Happy birthday to you…

By J13 and J12

Today is J12′s birthday. We had his cake a couple of months ago because J12 was (and still is!)  getting a quilt for his birthday and he wanted to help make it. Also his birthday is four days before Christmas and he didn’t really want to have a cake so close to Christmas.

This is my breakfast “caramel self-saucing pudding with ice cream and cream”.
I think you will remember the photo:) (Because actually the photo is K10’s one, but we had exactly the same breakfast this morning)

We will post a picture of the quilt when it is finished.

Today was made extra-special by the Es coming to visit. We had such a wonderful time eating and swimming and riding Grandpa’s recumbant bike (even the mothers took it for a spin to the top of the driveway – GO MUMS!). I made it in one minute, which wasn’t too much more than it took the adults.

The other special thing (even though pressies aren’t everything) was that I got a yummy packet of chocolates, an amazing bum bag from Grandpa (there are so many pockets you could get lost in it!!!) and Dadda and Mama surprised me enormously by giving me a watch (as well as the quilt). It has a compass that you can plot your course on the map with…….a thermometer………the face changes colours (I’m trying to work out why – I think it’s to do with heat)……..the face flips over and is two-sided (very cool)…….and it has the Royal Hong Kong Police insignia on it. What a watch!

Last day at work

I (j11) am writing from dads work. The three big kids have biked for nine km to help dad pack up his stuff at work because it is his last day at work, then he will be of work till the end of January. YAY.

Christmas Cake

This is our favourite Christmas cake recipe; it is very moist and fruity.

2007 edition

Here is how to make it;

Day one:

1 ¾C orange juice

¾C dark rum or brandy

2T orange rind, grated

                        Bring to the boil. Remove from heat.

500g currants

500g raisins

2C sultanas

2C dates, chopped

150g crystallised ginger, chopped

150g mixed peel

150g glace cherries, halved

                        Add to above and leave to soak overnight.

Day two:

½t vanilla essence

¼t almond essence

2t lemon rind, grated

1C blanched almonds

                        Add to above and mix well.

2 ½C high grade flour

½t baking soda

1t cinnamon

½t ground nutmeg

                      Sift into a bowl.

250g butter

1 ½C brown sugar

2T treacle

                      Cream until light and fluffy.

5 eggs

                       Add, beating well after each addition.

                      Fold in sifted ingredients alternately with

                     fruit mixture.

Line a deep, square 23cm tin with two layers of brown paper followed by one layer of baking paper. Spoon mixture into tin. Bake at 150°C for 4 hours or until inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave in tin until cold. Wrap in foil or ice cake and store in a cool place.

Festive Food

J11 carefully sculpted Mary and Baby Jesus out of almond icing to go on top of a mini Christmas cake. It is quite hard to create somthing out of icing and then get it to stand up and dry without the head or an arm falling off!!! But the end results can be rewarding.

Most of us are icing cakes….while M5 uses the Christmas-cookie-cutters to make biscuits.

J13 and J11 sculpted Joesph, Mary and Baby Jesus. We made them stand up using   tooth-picks.

Here we are mixing fruit mince. Even E-R18m can mix!!! Isn’t she soooo cute!!!

Here are two of last year’s photos; a fruit mince pie and the cake. 

 

We’ve got this year’s cake made and iced, but not photographed yet. And we’ve made the pastry and fruit mince, but haven’t put them together yet. At least they won’t all be eaten by Christmas-Day!

The meaning of the CANDY CANE

1. Look at a candy cane right-side-up and you will see the shape of a Shepherd’s crook. Jesus is our Good Shepherd.
2. If you turn a candy cane up-side-down you have a J, J for JESUS.
3. The stripes on the candy cane stand for when Jesus was flogged. 
4. The white stands for purity. Jesus never sinned and so he was pure.
5. The red stands for the blood that was spilt when Jesus was nailed to the cross, even though he did nothing wrong.
6. The green stands for Jesus everlasting love, He was nailed to the cross to forgive ALL of OUR sins because he loves us so much. It also stands for eternal life, like an evergreen tree is always green we can live with Jesus for eternity.

Isn’t that great!!!!

CHRISTmas is coming!

In our family we have a few traditions; 

one of them goes like this:

1st December

• Set the Christmas tree up
• Discover what our new decoration is (we get a new dcoration every year – Mama writes our name and date on it, and when we leave home we will be able to take all our own ones with us to start our own tree!)
• Decorate the house
• Listen to Christmas music (we do this every morning in December)
• Start our advent calenders
• We also have a 3D puzzle which pictures Mary, Joesph and Baby Jesus. Mum always hides Baby Jesus, then on Christmas day she puts Baby Jesus into the puzzle.

T3 is convinced that the “Cwismas twee” should be packed down every day!!!