{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ Dec. 9, 2012

Have I really been AWOL since November 11??  Has it really been a month minus two days since I last posted anything?? Shame on me!

Let's just call it all {happy} this week.

Have you heard of "Stir-up Sunday"?  It's traditionally the last Sunday of the church year~ the Sunday before Advent~ in which English housewives stir up their Christmas puddings, a delicacy which normally has to sit for several weeks before being cooked for Christmas dinner.  There's a double meaning in "stir up":  In Anglican churches, the collect of the day is

Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

Hearing "stir up" on a Sunday morning at the end of November, women would be reminded that it was time to think about their Christmas puddings.  In Lutheran churches, the last few weeks' collects have begun with "stir up," so if we Lutheran women didn't notice it on Stir-up Sunday, we'd still be reminded in time for Christmas, though we might be scrambling a bit. :-)

I knew I would be busy on Stir-up Sunday, so I availed myself of Stir-up Saturday and mixed up my husband's favorite Christmas treat, fruitcake.  Not exactly a pudding, I know, but, like pudding, fruitcake needs to ripen for a few weeks as well, so . . .  Here are a couple pictures of this year's fruitcake~

 

 

This is a heavy, dense, not too sweet cake made all the heavier by the addition of half a bottle of rum or whiskey.  It's now well wrapped and sitting on my pantry shelves, awaiting Christmas Day.

 

 

 

There is a little gingerbread thing going on on my miniscule kitchen windowsill~

 

 



The ornaments were made by my grandmother, who departed this world a few years ago.  Remember when making things from felt was all the rage?  In the '70's I think it was . . . The little gingerbread bag was made by the director of the preschool where I taught about 20 years ago.  It's still as good as new!

Join Leila for some more {phfr} fun!