Forty Years Ago…

…was the last time I was in Washington D.C.

 

My girlfriend Heidi and I took a trip to Michigan and the East Coast staying with friends and family along the way.

 

In Michigan we stayed with our former pastor’s family. Their daughter Faye was Heidi’s best friend while Faye’s dad was the pastor at our Russian Baptist church in L.A. From Michigan we also visited Heidi’s grandmother and aunts and uncles in New Jersey. We were in Buffalo, New York and stayed with Russian friends there. We got to see Niagara Falls. We went to a Russian Christian Camp in Connecticut and then got to see parts of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and made a quick drive through Washington D.C. We were also treated to a day trip to New York City with some other Russian Missionary friends.

 

 

Because Dear has a conference to attend we decided to go a couple days early and take in some sight seeing together. When his conference starts I’ll be poking around on my own. It will be interesting to see how much time I’ll end up on the computer. If you don’t hear from me you’ll know what’s up.

I’m hoping to get some before and after photos of these same scenes.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Mennonite Girls…

…not only can we cook but we can eat!

 

For the 2nd time the 10 authors from Mennonite Girls Can Cook got together in Canada last Friday. This time 9 of our husbands were able to join us.

 

The reason for our get together was to celebrate the release of the Mennonite Girls Can Cook Cookbook. What better way to celebrate a cookbook than to have a meal together.

 

What a great evening. We prayed in High and Low German then in Russian and sang Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow together before our meal. After our meal we signed cookbooks for each other and for our publisher.

 

On Saturday we split up in shifts to sign books at Winks Gift Shop and Lepp Farm Market.

A huge thank you to Lovella and her great husband who treated us to a wonderful meal at their home and to all the girls who added to the meal and showered us with gifts! What fun we had with each other and meeting many people who have purchased our book!

I’m linking up at Mary’s Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Happy Mother’s Day! Hymn…

Mother’s Prayers Have Followed Me

I grieved my Lord from day to day,
I scorned His love so full and free,
And though I wandered far away,
My mother’s prayers have followed me.

Refrain

I’m coming home, I’m coming home,
To live my wasted life anew,
For mother’s prayers have followed me,
Have followed me, the whole world thro’.

O’er desert wild, o’er mountain high
A wanderer I chose to be,
A wretched soul condemned to die,
Still mother’s prayers have followed me.

Refrain

He turned my darkness into light,
This blessèd Christ of Calvary,
I’ll praise His name both day and night,
That mother’s prayers have followed me.

Refrain

Words: Lizzie DeArmond, 1912.

I am so blessed to have a Mother that prays and a Grandmother who prayed for me. A very Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers that come by here!

FFF ~ Blossoming…

It’s time to find blessings to share from this past week and then join in with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for Friday’s Fave Five!

This week is a sort of calm before the storm week for me. I’m getting random things done in anticipation of our B.C. ~ D.C. days coming up. Here are my favorites…

 

1. While sitting at my computer making my lists and getting things taken care of that need taking care of I see this bright spot in the distance in one of my neighbor’s yards.

 

2. Walking from the house to the garage to get last minute things for our daughters trip to Florida so she can spend a week with her husband before he leaves on his deployment we stop and enjoy the apple blossoms that are finally coming out in all their glory.

 

3. While trying to kill off the several hundred dandelions that are appearing with a vengeance in our yard I notice the hope of these blossoms on my azalea bush. Spring really is here…kind of.

 

4. While mowing the lawn and having to duck when I mow under the pear tree I thank God for these beautiful pear blossoms and the promise we have of pears appearing in the future.

 

5. While leaving my house in my car that is paid for with gas in the tank I thank God and then smile at my neighbor’s pansies. Pansies always make me smile and I’ve enjoyed them ever since I was little growing up in a low income area of Los Angeles.

Tomorrow Dear and I are headed to Canada to get together with all the Mennonite Girls Can Cook for a cookbook celebration party at Lovella’s. It will be fun to be together again and for our husbands to be there, too. I’ll be sharing more next week…

After Friday morning I don’t know when I’ll be on the computer again so have a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Carne Asada

 

Today is Cinco de Mayo and I wanted to share a Mexican Recipe with you. In elementary school growing up in the Los Angeles area of Southern California we would always have a celebration at school on this day. We learned the Mexican Hat Dance and enjoyed performing it at our assembly. Cinco de Mayo is a date of  importance for the Mexican and Chicano communities. It marks the victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the Battle of Puebla. Although the Mexican army was eventually defeated, the “Batalla de Puebla” came to represent a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism. With this victory, Mexico demonstrated to the world that Mexico and all of Latin America were willing to defend themselves of any foreign intervention. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day, September 16, 1810 is. Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on a much larger scale in the U.S.A. than in Mexico.

