Long, long, long weekend.

What an amazing weekend it has been for all.  A very rare occasion when we all get a 5 day weekend.


This weekend has seen us spending time with the most important persons in my life.  My Family.   Good Friday was spent working of course but the view from our stall over the Bay watching the Brisbane to Gladstone Boat Race was truly amazing.  The weather was perfect.  Who would of thought a few months ago this bay was a murky brown and the shore line here was covered in debris from the devastating January Floods.  Now it was crystal clear and full of families enjoying the race and time in the sun.  An enjoyable day by all plus a visit from Adam and Emma with Eli always makes my day.  Eli is so gorgeous and I just can't get enough of this little man.  I wish I got to see him more.

 Saturday was spent with my Mum.  Out to lunch at The Royal Mall Hotel at Tingalpa then followed by a drive down to Manly for afternoon tea.  It is great spending time with mum.  Even though she is quite fragile these days she does love to go out.  After spending the day with mum we headed to visit Damian and the girls.  How different is it to write that.  Use to be Lisa, Damian and the girls.  You know I really hate the first year when someone dies.  All the anniversary days etc you grieve through.  Only a few weeks ago on the 29th March would of been Lisa's 41st birthday so first Easter without her so different.  Little Charlotte was away but Chantelle couldn't wait to show me her new bedroom fit for any young beautiful teenage girl. Fuscia Pink feature wall and dangley chandelier, big comfy coloured cushions.  Your mum would of loved it.

Sunday saw the Easter Bunny bringing lots of chocolate and we headed to the new Eagle Farm Markets.  Well what an amazing sight plus I was so glad we got there on opening.  This place was buzzing with people and stalls.  As I didn't get to do the shopping last week I had decided to do it here and of course I wasn't disapointed in the market.  Food, Food and glorious food.  Fresh produce, plants, seafood, and so much more.  Favourite stalls to many to choose from but I did love the bakery section and purchased some amazing extra large lamingtons for all of us to enjoy for dessert on Sunday Night.  Picked up a beautiful piece of pork for dinner as we were having Sarah, Pat and the grandchildren over for Sunday dinner.  Very successful.

Monday was Anzac Day.  Always an important day for Australians.  A day to reflect on what past soldiers have sacrifice for us to live in such a beautiful place and of course our soldiers today who are fighting overseas.

Today is a relaxing day.  Tending to the garden.  Finishing off my soapmaking and a spot of shopping.  I hope everyone had a fantastic break this extra long weekend.


Sue x

Fruit Trees, Vegies and Handmade Cheesecake

Survived my first week back at work and was looking forward to a busy weekend.  Saturday saw us heading to The Handmade Expo at Ipswich.  I love this market and love being a stallholder at this market.  Why you ask?  Firstly it is all handmade.  No imports all handmade or homegrown goodies so I know plenty of love has been put into each item.  It is great to catch up with fellow stallholders which we now call them our friends.  Plus the ladies who run this market are truly amazing.  Thanks Miriam, Liesa and Micky for always making us feel welcome.  Even though the weather wasn't the best we still had a fantastic day.

Early to bed on Saturday night because a busy day planned for Sunday.  A great Sunday Breakfast of Bacon, Eggs, Tomatoes, Baked Beans, Toast and Juice then off to the Treasure Market at the Dakibin Recyling Centre.  I needed to find wire, star pickets, pots, etc to finish my vegie patch.  This was an easy find.  For a small amount of $35 we managed to pick up about 10 metres of fencing wire, 6 very large star pickets some bread trays and some pots.  This time we were prepared and bought the trailer along.   After this we headed to Bunnings to pick up soon soil, compost, sugar cane mulch, ant powder (we have a very bad infestation of ants in the lawn) and a punnet of corn and a paw-paw plant.  I checked out the price of fruit trees for pots and thought this could wait until next week.

