Lately....

Hi!

Holiday is over.  (that's sad :-( ) which means I have to wait for the next season bring break.

Why too quick?

We celebrated the Easter with a festive mood at home. Of course the Polish way! Eating loads of Polish sausages (kiełbasa). Good thing though, I bought homemade ones. And if you ask me if it is yummy? oh boy! I LOVE IT! homemade ones are the best. Definitely one I'd recommend eating than the ones sold in the market. Other than the kiełbasa's, Polish prepares the best ham in town, boiled eggs, some painted and decorated ones and lots of sweet treats. So, imagine how many calories I consumed the entire holidays. 

*geesh! PULLS HAIR!

Anyways, here what's gotten into me lately........

Decorated the house with this Easter eggs and bought fresh flowers.

Prepared the children's Easter basket for church blessing. Oh yeah, one of Polish tradition is to bring the Easter basket to church and have it blessed by the priest. Usually, you have to put your Polish kielbasa, eggs, bread, salt, pepper and ham.

Our Easter bunnies! Ready to mingle for the Easter party at home.

But, it snowed like crazy on Easter day.

I managed to go for a walk ( which is a usual routine for me )amidst the snow storm that day.

Baked cheesecake for Easter lunch with the family. I am not a fan of cheesecake though but family love it.

Just when the snow melts my daughter wants a levitation pose. So, I took one and she likes it! She really wants to fly. Who would want to right?

This is what I love about the Polish cementeries, they love to decorate the graves according to seasons and sometimes it's like a garden of flowers.

And what's with this road sign? Careful with a girl bringing a giant lollipop? Oh no! i like Polish roadsigns. They are hilarious sometimes. That makes think of collecting and taking more pictures of Polish road signs.

This one! Man: I'm going to get you! ha ha ha! girl : huh huh huh! I have to run for my life!!!Runnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!! 

A neighbor's red door that always caught my attention.

And my two little ones, enjoying the (hopefully) last snow.

How was your Spring/Easter break? Hope you had a great one.


P.S. Sewing post will follow soon.

Donut's day! Fatty Thursday in Poland

Today, here in Poland, is the day where most people will eat their hearts out with donuts or other fatty sweety foods.

Yes! that is one thing I notice with the Poles, they like to eat fatty foods particulary this pączki or donuts.  

This is the time of the year where donuts are all sold out. So, you have to go the bakeshops as early as you can to get the best and freshiest donuts.  I am not a donut eater you know but hey for the sake of Polish tradition, I have to celebrate with them .. eating donust paired with hot coffee.  

If you want to know why.....here is WIKIPEDIA to explain everything. 

Fat Thursday (German Fetter Donnerstag, Schmotziger Donnerstag, or in areas where carnival is celebrated Weiberfastnacht; Greek Τσικνοπέμπτη (Tsiknopempti) ; Polish Tłusty czwartek) is a traditional Polish, Greek and German feast marking the last Thursday before Lent and is associated with the celebration of Carnival. Because Lent is a time of fasting, the next opportunity to feast would not be until Easter. It is similar to, but should not be confused with, the French festival of Mardi Gras ("Fat Tuesday"). Traditionally it is a day dedicated to eating, when people meet in their homes or cafés with their friends and relatives and eat large quantities of sweets, cakes and other meals forbidden during Lent. Among the most popular all-national dishes served on that day are pączki or berliner, fist-sized donuts filled with rose marmalade, and faworki, French dough fingers served with lots of powdered sugar.

In Italy, Giovedì Grasso (Fat Thursday) is also celebrated, but it is not very different from Martedì Grasso (Shrove Tuesday). It is also similar to the Greek custom of Tsiknopempti (loosely translatable as "Barbecue Thursday"), which involves the massive consumption of charred meat in the evening of Thursday, ten days before the beginning of the Great Lent. In Spain this celebration is called jueves lardero, and in Catalan-speaking areas, dijous gras.

"Bizcochos" and "mona" on Fat Thursday in Albacete, Spain

In Albacete in central Spain, Jueves Lardero is celebrated with a square pastry called a bizcocho (see also Bizcocho (disambiguation)) and a round pastry called a mona.

In Rhineland (Germany) Weiberfastnacht is an unofficial holiday. The work at the majority of workplaces ends at noon. The celebration starts at 11:11am. In comparison with Rosenmontag there are usually no parades but the people wear costumes and celebrate at the streets. It’s a folkway on that day that women cut off the ties of men as a symbol of the men’s power. The men wear the blunt of their ties and get a Bützchen (little kiss) as compensation.

Happy Donut's day everyone!

Are your ready for Christmas?

Yes! ?

No, I'm not!

Few more days left and it's christmas once again . Yet our christmas tree is still not up. No christmas spirit hanged anywhere yet except that it keeps on snowing here now and that makes it more exciting to celebrate.

Here in Poland, people put up their christmas decorations just few days or weeks before christmas. I do not know why but they are accustomed to it. But they do put the christmas decorations that long till February. I do not find it weird though.

