just some photos

OK - so there is snow in Moscow. So far not tooo cold, though (colder in seattle/portland!).

7:15 am this morning - museum of architecture

4:15 pm yesterday looking down (toward Kremlin) on Bolshaya Nikitskaya

taken at 4 pm yesterday -

7:30 am yesterday - facing Kremlin and Lenin Library - can you see the tree they are putting up? the kids were disappointed it was a metal frame which is then decorated with branches and lights, instead of a real tree.

same shot later in the day

yesterday afternoon- this is the entrance to the underground street crossing - Novy Arbat to Arbat. There is often a group of men and a few women standing around drinking here, maybe homeless? or at least unemployed? See the guy with the bottle and plastic cup? He was refilling and passing the cup.

same street crossing facing other way - see the woman with the long fur coat?

Matryoshka everywhere!

Thanksgiving turned out great! thanks for all the well wishes - and I even had a minor disaster - my refrigerator and freezer quit working on Friday!! yikes! I almost cancelled! I was afraid all the food would spoil! But - I called trusty husband - who asked around and came up with a plan. We packed the fridge and freezer with dry ice. Yep - you can have dry ice delivered in a huge foam cooler (90 pounds!!). So, it arrived and we frantically packed ziplock bags with ice and packed the fridge. Unfortunately, the next morning we discouvered we were a little over zealous and everything froze!!

But - alls well that ends well. everything turned out fine. After defrosting the refrigerator, we plugged it back in and voila! it works!

Yesterday the kids missed the bus - long story short we were a few minutes late out the door and that was that. So, instead of sending the kids to school in a taxi - which would take an hour to arrive - and I felt weird putting my kids in a car with a stranger - and paying for it - I decided to let them stay home.

We ended up having a nice day. We went to the matryoshka museum to pick up some party supplies - Natasha is turning 1 and we are having a "matryoshka" party at my parents house.

check out my loot- all together cost me about $65

(click to see larger)

I bought 9 "blank" wood matryoshka for the older kids at the birthday to paint

2 sets of little wood painted ornaments based on russian folk tales

1 set of the little matryoshka (they only had the 1 set - otherwise I would have bought more)

and an ornament for a friend.

I also bought these from a bakery on Novy Arbat. Aren't they pretty? 3 flavors (translated by leo)" some kind of nut" "sunshine flavor" and "raisin" I am curious what sunshine flavor is! maybe citrus?

After the museum we stopped by mac cafe for a treat and what was next door?

the dark side!! (this photo was taken a few nights before - it is not quite that dark during the day!)

a new toy store on tverskaya. It is huge! 4 floors! After a storm trooper helped carry the stroller up the entry steps, Look what greeted us as we walked in:

She is made of entirely of Legos!

throughout the store there were other fun Lego creations:

The store is great! Lots of hands on toys - they had a bunch of FurReal pets out available for kids to touch and play with (natasha went nuts for the big dog and cat!), a big train table, one sales clerk gave the kids remote controlled cars and encouraged them to drive various cars around the store, rc robots out, blow pens and paper out. We had a really nice time exploring and playing!I kins of felt bad not buying anything, we really stayed a long time and the kids played a lot! but oh well! I am passing the info on - free advertising is worth something, right? Go to the toystore on tverskaya, next to mcdonalds near Kremlin!

gobble

I actually thought about skipping Thanksgiving this year. Seriously. Not my favorite holiday. I like the food enough - but that is pretty much the focus of the holiday, right? spend a lot of time cooking, then eat early in the day (we always ate at 3ish) then sit around stuffed wondering what to do the rest of the day. Watch football? we sometimes went to a movie. Have a turkey sandwich when you are hungry again around 8. Fun to see family and all that, but since we are here - it would just be food? right?

The more I thought about it, the more I decided we need Thanksgiving. Not so much for the food, or the pilgrims - but it is easy to lose track of what we are thankful for. Easy to get in the mode thinking - gee I miss this, or that, wish I had this, on and on, focusing on what we miss having. So I decided, especially with christmas coming, kids (and I) could use a day to think about what we are thankful for.

So Thanksgiving is on. But on Sat - Thurs is just so inconvenient.

I thought about just making a pot of soup, but keeping some american traditions got the better of me. We are inviting a few random Russians (my Russian teacher, our first nanny from this past summer, Russian friend from work) all people who have been so helpful to us since moving here. Thought this would be a thank you to them (sort of like the pilgrims inviting the native americans to share their feast as a thank you for their help when they first arrived - the analogy will stop there, though, I dont plan on spreading diseases, etc) :-) And I hope a few fellow expats can make it as well!

Here is the plan: - I need to write this out so I can make myself get organized. I have a small oven with 1 rack - 1 big pyrex, 1 small pyrex, 2 mixing bowls, a glass bowl, cookie sheet, 1 dutch oven, 1 big pot, 1 med pot, 1 small pot. No serving dishes.

