Softly and tenderly.....

Honestly, the songs that go around in my head. I think this blog if nothing else will confirm that there is something strange going on in my mind. Softly and Tenderly Jesus is calling.....from the days in the Choir in school. Ah yes.

What a horrible wet, haily, disgusting day. The pits. Have got some crafting done but feel restless. I need to get outside. E is pretty wound up too. Tomorrow we go to a birthday party with 25 children in a small small house. I need to lie down at the thought of it. Needless to say, it is unlikely that I will be blogging, but there will be a mammoth session on Monday!

Will skidadle again now. Got some of Shimelle's class done last night at midnight. Sat up drinking wine and watching Big Brother with my sisters and then decided I needed to do some crafting. Slept like a baby till the baby woke me....at four o clock. The double bed in Mam's house is so much smaller than our kingsize....but you only notice it when there's 3 in the bed. i abandoned ship at 6 and went into E's little bed. Tony, the little star got up with E this morning so I had a little lie in.

Dunno what we're doing tonight. Probably waiting for the lights to go out. Have had one false alarm already. Best go and turn off this machine.

Laterz

Celebrate Good Times C'mon

Not my birthday...but the song came into my head after I saw this on Allie's blog

Your Birthdate: September 18

You are a cohesive force - able to bring many people together for a common cause. You tend to excel in work situations, but you also facilitate a lot of social gatherings too. Beyond being a good leader, you are good at inspiring others. You also keep your powerful emotions in check - you know when to emote and when to repress. Your strength: Emotional maturity beyond your years Your weakness: Wearing yourself down with too many responsibilities Your power color: Crimson red Your power symbol: Snowflake Your power month: September

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

I think I might save up all these web things and horoscopes and put them all in one location (other than a blog).....might make interesting reading some day for someone....

The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn....

No, I'm not going to tell you...that's just the song going around in my head. The one from Moulin Rouge...
Artist: David Bowie / Massive Attack LyricsSong: Nature Boy Lyrics
Ewan McGregor

There was a boy
A very strangeEnchanted boy
They say he wandered Very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he

And then one day, One magic day
He passed my way
While we spoke
Of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me

"The greatest thing
You'll ever learn
Is just to love and Be loved in return"

Also had the theme tune to 'Get Smart' for a brief moment there. How off the wall am I?!

Went shopping yesterday evening to get a birthday present for T's niece who will be 6 at the weekend. Being the practical lady I am, I rang her mother and asked if there was anything she specifically needed and sure enough she could do with a new school bag. Pink if possible. I was up to the task. We went home after work for sustainance (sp?) and headed into the shopping centre at 7.15.....managed to be home at 8.15 with a schoolbag .... and.... cheap baby toys as 'emergency presents', two summer dresses and two pairs of trousers for E, two tops and shirt for me and a little backpack for E cos when she saw the schoolbag she wanted one and I decided that it wasn't really giving in as she was well old enough now to pack a bag for herself for the weekend. She is nearly 3 afterall! (and there were the cutest mini rucksacks for €6....how could you leave them).



Which leads me nicely on to Shimelle's free class for the weekend. Confessions. So mine can be any number of things....I overspend, I buy things I don't need, I impulse buy, I don't try on clothes and buy them anyway (and that's why I have to go back to the shopping centre with the shirt and 2 tops I bought cos when I tried them on at home they were cack....not a look I'm going for at the moment. chic and tailored is where I need to be). Maybe this isn't such a bad idea for project afterall. Maybe I should incorporate my credit card into a LO so that I can't use it as frequently....sand the numbers off just in case I'm tempted....

We got home, put E to bed and I started crafting while watching celebrity big brother.....not particularly interested in it, but given all the media hype I wanted to see for myself. I think the trick to all these celebrity shows is to watch the very first episode. If you don't, you'll always be wondering who each person is (celebrity?)....which is why I know what's going on, but T has now asked me, possibly 7 times over the course of the last two weeks.....'Who is that Cleo one?' They didn't have BBC growing up in his house so even Kenny Everett doesn't ring any bells so it's pointless really. I should have just made up something.... She's kinda cool. I like Cleo. Mad Hair.

