Tu B'shevat

 

Somehow I managed to totally forget to take pictures, I NEVER do that! I was so sad.  Yesterday was Tu B'shevat, which because it is a Jewish Holiday it actually started Sunday at sun down. Tu B'shevat is one of three Jewish Holidays that has a Seder meal that goes with it. I was so excited that my friend accepted my invitation for her family to join my family in this event.

I spent several weeks studying Tu B'shevat, trying to fully understand it. I read multiple Seder scripts before I wrote mine to present for our dinner. Like Always I learned so much! 

Before we really even knew anything about Tu B'shevat my sister and I had selected a tree as our logo image for our website, blog and attempt at vlogging, YouTube, or podcasting.  We knew that trees were important, but it is only been recently that I realized the true importance of trees.

I do feel as if I should share a little about our podcasting/YouTube videos. I haven't written much about this process. After our Thanksgiving video we decided no one wants to listen to us drone on and on for hours so we decided to cut our videos to 6 minutes or less. We had an AWESOME script for Christmas, attempted to record them and failed. We felt strongly that we were supposed to go in another direction and focus strictly on the Jewish holidays and how they relate to our beliefs. So we started focusing on Tu B'shevat. Recording went a little smother than last time, but we ultimately were unsatisfied and not comfortable posting those ones either. And decided that we need to focus first on the big seven (or eight) however you count that are commanded in the Bible. Starting with  Passover.  We are excited for that upcoming recording and ask for prayers that it goes smoothly.

But just because we aren't recording on the minor holidays, yet, doesn't stop me from celebrating them and learning from them. 

Like Passover the Tu B'shevat Seder includes lots of drinking of grape juice (or wine if you are Jewish). I decided I need to invest in some Kiddush cups before Passover.  By the time you are done drinking all the Grape Juice you are completely full and there is not room for the delicious meal that follows. Kiddush is the drinking of wine the evening of the sabbath to welcome in the Sabbath. It is done with small (shot like) glasses.  If I got these, you would drink less grape juice, leaving more room for the delicious meal.

Tu B’shevat juices start with a cup of white grape juice, with each cup you add a little more red grape juice until the fourth cup is all red. These four cups represent the four different seasons, and what we can learn from each season.  You can see how this is A LOT of juice!

You alternate the drinking of juice with the eating of fruit. The first fruit you eat is one with a hard shell (a nut of some sort). The second is a fruit with a hard pit (cherry, apricot, nectarines… these are exceptionally difficult to find in winter, however I was able to find sone nectarines and they were DELIGHTFUL). The third fruit is entirely edible such as berries or grapes. And the forth is one that has a peel that must be removed to enjoy the sweetness inside. Each fruit also has a lesson to go with it. Then you eat a vegetarian meal… mmm mmm good

Traditionally on Tu B'shevat Jews plant trees in Jerusalem, or donate money to the tree fund, to reforest Jerusalem in fruit trees, to restore it to its original beauty. It is winter here, so it isn't ideal for planting anything. I have ordered at lemon tree, that I am going to plant inside, however it hasn't shown up.  But this is also about the time I always plant my garden veggie seeds inside to prepare for my spring gardening. So we did that.

Also Tu B'shevat falls approximately 90 days before the holiday of First Fruits. Which is the holiday that they offer up the sacrifice of the first fruits of their Barley harvest. Barley takes approximately 90 to grow from planting to harvesting. So despite the fact that I can't find anything pairing these two officially together, the Israelites must have planted the barely on or around Tu B'shevat. We planted Barley in a pot, so that we will have some to celebrate First Fruits with.

And then after we were done planting, we sat down for or Seder Meal.  The kids were very well behaved. My kids told me it was much better than Passover, shorter, and lots sweeter. We ate some amazing fruit. and I loved the opportunity I had to share my testimony with my friends. And provide the object lessons for them.  It was awesome!

Ok So if you want to join in the fun and do a Tu B'Shevat Seder in light of the Restored Gospel feel free to use my Seder Guide, or you can use mine as a starting point and make your own.  Here is the link for THE SEDER GUIDE LINK.  And if you want to make it a booklet here is THE BOOKLET LINK, you will just need to tell your computer to print two pages per sheet, front to back. If your printer does not have a front to back option then tell it to print all odd pages, then once it is finished printing reseed them in the order they came (so on my printer I have to restock them) and then tell your printer to print all even pages.  It might take you a couple times of finagling it to figure it out, but it isn't too bad.

