Going once, going twice...

At each of the weddings Tom and I have attended it has been the custom for the bride and groom to cut and serve their wedding cake to the guests. After Timofey and Tanya cut their first slice it was auctioned off by the Maid of Honor before anyone else was served.

The first piece of cake was described as being the sweetest and best tasting piece of the entire cake. It sold for 16$ to the lucky guy in the final photo!

dancing at the wedding

mmmm.... sushi!

So far the best sushi I have had here in Krasnodar can be found at The Gray Goose Restaurant across from the Galleria! Everything was fresh and delicious... and for sushi that is just how it should be!

Thought for today

Broken life, broken heart

Excerpt from Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov

“I’ll die if you touch me,” I said. “You are sure you are not coming with me? Is there no hope of your coming? Tell me only this.”

“No,” she said. “No, honey, no.”

She had never called me honey before.

“No,” she said, “it is quite out of the question. I would sooner go back to Cue. I mean-“

She groped for words. I supplied them mentally (“He broke my heart. You merely broke my life”).

Each week Tom and I meet with people whose lives, hearts and spirits have been broken. Some of them are brought to their knees by the circumstances of childhood losses. Others were abused or mistreated by a lover or friend along the way. Can you conceive of a power great enough to mend your life, heal your heart, replenish your spirit and redeem all of your suffering? Help is available to each of us from a Source greater than ourselves. Make your need known to Him, and you will find comfort, healing and renewal as well.

our neighbor's garage

The first time I saw this garage I had no idea what it was. Tom, of course, knew right away!

the playground near us...

This little play area is situated between three apartment buildings. Everyday it is filled with little ones and those who are watching over them. Mothers, grandmothers, aunties, uncles and granddads coax little ones on slides, coach them on playing with others and calm the ones who have suffered an offense from a playmate. We love listening to the sounds of kids laughing day after day!

22? Already?

Today our oldest son, Nathan, is 22 years old. It is hard to believe that the time has gone by so quickly!

Happy Birthday Nathan!! We wish you love, joy, and an incredible year of God's peace and hope. God bless you, we love you!

thought for today

"A temptation resisted is a true measure of character."
-Pappilon

Proverbs 20:29

Youth may be admired for vigor,
but gray hair gives prestige to old age.

The Message

window shopping

Siberian Ginseng

These past few weeks I have not been feeling well. The constant change in the weather along with the work load that we have been carrying has taken it's toll on my body. There were days when I felt as if my fibromyalgia was totally in control of my life.

A friend sent me a text message today describing a natural medication that she thought might be of help to me. It's nickname is Siberian ginseng and here is a blurb from the University of Maryland Medical Center:

also known as eleuthero, has been used for centuries in Eastern countries, including China and Russia. Although a distant relative of American (Panax quinquefolius ) and Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng ), with some overlap in its uses, Siberian ginseng is a distinct plant with different active chemical components. Prized for its ability to restore vigor, increase longevity, enhance overall health, and stimulate both a healthy appetite and a good memory, it is widely used in Russia to help the body adapt to stressful conditions and to enhance productivity.

You can read the rest of the article by clicking here

I am looking forward to feeling better and am hoping that this works out for me! If you give it a try let me know!!

thought for today

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."
~ John Wooden ~

appreciating the small things!

Four years ago my friend Lena taught me to make bliny (Russian pancakes). I used to get frustrated because I could not flip them over without tearing them. Now, not only can I flip them over but I can even slide them off them pan and onto to the serving platter!

Breakfast anyone!?

Natural Hair Care

A few years back the founder of our language school, Diane, told us that you can tell to what extent you accept the culture around you by the number of changes you have made in your life. When I first got here I stuck with products from the states that I was familiar with. I am glad that I got over that. This conditioner so much better for my hair than any of the brands I have used in the past!

The brand name is Clean Line... all of the products contain some natural ingredients. Give them a try if you find them in a store near you. I am so glad that I did!

this just in...

Spencer and his team have left Georgia and are now in Armenia! Keep them in your prayers. They had some frustrations in Georgia with people not seeing the need for counseling.

War Memorial & Eternal Flame

Thought for today

Remember, if you’re headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns!

~Allison Gappa Bottke

Ask and you will receive

Typically in Russian culture people are indirect. Tom has been teaching his counseling clients to make their needs known. Today one of them sent a text message announcing that today is their birthday. The last three words were a simple request... Bless me, please!.

I sent back the blessing from me and Tom. And this person wrote back thrilled. It was exactly what they needed to hear!

So remember, just ask and otherwise you cannot get your need met!

path in the park

Not far from our house is a botanical garden... this particular path has bricks painted the colors of the Russian flag.

What would you do?

Tom just gave food to a woman begging door to door. At the end of the day, he'd rather be accused of being too loving than being too judgmental.

riding the tramvai

thought for today

As a child my family's menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it. ~Buddy Hackett

Hot water update...

We finally have hot water again... this year it was off for 3 weeks. In the past it has only been around ten days or so.

oh well, such is life! I am off to take a hot shower!

Tea in my soup bowl…

Each Sunday morning before attending worship team practice I take the time to warm up my voice. Oftentimes I begin that process by drinking tea. I can get two delicious cups of tea from one teabag. However, to do so I have to find my bookmark, set down my songbook, get up off of the couch and walk into the kitchen to make the much needed second cup.

