Keeping Watch

Shana Tova!  It means, “Good Year!” in Hebrew and is the traditional greeting during Rosh Hashanah.  This will be my family’s second time celebrating the Jewish New Year.  And as I often do, I feel the need to share with others why we celebrate this Jewish holiday because, after all, we’re Christians, not Jews. 

“”And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation.  You shall do no customary work.  For you it is a day of blowing the trumpets’” (Numbers 29:1).

Rosh Hashanah means “Head of the Year” or “New Year”.  However, you will not find the words Rosh Hashanah in the Bible.  In Scripture, the holiday is called Yom Teruah which means “Memorial of Blowing (of trumpets)” and it was a God-given appointed time for His people to meet with Him.  It wasn’t called Rosh Hashanah until after the destruction of the Temple in AD 70, more than 1500 years after its inception during the time of Moses.

In the Bible, the trumpet or shofar (ram’s horn), was blown for two primary reasons: to call a solemn assembly in God’s presence or when Israel was going to war.  During the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), the shofar is blown for both reasons.  Old Testament prophets often spoke about a future day when God would directly intervene in the affairs of men; calling this day “The Day of the Lord”.  This day begins with the blowing of the trumpet.  It heralds the day when God will redeem Israel and bring judgment on all nations. 

“Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill.  Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming.  It is close at hand -”  Joel 2:1

The Feast of Trumpets is to occur on the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishri when the New Moon is only a slight crescent.  It required two witnesses to verify it was indeed a new moon.  A second day was added to this feast to ensure the priests did not miss the new moon.  Watchfulness was key.

So, why should we, as Christians, celebrate an Old Testament, Jewish holiday? 

First, it is one of seven GOD-GIVEN feasts that is just as relevant to Christians as it is to Jews.  The first four feasts are spring feasts (Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of First Fruits and Shavuot/Pentecost) and were fulfilled in Christ’s death, burial, resurrection and sending of the Holy Spirit.  The next three feasts occur in the fall (Feast of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah, Day of Atonement/Yom Kippur and Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot) and will be fulfilled when Christ returns to rapture the Church, judge the wicked and create a new heaven and new earth.  Pentecost, the last of the spring feasts, ushered in the Church Age which is what we’re living in now.  As the Church, we are “watching” for Christ’s return and the fulfillment of the last three feasts.

Second, Jesus and his disciples spoke of “The Day of the Lord” and told believers to keep watch and be prepared for when Christ returns. 

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42).

“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52) Emphasis mine.

When Jesus returns, it will be heralded with the blasting of trumpets!  The Feast of Trumpets is a time for Christians to remember how God kept His promise of salvation through Christ and how He is faithful to keep His promise of His return.  How sweet that will be!  Let’s not forget to keep our eyes and ears turned toward heaven!

Third, every blessing which the Church enjoys come from covenants made with Israel.  The provision of salvation to the Church came from covenants made with Israel.  It should not seem odd, then, that the Feast of Trumpets, which was given to Israel, would depict not only Israel’s redemption, but also the rapture of the Church and God’s judgment on the world.

For me, Rosh Hashanah is a time of remembering all the things God has done for me and my family.  It’s a time to remember that God is the sovereign creator and ruler of this world and that everything happens in accordance with His plans.  It’s a time to remember His grace and mercy and to seek His forgiveness.  The sounding of the shofar was often used to awaken God’s people to a spiritual revival.  Isn’t it wonderful that God has ordained a time for us to reflect on our walk with Him and get into better step with Him if we need to!?

Our family uses this book to guide us through celebrating the Biblical feasts and understanding the importance of these feasts as Christians. 

Enjoy some apples dipped in honey as you remember God’s goodness and look forward to a sweet, new year!

Dress a Girl Around the World

Caitlyn and I have been talking about making dresses for the Dress a Girl Around the World campaign for quite some time.  We even attempted a dress but didn’t quite finish it.  Today, we had a couple of hours of uninterrupted time so we took advantage of it and got to work! 

Caitlyn got to use an iron for the first time.  She also learned that sewing involves a lot more than just…sewing.

I really, really tried to take a “hands off” approach as much as possible.

