Category Archives: Family

Of Weddings and Manicures

If I had any male readers I’ll be losing them today. This weekend is a busy one at our house. My daughter Katie is the Maid of Honor in her best friend’s wedding today. We are all a buzz with nails, hair, dresses, toast speeches, schedules, pictures, etc. One thing I’ve found out about myself is that manicures are not for me! I went with Katie for her manicure and she offered to buy me one. OOPS!

Oh sure, my hands and nails look nicer than they usually do, but I don’t know how to behave with a manicure. This is maybe my third ever manicure. I have a tendency to be rough on hands and things. I knicked one of the tips as soon as we walked out of the salon. Now I feel as though I need to sit around like a princess till after the wedding. I’m being held prisoner by my manicured nails. No mowing the lawn, no washing dishes, no scrubbing anything! I guess I’ll just have to wait till Sunday to do the things I normally do. “Dear” is in California so he’s missing all this fun. I wanted him to see my nails before I wipe them out!

Here’s a photo of Katie’s preparation for her part in the wedding. More photos of the beautiful outcome coming soon…(I hope she doesn’t mind that I know I posted this…)  🙂

Katie (the maid of honor) and Heidi (the bride) on their way to the Wedding Rehearsal last night.

Best friends through the ups and downs of their teen years! So different from each other but God brought them together for fellowship with Him and one another.

Praying for a beautiful blessed event today and that the Bride and Groom and Maid of Honor can relax enough to enjoy the celebration!

As of July 2017 Photobucket has blacked out all my photos and is holding them hostage on their site.

Happy Mother’s Day

As of July 2017 Photobucket has blacked out all my photos and is holding them hostage on their site.

Mother

Happy days to you, Best of Mothers, Joy as dear as you give to others, And as much through life that is sweet and true, As my life owes to your love and YOU.

This was the sentiment on a Mother’s Day card from Rex (“Dears” father) to Nettie, Rex’s mother. On the back of the framed card are notes from Nettie about the history around this card.

 

We were staying with grandpa at Wayne City. Came home in March ’41. Rex was inducted in the Army April 9, 1941, was sent to Fort Custer Mich. for training. On mother’s day I went up to spend with Rex. On Dec. 4th he got to come home for 5 months. On May 18, 1942 he was called back to service, on June 20th he sailed for over sea service. On July 19 he landed in Australia, then to New Guinea. He has been gone over a year now. This mother’s day, May 9, 1943 I received a beautiful potted plant, a hydrangea with 12 blossoms on it. I hope and pray before another Mother’s Day Rex will be back with us safe and sound.

Rex made it back safe and sound. We have so many wonderful memories of both Rex and Nettie.  Rex and his mother Nettie died in 1985, Nettie in September and Rex in October.

 Happy Mother’s Day to my own dear mom.

Here she is with the first four of us. Mom, Kathy, me, Fred, and Vera. Fred and Vera have the cool shades on. I was the baby of the family for eight years then my mother and father had four more!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms I love…my sisters, my sisters in law, my friends, my nieces, my cousins, and my blogger friends. Enjoy the love of the Lord today in a special way. “Dear” had these sent to Washington to surprise me for Mother’s Day. What a dear he is…

Josh and Laura treated me to a Saturday afternoon trip to downtown Seattle and then to West Seattle for dinner at Salty’s.

Josh and Laura at Pike Place Market

This street performer was amazing!

Mother and Son

The view from Salty’s looking East to Downtown Seattle

Thanks Laura and Josh for a lovely afternoon and evening!

I’ll be spending Mother’s Day with Dan and Katie. God is good.

Here is a photo of our Mom’s Group at Sunrise. We meet on Tuesdays. I join them when I am in Seattle. It keeps me young to be around these Moms who want to stay close to Jesus and raise their kids in a way that pleases God. Happy Mother’s Day, Ladies!

Deena, Shawna, Sara and Terri. Bridget is missing in this photo, but I nabbed this photo of her with Finn from her blog…

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 107:1

Borsch

Many Borsch recipes include beets in them. The familiar Borsch that we grew up with and that we had at Molokan Church Meals did not have beets in it. Here is my mother’s recipe.

