, where we can focus on the miraculous Truth that YHVH came down in the flesh and tabernacled with us. That Truth is so beautiful in and of itself, it really doesn't need the help of Christmas lights and presents laid on its altar etc. Truth shines brightly enough all on it's own.

I encourage you all to take the next step, whatever the next step means for your family. Cut the ties with the pagan expressions of worship, make the holiday about family or food or fun, but leave the Most High out of it! I suspect He doesn't want to be included in it anyway.

blessings,

Gail

What Were YOU Doing Three Years Ago?

2010-11-24T20:46:00.007-07:00

Three years ago on Thanksgiving our family was in Israel, on the Sea of Galilee,

in a beautiful wooden boat named FAITH,

worshipping the Most High with song and music.

We saw the most amazing sight! Have you ever worshipped with some of God's creatures? His animals? Now, before you think I have gone overboard (haha) let me explain: The seagulls that surround the area were following OUR boat only.

The other two boats in the area had NONE. These circled around ours for the entire duration (too short if you ask me) of the trip!!!! There are no words to describe how majestic a picture of the Holy One of Israel I had in those moments of pure worship.....with the birds of the air!

The Presence of the Lord was SOOOOOOOOOO strong! I just cried and cried. I could not then and still can not imagine a better way to spend the day of giving thanks to the Lord, than how I spent it then, out on the Sea that figured so prominently in the life of my Beloved and Master!

This Thanksgiving, we are in snowy, frigid Montana but it will be a good day. The children and I are going to help out at our little town's free Thanksgiving day dinner, which is sponsored by a local grocery store and some area churches. We'll be helping out in the kitchen, peeling potatoes and doin' whatever else is needed to prepare this meal for those who do not have any place to go.

I guess since we can't be in my Beloved Israel this year, we have no place to go either.

Blessings,

Gail

The Launch!

2010-11-23T13:32:00.003-07:00

To launch our new venture with Freedom Films Distributors, I am making everything in stock 20% off!

Use the code heaton20 at checkout time.

Here is the link to take you to the on-line catalog.
http://www.freedomwebstore.com/?affid=47352

Enjoy!

Gail

Punkin' Time!

2010-11-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

One of our neighbors gave each of us a pumpkin, (that's 8 of 'em!) back in October from her garden, assuring us that they would be ripe in time for halloween. We thanked her, but didn't push the issue. She doesn't know us well enough yet to know that we would not be using them for carving scary faces into, but I knew we could eat them! Though I have heard that there is a significant difference between 'carving' pumpkins and 'baking' pumpkins, I took a chance with these and baked them anyway. Delicious!

Not everyone in the family is a fan of pumpkin anything, but when I am blessed with a bounty of 8 large pumpkins, out come the recipes. You know, there aren't a lot of recipes using pumpkin besides the usual pie and bread and cake ones. But I did find a nice one for

PUMPKIN BUTTER.

I have never actually baked pumpkin before because *gasp* I have just always used canned pumpkin in recipes. True confession time: I figured it was just too much trouble to roast the pumpkin in an oven first, to make puree.

Well, there's nothing like having 8 of 'em sittin' around (and one already going bad) to motivate me to try homemade puree. So yesterday I tried roasting ONE, just to see how it easy it is. I didn't remember that each child had picked out his or her pumpkin and, well, not naming names, but a few of them got a bit attached to theirs and were aghast at what I was up to. "That's not MINE you're butchering, is it?"

Of course not.

I didn't want to deal with the seeds this first time, so the chickens got those plus the stringy pulp after I butchered...uh, cut the pumpkin into large chunks. These went into a large baking pan with about one half inch water on the bottom, skin side up and into a 300 degree oven for well over an hour. The instructions I had said one hour, but I was sidetracked talking to my sister-in-law from Missouri on the phone. We don't get to talk often, but when we do, we end up have a great time and often solve many of the world's problems. *grin*

The water in the bottom of the pan helped keep things moist and after cooling for a bit, the skins were pretty easy to peel off.

This then got mashed with a potato masher. The masher wasn't doin' it for me, so I got out the hand held electric blender.

You know, for those of you who are following this to duplicate the recipe, I apologize that I didn't measure how much puree this made. But I have one of those large crock pots and the puree was about four inches from the top. To this I added two cups of sugar (you can adjust this to your tastes with more or less), about 2 tbs cinnamon, 1 tsp each ground ginger and nutmeg. These are the spices I like, but you can use whatever ones you enjoy.

This got stirred up and I set on the crock pot temperature on low. I started this in the late afternoon and let it go all night and into the morning, with a loose lid, so that it would reduce in quantity and thicken up.

It is NOT recommended to can pumpkin butter, but it can keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Yum....can't you just imagine this on fresh from the oven homemade biscuits and butter? I'm thinking this would also make a lovely gift for someone.

