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Thursday 31 May 2012

Sending Positive Vibes To All

I've a feeling this is gonna be a bit of a rambling post!
Wow things have really been happening around here recently and not in an obvious massive way, just some subtle changes that have occurred which I didn't even realise were happening until after they happened!
Some of you may know my year didn't get off to the best start, January was a total write off really and for a while it was really hard to see the light at the end of that tunnel...but alas thanks to a little bit of faith and belief and some awesome family and friends that light started shining brightly again :)
The last few months have been a real eye opener for me and while I was getting over the massive upheaval that had occurred in my life, I started to realise how much I had underestimated my inner strength. It's so easy to get caught up in life and all of it's obstacles and struggles and moan about the bad and negative things going on around you. For me I just felt like, "Why me??", "What have I done to deserve this??" and y'know you always have a few false starts where you've convinced yourself you're over something and you've dealt with it by ignoring but really you haven't and it hits you all over again.
However, I think for the first time in my adult life I've actually sat back and taken a proper look at all the positives in my life....and it feels great to realise this and appreciate it all!! Sure things haven't gone according to my life plan the way I wanted it to but then as I'm beginning to learn, the best things in life are unplanned. I realised how lucky I should consider myself to be, as already mentioned I have the most amazing friends and family and these guys are a major part of who I am, I have a job that I enjoy going to 5 days a week, I have a car that gives me the freedom to get me to places I want to be, sure I still live at home but there's plenty of time for that to change...that may not seem like much to some people but to me it's all I need right now. I think I was in my room a few weeks ago, as always, its my safe haven, and it just dawned on me how I've got my whole life ahead of me and I can do or be anything I want to be. I realised that I'd stopped dwelling on the negative things that had happened in my life and instead looked at what I had learned from them and put them in that space in your head where the past is kept. I know people say you should let the past go but I think that no matter what there'll always be a locked box in the back of your mind where you keep your past...because you don't want to forget it completely and make the same mistakes again.
This new realisation has also helped me to move forward with some other issues and relationships and I finally feel all is not lost where certain people are concerned and that after everything we'd gone through we can at last forge a friendship.
I went to see a spiritual healing, angel, psychic lady last week, I was a bit sceptical I will admit but everything she said just reinforced how I was actually feeling inside myself and I felt so strong and positive when I came out knowing she had picked up all of this too. I've been a believer of angels for a long time now, going way back to my childhood and I most definitely believe we all have one guardian angel looking out for us all of the time, to me its very comforting to know and believe in that. And believe me my angel (s) are out in force at the moment guiding me in the right direction!!
Life throws all kinds of battles in our paths and they are all a test to see what we can handle and how we can deal with things...but I certainly believe that everything that is put in my way is done so because I am more than capable of handling it, sometimes it just takes a bit of time to figure out the right way to deal with it.

The Pentacle cards featured quite a bit in my reading and this symbolises result, fruition, realisation and prosperity as well as someone not be crossed!

I imagine my Angel to be something like this

See I warned you it would be a bit of a long post, but basically I just wanted to share my new found positivity, I honestly feel like I can take on the world these days. Life is a tricky business so when it does get all too much, just take a step back and look around and you'll soon find that there's so many more positives out there that will more than out weigh the negatives :-)

In a nutshell :-)



Tuesday 22 May 2012

Cake Time

Anyone remember Angel cake?? Its something that always reminds me of when we lived in England, it was a bit of a treat for us but when we moved to Ireland we couldn't find it for ages! Nowadays Mr Kipling does some kind of Angel cake slices but not a patch on the stuff me and my sister used to have as kids!
Anyway I wanted to make my own version of it but I messed up the different coloured sponge parts of the cake..I thought I could bake them all in layers in one tin and then slice them into 3 and fill them in between with cream but it didn't quite work out that way! Next time I'm going to bake the 3 coloured sponges in separate tins. Anyway even though it didn't turn out the way I expected it was still yummy and all made with my mother's faithful recipe of: 6, 6, 6, and 3!
 (Self raising flour, margarine, caster sugar and eggs - not forgetting a teaspoon of vanilla essence and food colouring)


Lined my tin with greaseproof paper to stop the mixture sticking

3 different coloured mixtures

Just out of the oven - approx 45mins on gas mark 4

Finished product with some lemon butter cream icing

Mmm I love cake!

*The fondant icing pieces on the cake were made by my 13 year old niece, Jade - a little baker in the making!*


Wednesday 16 May 2012

Inspiration Board

So finally I got around to putting my cork board to good use once again. This used to be filled with photographs when I was in school but was taken down for a reason I can't remember and was left hidden behind the TV for a few years. So after I redecorated my bedroom I decided to use it again.
This time I have made it into more of an inspiration board. I have collected quotes and such since I was teenager and thought some of the more positive ones could do with being on display. Some of them I printed off because I liked the whole picture, others I hand wrote and decorated a little myself. There's also a picture or 2 thrown in of the friends :) I'll ne adding to it as time goes by. For this I had to dig out my "art box"..this box has been around for years! I was mad into art and crafts when I was younger and have somehow managed to keep the box filled with bits and bobs in tact despite my 3 nieces trying to get their hands on it over the years! I have of course topped up my supplies...it felt great being a little bit creative, another New Years resolution I'm working on! It is now hanging nicely above my bed :)

If you look closely you'll catch a glimpse of my what my next tattoo will look like! :)

Supplies from the "art box" - I recycled my Pringles containers back them to store all my pens and pencils!

Restock - some lovely patterned paper and photocards from Lidl

Wednesday 2 May 2012

Ice Cream, Sunshine and Smiles

Today was such a lovely day that I just had to blog about it straight away! Me and my Bestie took off to Kinsale for some quality bestie time before her little baba arrives in a few weeks. Luck was on our side today because the sun was out in full force and we were able to enjoy the drive down with the sunroof and windows open and our sunnies on. We found our way to Fishy Fishy, a popular seafood restaurant where we had the most delicious lunch, worth every penny. Even though we were super stuffed we still managed to fit in some ice cream which we got in a funky retro ice cream parlour called Sundays, it was yummy! We took a stroll around the town then, I love Kinsale for all its windy, cobble stone streets, it all so quaint! On the drive back out of the town we took what we thought would be a quick detour to see some more views but it eneded up with us doing a bit of exploring. We paid a visit to Charles Fort, just on the water side of a small village called Summer Cove. This place has  alot of history behind including the Seige of Kinsale in 1601. The views from here were amazing, we took lots of pictures! The only downside was that a load of seagulls decided to do thier business all over my car which resulted in a trip to the carwash on the way home!!
It was a perfect day out :-) xo


The mayo came out in an oyster shell!

Raspberry Kiss Sundae
Sundays Ice Cream Parlour - so funky!

Kinsale harbour
Bridge into Charles Fort