Mince Pies.

Oh mince pies, you are delicious. Forever the taste of Christmas and something I didn't like when I was younger but thankfully my tastes changed! Thousands of mince pies pulled fresh from the oven when I worked at a bakery, dusted with icing sugar and perfectly scrumptious, a memory I savour. Sadly, mince pies seem to be non-existent in this corner of the world. So I made some! Hooray, Christmas is saved!

Before this venture, I'd never made pastry before. I found this recipe for super, SUPER easy puff pastry and while I tweaked it a smidge, it worked perfectly. I used regular butter rather than European high-quality stuff and it came out quite nicely. I also decided to make pastry, which really adores being cold, on an almost 70-degree day. 70 degrees in December! Bonkers! Despite the warmth, it worked!

Rolling and folding the pastry is pretty theraputic. It starts off all crumbly and sticky and it all comes together so very nicely, uniform and square. Before I started rolling, I remembered I didn't have a rolling pin. Oops. One of Vi's tall bottles did the trick!

Once the pastry had chilled for several hours, I gave it another roll and used a glass to cut out circles. Yep, I don't have any cookie cutters either. Woefully underprepared to make mince pies! I bought my mincemeat, which I should mention isn't actually meat but a mixture of fruits and spices, at Walmart and plopped a dollop in the middle of each. I'd planned on making little parcels but open-topped pies were easier!

After about twenty minutes in a 350 F oven, the smell of warm, allspice-y fruity goodness wafting through the apartment, these little beauties had puffed up nicely and were ready for noshing! Well, after a little bit of cooling down and a generous splash of heavy cream!

Utterly delicious! I'll definitely be making another batch this Christmas, as well as some mince pie cookies (the jar of mincemeat is ginormous!). What festive favourites make it feel like Christmas for you?

Love, K.

Two Years In America.

It's pretty bonkers to think that I've been in the US for two whole years. The time has felt so full that it's flown by, even when the days and weeks have sometimes felt very long.

This last year has obviously been full of baby things but in terms of being here, in a different country, it's been about routine and feeling settled. The newness has gone, leaving behind a comfortable familiarity. I don't struggle with remembering which way to look as I cross the road or saying dates as month/day/year. More often than not, people don't comment on my accent either, which happened a lot during the first year. I feel like I'm sinking into the culture, that I don't stand out so much, which is much nicer than I thought it would be.

While I do feel like I'm making a home here, with S and V and the pup, I also find myself thinking about Home a lot, as in being back in England. It's been two years since I last saw my family and that's hard, especially as we're a pretty close bunch. I hope that one day we'll be heading back that way, until then I'll be enjoying everything America has to offer!

So here's to a successful two years, full of adventures. I'm looking forward to what this third year brings - I'm hoping for a nice place to live (as we're moving when our lease is up!), quality family time and lots of happy moments!

Love, K.

My Baby Is One.

The little lady woke up on a Monday morning, after a weekend full of cake and partying (heyooo!), to a living room full of tent, cards and prezzies. The tent was S' idea, somewhere to stash toys at the end of the day, though it hasn't quite happened like that since!

Her face was a picture, a total look of surprise and then realisation that this lovely lot was just for her. It took over an hour to get through this bunch and she loved every second of it, especially all the excellent tearing sounds the paper made.

We ate pancakes and burritos and even more cake that day. We took a little trip out for dog food, watched Peppa Pig and Skyped with Nanna and Grandad. She went to bed, zonked out from the fun (and all the goodies) and she wasn't a baby any more. She hadn't really been a baby for some time but turning One definitely made her a toddler.

She's opinionated, funny and weird. She dances to every jingle and song and her moves are awesome. She doesn't sit still, she never has, but now she's almost running and it's both hilarious and terrifying. She loves to be chased, to smush her face against ours for kisses and she takes great big bites out of everything she's offered. Baby V is now Little V and it's a change that happened so quietly and yet so all-at-once too.

My baby is one. A whole year. Crazy and amazing. Cramazing. Definitely should be a word!

Love, K.

One More Week.

