Turtle Lane Pottery Giveaway!

The Hebrew holidays are in full swing and you can definitely feel the buzz of excitement! It's been great to hear from so many people who grow more and more excited to celebrate each festival of YHWH. It's also been amazing to hear from many people who are learning about the feasts and celebrating them for the first time!

I'm excited to keep the festivities going with another giveaway courtesy of Turtle Lane Pottery! Corinne has generously provided a beautiful handmade Shalom mug for one winner. 

You may remember Turtle Lane Pottery from our mezuzzah giveaway last summer. One reader contacted me after purchasing a few of Corinne's pieces and told me how excited she was to now have handmade family heirlooms that are centered on our faith to pass down to her kids. I love that! It is just so special to have things that point to the Hebrew faith, whether that's a menorah, a mezzuzah, a special dish for Shabbat, or what have you.

I have a few things that have been passed down to me by family members and I love them because they are both pretty and useful but also because of the memories I have that go with them. Do you have anything like that? A rolling pin from your grandmother is handy in the kitchen but made extra special by remembering the cookies you rolled out with her. How much more is that meaning compounded by adding faith in with it? 

I'm so happy that artisans like Turtle Lane are making truly heirloom pieces that go with our faith. What will your family one day look back and treasure? The mezzuzah they saw every time they left the house, or the menorah that was lit to celebrate the feasts?

A few things I love about this mug:
-It's handmade, so you're getting something one-of-a-kind. That's so much more special to me than mass productions from an assembly line.
-The handle! This is comfortable in the hand and balances naturally. Do you ever pick up mugs that are cute but awkward to hold? You won't have that problem here.
-The reminder for peace. What a great reminder of the Messiah's words, "Peace be still." Shalom is a reminder of the wholeness and health found in YHWH.

Can't you just imagine sitting fireside during Sukkot, listening to Bible stories, sipping hot apple cider out of this mug? Or maybe one day your kids could have this mug and remember that it's the one you used every Shabbat? Or what if seeing this was the spark that a friend needs to become interested in the Hebrew faith? So many possibilities!

I want to thank Corinne from Turtle Lane for providing us with another special giveaway! The deadline to enter is September 20 at midnight. Open to US and international readers. Get entered below and be sure to let us know what Turtle Lane item you would love to have for the fall feasts! 

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DIY All Natural Mood Spray for Shalom and Tikvah

A friend was telling me recently about her studies treating sickness and disease with herbs and plants. She said something that struck me, "All around the world there are plants that can cure disease." Why is this surprising? Of course YHWH in his goodness would provide a means for his people to live healthy and whole lifestyles. He provides plants and herbs that not only fight disease in our bodies but can help us to settle our emotions as well.

These sprays are simply made with organic essential oils and then your choice of liquid filler. They are a healthy and natural way to make your home or office smell better and to provide health and emotional benefits. A spray or two in the car after a stressful day at work is a great way to calm down and put things into perspective. Having a 'shalom' spray around the house when things get hectic is a nice way to freshen things up.

You will need:
Spray bottle
Essential oil
Filler liquid - witch hazel, rubbing alcohol, or water

It's up to you what your filler liquid is. I keep a bottle of 'tikvah' in the car and for that I like to use rubbing alcohol because it doesn't leave a wet feeling. If you intend to use this as a body spray I would recommend witch hazel, which has a lot of healing properties as well. For my bottle of 'shalom' that I use around the house I just use water. All three work well, so the choice is yours.

Fill your spray bottle with the liquid of your choice, approximately 90% of the way. Then add your essential oil and shake it up.

These are two combinations that I like. 

Tikvah:

5 drops tea tree

5 drops lemon

5 drops grapefruit

2 drops eucalyptus

Shalom:

5 drops lavender

4 drops chamomile

2 drops lemon

2 drops grapefruit

1 drop cedar wood

Of course you can play around with these as starting points to come up with blends that you enjoy and benefit from. There are many essential oils with some of the same qualities so feel free to use those instead if that's what you have on hand. I personally keep a bottle of Tikvah (Hope) in the car, and it helps me turn from the stress of the day to the things of YHWH. The Shalom or peace blend stays in the house and I think it is especially calming before bed.

The sprays won't stay completely blended on their own, so give them a shake before you use them.

The awesome menorah soap doesn't really have anything to do with this project but I had to share it with you guys!

Shabbat Simcha

Isaiah 56:2: Happy is the person who does this and grasps this, who keeps Shabbat and does not profane it, and keeps himself from doing evil.

YHWH's Shabbat was created as a day of rest and a day of happiness.

Rest and happiness. Don't those go together? Don't we look forwards to breaks and vacations? Shabbat is peace for our bodies and souls. YHWH knew before creation the importance of rest for our health and happiness. Shouldn't we trust Him enough to rest on this day so that He will fill us with joy? Shabbat is not a day of complex rules; it is not hard to keep. It is a day to be joyful! At sundown tonight Shabbat starts; keep it and you will find joy and peace. Simcha and shalom.