Turkey - I bought 2 smallish frozen ones. It is Weds today - dinner on Sat - any tips on defrosting? Cook turkeys in the 2 pyrex sat. - gonna follow this:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/perfect-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html just cut up and serve on a dinner plate - or maybe back in the pyrex?

Gravy - make while turkey is resting in fry pan. Serve in little blue bowl, or maybe a cereal bowl.

Stuffing - make in big orange pot (dutch)- this recipe - http://elise.com/recipes/archives/000036moms_turkey_stuffing.php minus raisins - will make day before - cool - store in fridge - reheat day of (adding water/broth as necessary) - serve from the pot - classy, no?

Cranberry sauce - found frozen berries - everyone says there are cranberries all over moscow - but I am sorry - I cant find them - only what Leo calls "red forest berries" -these are not cranberries - here is the recipe I will try - http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/cranberry_sauce/ with a little orange peel tossed in. Make the day before and keep in fridge - serve in glass bowl

Salad - serve in big blue ikea mixing bowl - I dont use a recipe - some kind of greens, pecans, chopped pear, red onion, feta, balsamic/mustard/olive oil dressing. Make day of.

Bread - make morning of - serve on cookie sheet - this recipe maybe doubled (my kids gobble up rolls and can use to make little sandwiches later) - http://www.cookingbread.com/classes/class_honey_dinner_buns.html.

Dessert - pumpkin cheesecake bars - ok - gonna try these - I dont have a pie pan so no pie. I will make these the morning of in a pyrex, then cut them up, put on plate and keep in the fridge because I will need the pyrex for the turkey. here is the recipe - http://grandmasdesserts.blogspot.com/2009/11/pumpkin-cheesecake-bars.html

Maybe mashed potatoes. I guess you need mashed potatoes, right? ok - will make in big pot and serve from pot. No sweet potatoes. Havent seen them lately. P will miss sweet potato souffle- but maybe I will make it for him for christmas in the states. . . . . promises promises.

plan on just putting food out and people serve themselves - buffet style, even though this is not the russian way.

I think that is it - most make ahead, I dont even know how many people are coming. I only have 6 chairs, a small kitchen table, 1 couch in the living room, but those are minor details right? people will gather, fill their plates, find a place to eat, right?

If we serve enough wine then maybe people wont notice if the turkey is dry (I have never made a turkey and my oven is terrible so I am a little nervous) .. . right?

I am the FOB.

I think I have mentioned my Fabulous Russian Teacher (RT - I was going to use FRT, but, well . . . ) before - we usually end, or sometimes begin with chatting about some cultural differences between Russia and America (she lived the in US for 12 years). So today I mentioned that yesterday, walking home from the store (about a 20 minute walk), I was stopped 5 times by people asking for directions. 5 times!! seriously! Excuse me, please, where is the metro? where is Arbat? Where is xxxxx street? That is an average of once every 4 minutes (yeah, I can do a little math, thank you). ( In the store, as I was looking for toothpaste and an older woman asked me something about soap. I *think* she was asking what the difference was between them, why so many types? she seemed a little overwhelmed by the variety.)

Sheesh. Sometimes I can answer in Russian - straight ahead, at the restaurant "Praga" turn left (the pat answer for how to get to starry arbat), or whatever, sometimes I have no clue what they asked (I will say, "I dont know" or "I am sorry I dont speak russian" or sometimes, if I am feeling brave, "I am sorry, I didnt hear you, one more time?" - which sometimes works out and I get it the second time, but is risky, because if I dont understand, I have to say so, then it is like - well, why did you make me repeat my question if you dont speak russian?!), sometimes I understand, but I really dont know and I say so (I dunno!), and sometimes I need to ask clarification, which metro? Arbatskaya? Biblioteka Lenina? Tverskaya? Ahotney Rad? Most people can tell when I open my mouth that I am a foreigner, they will either smile politely and walk away, sometimes they know enough english to ask in english - or sometimes, if I can catch them, listen to my choppy directions. If I know where it is, and they start to walk away, I do find myself practically lunging for them, no - please - wait - I understand you - I can tell you where to go! give me a minute! let me help you! As they walk away I yell out the information they need.

I try to carry my map, but it takes a while to dig it out. Some people have maps, some do not. I often see people frowning at maps.

So, like I said, I mention this to my RT and we get into a discussion about maps. I have a big moscow map in my kitchen. I look at it every day. I know where important things are on the map. I try to carry my map with me, I actually have 2 - one I keep in the baby diaper bag, and one in my purse, they are well thumbed through. If I need to go somewhere, I find it on the map, I make sure I know every turn. I say it out loud like a mantra. When I went to stitch group the first time (ok first 3 or 4 times), I would say aloud to myself, walk out, turn left, at xxxx street cross and turn left again, walk a long time past metro station, then turn left at xxx, etc. Then I write it down and carry it with me. (Have I mentioned I have a problem with getting lost??).