There's something so relaxing about wrapping gifts, for birthdays or Christmas. The process of cutting and sticking, folding in corners and seeing the prezzies stacking up, ready for eager hands to tear into. It's exciting to think that in one very short week, we'll be celebrating V's first birthday, see her open her first gifts and cards, crack into a cake and officially be ONE. Exciting and a little bittersweet.

It feels cliché to say that the time goes so quickly, the years pass with frightening speed when you have a baby, but it's true. Over weeks and days you see this little creature, so small and dependent, grow and change with alarming speed. Within three weeks of taking her first steps, V was walking 90% of the time. Now she barely crawls at all, prefering to potter along beside us. Insaaaaane. She is constantly absorbing and learning, every week a new expression, gesture, a different word understood. She's gone from needing to be held all the time to wanting to be down, running, playing, away from Mumma (but not too far!). She's a happy child and that makes us happy.

I don't look at her and see a little baby any more, although as my own Mum said "She will always be your baby!". I see a rambunctious, noisy, often sticky child who is full of beans, smiles and life. She loves to play, bringing us teddies to cuddle and her toy phone - I've never had so many conversations! The time may fly but her energy, her spirit, keeps me young, wanting to play and smile and giggle with her. She is beautiful and weird and awesome and though she's not a baby any more, I'm holding off on her official 'toddler' title until her birthday.

Love, K.

Eleven Months.

So, my kid is one month away from being a whole year old. I'm fairly sure I must be calculating that wrong because there is simply no way, nuh uh, that V is almost a year. Seriously. It's beyond crazy that so much time has passed since she was born.

In terms of awesomeness, this little bean has absolutely killed it in the last month. She can shake her head for 'no', clap her hands and, guys, she's a walker! Well, more of a half-walker, half-staggerer, but she's taking more and more steps all by herself every day and it makes my heart burst with pride. V actually took her first steps while I was Skyping with my parents so they got to see, which was particularly rad. She stretches her arms out and up towards me as she oh so confidently wobbles forward. It's so so so so great.

She doesn't hate her carseat quite so much but doesn't love long journeys, either. She will eat pretty much anything put in front of her, although she's not keen on scrambled eggs or butternut squash. She will eat cheese like it's going out of fashion and adores Marmite on toast. And she has not one, not two, but THREE glorious teeny tiny teeth! Finally with the teeth! They are impossibly cute and wickedly sharp. She's learning that people aren't for nibbling, slowly.

V is the giver of hugs and kisses and most snuggly of snugglers. Her affection for us grows every day and she's figuring out different ways to show it, which usually involve some face-smooshing. Adorable! She's also the screamiest screamer and doesn't like to be told no, you can't eat the dog's treat or dunk your hand in Mumma's hot coffee. We are slightly more deaf and have had a few more giggles due to the yelling. She's lucky she's so dang cute!

I've got one more month of my precious bub being a baby before she is a toddler, as I'm pretty sure she will be toddling well by then. I don't feel sad that she's getting older, as she is so much more exciting and interesting with every day that passes. I'm looking forward to her birthday party, to her first pair of proper shoes, to her first proper sentence. It's all waiting for us and the journey to each stop is, quite simply, the best.

11 months, my baby girl! Here's to the 12th being the funnest one yet!

Love, K.

A Little Of Life Lately.

We don't do busy round here at the moment.  We do relaxing inside, away from the unbearable sticky heat of the sun.  We do mornings full of giggles and quiet afternoon naps.  It's a blessing really, one I should be more thankful for, even though I'm half-desperate for the lull to end.  I love the peaceful days but I'm also rather fond of the busy ones, especially when they involve fun outings and not sweating as soon as I walk out of the door.

One thing I am especially happy about is the butt-load of reading I've been doing.  S got me a Kindle for my birthday and, while I do consider myself a bit of a book purist, (I mean, there's nothing like reading an actual book, is there?) I cannot fault e-reading.  The sheer number of books available at my fingertips is seriously staggering and there are so many freebies to browse I don't have to worry about my bank balance.  I've easily read more in the last month than I have in the past six and that makes me happy.

I have about 60,000 pictures just like this on my phone.  V has officially mastered the art of the reverse-Myspace-selfie.  She loves to play with the camera and I love looking through all the weird, blurry, chubby pictures she takes of herself and the ceiling.  I'll admit sometimes it weirds me out that V will grow up surrounded by technology.  But I do adore her photographs.  Snap on, little one!