So now the question is:

WHAT DO I DO WITH THE REST OF THE PUMPKINS?

blessings,

Gail

I Got the Music in Me!

2010-11-22T09:01:00.001-07:00

I just watched this film, one we carry as distributors for Freedom Films. Lovely! I wish we were musical too. Ok, I am not really comparing our family to this inspiring homeschool family, The Millers. Here is a little bit about them and this documentary on their lives:

Their road to becoming accomplished musicians has been anything but ordinary. Join the Miller sisters - Megan, Krista, Leah, and Therese - on the fascinating journey from their family's cattle ranch to their distinction as an outstanding stringed quartet. The beneficiaries of a multi-generational vision for God-honoring family, the Millers encourage, entertain, and inspire an appreciation of hymns and classical music - and for the building of families that honor the Lord.

I know that every family is unique and precious to God and has talents and gifting to be used for the service and blessing of others. I really am content to just have us make a joyful noise to YHVH in worship. But I do appreciate musical talent when I hear and see it. And I appreciate the Miller family. This is an inspiring film about the power of a unified family who seeks to serve God in their own unique way and to be a blessing to those around them.

Speaking of music and worship, I am happy to report that our little merry band of worshippers (me and the children) have added a bit of singing to our daily Torah study in the mornings. We got inspired as a result of our time last Sukkot at Season of Our Joy in Missouri. There each morning everyone would assemble to sing worship songs before the start of the presentations. There would be a least one song that we'd always sing each day and so the children grew in confidence in singing out loud. I thought, humm...maybe we could do that at home too. If we started small, maybe just two songs and really got comfortable and familiar with them, then maybe...just maybe, the reluctant singers would find their voice.

I love praising God with singing.

And you now what? IT IS WORKING! And believe it or not, it is something that we all now look forward to every morning. We've been kinda 'home churching' since we got back from our road trip (no reason, it just has worked out that way) so I don't know yet if our little singing time will make a difference in how comfortable the children (or I) feel singing in 'public'.

I've noticed that the children will hum or sing "our songs" throughout the day too. Amazing! It is such a joy to hear them do this even while they do chores. I am sure it tickles YHVH too.

We may never reach the stringed instrument accomplishments of the Miller family, but then we were not meant to! We can however learn to work together as a family to bring blessing to others. If you are interested in learning more about the Miller family and their beautiful music, check out the link above.

be blessed!

Gail

Look What We've Been Up To!

2010-11-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

I LOVE family projects. Service projects. Road trips. Homesteading. Shoot, just about anything we can do as a family. Wanna hear about our latest homeschooling venture?

Well, after all the fun the children and I had on our first homeschooling road trip back in September, I was thinking that it would be so great if we could somehow travel more often. I was thinking that if we had a product to sell, we could go to some local and state homeschooling conventions. When I've gone to these in the past, I always am inspired by the families that are there selling together. Hey, maybe that could be US someday!

And so when the opportunity presented itself recently to become licenced with Freedom Film Distributors, I was immediately intrigued. I read about this company in the recent issue of the "Old Schoolhouse". Among other great films, they carry "A Journey Home", the film about the Waller family. Oh, how I love that film. And the Wallers.

WOW! To have an opportunity to make films like that available to others is a dream come true for me! This is just what I was looking for!

I now have a reason to get to those homeschool conventions so we can be one of those inspiring families selling great products. *giggle giggle*

And I now have a great tool to teach my children about running a family business. Everyone is going to have a part in the business and we'll all rake in the big $$$ together! Ok, maybe not so much the big $$$$, but maybe we can at least meet the expenses of traveling to the conventions, eh?

I put a rush on getting started so that I could make the films available in time for those who wish to participate in the upcoming gift giving season. *big grin*

So check out my catalog and tell me what you think! Oh, and let me know if you decide to order something, or need recommendations on any of the films.

Please use this link (and above) when ordering so that we get credited for the sale!

*really big grin*

http://www.freedomwebstore.com/?affid=47352

Blessings,
Gail

Growing Up is Hard to Do

2010-11-20T12:59:00.006-07:00

Molly, 17, had her first experience recently with living in the big bad world of adulthood. She had her first job interview experience last week, seeking employment in a local restaurant's kitchen. She was understandably nervous for the interview, but later said that it was not as bad as she thought. She was offered a part time job, working afternoons. Though it is not a glamorous job, she was happy to have this first one. Her new boss said he'd give her the schedule in a few days, which he did yesterday.

Oh, how excited she was! We all were! I was so proud of her for going out there and getting a job.

The phone call from her boss came and she was told her schedule. Then the call ended and she came to me and asked me for some advise on how I'd handle a situation if it were me. She told me the hours and times: she'd be working Tuesday morning/afternoon and Friday evening of this coming week. $8 an hour. That's a lot of $$ for a girl who has never had a job before (outside her side dairy business with her brother).

