The 1st Day of the Omer

Today is the Feast of Firstfruits.  This biblical feast day celebrates Yeshua's resurrection from the dead. All believers in Yeshua can rejoice because we know that Yeshua has conquered death, and that means we will too!

 Today also begins the 1st day for the counting of the Omer.  It may be a little confusing but the counting of the omer begins on the same day as Firsfruits.  When God's Temple was in existence, an omer of barley was offered up to Him at the Temple during the Feast of Firsfruits, which then was counted as the first day of the omer.  We are then commanded to count the omer for the next fifty days, which will then bring us to the Feast of Shavuot (Penecost).  If you want to read the Bible passage for yourself, go to Leviticus 23:15-16.

Chad and I will count the omer for the next fifty days.  In order to help us do that, I thought it would be fun to draw and little picture for each day of the omer.  50 days = 50 pictures.  This is the first one!

Here's a Bible passage that you can read for counting today's omer.  Reading the Bible passage with your family or friends is a fun way to help to remember to count the omer!

 Psalms 119: 1-8 (KJV)

Aleph.

Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.

Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.

O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.

I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.

I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

A Walk a Day

Chad and I try to take a good walk at least once a day.  We had been going to the Springfield conservatory pretty regularly until he hurt his ankle.  His ankle is doing much better now so we have started walking again since the weather is getting much nicer.  We eventually want to build up to the five mile walk.  Presently, we're doing two miles now, so I don't think it will take much longer to build up to the longer one.  Our goal is to eventually do an eight hour hike out somewhere, but we definitely need to train up to meet that goal.  Here we are at the conservatory on a beautiful day!

Here's the beginning of the trail.  The sign lists the hours of operation and the trail rules.  No pets are allowed in the conservatory because there are plenty of deer and wild turkeys, not to mention a million squirrels, and a couple of chipmunk!

Come on Chad, you can't be tired yet.  We've just started!

Which way will lead me to Dunkin Donuts faster?

The deer are probably wondering  why we aren't eating the grass like they are.

 It would be fun to sit here for an afternoon of reading or knitting.

I'm not quite sure what I'm doing here but I guess I'm having a good time!

Don't fall in!

We're almost there Chad.  You can do it!  Just think of eating a Sam's Club hotdog for lunch.

Just a few more steps Chad.  You can do it!

I'm ready for my hotdog.  Oh yeah!

Zepheniah 3:17 (NASB)

“The Lord your God is in your midst,

A victorious warrior.

He will exult over you with joy,

He will be quiet in His love,

He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

Not Another Journal?

I have to admit it.  I have a thing for journals.  I love them!  All shapes, sizes, and colors.  I have them tucked everywhere.  In cabinets, on my desk, in my cedar chest.  I have to always have a few within arms reach.  I've had this craving for journals for many years now.  Sometimes it's so bad that when I come from running errands, Chad has to ask, "Not another journal again?

Proverbs 14:26 (NASB)

In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And his children will have refuge.

My Special Cup

I have a special cup that I use when I get up early in the morning and drink coffee.  I don't use it every morning, but when I want to make my coffee time seem special, I pull it out and fill it up with coffee.  I found my special cup on Ebay.  I was looking for a cup that would have things on it that I really liked and I was so happy that I found this one because it has so many things that I think are neat: a dog, insects (bees, spider, and a ladybug), and colorful flowers.  It's porcelain and made in England.  I don't put it in the dishwasher and I try to be very careful when I am using it.  I don't think I've found another one like it online.  What a special little cup!

Proverbs 30:25 (NASB)

The ants are not a strong people,
But they prepare their food in the summer;

New Children's Book

I just wanted to show you my new book The Calendar.  I got it back from Create Space and it looks great.  The front and back cover came out well and so did the inside of the book.  This is my fifth self-published Messianic children's book.  It's available on Amazon for those interested in ordering ( The Calendar by R.J. Kottke).  As you can tell from my picture, I'm obviously very happy!

I have a dedication page inside where I thank my husband for all his hard work.  Chad digitizes and uploads everything for me.  PDF this, CMYK that.  I have no idea what all this computer talk is, but Chad does.  He's my computer hero.  He also edits and gives me any suggestions that he thinks will help the book.  Thank you Chad!  Maybe I need to make you some more fun cakes!

I Corinithians 10:31 (NASB)

 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Cupcake Anyone?

Well Chad and I decided to have a cupcake after sabbath ended.  We went to GiGi's Cupcakes in Springfield.  If you have not been there before, be warned that there cupcakes are delicious and topped with large amounts of butter cream frosting.  Cupcakes have gotten popular in the last few years.  I love cupcakes because they're so fun and colorful.  There are so many different colors, designs, and flavors and if any of you have seen any of my books, one thing that you know is that I love happy bright colors.  They even give you a very fancy box to house your cupcakes.  Tres elegant!

We have a rewards card at GiGi's so after buying so many of them, you get a $5 reward that you can use towards another cupcake.  Cupcakes cost about $3.25 after tax.  That may sound like a lot, but after you eat one of their cupcakes, you quickly realize that you do get $3.25 worth of cupcake.

 Watch out cupcake, you're about to get KO'd.  

I think there will be cupcakes in Yeshua's Kingdom.  Don't you?

Numbers 6:24-26 (NASB)

The Lord bless you, and keep you; 
 The Lord make His face shine on you,

And be gracious to you;

 The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.’

The Happy Sock

It's a good day to be happy!  It's almost the sabbath and while it's cold and gray outside, inside it's nice, warm, and cozy.  There's a large pot of soup sitting on the stove for our sabbath day meal and a nice long loaf of french bread getting ready to be put in the oven.  I still have to put a small load of clothes in the dryer and the make a fresh pot of coffee to drink too!  I just wanted to show you my sock- he's happy too!  Look at his hair (at the top of my foot), two eyes, his mustache, and I think his chin (my skin showing way at the bottom).  I think his name is Pierre! Bonjour Pierre!

I also wanted to tell you that Bluebell got adopted.  A nice older couple adopted her so I stopped volunteering at the Humane Society.  It was just too hard for me.  I wanted to adopt so many dogs and many times I came home crying because I felt so bad for them.  I'm thankful that the Lord heard my prayer for her to get adopted.  It just shows that He even cares for a little forgotten dog, sitting alone and waiting in a small kennel for someone to come and adopt her.  What a kind and gentle Lord we have.

Speaking of feeling bad, a few evenings ago, I was really depressed.  After I prayed, wrote in my journal, and prayed for others, I went to my little studio and worked on some art.  After I drew and watercolored for a couple of hours, I felt great!  I think I needed to do something creative go get my out of my funk.  Here I am, drawing and listening to Light up the Sky by the Afters.  I kept replaying it over and over.  

Hope you all have a warm, cozy, and peaceful sabbath.  Shabbat Shalom!

John 16:33 (NASB)

These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”