Stollen

Around this time, every year, I make my Oma's German Christmas cake. A savory bread/cake filled with raisins and candied fruit soaked in extracts. Oh how I wish you could smell it. The first sign of my most favorite holiday just around the corner.
My Oma Elisabet was one remarkable woman and its at Christmas time when I miss her the most.  What made her so remarkable is not just her survival during WWII and great strength to flee alone to Iceland with her three kids, but her very keen eye for beauty and capability to make something out of nothing.  She was always busy in the kitchen, sewing room or garage ... making things that would then delight her family, friends, neighbors and even journalist. 

 

Stollen baking would be a yearly tradition for her.  Whether it would be during the hardest of times or the best.  The hardest times would most likely have been during the war, where she would have to make due with what was available and walk with her Stollen to the bakery to have them baked there. Marked with her name, so as not to get them mixed up with the other women's Stollen.  And then her happiest years when all her kids and grand kids filled the living room for Christmas.  Her shelves filled with so many cookies, cakes and Stollen.  Always enough for her loved ones to stay and eat as long as their hearts desired.  Oma made Christmas !!! 

And so as she got older, one of the many things I feared missing when she would also be missed so dearly, was her Stollen.  I spent a whole Saturday with her, learning the right way to make Stollen. Oma's way.  There was no recipe, just her nose and magical touch.  So as I stood by her side kneading and listening, my husband wrote down "the recipe" for us to keep.

Here it is to you Oma ... it smells so sweet!!!

Remember moments sign

I'm pretty happy with the way my $4 piece of wood from the local thrift store turned out.  Reminding me this season to be grateful for every moment.  I did a little touch up on the paint.  Went from brownish colors to black and cream.  Stenciled the text with a paint pen - my new favorite craft item and added some fall colors for traditions sake.

 

There is always something to be thankful for

Three years ago, just about this time of the year,  I stumbled upon a touching true story of a young woman who was in search of happiness.  She had everything she needed to be happy, but she still felt down.  After she received some good advise she started a gratitude project called 365Grateful.  She was going to find something everyday for a year that she was thankful for and capture it with her camera.  I was very inspired by her photographs, actions and attitude.  So I tried it for 3 months.  Tried being aware of my blessing everyday.  It was not just an eye opener for me but a simple joy that now three years later I still reflect on.  But, there is a little problem.  I guess 3 months was not long enough for me to learn the lesson being taught.  You see, I am reflecting on the past.  Reflecting on what I once noticed instead of enjoying what is here and now... like the warmth of my sweater on this cold November day and the rare stillness in my office right now.  Or, the flower given to me just because I invited some dear friends over for dinner.   When I stop and give my self a moment to be thankful I see so many blessings that would otherwise go unnoticed.
So, whether you grab your camera, journal or a moment - notice something everyday that you can be grateful for.  Thus, I will now start my 365 day journey to awareness so I might hopefully learn a lesson I should have learned at least three years ago.

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