Nadia’s Borsch

For the Stock:
1 Chuck Roast (with bone would be good)
1 onion
1-3 celery stalks with leaves
2-3 carrots
2 bay leaves
5-10 peppercorns
Salt to taste

In a big stock pot, cover chuck roast with good water. Add all the stock ingredients and bring to boil. Lower heat to simmer. Simmer until roast is fork tender. Strain the stock. Reserve the roast.

1 head of cabbage shredded (green is what we use)
1-3 carrots grated
1-2 onions diced
1 bell pepper diced

2-3 stalks of celery diced

(saute the bell pepper, onion, celery and jalapeno then blend before adding to stock)
2-3 potatoes diced
2 cans stewed tomatoes blended in blender (we have those that don’t like chunky tomatoes)
1 can tomato sauce
1/2-small bunch of dill (to taste)
1 handful of chopped italian parsley
salt and pepper to taste
optional – 1 can of Garbonzo beans
option #2 – add a small jalapeno diced to the saute group above.

Put the strained broth back into a stock pot. Add all the above ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer until cabbage and carrots are tender. Taste and see if the soup needs more salt or pepper at this time.

The Borsch is ready now.

My mother doesn’t include this in her recipe but when she made borsch at my house once I saw her add a half a cube of unsalted butter at the end. 🙂 My mother mashes most of the potatoes to thicken up the soup a bit.

You can bake the chuck roast with a little of the stock, salt, pepper, and sauteeed onions to serve alongside the borsch with a good loaf of bread and of course…sour cream. This was my welcome home meal for my kids last night.

 

You’ve Got A Friend ~ Carole King

All my photos for this post but one are being held hostage at Photobucket.

Spoken: Friends, you know, they’re there in the good times and in the bad times.

When you’re down and troubled
And you need some loving care
And nothing, no, nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night

Chorus:
You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I’ll come running to see you again
Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall
All you have to do is call
And I’ll be there, yes I will
You’ve got a friend

If the sky, sky above you
If it grows dark and full of clouds
And that old North Wind begins to blow
Just keep your head, keep it together
And call my name out loud
Soon you’ll hear me knocking at your door

Chorus:

Now ain’t it good to know
That you’ve got a friend
When people can be so cold
They will hurt you, and they’ll desert you
They’ll take your soul if you let them
Oh, if you let them, but don’t you let them

Chorus:

You can call me when you want me
You can call me when you need me
Just call me
‘Cause you’ve got a friend
You’ve got a friend.

Words and Music by Carole King
1971 colgems-EMI Music Inc., ASCAP.

I love to listen to many songs written by Carole King. I have some of her original stuff and I also enjoy some re-do’s. One in particular is Tapestry Revisited ~ A Tribute to Carole King.I was thinking about her song after Allistair Begg mentioned it this last week on a series he was doing on Barnabas and what an encourager Barnabas was. A true friend you can count on. Well here are some photos of people I’d call on when I needed a friend…   Who would you call? Who do you encourage? Who encourages you? Who would call you?

 

“Dear”, Ellen, Jody (my walking buddy in Seattle), Dave (our Family practice doctor and friend, he delivered our daughter Katie 21 years ago in Ventura, California when he was just a Resident)

 

Jan (my other walking buddy) and Bob ( our pastor for 18 years in Seattle)

 

Ellen with sisters, Kathy and Lana (my youngest sister, we talk at least once a day…and we’re blogging soul-mates) Vera’s missing in this photo.

 

My brother Steve and his wife Kelly. Kelly has Homeschooled their 4 boys. Two of the four boys are attending Westmont College in Montecito, California. Their oldest son at Westmont is graduating May 5th.  Steve is a pastor in Nuevo, California.

Mandy and my brother Leonard (Dallas, Texas) Just married August 2006. He’s my baby brother and holds a special place in my heart.

 

My cousin Jim and his wife Jeanie. ( I introduced them to each other in college at Cal-State L.A.) They live in Clovis, California. We all graduated together. We have had many meaningful times together.

 

Ellen (matron of honor) when she was pregnant with firstborn Josh and Heidi her best friend in College. Ellen and Heidi had some great travels together before they were married. Friends at Bethany Russian Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Still friends after all these years and the distance between us.

My siblings and in-laws: Nick, Vera, Kathy, Tim, Letty, Kelly, Steve, Mandy & Leonard

 

“Dear”, Ellen, Christina and Terry (Dear’s brother) The half Swedish side of the family. Come to find out Christina has Russian heritage. No wonder we connected.

