Twas a Few Nights Before Christmas…

…and a variety of activities are stirring in and out of houses. No sitting on Santa’s lap this year for photos but Santa flew into the Colville airport to hand out gifts to kids. Our grands were there on Saturday morning.

Also on Saturday Dear and our son Dan started installing the siding on the back side of the shop. Earlier in the week Dear installed the back pull up door.

I missed getting outside to get the final photo. They have 3 panels left to go on this side and all the siding will be done. We are so thankful for the help!

Our daughter in law sent us these next photos of Addy and JJ enjoying each other on Sunday. Sibling times like these make our hearts glad!

We had a good trip to Spokane yesterday and found all the things on our list and more.

One of our stops was at the Kiev Market where we load up our freezer with Pelemeni, a family favorite that I’d rather buy than make. While there we bought these lovely Piroshky, two cabbage and one cheese…delicious.

At Costco we filled up our cart with other goodies, some necessaries and a few un-necessaries. I was going to go into TJMaxx but the people line-up outside the store because of “you know what” wasn’t appealing to me and we carried on. Our refrigerators and freezers are full now so no more shopping until after Christmas!

Way down south in California my family was having their annual Christmas Vareniki making day. Vareniki are a Russian treat we’ve enjoyed at Christmas for many years. This year the crew included my two older sisters, one sister-in-law, 4 of our nieces and one grandniece. My mom would be so proud of them all!

My oldest sister Kathy with the finished product which is first boiled and then ready to freeze and then bake in half and half and butter on Christmas Eve. Our family tradition is to stuff these dumplings with a sweet cheese mixture and serve them as a dessert or for breakfast in place of pancakes. We serve them with a dollop of sour cream and maple syrup.

Pierogi and vareniki are actually the same thing. Again, stuffed dumplings, they are common throughout Central and Eastern Europe and most of the old Eastern Bloc states. While vareniki is the more commonly used term in Russia, pierogi are the national dish of Poland, Ukraine and Slovakia.

Today I’ll continue on some cleaning and cooking up some things I can make ahead for all the Christmas meals.

I forgot to mention that for the next two weeks the Thursday Bible Verse Challenge will not be happening. We will resume the challenge the first Thursday in January, January 7th on the letter O.

Happy Days in December…

So happy to report that with the help of our son, Dan, the siding on the front of the shop was completed this past Saturday and Sunday. Now all that is left of the siding is the back end.

When he wasn’t helping his dad Dan was taking his kids on a little snow hike.

This next photo is of a snow hike they took at the end of January 2020.

What a difference a year makes. Jaymison can ride in the sled now!

Earlier last week Dan had some helpers in putting up the Christmas lights.

Our temps have been below freezing for several days in a row which makes these outdoor projects a challenge. We are supposed to have a round of snow blow in tomorrow. I have a luncheon to attend and I’ll have to take the roads slow and steady. Thankful for good snow tires and all wheel drive!

Fun Finale and Farewells

On Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, before Katie and Andrew hit the road for the west side of the mountains, we all had Dear’s Swedish pancakes for breakfast.

Jaymison was still waking up…

He’s my little guy…I love him so…

Laura got a photo of all the guys with their beards, for the record. Andrew plans to have his gone by Christmas.

Goodbyes to Andrew with the spooky eyes and Katie.

Addy loves her aunties and uncles!

Time for the super heroes!

Outside to expend some energy before lunch and our goodbyes to Josh and Laura.

Our daughter-in-laws. We are so thankful for the two of them and what great spouses they are to our sons. Our sons are two blessed men to have them as their helpmates.

Now that November is over we have been busy pulling out Christmas bins and getting our country bungalow looking a lot like Christmas. How about you? Have you started or finished your Christmas decorations?

I’m adding this post to Rose Chintz Cottage: No Place Like Home weekly event until December 21st.

Next week I’ll share some of our Christmas decorating.

So Much to be Thankful For…

On Thanksgiving day we were thankful before and after we enjoyed a traditional meal with turkey and all the trimmings.

