life is always about the journey...

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Olympic Bound...well almost!



Are you a fan of the Olympics?  

My family and I love to watch the Olympics whether they are Summer or Winter.  We get excited
watching new and past athletes competing. I love hearing the backstories on the athletes as well, definitely gives you a different perspective while you are watching them compete.  This year we are excited to watch Shaun White compete in snowboarding.  And of course Figure Skating is always a favorite and this year they have the NEW Team Event.  And we will be watching all the Ice Hocky...we have two players from the Washington Capitals competing...Ovechkin on Team Russia and Carlson for Team USA!  So much to see........

Anywho this post is all about the Olympics and Russia!

I have some fun facts about Sochi and the 2014 Olympics.
There are Downloadable & Printable Olympic Event Schedules if you'd like to use them.
Some chilly pictures to get you in the Winter Olympic mindframe...course its cold and snowy here so it doesn't take much for us to do so LOL!
And I have some recipes to make some traditional Russian foods and party treats as well!
Sooooooo.........

pozvolyayet partii
(that's "Let's Party" in Russian)


And Winter Olympics in Russia...I never think of Russia in any season other than winter so it seems fitting yes?  

Sochi Olympic Village

We even have the new DirecTV Genie that records up to 5 shows at once geared up and ready.
We don't like to miss a THING!

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DOWNLOAD SCHEDULES:

So I created a few downloadable and printable schedules of the events if that is something that interests you as well.  Remember I made these for my family so we wouldn't miss an event...they aren't super fancy but they are easy to read and follow!
They are below for you to use if you'd like:


*and*



The Sochi Figure Skating Palace




* The Olympic Village was built on top of what was a swamp

*Total Cost was $51 Billion (wowza the most expensive Olympics to date)

*Largest Winter Olympics ever, with 88 countries participating

*First-timers are Paraguay & Zimbabwe


*10 Gold Medalists on February 15th will receive medals embedded with pieces of meteorites

*USA Gold Medalists got $25,000 for each Gold Medal in the last Olympics

*12 NEW Events including Women's Ski Jumping

*Sochi is bordered by the Black Sea and the Greater Caucasas  Mountains

*Joseph Stalin had his vacation home in Sochi

*Sochi is a sub-tropical climate making it the warmest Winter Olympics

*It is 1000 miles from Moscow

*There are 3 Olympic Mascots...the Hare, Polar Bear & Leopard


Sochi Winter Olympics Athlete's Village

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Carry On With Some 
Olympic & Russian Themed Foods:

Torch Snacks
Make Gold Torch Treat Holders...fill with your fave snack food


Beef Stroganoff
One of my faves which is a Russian dish is Beef Stroganoff/Stroganov


You can make these with multiple type of fillings...I've only had the meat version
but I know there are many different versions out there.


A traditional spiced sour soup...never made it but thinking I may try it...sounds so yummy!
Another Russian soup is Borscht made with beets...I'm not a fan of beets so I will skip that one.


Caviar
And of course you can't forget the caviar!  I'm not a fan but I know lots love it!


Olympic Cupcakes
Bake up some fun Olympic Ring cupcakes in your favorite flavors!


Gold Medal Cookies
Make some Gold Medal cookies...have your kids or guests decorate them
with icing tubes and candies! Reward to ONLY those worthy of the gold tho' ;)

Never had these but they sure sound delicious...traditional Russian sweet...mmm!


Sochi Drink
Serve up some fun Olympic Drinks!


White Russians
And my fave....a frosty White Russian Drink..mmmmm..perfect night cap!
(adults only)
or 
I mean why not?



If you watch...what is YOUR favorite event in the Winter Olympics?




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8 comments

  1. I love ice skating, snowboarding (go Shaun White!), and skiing. But I like to watch almost all the events because I like hearing the back stories on the athletes. I just saw a news story about how ill-prepared Sochi is for the Olympics. They had video of hotel rooms that had curtains falling of the rods, brown water that they were told was unsafe to even use in the shower, etc. They also said that there were a number of athletes hurt on the half pipe (including Shaun White who jammed his wrist) and they are asking them to fix it before the games begin. I hope things go more smoothly once the events begin!

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    Replies
    1. Yeah I saw those too...seems they have a few issues to get under control that's for sure. Gotta wonder why they pick some of these places for the Olympics at times. Hoping Shawn is ok for the Olympics.
      hugz~

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  2. Love figure skating. Should be great competition in the ice dance between Tessa/Scott and Meryl/Charlie; luge (who doesn't want to go head first down a icy hill!). Being Canadian I'd like to see a friendly gold medal hockey game between us (men's and women's)

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  3. I'm so looking forward to watching as much as I possibly can of the Olympics, Suzanne. Hubby and I especially love the winter games. He was a skier and I was an ice skater in our earlier years. I also love, love, love Beef Stroganoff which was passed down through my Mom's maternal family but our heritage is German and Scandinavian. So I assume it has also been Americanized by the time it got to me. LOL I love all the fabulous goodies you've shared with us today. We will be enjoying some of these scrumptious Russian favs during the games.
    Hugz,
    Cath

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    Replies
    1. James was a skier and I used to ice skate too Cathy LOL...but neither of us do that much anymore. I would hurt myself just falling ha and his is more of a time issue. Hope you are enjoying the games so far :) Hugs~

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  4. Recipes look great and I have bookmarked the beef stroganoff to try. I too love the Olympics but I don't like the stupid politics in the judging and I don't think pro athletes should be there (hockey). Olympics was supposed to be for amateurs. Still like watching lots of events though. Plyuschenko is a legend and amazing to watch what he does on a pair of skates. All the skaters amaze me!!

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  5. Thank you for the schedule! I am absolutely obsessed with speed skating and one of the main reason's I have to watch the Winter Olympics. Was watching yesterday and for the first time watched the Biathlon (or as I call sniper skiing).

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  6. OMG thank you for the schedule! I am absolutely obsessed with speed skating and the main reason I watch the Winter Olympics. I was watching yesterday and came across a sport I had never seen before Biathlon (or I labeled sniper skiing). Can only watch women figure skating as men figure skating makes me think of Will Ferrell in Blades of Glory and I laugh the whole time.

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