My first years here, I'm kind of surprise why on a September I could still not see any christmas decorations hanged all around. G explained to me that their culture is mostly not that so early on decorating for the holidays. However, they do celebrate christmas really that long. Even the christmas decorations in the church would be there till 6th of February. What I do really appreciate with the culture is how they do prepare theirselves as catholics, like going to confession before celebrating christmas. Other than that, buying gifts for each one in the household and to close ones are also very on top of their list. Of course, back home we do prepare gifts to the people we love. But what they really make sure of is that, they are prepared spiritually. It's one of the season of the year where priest here are really that busy welcoming people for confession. So expect a long queu in the confessional box. In which,I know we didn't practice back home before celebrating christmas.

They don't practice dawn massess here too and that made me missed attending the 9 dawn masses. But they do have here 'roraty mass'. It is an early morning mass too usually at 6 in the morning or sometimes at 6 in the evening. Most of the children who are attending rorate mass are bringing with them lighted lamp. So, it is so nice to see them going to the church wearing a winter clothes with lighted lamps with them. For brief explanation of that Polish tradition see this link ... ADVENT.

I never get a chance yet to attend rorate mass, for sure next year since my Izabela would be turning 3 years old then so she would be big enough to understand the meaning of such tradition and practice.

Whatever preparations and traditions we are practicing before christmas, one thing we need to understand and remember is that we are celebrating the big day of our saviour Jesus Christ. So, practices, traditions and prerations doesn't really matter as long as we are doing our share before the big day.

We may not have any christmas spirit yet all over our house and yet deep down inside me I always have that spirit to celebrate the birth of our Lord.

How about you did you prepare yourself already for big J's birthday? What is your gift for Him?

If you ask me if i'm ready...oh well, YES! It doesn't matter our christmas tree is not up yet but that my heart is ready and prepared to celebrate.

How about you?

First Communion decorating

My Polish bestest friend's son just received first communion two Sunday's ago. Prior to that day, there's huge preparation especially that the party would be just held at their home. I volunteered to hep in a little way i can like house decorating. So, I planned what to do and decorate. I tried to find inspiration since I haven't design a party like as serious as first communion for me its kind of formal and wholesome. Plus, i have to stick to one theme and color. So i tried to find some inspiration in the net though I have one idea in mind.

first inspiration I found is this...



and my very own design..

We stick to two colors, gold and white. Picture was taken at our home prior to transporting it to my friend's house.

Second inspiration is this....

My own version of that edible centerpiece is different since I couldn't find a styrocone here so I stick to all fruits and vegetable design. In which they all love. I took a pic but still in the other cam needed downloading. share it next time though.

So, I think I didn't get over with the design. Just a simple piece and something I can do at home with my kids. Hopefully, I'll be decorating and making a different one this time at my son's christening and that's going to be soon. Keep you posted anyway.

By the way, first communion here really calls for great celebration like a wedding feast. I like the Polish way of celebrating it with the child. They really welcome the child in the christian world. And when you say celebrating as in really huge celebration from child's hairdo, dress to wear, gifts and party and also that makes others exaggerate it.

Here's a pic of us congratulating my friend's son right after the ceremony...

It's grandparent's day today!

Grandparent's day today here in Poland. Actually, January 21st is Dzien Babci (grandmother's day) and 22nd of January is Dzien Dziadka (grandfather's day). Polish grandparent's day is a family events to honor grandparents with special celebrations.

Yesterday, we made grandparent's cake with Izabela. She had fun eating the icing while I am still doing the decorating thing. Today, we will be sharing it with the whole family. It would just be a simple celebration over a cake, cookies, tea and coffee.

To Babcia and Dziadek:

Z okazji Dnia Babci/Dziadka życzenia zdrowia, pomyślności oraz pogody ducha na co dzień przesyła

- Izabela

"who with wisdom and pride are always offering love and kindness, and who are always there to guide; who often make you feel so confident and strong; whose arms are always open no matter what you did wrong; who try to help out in every way they can; who love all their grandchildren the same whether you're a child, woman or man; who are always there to listen and to lend a helping hand; who show you respect and who try to understand".

Santa Claus is coming to town!

Oh my it's Friday. Love it!

Tomorrow is Dzien Swiętego Mikołaja (St. Nicolas day or Santa Clause day )here. Every children here awaiting this special day hoping to get gifts from Santa Claus. We will be playing Santa Claus to our little girl Izabela tomorrow. So tonight when she's sleeping, we will sneak our gifts for her. Exciting!

Exactly, Polish christmas holidays kicks-off with this occasion.

More info here:

In Poland, St. Nicholas -- Swieto Mikolaj -- is a saintly, dignified figure. He comes as a bishop in bright vestments, carrying a golden crozier that resembles a shepherd's crook, symbolizing, like shepherds with sheep, that the religious tend their flock of people. (Did you know candy canes originated as a symbol of a crozier? That's one story anyway.)

Descending from heaven with an angel helper, St. Nicholas travels on foot, on horseback or in a sleigh pulled by a white horse as he visits homes in the countryside.

