A New Year.

This year, I want to be Present. I want to look away from the screen a little more, focus on the here and now, absorb the moments I might otherwise miss.

This year, I want to be Patient. Things take time, sometimes lots of it, and while I know this there are occasions when I forget. I want to take a lot of deep breaths, let frustrations pass and be a little easier on myself.

This year, I want to be Passionate. I want to make time to figure out what really drives me, what ignites that spark that pushes me forwards. I have goals and ambitions and I want to truly realise which ones I can give my all in pursuing.

Lots of P-words! Calling 2016 the year of P doesn't sound quite right, however. Coincidentally, P is the 16th letter of the alphabet! I guess my hopes for this year are appropriate, haha! Along with my 30 before 30, this is what I'm working towards in 2016. I'd love to know what goals, resolutions or plans you've made for this brand new year.

Love, K.

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.