In Dublin's fair city...

...where the girls are so pretty/I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone/As she wheeled her wheelbarrow through streets broad and narrow/Crying "Cockles and mussels, alive a-live O!"

When I was growing up, my sister had a CD with children's tunes, and Molly Malone was one of them. So I learned to sing it, but had no idea where Dublin was, and absolutely no dream that I would one day visit that fair city and see Molly Malone's statue. Some of the Irish are a bit scornful of the whole thing, saying that the story was made up for the tourists, but it's interesting anyway.

The statue is a bit, shall we say, scantily clad, and we took scarves to drape over her, but when we got there, it was so incredibly busy, we couldn't even get close to it. So this picture was taken while walking and holding the camera over my head.

Anyway, back to chronological order. 

We got up early and went into the bakery at 5 instead of 6 so we could get done early. We left the bakery at 6:30 and were at the bus station for the 7 o'clock bus with 5 minutes to spare. Rebecca Yoder is on the far left of this picture, looking bright-eyed and a bit shell-shocked. She arrived here 2 months ago, and has been doing a lot of work in the shop. However, when my current bakery co-worker, Amy (middle in the pink coat), leaves, Rebecca will be my full-time co-worker. Amy will be leaving mid-October, so her time is quickly drawing to a close! I almost have her convinced to come back next summer and fill in for me when my family is here. Violetta is on the far right, looking much, much too awake. She's a teen girl from the community that I will be tutoring in Algebra. She went with us because she lived in Dublin for about 6 years, and knows her way around well. Plus we like her. :)

This poor Jelly Baby stood no chance once she decided to bite its head off (you have to do that first, you know, so you don't hear it yelling as you eat the rest).

 After our 3 hour bus ride, it was high time for coffee (or so I was told...some seem too awake already!), so Starbucks was our first stop.

We stopped for a few minutes and walked among the statues at the Famine Memorial. A sobering reality backed by opulent buildings and a thriving city. 

 A cathedral. I don't know which. They were having a funeral that morning.

The Samuel Beckett Bridge.

Trinity College campus. We walked around a bit on campus and looked at the statues and used the bathroom. We didn't see the Book of Kells because of admission prices and the long line that had already formed.

Dublin Castle.

Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin (there's one in Waterford too). Beautiful building.

By this time we had walked a very, very long way, and we were starting to get really worn out. And we had set our hearts on fish 'n chips. We saw several shops but some were closed, some were considered too "fast food", and others we just plain walked by (I don't know why). Finally, we settled on one and ordered food. This was a wondrous sight:

 After lunch, we did souvenir shopping. I found some neat things for my nephews, and several presents (for friends) that I'm saving for birthdays and/or Christmas. And then we found ice cream on a street crowded with vendors and performers. I got a black forest ice cream (chocolate ice cream with cherries mixed in). It was, as the Irish say, gorgeous.

Just look at that cheesy grin! :D I should also mention here that we got SO many stares as we were standing there eating that I suggested we allow people to take pictures with us and charge €1 each!

Last, but not least, the Spire of Dublin, otherwise known as the Monument of Light. Very tall (398 ft). And also an Irish flag got in there.

 And then we dragged our weary bodies back to the bus station and waited (and waited) for our bus to come pick us up. After a 3.5 hour trip home (yes, takes longer in the evening because it makes more stops), I crawled into my nice house and shook my toes out of my socks.

And that was the end of another adventure.
Thanks for reading!

Dad's 50th Birthday

I just realized that I completely forgot to post the promised pictures of my Dad's 50th birthday and the "letter surprise" we did for him. I'm so sorry if you've been waiting for it! Here it is.

For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about, I sent out a letter far and wide asking friends to write and send us a short letter describing a particularly vivid or favorite memory of Dad. Hannah and I (Hannah being my hands where mine couldn't be) put each memory in a separate envelope and presented them to him at his birthday party. The hope was to have 50 memories, and therefore 50 envelopes, because it was his 50th birthday, but I don't think we quite made it. I think the final number was closer to 35. Oh well.

I was able to attend the party via Skype so I can tell you I witnessed first-hand the awe and teary eyes he experienced when he realized what this stack of letters contained!

