Thursday, May 31, 2012

travel/day one

here are some pictures of our time so far, as told by the iphone + instagram.


waiting waiting waiting



airplane fun. (she did SO good)

laughing with great-grandma sally.

snuggle/peet's coffee time with grandma maile.

3am baby jet lag

4am baby jet lag

6am swim


 all you can eat sushi for lunch, and in n out for dinner on that magical first day.


get ready for some more american adventures!

Monday, May 28, 2012

u s of a

tomorrow morning (very bright and early) we begin our journey to California. we couldn't be more excited! though clay and I our seasoned travelers, this will be little misses first ever plane ride (minus the one while she was still womb-side).

expect some sun shiny updates soon!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

oh, the places you'll (breast) feed!

some people say its weird.
some say it's a need.
i say, i don't mind, when & where i (breast) feed!





i feed her when she's hungry,
(she sure does eat a lot)
even if that when & where, is in a parking lot!


there are times that i am tired, 
i need a latte with an extra shot!
so, of course, that when & where HAS to be a coffee shop.



there are times that she is hungry, 
but wants a lovely view.
so we go out to the sea side and enjoy the waters blue!


sometimes when i am hungry, 
she gets hungry too.
so we both eat at a restaurant, to get our yummy food!


this one time it was noisy, 
there was a great crowd around!
so at the Africa day celebration, under her dark poncho was she found.


one day she was feeling fancy 
(she's treated like a queen!)
so that day she ate outside a castle, on the grasses green.



your baby eating when she needs, is not so hard you see.
as long as you're not picky about when & where you (breast) feed!

Saturday, May 19, 2012

on being willow worrells mother: month 1

being willow worrells mother means picking her up out of bed in the morning, as soon as I hear a stir, because I know that those few morning minutes are some of the sweetest of the day.

being willow worrells mother means to not take it personally when she pounds my chest with her fist and scratches it with her nails because I know that she is just excited about getting to eat.

being willow worrells mother means saying sweet things in her ear and rubbing her back when she is choking on her milk because I know that she worked herself up and thought she had to eat like it was her last meal.

being willow worrells mother means taking her into the shower with me because I know that she likes it more than a bath and she feels very grown up doing so anyway.

being willow worrells mother means giving her plenty of time to finish her poo business because I know that if I don't, accidents happen, and they are very embarrassing you know.

being willow worrells mother means learning how to do almost everything one-handed because I know that she has a low tolerance for being alone and also just likes to be apart of everything.

being willow worrells mother means making her smile and laugh by saying the same thing a million times over in a million different voices because I know that must be the funniest thing she has ever heard.

being willow worrells mother means being extra careful when I am holding her over my shoulder because I know that any minute she can launch off me with her hulk legs.

being willow worrells mother means loving all her quirky ways because I know that they are all a glimpse into the person she will become.

(i was inspired by this post over at nat the fat rat. i loved that her boy's first and last name was the same first letter (h), just like willow. so i wanted to do one too. thanks natalie!)

Friday, May 18, 2012

new toy

one day, while i was complaining of how difficult it was to peel, slice, and core an apple all with just a knife, my husband told me about this amazing contraption he saw on a television program. it does all three of those things with just a crank of a handle. "are you kidding? has it been invented yet?" i said. i was dumbfounded! how could such a thing exist and i not own it? after i wasted away hours of my life, peeling, coring, and slicing fruit all by my own two hands!?


anyway, i promptly took out my iphone and bought one off ebay. right there and then.
and since i got it (two days ago) i havent stopped using it. ive made two batches of apple chips, an apple pie, and i plan on making some apple butter in the slow cooker tonight.

apple pie
i used a pre made puff pastry roll for the crust and lattice. (pre-made AND puff? i know, the shame! but i already had it in the freezer). 
i put 1/2 cup butter, 3 tbs flour, 1/4 cup water, 3/4 cup brown sugar in a pot on the stove and let it simmer and thicken. 
then i used my fancy new toy on 4 bramley baking apples, stacked them in the pie dish so it was a little raised in the center. 
then i poured the mixture over the entire pie (slowly so it wouldn't spill).
i put it in the oven at 220C for 45 minutes.
then took a bite as soon as i could! and i must say, it was hands down the easiest, yummiest, ugliest apple pie i had that day. 

apple chips


ive seen some apple chip recipes our there with some kind of crazy sugar water soak nonsense, but i dont think its necessary. these are perfect just with a dash of cinnamon. slice em up and put them on some baking paper, sprinkle some cinnamon on top and put them in the oven on 130C for two hours. for as many apple chips that you see there, i used 8 "fun-sized" gala apples (27 of them for 3 euro at tescos!). so they shrink up a lot, but they are still so yummy.

and tonight, apple butter! i found this recipe on pinterest. cant wait to eat it on my toast in the morning!

any more apple recipes you want to send my way? im up for anything!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

ch ch ch changes

i used to think that when i had a baby, i would want them to stay tiny forever and ever. i thought that i would be saddened by them growing older. that i would want to hang on to the newborn stage.
but honestly, now that i have a baby, and i see how she is changing and how she is growing, i am loving every single stage. in fact, i am so looking forward to all her growing and changing!
i loved when she first smiled at me, because she recognized my face and knew me as her mother. that was a moment i remember waiting so impatiently for. and of course it came, and it came fast. but you know what? every time she smiles at me now, even though its often, it still feels like it did that very first time.




Thursday, May 10, 2012

passage east

last week (the ONE day that the weather permitted) i introduced willow to our sleepy little seaside village. of course, she was the sleepy one that day, so she didn't see much. but she did thoroughly enjoy being inside her cozy carrier, buried away in her mothers chest.
anyway, we enjoyed our walk about, and took some pictures for you to enjoy as well, since we realized that all of you haven't been properly introduced to passage east either!
world...passage east, co. waterford. (hello, hello, nice to meet you)


this drive down into the village has got to be my favorite part of living here. its like descending into an entirely different world, leaving every thing else on the top of that hill. 

(our house is in that row there. beachfront property!)
(oh, and don't get too excited by the word "beachfront" its not as prestigious here. unlike california)

(can you see it down on the right? i promise its there)

the church on the top of the hill has been converted into two apartments. they are amazing! who wants to move in?




the docks.



the chinese restaurant, and the two pubs. (count em, two!)

my favorite house in passage.


there is a ferry that runs to the other side of the river outlet. it goes to a town in co. wexford. this way cuts out like an hour of your journey.











its a pretty happening place to live. i mean, we have two pubs, a chinese takeaway AND a chipper. PLUS a post office! up and coming i tell you!
but seriously we are so blessed by this quiet little village. just the right place to start a family.
willow liked it. what do you think?