 

Dave and Beth our dear friends from our son’s friendship with their son.

Thank you, Jesus, for the Barnabases in our lives!

Family Weekend ~ April 21-22

All my photos for this post are being held hostage at Photobucket.

This past weekend April 21st and 22nd was filled with extended family fun. Here are the pictures that tell the weekend story. I’m posting my Saturday post early, Friday night, because “Dear” and I leave early tomorrow for another family day.

 

Our oldest son Josh and his dad at the Pacific Ocean just south of Pt. Mugu

 

Father and Son

 

 

Once a mother always a mother….hoping my boy doesn’t get swept out to sea!

 

This seal was relaxing, oblivious to people and barking dogs. He (she) was kind enough to look up at me.

We came home from the beach via the fresh vegetable farm stand and got the fix-ins for Pico de Gallo and fresh strawberries from the local fields. So fresh, so good. “Dear” had some of his famous home-brew on hand which went perfectly with fresh dip that Josh prepared for us. Tomatoes, Jicama, Onion, a Jalapeno, Cilantro, Avocado and juice from a Lime. With chips it made a wonderful lunch. We went to Saturday evening service at E.V. Free where Pastor Steve gave Josh and “Dear” a supposed good excuse to get a tattoo! More to that story later…

 

Kacie, Jenna, Josh, and Annie (I’m seeing the family resemblance…the eyebrows that Josh and Jenna share, and the smile that Josh and Annie share.

Sunday, first stop, Anaheim Hills for Lox and Bagels. Such a rare wonderful moment for the Cousins on “Dears” side to get together.  “Dear” has one brother Terry who is married to Christina and they have 3 lovely daughters. So sad that Dan, Katie, and Laura weren’t here to share the Kodak moment.

 

Jenna the oldest who lives in New York, Annie who lives in So. California, and Kacie who just turned 16 and lives with her mom and dad in So. California. Beautiful nieces, all three!

 

We met Jenna’s boyfriend Justin for the first time. He lives in New York, also.

 

The Oldies but Goodies, “Dear”, Ellen, Christina and Terry

 

Next we zoomed to Whittier to get together with Ellen’s side of the family. Some of the cousins, Josh, Debbee, Ryan, Melissa, Michelle and Jackson.

 

Doing what we do best….cooking and eating! Baba and Deda at the head of the table. Meat, salad, rice pilaf, gourmet mac and cheese, Beautiful Strawberry Trifle and Chocolate Pecan Bars…yummy!

 

Dessert and Chai ( Plain old hot tea in Russian, not the sweet Chinese version popular today)

 

Nana (my sister Kathy) and Jackson

 

On our trip home from a long day of family gatherings I shot this from the car on the 101 Fwy in Thousand Oaks, 15 minutes from my own bed…

Saturday April 28th after I post this on my blog “Dear” and I are off on another family adventure. My two nephews are participating in the State History Day Finals in Long Beach, California today. Their performance is focusing on Honour Crimes in Pakistan. Winners move on to Nationals. Their home-school group has been to Nationals representing California twice already. I’m happy to be close by this time so I can actually see their performance. Nationals take place in Washington D.C.

“Like a Cedar in Lebanon” ~ Blenheim Palace

All my photos for this post are being held hostage at Photobucket.

This is Blenheim Palace in England. It is home to 11th Duke of Marlborough, and was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. Set in 2100 acres of beautiful parkland landscaped by ‘Capability’ Brown, the exquisite Baroque Palace is surrounded by sweeping lawns, formal gardens and the magnificent Lake.

 

 

On the grounds of this beautiful palace are the most magnificent Cedars of Lebanon. Our daughter Katie is standing at one so you can get a better perspective on just how huge these trees are. In the verses below the righteous are compared to this amazing tree. Because of Christ’s righteousness in us we flourish and we are planted in the house of the Lord! How amazing is that!!!

Psalm 92: 1-8, 12-15: (ESV)

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy. How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep! The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this: that though the wicked sprout like grass and evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever; but you, O Lord are on high forever.

…The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”

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Blintzes

This is Nadia, she’s not making blintzes here. This was a photo from the 80’s in Wildomar for our Easter gathering.