That's me, in my own little corner, on my own little chair, watching them eat the sumptuous feast laid before them by my mother, otherwise known as Kitchen Goddess.

I'm disappointed to say that we didn't get that many pictures of the actual letter opening (perhaps because it took nigh unto forever).

But there were sober moments:

 And moments filled with mirth as he remembered the incident and expounded on it for our benefit:

 Notice the stack of letters behind Sarah's hand to the left of the picture -- I ordered the envelopes online. I thought they added a neat touch because they have the red and blue airmail stripes on the edges.

I was told that a couple of weeks later, memories were still trickling in from people that hadn't gotten around to it earlier. I was also told (by Dad) that it was the best birthday he's ever had, and that all the letters were incredibly touching.

For those of you that participated, THANK YOU for helping make Dad's 50th birthday so special. I wish you could have all been there to witness it.

Quick Post

You may have noticed I haven't posted in a while. You may not have. In either case, it's been over a month, and I feel bad about it. And the longer I waited to write again, the more pressure was on the next post. And so I decided to write a very quick update and not really over-think it. And because today was such an amazing day, I just feel like I have to share it.

Wednesday is usually my day to work alone in the bakery. And because I work alone, I like to brainstorm about new things to introduce into the store. Today I decided on biscotti. I told my coworker, Becca, that I'm the only person that goes to find a recipe to try and ends up researching the history of the food item. To make a long story short, the Roman army used to make biscotti (plural of biscotto, which means twice-cooked, or twice-baked) because it was easy to carry and it lasted a long time without spoiling.

So, today I made three kinds of biscotti. I first made a cinnamon one. Before the other two kinds were done and I'd put them in the shop, the neighbor came in and bought all the cinnamon ones for the tea she was serving her guests.

I then made a chocolate walnut one. And then a lemon ginger one. And then another batch of the cinnamon ones. I made bright little signs advertising the new product, and left little plates of free samples out, and went home. When I came back 2-3 hours later, the chocolate and the lemon ones were completely gone. :D I love that feeling of success.

I and my coworkers also took a bit of a snack to the teachers who are currently toiling long hours to get their classrooms ready for next week. I enjoyed cutting out some bulletin board items for them, and then leaving it behind and not having to worry about it anymore! I also somehow volunteered to lead a girls' Bible study twice a month.

And then it was back to the shop because it was my turn to help close. We made pizza for supper, tried a new muffin recipe (Rocky Road) for the shop, and generally just had a good time.

Thanks for reading about a day in my life. :) I will just say again, since I haven't said it in a while: I love it here. I love Ireland. I love the baking, and I love that I'm feeling more at home in the shop and the bakery.

Next post (which hopefully is not a month away!): Dunhill Castle and Dublin day trip.

The Hills Are Alive...

...With the sound of music.

Friday, a group of girls (including me) decided they'd like to visit a cove and possibly go swimming since it's so hot here right now. But everyone else has the same idea. The beaches are packed.

But whispers were heard of another cove. A secret cove, that practically no one else knows about. All I heard was that you have to park at some point and walk the rest of the way because it's really remote.

Okay, no problem. I can handle a walk. We packed a picnic supper, piled into a van, and away we went! We drove on back roads that were no wider than my parents' driveway until we got to a small lane. The middle was covered in grass, and to try to drive on it would have been to kiss our van's oil pan goodbye. So, we parked, gathered our bags, and began our walk.

The hedges grew high on either side and blocked the steady breeze from reaching us. In the stillness, the flies found us and enjoyed a feast. Finally, we turned off the lane and crossed into a pasture.

And we walked. And crawled under or climbed over several fences in the process -- both electric fences and barbed wire fences. At least the fields were uninhabited.

Finally, we caught our first glimpse of the cove (of which I've forgotten the name...sorry!)

It was breathtaking. Or that might have been the walking -- either way, it was beautiful. There was a fresh water (not actually sure...I didn't taste it) stream flowing down into the cove. 

The tide was out, and some of the girls intended to swim. I just waded a bit since I didn't bring my swim stuff to Ireland with me. The water was mostly warm and the bottom was flat and sandy. Very pleasant. 

I found some treasures -- some limpet shells, and the top of a porcelain figurine.