Russians dont like maps. Many do not know how to read maps. RT mentioned that she did not know how to read a street map until she came to the US. Why do you need a map when you can just ask? No problem. There are people on the street, someone will know.

Americans do not like to ask directions (you know the old stereotype? men wont ask directions?) Why? It is embarrassing. It is admitting defeat. Admitting you don't know something (yikes!). It also involves talking to a stranger, trusting the stranger . . . .

Russians dont seem to have this hangup Americans have. They will ask. They will talk to a stranger. - as an aside, kind of goes along with the free, unsolicited childcare advice one often received here as well.

My dad, (from Greece) also has no problem asking directions. Sometimes, though, he did not pick the best people to ask. He would stop a kid on a bike and ask how to get to the freeway (my mom lectured him many times on this, first of all, most kids will not/should not talk to a stranger, and what does the kid know?), I remember once on a family trip we got lost in Compton and my dad asked a pimp how to get to Disneyland (my mom made us roll up the windows) it was very much the scene from national lampoons vacation.

My sister and I always prided ourselves in being able to pick out foreigners in the US from a crowd. "look- that guy, definitely a FOB (fresh off the boat)". Not necessarily fresh, as many immigrants we grew up with lived in the US for more than 20 years, they just didn't update their wardrobe yet. We could tell by clothes, hairstyle, even body language- hey we grew up around immigrants! we were snarky teenagers!

Now I am the FOB, but, I guess I look the part enough for people to think I live here . . . .

Medical stuff

Ugh - like most people we have been sick. All except Leo and P - just us girls I guess. The kids had last week off from school and thank goodness we decided against going to Rome for the week! It started Mon morning with M complaining about an earache. OK -I will call the Dr and see when we can bring her in. Earliest at the clinic closest to us was 3. She cried and cried all morning because she was in so much pain. Then, around noon, she said "hey it doesnt hurt anymore, and my ear feels wet." Great! No wonder it hurt! Around that time Leo called and asked if we wanted to meet him for lunch, I wasnt sure, but when M heard it was Vietnamese food, she perked right up! Pho is her favorite food! Her favorite restaurant on Mercer Island is I (heart) Pho! We met at VietCafe. P had a headache and bit of a sore throat, I was tired, but nothing big, M was feeling a little better. Anywho, the restaurant was great! P had "Caramel Beef with rice" around 250rbls and it was delicious!!!! mmm. Even natasha loved it! M of course had her chicken pho (also 250 rbls), I had beef pho. I made the mistake of ordering the "spicy" thinking it would be, well, spicy, but it was more spiced than spicy - kind of tasted like beef stew (a tomato-y base, garlic, maybe a little cinnamon) which was odd, but still tasty, just didnt quench my pho craving. So - there is my recommendation. Good food, good price, and we did not order the "business lunch" these are their regular prices.

After the ENT with M, picked up her antibiotic - Dr said the ear infection was also in her throat. Her med (augmentin) was actually fruity flavored (!) as opposed to poor P who had to take an unflavored (terrible!) one. - It's not fair!

Next day my throat started hurting, then went downhill. My throat on one side, then my ear on that same side, fever, then my jaw, my teeth hurt, even my hair hurt. I waited to go to the DR, because, well, that is what I do. Finally on Sat (yes, I got progressively worse through the week and did nothing about it! - shame on me!) we went to the DR, they sent me to an ENT. After some mix-ups and general chaos over my meds, I finally got it all straightened out and am feeling MUCH better. (and still able to nurse natasha with no ill effects yet)!

So all last week we did absolutely nothing. Well, one night we went out to dinner. We went to Tibet Cafe which was also very good and good prices. Hot and sour soup was delish. Only thing I didnt like was it was quite small and so many people were smoking. We all reeked when we left, and I didnt feel great of the kids being exposed to all that smoke. Especially since we were all sickies.

I have to say the kids, once again, did great. Even though we were literally in the house the entire week, they played and played playmobil and lego, they read, I taught them to make friendship bracelets (christina, guess what M is making your boys for xmas?!) and they played a bit on the computer. I ended up making computer a privilege to be earned, as opposed to a "right" that can be taken away. P especially doesnt like this new arrangement, but he has been drawing, and reading more, practicing piano, so there you go! (although he constantly asks - did I earn computer time, when can I play computer, mom, can I play) - I told him he will not play every day, more like 3 days of good behavior, then maybe 30-45 min computer time.(awww, mom!). It is kind of tough since they dont watch tv, but it is good for them - builds character, right?! They do watch Little House on the laptop in the kitchen while I make dinner, and they really like that - we are almost through season 2.

