Thirty Three Years ago….
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Category Archives: Heritage
Happy Birthday Steve!
Happy Birthday Steve! I’m guessing this might be 1962? This was at 305 Los Angeles Ave in Montebello. Vera is sitting next to me but is cut off because I wanted the larger version so that we could see you better. I’m guessing Kathy or Fred is taking the photo. Looks like we’re having chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Tim’s already licking his fingers. I’m including a smaller version of this photo so we can admire Vera’s hairdo!
God bless you richly this new year! I love you little brother!
Photobucket has blacked out all my photos I was storing on their site and they are holding them hostage. I am working on updating my more than 4000 posts.
Christmas Traditions ~ Luke 2:1-20 and Swedish Pancakes!
There are so many Christmas traditions that we have enjoyed over the years. Today I’ll share a couple that have stayed with us since Dear and I were married. His Mother started the rich tradition of reading Luke 2: 1-20 at the Christmas Eve celebrations before everyone tore into their gifts. Over the years we tried different ways to incorporate this rich tradition. We started including it on my side of the families gatherings, too. One year while all the cousins were still young I made a very elementary coloring book with all these verses for each child in each family to color and help them to memorize this passage. At our Christmas Eve celebration I brought several rolls of quarters and each child that could recite any of the passage got a quarter for every verse they remembered! It was loads of fun. Recently my brother dared his nieces and nephews to recite these in Russian and to whoever could he’d give big bucks. Ha! One of my nephews met the challenge and my brother gave him $100 and my father was so pleased he kicked in an extra $50.
This is the booklet I made with a picture and one to two verses on each page. I’m sure anyone out there can make a more artistic coloring book with the help of a computer. I made this by hand before I had a computer. This is the cover of one of the stapled booklets that I think was my son Josh’s.
The other tradition that my immediate family enjoys is on Christmas morning after we see what’s inside our Christmas Stockings, Dear cooks up Swedish Pancakes for us all to enjoy. Here’s Dear on Christmas 2005 cooking them up!
Do you have a tradition to share with us? You still have time to post it and join in the fun. To read about other traditions or join in the fun head over to My Quiet Corner.
As of June 2017 Photobucket has blacked out all my photos that I had stored there and are holding them hostage. Hopefully I can update my photos on all the posts they have ruined, over 4000 of them.
Thursday Thirteen #11 ~ Moisiisms
Moisi and Nadia (my parents)
My parents aren’t fluent in English. They immigrated to the U.S. in the late 40’s from Iran where they escaped to from Russia. Here are some of the things they say that we get a kick out of…
1. Cellkular Phone~ for Cellular Phone
2. Razorblades ~ for Rollerblades “Lana had bad accident with razorblades”
3. Fire Hydrogen ~ for Fire Hydrant “The fireman is outside checking hydrogens”
4. Pie Alamo ~ for Pie A la Mode
5. Crackpots ~ for Crockpots “Michelle got 3 Crackpots for wedding”
6. Mackadonian Macaronis ~ for Macadamia Nut Macaroons
7. They lived till they died.
8. He cussing us out!
9. Ah you ben drinkin? ~ for Have you been drinking?
10. Prayzz da Lowrd! ~ for Praise the Lord!
11. Whoorey! ~ for hurry.
12. Grills ~ for girls.
13. Shoezy ~ for shoes.
For more Thursday Thirteen click here.
Over the River and Through the Woods!
Over the River and
Through the Woods
Over the river and thru the wood,
To grandfather’s house we go;
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh,
Thru the white and drifted snow, oh!
Over the river and thru the wood,
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes,
And bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.
Over the river and thru the wood,
To have a first-rate play;
Oh, hear the bell ring,
“Ting-a-ling-ling!”
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day-ay!
Over the river and thru the wood,
Trot fast my dapple gray!
Spring over the ground,
Like a hunting hound!
For this is Thanksgiving Day.
To all my blogging friends in the U.S.A. a very Happy Thanksgiving Day to you. For those of you outside the U.S. blessings on the rest of your week! We are headed over the freeways and through the streeted woods to our dear friends for a large gathering of family, food, fun, and fellowship. We’ll be rolling home stuffed to the gills later this evening.
Jackson’s Party ~ #3
Happy Birthday
Jackson!
Michelle made this great cake!
Ryan, Michelle and Jackson greeted all the guests…
Aunt Me-me and Jack
Vera, Letty, Tim, and Nick
Tim, Letty and Dear…
Jack delighting in the wonder of helium…
Taking time to savor each gift…
Watching Jack
Ducks Cars in a row…
Where are we going?
Great Grandma (Baba) and Alice
Steve and Lana G!
Pretty young girls… the 3 M’s
Lovely older girls… Sisters…
Jack and Deb, time for cake!
Great grandma and grandpa and Jack! [Baba and Deda].
