Christmas Eve!

Homemade Advent candles

Today is the highlight of the year for every child in Germany, as Christmas presents are unwrapped today and not on Christmas day morning. This year's Christmas will definitely go down as one of the most memorable for us all. Not because it's the best, most vibrant or most fun, rather... it's on the contrary. The entire family (with the exception of Papa O), had caught the highly dreaded stomach flu. Call it gastroenteritis or Norovirus infection, they all meant the same thing. It knocked out the entire family like a beautifully game of domino <*sigh*>.... In short, we have completely missed Christmas! :-( 

Anyway... Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Christmas Countdown Dec 22

Erika's homemade gingerbread house!

Two more days till Christmas! We picked up our gingerbread house from our favorite baker in town "Erikas Backstübe". And oh my! She does some of the yummiest bread, buns, pastries, and cakes in town. This however was specially ordered and made only for the Christmas season. But what's the history behind gingerbread house? Well, to sum it up... spice ginger which originated in the Middle East was brought by explorers back to Europe in the 11th Century. It became popular in Germany, with its heart in Nuremberg (that's Germany's gingerbread capital of the WORLD!), and became even more wide spread and popular when the brothers Grimm wrote Hansel and Gretel. :-)

Christmas Countdown Dec 17

Baby A's winning work of art!

Yesterday we emailed in our entry to FM4's "Best CD wrapping competition". FM4 is an Austrian English-German based radio channel. They had released some of the best music selection in the world, and we are avid listeners. So naturally Daddy got Baby A to get her hands busy. She just sat down with a big jar of ironing pearls, and put together a Christmas tree all by herself, based entirely on her own imagination. It was amazing. I helped to get the mirror image of FM4 in, and did the ironing. And viola! Here it is..

Today we got an email telling us we have won one of the 10 "Sound Selection No 27" CDs!! Yeah....

For the complete story from FM4, check out this link "Alles eine Frage der Verpackung" .

Christmas Countdown Dec 8

Our fundraising waffle stand 

Once a year, Baby M's kindergarten would hold a little fundraising project for Nuestra Seňora de Guadalupe in Abancay, which is a parish/community partner of the St. Laurentius church. This year it's held to coincide with the first day of the Christmas market held by the town of Weinheim. The cheerful mummies (and daddies) helped to set up the stand, some volunteered to "work" the shifts and others provided the required waffle dough.

Early midday crowd for some yummy
pre-lunch snack!

Hungry pig awaiting donations

Here's the recipe we used:

• 500 g Margarine (room temperature)
• 350 g Sugar
• 4 sachets of Vanilla sugar 
• 12 eggs (medium sized)
• 2 pinch of salt
• 2 bottles of lemon extract (optional)
• 1 kg flour
• 1 sachet of baking powder
• 1 L milk

[ Note: In case you are confused with the amount of vanilla sugar, 1 sachet/packet equals 8 grams. ]

Christmas Countdown Dec 7

Miniature chocolate muffins

It's Christmas party at Baby A's school! For the buffet, we've made 48 little chocolate muffins, decorated with vanilla icing and topped with 48 delicious panna cotta based berry gummy! Children always do love anything small and who could actually resist chocolate?

Christmas Countdown Dec 6

Stockings waiting to be filled!

Happy Saint Nicholas Day! May your "Nicholas boots" be filled to the rims with goodies!

As a custom in Germany, children will find small treats such as fruits (normally mandarins, oranges or apples, or nuts, and sometimes of special candies and cookies. In Baby M's kindergarten, one of the teachers/caretakers/parents/grandparents will impersonate Nicholas. He/She will be dressed up like a Bishop (minus the horse in this case). The children were asked to bring Stockings weeks ahead (as you can see, it's taken a more modern approach as opposed to the traditional boots). They will be asked if they have been good. Sometimes Nicholas will pretend to check his golden book of records, and the children will receive filled up stockings. This task would already been done secretly on Dec 5, when the stockings mysteriously disappeared. As you may notice, Saint Nicholas is very similar to the modern day Santa Claus! :-)

Christmas Countdown Dec 5

Artist: Baby A (December 2011)

This was put together by Baby A for the town library (I helped to cut and hot glued them together). It was chosen for display on December 6 (Saint Nicholas Day) last year. Baby A was terribly proud of it (and us of her!). As you can see, we have the ever lovable Om Nom as a Santa Claus, a Unicorn, a dragon, and lots of books (as should a library be) and presents. The cardboard and the box were entirely recycled from one of our many Amazon cartons.

[ Note: Tonight, being December 5, both Baby A and Baby M will be cleaning their boots in anticipation of the arrival of the Saint Nicholas tomorrow - the bearer of treats! ]

Christmas Countdown Dec 3

Artist: Baby A (November 2012)

This year Baby A and Baby M made an Advent Calender for their Oma and Opa. It comprised of 24 colored envelops, stringed together, containing little craft works. One of them is that drawn on an A4, black and white, and multiply folded to fit into the envelop. I liked it so much that I took it out again, have it scanned and the graphic slightly sharpened. (The original, I diligently refolded and resealed.) Then, Baby A worked on it with Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo VI. Using simple commands, she filled the picture up with colors. She loved it, and is finally convinced to allow me to connect her Bamboo pen tablet, which she got for her 7th Birthday, to her PC.

Christmas Countdown Dec 2

Artist: Baby A (December 2011)

This was intended to be a Christmas card painted for the Grandparents. Baby A painted it last year on a piece of cardboard. Being reluctant to part with it before making a copy, I have it scanned it. Now, it'll stay digitally available... for good. :-) December 2 was also the first day it snowed this Autumn/Winter. So we found this picture fitting to the season. And... Happy First Advent!

Christmas Countdown Dec 1

Artist: Baby A (December 2011)

Today is the first day of December and all children in Germany can now officially do the countdown towards Christmas. For this Blog, Baby M and Baby A will join me putting little things together. Something special for each day. They'll probably end up more craft like posts, but we'll see....

We have chosen Om Nom to head the countdown. Why? Because this little candy eater is as much loved last year as this. Enjoy....