Can you tell how much restraint I’m using not to grab hold of the reigns?

Ok, so I was good for a little while.  Looks like my “hands off” approach has flown out the window.

I guess there are some things Mama’s just got to do herself.  Caitlyn did an excellent job sewing a straight line for the seam, but I had to handle some of the trickier sewing, such as sewing the bias tape and the casing.  In between her turn, Caitlyn jumped on the trampoline.  I think she was just as happy doing that.

I think Caitlyn and I make a pretty good sewing team!  We learned some things to do differently for sewing our next dress (we WERE winging it, after all) and we got to spend some quality mom and daughter time together.  You can’t beat that!

The Dress a Girl Around the World Campaign is a division of the Hope 4 Women International Organization.  Check out the Dress A Girl video and get involved!

Every little girl should have a dress of her very own.

Lessons learned at the MO TKD Invitational

That’s my boy in the red, kicking with all he’s got at the 2011 Missouri Taekwondo Invitational!  Jacob competed in sparring and Caitlyn competed in forms.  Before I get to how they did, can I just confess something? Watching my kids compete can bring out the “mean Mama” in me when their opponent isn’t competing fairly.  Let me explain.  Jacob had two sparring matches.  In the first match, he sparred someone from Champion, our martial arts school.  Unfortunately, Jacob lost that match, but the other boy competed fairly and was friendly; trademarks of our students.  However, Jacob’s second match was against a boy from another school who repeatedly pushed Jacob.  Now, I don’t know a whole lot about the rules of sparring, but pushing while moving forward isn’t allowed.  And that’s exactly what that other boy was doing.  The referee did warn the other boy once, but that was after he already had a 9 point lead!  And, he continued to push Jacob!  Now, here’s the “mean Mama” part.  Caitlyn and I were sitting right next to the other boy’s parents and I just couldn’t seem to stop myself from making very loud remarks like, “that boy really needs to stop pushing Jacob!  Why doesn’t the referee disqualify him!”  Yeah, you know I wanted those parents to hear me and how upset I was about how their boy was behaving.  That other boy wasn’t displaying very good sportsmanship…but neither was I. 

And there’s my girl with her silver medal in forms!! She had to compete against two different girls.  The first time, she was flawless.  The second time, she forgot her form about a quarter of the way into it!!  I could see the panic set in on her face when she asked the referee what to do.  He told her to start over, and she got it the second time.  She was so surprised to receive second place!
I’d say we all learned some lessons from this event.  Jacob, who a month prior had won a medal for undefeated at our school’s sparring games, entered the competition confident of winning.  But it was not to be.  He still demonstrated an indomitable spirit and got a taste of humility.  Caitlyn, who has never won an individual medal, tasted victory for the first time and demonstrated perseverance when it seemed all was lost. I learned that I can’t always fight my kids’ battles, as much as I want to, and that I should still demonstrate integrity when faced with injustice.
I’m proud of my champs!

Breakfast…Colonial Style

One of the things I LOVE about homeschooling is getting to incorporate the lessons in surprising ways.  Caitlyn and Jacob are learning about early American history so I thought it’d be fun to sample some foods from the Colonial era.  We feasted on a breakfast of dressed eggs and Johnny cakes.

Dressed eggs are fried eggs that are then placed under the broiler to “set” the yolks.  Then they’re “dressed” with a dash or two of nutmeg.  Johnny cakes are liked fried cornbread.  They’re easy to make and they traveled well during the Colonial days.

We also dined on a Colonial dinner of chicken pudding and sweet potato and apple casserole.  Our recipes came from this cute American Girl book we found at the library called, Felicity’s Cooking Studio.  It has great information about cooking in Colonial times.

One really enjoyed the breakfast!

One…did not.  All in the name of education. 

GIVEAWAY!!

I’ve got an awesome giveaway!  As you may know, I’m giving a portion of all soap sales to the Loraine family to help them raise money for their adoption.  Well, Erin Loraine’s favorite soap is Oatmeal, Milk and Honey, so I thought it only fitting that I give away a bar of Oatmeal Milk and Honey soap.  But this isn’t just ANY bar of soap!

