10 Years at Citi

Today is my 10th Anniversary of working for Citibank Australia [which recently celebrated 25 years of having acquired a banking license in Australia - we got cupcakes that day - I had to take a photo - I love cupcakes].

It has been a good 10 years - I've held 4 positions in that time - my current role I've been in for 4 1/2 years.  I thought I would take a photo of part of my work space to show you a glimpse of what keeps me motivated all day...like a poster that says "KEEP CALM and CARRY ON", buttons I made [one of my Aunt Frances who watches over me], a photo of Russell and one of Pete & his kids!  They keep me going...

Simple Things

Did some major house cleaning this weekend - sigh.  As I was cleaning the bathrooms [double sigh] - I decided the soft soap dispensers needed a makeover [and I needed a break] - so I peeled off the labels - put a ribbon at the top and used "rub ons" - OMG - so cute!

Ode to the Dragonfly

Not long after returning from St Louis in March 2010...this dragonfly appeared on the side of our house late one night...I had my camera with me and snapped a photo.  It gave me incredible peace to see it there...I thought of my sister-in-law Janice...she loved dragonflies...her daughter Maggie got a tattoo of dragonflies that represented the members of her family...I read on my niece Emily's blog her recent encounter with a dragonfly...I believe in signs too.

DRAGONFLY SYMBOLISM [found on the internet]

For as many cultural meanings there are for Dragonflies, there are just as many symbol meanings of the strong winged insect. The main symbolism are renewal, positive force and power of life in general with a sense of self that comes with maturity. The Dragonfly is a creature of the wind so it's only fitting that it represents change. They skitter across the water surface implying that our deeper thoughts are surfacing. We are reminded that when our deeper thoughts rise we must also pay close attention to what is deeper than what's on the surface.

The Dragonfly's colors are a result of reflecting the power of light so they are associated with color magic or an illusion in causing others only to see what you want them to see. They remind us that we are made of light and we can reflect light in powerful ways if we choose to. They symbolize going past self created illusions that limit our growing and changing and being a creature of water they carry a symbol of dreaming and thoughts.

The most popular answer of dragonfly symbolism is the sense of self that comes with maturity and there's a strong link to them and butterflies since they both represent change. Dragonflies are a creature that you learn to appreciate as you age and look more deeply at your life, which is where the link to change and self appreciation comes in. As we age we don't just see the surface of things, we start to pick apart our lives and see more meaning in things. No matter what symbol you see in the insect, the fact is that the dragonfly lives a short life and lives it's life to the fullest which is the strongest lesson we can learn from them overall.

Tribute to the Socceroos!

The World Cup...we love football [soccer] in Australia!  So proud that our team was in the World Cup in South Africa and sad that it all ended after the Group Stage.  I carry my camera with me - I spotted this sign at a bus stop - I made Grace lean out of the car window to take a photo!

Lots of "stuff" out in the shops to get us in the spirit including green & gold [the sport colours] m&m's.  Kate and I have made m&m cookies twice!  Yummm!

Ingredients:

250g butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups flower

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

400g m&m's

Soften butter & mix with sugars.  Mix in vanilla & eggs.  In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder & salt.  Add to sugar mixture and blend well.  Add approx 300g of the m&m's. Place dough on tray - decorate top with spare m&m's.  Bake in 190C oven for approx 10 mins or until golden brown!  ENJOY!