Children are tested on their catechism and rewarded with chocolate-glazed, heart-shaped pierniczki or honey-spice cookies in the shape of St. Nicholas.

On Christmas Eve, children eagerly await the end of the wigilia supper so they can unwrap their presents and discover if they have received what they requested in letters to St. Nicholas.

That would be St. Nicolas day in Poland. Can't wait to see Izabela's reaction when she will be unwrapping her gifts from Santa. Prior to that, I kept on telling her stories about Santa Claus. That if she's naughty, Santa will not come and she will not have gifts. But if she is nice, she will receive loads of gifts from Santa :-) And she is looking forward for tomorrow. She truly understands.

I love the innocence of a child and it is nice to be a child again.

Hoo hoo hoo! Merry Christmas!

All Saint's & All Soul's Day in Poland

Here in Poland we don't celebrate halloween as everybody does in the western world, Trick or treats for kids, halloween parties and wearing of halloween costumes. Purely remembering of the dead loved ones and saints by offering a prayer and visiting them in the cementery. That's how Polish celebrate it.

When I tried to google around the net what is really All Saint's day in Poland and this is what I got ....

All Saints day goes by many names. Also known as Allhallows or Hallowmas, the first day of November is called Wszystkich Swiętych, or the day of the dead, in Poland. All Saints day is an ancient holiday celebrated by the Catholic church to commemorate saints. The day after All Saint's day, All Souls Day is set aside to pray for the souls who have yet to find their way to heaven. In Poland these two holidays are inetrixcably intertwined and have evolved into a national holiday during which the POlish celebrate and remember their loved ones as well as the saints. - www.ehow.com


When you want to participate in the Polish way of celebrating halloween, these are the instructions.

Step1
Participate in the tradition of Zaduszki, lighting candles at and visiting the graves of deceased relatives. The candles, znicze, of All Saints Day are uniquely designed to burn for hours to provide light to help the souls of the dead find their way. Cemeteries are also decorated with small lanterns. The metal covers of the lanterns help to protect the flames from the wind.

Step2
Bring fall flowers or wreaths to place on the graves. In Poland yellow and white chrysanthemums are traditionally used to decorate graves as are asters. Since the Polish wreaths and flowers of All Saints Day are nearly exclusively made of chrysanthemums, these flowers aren't used to celebrate more festive occasions. Kwiat and znicze (flower and candle) markets are set up outside the gates of some graveyards.

Step3
Join the silent crowds reveling in the lights. The thousands of candles lighting the cemeteries creates a glow which can be seen from far away. The large cemeteries of Krakow, Rakowicki and Salwator, are particularly populated on All Saints Day. Mausoleums of many famous artists and philosophers can be found in these cemeteries alongside the plots of many well established Polish families.

Step4
Ensure that prayers will be said for your loved ones by bringing Wypominki to a priest. Wypominki is essentially a piece of paper with the name of the deceased written upon it. Traditionally the paper has a black border and serves as a prayer intention or request.

Step5
Serve food to the poor. Tradition in many European countries, including Poland, is to set places for the souls of dead family members. Food is placed on the plates and set aside to serve to the poor.

So tomorrow, I will be doing all these. I love Polish way of celebrating the occasion. For sure, I will be enjoying watching the crowd and taking pictures around.

Wesołego Halloween!

My first taste of how Polish celebrates child's First Holy Communion

Couple of weeks ago, we attended First Holy Communion of my friends youngest daughter, Patrycja. For Polish tradition, the child's First Holy Communion is a grandiose event. I didn't expect it's that engrande! as we call it in my language. I was appalled (my word that best described the event) as to how they celebrate it. With much details to the child's physical outlook - dress, shoes & hairdo and to mention, extravagant reception. The occasion was a lavish affair with glorius polish foods and by the end of the day, left me bloating:-(

I appreciate how they celebrate another milestone of the child's life. We never had such celebration back in my country. It's a different tradition back home.

What is more exciting for me, is the gift giving. Most guest are bringing gifts for the child & parents too. That we don't have in my country. We can't receive gifts on such occasion nor celebrate it. Plainly come to the ceremony and go home:-)

Some days ago, we were watching a short documentary film as to how & what parents, families nowadays celebrate the occasion and much more, what they gave to their children. Although, they say back then, it was really like that...more festive like how they are celebrating weddings here. On a side note, weddings here are celebrated two days in a row with lots of drinking and merry making. It was like that. It seems now, the same way of celebrating but what I could not understand how parents spend a penny for buying gifts for their child. One child in the film was given the newest model trend or toy of children - scooter. Based from some reports, some gives the child a laptop, ipod or that the newest model of cellphone. On the contrary, it is not that practical and educative. Though, i could not blame them. Parents makes both ends meets just to provide the best thing for their children. I know of that now that i am a parent but there should be limits & goes with the child's capacity.

I truly appreciate as to how they welcome the child's catholic life but some just lavishly celebrate it and that spoils the significant of the ccasion.

Here's some pics of patrycja and her little guest, my daughter Izabela.