It’s a tractor!!  Isn’t is cute!?  It’s 3.5 oz of Oatmeal, Milk and Honey soap and contains Avocado Oil and Oat Extract.

But wait!! There’s more!!  (Do I sound like an infomercial, or what?)

I’m also giving away a coupon code for 15% off your next order in my etsy shop!!

That’s right, folks!  You have the chance to win a super cute Oatmeal Milk and Honey tractor soap AND 15% off your next soap order.

Here are the ways you can enter the contest:

1.  Blog about Catie Beth Bath and Body.  Provide a link on your blog to my etsy shop (www.etsy.com/shop/catiebeth) and then post a comment on here, along with a link to  your blog post, to let me know you entered the contest.  Every time you blog about Catie Beth and let me know about it, you receive another entry in the contest.

2. If you follow Catie Beth Bath and Body on  Facebook, suggest to all of your friends that they like Catie Beth, too!  Then post a comment on this blog to let me know you suggested that your friends like Catie Beth.

3. Twitter about Catie Beth Bath and Body.  Post a comment on here to let me know you Twittered about us!  Include #catiebethbath in your Twitter so I receive it.

4.Visit www.etsy.com/shop/catiebeth and add my shop to your favorites.  Then leave me a comment here on my blog telling me which soap you liked the best.

The more times you spread the word about Catie Beth Bath and Body, the more times you enter!

The contest ends Wednesday, September 14 at midnight!  Good luck!

Soapy Preview

I’ve got three great soaps that will be ready in September!  Here they are:

Oatmeal Milk and Honey Soap with Oat Extract.  This is by far my most popular soap.  It’s warm, fragrant and super-moisturizing.  Oat Extract is used in the treatment of such skin problems as acne, pimples, blemishes, eczema, and dermatitis.  Look for this soap in my etsy shop the second week of September.

Applejack Peel Soap is the quintessential fall soap with scents of apple, cinnamon and cloves.  And with Sweet Almond Oil and Avocado Oil, it’s perfect for itchy fall skin.  Look for it the around first of fall.

And for when you start to miss summer, Hawaiian Tropic soap will bring the smells of summer to you.  Coconut, Vanilla and a hint of Mango will remind you of sunny days on the shore.  Its moisturizing abilities will wash away dry, winter skin.  Look for it toward the end of September.

Check out all the other wonderful soaps that are currently available in my etsy store.  A portion of profits help the Lorraine family with their adoption.

The Joy of Homeschooling

The other morning I walked past the back door to see the kids having a morning meeting on the trampoline.  They had eaten breakfast, scooped cat litter, fed the pets and were waiting for Mama to start school  On the other side of the house stood neighborhood children; their backs laden with heavy packs while they waited for the school bus. 

I managed to snap this picture just before they realized I was watching them.  It’s mornings like these that remind me how blessed we are to home school and how much I cherish their childhood.  I’m so thankful that they’re not standing out on the street; waiting for the bus to take them away from me where someone else makes the rules and the decisions about what they think is best for my children.

And now, for PE. 

Making Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Every time we have brown bananas, Jacob wants to make banana bread.  Well, today he finally got his wish.  He did a great job mashing up the bananas and mixing in the ingredients.

Do you see that look of uncertainty, as in, “Mom’s really going to let me pour this in all by myself!?”  Yes, I’m a bit anal when it comes to messes in the kitchen, but I’m trying to get over that for the sake of my kiddos’ culinary education.

Who knew mixing could be this much fun?!

Delicious!!

Back to School

We are back to school!  Well, we don’t have far to go…just to the kitchen table.  But it’s definitely a change from our lazy, summer days and I, for one, am glad for it!  And I have to say, I’m very proud of my kiddos for the way they’ve jumped right in!  Maybe they were ready for some structure and order to the day, even if they would never have admitted it. 

One of my favorite subjects this year is studying the book of James with them.  They each have their own book called, Boy, Do I Have Problems which is an inductive Bible study by Kay Arthur.  The picture above is of Caitlyn working through her study with her colored pencils; marking common words.  I love that they are learning how to study the Bible on their own and how to apply it to their lives. 

