Month: August 2010

We dedicated our precious daughter to God on Sunday, August 8, 2010.  It was a lovely ceremony full of laughter, babies and loving families.  Before the ceremony began, there was a song playing  “…So let them be little ’cause they’re only that way for a while…”  my heart was overflowing with love for my Isabella and at that same moment it hit me really hard that indeed she is growing up and oh so fast.  The ceremony began with all parents and babies walking up on the stage where the pastor prayed for each child.  We were worried quiet a bit when it was our turn to have the pastor pray for Bella, simply because she is not the most flexible baby when it comes to strangers holding her, but to our surprise she did fantastic, thank You God!  She was however the most vocal our of all 20 or so babies, but that seemed to be more entertaining to everyone that was watching, because she was making her teething noises- it was precious.   Standing on that stage made me realize once again how huge of a responsibility it is as a parent to bring up your children in Godly ways. Both Barry and I know that we will have our challenges, but with the help of our Savior we know we can do it, no matter how difficult it may be.  Every family received a gift, a book called “Parenting beyond your capacity” which I have been enjoying quiet a bit, a certificate of dedication, a letter written to the child that is to be opened only after they accept Christ and a few fun things for first time grandmas 🙂  After lovely ceremony, we had dinner in our home and enjoyed some very delicious food.  Thank you to my dearest mom for helping with everything and cooking up a storm in a kitchen, she is amazing!!!  It was wonderful to share this day with Bella’s grandparents, aunt and uncles 🙂  Of course she was showered with gifts once again and below you will see some pictures of her enjoying them.  Thank you everyone that was able to share this special day with us!

Finally we got to meet our nephew and Bella’s cousin Ezra and of course visit with Del and Arielle.  It was a lovely surprise to find out that they were coming to California and even better that they were finishing up their trip in our home.  We had a wonderful opportunity to talk, play with handsome and sweet boy Ezra, go on a wonderful morning walk and share Isabella’s dedication ceremony and celebration dinner.  We couldn’t have asked for a better visit.  Below you will find a few pictures from their visit.

I absolutely had to write a post about my experience making vareniki, first because it’s a very lengthy process, second, because it was my first time making them and third because I have not had them in over 15 years.  If you are wondering what makes vareniki special, simply their taste, I absolutely love them.  The great thing is you can stuff them with pretty much anything you want, some of the common things are meat, cabbage, farmer’s cheese, eggs, potatoes and sour cherries.  My personal favorites are with farmer’s cheese and sour cherries.  If you have never tried a sour cherry, I must say you are missing out, it tastes absolutely amazing, sweet and a bit tart at the same time, but the combination just bursts in your mouth (you will find a picture of what they look like below)  In Ukraine we grew up eating them every summer and boy did we love them, here they seem to grow more in states like Washington, but Barry and I got a few trees from my dad and had a harvest of ONE sour cherry this year it was great!  As I was making them over the weekend, I once again reminded myself why I do not cook Ukrainian food more often, in simple words, it takes forever.  Each recipe has it’s complexity and majority take a long time to make, maybe that’s why I waited until I was 29 to make my first vareniki 😉  Anyhow, I am posting some pictures of what the process entitled and of course the finished product which Barry and I are enjoying quiet a bit.  If you ever want to take a chance and make some, here is the dough recipe:

• 1 large egg, lightly whisked

• 2 tablespoons sour cream

• 1 cup whole milk

• 1 cup water

• 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface and dusting