I've also relaxed a little lately when it comes to V and food.  Okay, so we all know that when a bub is learning how to eat, mess will ensue.  I was prepared for mess, just not the level of mess V creates!  Food will go everywhere and this little miss doesn't like being washed.  I was holding back a bit with giving her messy foods because she hated being cleaned up so much but now I give her all sorts and dunk her in the bath afterwards.  Hates being washed, loves the bath.  Go figure!  It means this messy monster is trying so much more in terms of food variety and I've got peace of mind knowing she's enjoying herself during her meal and after it too!

A little of our lives lately.  Some reading, some pictures, a whole bunch of food.  Grubby hands and smiling faces.  It feels pretty good to be where we are right now.

Love, K.

Ten Months.

This little goof is double digits! Whaaaaat! It feels like each month is zooming by more quickly than the last and V is changing and growing daily. It's incredible to see, a tiny bit heartbreaking and a whole lot of fun.

We are all about self-feeding now and while V loves yoghurts and oatmeal still, she's really not keen on being spoon-fed. And as she's yet to figure out spoons, her diet is mostly food she can stuff in her mouth. She loves avocados and nectarines, buttered toast, all kinds of pasta, tuna and potatoes. She hasn't refused anything yet and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she won't for a long time! As of yet we're still toothless but I'm hopeful for at least two by the time she's 11 months!

This babe is constantly full of beans, always on the go. I get a workout playing with her and chasing her as she scoots about. She loves being able to move herself around and she's so fast! A couple of times she has balanced while standing by herself and done a baby-squat, which makes me think that the first few steps might not be so far off! She chases Pearl, dances at every opportunity and has even started 'singing' along with her favourite songs. So cute!

V is chatty, fun, adventurous and gorgeous. She makes me laugh every day with her smiles and giggles and my heart grows more than I thought it ever could. She babbles all the time, with sounds that are transforming into words. We've almost mastered 'doggy' and she'll quite happily answer 'yeah!' when I ask her if she wants a snack or to read a book. She covers us with kisses and snuggles Pearl so sweetly I could melt. She's exciting and weird and the best kid ever.

I'm thrilled to be the Mumma of this little girl. Ten months have gone so quickly, so our priority is making the most of every day! Happy Ten Months V!

Love, K.

Oh, September.

{From Autumn last year}

As much as I love the summer months, the long days with nothing but blue skies and sunshine, it gets to a point where I have simply had enough. The end of summer isn't a negative for me any more, but rather an easing of the seasons into a cooler, more comfortable atmosphere, with changing colours and brisk breezes and cardigans. Ahh, cardigans!

I know it'll be a few weeks still until I'm even considering pulling out the layers but knowing that it's just around the corner makes my heart happy. It means longer walks with the pup and the babe, more time outside when it isn't blazing hot, cups of coffee that aren't laden with ice. It means the leaves will start to turn and crisp and crunch beneath our feet. It means peace from the thrum of the air conditioner and baking bread and hopefully a pie or two.

September used to be a return to school, the start of the cold days and dark afternoons. Now I'm appreciating it a little bit more for all the goodness it brings!

Love, K.

Reflections.

{These guys are my best guys}

This time last year, I was in a bit of a funk. I was super pregnant and moving to a place I didn't really want to go to. Our first night in our new apartment was spent listening to fire engines roar along the main road and hosing the place down in roach spray. I woke up on the morning of my 26th birthday on my own, as S had the early shift, and waited for the cable guy to come and set us up. I made breakfast, walked the dog and had a little cry, wondering what on earth was going on with my life.

Things got better, much better, as they inevitably do. We had our beautiful little bub, moved from the noisy but convenient apartment to family-friendly suburbia and we were all happier. We still are. It's wonderful to look back and find ourselves in a much more positive place, with a future that is looking even brighter for us.

I'm grateful that tomorrow, when I wake up as a 27-year-old, I'm where I want to be. I'll have a hundred snuggles with V, who will no doubt want to wriggle away and adventure. I'll wake up with S, who has the day off. I'll get puppy kisses from my favourite pooch, eat mac and cheese and cake and be content. I won't forget what things were like this time last year, which simultaneously feels so recent and so distant. I won't forget all the memories we've crammed into these 365 days, both the good and not-so-good. I'll look forward to the next year, the start of a new challenge for myself and another million memories to make.