But, oh, it's Friday evening. I see the issue.

In God's kingdom, a new day begins in the evening and so Friday evening begins His weekly Sabbath. What would I do, she wanted to know?

I told her that she has to make this decision on her own, whether she will work on Sabbath or not. I told her that many adults deal with this very issue all the time and some handle it well and some do not. God loves them all. I told her that I would respect either decision because it will be one that she makes on her own, as an adult. I told her it was easy for me to say what I would do, but that doesn't make it easy for her to know what to do.

I did encourage her to call her boss immediately if she was not going to work on Friday night, so he would have a heads up (instead of waiting 'till Tuesday at her first day of work).

She called. I prayed. I *knew* what was going to happen. I also *knew* that YHVH was very mindful of what was going on and that He loves her so very much!

Molly explained to the boss about God's Sabbath and that she would not work on it. She apologized for not having mentioned it sooner, but she thought she was working days, not Friday nights.

So you can guess the end of the story probably. Her boss told her that if she was unwilling to work on the busy nights that he didn't need her after all.

The rest of her day was a bit of a blur, she said, but that all day she was so mindful of God's care and love for her. She knows that He has something good for her and that He is pleased with her for honoring Him through honoring His Sabbath.

What a big lesson for such a little girl. I guess she is not so little anymore, huh? I guess she is growing up all on her own.

Wait, I take that back. She is not on her own. She has her Heavenly Father Who knows her and is known by her and she is NEVER alone to face this big, bad world by herself. Together the two of them are unstoppable! I can't wait to see more of the adventures they go on together!

I am so very proud of Molly for her faith and relationship with YHVH! And I'll bet He is too!

(Moly is in the middle, with little sister Abigail and our Summer of Hope 2010 host girl Ana)

blessings,

Gail

Come To The Feast!

2010-11-18T12:47:00.005-07:00

The children and I are currently reading/studying through the gospels again during our daily bible study time, after having spent considerable time in the Tenakh (old testament) in years' past. Every day I feel so blessed to have spent that time in the foundational scriptures with them! Not a day goes by that we don't need to stop the reading (in Luke right now) and go back to the foundational scriptures to see/experience/receive the fullest meaning.

Everyone agrees that this time in the Word just wouldn't be the same if we didn't already know where to turn to or refer to in the earlier parts of the Bible for these important insights in the latter part of the Bible.

I suppose that if one did not have these insights from the 'old testament' they could say that they wouldn't know what they are missing. But I suspect that they would, really. Because I know, as do we all, that we were designed by the Creator to feast on ALL the Word of YHVH!

I'm coming to the banquet! How about YOU???

Y'shua answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

Be blessed!

Gail

Virus Update

2010-11-13T13:38:00.002-07:00

I'm writing this from Molly's computer. Mine is being looked at and prayerfully being fixed. Two thousand viruses, at last count. They have been contained, so they are not multiplying anymore.

Apparently, the USPS email has been very active in our local town. Not sure if it is regional or just local though. It's a bad one. I learned that some of these type viruses are released just in opening an email. Of course, I opened mine and also downloaded it.

*sigh*

That computer stores a lot of our homeschool programs, all of my Torah study files and projects as well as the usual stuff one stores on a computer. I have learned a big lesson, not only in maintaining backup files on separate disks, but I've also learned just how dependant I've become on technology. I wonder when that happened - I wonder when I moved into the 21century?

And here I though I had simplified my life. Ma Ingalls would have let this happen to her. Wow, modern technology sure can make life complicated!

blessings,

Gail

50 Viruses?

2010-11-11T18:10:00.004-07:00

We are expecting a package from either UPS of the post office. It is time for it to arrive.

So I thought nothing of the email notification from " USPS" telling me that because of an address error, my package was returned to the branch, awaiting me to download a receipt and take it in personally to retrieve the item.

Your package has been returned to the USPS office.
The reason of the return is - "Incorrect delivery address of the package"

Attached to the letter mailing label contains the details of the package delivery.
You have to print mailing label, and come in the USPS office in order to receive the packages.

Thank you for attention.
USPS Customer Services.

So I did. I had trouble downloading it, as there was nothing on the screen, so I downloaded it again. And Again.

Then it hit me. I should check with the Internet seller to see what address I had given them. No error there. Additionally, the seller said I should not even expect the package until tomorrow. This was yesterday. Hum....

Now that I think of it, this was indicating that I had sent a package that was returned. I hadn't

Well, as you probably have guessed, the computer I opened the attachment on has crashed. But before that, it told me that I have, like, 50 viruses. My protection software has expired and I can't afford the $79 to install the updates. Now it may be too late.

HELP!!!! WHAT DO I DO NOW? assuming I have the $ to fix the problem.