We had a wonderful time being together. Catching up, encouraging, talking about Jesus. Our evening ended with Deda (Great Grandpa) praying a prayer of thanks to our God for the salvation that He extended to us through Jesus Christ His Son and praying a blessing on his great grandson Jack and praying for our son Josh as he heads to China today. What a wonderful blessing and heritage we have. Then we all sang How Great Thou Art together robustly! Amen!
Hebrews 10:24 ~ “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
As of June 2017 Photobucket has blacked out all my photos that I had stored there and are holding them hostage. Hopefully I can update my photos on all the posts they have ruined, over 4000 of them.
Show & Tell Friday ~ Russian Immigrants in the Early 50’s
From the late 1940’s thru the early 1950’s many of my parents’ family and friends immigrated to the U.S.A. from Iran and settled in the Los Angeles area. Because they were in a new country and didn’t know the English language they spent much of their free time together. There was fun, fellowship, and comfort in socializing with these old friends in a new country.
My dad is sitting on the floor in front with the tie on. My Uncle Paul is standing on the left in the back. I’m going to have to get my family to fill in some of the names of these men. I don’t know who the two standing next to my Uncle are. 2nd row Hamzieff, V. Katkov, A. Menn (the one American born in the group who married a Russian Katkov girl in Iran while serving for the U.S. in WWII) , N. Katkov, C. Titov, ??, A. Katkov. Who is sitting next to pop? Mr. Law on the arm of the chair. The guy in the back with the funny expression?
Some of the ladies… My mom in the back on the left, Z. Katkov, O. Hamzieff, Aunt Nina, Aunt Anna, P. Katkov, L. Titov
I love the hairdo’s.
For more Show and Tell head on over to There’s No Place Like Home….
Baba and Deda ~ Grandchildren ~ Heritage
On Sunday afternoon my children got a rare treat of being at their Baba and Deda’s all together. My parents have been in their Senior Apartment for one year now and Katie is the only one of my kids that has had a chance to visit them there. We had dessert then 4 more grandchildren arrived and we got to listen to my Pop tell some stories about their time in Russia and Iran before they came to the U.S. The Photo below is of my Pop’s cousin who served in the Russian Army during WWII. The story my dad told us about him is below the photo…
This is Feodor Ivanovich Aryeshen. One night during patrol of the trenches, as he walked with his rifle in his hands he came face to face with a Nazi soldier. They faced each-other with their rifles pointed at each other. Then they both turned around and ran for their lives. When he woke up the next morning his hair had turned pure white! They say it was from being so frightened.
My Father told a few more stories about his life that were great for all his grandchildren to hear. What a rich wonderful afternoon we all had with my parents. What a joy to hear how God has kept them safe and close to Him for so many years. We ended our time with my Pop praying for all of us and blessing his grandchildren again…
Photobucket is holding hundreds of my photos hostage and that’s why you don’t see the original photos on this post.
Wedding Day Fun In California!
We started our day with an amazing breakfast at Nick and Vera’s. Then we all got our wedding attire on and headed to the wedding in Seal Beach, California.
The first two rows of the collage: (DIL Laura), (Josh & his dad), (Katie)
(Katie, Michelle & Laura), (Brother Tim and Letty), (Melissa, Svetlana, & Kathy)
(Kelly & Steve), (Miss, Kathy & Michelle), (Dan, Ryan, & Michelle)
(The mother of the groom, Letty), (Dave, Kristin, Laura, & Josh), (The Groom Derek)
Mom & Pop
Some of their Grandchildren (The Young-uns)
The Beautiful Granddaughters and one old guy!
Some of their Children (The Older folk)
Dear and My Family
My Guys!
Here’s Amy the bride, Lana and Bridget!
Mother and Son Dance
Photobucket is holding hundreds of my photos hostage and that’s why you don’t see the original photos on this post.
Another Tuesday Dinner at Moisi and Nadia’s
Conversation between Moisi and Ellen b.
Moisi: “Hi Elyena (Russian for Ellen) you know what mom and me do?” (said with wonderful Russian accent)
Ellen b: “No Pop what did you do?” (plain old western U.S. accent)
Moisi: “We go to Rose Hills and make funeral arrangements.”
Ellen b: “Really?”
Moisi: “We choose Memorial Chapel not Sunrise Chapel.”
Ellen b: “Good choice Pop…”
So there you have it Moisi and Nadia are all set now. I’m sure this is a typical conversation y’all have with your folks, too. My parents not only have taken care of many funeral arrangements for friends and family, they have made their own arrangements so we don’t have to. They are something else…
On a lighter note here are some photos from the evening in Brea…
The four sisters who are off the hook in making the funeral arrangements…
Jackson the Great Grandson. (Michelle, I like how you’re looking up at Jack in this photo of a photo…)
Jack again (Hope you see these M. Lou!)
Michelle and Debbee (my nieces)
Oh and the menu… Pineapple Chicken with Basmati Rice, Seven Layer Green Salad, Chocolate Blintzes with Fresh Fruit and a Creme Anglaise drizzled poured on top.
Photobucket is holding hundreds of my photos hostage and that’s why you don’t see the original photos on this post.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 