Thankful Thursday

Thanksgiving has come and gone but I continue to be thankful. This week's blessings:
1. The snow is here! No matter how strongly I may dislike it, the snow really makes things so pretty. Plus the boys have more options playing outside now. Yes it takes us longer to get ready and dressed, yes it makes a big mess when we come back inside but the boys are happy and that makes me happy. I also have to praise God because the snow came later than it did last year and that is a favorable answer to prayer!

2. I'm also praising God because my friend's son is home from the hospital. Her son (who is also Nathan's Sunday school friend) had a light bulb explode on his face which left him with several burns, and cuts on his face. The main issue though is that he had to have emergency surgery on his eye because his eye also received some damage. Please keep little Roma in your prayers as his vision in that eye has been impaired.

3. I'm really thankful for technology......yes I took advantage of some online Black Friday sales and I got to say I got some great deals for things the boys will need for next year. I'm mainly thankful for the means we have to buy necessities such as clothing, coats, etc.

4. And lastly, the Christmas season is upon us! What a fun time of the year it is. I am taking the boys through a Christmas unit study and each day we focus on a certain aspect of the events before, during, and after Christ's birth. I am excited because we're learning a lot but it's a great way to keep our focus on the real reason why we celebrate Christmas.

     This was yesterday but as I write we continue to get more and more snow and it is all white now!


 

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Before the days of Pinterest and food blogs, this was one of my go to coffee cake recipes. It is a real classic! Today I had a meeting planned in the morning but had to cancel because a couple of the ladies couldn't make it. So, now my boys get to enjoy the whole cake!!

Filling

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans (I've used walnuts in the past)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Coffee Cake 

   3 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour

   1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

   1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

   3/4 teaspoon salt

   1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

   3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

   1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

   3 eggs

   1 1/2 cups sour cream 

Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar 

 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

• Step 1   Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 12-cup bundt pan
• Step 2   In small bowl, mix all Filling ingredients; set aside.
• Step 3   In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, 3/4 cup butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and the eggs with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in flour mixture alternately with sour cream on low speed.
• Step 4   Spread 1/2 of the batter  in pan; sprinkle with the filling. Add remaining batter.
• Step 5 Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool 10 minutes.
• Step 6  Meanwhile, mix powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to make the glaze.  Drizzle cake with glaze.

You can check out other recipes and crafts over at High Heels and Grills
where I linked this recipe to!

 

Thanksgiving

I was so tired yesterday from all the preparations, cooking, baking, and cleaning that I just couldn't post last night. We had a great dinner yesterday with friends.....there were 10 of us including the boys. My turkey turned out so yummy and moist and I am so thankful. I was stressing out about it because last year it was on the dry side. I think I will be brining my turkeys from now on. I also tried out some new dessert recipes which all turned out great. I made 3 different kinds of desserts-peanut butter cups, mini apple pies, and pumpkin bars. On the menu there was turkey of course, green bean casserole, stuffing, rice, broccoli salad, and homemade dinner rolls. It was a real fun evening and I can't believe this but I didn't take any pictures of our festivities......just some pics of the boys before everyone came!

So, I guess now it's official-the Christmas season is upon us!

Countdown to Thanksgiving: Day 1 and Thanksgiving Past

Today we took another break from school.....YAY! I did some cleaning in the morning, sliced up some bread for the stuffing, and now as I write I am preparing the brine for the turkey. We also met our friends at McDonalds and headed to the park to play until we couldn't feel our fingers anymore because of how cold it is outside!!!

Nathan with his future bride (he has made some extensive plans to wed her one day) and Jojo with he best bud.


I was just looking through some pics and found some old Thanksgiving pictures....

This was my first Thanksgiving away from home and family. We were living in Novosibirsk and it was just us. I had a real hard day because I really missed being with family. I tried to make the best of it.

This was our first Thanksgiving in Samara. It was nice having fellow "Americans" to celebrate with.

And this was our second Thanksgiving in Samara with the addition of some new American friends. We had a lot to be thankful for that year with the birth of Naynay......he's so widdle here!!  I love the picture of Em with all that chocolate on her face.......gonna have to show that one at the wedding reception!

Well, I'm off to finish up in the kitchen with that turkey and to bake one of the desserts for tomorrow!