Elegantly poised on the top shelf of my kitchen cabinet I found the cute little bowls with handles that I normally reserve for soup. Deciding that I would like get through my warm-up time without needing to trek off to the kitchen for a second cup of tea I chose to use the soup bowl.

I was glad that no one was watching me. I felt a little silly drinking tea out of a soup bowl. But why? Martha Stewart does not live here. She isn’t even coming over for a visit anytime soon. Come to think if it, if she likes tea as much as I do… I would suggest that she relax in her favorite reading chair, with a great book while cherishing a few simple moments of quiet by drinking tea from her soup bowl as well!

T-shirt wisdom

I love reading t-shirts for some reason. Not sure why. Today's sighting:


It's all good
In the hood!


It made me think of the character that Eddie Murphy used to do on Saturday Night Live years ago in his skits called Mr Robinson's neighborhood!

Whole Wheat Flour in Krasnodar!!

 

This may not be a big deal to you... but we have lived here for 4 years and this is the first time I have seen the type of whole wheat flour that we are used to in the states. What we would call white flour is labeled wheat flour here. At the beginning I purchased bag after bag hoping to find wheat... it was wheat just not whole wheat!!

For those of you here in Krasnodar I found this at Tabris for 55 rubles!

Thought for today

I always read the last page of a book first so that if I die before I finish I'll know how it turned out.

Nora Ephron

Art appreciation

 

Since we walk or take public transport in Krasnodar, it’s always an adventure simply going thru the open-air market. We never know what we will encounter! 

Today I met a local artist - an older man from the local village of Elizabeth. He had canvases stacked on an up-side down cardboard box, while 2 framed pictures proudly leaned against the wall of a small store. As he showed me his artwork, he began to share stories. “This is where my parents lived.” he said as he displayed a small landscape. “Here is the dacha (summer home) our family went to every summer.” All of his paintings were landscapes, except for the picture of a young couple. I noticed he had painted on dish-towels, bed linens, burlap sacks & other pieces of fabric, utilizing whatever he had at hand. He’s not the best Russian artist we have seen, but I enjoyed the cultural significance of the artwork of the young couple. 

For $15, I met a local artist, was invited to his house to be shown his favorite paintings, & came home with a reminder of the resourcefulness of the Russian people & their culture that will hang in our home.

-Tom

Pancho cake

 

 

Eera showing me the cake!

Yanna and Tom being silly!

 

Tom and I were invited to Olya's birthday celebration yesterday. She served this awesome birthday cake called "pancho" that is one of the tastiest cakes we have had here in Russia. It had sour cream and cocoa inside. I could not find the exact recipe but I think this one comes close:

- "Zebra" Cake recipe -

Cuisine: Ukrainian, Russian, Yield: 8 Servings
· Ingredients
4 ea eggs
2 c flour
2 c sugar
300 g yoghurt
2 ts baking powder
2 tb cacao
1 c sour cream
1 c sugar


· Method
You'll need two separate mixing bowls
In each:
Mix 2 eggs + 1cup of sugar + 150g of yoghurt + 1 ts of baking
powder + 1cup of flour. Add 2 tb of cacao into one of the bowls.
Stir the batter thoroughly. Pour a tablespoonful of white batter
into the centre of a frying pan (or any vessel you use for baking
cakes). Then goes brown, white, brown till the bowls are empty.
Bake the cake till done.
Cream: whip 1 cup of sour cream with 1 cup of sugar. Put it to a
fridge. Cut the cake into three horizontal parts and spread
the cream over each of them. Use your
fantasy and combine various creams, jams.
When you cut the cake you'll see that slices will have zebra
stripes on sides.
Recipe source: Luba Vasilenko,Kyiv-Ukraine, circa 1999
Posted by Yuri Timohin http://www.ruscuisine.com

Reality check

For the most part I am a very optimistic and easy going person.  I look for the beauty everywhere I go.  I look for the similarities between me and the person in front of me.  I always assume the best about the other person and look for the lesson in each situation I face. 

These past few weeks have been very busy for us with counseling.  Tom is the psychologist and I am his translator.  It has been eye opening to become a part of Tom's professional life.  We had not worked together since our days at Dad's video store back in Kansas.  

I have a great deal of respect for what Tom does.  I used to envy him going off into the workforce each day and being with people while I was busy at home with little ones.  Now, I see the reality.  He was not off having fun at work.  Well, not all day anyway!

Some appointments are rewarding and seeing the progress that individuals, families, and couples experience brings joy to my heart.  But, carrying their burdens around with me is difficult.

We don't talk about it much because of needing to keep the confidence of those we work with.    But just know that we work with everyone, those who can pay and those who cannot.  Those who are influential church leaders and those who are doubting God's existence.  

Emotional, spiritual and relational pain has no prejudice, it falls like rain upon us all.  However, some are more resilient than others in how they handle it.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers... and know that while I may post about food, train rides or silly things that happen in our daily lives, we are hard at work and the load is not always easy.

Salmon Burgers!

 

For dinner last night I thought it would be fun to try something new. I found a simple recipe at Cooks.com for Salmon burgers, and used what I had in the fridge to create a salad to go with it!


Apple, Cabbage and Pine Nut Salad
1 med size granny smith apple
1/2 cup red cabbage
1 small head of chinese cabbage
2 TBS pinenuts
Ranch dressing to taste

Dice apple and cabbages and place in mixing bowl. Add pine nuts. Coat with Ranch dressing and enjoy!