 

 Carne Asada (or Pollo Asada)

A great marinade for steak! You can even use it for chicken for Pollo Asada. Use skirt steak or flap meat, but any thin cut steak would work. I used what is called Flank Steak here in the Washington State. This recipe is for up to 4 pounds of meat. Cook time does NOT include marinating time. You can use 4 pounds of chicken breast meat also.

Ingredients:

1 –  lime juiced
1 –  lemon juiced
1/2 cup orange Juice
2 tablespoons chili powder
1-l/2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves
2 tablespoons ground cumin
5 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 Bunch Cilantro, chopped (not stems)

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a 1-gallon ziploc bag.

Add meat, seal and massage marinade into meat.

Marinate in bag for up to 24 hours, turning and massaging frequently. 4-6 hours for beef and 2-4 hours for chicken would work fine, also.

Grill to medium rare for beef and of course for chicken till it’s cooked thoroughly.

Serve whole, sliced, or diced for tacos or burritos! Serve with beans, rice, corn tortillas and guacamole.

Because it wasn’t grilling weather I cooked this under the broiler for 8 minutes on each side and it was well done. If you like meat that is medium rare adjust the cooking time.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Celtic Cross

It’s time for Jenny’s Alphabe-Thursday the letter C.

 

When we decided on the venue for Katie and Andrew’s wedding next January we started a quest to find a Celtic Cross that we could have in a prominent location during the ceremony. We were going to have the wedding in a church with the reception elsewhere but things could get real complicated because my daughter married a Marine. We might have to change the date at the last minute so we wanted an all inclusive venue to make that change easier. The venue we chose has a military change clause. Since the venue is not a church we wanted to bring in this symbol that is important to our faith. Now if you are a believer you know that Believers are the church so wherever they are together is the church but we still thought it would be cool to include a cross on the wedding stage. Katie and I stumbled upon this cross at a roadside garden art fly by night kind of place. We paid someone for the cross who wasn’t the owner so we hope the owner eventually gets our check. So far the check hasn’t been cashed. We thought it was a good deal at $35.00.

Curious to see your choices for the letter C!  Thank you Jenny for being a grand teacher of the Alphabet!

Thursday is Cinco de Mayo and I have a recipe for Carne Asada Marinade at Mennonite Girls Can Cook on Thursday. Click and cook and enjoy!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Pico de Gallo

 

This is a simple recipe with a wonderful fresh addition to any Mexican dish you make. It’s great for an appetizer with chips. You can also add avocado chunks to it for an extra depth of flavor.

This is a very simple recipe.

Equal parts diced onion, tomato, and chopped cilantro leaves. Add one jalapeno pepper finely diced. Make sure you seed the jalapeno pepper. Add juice from one half or a whole lime. Salt and Pepper to taste. I also added 1/2 teaspoon sugar.

If you start with more than 1 cup onion, tomato and cilantro you might want to add more jalapeno. It really depends on how hot you like your Pico de Gallo.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

A Lighter Spring Table…

…set for dinner with good friends of ours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s fun to set a pretty table but it’s even better to enjoy a meal with our dear friends around the table.

I’m linking to Tablescape Thursday with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Anyone Need a Rock?

Do these guys really think they know more than Jesus?

 

I spotted this on the way to Canada on the side of the road. Right away these verses came to mind.

Matthew 24:35-37 (The Message)

“Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer’s just around the corner. So it is with you: When you see all these things, you’ll know he’s at the door. Don’t take this lightly. I’m not just saying this for some future generation, but for all of you. This age continues until all these things take place. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won’t wear out.

“But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven’s angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.

“The Arrival of the Son of Man will take place in times like Noah’s. Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ark. They knew nothing—until the flood hit and swept everything away.

Sometimes I think Old Testament consequences would be good for men like this who keep giving dates and times to the Lord’s return. Fortunate for men like this that we are living in the age of grace. The problem is that men like these lead others astray. It’s also fortunate for me that I live in this age of grace. I’m not saying I do everything right…

Deut. 18:20-22 (NIV) “A prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death. You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?’ If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously…”

Mat 24:3-5,10-11 (NIV) …”Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered, “Watch out that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name,.. At that time many will turn away from the faith… and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.”

It’s good to know what the Bible teaches so you aren’t caught up believing false teachers…

Photobucket replaced all my photos with blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Hatley Castle

The last stop on our Victoria tour with Pondside was Hatley Castle. I can imagine how beautiful this location would be for a wedding when everything is blooming.

 

 

I really do thank God for many wonderful people I’ve met through blogging and blossoming friendships that continue. Pondside is one of those people who I thank God for bringing into my life.

 

The 4 Bagdanov sisters together at a castle in a foreign country…how great is that!?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even though everything was 2 weeks behind in blooming this year the Peacocks came out in all their glory to treat us to some beautiful color and grandeur!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This post is my finale to our Sister Weekend in Victoria, B.C.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.