Haven at Home Happenings

It's been a busy couple of weeks

and I haven't had (rather set aside)

as much time as I would like to blog.

It seems when I sit at the computer,

research and facebooking takes up much of my time

and it leaves little for blogging.

I miss blogging in many ways,

though there are things I do like about facebook.

Here are a few photos from our past weeks...



Homeschooling together in the dining room/kitchen...

I've always loved this :)

Our youngest (7) has become quite fixated

on catching yard critters and studying them.

It has made for some great nature studies!

She collected some snails a couple of weeks ago

and was delight to keep them as "pets"...

watching them slime across the jars, coming out of their 'houses',

feeding them, reading about them, drawing them...

It has been a joy to see our children

develop relationships with YHVH's creation...

even if they are snails. ;-)

We loved using our Nature Readers

to learn more about Yah's slimey creatures...

She illustrated the snails

and did some copywork...


"A snail carries its home with him so if there is danger he will be safe.

All kinds of snails look different.

Did you know that snails have one foot?"

We will work on the spelling

but love to encourage this type of narration :)

We, also, love to encourage reading aloud...

which we *try* to do daily...

And math copywork...

We, also, enjoy drawing and/or coloring illustrations

from the Torah portions we read.

These were when Lot, his wife, and two daughters

had to leave Sodom and Gomorrah

because it was destroyed...

It was interesting to study this passage together...

"But his wife looked back from behind him,

and she became a post of salt."

Genesis 19:26

"looked back"...

In Hebrew it is the word" nabat"...

meaning to "look intently at; by implication,

to regard with pleasure, favor or care...

regard, have respect..."

We discussed how we need to regard, find pleasure in,

and love the will, way, and things of YHVH

more than self and our wants

and that we need to be mindful to not look/turn back.

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The children enjoyed a little astronomy

over breakfast together...

They enjoyed making volcanoes with baking soda and vinegar

with the neighbor children.

The fun way to do "science" for the day. ;)




Hebrew copywork on the carpet...

coloring history at the kitchen counter...

More nature study when our youngest (the "pet finder")

found another insect to add to her collection...

a Jerualem cricket.

We were hoping to teach it

how to sing Hava Nagila and to do the Hora...

but there has been no success. ;)

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We, also, enjoyed reading our Torah portion

on Shabbat in front of the fire...



That was a blessing, to be sure!

"Show me Your ways, O יהוה {YHVH}; Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the Elohim of my deliverance;

On You I wait all the day."

~ Psalm 25:4-5


Blessings and Shalom!

All About Creation...

A couple of weeks ago,
(I'm a bit behind on posting)
we gathered with some friends
and visited the Creation Museum.

It was a blessing to walk through the days of creation
(and throughout the whole museum)
and see Scripture on the walls
referencing the events of creation and history...





By the Word of יהוה {YHVH} the heavens were made,
And all their host by the Spirit of His mouth
Psalm 33:6





Lift up your eyes on high and see.
Who has created these?
He who is bringing out their host by number,
He calls them all by name,
by the greatness of His might
and the strength of His power
– not one is missing.
Isaiah 40:26











At the time of our visit,
we were reading about Noah in our Torah portion,
so it was a special treat to visit the ark... ;)













dino print

















Tower of Babel



Rosetta Stone






You did found the earth of old,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
Psalm 102:25



Blessings and Shalom!

As the Stars of the Sky

Last week, it was a blessing to get together with friends
to read a section of our Torah portion
and do a project!

We read how YHVH made a covenant with Abram,
to multiply his seed... as the dust of the earth.
How unfathomable that is!

Praise YHVH that He keeps His covenants...
ALL of them.


“And I shall make your seed as the dust of the earth,
so that, if a man could count the dust of the earth,
then your seed also could be counted."
Genesis 13:16


"And He brought him outside and said,
“Look now toward the heavens,
and count the stars if you are able to count them.”
And He said to him, “So are your seed.”
Genesis 15:5

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We illustrated what we read
using glitter and sand
(from our recent trip to the beach).














"... that I shall certainly bless you,
and I shall certainly increase your seed
as the stars of the heavens
and as the sand which is on the seashore,
and let your seed possess the gate of their enemies.
And in your seed all the nations
of the earth shall be blessed,
because you have obeyed My voice.”
Genesis 22:17-18




"And if you are of Messiah,
then you are seed of Aḇraham,
and heirs according to promise."
~ Galatians 3:29



Blessings and Shalom!

Pacific Afternoon

Last week we took some time
to enjoy the ocean
and gather sand for a project.

Though the water was quite cold,
the weather was beautiful
and we enjoyed our time
in the fresh salt air!

"Let the heavens and earth praise Him,
The seas and all that moves in them."
Psalm 69:34



Blessings and Shalom!

Sukkot Snapshots

It's been a couple of weeks since Sukkot ended
and we took lots of photos...
but wanted to share a few here
that I compiled into collages.

It was such a delight to celebrate YHVH's feast days
with fellow believers this year!
Thank You, Abba! ♥


{click on the photos to enlarge}


The top two left photos are at our home,
when we hosted a game night fellowship.
The bottom left is from our afternoon of
shabbattin' in a sukkah at the seashore
(as are the top and bottom right photos),
and the one in the middle left is
when we visited friends in their sukkah. :)


We didn't do as much homeschool work
in the sukkah as I would have liked,
but we did do some...



We enjoyed reading Scriptures
and making mini Torah scrolls





We look forward to the spring feasts next year!

Blessings and Shalom!

Covenantal Signs

Does it just thrill you to see
a rainbow in the sky!?

It does me!

What a beautiful reminder, an unmistakable sign,
of one of YHVH's everlasting covenants!


I shall set My rainbow in the cloud,
and it shall be for the sign
of the covenant between Me and the earth.
And it shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth,
that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud,
and I shall remember {think on} My covenant
which is between Me and you
and every living creature of all flesh,
and never again let the waters
become a flood to destroy all flesh.

Genesis 9:13-15

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Does it just thrill you
to welcome in the 7th day Sabbath!?

It does me!

What a beautiful reminder, an unmistakable sign,
of one of YHVH's everlasting covenants!


I am יהוה {YHVH} your Elohim.
Walk in My laws, and guard My right-rulings,
and do them.
And set apart My Sabbaths,
and they shall be a sign between Me and you,
to know that I am יהוה {YHVH} your Elohim.

Ezekiel 20:19 -20




Shabbat Shalom!