It's the week before Advent!

It's Coming! It's coming!
No not Christmas, although our Geese are getting fat :)

It is the final week before the start of Advent and it is indeed a preparation week for us. Which really is  quite a statement as Advent is all about preparing our Hearts and Minds for the coming of our Lord, both in the Celebration of Christmas and for His coming again.

So this week we have been preparing by making our Puddings last Sunday - Stir Up Sunday.
We also mixed up our cake recipe and I have been baking them at 2 per day, that's all this little oven will do at a time, how I miss my wood stove at Christmas especially!

I have been making last minute lists of food, cooking ingredients and craft materials to purchase and to have on hand ready for said crafts.
Thankfully when Vellvin and I had made our giant countdown calendar we had already printed out our colouring activities and put them in a folder all ready to use.

We also have Saxon's birthday on Friday to plan and of course he needs gifts and a cake too. This day will also entail us driving to Sydney to pick up both our Uni girls to come home for the year and the return trip home.

Naturally we have everyday activities and extra things thrown into the mix as life could not be plan sailing if we tried these days.

I wanted to have all our St Nicholas gifts organised so I also went shopping on Monday to organise that.
In my plans I also had hopes of getting all our Christmas gift shopping completed before the start of Advent so we could focus on the beauty and traditions of this season......I'm not completely sure this is going to happen yet.

Anyway our week is busy, the sick people are getting better and we are very, very excited as we move forward to the last days of pre-Advent.

Blessings to you and your homes,
 

Advent and Christmas Ideas and Celebrations.....updated for 2012

I know if you are like me, we are always looking for new ideas to add to our family traditions each year. Sometimes an idea may light a spark that has been dimmed down by the weight of all the' need to do' lists of this time of year.
I am sharing here our own family celebrations over the years of blogging as well as any ideas, decorations or crafts we may have attempted as well, in the hope that they may a creative and inspiring read for anyone interested.

Of course our traditions have been built over may years and these blogging records are only a few years old.
However I pray they may be of interest and inspiration to you as you create and enjoy your own family traditions.

This is an updated version of my Super Duper Season Bumper addition  from last year. So while some of the ideas are the same I have added a heap of new celebrations to the list as well.

So grab a cup or coffee or Hot Chocolate or this one, pick up a pen and paper and look for what interests you.
Please enjoy!!

Looking Toward Advent

NOVENAS AND PRAYERS~
St Andrew Novena 30th November -24th December
Our Lady of Guadalupe  4th December - 12th December
Immaculate Conception Novena 29th November - 7th December
Christmas Rose Novena 12th December - 24th December
Christmas Novena 16th December - 24th December
Novena to the Magi in Anticipation of the Ephihany  28th December - 5th January

REFLECTIONS ON 2011 ~
First Sunday of Advent - Lighting of the Advent Wreath
Twas the Beginning of Advent
A Quick Advent Study
The Joy in Giving
A bed for Baby Jesus
2nd Sunday in Advent 2011
Recipe for Christmas Joy
Our St Nicholas Play
Las Posadas
4th Sunday in Advent 2011 -Look to Mary
Not Long Now
Ginger Bread House Making for 2011
Jessie Tree Pressure
Happy New Year

REFLECTIONS ON 2010~
The Children's Ideas for Celebrating in 2010
1st Sunday in Advent
2nd Sunday in Advent
3rd Sunday in Advent OR Gaudete Sunday
4th Sunday in Advent

SNIPPETS OF CHEER~
Are You Planning for Christmas Yet?
The Gift of The Magi- a story
Mary's Christmas Dream - a story
A Christmas Thought
Christmas Eve
Christmas Story
The Christmas Story
Merry Christmas
The Nativity
Favourite Christmas Nativity

REFLECTIONS ON 2009~
Advent Planning 2009
Home made Gift Ideas
Poor Box Toys - making do with little
Advent in our home 2009
1st Sunday in Advent

FEAST DAYS ~
Stir Up Sunday - First Sunday in Advent

6th - St Nicholas Day Celebrations 2011
        Our St Nicholas Play 2011
        St Nicholas 2010
        St Nicholas
        St Nicholas 2009

8th - Immaculate Conception Candle
        Immaculate Conception 2009

12th - Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe 2011
          Our Lady of Guadalupe 2010
          Plans and activities for Our Lady of Guadalupe
          Feast of Our lady of Guadalupe in our home 2009

13th - St Lucia Celebrations 2011
          St Lucia 2010
          St Lucia 2009

18th - 23rd - O Antiphons -Plans and how to make a countdown box

24th Christmas Eve 2011
        Christmas Eve and the Midnight Feast
        Christmas Eve 2009

25th  Christmas Day Celebrations 2011
         Christmas Day 2010 (also the 1st day of Christmas)
         Christmas Day 2009

NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS~
Celebrations for 2012
Happy New Year 2012
Happy New Year 2011
Happy New Year 2010