The greatest challenge so far is keeping Abraham content while I focus on the big kids’ school.  He’s almost two years-old now and can throw a mean tantrum when he doesn’t get his way.  Which means, we have our fair share of interruptions.  On the other hand, he’s loves to play with his cars and trains and is content to do so while we get some school done.  And there is usually an older sibling willing to entertain him while the other gets some one-on-one schooling.

I’m praying that this positive attitude toward school will continue (I overheard the kids saying, “School is FUN this year!”) and that I don’t let the constant interruptions bring me down…like I did today.  I love to be a part of what my kids are learning!  And, I love my kids!

Sheer Freesia and A Lesson Learned

This picture really doesn’t do Sheer Freesia justice.  Though it looks nothing like how I had intended it to look (I’ll get to that in a minute), it took on a loveliness all its own.  It has hues of pink, lavender and purple and smells as wonderful as Freesia should smell.  It reminds me of an amethyst crystal.

My intent was to do in-the-mold swirls with purple and pink.  However, I was also working with a new ingredient: Palm Kernel Flakes.  The combination of the Palm Kernel Flakes and the fragrance oil caused the soap to trace very quickly and by the time I got it poured into the mold, it was a big, gloppy mess.  I poured my chunks of pink and purple soap on the top and did my best to swirl it around, but it just wasn’t going to happen.  All I could do was cover it and wait.

So, maybe it wasn’t what I intended, but the colors still look great and you can’t beat the soft, floral smell of Freesia!  And, I learned that I shouldn’t experiment with two things at once: swirling and a new ingredient.

Sheer Freesia is for sale for $4.  A portion of proceeds go toward the Loraine’s adoption fund!

Ginger Blossom Soap

Among the veggies growing in my garden is a lovely, and rather large, Calendula plant. I’ve been harvesting the bright yellow flowers all summer and drying them with the intent of using them in soap. 

And here it is! Ginger Blossom soap with Calendula petals (from my garden) and Calendula Extract Oil.  The Ginger Blossom is a nice, green floral fragrance.  Calendula has long been used to heal skin irritations and is great for reducing skin inflammation and healing eczema.  I’m not claiming my soap will do all of that, I’m just letting you know what Calendula is often used for.  This soap also has Avocado Oil in it; a super-moisturizing treat for the skin.  It should be ready for sale mid-August.

Why I Don’t Water My Lawn

For the past week, stepping outside of my house has been like walking into a brick wall.  The heat is that thick and heavy.  No where is this more evident than in the browning of my lawn.  My neighbor’s sprinklers have been running morning and night for days in an attempt to keep her lawn looking green, while I can practically hear my blades of grass sizzling.

Why don’t I water my lawn?  Because I just can’t justify spending one of the world’s most valuable resources on my lawn.  Did you know that 884 million people lack access to safe water and 1 in 8 people die from water related diseases every year?  When people are dying from the lack of something I have such easy access to, I can’t just waste it by pouring it on my grass.  Never mind the additional expense of watering my lawn; money that my family needs or that I can donate to help others have clean, sustainable water. 

Now, I don’t judge other people for watering their lawns and I don’t expect everyone to share my sentiments.  I just want people to understand why my lawn is turning brown and why I’m not doing anything about it.

Click here to learn how you can help others have access to clean water.

Soaping with Purpose

Ah, gorgeous Orange Grove Soap, freshly poured into the mold. 

I love to make soap, but even more than that, I love to help unite forever families.  I’m so glad to now be donating a portion of my soap profits to the Loraine family!  They are adopting another sweet, little girl!  I hope you’ll visit the Loraine’s blog and learn more about this awesome family!  And, of course, I hope you’ll buy lots of soap or donate directly to their adoption fund!

“When I Grow Up”

“When I grow up, I want to be a forensic scientist.”  “When I grow up, I want to be in the military.”  “When I grow up, I want to be a garbage man.” “When I grow up, I want to be a fashion designer.”

This was the conversation my children and step-children were having in the car the other day.  While each is a worthy pursuit and I’m proud of each of the kids, I noticed that the girls didn’t say, “I want to be a homemaker when I grow up.”  Which made me think, how many girls dream of becoming a homemaker when they grow up? 

