Hurray tonight we will get together and celebrate Christmas eve!
A gift from us to you.
We have made our own Cristmas crackers this year!
This idea comes from one of the blogs we always read.
Did you know that many people suffer from Christmas stress?
In Catalonia, as well as in the rest of Spain and in most of Italy and Southern France, the traditional Christmas decoration is a large model of the city of Bethlehem, similar to the Nativity scene.
The Catalans have added an extra character that is not found in the manger scenes of any other culture. In addition to Mary, Joseph, Jesus the Shepherds and company, Catalans have the character known as the Caganer. This extra little character is often tucked away in some corner of the model, typically nowhere near the manger scene, where he is not easily noticed.
There is a good reason for his obscure position in the display, for "caganer" translates from Catalan to English as "pooper", and that is exactly what this little statue is doing — defecating. The one who finds his whereabouts wins a coin!
If you would like to know some more come and visit us in Barcelona or....
We found some more info on Christmas in Barcelona here in this blog.
We spend our Sunday wrapping Christmas presents.Noite feliz! Noite feliz!
O Senhor, Deus de amor,
pobrezinho nasceu em Belém.
Eis na lapa Jesus, nosso bem.
Dorme em paz, ó Jesus.
Dorme em paz, ó Jesus.
Noite de paz! Noite de amor!
Tudo dorme em redor,
entre os astros que espargem a luz,
indicando o Menino Jesus.
Brilha a estrela da paz.
- one or two bottles of red wine (as preferred)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 and 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 dozen cloves
- 1 cup raisins
- 2 dozens almonds
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- orange peel
- a touch of brandy
Add the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, raisins, nutmeg, almonds and orange peel, stirring until all the ingredients are mixed together and the sugar is diluted.Pour the red wine in a stainless steel pot.
Warm gently, stirring occasionally, but do not boil, otherwise the alcohol will evaporate. Add a touch of brandy for a greater aroma and garnish it with more orange peel or cinnamon. The glögg is ready!
Pour it in seasonal Christmas cups or mugs and make sure there are spices in every cup, they will keep the aroma longer while you are seeping the tasty drink. Be sure that the glögg it is served steaming hot
Reindeer names
are quite confusing.
Yet, rhyming names
can be so amusing.
Here's a short poem
to help you remember.
The best time to repeat this
is in mid-December.
There are eight names to repeat,
and we'll start with the first.
This name is like running
in short little bursts.
It's Dasher the reindeer,
the fastest of all,
a quick tiny reindeer,
but not very tall!
There is Dancer
the danciest dancer of all,
dancing about
and having a ball!
And Prancer like Dancer
prances all day,
driving elves crazy,
but what can they say?
While Vixen plays tricks
on all the reindeer,
Mix'n their sleigh bells
and having no fear!
Don't forget Comet
with a smile all the while,
you can see the teeth glow
from even one mile.
And Cupid the dreamer
who day dreams the most,
waiting for Christmas
and Holidays roasts.
Donner is jumping
about on the snow.
Eager for Santa
and the reindeer to go!
Finally, Blitzen with mittens
of gold lace and holly,
is happy, and zappy
and oh, so jolly!
Oh, yes don't forget Rudolph
with that nose red and bright,
shining his nose
through the thick of the night.
from : http://www.merry-christmas.com/stories-poems/kstory4.htm
Tried and tested by us from vonblum a quick and easy Christmas Recipe
Bring out the spirit from the past and read with friends and family!
Make gift tags for next year's presents.
Scan your favourite cards into the computer – and some of your favourite messages from inside the cards as well – and make them into a Christmas wallpaper or screensaver with a photo program.
Make a collage out of the nicest one and laminate them into nice table sets for next years Christmas season.
What do you do with the cards? We would love some more ideas...
17 days left to Christmas eve
Today St. Nicholas' day is celebrated in many countries.
You don't have to get the paper and scissors out
If you thought you had heard all jingle bell versions,
In the Middle Ages and later, branches of mistletoe were hung from ceilings to ward off evil spirits.
In Europe they were placed over house and stable doors to prevent the entrance of witches.
Kissing under the mistletoe is first found associated with the Greek festival of Saturnalia and later with primitive marriage rites.
In Scandinavia, mistletoe was considered a plant of peace, under which enemies could declare a truce or warring spouses kiss and make-up.
21 days to go
Vanillekipferl 
Tomorrow its official its the first of December!
Today walking around the area, we thought that:
It has been a week since our last post. 
birdhouses are spaces prepared for birds to nest in and protect them from the winter cold.
There are many things to be considered when putting them up, such as their position and material to be used.
Why are we talking about birdhouses? No we haven't gone cuckoo
As we get closer to the details in the vonblum space and start considering which kitchen utensils are needed, the heights of counters, position of lighting, colours of the space... we thought of how a birdshouse has to be inviting to its "guests" - so that it will be chosen and used.
One thing lead to another and we decided to add some as decor in our space.
come by when we open up & peep....
If you clench your eyes a bit and sprinkle some imagination over this drawing you can see what vonblum will be like in some months from now.
A short trip to Paris, where it seems winter is closer than it is in Barcelona, and our kitchen is looking more and more like a reality. We talked to our chef, and friends who have a wealth of experience to share, and things are on their way! Organising our kitchen and bar space, designing our menu, and trying to make financial sense of the matter, is a lot harder than it seems. But with a lot of research, hard work, and a little help from our friends, the final results will soon be available for you to see.
We joined in on the fun - and thought you might want to as well 
As many of you know, we are located in Barcelona. To be precise, the space is located in one of the famous Eixample corners ( 45° corner blocks known as chaflanes)
When in Holland we where not only inspired by all the great designers and fantastic products we found, but also by the characters of Jip and Janneke.
While we are still going through all the information received during Eindhoven's Dutch design week.
The future vonBlum cook came to Barcelona for a few days. In between discussions on the width of fridges, the position of grills and other architectural titbits, we strolled through the city in search of inspiration and ideas.
The next step is starting on the official website. This entails, among other things, starting thinking about our menu, the lovely things we want to sell in the store, the people who are going to be contributing to things, and how to put it all together. It helps, in our impatience to see the place open, to be able to start on some concrete stuff like this.
What ideas do you have? What things would you be tempted to buy while having a coffee, or light lunch?
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