On Friday Josh and Laura flew in.  We had lunch at our home when Josh and Laura arrived as we said our goodbyes to Katie and Andrew who drove to Idaho for an overnight at Andrew’s dad’s home. After lunch Steve and Lana continued on to Idaho for the rest of their holiday. Friday evening we enjoyed leftovers at Dan and Jamie’s.

Me and my little buddy.

Jaymison Joshua with his beloved uncle Joshua!

This is JJ’s expression when we say dessert!

On Saturday the girls did some shopping on Main Street in Colville to support our local small businesses. We all found something to buy. Katie and Andrew returned from Idaho on Saturday afternoon.

Saturday night we had a special meal and birthday cake to celebrate Laura who adds so much love and care to our family. Her birthday is later this week but since we were all together we took advantage of being able to celebrate in person. Auntie Lolo is loved so much!

This little guy enjoyed the singing of Happy Birthday.

The rest of the evening was fun and games!

Saturday was a full day. On Sunday we would be saying our goodbyes to our “Coast Kids”.

T-Day 2020

The Lord Bless You and Keep You…

Our travelers arrived to the northeast corner of Washington state before 2PM and we headed over to Dan and Jamie’s at three arriving to the wonderful aromas of Thanksgiving.

Photo fail is becoming more common with me. No photos of the delicious turkey or the whole group.

A delicious cauliflower salad and purple potatoes the Jamie picked out of her garden on Thanksgiving day.

Making whipped cream with Granny.

 The Lord bless you and keep you;
 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Numbers 6:42-26

Happiest Place on Earth Hodgepodge

Three of our nieces, our son Josh and daughter in love, Laura at Disneyland in January of 2020 before the lockdowns. Happy Birthday Mickey!
~
1. It’s Mickey Mouse’s birthday (November 18)…happy birthday Mickey! He reads here, right? Have you ever been to Disney, any of the parks at all?
~
Yes, I’ve been to Disneyland in Anaheim. I was there shortly after it opened in 1955. I was there with my whole 9th grade class for a graduation from Junior High excursion. Went there on school busses. That would have been in 1965. I still have part of a ticket book from when rides were classified as A,B,C,D,E.  The E ticket was for the best rides and where the saying “e ticket”, the ultimate of thrills, came from.
Dear and I were there before we were married.
We took our kids there in the 80’s and 90’s and they’ve gone on their own now that they are adults.
I’ve also gone a couple times on my own with my extended family as an adult.
1986 with our two sons and Katie was a wee babe and slept a lot on this Disneyland adventure.
1995 Me with my sisters, our mom, my nieces and daughter, Katie.
2009 with our niece and grandnephew.
~
Are you a Disney superfan or something less than that?
~
I’m a fan of all the great memories but not a superfan.
Some of these loved ones are superfans!
~
They’re open right now so tell us, would you go if you had the time/money/a free trip?
~
I wouldn’t go until the mask mandates were lifted. Once that happens (please Lord) we’d love to experience Disneyland with our grandchildren. We were actually planning a trip to Disneyland for March of 2021 but we have cancelled those plans.
~
2. Your favorite place to go when you want to be quiet as a church mouse?
Anywhere that there is no artificial noise.
~
Would those who know you well describe you as more church mouse or perhaps more like mighty mouse?
~
“Here I come to save the day, that means that Mighty Mouse is on the way…”
I’m neither a church mouse or a mighty mouse. Somewhere in between. I have had my “mighty mouse” moments in protecting my loved ones through the years.
~
3. The day before Mickey’s birthday happens to be National Homemade Bread Day. Did/will you celebrate? Do you bake your own bread? Last time you had hot out-of-the-oven homemade bread? What’s your favorite kind of bread?
~
I love good fresh bread of any variety. Last night we were at our Colville kids’ home and we enjoyed fresh rolls and the Instant Pot potato soup our daughter in law made. Both the rolls and the soup were delicious.
~
4. What’s something you might say is ‘the greatest thing since sliced bread‘?
~
I know I’m going to be saying “why didn’t I think of that?” when I read your answers. For now I’m going with remote controls. I do remember when we had to get up and go to the TV to change channels. Mind you there were only a very few channels back then.
And Dear just said, “how about luggage with wheels”?
~
5. Let’s keep the gratitude theme we started last week rolling on through November. Share with us five little things you’re grateful for today. Small blessings. One catch-they all must start with the letter T. Gotta keep us thinking, right?
~
Time with my family and friends.
Tall people at the grocery store when I need something at the back of the top shelf.
Trees, tall trees, tiny trees, trees that I can see from my windows.
Towels, large fluffy (but not too fluffy) and absorbent.
Texts. I didn’t used to text but now I really am a fan for keeping in touch with loved ones, especially when they are on the road.
~
6. Insert your own random thought here.
~
We made a last minute trip to Spokane yesterday for some electrical supplies Dear needs and we made stops at Costco, Home Depot, Hobby Lobby and At Home. We were relieved to see that people weren’t panic shopping because of the current mandates. We were even able to buy some Bleach wipes that were in stock but going fast.
~
Thank you to Jo From This Side of the Pond for asking the questions!