Here's to year 28 and everything it brings!

Love, K.

A Day At The Park.

It was one of those outings that started out rough and got a million times better. We packed our whole family into the car with plenty of snacks, water, toys and a baby on the verge of napping. We were foolishly optimistic, thinking we could pop into the city, grab some lunch and make it back to Liberty State Park while V slept, waking refreshed and ready to play. She fought sleep the entire journey, wailing as we drove back into NJ. We made a stop at a park close by, thinking we could change our plans a little, only to be met with a 'No Dogs On The Grass' sign. I huffed back to the car, put grumpy V back into her car seat and considered calling it a day and heading home.

Then V fell asleep. Peace enveloped us. We regrouped, headed for our original destination and had the best afternoon. It's rare that we get these little pockets of time just to spend relaxing and hanging out as a family, due to work commitments and other gumph like appointments, laundry and grocery shopping. We made the most of it and it was awesome.

So, V hates the feeling of grass on her feet. She braved it in an awkward dash from the blanket to my lap and decided, rather vocally, that she wouldn't be put back down! We ran around with Pearl until she was tuckered out, watched her chase butterflies and lounge in the shade. We had so many snuggles, enjoying the breeze ruffling our hair and took an epic family selfie.

 I should add that I didn't realise V had stuffed her hand down my shirt until I looked back at the pictures. But I love this photo, of all of us. Our little family, which I'm so proud to be a part of, which I utterly adore. 

I can't wait for so many more days spent like this, with these pictures and memories and that happy, exhausted feeling as the day draws to a close. My favourite kind of day.

Love, K.

Nine Months.

It's official - Miss Serious Face over here is nine whole months old! Whaaaaat?? It truly boggles me just how quickly time is passing, how the days that sometimes feel so very, very long have suddenly built into three-quarters of a year.

These days, Vi is a blur. She figured out how to crawl one Friday afternoon and since then, there's been no stopping her. She scoots about, chasing after Pearl, pulling herself up to standing and 'cruising' along the furniture. It's amazing just how quickly she's progressed, from shuffling around slowly to zooming along. Her little legs are so strong and I know it's just a matter of time before she lets go of the sofa and takes those first steps!

Vi's confidence has grown in leaps and bounds as she's become more independent. She's happy to play on her own, explore her home and come back for cuddles when she's ready. It's awesome to see her grow like this, to feel comfortable being away from Mumma a little. It's clicked for her that being apart doesn't mean forever and that she can always make her way back to me when she needs to. It gives us both a break and makes our snuggle time much more special!

This little one eats like a champ and will scoff down anything I give her! She's developed a real liking for rice porridge in recent weeks and while she still prefers sweet flavours (banana for life), she definitely enjoys more savoury tastes too; mashed potatoes with cheese, chicken and vegetables and an old favourite, avocado, are all still on the menu. Plus, very exciting, Vi really enjoys feeding herself now too! Rice cakes, crackers and little pieces of fruit and veg are easy for her to pop in her mouth and enjoy. We're still waiting on that first tooth though!

Nine months. Soon ten, then eleven, then one whole year. It's all happening impossibly fast and it's so exciting and wonderful and I'm holding on to every minute of her little-ness that I can.

Happy 9 Months baby girl!

Love, K.

About Them Goals.

I like to think I'm a pretty focussed person, particularly when it comes to things that are important to me. Writing a list of goals has been a January ritual for the last ten years and an important one, too; it gave me something to strive for, something to look back on come December and something that, in moments when everything got hectic or stressful, gave me focus.

This January just passed, two months after becoming a Mum, preparing for a move to a new apartment, I still wrote those goals with the hope that I could find a moment here or there to push my way through them. I look at that list with August just around the corner and I realise that achieving them all just ain't gonna happen, not this year. And I'm okay with that.

It would be easy to beat myself up over not retaining that focus this year. But when I look at how I've spent my time and where my attention has been instead, I have to cut myself some slack; it's going to take a moment or two for me to get up to speed again and I have to wait a little while longer for that moment, that focus, to return. It doesn't hurt, however, to give myself a little nudge in the right direction.