The 12 Days of Christmas-
Symbols of Christmas
1st Day of Christmas - Christmas Day
2nd Day of Christmas
3rd Day of Christmas
4th Day of Christmas
5th Day of Christmas
6th Day of Christmas
7th Day of Christmas
8th Day of Christmas
9th Day of Christmas
10th Day of Christmas
11th Day of Christmas
12th Day of Christmas

6th January-Epiphany Celebrations 2012
                   Epiphany 2012
                   Epiphany 2011
                   Plans and Celebrations for Epiphany
                   Epiphany 2010
                   Feast of Epiphany Plans

CHRISTMAS COOKING~
Gingerbread House
Christmas Cookie List
Boiled Fruit Pudding
St Lucia Bread Recipe
Instant Hot Chocolate Mix
St Nicholas Hot Chocolate
Lebkuchen Biscuits
Christmas Icecream
Quick Cookies
5 min Chocolate Mug Cake - especially a great gift
Tim Tam Balls
Ginger Bread Men and Shortbread
Sugar Cookies
Coffee Chocolate Balls
Snowflake Cookies

ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS BOOK LISTS~
I still have not added the ones for this year (2012) yet but will when I have posted them
Advent and Christmas Book Lists
Christmas and Advent Chapter Books
Advent and Christmas Book List 1
Advent and Christmas Book List 3
Countdown, Craft and Activity Advent and Christmas Books
Advent and Christmas books from 2009
Board Books

FAVOURITE TRADITIONS AND ODDS~
O Antiphons 
A Bed for Baby Jesus
Turning a chocolate Santa into a St Nicholas
Advent Spiral -  a countdown calender (homemade)
Homemade Nativity Scene - wooden
Advent Stocking Countdown - made from felt (homemade)
Making Jesse Tree Ornaments
Sculpy Nativity Set - (homemade)
Nativity Toy
Pot Pourri -,homemade

JESSE TREE IDEAS~
Making Jesse Tree Decorations
Jesse Tree and Prayer
Jesse Tree Pressure

OTHER IDEAS~
Child of the Promise - music
A great resource for some free cut out creches etc

PATRON SAINTS~
Patron Saints 2012
Patron Saints 2011
Patron Saints 2010

I am still looking to add plans for this year and some other great links soon so stay tuned and check back too!

Blessings to you and your homes,
 

Stir Up Sunday

 The fruit and flour for today's puddings

 On the first Sunday of Advent, the traditional opening prayer (or Collect) of the Mass prays: "Stir up Thy might, we beg Thee, and come." We begin our Advent journey to Christ's birthday, and the Church joins in its prayer begging Christ to come, to hurry and do not delay. from Catholic Culture

Stir Up Sunday is a tradition of  preparing a Christmas pudding on the First Sunday in Advent or on some calenders the Sunday before the First Sunday in Advent.

We have celebrated this tradition in our home since ...well forever. We sometimes 'stir up the pudding' on the First Sunday and sometimes it is the First Sunday and dare I admit sometimes we are later than that.
But it really is the tradition of the Stir Up that our children love.

We make puddings where the recipe has come form Stephen's Grandmother and I am not sure where she go it from herself.

Rogan with last years puddings

Our Pudding Recipe~
375 grams of butter
375 grams of brown sugar
180grams of bread broken into crumbs
250grams of plain flour
3/4 tsp bicarb soda
1/4tsp salt (I  never add the salt)
1/4 tsp Parisian essence
1 large carrot grated
6 eggs
1 dessertspoon mixed spice
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp  ginger
500g EACH of currants, raisins and sultanas
250grams chopped dates
extra 125 grams of sultana or fruit/nuts  of your choice
600g cherries
150ml port or sherry, rum etc. We always use port.

1/ Cream butter and sugar
2/ add eggs one at a time
3/ add grated carrot
4/ add bread
5/ mix
6/ Combine spices, flour, bi carb and fruit together in separate bowl
7/ Add to above mix
8/ Line wet pudding cloth with glad wrap (this makes two puddings)
9/ put into a bowl for the shape and tie glad wrap first then pudding cloth.
10/ leave room for expansion as you tie
11/Boil for 5-6 hour with lid on pan.
12/ Hang over sink (or other to dry out)

Information from Catholic Culture  and British Traditions about this day.

One of the things everyone loves is the traditional stir the pudding and the making of  a wish. We have yet to put charms into the puddings as I am unsure of where to buy the charms that will not be a risk in adding to a mixture we will eat.

"A Christmas pudding is traditionally made with 13 ingredients to represent Christ and His Disciples.
A proper Christmas pudding is always stirred from East to West in honour of the three Wise Men who visited the baby Jesus.
Every member of the family must give the pudding a stir and make a secret wish.
A coin was traditionally added to the ingredients and cooked in the pudding. It was supposedly to bring wealth to whoever found it on their plate on Christmas Day. The traditional coin was an old silver sixpence or threepenny bit.
Other traditional additions to the pudding included a ring, to foretell a marriage, and a thimble for a lucky life" Pudding Traditions

 

Our Completed puddings from last year.

I hope you are all enjoying your start to the Advent season.

Blessings to you and your homes,