Favorite Passover Youtube Videos!

When we prepare for Pesach, we have FUN! I love to have the music on loud, dance around the house, play air instruments with the kids, and sing it up like I'm in High School Musical! And believe you me, there are some serious laughs!!! I plug my laptop into the docking station and have a blast with my kids!

Here are some of our favorite youtube videos for the 2012 Passover Season:

1) Ah Ah Ah (Ashrei) O.M. Goodness! I am in love with these little boys! They are adorable, funny, and sing their hearts out. This song has been played over, and over, and over, and over by my kids!

 

 2) SIX13 P-A-S-S-O-V-E-R. This is a great remix of those catchy songs you hear when you're shopping. I think they did a great job with the lyrics, and I love the subtle humor.

 

3) Best Seder In The USA- This one is clever & funny! Check out the guy's shirt who leans right instead of left! Sooo funny!

 

4) Google Exodus- What if the Exodus took place today? There's some good laughs in this one. You can tell they put a lot of thought into the details of this. It hasn't gotten old in our house yet. I like the Amazon.com part. :)

 

5)  Pesach Cleaning! Honestly, I've been spring cleaning and Passover cleaning since the day after Purim... and no matter how much I accomplish, it can ALL get undone within minutes. Really, it's all okay.... if you want your house to be REALLY clean, call a cleaning company. I did! :) And, 4 hours after they're gone, my house is clean... but it will never be perfect. Perfect is a word reserved for the other side of eternity. This video is soOooOo funny because it captures the Jewish Mom's "woe is me" attitude for Pesach cleaning. Don't stress, just set small goals, set your timer, and move! It'll all be fine! Smile... this is a happy holiday!

6) Bitter Herb. If Maror was a stand up comedian. Makes me giggle!

7) Dayenu, Coming Home from the Fountainheads! :) This just puts a smile on my face and makes me miss Israel.

Candyce's Homemade Matzah

 

PREHEAT your oven to 425* F. Since I bake my matzah on saltillo tiles, I stick them in the oven too so they can preheat and get really hot. A pizza stone is also a great way to cook your matzahs. 

Turn on your favorite Jewish holiday music. Take a deep breath and enter into your Jewish Domestic Mama-ness! YES!!!!  It's a party... here we go!

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of warm water

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

5 cups of bread flour

Palm full of kosher salt (3-4 tbspns)

5 Tablespoons Granulated Garlic

4 Tablespoons Granulated Onion

Whatever herbs you like, and whatever quantity you want:

* Oregano

* Dill

* Rosemary

The possibilities are really endless... it's hard to mess this up. Don't get obsessive or exact. 

JUST HAVE FUN and make this your own!

I should have thought before hand to take pics of the whole process... but I didn't. 

SO... Here's what you do. 

I just give my bread machine a REALLY good cleaning to make sure there is no yeast. If you are concerned about the yeast and want to us your kitchen aid or hands, that's just fine. For me, I like it the easy way, so I use my bread maker.

While the water and oil are heating in the microwave (for like a minute) place all of your dry ingredients in the bread machine, set the setting on dough, and let it start mixing it for you. 

Then you slowly pour the water in until it forms a nice dough. 

Remember, I said S-L-O-W-L-Y!

 (Insert picture of breadmaker mixing the dough here. You can imagine it!)

After your dough starts to come together let your bread maker do all of the work for you! Give it a good ten minutes of working the dough. Press stop and you have a beautiful lump of matzah dough.

BTW.... This is not the orthodox way to make matzah... they do the whole thing in 18 minutes and would never dream of using a breadmaker. Just sayin.'

Divide it into 16 equal parts and roll it into balls. 

Then roll each ball out into a big circle! I like to clear my island and just fill it up with little uncooked matzahs.

  

Then you take a fork and let out all of your frustration on this little matzah! Go for it! Fill it full of holes. I usually assign the poking to one of the kids. They love it!

Poke away till all of your matzahs are "holey!"

Now you want to do this next part AS FAST as possible so you keep all the heat you can.
Stick your little matzahs on your pizza stone or saltillo tiles (way cheaper!) and shut the oven. Set your timer for 12 minutes. DO NOT open the oven until 12 minutes have passed. You want them to be golden on the edges, and golden here and there, but you don't want them to be golden brown. Okay... you've got 12 mins. This is where I usually hop on FB or Pinterest. :)

 Next you take them out, and pile them onto your favorite bowl or platter.

If you look closely at my picture below you can see burnt ones on the bottom. That's because I tried to multitask and do laundry at the same time. Oh... if I only had a laundress! :) But I digress...

Next, place the matzahs in a giant plastic bag (IKEA has cool ones) and stick them in the freezer. The freezer?! Yes! There's no way I'm gonna try tackling matzah with the rest of my Seder food on the same day and you shouldn't either! :) Not even Ina Garten could pull all of that off and still say, "How easy was that?!" OK, back to the matzahs... :) So now, you have fresh, homemade matzah ready for your family's Seder. I hope you enjoyed the matzah tutorial. If you make some, please leave a note and let me know how it went...
Toda Raba!

Chag Sameach!!!

Adonai Ahuvi

Another lovely Sheli Meyers song. My favorite one I learned in Israel!

B' Chol Libi by Sheli Meyers

I could sing this song all day!

Like There's No Tomorrow

As I am making lunch...

Me: (in my super enthusiastic motivational Mom voice) "OK guys, I want you to run upstairs, set the timer for 5 minutes and clean like there's no tomorrow!"
Anonymous smart son: "But Mom, if there was 'no tomorrow' I really wouldn't want to clean."
Me: "Ok, well, clean like there is a tomorrow!"
Anonymous smart son: "MAH-om! (runs his fingers through my hair and kisses me on the cheek and smiles) OK!"