My Little Babushka

I received a couple old photos new to me of our little Babushka Vera and I wanted to put all the photos I have of her in the archives of this computer together in one post. She’s sitting on the bottom row of this photo taken in Iran in the late forties. My grandfather that I never met and who was killed in Iran shortly after this photo was taken is on the right. The gal above my grandfather is our aunt Nina. She was married to our uncle Paul, our mom’s only brother. He’s next to Aunt Nina on the end of the top row. The rest of the people in this photo are Aunt Nina’s people and her mother and father are sitting next to our maternal grandparents. The little girls in this photo are the only ones still alive. They all live in Southern California. The two girls flanking the bottom row are both suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.  The little girl in her mother’s arms is alive and well in Southern California. My cousin Alex who is standing next to our Babushka died in an automobile accident in Wheaton, Illinois in 1979. The two grandmothers sitting next to each other, Manya and Vera were close friends and at the end of their lives they lived next door to each other in an apartment building a couple doors down from our Russian Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Several of our Russian widows lived in that apartment building. Our mom and pop had already immigrated to the USA when this photo was taken.

These are our little babushka’s three children. Our mom, her sister who died and her brother Paul.

This photo is from 1951 with friends and family after they all immigrated to the USA. Our little babushka is above our mom who is holding me. Our Pop next to our mom. Uncle Paul is holding our cousin Valia and next to him our aunt Nina is holding our cousin Walter. Next to our little babushka is our Aunt Nina’s sister in law Zena. Next to our mom is Mrs. Hamzieff from San Francisco and I’m not sure who the lady next to her is. The little boy, I believe belongs to Mrs. Hamzieff. Babushka immigrated from Iran as a widow to the USA with our Uncle Paul’s family.

These are our Babushka Vera’s 7 grandchildren as of 1956 ish. Cousin Alex, Babushka, sister Kathy, brother Fred, cousin Valia, Me, cousin Walter and my sister Vera. One more cousin and four more siblings were added to these two families. We had a sister that died in Iran so Babushka had 13 grandchildren in total.

This is a new to me photo of our babushka at a beach in California.

This is Babushka Vera and Babushka Manya in Arrowhead in California.

The two of them again in this photo. Our little Babushka lost her left hand and arm up to her elbow when she was young. Her arm was injured and got infected and had to be cut off at the elbow to save the rest of her arm and her life. She always positioned herself so that her missing hand was not in view in a photo.

Not a well preserved photo but this was our growing family with our Babushka at our Uncle Paul and Aunt Nina’s home in Huntington Park in California.

Me and Babushka at my 9th grade graduation and my high school graduation. I remember shopping with her for a dress at Sear’s once and she wore a size 16-1/2. She always searched for a dress with 3/4 length sleeves.