After I waded for a few minutes, and collected some treasures, I went and sat on the big flat table rock there, and sang a few songs out of the songbook I'd brought along. Before long, the others joined me and we sang a few songs together -- the cove rang and our voices echoed back to us. Finally, we ate our picnic supper of wraps, veggies, fruit, and granola bars. After we ate, two of the girls decided to climb one of the grassy hills that made up one "wall" of the cove. It looked nearly vertical, but I didn't venture up myself, so I'm not sure.

All good things must come to an end, so finally we had to admit it was time to head back. We had quite the walk ahead of us. This time, the fields had herds of cows in them that stared placidly at us as we invaded their territory.

Back in the van and headed home, we met this sight:

There definitely wasn't room for us and them to be on the road at the same time, so what could we do but pull over and wait? They marched unhurriedly past while we admired them and remarked on how big they were! Some of them stopped and stared in the windows at us! The herdsman came behind, and we told him that we were admiring his cows and he remarked that we were welcome to some of them if we wanted them! I don't think he was serious....

And that is the tale of another Ireland adventure.

Oh, one more picture before I go.

This is one of the two abandoned kittens (about 4-5 weeks old, I think) I heard mewing piteously out on my driveway. I am most certainly my mother's daughter, so I rescued them. They are currently living in a cardboard box in my bedroom and dining well on canned cat food. I've named them Donna and Loki.

Thanks for reading!

A Quaint Town and God's Artwork

Two Mondays ago, while Amy (my co-worker), Susanna (new girl from Poland), Victoria (young local girl), and I were eating our Chinese food we'd cooked up for ourselves, I happened to mention that I hadn't been to Dunmore East yet this trip. And just like that, the plans were made and we were off.

We refer to the path along the coast in Dunmore East simply as "The Cliff Walk." All visitors to the area have to go on "The Cliff Walk" before they've really seen Ireland. And I'll admit, it's beautiful. But I'll stop writing now and let you decide for yourselves. Enjoy!

Looking over the edge!

An interesting rock formation.

Looking back towards the little fishing village of Dunmore East. This is a popular holiday spot, with lots of beach cottages for rent, and little cafés and shops.

Looking ahead, along the cliffs. 

Food Review: Kinder Surprise Egg

Time for another review! Are you ready? Today I have a Kinder Surprise Egg, which I've never seen in the United States. Want to know why?

They're illegal in the US! The US has a ban on any candy that has embedded toys, so these are not allowed because of the choking hazard. Google it if you want to know more...this is a review, not a research project! :)

Okay, Kinder Surprise Eggs are made by a German chocolate company ("Kinder" means "children" in German), and that German company is owned by an Italian company called Ferrero. Sound familiar? Notice the "k" is a different color than the rest of the word in the picture below. Remind you of anything?

The answer I was looking for was Nutella. If you haven't ever tried Nutella and you love chocolate, for the love of all things yummy, go buy some! Eat it on toast, bananas, fingers, whatever!! *ahem* So yes, Ferrero also makes Nutella, Ferrero Rochers, and Tic Tacs (and a bunch of other things I don't recognize).

Anyway, I've been dying (no pun intended) to try one of these, and I finally bought one today.

 The egg broke easily and evenly in half, which pleased my OCD tendencies greatly.

Smell: Chocolate-y! Yum!

Texture: Nice smooth chocolate -- good and rich (not just sweet)

Taste: A good chocolate taste - good quality. White chocolate and milk chocolate combined
Aftertaste: None

This product is a lot of fun! The chocolate is yummy for the adult in me, and the toy is seriously cool for the kid in me! Too bad I won't be able to get them when I move back home. Smuggling some with me seems like an option, but the fine, if caught, is $2,500 per egg....Good grief!

I feel like I need to give this candy two ratings -- one for the actual chocolate part and one for the toy. 
Chocolate: 8
Toy: 10 (Just because it's exciting to see what you'll get the next time!)

My scale from 1-10
1 - Kill it! Kill it with fire!
2 - Ew!
3 - Pretty gross
4 - Eh, wouldn't get it again
5 - Not sure
6 - Might buy again, if there was nothing else available
7 - Good
8 - Could see myself craving that
9 - Delicious
10 - Must. Have. More. NOW!


Thanks for reading! 

