Good Friday

                                                                                                            art by Tehya, age 9  (2012)

I remember, as an eight or nine year old, laying on my bed and going through the German hymnbook - page by page - singing every hymn I recognized as having heard or sung in church. Did anyone else do that?  One of my favorites was An dem Kreuz, An dem Kreuz for which later I learned the translated version, At the Cross, At the Cross. 

Since I have not heard this hymn in German for many years, I called my mom to confirm with her that I was not just making this up and she promptly began to sing it for me. Would you believe, unbeknownst to my mom, my tears rolled as those German words, hidden in my heart so many years ago, came back! 

Alas! And did my Savior bleed

And did my Sovereign die?

Would he devote that sacred head

For sinners such as I?

Refrain:

At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,

and the burden of my heart rolled away,

It was there by faith I received my sight,

And now I am happy all the day!*

Was it for crimes that I had done

He groaned upon the tree?

Amazing pity! Grace unknown!

And love beyond degree!

Well might the sin in darkness hide

And shut His glories in,

When Christ, the mighty Maker died,

For man the creature's sin.

Isaac Watts, 1707

*One night, after the phone experience, the German refrain was going through my mind reinforcing something hidden in the English translation on the last line on the chorus. Over and over it went through my mind until I had translated it to my own satisfaction (from the German, "Hoseanna! Nun ist der Friede mein!" to, "Praise the Lord, blessed peace is mine to stay!") 

The message of Good Friday, wrapped in a few chorus phrases, is a message of the greatest love ever given. If one thinks about it too much, it's unbelievable, yet, given childlike faith, simple and profound. A faith that puts our hearts at rest.

Lovella's Paska - 30 years later

I think this Paska recipe is one of the first recipes Lovella shared with me way back when we were inviting each other over for Sunday dinners with our hubbies and toddlers. Even though I grew up with a good Easter bread, I opted for this moist new recipe full of citrus flavor, never to turn back. It became a family favorite, and I can understand why a blog has come about because of it.

Today I thought I'd record it here for family referencing, because I recognize how we each have modified the amounts and method before there was ever a published recipe - with respect to and still ever so grateful for my personal introduction to it. This recipe fits a large dough machine or stand mixer. For first time ease, especially if mixing by hand, I recommend doing 1/2 the recipe, which will yield 40 small buns. (Pinch egg sized buns and place almost touching in 2 - 9x13 pans)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 - 2 lemons
• 2 oranges
• 1 tsp salt
• 11 - 12 cups flour (approx)
• 2 Tbsp instant yeast
• frosting ingredients and sprinkles

Method:

1. In a small pot, heat milk, allowing butter to melt with it. Set aside and cool down with 1/2 cup very cold water. 
2. In the meantime, prepare oranges and lemon. Peel rind thinly with vegetable peeler, remove and discard the pith and seeds. Place rind and citrus segments in blender along with eggs and sugar. Blend for several minutes until it looks like a frothy orange julius. 
3. Pour orange mix into mixing bowl, then slowly, starting with a small amount, stir in quite warm milk and butter. 
4. Stir in two to three cups of the flour and then the yeast mixed with a cup of flour. 
5. If mixing by machine, switch to dough hook and continue adding flour, one cup at a time, while kneading, until dough is still soft but comes away from the sides of the bowl and is manageable with a dusting of flour.
6. Remove to a large bowl. Dust with flour and shape into large (soft) ball before covering with a tea towel and plastic. Rise about 1 hour at room temperature.
7. Grease or line pans with parchment paper. Also grease hands and take portions of the dough to shape into loaves or buns.  Cover with tea towel and loose plastic, and let rise 45-60 minutes.
8. Bake at 325 F until golden. It is best to use light colored aluminum sheets in center of oven. If using dark sheets and you find them getting too dark underneath, put aluminum under the sheet while baking. Buns bake about 20 - 25 minutes.
9. Remove to cooling racks. It is easy to slide them off if using parchment paper. Once cooled, return to pans and frost. You can freeze them this way or without the frosting. I use pans with a cover or slip them into large plastic bags.

Frosting:

• 1 cup soft butter
• 4 pasteurized egg whites
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 lbs icing sugar

Beat all ingredients well for several minutes. This frosting keeps well, refrigerated, but I usually opt for frosting the buns immediately and sprinkle before the frosting sets. If you refrigerate the frosting to use later, it may need a fresh whirl with the beaters and/or a little bit of milk, enough to make a spreadable consistency.

As you will note, the frosting uses egg whites to make it a bit meringue like, so do not leave out at room temperature for extended hours. An alternative icing is to beat 4 Tbsp of soft butter with 4 cups icing sugar and enough milk to stir into a spreadable consistency, according to personal taste.

