chag semeach! (passover)

the girls and I remembered all the plagues without looking!  

found this fun sticker book at Barnes & Noble the other night. 

Eliza did a little research. 

hunting for the last of the chametz!

we have a full day ahead of us, full of friends, fun, reverance, celebrating freedom...

Chag Semeach! 

oh, and did i mention there'd be honey cheesecake?

Garden Growing and Making Unleavened Bread

everything is getting greener... 

daikon, new tomato seedlings, repotted plants, lettuces...

happenings in our garden? well, we've planted some of our awesome--and I can say that knowing how we've struggled to figure it out--tomato seedlings in actual beds and repotted a bunch more. Thinking about selling the extras, if we find people interested in heirloom, organically grown goodness...

LEARNED:  it took us a few days to identify one of the plants we sowed a month ago. Turns out it's Daikon Radish. Drew looked for more info about it, and while there are loads of recipes, it's also a great plant for cover cropping. Its roots delve down, even through really tough soils like clay breaking it up, then you can let them rot & your beds are ready for the next growing season. (this process can be stinky, apparently, keep that in mind!)

 
I stole the below pictured lettuce from the garden and this guy didn't seem to thrilled about it...

Drew and the girls whipped up some 'tortillas' which we think are probably more authentic to what the Israelites would have eaten during this season...

It was SO yum. 

and the bread combined with the lettuce combined with some hummus and some homemade falafel topped with a smidge of ketchup--well, it was a very nice dinner.

How are things growing in your garden? Please share! Link below.

the Renewal of Every Spring & our winner!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the little garden giveaway! Sonja said...
I just found your blog this morning and love it. I look forward to reading more in the future.

Thanks Sonja! I hope you do continue to visit! & make sure I get your address so we can ship off your little garden!

In other news, we've been spending our time this week getting ready for Passover. It's a big holiday for us, and the build up is half the fun! Over the past month we've been careful about the things we bring into the house from the grocery store because in a few days we're purging all the leavened items from our home to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread..

While planning is important to avoid throwing out loads of leavened items, the actual act of cleaning our house in a way that removes every last crumb, or shred of 'chametz' is such a physical way of representing a spiritual state. We clean it up, throw it out ,and wipe our hands of it; it represents a renewal of spirit and a cleansing like no other. It's such a story of salvation. Leaven represents sin, and the idea that leaven is permissible throughout the year with this one chance at true purging just reiterates the expectations of the Creator. To know us so well--and how like leaven our sinful nature permeates our lives; Passover gives us this opportunity to purge and really represents the grace we all depend on, the opportunity we are offered to just throw that away and start fresh. Sure, the leaven will return, but in the upcoming week we will focus on life without leaven--life free of the crumbs in the corner or hidden stashes in the back of the freezer, which we always find at some point during the week we live without it, more great imagery...


Anyway, it's a special time of year for most right now, even if it's just spring cleaning. This change of season resonates renewal and I welcome that! Are you feeling a renewal coming?

Leaving Egypt...

'upcycled' Moses (more great Passover & other crafts here)

Leaven Free Desserts

Cleaning up

Headless Felt People from this pattern.

It's Passover this week & we came to Drew's parents for the celebration. We'll be here until Thursday & are playing with felt, going to playgrounds & staying completely entertained while we're in town (Charlotte). What a metropolis! It's fun to see the city life, but our mid-sized Greensboro is the perfect fit for us city-wise.

& we've experienced what feels like a Passover miracle of our own. I will share more with that should it come to fruition, but key phrase: 'Promised Land'.