Routine and Processing

Life here has fallen into a routine. I still love the baking (good thing!). Today I was asked if I could make a dozen cheesecakes for a conference our church is hosting at the beginning of August. I'm looking forward to using the well-equipped bakery to do those, instead of doing them two at a time at my house like I did last Christmas! 

Some of you know that I had been pretty burned-out for the last year or so at home. I had a lot of work and not much processing time. I'm really feeling the change here. There's work, yes, but a lot of time on my own, thinking about life. I've been forcing myself to do creative things, like sketching and writing (both fiction and stream-of-consciousness journaling), for two reasons. The first is to get back in practice because I haven't worked on my projects in so long. The second is that I know from experience that these things will put my brain in a mode that will deal with issues instead of keeping them filed away for later processing. 

I hate when people talk about issues they're dealing with but are vague enough that you imagine the worst possible scenarios, so I'll try to fill you in a little. One is my feelings towards a person from my past. I thought I processed this one already, but my reactions would seem to show otherwise. One is my teaching. I went to school for two years to train to be a teacher and I burned out in two years. Did I do the wrong thing, or follow the wrong dream? Also, what does it mean for my future? Another has to do with what I believe about God, and my current relationship with Him. 

I would appreciate your thoughts and prayers in the coming weeks and months as I get some heavy-duty processing out of the way! 

Thank you for reading that slightly-on-the-side-of-awkward-and-overly-personal account of my current life. To ease the feelings you're probably experiencing about why you clicked on this link, here are some pictures and words about an adventure I had the other day. 

 This beautiful place is easily within walking distance of my house. It's called Ballygunner Temple. The grass is long and ripples like waves in the sea, and the foxglove is blooming brilliantly. I went with a lovely group of girls this last time, and had fun exploring, but I can't wait to go again by myself and take my journal.

 A cross stands silently amid the purple grass.

 It is a dignified and serene place despite that it is in ruins and is covered with ivy.

One last look past the wall -- old gravestones, blue flowers (type unknown), and the rolling green hills of my magical Ireland. 

Thanks for reading!

Food Review: Tayto® Milk Chocolate Bar with Cheese & Onion Crisps

I'm sorry I've been neglecting this review that I promised quite a while ago. In all honesty, I was scared to try the candy bar! It's been sitting on my coffee table just waiting ominously.

Anyway, I finally tried it! Here's what I think:

Smell: Has a chocolate-y scent...maybe more sweet than rich. Confused by an undertone of something savory.

Texture: Chocolate was smooth, but cheese and onion crisps are crispy - like potato chips. Could almost be gritty while chewing.

Taste: A good chocolate taste - decent quality (not Lindt, but not Palmer's either)
Aftertaste: Slight onion

If you like chocolate-covered potato chips, you'd probably like this candy bar. The cheese and onion add a bit of a new element to the salty addition of plain potato chips, but neither taste is overwhelming.

I'm giving this candy bar a rating of 6.

My scale from 1-10
1 - Kill it! Kill it with fire!
2 - Ew!
3 - Pretty gross
4 - Eh, wouldn't get it again
5 - Not sure
6 - Might buy again, if there was nothing else available
7 - Good
8 - Could see myself craving that
9 - Delicious
10 - Must. Have. More. NOW!

Thanks for reading!

Driving and a New Idea!

As you probably know, in Ireland (and other parts of Europe), the steering wheel in a car is on the right side, and you drive on the left side of the road.

You might not know that, in Ireland, your name has to be on insurance for a vehicle before you can drive it yourself.

All that to say, my name is finally on the insurance for the only automatic vehicle at the mission -- a mini-van. Tuesday was my first day driving.

First reaction: It feels *good* to drive again! I've missed it.
Second reaction: Wow, it feels really weird to drive on the wrong side of the car. I think I could easily get used to wrong side of the road, but wrong side of the car is odd.

I've only driven the mile and a half between the house and the shop so far, but after my 5th trip, I'm feeling more confident. I had to relearn how much space my vehicle takes up in relation to where I am on the road, but so far, so good!


Okay, so I had an idea for my blog, since I've already introduced you to the house and the shop, and I haven't been anywhere yet to see any new scenery.

