Happy Halloween

Happy Birthday Honey ...

"LIVE LIKE A ROCK STAR"

Dearest Derri,

I may not always say, just how much you mean to me

But my days would be dark and dreary without you

And sharing experiences would not be the same

It's not often you can find someone who loves the same things that you do,

But luckily I have, and today I am fortunate to celebrate another birthday with you, 

And I hope to celebrate the next 50 with you too!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

All my love

Rosie

xxxx

The Power of One ...

One song can spark a moment, 

         One flower can wake the dream.

        One tree can start a forest, 

       One bird can herald spring.

     One smile begins a friendship,

    One handclasp lifts a soul.

    One star can guide a ship at sea,

    One word can frame the goal.

    One vote can change a nation,

    One sunbeam lights a room. 

     One candle wipes out darkness,

      One laugh will conquer gloom.

        One step must start each journey,

           One word must start each prayer.

               One hope will raise our spirits,

                  One touch can show you care.

                         One voice can speak with wisdom,

                             One heart can know what's true. 

                                One life can make the difference,

                                   You see, IT'S UP TO YOU!

~ Author Unknown~

Thursday Thoughts ...

Famous Quotes & Sayings.

• Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.
• You only lose what you cling to.
• Fill your mind with compassion.
• We live in illusion and the appearance of things. There is a reality. We are that reality. When you understand this, you see that you are nothing, and being nothing, you are everything. That is all.
• The Four Reliances
  First, rely on the spirit and meaning of the teachings, not on the words;
  Second, rely on the teachings, not on the personality of the teacher;
  Third, rely on real wisdom, not superficial interpretation;
  And fourth, rely on the essence of your pure Wisdom Mind, not on judgmental perceptions.
• We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make our world.
• To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.
• Pay no attention to the faults of others,
  things done or left undone by others.
  Consider only what by oneself is done or left undone.
• What we think, we become.
• Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.
• Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others.
• He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.
• Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.
• Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten.
• Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
• Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.
• On life's journey Faith is nourishment,
  Virtuous deeds are a shelter,
  Wisdom is the light by day and Right mindfulness is the protection by night.
  If a man lives a pure life nothing can destroy him;
  If he has conquered greed nothing can limit his freedom.

Halloween - Haunted Woods Walk

The Best Banana Bread ever.

Ingredients:

225g (8oz) Plain Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
110g (4oz) Castor Sugar
1 egg beaten
75ml Sunflower oil
A few drops of vanilla essence
65g pecan nuts chopped (I substituted with walnuts)
4 medium sized ripe bananas mashed

Makes 1 loaf

Method:

Sift the flour, salt , baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl and stir in the sugar.  Mix in the egg, sunflower oil and vanilla essence but do not beat.  Fold in the pecans (walnuts) and mashed bananas.  Do not beat.  Spoon into a a lined 900g/2lb loaf tin and bake in an oven preheated to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for 50 - 60 minutes, (I baked at just above gas mark 4 for 60 minutes).  Check that loaf is golden brown and springs back when prodded gently with your finger.  Leave in the tin to cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool further.

Awesome Autumn

It was a beautiful sunny Autumn day, kids got dressed up and off we went, wow what a lot of people there were, met more friends and chatted until the sun went down ... then it got cold, really cold ... for a few minutes we thought we would never get out, but we did, thanks to efficient Garda crowd control, home to warm house and hot vegetable soup!  What an awesome day.

Rocktober!

The year is running away from me again, I just can't believe that we are already more than half way through Rocktober, yes it's Rocktober since we have been listening to "Nova" radio.  The weeks just seem to be flying in and along with it, the cold weather.  This is really a busy time of year, both socially and work wise, although our Christmas party has been cancelled at work, or shall I rather say postponed - seems less than half of the company can commit to the same week-end, so it has been pushed out till the end of January, and looks like we are having it outside of Ireland which should be fun!

Well Halloween is just around the corner and this year for some reason there seems to be a lot more going on, Em has to dress up for school on Thursday, then they are having a Halloween walk at a park near us on Sunday, the whole of next week while she is at daycare they are doing Halloween stuff and of course a party on Friday.  And of course then there is the real Halloween on the 31st, so this year Halloween is 10 full days for Em - wish I was a kid in this day and age!

And after Halloween it will be the mad rush towards Christmas, which will be very quiet for us again this year, but I actually prefer it that way.  So that is what is happening in Ireland at the moment, not anything too exciting!

But I am looking forward to putting my new camera to good use at the Big Halloween event on Sunday, and my friend and I have decided we are going to dress for the occasion too, now just have to convince D!

Samhain, Haunted Forest & Fireworks
·                                 Start Date: 24 October 2010
·                                 End Date: 24 October 2010
·                                 Venue: Marlay Park
·                                 Time: 5.00pm - 9.00pm
·                                 Price: Free
·                                 Save to: MyDublin
Visit Marlay Park in your Halloween costume for a spooky walk through the haunted forest! Made bigger and better for 2010 the haunted woods are not for the faint hearted with spooky characters, scary noises, the eerie fog and strange sights.

The haunted trail through the woods will be open from 5pm to 9pm so visitors can enjoy the spooky woods in their own time either before or after the fireworks.

One of the highlights of the evening is Marlay Parks own special fireworks display which launches into the night sky at 7.00pm - this can be viewed from the fireworks viewing area is in front of Marlay House.

The observance of Halloween, which dates from the dark ages, has long been associated with thoughts of witches, ghosts, devils and hobgoblins. Today, many of the young and “young-at-heart” take a more light-hearted approach and the colourful festival has become family-oriented celebration.

Signs

Funny how I always seem to be looking for signs and inspirational quotes, well tonight I found one on Gails blog, I have been going through some stuff at work and was going to fight it, but I had coffee with a friend on Sunday who may be younger than me, but is oh so much wiser - she said to me Rose,"rise above it" (something my mother-in-law would have also said) which I did and felt so much better, and tonight finding this on Gails blog has just put everything into perspective, and I think I am going to print this out at work and stick it on my wall / partition thing.

 Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Movies

Saturday we going to the Premier, hope it's good!

T.G.I.F. (Well it's actually only Thursday still)

I've been moaning a lot lately, I guess the pressure of having a full time stressful job is just getting to me and it doesn't help when I get treated like a child either - oh the joys of living in recession Ireland where you just have to take whatever cr@p job you can get.  So I know skinny mama does a "Thankful Thursday" where she lists 10 things she should be thankful for, I am sure I could do the same, so here is my 10.

1.  I am thankful I have an amazing daughter and hubby.
2.  I got free tickets to the premier of "Despicable Me" and Em is beside herself because I said she could take a friend.
3.  Tomorrow is "Finally Friday".
4.  I got to go to aqua aerobics this week and it was brilliant
5.  I heard from a cousin I haven't seen in about 30 years.
6.  Auntie Johanna was so happy I phoned her for her 70th birthday, I really miss her.
7.  I'm going shopping for Halloween stuff with C on Sunday
8.  I live in a country where there is little or no crime
9.  I am thankful to be alive
10.  I have everything I need