Nadia’s  Blintzes

6 eggs
4 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 Tbsp. oil

Scald the milk. Beat the eggs. Slowly add the milk to the eggs while continuing beating. Add salt, sugar and oil, beat until blended. Slowly beat in the flour until combined.

I use two 10″ heavy Teflon pans to cook the blintzes. You might want to just start with one till you get this process down. Heat the pan. Coat the pan lightly with oil. (I use a piece of cheesecloth to coat the pan with oil and if needed I’ll coat again into the cooking process). Use a 1/3 cup measure to dip into the mixing bowl (you don’t have to fill to the top just use a uniform measure of the liquid for each blintz) Pour into frying pan and swirl the pan to coat the bottom evenly.

 

Cook until the blintz turns a nice golden brown. With a spatula loosen the edges and flip the blintz and brown on the other side. Remove from pan and let cool on a dish cloth.

Repeat the process. Sometimes the only hindrance to these flipping and cooking well is the temperature of the pan. You’ll have to experiment to get it at the magic temp. Start at medium.  After the blintzes are cooled you can stack them. They can be frozen at this time if you would like. This recipe will make approximately 24 blintzes.

 

Cheese filling for the blintzes:
1- cartons of ricotta cheese (8 oz. size)
(You can also use cottage cheese, hoop cheese or farmers cheese)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1-2 tbsp. sugar.
you will also need a small carton of half and half and a stick of butter (1/2 cup)

Beat all the ingredients till smooth except half and half and stick of butter. Spread about 1 Tablespoon of cheese onto one side of blintz. Roll up and place in a 9×13 baking dish. They can be layered. Melt one cube of butter and pour over the blintzes. Bake in 350 degree oven until heated through. Heat up to 8 oz. of Half and Half until is is warm but not boiling. Pour half and half over blintzes to cover and continue baking until half and half boils. Remove from oven and serve with sour cream and preserves or syrup.

For a savory filling:

Saute 1 large onion in oil and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 lb. hamburger (15%) and brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. Dice enough broccoli to make 2 cups. Steam until broccoli just turns bright green. Combine meat, broccoli and 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and heat through. Scoop about 2-3 T of mixture onto blintz and fold in the sides to form a square. Place in a baking dish. Melt butter and poor over the filled blintzes. Bake in a 350 to 375 degree oven until heated through. Serve and if you want to make additional sauce you can serve extra sauce with the savory blintzes. Oh I almost forgot, you can serve these with sour cream if you’d like, also. Enjoy Deena!

HT: Bagdanov Family Cookbook

 

 

Golubtzi with Smetana (Stuffed Cabbage with Sour Cream Sauce)

Nadejda’s Golubtzi with Smetana (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Sour Cream Sauce)

This is a recipe from my mom that my sister Vera has tweaked and published. My mom is always updating her recipes and just when we think we have them down she adds a little twist, always trying to improve the taste. If you are a Russian who has strayed away from home and good home cooking try this and be ready to be taken back in time! Any Russian Molokans or Russian Baptists out there who are looking for long lost recipes, I’ll be posting some over the next several weeks. As always there are several varieties to this recipe and others depending on where your roots began. The great thing about this post and picture is that I planned to post this recipe for Golubtzi tonight and when I was at my mom and dads today my mom sent her Golubtzi home with me for “Dear” and I for dinner. I’m sitting here at my computer ready to hit the publish button with a bowl full of Golubtzi!

2 lbs. Hamburger
1 – 1/2 cup cooked rice (1/2 cup uncooked)
1/2 onion grated
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
1 can tomato soup
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 onion chopped
1-1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups water
1 head cabbage

Core cabbage. You can carefully separate leaves or cook the cabbage whole. Boil in water until soft and pliable. Combine first 6 ingredients. Place about 1/3 Cup of the hamburger mixture onto a cabbage leaf and fold over the edges and roll up. Place in a baking dish. We use standard glass pyrex or other rectangular baking dishes to bake them in.

 

Fry the onion in oil until it is translucent. Add soup, sauce, ketchup and water. Stir until well mixed. Bring to a boil. Add a little of sauce to the sour cream to temper it, then add the sour cream mixture to the sauce. Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls. Bake in 350 degree oven for approximately 1-1/2 hours.