I'd like to take you on a visual and textual tour through the foods found here that are unavailable in the States.

First up: TAYTO® Milk Chocolate Bar with Cheese & Onion Crisps -- Love it or loathe it? Check back soon!

Failures and Successes

Thursday is the biggest day in the bakery. Other days, we're done by 10 or even before. Thursday, it's noon or 1. So I'm pretty wiped out right now, and my feet hurt from standing. And my glasses are smudged from the spray we use to grease the pans. And my fingers are wrinkly from washing dishes. And I'm tired because I didn't sleep well last night and you know, the whole getting up at 5 a.m. thing.

Today, I made a batch of pie dough that flopped. I have no idea what I did wrong, but it came out dry and stiff. It was nasty, and we had to throw it out and start again. I also rolled the cinnamon rolls too loosely and had to pinch them together after I'd cut them.

BUT! I love this "job." Not even sure if I want to call it that. Every day, being in the bakery and working with the ingredients rejuvenates my dream of someday owning my own bakery. I find myself keeping a mental list of what ideas to implement, and which procedures to improve.

Today, I changed the cinnamon roll icing recipe, and, in my opinion, improved it with a little salt.  And the scones were soft inside, with just the right amount of crusty sugar on the outside.

And I looked out the window, and I saw the green rolling hills and the fields separated by hedges, and I heard the customers' lilting accents, and I wondered if I should pinch myself to see if I was dreaming. Am I really doing what I love best in a place I love dearly?

I know there will be days when the tiredness and the throbbing feet and the flopped pie dough will feel bigger than the warm fuzzies I feel about bread and a good icing recipe. But for right now, I'm enjoying the enjoyment.


(By the way, do you know what I said when the pie pastry was ruined? "D'oh!") Sorry! Couldn't resist!

The Butcher, the Baker, and the Candlestick Maker

Nope, never mind. Just the Baker. That's me!

So, I arrived in Ireland on Tuesday morning. Got to the house here about 3 p.m. in the afternoon and was told to take the rest of Tuesday and all of Wednesday recovering and sleeping. Which I did, most gratefully.

Thursday morning rolled around though, and I was out of bed at 5 to get to the bakery by 6. Apparently, Thursday is the busiest day that the bakery has, with the most different kinds of things made. Nothing like leaping into the deep end! On Thursdays, the bakers are usually there until 12 noon, sometimes 1. I made soda bread, scones, banana bread, tea brack, scone mixes, coffee icing, and chocolate icing. I think. Amy, the other baker, was making cakes and I'm not sure what all else.

I knew Amy was leaving at 8 a.m. on Friday to go on vacation, so I was trying to learn as much as possible before she went! So far I've had help even though she's gone, but tomorrow I'll be all by myself. However, Tuesday would probably be the easiest day, so I'm not too worried yet.

All right, as promised, pictures of the store/bakery!

This is the sight that greets me in the morning. The sign for Jaybee's. Before you get excited about the gas prices, that's per liter.

And here's the front of the store. Actually, when I first get here in the morning, everything is closed up, since the store doesn't open until 8. 

 Just inside the store. The girl behind the counter is my lovely upstairs housemate, Rosalie.

 And the one you've been waiting for -- the bakery itself. We have three small ovens and two large, there on the left. Two big mixers, ample counter space, and a big sink and sterilizer in the corner. Lovely! I must say that this is how the space looked after an hour of cleaning this morning...in the midst of baking, there's no telling what you'll find stuck on the counters, stacked in the sink, or gritting beneath your feet on the floor!



Now, a quick(?) vocabulary/culture lesson before we move on. From now on, if I use a word that seems funny, refer back to here to see what I mean.

"Irish" words on the left, American words on the right:

queue = line
till = cash register
hob = stove top
cooker = oven
trolley = cart
petrol = fuel or gas
biscuit = cookie
chips = fries
crisps = chips
take away = take out (food)
shop = store
charity shop = thrift store
sultanas = raisins
rubbish = trash or garbage
rubbish bin = trash can
ice creams = ice cream
notes = bills (like dollar bills)
post = letters or mail
holiday = vacation

If something is "grand" (if someone says "that's grand"or "you're grand" or just "grand!") it means fine, or sometimes thank you.
I've heard a lot of "how are ye?" for some reason. Don't know where that comes from. :) Also, "thanks a million."
And lots of rhetorical questions like, to a customer, "I'll just grab a bag for you, won't I?"