Countdown To Thanksgiving : Day 2 and Thankful Thursday

It was a busy morning for me today. I baked my pumpkin so I could puree

it, got the pie crust ready, made a pumpkin roll for some gals who came over 

tonight, and made some chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting for a friend 

who just had a baby girl. Oh, and by the way, I totally goofed up on the 

countdown......I have 2 more days until Saturday!!! It was quite a productive 

day. Later in the morning we headed to the "market" to get our turkey and some

other items for our big dinner on Saturday. 

Here we are walking home from the market which 

is a good 20 minute walk from our apartment. I felt

like a total babushka with that cart but there was

no way I was toting that turkey without it!

Today I am counting my many blessings and thanking God for who He is and all that He has given to me! I have to confess that being away from family on a day like today is always a bit hard. This morning when I woke up, I was a bit sad but then reminded myself quickly that I need to have a grateful heart no matter what!  And so I am thankful for, 1. It's been a rough week with some issues pertaining to our friends but Monday brought about some great news which has been a great relief for us because the news also affected us. I can basically sum it up that God is in control and puts us through trials that we don't understand. At the end I thank God for justice and that when we have big doubts about how a situation may turn out, God is good enough to surprise us!  2. I'm thankful for my two boys. I got to confess it has been a rough few days with them. They have been pretty disobedient and I have been super impatient! I don't know if it's just my kids or what, but the discussion about Christmas and presents and how many more days until Christmas, etc. is driving me nuts. The boys don't seem content so we're trying to take this opportunity to teach them some lessons. At the end though, it seems like I am the one learning all the lessons. The way I see my kids must be the way God sees me and it really humbles me.  3. I'm grateful for my husband again of course. He has been super busy these past two weeks but still manages to think of us first and be concerned with our best. I really don't deserve Jon!!! 4. I'm thankful that I don't have to deal with all the crazy "Black Friday" stuff here in Russia. I can't believe some stores are actually going to be open today in America. It shouldn't shock me but at the same time I wonder what in the world is wrong! Now, don't get me wrong.......I would love to do the Black Friday thing but just not on Thanksgiving.

For my handful of American readers, I trust you will have a great day remembering all that you have to be thankful for and to whom that gratitude is to be expressed to!! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Countdown to Thanksgiving: Day 4/Week 40 - Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Cookies

Today we spent most of the day finishing up school work since the boys will have Thursday and Friday off. We also spent the afternoon going through a Thanksgiving unit study. I don't know if it's just my boys but they are so uneasy lately.....I think it has to do with Christmas being right around the corner. It's almost as if they have some crazy energy going on.

We made these cute fingerprint turkeys this afternoon while waiting for daddy to come home. I didn't bring my nice camera back with me to Samara this year so my pics aren't that great or detailed but I
think you can get a good idea of what they looked like.

I also made some peanut butter crackers covered in chocolate. The idea of course comes from this pin on Pinterest . Even though the recipe calls for white candy melts, I used chocolate instead and they were a big hit and with some orange sprinkles just perfect for our Thanksgiving season.

Countdown to Thanksgiving: Day 5

I've been wondering what to do with all the toilet rolls that my 5 year old likes to save. So, since I need some napkin rings for our Thanksgiving dinner, I made some out of the toilet rolls.

Here's what I used:
-toilet rolls 

-fall cloth leaves

-some Mod Podge

-paint brush to brush on the Mod Podge

-brown thin like rope (can't find raffia here)

-scrapbook paper (not pictured)

As you can see they are quite simple but I like them! They were super easy to make of course and I was actually able to finish them all while the boys worked on school. I just added Mod Podge on the outside of the rolls, cut out paper and glued it on the rolls, placed a leaf, and then wrapped the ribbon around and tied a ribbon. If I lived Stateside, I would add a charm to the ribbon, maybe like the word "Thanks" or a turkey or something Thanksgiviny. I think they'll make the table complete.

Countdown to Thanksgiving: Day 6

I know that Thanksgiving is 4 days away but because Thanksgiving is not celebrated here in Russia (duh), Thursday will be a regular day for our family. Our family will celebrate with some of our close friends on Saturday instead, so that means I have a few days to get ready!

Today I prepped a little. Made some lists, planned the menu, etc. I also made a mix for the rice I plan to make for our big meal. It's actually my friend Heather's recipe and it's my go to side dish now when we have guests because it's super easy to make.

So, here's the recipe along with all of Heather's little notes.