I turn 27 this year. That means I've got three more years until I hit the big three-oh and you know, I've always fancied doing one of those '30 before 30' things. So on my birthday, I'll be starting a new challenge and tucking my '10 Things' away. I'm excited, taking time to really think about what I'd like to accomplish, for myself and for my little family. Having three years to complete it takes the pressure off a little, too!

Here's to the end of July, to the start of August and to some serious thinking, planning and awesomeness!

Love, K.

Tea And Crumpets.

Crumpets are one of my favourite foods.  I didn't realise that until I had made the voyage across the pond and discovered that crumpets, essentially, didn't exist in America.  And, you know, for a while I didn't even miss them.  There were so many other, delicious, exciting new foods to try that they simply slipped my mind.

Fast forward to a couple of days ago.  We three are out at Trader Joe's, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over cookie butter and artisan fruit pies and the most gorgeous punnets of cherries when out of nowhere, these crumpets appear.  I may have done a little happy dance in the shop.

For those who haven't had the pleasure of eating a crumpet or two, the closest thing I can think in comparison is an English muffin.  They have that same light, doughy, toothsome texture.  A bit of chew with each mouthful, deliciously dissolving in buttery goodness.  I've no doubt there is some debate over exactly how to eat your crumpets.  I personally like them well-toasted, with a bit of crunch, and a spread of butter.  Perfect and simple.

It may seem a bit much to write a whole post about crumpets (which, by the way, absolutely must be eaten with a cup of tea).  But these little bready wonders were a taste of home, which sometimes seems really very far away.  It's a bit of nostalgia, as they remind me of cold mornings before school and Sunday brunches, my Mum toasting piles of crumpets for us all to eat around the kitchen table, listening to Radio 2.  They are comfort food, pure and simple, and the best kind of it!

It's nice to know I have a little slice of England in my fridge, ready to be thrown under the broiler when I fancy it.  I can't wait to introduce them to Vi when she's old enough for a nibble and I'll be stashing some away for chilly winter mornings too.

What foods bring back memories for you?

Love, K.

Eight Months.

My bub is two-thirds of a year old!  I can hardly believe it.  We've found ourselves in a rather nice little routine which tends to make the days feel like they're flying by.  The routine is good, but the rapid passing of time, not so much.

It's been a month of firsts for this little bean.  She fed herself for the first (and, as of yet, last!) time, she got her first owie when she bumped her head and managed to pull herself up so she was standing without any help!  Her first word was definitely Dada, which she now associates with S; if he calls me, she'll start saying 'Dadada!' and smiling when she hears him on the phone.  It's so cute!  Possibly my favourite first - Vi can now say Mum!  I'm not sure she knows it's me quite yet, but it makes my heart happy every time I hear her little voice calling 'mumumum'.  And not forgetting, she learned how to wave this month too!  Such a clever clogs!

Vi is getting much better at settling herself down to sleep.  It's a relief in some ways, knowing that when she's tired she can make herself comfortable and drift off rather than needing to comfort nurse.  She still loves to be held while she's sleeping and I admit I do love the naptime cuddles.  She still has some separation anxiety, which has been exacerbated by the fever she had a few days ago; feeling unwell made her extra clingy and wanting me all the time, so everything else got put on hold for a little while and we had lots of snuggles, read lots of books and watched a whole heap of T.V. curled up on the sofa together.  She's such an active little creature, so it was weird to have her be so still and wanting to rest all the time.  She's feeling much better now though, and we're hoping that a tooth may appear in the next few days.  Watch this space!

She is, more often than not, a blur these days.  Getting a picture of her in focus is a task!  Vi is a happy, chatty, interested-in-everything kid who I've no doubt will have me chasing after her.  She loves Pearl and is always trying to stroke her.  She laughs at silly noises and funny faces, she gives awesome cheek kisses that are significantly less drooly (woo!) and she still wakes up smiling every single day.  I'm so excited to see what she'll learn over the next month, how she'll grow and change and become even more amazing than she is now.  I both can and can't wait!  Happy 8 months baby Vi!

Love, K.