Shepherds Dinner

 

Ok so sometimes we have a real shepherds dinner. With what the Shepherds would have really eaten, grapes, olives, pomegranates, fish and bread.

But I will be honest, my kids prefer our fake Shepherds dinner better, so we will have shepherds pie every Christmas Eve, and I do a Shepherds dinner sitting on the ground another night.

My Recipe for Shepherds Pie

 

1-1/2 lbs of cooked ground meat (we use ground beef )

1 Walla Walla onion chopped

1 cup beef broth (I use water and Beef Better than Bouillon)

3 tbls Worcestershire sauce

1 bag of frozen mixed veggies

5  medium potatoes

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

3 eggs

 

Cook and crumble meat until browned.  Rinse all fat from meat. Return to pan and cook with chopped onions until soft. add beef broth and Worcestershire Sauce.  if you would like a thicker sauce you can add a tablespoon of flour.  After this has cooked mix in a bag of frozen veggies.

 

Meanwhile:

chop potatoes (I leave the skin on because that is where all the nutrients are).  once they are soft drain water and mash mix in Greek yogurt and three eggs.

 

Spread the meat mixture to cover the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish,  cover with the mashed potatoes.  Bake at 350 until the potatoes start to become golden.

 

mmm enjoy!

Candy Cane Cookies

 We make candy canes cookies every year when we talk about the Shepherds. We always discuss the symbolism of the candy cane and make these cookies.

Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

3/4 cup butter

2 eggs

1-1/2 cup brown sugar packed

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp peppermint flavoring

 

2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup baking cocoa

1/2 bag of mini chocolate chips

6 candy canes crushed

 

preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream first five ingredients together,  add dry ingredients, mix well. When dough is formed mix in chocolate chips and crushed candy canes.

 

form into 1-1/2" balls and place on cookie sheet (I like to use parchment paper). and bake for 12 to 14 minutes. mmm.

 

I just realized I don't have a picture of these amazing cookies, I will have to take one and add it later.

 



Shepherds Night

 Holidays and Traditions can either be a source of frustration or a source of heaven, often at the very same time.  This year I altered one of my favorite traditions to become even more splendid. I learned sometimes we try and do too much and try and make traditions too complicated and it makes it less fun. Simple is better.

Christmas Eve we always do a Shepherd's Night. We start off the night eating shepherd's pie, Have a game and read some books, scriptures, and traditionally make candy cane cookies.

Shepherd's Dinner

 

I realize that the shepherds really didn't eat shepherd's pie.  for the record most likely the shepherds ate fish, nuts, pomegranates, dates, figs, olives and other fruits that were easily dried, and pita bread.  we always set the table nice for our dinner but most likely shepherds ate on the ground with their fingers.  I thought about having a dinner with foods they ate and sitting on the ground. But my kids do not like fish, and are really not good about trying new foods like figs and dates, so I didn't want a battle on Christmas Eve, so we stick with our Shepherds Pie. But if you have more adventurous eaters it would be fun to have a real shepherds dinner.

 

Ye Shall Find the Babe

 

We then play a good game of Find baby Jesus. This is my kid's favorite Christmas tradition.  We swaddle a baby doll, and everyone dresses as a shepherd and then there is one Angel. My mom has a full set of nativity costumes, but on occasion I forget to borrow them and then we use towels and what ever we can find for ties around the head, and a pair of $1 store fairy wings, that works well too.

 

The Angel goes and hides baby Jesus somewhere in the house (while the shepherds are all waiting in a bedroom, or a bathroom or somewhere behind a closed door together).

 

And then the Angel comes and announces, "fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger"  Go find him. (the Angel then typically starts giggling uncontrollably in anticipation for the wild hunt to come)

 

 

 

Then the Shepherds disperse and look for baby Jesus. 

 

 

Who ever finds Baby Jesus gets to be the next angel and they swap costumes with the Angel

This is the point when the mom starts giggling uncontrollably because dad is dressed in a tutu and fairy wings

 

 

Shepherd Stories

This normally takes us pretty close to bed time so we just jump right into bed time stories.

Our long time favorite is J is for Jesus: the Sweetest Story Ever Told.

 

It is the story of the candy cane. My kids have loved it since they were itty bitty, so we continue to read it.  Though I am thinking of buy a couple other shepherd stories to read for next year.