Almond Rice Seasoning Mix

1 cup slivered almonds, toasted(I hardly ever put that many ...also last time I just cut them up)
2 tbsp dried parsley flakes
4 1/2 tsp dill weed
1 tbsp minced onion
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp celery seed
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper

Additional ingredients ...(for one batch)

2 cups chicken broth
1 cup long grain rice
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel(I often leave this out)

Store in airtight container for 3 months.

Bring broth, 3 tbsp mix to a boil.  Add rice, butter and lemon and simmer for 15 -20 min like regular rice.

So, even though my friend leaves the lemon peel out, I don't! I love it!!!

                                                              I love how all the spices look!

I also wrote the directions on how to make the rice on the top so that I don't have to pull my recipe out every time.

Week 39- Buttermilk Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

I didn't know if this bundt cake would turn out because I was in such a hurry getting stuff done when I made it! I even forgot to put the blueberries in the cake mix! I had to take the cake out of the oven after several minutes had gone by and just scatter the blueberries over the top and push them in. Speaking of blueberries, I used frozen ones. I did some internet browsing whether or not I needed to defrost them to avoid the bluish/gray tint you can get when using frozen blueberries. Most of what I read said not to defrost and to stir them into flour.

I've got to say that this cake turned out amazing! It was delicious and after our guests left, there was only 1 slice left. I will definitely bake this one over and over again. I am so glad I pinned it on my cakes board . The origin is from Brown Eyed Baker which is one of my favorite baking blogs!

Thankful Thursday

It's the week before Thanksgiving and in reality here in Russia it just feels like any other season. It doesn't quite feel like Thanksgiving but in a way that's good because thankfulness should be a part of our every day lives.......day in and day out.......24/7.......you get the idea!

So here are some thankful thoughts I've had this week:
1. I recently read this blog post entitled "Momentary Motherhood" on the Girl Talk blog. It reminded of the time I was in the parking lot of a Sam's Club with a three week old Jojo and I was stopped by a man. At the time Josiah had some sort of strange blood immunity problem so I had to be extra cautious of Josiah picking up any illnesses so every time that strangers approached me when I had Josiah I was always a bit apprehensive. Anyway, as this man came closer to me I saw that he had tears in his eyes and told me that his baby just turned 20 something and was getting married soon. He then told me something that I think all of us moms have heard one time or another, he said to cherish every single moment. I'll never forget that image of this man and I purposed in my heart to wholeheartedly take his advice. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have had to be a stay at home mom and not miss one single moment! I do confess there were times that I wanted that time to go by fast, especially those middle of the night feedings, but in general I've spent almost every single moment with my 2 boys since birth. I'm thankful that Jon has been a part of allowing that to happen by working so hard for our family.

2. I'm thankful we got snow this week but I am more thankful that it all went away! Not quite cold enough yet for any of it to stick. Yes, I am still praying that we will have a mild winter.

3. Today I heard Nathan tell Josiah "you're my best sand playing friend"......so cute. They played in the sandbox so well today. So, yes there are days when the fighting never stops between them but today I'm thankful for the special bond they have as brothers.

First Snow

Yesterday was our first snow! It's always fun when those big snowflakes start falling down and the kids get so excited about it. They ran to the big window in our living room and stared outside watching all the white stuff come down. Unfortunately, it didn't snow enough nor did the temperatures stay below freezing in order for all of it to stick. Today it is just wet outside. Eventually we'll get a big snow storm and the temps will stay low enough in order for the landscape to be covered in white for months on end.

I guess you can say that yesterday was just a dusting but it sure made things look so pretty.

Pumpkin Art

I know it's been over a week since Halloween but on Halloween day we did a pumpkin craft and I thought I'd post it since pumpkins are still good decor until Thanksgiving.

Any craft that includes paint is always a huge hit with the boys.

 

The boys and their finished product. I loved

how it turned out. I found the idea at one of

my favorite kid's art blogs-Deep Space Sparkle .

Week 38 - Lemon Crumb Bars

I've been doing a lot of baking lately......some oldies but goodies and some newbies like the lemon crumb bars I made Thursday night. Even though they didn't look exactly like the picture on the post they tasted wonderful. The recipe was super easy and I can get all the ingredients here in Russia. It was a big hit with Jon and with the ladies who came over Thursday night but for some reason the boys didn't like it! Oh well, you can't please everyone. If you want to give it a try you can check it out here on my Pinterest board. 

Thankful Thursday

In light of the elections, I have to confess that this week was quite a challenging one for me to be thankful. It makes me so sad that the nation I grew up in is on such a steep moral decline. It shouldn't be shocking to me but the truth is that I was in tears over it.....but nonetheless I can look to the Lord in all of this and be thankful.