Love my boys! They make me laugh all the time and love like there's no tomorrow! :)

I want it all!

I want it all.
I want to know the eternal love that exceeds my greatest comprehension.
I want to know every shadow that the LORD gave to fortell of the coming glory.
I want to know the depth and joy of the dates He placed on His calendar.
I want to know the beauty and perfection of His precepts.
I want to know His true and righteous judgments.
I want to know the comfort He brings in grief, and the new mercies he brings each day.

I know this all in part, but I want to know Him fully.
I want it all.

I want to know the strength that is manifested in weakness.
I want to know the courage exercised by the heroes of faith.
I want to know the joy of seeing prophesies fulfilled in my day.
I want to know the manifest glory that filled the Temples.
I want to know the fire that came from heaven to testify of His majesty.
I want to know the power that resurrects the dead.

I know this all in part, but I want to know Him fully.
I want it all.

I want to know what it is to walk with Him.
I want to know what it is to talk with Him.
I want to know what it is to see Him multiply food for the masses.
I want to know what it is to see Him heal the mute, the deaf and the lame.
I want to know what it is to stand in confidence when the religious accuse and condemn.
I want to know what it is to have perfect faith to lay down my life every day for the will of the Father.

I know this all in part, but I want to know Him fully.
I want it all.

I want to see his disciples walking in full power and authority.
I want to see people filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, and speaking in new tongues.
I want to see lame men walking and dead women arising.
I want to see myriads of Jewish people coming to faith and being zealous for Messiah and His Word.
I want to see the Olive Tree come to full blossom and overflow with natural and wild olives.
I want to see the Body of Messiah be empowered and mobilized to use all their gifts for God's glory.

I know this all in part, but I want to know Him fully.
I want it all.

I want to know what it is to be content in need or in want.
I want to know what it is to pour out my life as a drink offering on behalf of people I love.
I want to know what it is to endure persecutions through the power of the resurrection.
I want to know what it is to be bold enough to name the wolves that sneak into our midst.
I want to know what it is to be in a community that freely exhibits love, grace, gentleness, and forgiveness.
I want to know what it is to be strong in the LORD, and to war with His power.

I know this all in part, but I want to know Him fully.
I want it all.

I want to know what it is to be taken to the third heaven.
I want to know what it is to see Yeshua's eyes of blazing fire.
I want to know what it is to behold the Lamb of God who was slain for the world.
I want to know what it is to prostrate myself at His throne and sing, "Holy, holy, holy!"
I want to know what it is to see His judgments manifest on earth.
I want to know what it is to see Yeshua come as KING of Kings and LORD of Lords.

I know this all in part, but I want to know Him fully.
I want it all.

I want to lay myself before Him on Judgment day bringing sheaves of souls as my offering.
I want to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"
I want to basque in His glory and worship at His footstool.
I want to use all of the gifts He has given me to serve in the world to come.
I want to embrace the loved ones who have gone before me, and exchange stories of His wonders.
I want to walk on streets of gold, bathe in the River, and eat from the Tree of Life.

I know this all in part, but I want to know Him fully.
I want it all.

I want to know what it is to have my feet planted on the earth, but my gaze fixed heavenward.
I want to know what it is to manage my home in joy.
I want to know what it is to love my family with a selfless love- even in hard times.
I want to know what it is to discipline my children like the Holy Spirit disciplines me.
I want to know what it is to enjoy the glories of the mystery of marriage.
I want to know what it is to put Yeshua first in everything I do.

I know this all in part, but I want to know Him fully.
I want it all.

Our deepest fear...

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of G-d. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of G-d that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." ~ Marianne Williamson

Second Exodus Thoughts

There are two elements that I really like about cleaning:
1) It gives me time to just think, pray and meditate.
2) The end result of my heart and home is quite enjoyable! ;)

Here are some thoughts from today:
I am so grateful not only for the first Exodus where Adonai delivered our people from the Egyptian hand of slavery; but I am so grateful for the second Exodus where Messiah Himself delivered the whole world from being slaves to sin and death. Yeshua pulverized the chains, liberated our souls and spirits, and purchased us with His own blood. Messiah paid the price for ALL! My heart aches within me to share the message of Passover Freedom to all who will hear. 
 
The enemy thinks he owns our people, but he doesn't. Messiah already purchased our whole tribe with His blood. Our people (the Jewish people) belong to Him! One greater than Moses has already declared to the Pharaoh of sin and death, "Let My People Go!" All we have to do is receive the blood of the Lamb on the doorposts of our hearts.

The Lamb of God has already been slain! 

Revelation 5
“You are worthy to take the scroll
   and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
   and with your blood you purchased men for God
   from every tribe and language and people and nation.
¹⁰ You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
   and they will reign on the earth.”
 ¹¹ Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. ¹² In a loud voice they sang:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”
  
¹³ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”
  
¹⁴ The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Israel has been purchased!
Psalm 74:2
2 Remember the people you purchased of old,
the tribe of your inheritance, whom you redeemed—
Mount Zion, where you dwelt.

The nations have been purchased!
Revelation 5:9-10 and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

Like Moses expressed, proclaiming freedom to Pharaoh can be scary. But guess what?! 
1) We don't have to proclaim this message to Pharaoh. We have the honor of proclaiming it to people!
2)What we proclaim has already been done! We don't have to fight a battle, endure plagues, or slaughter a Lamb. It's DONE!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world already gave His life for us!

When we say, " I don't want the angel of eternal death to steal my life. I want Your blood on the doorposts of my heart." God sees the blood and passes us from death into LIFE! Toda Abba!!!


John 5:24-25

 ²⁴ “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵ I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

This Passover, let's make sure that Messiah's Blood is on the doorposts of our heart and the hearts of those we love. Everyone deserves to receive the FREEDOM already granted!