Gail

The Upcoming Holidays

2010-11-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

Last ‘season’ was my definitive year for "getting it" – getting the idea that I can actually leave a bad taste concerning Torah by the way I handle talking to people about the upcoming holidays of man’s pagan origin. It all started last year, after choking out my first ‘thank you’ (instead of giving my usual mini sermon on the origins of their holidays) in response to the obligatory “merry Christmas” said to me at the grocery store, that it actually became easier, lol. This year should be a breeze! Those bell ringing Santas won't intimidate me this year! I don't need to pick a fight with them. (You don't believe I ever did that do you?)

Now, and only when directly asked about my Christmas intentions, as the Spirit leads, I merely say that we get to sidestep the hoopla of commercialism in December and focus just on Messiah by celebrating His birth during Sukkot, the time when He actually was born. That is usually a positive conversation starter for those who are ready to learn more. For others, who's eyes glaze over in that particular way that lets me know they are not ready to hear, they do not ask further questions, and the conversation ends there, on a happy note. No one leaves feeling put down for not already knowing about this stuff and no one feels compelled to share *right then* EVERYTHING THEY EVER LEARNED ABOUT THE PAGANISM OF CHIRSTMAS. (You don't believe I ever did that do you?)

My friend Lisa wrote a timely post on this subject and I'd love for you to read what she has to say about this. Her post inspired me to comment to her and spawned this post of mine that you just finished reading here.

blessings,

Gail

Simple Church

2010-11-09T08:57:00.003-07:00

I like Simplicity. I really, really do. When you have 6 children at home like I do - two already teenagers and three fast on their way there - SIMPLICITY is a must. Life is complicated enough on its own, so we sure don't need to add to that chaos in any way.

Part of my plan for simplicity had always been to purpose NOT to have every one of my children enrolled in soccer, football, dance, etc., each going their own way with a week jam packed with activities at the detriment to family time and service to others. It was hard in the early years of raising children, when peer pressure from MY FRIENDS encouraged MORE, MORE, MORE, activities for my growing family. While that may be doable for small families of one or two children, it certainly leads to a life too complicated for the larger family and its individual members. At least that has been my experience.

For our family, homeschooling also has been a way to uncomplicate our life; to bring to it the pure simplicity of a lifestyle and a love of learning. If opportunities present themselves in a given day to go minister to someone in some way, we can drop the academics and do what Y'shua would do - go out into the world and share His message of Peace, while taking care of the needs of those He places in our path and circle.

Speaking of Peace, that seems to be one of the great results of a life that is simplified. Though it's hard work living and working on a farmstead (even one as small as ours is) the peace that comes from this lifestyle is unmatched by urban life, in our experience.

Adittionally, our family chooses to gather for God's Appointed Feast days with a small, uncomplicated fellowship who meet on the 7th day Sabbath for worship and bible study. Though larger fellowships offer PROGRAMS and MINISTRIES, we believe that simple is better here too. Oftentimes, those PROGRAMS and MINISTRIES get in the way of living out the gospel.

I have written a lot on this blog about simplicity and I enjoy reading blogs of others who also share this idea. I look for ways to take this simplicity into even more areas of my life.

So this morning as I was reading my email in-box, I came across an article with a very interesting title: SIMPLE CHURCH OR ANOTHER SMOKESCREEN?

Simple church, now there's an idea worth noting! Of course, as I learned this morning, it all depends on what that term means to those who coined the phrase. The article, very well written, though a bit sarcastic at times for my personal tastes, takes us on a journey into the perspective of those BIG CHURCH GROWTH people, by examining a recent review of THE LATEST BOOK in the Simple Church movement. The article (link below) is written from the perspective of a watchman who seeks to detangle the rhetoric from those in the Emergent Church movement and give us tools to discern what they REALLY mean underneath their flashy catch words and lofty ideals, which sadly resemble nothing of Y'shua's heart in His gospel of repentance and return to YHVH.

You can read the article here. Tell me what you think?

blessings,

Gail

Matchmaker Matchmaker!

2010-11-06T21:45:00.000-06:00

...make me a match....

Many of you guessed my exciting news from the other day. Yes, Kelly and Ana, the precious Colombian orphans we hosted this summer are a little closer to getting a Forever Family. These things take time and come in stages, but one of the early stages has been crossed.

In honor of them and in honor of all the orphans who have been given families because of Sacred Portion Children's Outreach (including our Andrei and Viktor) and in honor of National Adoption Awareness Month I am doing a Facebook-a-thon to raise a part of SPCO's annual operating expenses. I'm asking all my Facebook friends (and you) to send just $10 and to post the links on your Facebook or blog to have others do the same, and so on.

While I am generally speaking not a fan of sending $$ to cover operating expenses of an organization and would rather the $$ go directly to the one in need, in this case I see a real need for the organization itself. They tirelessly advocate and raise $$$ for orphans' care but don't fund raise directly for themselves as an organization.