I need to get my hair cut, I need to get a facial. The way I have that written you might think it is something I do regularly....how wrong. I get my hair cut about twice a year. I'd like to say 3 times, but that's not how the dates work when I think back. As for facials, the only reason I mentioned it is because I have a gift voucher to use up. I don't dye my hair (yet) and don't really want to start as I feel it is a downward slope in terms of expense. My hair is in fairly good condition and the last time I went (summer sometime) the nice man (I can't really call him 'my' hairdresser cos I've only been to him once) said he had a plan for my style but needed my hair to grow a bit more. I think we've got there, so it's time to go back....I'm just debating whether I could wait a while longer and get it done before the wedding on St. Paddy's Day.....so to recap, I spend money on useless casual clothes and yet I don't spend it on my hair. There's a few more confessions.
Plans for the weekend are to...finish the project I started last night....an uber cool covered folder thingy. I like altering....very much at the moment. I have to make a layout for a friend...say no more...all will be revealed later. I have to make thank you cards to my secret santas....I feel particularly bad about this...it's just a card - how hard can that be! I have to package up 2 ATCs that I meant to send away before Christmas. I have to do my Shimelle project and I could do a few more bits like another CJ entry, or decorate more of my Diary box.
Also have to go to a children's party from 2 to 5 on Sunday......what fun :(

Zipidee Do Dah....

I never win anything....but this morning I saw that I had been picked out of a hat (a very fancy AMM tote 'hat') by Ellie...Kirsty Wiseman's fabby DD. A Trip Down Memory Lane gave her a fabby pack of nice scrappy bits and she decided to You Tube the raffe......and I won! So my name is now on You Tube!!! (oh the fame of the family can now be extended from my darling cousin who managed to capture himself accidentally breaking his leg on a camera phone!!)

My only regrets are that I still have that flaming picture of me in a silly santa hat....and that my family couldn't be here to share my wonderful news! and that I didn't have my Golden Globe dress dry-cleaned in time.....aw shucks...

PS - if anyone knows how one would find an email addy for KW...I'd really appreciate it. Alternatively I have to post my address for all the world to see....maybe not such a good plan!

Mega exciting and a great way to start off a blustery stormy yeuky old day.

Yesterday I also got some exciting news about Crafteire and a little plan....more to come.....

My camera doesn't seem to be uploading pics at the mo so although I have done some crafting the last two nights (based on Ali's aezine 'word' prompts). Believe.

Met with our Business Development Lady again yesterday. Session 4 of 6. Working out a mission for the business. What is the master plan? Strengths, weaknesses, SWOT analysis.... I told her I was afraid when we began the course that it would all be mumbo jumbo sh!t but at least she saw the joke....she's actually quite a cool lady is our Maureen, and has quite an interested job. Maybe that's what I'd like to do when I grow up.... I think I'd be a good counsellor, but wouldn't be able for that every day, people's problems, etc....whereas business and company problems need councilling too, but you could walk away at 5 o'clock and not have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Anyway, just thoughts.

What about a pic for the day? We'll need to raid the archives again so I'm afraid....

Here's a few for KW....

Oh the Deadwood Stage

I think for the next while I will title my posts based on the song I am singing in my head. There is always a song in my head. Last night Eilis told me to stop singing...she wanted to talk the words instead. Imagine an almost 3 yr old talking the words to 'Doe a deer, a female deer'. She was actually quite good at it. Maybe she's a rapper in the making!

T'will be a short entry today, after yesterday's mammoth post....have lots of work to do this morning and Tuesdays tend to be my most productive. Monday I'm getting things out of the way, Tuesday get work done and it's downhill for the rest of the week. Shocking stuff really....but at least I recognise it. I must also go now and get some pics printed off....I have a special project to work on this week and also shimelle is giving a free class at the weekend that I might join in on and need some pics to do it. Also want to print off some Christmas pics....and january pics....and my printer at home seems to have the black ink jet blocked. I haven't actually tried to fix it, but emailing spectra on line is pretty easy too, and they'll deliver them to my door this week. I don't find the photo booths give as good a quality....why would they I suppose....