I know I sure didn’t dream of becoming a homemaker.  I can recall a second grade assignment that had us list what we wanted to be at various ages in life.  I had listed: rock star, teacher, nurse, and maid. It’s possible I also listed “Daisy Duke”.  Hey, I hadn’t come a long way yet, baby. By high school, I was still clinging to the whole “rock star” thing but, by then, being a television producer or anchor was a little more practical.  Still, I wasn’t going to be a homemaker!

So, a brief stint as a news anchor and producer and many (many) years later, here I am… a homemaker.  I’ve kept one toe in the advertising/academic world, but I’m about to pull that out and be 100% committed.  Okay, maybe that’s not the best word. But do you know, I’m okay with it!  It has taken me a long time to be okay with being a homemaker…even while I’ve been a homemaker.  Because I’m not just any homemaker, I’ve got a Master’s degree for crying out loud!  I should be using it after all, right?  Right? 

While the kids were having their “when I grow up conversation”, I realized I had been brainwashed by the whole feminist movement that was in full force during my upbringing.  Being a homemaker is WRONG!  I can do BETTER than that!  I DESERVE better than that! 

Ugh.  Do you have any idea how much I’ve struggled to purge myself of those lies?  Really, God deserves all the glory for doing that.  He’s shown me that the greatest, most important job I’ll ever have is raising children who love Him, serve Him and have compassion for others.  And He is training and equipping me to be one of the best people for that job.  Not the Sunday School teacher.  Not public or private school teachers.  Not the doctor. Not the government.  Not anybody else. 

Derailing for a moment here, because, frankly, I get very angry when parents tell me “Oh, I could NEVER stay home or homeschool my kids.  They would drive me NUTS!  I can’t WAIT for them to go back to school!  I just don’t know how you do it!”  First, I do it through God’s strength and a big heapin’ helpin’ of His grace.  Second, and I might sound crazy here, but I actually like being with my kids.   That’s not to say I don’t have my days when I want to throw in the towel and put them all on the school bus.  I should add that I’m not talking about moms whose families depend on her income.  She is still serving her family and God will honor that.  I had to put Caitlyn in daycare for four months when she was barely one year old.  I hated every second of it, but our family needed my extra income and God saw us through it.

Back on track…Now I’m on a mission to make sure my daughter knows that being a homemaker is a GOOD thing.  It’s a blessing to be able to stay home and homeschool my kids and I hope she sees that.  I hope she doesn’t rule it out as a possible thing to be “when she grows up.”  I hope she sees the value in it.  I pray she doesn’t have to wrestle with feelings of inadequacy or unimportance as I did.  And when I start to feel like I can’t serve because I’m home with my children, God reminds me that everyday I’m serving Him.  I have a mission field.  It’s my home.

Summer Catch-Up: Branson, June 8 - 10

Oh my goodness.  Where did June go?  It just flew by and now it’s almost the middle of July!  This summer is going fast, so I figured I’d better get around to blogging about it.  Or at least give a summary.

We went to Branson for the first time!  We stayed at Thousand Hills Resort and had a beautiful condo with a nice view of the golf course.  We went to the Dixie Stampede and spent a couple of days at Silver Dollar City.  Scott’s folks joined us and were so helpful hanging out with Abraham so we could take the big kids on some rides.  We had a great time!  The picture above is of the kids with one of the horses from the Dixie Stampede.  Below are more pictures of our trip.Waiting for our grub at the Dixie Stampede.  The kids loved all the food and  getting to use their fingers to eat.Caitlyn was so excited to discover that the chair in the sunroom opened up into a twin bed.  She loved having the sunroom all to herself (and not having to share a bed with big sis).

We found a place for the kids to hang out. 

Jacob tried the small rollercoaster with Michael.  He was a bit scared, but said he liked it.  Caitlyn went on a bigger rollercoaster with me and hated it.  Maybe someday the kids will ride the coasters with me.

The kids loved the River Blast where they could soak and be soaked.

Abraham found a way to get soaked at Geyser Gulch.

Silly hats for silly kids.

After a long day at the park, the kids found a place to rest.