I hate fundraising and I don't particularly like when others do it either. But here I am, asking you all to donate just $10 to them, so they can continue to advocate for the orphan.

Why am I doing this? Because it's one simple way that I can indirectly help orphans and widows and the poor. I can't be in all places at once, but I can give of my resources to those who can. There are an assortment of orphan related organizations out there, each one doing a great job in the niche they have. This one has directly impacted the life of my family, so they are the one I choose to come alongside of and support.

Some of you already have organizations that you donate to and that's great! How 'bout an extra bit for them this month as a way to observe Orphan Awareness Month? But if you don't already know of an organization that is impacting the orphan crisis, then please consider SPCO this month. Well, not just this month, but RIGHT NOW.

blessings,

Gail

Save? Redeem? Rescue?

2010-11-01T08:53:00.002-06:00

These three words are aften used within the adoption community as valid reasons to adopt, beyond adopting to add to one's family. For many, adoption is a choice they make because they want to grow their family. But some people adopt simply because there are children that need a home and without them stepping forward and becoming that family, the child or children may not ever have one. These folks say they adopt to save children from the life of sheer poverty and want; to redeem them from the hopelessness of life in an orphanage and to rescue them from dire circumstances. Save. Redeem. Rescue.

Loaded words.

When these words are used to explain the reason a family is adopting, sometimes there arises a misunderstanding by those who do not have this special and unique calling on their lives, as to the family's real motivations. These words, though probably an accurate picture of what is happening on some level, are sometimes so misunderstood that it appears the adoptive families are trying to become, or think themselves to be Savior to their children.

I'd like to set the record straight. It's not that at all. First of all, if there is any saving, redeeming and rescuing to be done in the lives of these orphans, the only One doing any of it is YHVH Himself. That He chooses to use imperfect human vessels to accomplish His desire has more to do with His awesomeness and less to do with any awesomeness of those vessels. Trust me on this one. I speak from experience here. And ask my children. :)

It's shallow thinking to assume that parents would invest their lives into a child simply because they have some kind of a Messiah complex. I'd imagine feeding that complex would get pretty old pretty fast as the parent deals with real and on-going needs of the child. And yet, that is the accusation I sometimes hear from those who simply misunderstand why a parent would take in a child just because the child needs a home. For some people, it's just too foreign an idea that there need NOT be some deep unmet need on the part of the adoptive parent that motivates them to take in orphans and call them their own. I'm not picking on those who misunderstand. Please understand that. Hopefully I am adding to a correct understanding. God works in people's lives in mysterious ways. All for His glory.

It really truly is that some people are called by YHVH to take in orphans and they do it just because YHVH called them. Strange? Yes. Goes against man's sinful nature/human tendancy? Yes. And that is, I believe, precisely why YHVH chooses those He does, to work in certain orphans' lives they way He does. He gets all the glory!

Take us, for example. We didn't choose Andrei and Viktor five years ago, then tiny 6 year old Russian orphans. No, God chose them for us and us for them. And then He caused our hearts to be knit together as a family even before we 'officially' were a family on paper. He merely spoke to my spirit and told me, 'those are your boys, now go get them.' When the Master of the Universe speaks, there is but one response. I'm sure you all agree.

Amazing, His love is! Could He have used another family? Sure. (boy am I glad He didn't!) Could He have saved and redeemed and rescued them without adoption? Sure! (nothing is impossible with God) Do our boys owe us some sense of gratitude? Not. At. All. We were chosen for them. They were chosen for us. We're all in this grand plan of YHVH's together. If there is any gratitude to be given, it is to God for creating this family His way. I am so thankful!

It's really amazing when you think about it, how these matches are made. They are no less amazing than having a child knit in secret in a mother's womb. In both cases it is God who is working behind the scenes, so to speak, to bring about what we call FAMILY.

I don't think everyone is called to adopt. I don't think everyone should adopt. But everyone can help those that do, as a way to help the orphan. So whadda ya say? How 'bout starting in this month of November, you come alongside an adoptive family in your community, standing in awe of how God works in that family's life, even if it is different than how He works in yours. You can be an encourager to them, praying for them and helping out in small ways as the Lord lays on your heart. Get to know those who have this calling on their lives and are working at bringing another orphan home. And I promise you, you'll be awed by God, giving Him all the glory as you watch a child find his or her Forever Family among those who are imperfect and in need of saving, redeeming and rescuing themselves.

Above all, I encourage you to NOT put those families up on some pedestal as if they themselves are something great. 'Cause they sure don't want to be or deserve to be up there! If you ever start to feel that way about any of us adoptive parents, come on over to my house for a visit. I guarantee you'll forget about pedestals.

Blessings,
and thank you to all who have have come alongside our family and shared in our joy in our adoption journey! (and prayerfully many more to come!!!)