I usually make my Paska in an assortment of pull-apart buns, in 9 x 13 pans or a round spring-form pan for a pretty display on a plate. The traditional way is to bake it in loaves and an assortment of tin cans. When doing that, lay them on their side to slice, such as in the photo at the top.

Egg Hunt at the Lakehouse

This past weekend we had our first family gathering of the year at the lake-house

and I may go a little overboard on pictures,
in consideration of those who could not be there.
We missed you!

I love this time of year when the old fruit trees 

burst forth with new life

and a bright green lace appears on tall cottonwoods. 

Even dandelions are pretty on this landscape . . .

and you can see that the fallen apple tree is not giving up just yet.

It was a perfect day to run outside with a pail

and follow the kids with my camera.

  

There were so many perfect spots that could hide an egg . . .

Do you see it?

Don't worry, I got it! 

Whether it's eggs . . .

blossoms . . .

a new baby . . .

a proud auntie . . .

young men sitting by the fire with the older ones . . .

or an Oma who has seen many an Easter tradition come and go . . .

Easter is a perfect time to realize and believe in new life

. . . and celebrate it!

Girls' Trip to La Conner

It was Ellen who invited us for a get-together in La Conner, WA 

for its first official Daffodil Festival this year . . .

a re-take of our trip five years ago to Tulip Town, when we first met her.

It was mentioned how it's hard to believe that

we have only really known Ellen for five years

and how we can't imagine our German Mennonite group 

without our one and only Russian "cousin."

We walked through the entrance of the Roozengaarde which boasts a beautifully manicured little park with endless varieties of tulips and daffodils -

to the fields in the back.

You can see Julie was not too proud to do what was necessary to keep her cute sneakers clean.

I took this photo from Lovella's stash, because I just love it!

Back in the fields, it was hard not to click away on our cameras.

Daffodils never looked so pretty!

Tulip fields followed the daffodils.

Here we saw the harvesters busy cutting bunches of bouquets for the market.

They carefully picked and cut their bundles 

and brought them to the end of the row

to arrange in waiting flats.

On our way out, we spent some more time in the garden area

and then headed into town to have some lunch.

Some of us have been practicing the pan shot on our iPhones,

finding out it makes for some funny entertainment. 

Here we are . . . the only  ones missing would have had to fly in.

Marg came to join us wherever she did not have to walk too much

as she is still nursing her injured leg.

It was a good day and a good way to celebrate the unique friendship we share.

A Peek Across the Ocean

It's beginning to feel like it's been a long, long time since we hugged good bye . . . and yet there they are very much alive and enjoying life on the Equator. We've been able to figure out best times and ways to talk but talking is not the same as being, is it?

Blurry images of a hand swiping over the eyes lead to further blurry images that have nothing to do with the bad connection, ironically connecting you in more ways than dry eyes and clear connections would.

Late Saturday night here, they had come home from church and eaten Sunday lunch there, ready to go swimming and flying remote control planes, so we tried not to delay their fun plans for too long. We talked about things like their school science projects, Tehya's new braces, Paeton's reading Captain Underpants books and Makenna's Sunday School lesson of the day. The family is excited that their crates are in country and nearing their final destination soon.  And with that, we said goodbye to sweet voices across the waves . . . until next time.

Double Retro

On my very last set of slides to scan . . . relieved that I was pretty well done . . .

 I came across a memory of a bridal shower I had forgotten we had pictures of. 

So, first off, if any of my nieces see this . . . I hope you can handle this with me.

This goes back to the Spring of 2000.

I do not remember the details of how the surprise was worked out, 

but by the pictures I gathered that Kristal, Carolyn and Bonnie 

presented the idea of the theme to Julene as they picked her up at our house.

 It was to be a 1970's themed dress up party, going back to my teen era. 

(By the looks of it, they raided my spare closet.)

I don't think they told her where they were going . . . but she probably had a good idea.

At aunt Elsie's house she had to put on my wedding gown 

and we posed for a mother/daughter shot.

The dress I'm wearing dates back to when I was sixteen or seventeen.

Bride-to be and sister also posed. 

Kristal is wearing one of my bridesmaid's dresses.

 Oh, those were the days!

More cousins played their parts . . .

It's fun to see what good sports they were.

Could it be there is a reason I'm not for much color any more? 

In the middle of the party a special guest arrived . . .

none other but the handsome groom dressed in my H's wedding suit.

(One of these days that spare closet has to be cleaned out.)

He loves to put on a show. 

I do not remember the song he serenaded her with,

but I'm sure it was funny.

As always, there was plenty of food in this beautiful little country kitchen.

The shower cake was a replica of my wedding cake.

And that is probably enough said now!

What I can't help is to realize how the years do go by -
 how, throughout time, young couples in love have grown older together
one day, one year and one decade at a time . . .
wondering how this happened so soon!