Our parents and Babushka at our home in La Mirada in the 70’s.

Cousin Walter, cousin Tanya, Babushka, our Pop and Uncle Paul.

Babushka, mom and me at Laguna Beach in California.

Kathy, Babushka and our mom.

Christmas at Babushka’s with our sister Lana in the late 60’s.

Our Babushka at Nick and Vera’s wedding in 1969.

Our little Babushka enjoyed embroidery and made a special gift for each of her grandchildren for their weddings. The tablecloth above was given to our sister Vera for her marriage to Nick.

Babushka at our sister Kathy’s wedding with our sister Vera in August of 1974.

Babushka, me and our mom at Dear and my wedding in December of 1974.

The center front row with our pop, mom, Babushka Vera, Babushka Martha and Dzeduska Timofei.

Dear’s family and my family at our wedding.

For our wedding Babushka Vera embroidered this tablecloth along with 8 napkins. A treasured gift. It’s amazing to us that her embroidery was so beautiful even with the handicap of having only one  hand.

Christmas morning at Babushka Vera’s. See all those baked goodies that our Babushka baked with one hand! Grandkids with their spouses and our cousin Alex’s in laws. This was mid-1970’s.

Babushka would tell us to not stay out after dark. She said nothing good happens in the dark!

I think Debbee was Babushka’s first great grandchild. This was in 1976.

This last one is at our second home in Huntington Beach in early 1977.

I hope to add more photos to this post as I find them.

Our Babushka Vera died in March of 1980. She was a Godly woman who prayed for all her grandchildren and for all her grandchildren’s future spouses. She prayed for our Pop’s salvation and for the salvation of her own husband. Our Dzedushka Fedot became a Baptist Minister before he was killed in Iran. I am so looking forward to seeing Babushka in heaven and seeing Dzedushka for the first time in heaven.

Halloween 2020

Our daughter-in-law is creative and doesn’t shy away from hard work. She came up with this idea for the family for Halloween this year. Aren’t they the cutest S’more Family? Love our little Hershey bar (Jamie made the whole thing!) and our little marshmallow. I think he looks like a Victorian boy ready for his baptismal. Rayna even got into the act by being the campfire! They made the rounds to Uncle & Aunt, Granny, Granny Great and ended up at our house for dinner.

Dear was ready for the trick or treaters at the door with his chainsaw hat on. How’s that for creative!? I had a pirates wig on with an eye patch and the kids were not so sure about me…

One more photo for the books. I took my wig and eye patch off and here’s the response I got from our little marshmallow. How I love this look.

Coming in for his hug! I cherish this look and response from him knowing the time will come when he’ll out grow it. Boohoo…

Happy first Monday in November. Hope the time change doesn’t throw you for a loop.

This and That

Thank you to Laura who always remembers the group shot selfie and for taking the next couple photos in the midst.

Me and my favorite eighteen month old. He’s my little guy and I love him so.

Giving a hug to his gramps. Like his daddy when he was little, Jaymison, likes to have his hands full.

Saturday catch up with these photos before I forget them on this last day of October 2020. We have Halloween, a full moon and then before we go to bed we’ll need to turn our clocks back one hour. In the country we have no chance of trick or treaters except for our little grands who will stop by with their parents. They have a costume theme this year that is a fun one and I hope to get a photo tonight to share with y’all on Monday.

Take care everyone!

Friday Snow Day

On Friday Katie, Laura and Addy built snowmen while JJ napped. They went to the garden to dig up the carrots for the noses!

Daniel put on the snow plow attachment and plowed the mile long drive for our travels to and from their home at the top of their mountain.

Our kids are more than halfway on their journey home expecting arrival before dark. I’ll have a few photo loaded posts to memorialize our 4th Annual Hunting Weekend.

The guys had a new experience this year hunting in the snow…

Last year Josh got his buck and this year it was Dan.

Looking forward to seeing what been going on with your blogs these past few days. I’m way behind…