I'm struggling to find any that really grab my attention so I am going to have to search the libraries and book stores. One off of amazon that looks like it might be cute is

The Greatest Shepherd of All

 

The Amazon description says: On Christmas Eve, Grandpa Woolly shares with three excited youngsters the story of the birth of Baby Jesus, and how three young sheep, much like themselves, met this greatest of all shepherds.

I will keep you posted if I find one that is just amazing.

We will also then read the scripture story of the shepherds.

Bed time

In the past we have slept on the ground all in one room together, just like the shepherds would have. the kids love this.  However I HATE sleeping on the floor, or actually I can't sleep on the floor so I have given this up, but my kids do all have a slumber party together in one room in the house.

cookies

Growing up we always made Christmas cookies for Santa Claus. I tried to carry this Christmas tradition on in my family. To tie in with the shepherd theme we made Candy Cane cookies after we read the J is for Jesus book. They are most delicious.  However, this is exactly what I am talking about by trying to add too much in to our traditions, this was just too much and it stressed me out. So I cut this out, don't worry I will provide the Heavenly Recipe. But this year we simply bought Santa his favorite cookies, Oreos, and called it good.  It just occurred to me that maybe next year we will buy him candy cane Oreos.  Now for our divine Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

 

Our Shepherd Tradition

As part of our seven weekly devotionals before Christmas, one is based on the shepherds. While we have a shepherds night typically on Christmas Eve, this is a separate devotional we do  three Sunday's before Christmas to help us focus all season long on Christ. We learn about the shepherds, put the shepherd in the nativity scene and do an activity that has to do with the Shepherds.

This year we focused in on how the shepherds didn't just keep the good news to themselves, they went and spread the good news all over. So we decided, (ok so really it was I decided) it would be a good idea to deliver neighborhood gifts on this night, and to make sure they too spread the good word. 

You can't really tell by this picture, but we got HUGE candy canes, and put the legend of the Candy Cane on it. We then took it around.

You can find many versions of the legend of the candy cane, some short, some long, some stories, some poems.  My favorite is J is for Jesus, a board book with a cute poem in it. My sister really likes The Legend of the Candy Cane, they read it every year too. I found a shorter version on the internet and just printed it up and tied it on to each Giant Candy Cane.

We came home and warmed up by drinking candy cane hot cocoa and reading J is for Jesus.  It was a splendid evening.

 

Grandma Martin's Fruit Salad

 Grandma Martin’s Fruit Salad

4-5 apples (different varieties) chopped
1-2 bananas sliced
Seeds of 1 pomegranate (optional)
Grapes cut in half
Any other fresh fruit you like (pears, strawberries, kiwi, etc.)
Chopped nuts (very optional)
1 can fruit cocktail (drain and reserve fluid)
1 can pineapple chunks or tidbits (drain and reserve fluid)
1 can mandarin oranges (drain and reserve fluid)
1/3 cup sugar (brown or white)
2 heaping Tablespoons corn starch
1 cup cream

Mix sugar and cornstarch in a pot, add fruit juices from canned fruit. Heat until thick and clear. Let cool.
Whip cream, fold in thickened fruit juice.
Gently fold into mixed fruits. Chill.

Our Angel Tradition

The angel devotional takes place four weeks before Christmas.

 I imagine the same angel that spoke to Mary about her upcoming pregnancy, and Joseph about supporting Mary in her pregnancy was probably the same angel that made the announcement to the shepherds that the baby was born. I often wonder how an angel is chosen to be the one to make such announcements. 

Here is a personal disclosure.  I love to sing. But I am not at all good at singing. In fact, I am so bad at singing my baby daughter cries every time I sing. I am not offended, I think it is kind of funny that she is so young and already knows how horrible I am. My poor other kids have grown up with me singing to them every night, and they are just trained to think I am good, they have no idea how bad I am. But I like to think, that in the Pre-earth life I wasn't so bad at singing, and I like to pretend that maybe I was part of the heavenly host singing about the birth of the Savior.

Anyhow, to celebrate the angel I would love to take my family Christmas Caroling, but that is WAY out of my comfort zone, think if the 18 month old cries, what adults would do when they heard me sing, I would be publicly shamed. So instead, we sing every Christmas Hymn we can think of this night. And then for the rest of the month we sing a song or two at night when we say our family prayers.  I think this is one of my favorite traditions.