Now that I am feeling better, I look around and the apartment is a mess! a weeks worth of laundry piled up! dirty bathrooms! messy kid rooms! I havent studied my Russian! ugh - I need to get motivated to get working.

You know when you have so much to do, you dont know where to start, so you do something totally not a priority, like crochet mittens?

mittens mcboingboing

Made em yesterday. easy free pattern here. Used 2 strands of wool I bought here in Moscow.

Think I will make them for the kids in the big family - that would be 5 more pair (2 more in my fam, 2 nephews and 1 little cousin). remember last years slippers?

I also want to make Leo, P and M each a knit scarf.

and my MIL a shawl.

I dont even have yarn yet. or the right sized needles.

Oh and I havent finished my embroidery project which is a present for someone (shh).

hmmm think I will have time?

Up Your Nose

I made some apple bread the other day and thought I would share. Here is the recipe. I like it because it has only 2 T butter in the whole thing (I used my long Ikea loaf pan and made 1 loaf) - In addition to the applesauce, I grated a whole apple - not sure what kind - the fruit lady I bought it from said "soviet yablaka- ochin fkusna!" (soviet apple- very tasty) I also added extra cinnamon and I think it was too much - stick with the recipe next time. Anyway - liked it, thought I would share.

Today I am making Challah (ok a few days ago - it is taking me a while to finish this post). Everytime I make it, or mention it I want to make a challah pun - challah back, give me a challah! - I know dorky. I am using this recipe - cool site, huh? I like all the pics - and I like their blog - link from the site. I want to make this next week. mmm I love bread.

Got a pot o beans going today from food network - here it is. I like the idea of sharing recipes - I always wonder what other people make - plan for the week - kofta, jedra (lentils with onions and rice), pita, cucumbers tomorrow, salmon brown rice broccoli weds, ham cheese and whatever veggie I have (red pepper and maybe a potato) frittata thurs, roast chicken maybe pasta or polenta, tomato salad friday, sat we either go out or have frozen pilmenie, sun out or frozen pilmenie depending on what we did sat. there you go.

Speaking of good food - halloween was awesome. Went to place2place residence for home-made pizza (yum!) and trick or treating, a little vino, some cake FUN! good people over there! And - not only did the kids score candy loot (much AMERICAN candy!! woohoo! peanut butter cups! Jolly ranchers! Twizzlers!), Dina and the kids were kind enough to pass on some kids books - which are a hot commodity here. Big thanks - and Stephan was so sweet letting P and M borrow his Diary of a Whimp Kid books. Like I said - and I'll say it again - Good people over there at place2place. Just for the record - my kids were pharoah, cat and cook. I only got a picture of the little chef:

here we are walking on Novy Arbat to the embassy - in a bit of snow:

Kids have the week off from school. Nov 4th is a holiday - not sure what it is - it used to be October Revolution Day - not sure if that is still what it is. So today (monday) - first day of break - N woke at 5:30 am (guess I forgot to tell her we could sleep in), M said her ear hurt and P said his troat hurt. Ugh. I had a russian lesson scheduled, which in hind site, I should have cancelled. I gave the kids some motrin and they both were feeling better. Lesson started and of course N demanded all my attention, then M just started crying and crying that her ear hurt, after the lesson, called the Dr and they scheduled us for an ENT specialist. We went and the Dr, bless him, spoke French and Russian and very little english. He kept mixing words - whole sentences in french/russian/english. good thing I could pick out some of the russian, and my high school french did come in handy (I can say j'ai quatorze ans - because that is how old I was when I took it! ha!). Anyway - appointement went ok - asked a lot of questions about her cleft which is natural seeing he is an ENT. So much energy trying to follow what he was saying! Then came time for diagnosis - she does have an infection - in her ear and nose (?) - he prescribed an antibiotic - I asked "are they drops for her ears, or does she drink it?" he replies - " in the nose," me "antibiotics in the nose?" dr "oui - in the nose - you know - nose, throat, ear all connected" me "ok - yes, makes sense" - still seems weird - how do I give medicine in the nose? I think - must be a nasal spray. I pick up the prescription from the pharmacy (conveniently located in the clinic) - go home and open the box - not a nasal spray, but he alsp prescribed a nasal spray - antibiotic is a standard glass bottle with a measuring cup- -the white powder that I need to add water and shake myself (very old school). hmmm. I think I will just have her drink it - I can't imagine I pour it up her nose?! thankfully P was feeling better by this time.

Ahh - I miss doctors who speak my language.

Speaking of which, we have our tickes for december. Flying to portland Dec 16th - yippee! I am soo excited. Every night M sings as she is getting ready for bed "I want to go to America! Can't wait to go to America! America! America! I want to go to America!" funny - in a sad sort of way I guess. It is the people she misses - she likes our apartment - she loves school, she loves the city - but misses family and the cat!

thats it!