You can eat these as a complete meal or add whatever side dish you might enjoy in combination with the Golubtzi. Yum my mouth is watering. Some extra tips included below to make the rolling process easier.

Shave the larger veins on the smaller leaves of cabbage so they’ll roll easier.

 

Yes, you can stuff peppers, too. We usually use green peppers. Don’t forget to put a dish of Sour Cream (Smetana) on the table so you can add another dollop to your serving. Sour cream is our butter.

Testimony Tuesday ~ Kathy (a.k.a. Jack’s Nana)

This is my sister Kathy’s testimony. She is the oldest of 8 siblings. She was born in Tehran and immigrated to the U.S. with my folks shortly after World War II. Kathy is married to Len and she has two daughters Michelle and Melissa. Michelle is married to Ryan and has one son, Jackson.

 

Lana, Kathy, Ellen and Vera (sisters)

Growing up in our family, where our Mom was a Christian and Pop was a very religious man, was a real privilege.  Babushka Vera [our maternal grandmother] was a real prayer warrior and prayed for all of us especially Pop.  Vera [my younger sister] and I would go to Bethany Sunday School occasionally because of our friendships with Tamara and Milla Katkov.  We also went to a midweek meeting at Tamara Kushnerov’s [one of the teachers at Bethany].  I remember hearing my need of a Saviour at this midweek meeting, and then I went home and got on my knees and asked Jesus to come into my heart.  It is all a little fuzzy but I think I was about eight or nine.  Summer camps were a very important part of my growth and maturing in the Lord.  I started teaching Sunday School when I was probably about thirteen, and preparing for that helped me to grow as well.  We used to go to a Tuesday night youth group at YRCA (Young Russian Christian Association) which also added to my growth.  So many events and so many people were used by God to help me grow.

I am now challenged and refreshed by my family as they grow and walk with the Lord.

Thank you, God, for your faithfulness!

Kathy has a peacemaker’s heart and is very kind. She has a degree in teaching but more than that she has the gift of teaching.  Right now besides spending as much time as she can with Jack and substitute teaching,  she is caring for her 93  year old mother-in-law. May God bless her richly for all the good she does in obedience to Him. Kathy truly is an example of a Proverbs 31 woman who fears the Lord and does good for her household and others!

Beatles ~ We Can Work It Out ~ Allistair Begg

O.K., you might be wondering what the Beatles and Allistair Begg have in common and why I am posting them together. Well “Dear” and I listen to Truth for Life with Allistair Begg when I drive “Dear” to work in the wee hours of the morning. We both were chuckling and singing this Beatles tune because Begg recited part of it for an illustration to his talk. He was talking about the importance of being part of a Church Family. The importance of sticking with your Church Family through good and hard times. Reconciling with your Church Family and not running away from problems but “working them out”.  Begg is an anointed preacher and he says it better than me so do click on the link below and listen to him in his own words. Growing up with the Beatles we find ourselves knowing many of their lyrics. We’ve sat around fires singing all the Beatles tunes we can remember into the wee hours of the morning. (Are you reading this D & J? Remember the Ski Lodge?) Anyway you can blame Allistair for this post and if you’ve never listened to him, we recommend you do. You can download his talks at Truth for Life. Oh, by the way, he’s originally from Scotland and he has a cool accent! He didn’t quote the whole song for sure but I am highlighting the lines he did quote.

Try to see it my way,
Do I have to keep on talking till I can’t go on?
While you see it your way,
Run the risk of knowing that our love may soon be gone.
We can work it out,
We can work it out.

Think of what you’re saying.
You can get it wrong and still you think that it’s all right.
Think of what I’m saying,
We can work it out and get it straight, or say good night.
We can work it out,
We can work it out.
Life is very short, and there’s no time
For fussing and fighting, my friend.
I have always thought that it’s a crime,
So I will ask you once again.

Try to see it my way,
Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong.
While you see it your way
There’s a chance that we might fall apart before too long.
We can work it out,
We can work it out.
Life is very short, and there’s no time
For fussing and fighting, my friend.
I have always thought that it’s a crime,
So I will ask you once again.

Try to see it my way,
Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong.
While you see it your way
There’s a chance that we may fall apart before too long.
We can work it out,
We can work it out.

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