HsKubes Haven at Home: January 2011

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Haven at Home Happenings

Another week has breezed by us...
Sharing snapshots...

Learning moments...

quail coloring pages
as we learned about how
YHVH provided quail and manna
for the children of Israel

Around the house...

singing while putting away the dishes

playing the sock matching game
while listening to Beethoven

learning to braid
a six strand challah bread
with Mama

all by herself

Making memories..

creative play with lego blocks

playing Guess Who

Checkmate ;)

Chess with Daddy
and playing with Shabbat candles... lol

learning to juggle... Mama's produce :)

Soaking up the sunshine

We are thankful for the many blessings
the Father daily gives.
May we see them.
May we thank Him.
May we teach
our children His ways
and be an example to them
in our daily walk.

"And all thy children shall be taught
of the LORD {YHVH};
and great shall be the peace of thy children."
Isaiah 54:13

Shalom!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Whole Wheat Challah

We love the smell of Challah bread
baking in the oven as we
prepare for Shabbat.

After trying a few recipes,
this is one that we use the most often.

Today our youngest (age 6)
braided the dough herself.
These are her loaves...

Whole Wheat Challah Bread

6 cups whole wheat pastry flour
(or use part white wheat flour)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup honey
3 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons yeast
1 Tablespoon salt

In large bowl,
mix warm water and yeast,
let sit for 5 minutes.
Stir in honey and oil.
Add 4 cups of flour, stir,
then add salt.
Add rest of flour,
until dough clears the sides of the bowl.
Knead for about 5-7 minutes
(I do all of this in my Bosch mixer).

Split dough into two balls,
for two loaves.
Split each ball into six smaller balls,
roll into six strands for each loaf,
and then braid.
(Here is a helpful tutorial video
on how to braid a six strand challah)
Brush with egg wash, if desired,
to give bread a shine when baked.

Place on cookie sheet
and let rise for one hour.
Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Variations:
For an herb challah,
knead a teaspoon of basil,
rosemary, oregano, and thyme
into the dough.

Enjoy!
And share with others. :)

What is Challah bread
and why two loaves?

Here's a portion from wikipedia:
According to Jewish tradition,
the three Sabbath meals
(Friday night, Saturday lunch,
and Saturday late afternoon)
and two holiday meals
(one at night and lunch the following day)
each begin with two complete loaves of bread.
This "double loaf" (in Hebrew: lechem mishneh)
commemorates the manna that fell from the heavens
when the Israelites wandered in the desert
for forty years after the Exodus from Egypt.
The manna did not fall on the Sabbath or holidays;
instead, a double portion would fall
the day before the holiday or sabbath.
It is these hunks of bread,
recognizable by their traditional braided style
(although some more modern recipes are not braided)
that are commonly referred to as challah.

Want to know how YHVH
commanded His people?
See Exodus 16

Shalom!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Haven at Home Happenings

Seems I tend to fall behind in blogging these days...
so much goes on 'behind the scenes'
that it's hard to find time to post here.

Before another week passed by,
I wanted to share a few snapshots
from our past week...

Learning moments...

math copywork

reading aloud about character traits
in little girls that please YHVH

team work: washing dishes

miscellaneous seatwork

interesting words list (a.k.a. vocabulary words)

learning about insects with Daddy

Time for play...

an afternoon drive

help from a neighbor

learning the BIG bike

with a friend

wishing for play, too

A little fun time with Daddy...
making elephant ears...

mixing ingredients

spraying the pan

oops! Cleaning a mess ;)

kneading the dough,
enjoying each other

I hope you had a blessed week
and made happy memories together.

Shalom!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Sister Skirts

Elastic has never been my favorite thing
{and that is an understatement}
but recently I countered my dislike for elastic
by volunteering to make a few skirts
for a few ladies I know.

After looking at online tutorials,
watching countless YouTube videos,
reading sewing books and articles,
and days of practice...
I think I may have finally
figured out the trick! {Phew!}

So while I was 'whipping up' a few skirts,
I made each of our girls one...

They were thrilled to have
a bright, new skirt...
and I was thrilled to have made them one
(and to have figured out elastic... well, mostly).

Shalom!

"She layeth her hands to the spindle,
and her hands hold the distaff."
Proverbs 31:19

Thursday, January 13, 2011

The Work of His Hands

"Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth:
and the heavens are the work of Thy hands."
Psalm 102:25

Living in a Cave... {{repost}}

As I was looking through some old archives,
I came across this 'old' post.
It was an encouragement to me to read it again...

{{Originally written Monday, March 6, 2006...}}

Yesterday evening, our pastor began his sermon
in 1 Samuel 22 and in Psalm 57...
when David was taking refuge in a cave.

Maybe it shouldn't amaze me, but it does...
how YHVH {the LORD} uses every piece of His Word
to parallel and apply to our own lives and situation.
Well, last night was one of those times
when I finally let it sink in
and allowed my eyes to be opened.

I've been living in a 'cave'
(metaphorically speaking, of course)...
waiting to move out of this 'cave',
becoming discontent with this 'cave',
and questioning why He is choosing
to keep me here in this particular situation.

... Trying to wait patiently but,
in all honesty, have been failing.
Going through 'bouts' of accepting His will
and making the best out of this 'cave'.
Then there are 'bouts' of focusing on my own will,
my own desires, my own ideas,
and feeling in despair in my 'cave'.

Last night was the reminder I needed.
And YHVH knew
exactly what it was that I needed to hear
to gain a clearer perspective.

I was reminded that sometimes
YHVH allows us to sit where we are
so that He can tune our hearts.
And in distresses,
to move us to where He wants us to be.
That in those times of limitations,
we can learn to value His will.