1. Praise God for His sovereign control and that in the midst of it all, it is He who has placed our nation's leaders over us. He knows what He is doing. He has a plan and so therefore I just need to trust Him.

2. I'm thankful for the little things that make my boys so happy. Such as a 7th loose tooth for Josiah, playing at their "new" favorite park, a nice cold drink of Coca Cola, Angry Birds Star Wars (seriously, my boys were up so early today because they were so excited about Rovio's new release today), Legos, and the anticipation of Christmas.

3. And I am extremely thankful for my husband who helps to put everything into a  Biblical perspective. He is so good at helping me look at things from a Godly worldview and leads me to a deeper understanding of God's Word.

4. Oh, and no snow yet for which I am extremely grateful for, but the winter gear is slowly coming out with the dip in temperatures.

Week 37 - Chocolate Cupcakes

For the longest time the Hershey's chocolate cake recipe has been my go to recipe for chocolate cakes and cupcakes but the cake is not real spongy and it's super moist.....which is not a bad thing but I wanted to see if I could find a different recipe. So of course I headed over to Pinterest and found a bunch of choices but decided on this one-buttermilk chocolate cupcakes. One thing I loved about this recipe is that it makes only 12 cupcakes. I didn't have buttermilk though and so I did the vinegar and milk trick. These cupcakes didn't rise as much as I would have wanted and sank in a little . Maybe it was because I didn't use buttermilk? Maybe the recipe needs a little more baking powder? Or maybe that is just the way they turn out? One thing was for sure-the cake was spongy! ( I learned this term after watching Cake Boss and Cupcake Wars a whole lot the last two months)

 Here's Nathan helping me decorate cupcakes. Once 

the frosting was on, it really didn't matter if the 

cakes sunk in a little.

On a side note, if you happen to have a 5 year old

boy and you teasingly tell him that you are going 

to throw him in the cupcake mix, cook him up, 

and then eat him...he may just take you seriously

and have a total meltdown and start screaming

"please, don't eat me!".... so please don't joke

around with little kids this way.....not that I

would know or anything!

 

Our Halloween

Well there's no trick or treating here in Russia. Only Josiah has ever gone trick or treating and he was 2 years old when he did so he doesn't quite remember it too much. Usually we celebrate with our friends and neighbors but they are stateside now so we were left up to ourselves to have some fun.

At lunch time the boys and I headed to McDonalds and since it's 

been it a little while since our last visit it was a welcome surprise.

 

For dinner we had "mummy" hot dogs. They thought these

were hilarious and there was quite a bit of playing with their food.

 Then it was time for some trick or treating but

indoor style, the boys just basically went from

room to room in our apartment!

The boys said they had a real fun day. It just 

takes a little work and creativity to make 

things work sometimes!

What's wrong with this picture?

Every night, Jon reads a book to the boys before they go to bed.......let me rephrase that......every night Jon reads a book to Josiah while Nathan doesn't sit still for one second! He is always doing something crazy. Thankfully Jon and Jojo are very patient and put up with his antics.

Thankful Thursdays

I can't believe it's November already! It's the month of thankfulness. I remember last year many friends on Facebook posted every single day one thing they were thankful for up until Thanksgiving day. Thankfulness is a great practice for all of us. And on that note, today I am thankful for the following:

1. We were able to resolve a request from the migration services. Praising God because we didn't have to jump through too many hoops and at the end everything was o.k.......phew!

2. I'm so grateful to the Lord for the good health he's given my mom. She turned 70 this last August and she is still running a daycare! I don't know how she does it. I always pray that the Lord provides her with enough strength and grace to get through each day. New parents keep calling for her to watch their kids and she has recently gotten two new little ones.

3. And of course I'm so thankful for my husband once again. In my reading of Linda Dillow's book, "What's it like to be married to me?", this week's chapter is about the gaps we have in marriage that prevent us from having emotional intimacy with our husband. In one section she writes about being our husband's helper. I've been thinking lately how grateful I am that I just get to help him......that I don't have to carry all the responsibilities that he has but I simply get to compliment him. This certainly also allows me to praise God for His special design for the wife in a marriage. My discipleship leader would always encourage me to be Jon's biggest cheerleader.....I always tell the ladies in my small group the same thing. Just think about it this way. My husband is the football player making the calls on the field, getting knocked around, and striving to win while I get to cheer him on in the sidelines.