Gail

Adoption Awareness Month

2010-10-31T08:32:00.002-06:00

Ok, get ready. Tomorrow begins National Adoption Awareness Month. And you know what that means, right? That means that I will be highlighting the needs of the orphans to badger you into doing *something* for them. Well, that's not quite true. I do hope to bring awareness, but I pray that none of my posts sound like I am pushing my agenda on you. Don't worry, over zealous people make me nervous too. Pushing *my* agenda is just not my way, nor is it the way of the Master Y'shua, Whom I wish to represent and serve.

It's just that, there was a time when I was unaware that God had a purpose for my life in caring for orphans. And it only took a simple nudge from someone to get that spark that God put in me already, to ignite into the flame it is now. And that's all I want to do. Some of you have that spark but it has not yet been ignited. Some of you have it ignited, but it needs to be fanned. Some of you are already burning so brightly you are an inspiration to me! And the rest of you? Well, I love you all and know that God has great plans for you too! It's not my purpose to tell you what those plans are, but I do want to share, in this next month, ways that you can help the orphan, if that's what God is putting on your heart.

No pressure. No shame. No guilt. No badgering.

And it' not just adoption that I'll be highlighting this month. Because adoption is only just ONE way you can help orphans, but there are many other ways that do not require the same kind of energy or commitment. So, even though it is National Adoption Awareness Month, for me on this blog, it's more like Orphan Awareness Month.

May you all be blessed as you prayerfully seek YHVH on what He'd have you do to work alongside Him in caring for the orphan.

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.

James 1: 27

Blessings,

Gail

Professor Ezekiel Tiberius Llamador

2010-10-30T12:26:00.013-06:00

Today was the day we got to pick up our newest addition to the farm. His official name is Professor Ezekiel Tiberius Llamador. "Zeke" and "Big Z" for short. He's kinda named for one of the wonderful characters in the book Wainscot Weasel. Remember Zeke Whitebelly? We've got a lamb named Bagley Brown, but his destiny is a little different than Zeke's (if you catch my meaning....). Tiberius is a beautiful town on the Galilee in Israel that we all love and Llamador was part of his 'old name' from Dr. Laura. (Albus Llamador). Why 'Professor'? Well, just look at him! Such a studious face he has! Plus, I suspect he has a thing or two to teach us all, don't you think?

Randy and a couple of the children took the truck and trailer and I led the way with the rest of the children in the van. Talk about some excited conversation in the van!

Dr. Laura was waiting for us and was understandably a little sad at letting him go. He tends to grow on a person,I think.

We got him cornered and haltered with not a lot of trouble. This is a good sign that he's comfortable around us humans.

Putting him in the trailer was a breeze!

The children riding with me in the van wanted me to follow behind real close so they could catch glimpses of their new friend.

He seemed really at ease while in the trailer and also getting out. Very impressive! Of course it always helps having Molly handle these sorts of things as she is a natural with all animals.

Finally! Into our pasture with our 8 sheep and 1 goat.

Seriously, they all just lined up and stood like this for a long time, not sure what to make of the new guy.

I think he'll be happy here on the farm. Whadda ya think? We love him already!

Thanks to you all who suggested names! Now I have a few in ready reserve for later..... who knows when we'll need more animal names, uh?

blessings,

Gail

Beautiful Bounty!

2010-10-28T19:58:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we received a huge bucket full of heirloom tomatoes, mostly cherries, from a gal I know who lives about 30 minutes from us. It was a gorgeous ride out to meet her. I sure wish I'd taken my camera. We are having a beautiful and colorful fall here in the mountains of Montana this year.

At first I wasn't sure if the purple ones were just under ripe red ones, but some of them are soft enough to be ripe themselves. And delicious enough. What really confused me was that on one vine, I found green, red AND purple tomatoes on it. So I asked my friend who gave them to us and she confirmed that they were what's called 'black tomatoes'. They are sweet and delicious.
I froze the ripe red and purple ones, minus the ones we taste tested. No blanching, no peeling off the skin. They'll be wonderful in soups and stews, crock pot dishes and cooking down later into sauces.

The rest are siting on my counter, getting ripe and ready for either the freezer or as a snack. I'm also gonna try my hand at saving the seeds from these heirloom beauties. I'll write a post about that later, after I know I'm successful. It's a bit of a goopy process that takes a few days. But in the meantime, I'd love to hear if any of you have saved your seeds and can give me some pointers.

Blessings,

Gail

New Life, New Name

2010-10-27T10:39:00.010-06:00

We've been blessed again here at Peacefield Farm. This time with a free llama from our new friend and local vet, Dr. Laura.

We pick him up this weekend.

Isn't he wonderful?? Black and white with a little silver. He's between 7-10 years and was passed around for awhile, which is why no one knows his real age. He's a sweetheart and I am hoping to train him to be used as a therapy animal. I love the idea of him being used to help children with disabilities and/or troubled lives.