We sometimes carry the idea
that when things are going right and well for us,
that is when we are closest to Him.
But that is not necessarily correct...

He is near to the broken hearted...

"The LORD {YHVH} is nigh (near; next)
unto them that are of a broken (hurt) heart;
and saveth (help; preserve; get victory) such
as be of a contrite (crushed) spirit."
~ Psalm 34:18

I was reminded that sometimes
YHVH does allow us to stay at a 'stand-still',
to remain where we are,
and that there have been plenty of others
that have endured those times
and we are no different than them...

Ex... Moses (40 years in the desert);
Joseph (2 years in prison);
Caleb (40 years in desert);
Paul (time in prison)...
How reassuring to be reminded
that YHVH, our Elohim,
knows exactly where we are
(He put us there
or, at least, allowed it)
and He knows exactly what He's doing.

The Spirit brought to mind
some Scripture for me in this time
that I intend on re-memorizing
and posting on index cards for daily reminders...
(emphasis added by me)

"Rest in the LORD {YHVH},
and wait patiently for Him..."
~ Psalm 37:7

"For our light affliction,
which is but for a moment,
worketh for us a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory;
While we look not at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen:
for the things which are seen are temporal;
but the things which are not seen are eternal."
~ 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on Thee:
because he trusteth in Thee.
Trust ye in the LORD {YHVH} for ever:
for in the LORD JEHOVAH {YAH YHVH}
is everlasting strength."
~ Isaiah 26:3-4

"This I recall to my mind,
therefore have I hope.
It is of the LORD'S {YHVH} mercies
that we are not consumed,
because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning:
great is Thy faithfulness.
The LORD {YHVH} is my portion, saith my soul;
therefore will I hope in Him.
The LORD {YHVH} is good unto them
that wait for Him,
to the soul that seeketh Him.
It is good that a man should both
hope and quietly wait
for the salvation of the LORD {YHVH}."
~ Lamentations 3:21-26 (and on)

"Not that I speak in respect of want:
for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am,
therewith to be content."
~ Philippians 4:11

Our pastor listed some things
that David learned while in his cave from Psalm 57:

1. YHVH would protect Him (v.1)
"Be merciful unto me, O God {Elohim},
be merciful unto me:
for my soul trusteth in Thee:
yea, in the shadow of Thy wings
will I make my refuge,
until these calamities be overpast."

2. He figured out how to pray (v.2)
"I will cry unto God {Elohim} most high;
unto God {Elohim}
that performeth all things for me."

3. He understood YHVH had a plan (v.3)
"He shall send from heaven, and save me
from the reproach of him
that would swallow me up. Selah.
God {Elohim} shall send forth
His mercy and His truth."

4. YHVH increased his perception
and discernment (v.4)
"My soul is among lions:
and I lie even among them
that are set on fire, even the sons of men,
whose teeth are spears and arrows,
and their tongue a sharp sword."

5. He learned how to praise YHVH (v.5)
"Be thou exalted, O God {Elohim},
above the heavens;
let Thy glory be above all the earth."

6. He understood the power of YHVH (v.6,7)
"They have prepared a net for my steps;
my soul is bowed down:
they have digged a pit before me,
into the midst whereof
they are fallen themselves. Selah.
My heart is fixed, O God {Elohim},
my heart is fixed:
I will sing and give praise."

7. His heart was filled with praise (v.8-11)
"Awake up, my glory;
awake, psaltery and harp:
I myself will awake early.
I will praise thee, O LORD {YHVH},
among the people:
I will sing unto Thee among the nations.
For Thy mercy is great unto the heavens,
and Thy truth unto the clouds.
Be Thou exalted, O God {Elohim},
above the heavens:
let Thy glory be above all the earth."

My prayer is that while I am living in my 'cave'
and any future 'cave' that I may dwell in,
may my heart be especially humble and teachable.
May I learn all the things
that YHVH desires for me to learn
so that my 'cave dwelling' will not be in vain.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Recent Sewing Projects: Pink, Blue, & Regency Too

Our "baby" (who is, indeed, not a baby anymore)
was due for another dress.
(It's amazing how fast they grow!)

A long while back,
I shared about T-shirt dresses...
well, this is what you could call
it's antipode...it's exact opposite.

The skirt was from a jumper
that we had which wasn't getting used,
so I made a bodice to go with it...

No zipper, no buttons...
just a pull over dress,
with ties in the back.
I didn't even have to hem the skirt,
it was already done! ;o)

Another project that has been in the mix,
was regency dresses for a friend's sisters...

Same paisley cotton print, different colors.
Puff sleeves, zipper back, and ribbon ties...

It's a thrill to get to the end of projects. :)
There are more in the works
that I look forward to sharing.

Shalom!

"She layeth her hands to the spindle,
and her hands hold the distaff."
Proverbs 31:19

Monday, January 10, 2011

A Simple Covering

I gave my first attempt
to make a homemade head covering yesterday.

I usually have plenty of scrap fabric
and I really wanted something to match my jumper. ;)
... so I made an 'easy as pie' covering.
Actually, it's easier than pie.

It's not perfect, by any means,
but it accomplished its purpose. :)

I simply cut a 36 inch by 15 inch rectangle on the fabric
(resembling a wide scarf),
finished the edges with a zigzag stitch,
and voila!

The tie was a little bulky
so it worked better with my hair down.

Next time, I hope to 'go the extra mile'
by doing a more custom and shapely covering.
But, until then, this was quick and easy
and, oh so, fun!

"She... worketh willingly with her hands."
Proverbs 31:13

Shalom!