Last night we chilled and visited our neighbours...however Eilis wouldn't go to bed and didn't get to sleep till 10, so she'll be like a bear today no doubt. I had vowed early to bed for all of us...she'll be gone by 8 or else! but Desperate Housewives is on tonight so I'll have to stay up. What's the chances of having a nap in the middle of the day today? Would they really look for my under my desk?

I think I'll add a random photo...maybe there's another new blog rule....photo with every post, regardless! This is Tony and I in Howth. I like my hair in this pic. His is a little unruly!? I think it might have been 2003, but sometimes the dates on those cameras are wrong.....

Actually the song going round in my head is now...Mississippi, you'll be on my mind.....

Believe

Believe....that's my word for the year 2007. I decided on my way back from the bathroom (where I go to think!).

This year I will strive to:

Believe in the capabilities of others (at work especially, I try to be over controlling of situations. I realise that I need to let people do things for themselves and therefore need to believe in them).

Believe in God - that there is a master plan and even if it is difficult to accept things, to believe that things happen for a reason and to accept that. (Accept was on my short list)

Believe in myself - that I can do whatever I decide to, that I am capable. Trust (another on the shortlist) in me.

Now I'm off to tell Ali!!

Picture Weekend

Quite a busy weekend we had....so I'm going to show it in pictures....

Friday evening, Sharon's (my sis) Birthday Party. We're into old style parties in our house...silly cards, crisps and sweets with maybe a little wine now that we're of the age.

The Laura Ashley gifts went down a treat....maybe I do know people well after all.

It has now become a tradition that The birthday cake (two swiss rolls....you can't beat it really!) is blown out by Eilis and Sharon together....but I didn't quite get the pic timed right....you get the idea though. A good time was had by all.

Saturday (Sharon's real birthday) was spent making and baking and cooking. Domestic Goddess...I should think so!

I wasn't really in the mood, but did some crafting in the morning...I can now reveal my diary box for 2007. I saw this project on someone's blog....hang on I'll look it up....Alison Shearer (but I can't find a link)...fabby fabby fabby stuff.

There are 12 6x6 folded albums held together with ribbon. Idea is you keep them altogether in a 'library' which I created on Saturday...had a cardboard box just the right size to cover....and each month you add journalling and pics of the little things you did. This old blog should help too methinks. I also altered a funky bucket but forgot to take a pic and left it at home...oh yes, we were at home at the weekend.

The afternoon was spent baking (well, does making crispie buns count?) with Eilis....she actually made them all by herself, so I'm now assured that she can handle the catering for her own party at the end of the month. There's a lot of birthday partys in January....I think T's niece is next weekend and Eilis the weekend after....what fun! but bad for any potential diet. Febrary is definitely the new january!

I decided to do a mammoth cook up...and made garlic potatoes (with mushroom and bacon...so it's a real meal!), lasagne and shepherd's pie. They are all now safely packaged and in our freezer waiting for the evening that I just don't feel like cooking. Hurrah for freezers...the best invention ever!

Saturday night Claire (sis), T and I went to the cinema. My new year resolution might be to go at least once a month. I went once last year. Pathetic. I have seen none of the 'blockbusters'....we went one Friday afternoon at work to see 'An Inconvenient Truth' being that we are all environmental scientists. T'was good fun and an interesting twist to company bonding! Anyway, Saturday night went to see Will Smith in 'The Pursuit of Happyness' Nice film, but a bit sad and definitely a chick flick. Makes you want to save your money for a rainy day......

Sunday did v. little. Got up, went to mass, designed my living room (for the house that will hopefully be built this year!), had dinner....chilled with Eilis and watched 'Calamity Jane'....on RTE.

I have now officially watched all the films of the Christmas season and am so pleased with myself. Calam has a special place for me.....I was she in our school musical....what fun....11 years ago! Funnily, my wild bill is still with me....after all those years!

Called to see our architect man in the evening and get our final plans and now it's over to us. Have to make some ground on this house before the end of the month and try to get started....fun times ahead. Still haven't chosen my word as part of Ali's prompt....you wouldn't believe how much thought I've given it, but I'll be back later today with my answer....that's it.