Now that he has a permanent home, he needs a permanent name. Dr. Laura named him "Albus", but before that, we don't know what he was called was. He's only been "Albus" for a month, so it's okay to change it.

So whadda ya'll say? What should we name this guy? Molly wants to name him "Big Z", after a Star Wars Wookie, lol. I told her that if I can find a "Z" name, that I would consider that as a nickname. But I'm not stuck on a "Z" name.

So...who wants to help us give this beautiful guy a new name to go along with his new life?

Gail

Crockpot Cabbage and Lamb

2010-10-24T15:26:00.002-06:00

What's with me and posting recipes today? Maybe because it's 52 degrees outside with a threat of snow in the extended forecast. Yeah, that's Montana in the Autumn for ya.

Cold weather and snow always makes me want to cook and bake. And look up recipes. And today, it makes me want to share a few with ya'll.

My friend gave me a HUMONGOUS cabbage from her garden the other day and I was giddy with excitement, anticipating the Shabbat dinner AND Sunday lunch the day after, that it would make. That cabbage was so big, even after I sliced and chopped it up, it still took up TWO crock pots. I didn't write this out like a recipe, instead I'll explain what went into it. That's kinda like a recipe, right?

Into each crock pot, I also sliced a medium onion. Between the two, I added three pounds of browned, ground lamb. Hamburger is also great and I'm sure any game meat would be good too. It's also great without meat of any kind.

Salt, pepper, minced garlic and red pepper flakes go in next. We like ours a bit spicy. To each crock pot, I added two cans of chopped tomatoes and two small cans of tomato paste. The 'secret ingredient', which I'll share only because ya'll are special, is.......shhhh, don't tell.....

ground cinnamon - I put about a heaping tablespoon in each crock pot. Seriously, when it's all done cooking (on high for about 3-4 hours depending on how soft you want the cabbage, or about 5-6 hours on low) you won't be able to identify that flavor as being cinnamon, but it is oh, so good!

This goes over rice and believe me, though it is a very simple meal, it is wonderful! If you decide to try it, I'd love to know what you think!

blessings,

Gail

Sorghum and Molasses

2010-10-24T14:12:00.005-06:00

At one of the quaint little shops we came across on our road trip, I found and purchased some sorghum. It looks a lot like molasses, which is my favorite flavor in the whole world, I think. Especially that very dark and thick blackstrap molasses.

I wasn't sure of the difference between the two and I'm still not really sure. I heard once that they come from two different plants: sorghum from Milo (also called grain sorghum) and molasses from sugar cane. Milo is usually grown and fed to cattle. You know what I say to THAT????

MOOOOO!!!!!

We had some friends over last night and we all conducted a taste test to see which we liked better: the sorghum won by a landslide, but I choose the blackstrap molasses. We all got a couple of spoons each and dug into the jars. Of course, the best thing to me was molasses mixed with butter on the fresh- from- the- oven homemade rolls. YUM!

Since I have this sorghum on hand, I think I'll try it in a recipe for Molasses cookies. Here is the recipe:

*3/4 cup shortening
*1 cup packed brown sugar
*1/4 cup mild-flavor molasses or full-flavor molasses
*1 egg
*2 1/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
*2 teaspoons baking soda
*1teaspoon ground cinnamon
*1teaspoon ground ginger
*1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*Granulated sugar

*Mix shortening, brown sugar, molasses and egg thoroughly in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients except granulated sugar. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

*Heat oven to 375°F. Grease cookie sheet. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Dip tops in granulated sugar. Place balls, sugared sides up, 3 inches apart on cookie sheet. Sprinkle each with 2 or 3 drops of water.

*Bake 10 to 12 minutes or just until set but not hard. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

My mouth is watering already!

blessings,

Gail

Some Really Exciting News

2010-10-19T17:22:00.004-06:00

The other day I wrote a blog post *Orphan Sunday* and invited readers in the process of adopting, to use the link at the bottom of my post and link up with their blogs.

I'd like you all to go to that post and scroll down to the bottom and find # 4 (if you have not read them already. You should read them all of course).

Now, click on that link and it will take you to the blog of a friend of mine, a fellow adoptive mom right here in Bozeman. Read that post and pay special attention to the part at the end.

Do you recognize any names there?????

That's all I'm gonna say.

But I expect you all to report back with a lot of whoopin' and hollerin'.

Find out what's got me all excited, 'cause I've been waiting for the go-ahead to share the news!!!!!!!!

blessings,

Gail

Blog Post Comments

2010-10-18T08:37:00.003-06:00

I just love it when ya'll leave comments on my blog posts. In fact, I encourage it. I really enjoy interacting that way.

However....

This is not exactly what I have in mind....