Today, we had what is known as a "bank holiday." There's nothing special that it commemorates. It's just a day off (except if you work in a bakery, and everyone wants scones and cakes for their holiday!). There are several of these throughout the year.

The money is in euros and the fractional amounts are cents. €3.50 could be read as three euro and fifty cents or just three euro fifty. So far I have seen euro notes for 5, 10, 20, and 50 euro. I don't think there's a 1 euro note. However, they have coins for 2 euro, 1 euro, 50 cents, 20 cents, 10 cents, 5 cents, and 1 cent.

Speed limits are in kilometers/hr, instead of miles/hr.

Almost all the cars are manual! I guess I'll have to learn!

We measure some dry ingredients in the bakery by grams, on a scale, rather than cups. I love it, because it's easier and more accurate!

Temperature is in Celsius. I'm still getting used to this one. "What do you mean the scones bake at 220?!"

Jugs of milk come by the liter or 2 liters, not by the gallon.

So far the butter I've worked with comes in a package of 454 grams. So, basically a "stick" of butter is a tiny bit bigger than a pound of butter in the States (picture all four sticks as one big one).

The shower is electric. There's no faucet handle to turn. You use the bottom dial on the white box, and turn it to the number corresponding to the temperature of water you want, and it comes out the shower head! Nifty!

Well, that's all I can think of for now. My readers from Ireland will have to tell me if I've got things right in this post! 

Thanks for reading! I don't know when or what the next post will be. Let me know what you want to see/read, and I'll do my best! 

"Twenty years from now..."

“...you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Welcome to a tour of my new life in Ireland! I'll give a bit of an overview of my last few days, but this post will be mostly pictures. Enjoy!

This is the front of my lovely house. I'm living in the downstairs apartment. The window on the left side of the door is right in front of my bedroom. I'll be sharing the downstairs with one of the school teachers. She's away until July, so for now, I'm on my own. 

The sitting room that has a bunch of lovely windows. The sun just streams in during the afternoon. I'm told that the kitchen table normally goes here, but was moved for the summer.

My kitchen. See my little refrigerator and oven? Through the door, my tiny dryer sits next to an equally small washer. About 4 dresses per load. Makes laundry take a long time!

The resident feline, Patty. I was elected to take care of her, because the other girls don't like her. She's a sweetie. :)


 Friday afternoon, after my shift at the bakery, several girls asked if I'd like to join them in swimming at a cove near their house. I said I'd love to go along, although I wasn't too keen on swimming (I thought maybe, just maybe the water would be cold). I ended up walking part of the way, because they weren't ready to leave yet. Here are some pictures I captured there and along the way.

The bright yellow flowers are gorse. When it's not in bloom, it's a dull green prickly plant. It grows everywhere here!

 This was a view I had coming up over a ridge. It took my breath away.

 At the cove. I'm sorry, I really don't have a decent picture of the cove. This will have to do until I take another.
The sun was so bright and intense, I actually got a sunburn, but, as I predicted, the water was freezing! I walked on the sand and let the waves cover my feet, and before long, they were numb! I'm really glad I didn't actually go in the water.

After swimming, we lounged about on the rocks and pried limpets off. The medium sized white one on the right is Herbert, and Sally is the big brown one on the left. I orchestrated their meeting. Someday, I may tell you their story. It's touching. 

Jaybee's is the convenience store and gas station that the Mennonite community here runs, and the bakery operates out of the back. Every Saturday, Jaybee's sets up a stand in Waterford at the market to sell our bread and cakes. To the left of the stand is Hannah, and inside the stand is Victoria. We had a lot of fun that day. We took turns running the stand so the others could have a break and find a place inside to get warm. Victoria took me on a tour of the city's thrift stores.

Just a view of the street and all the commotion. 

I know I promised you pictures of the bakery, but for some reason, both mornings I've forgotten to take them. Tomorrow! And my story of how the first few days went. :) 

Thank you for your interest! Check back soon!

Coming next: Pictures of the bakery and a vocabulary lesson from Ireland -- “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” – James Michener