"amazing... I can't stop reading your blog, there is huge amount of interesting information... I'll go to take my favorite tea and will return to your website.
Btw, I recommend to everybody this tea (I removed the hyperlink) It helps to concentrate and gives me power. You can use this code YB426 for discount. Thanks for the wonderful website!"

Chocolate Gravy

2010-10-18T07:38:00.000-06:00

My beautiful sister-in-love from Missouri sent me this recipe for the chocolate gravy she made for us one morning for breakfast. It went over homemade biscuits. My o' my, it was GOOD!!!

Yup! It's a keeper! So is she!!

Randy and Abigail usually have a grand time in the kitchen together making their homemade biscuits, so I thought I'd contribute to that wonderfulness by giving this recipe a try.....

Chocolate Gravy

1/4 Cup Flour
4 Tbsp. cocoa
3/4 Cup Sugar
* Mix dry ingredients together

2 Cups Milk
*Add milk to dry ingredients. Cook until thickened.

1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. butter
*Add once the gravy is thickened (right before serving )

You're gonna LOVE this!

blessings,

Gail

A-Maze-ing Fun!

2010-10-16T21:07:00.016-06:00

The children and I had a blast last Friday helping our friends run their straw bale maze during a special homeschooling day.

We got to help at the entrance gate, taking money. (these people are visitors, we're not in this shot)

We got to help with the concessions: popcorn, cotton candy, water and soda. Though it APPEARS that some of my helpers are actually in line for the cotton candy..hum....
We got to help in the lookout tower. Here Landon and Andrei get to yell at people who try to climb on the straw bales. HAHA! What a switch to be the yeller instead of the yell-ee with something like that. They LOVED the authority! They also helped direct those who were a little confused and needed directions.

The train rides were a hit with the younger crowd.

The corn box was also a hit with children of all ages. Andrew volunteered to be buried first.

Landon.

It was a wonderfully fun homeschooling field trip - just the right amount of helping out and having fun!

Gail

Orphan Sunday

2010-10-16T15:36:00.007-06:00

How many of you thought that having gotten off my soap box on orphan care this summer to plan for our homeschooling road trip, I'd STAY off for a while?

Yeah. Not likely.

But just when you thought I'd taper off.....along comes......

Orphan Sunday!

And so the box comes out again.

The whole month of November is National Orphan Awareness Month, so guess what? I'm hoping to write A LOT about the plight of the orphans during November. I'm just gearing up in October.

Something I'd love to do is offer a way for all of you out there who are in the process of bringing an orphan or orphans HOME (either your own or helping a friend to do this) to share your prayer and financial needs here.

If you have a blog, you can use the Linky below. Just post a permalink from your blog, talking about your needs so we can find you. That's all you need to do to let your needs be known. Then we'll watch YHVH move hearts to help.

‎"No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little"
-Edmund Burke

If you have trouble with the Linky, please let me know in the comment section.

blessings,

Gail

Back to Home School Update

2010-10-10T15:17:00.013-06:00

Now that we are back from our grand road trip, I thought I'd post a few things that we did this week in school that were a little different than our normal routine. Who wants normal anyway?

Let's start with an admission of neglect on my part. According to Andrei, Viktor and Abigail, it's way past time to get really serious with our bar and bat mitzvah preparations. Really? You mean you've not been doing it on your own all this time?

Well, sadly, nope. They all still rely on me quite a bit to help them with their Hebrew language lessons and preparing their Torah presentation, far more than Molly or Andrew did. And so consequently, they have not made much progress on their own. And therefore, not much progress, period. The twins have until Jan. 1 and Abigail until March 13th. So it's time to get crackin'.

I will just incorporate some of this into their daily school time - directing their activities and projects - and also still be available to help them as needed with their more independent projects. But no longer will I assume they are making progress on their own. I have decided to let Landon (11) tag along for the Hebrew language parts because he won't start his bar mitzvah prep until he turns 12.

This week they also finished memorizing Hebrew letter flash cards, wrote out a summary in their own words of their individual Torah portions, and began intensive work on familiarizing themselves with their Torah portions in Hebrew. They practiced the pronunciation of the Hebrew words.

Andrew and Molly both had a new on-line learning element added to their regular subjects, beginning this week. Andrew began studying American Government through Morning Star Academy, a year long class which will end in June. Molly's is an English literature and writing course. Both are self paced, so they should have no problem 'catching up'.

These was paid for by the generosity of others, otherwise we would not have been able to provide this for them. I am very blessed to have this available. I like the idea of my high schoolers getting some practice in an on-line school environment.

We also had a great 'field trip' today, helping our friends with their fantastic straw bale maze. I left my camera at the maze, so I'll have to post pictures later. I also found more pictures (actually a whole other camera memory card) of our trip, so I'll post some of those later as well. As soon as I get the camera and the camera card back.

blessings,
Gail