After heading home and unloading the car and trailer I decided to check out the small nursery down the road at Deception Bay.  OMG it was worth it.  We picked up a Mulberry, Lime, Lemon, Olive Tree and some pots.  The lady there was fantastic and did you know that you don't need to buy minature fruit trees for pots.  You see we live in a rental so everything needs to be in pots.  The lady said that the name Minature is the best marketing ploy out there.  Any plant can go in a pot and will stay small and that the word Minature adds an extra $10 or more to that minature fruit tree.  So we ended up purchasing normal size fruit trees.  When we finally buy our own home we will plant them in our garden and regularly prune them so they don't get out of hand.  Wow no one at Bunnings would of told us this.

After spending the afternoon in the garden and planting all our seedlings.  Bill put up the wire on the fence I decided to make a yummy Passionfruit Cheesecake and a caramel, chocolate pie for dessert.  I truly cannot wait until I can pick my own vegies and eat my own fruit.

It has definitely been a busy weekend but with Easter and Anzac Day next weekend I have nearly all days filled with things to do.

I hope you all had a great weekend.  I certainly did.

Sue  xx

My productive busy weekend.

This weekend we have been busy.  Saturday morning saw us in the car heading for the Dakabin Recycling Market hoping to pick up some bargains so we could start our vegie garden.  Since we are in a rental property at the moment we have decided on containers of all types for our garden.  I don't feel like sending a letter to the Real Estate asking permission if we can put a garden in.  To much hassle and the sooner we can save for our own place the sooner we can move into it.  Any way picked up this fantastic Bokashi Bucket from the recycling centre for only $2.  I saw one of these buckets at  Expo which I had a Trade Stall at Ipswich last year and was amazed on what you could actually put in it and how it works.  Unfortunatley at the time didn't have the $80 to buy one.  I prefer $2 anyway and who wouldn't.

I also managed to pick up and old wheelbarrow which Bill kindly drilled some drainage holes in so now the house our strawberries. 

We will be heading back to Dakabin next Sunday to pick up the rest of the old wheel barrows.  This time we are taking the trailer.  They have so much out there so need chicken wire for a trellis and a few more items for the garden.

I also headed to Bunnings to pick up some seedlings.  We now have Tomatoes, Capsicums, Radishes, Yellow Zuchinnis, Lettuce, Peas  and Carrots all planted.  I also bought some Celery and Cucumber Seedlings but ran out of soil, compost and containers.  This is why we are heading out there next weekend.

I'm quite proud of my garden but can't wait until everything is growing and producing.  So are you wondering why I am doing this?  Do you ever wonder how fresh your fruit & Vegies are?  Where they come from?  How far they have travelled to end up on your plate?  I want FRESH fruit and vegies.  I am tired of buying fruit and vegetables that don't last and this way it is cheaper.    For a small outlay to start with I am sure home grown will be much better than supermarket bought produce.

This morning I have been busy cooking.  It was so nice and relaxing up before everyone baking and listening to ABBA.  Yes I'm still stuck in the 70's and truly believe this band was amazing.  Their music lives on.  My 5 year old grand daughter Rhiannon loves their songs so they must be good.

Anyway I have baked Anzac Biscuits this morning hoping they would last a couple of days.  I forgot Emma was coming up with Eli today and she found them.  We still have a few left.

Then I made this amazing Mango Jam Coconut Slice.  First time I have ever made this and loved it.  Of course the jam was bought from Local Maker.  I am sure I will start making jam one day soon.  I have included the recipe below.  Just remember you can choose any jam.

Mango Coconut Slice

1 cup SR Flour

180g Castor Sugar  + 3 Teaspoons

30gr margarine

2 large eggs

jam of your choice

1 cup coconut

preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius or 150 degrees if you have a fan-forced oven.  Grease and line a 18cm x 28cm slice pan with baking paper.

Combine flour and castor sugar in a bowl.  Rub in butter/margarine until all ingredients are well combined.

Add one lightly beaten egg and mix to form a soft dough.

Press the mixture into the slice pan.

Spread jam evenly over base.

Use a fork and whisk the other egg and 3 tablespoons castor sugar together until pale in colour.  Add the coconut and stir well.  Place spoonfuls of coconut mixture evenly over jam.

Bake for about 28-30 minutes until topping is golden brown.  Cool in pan then cut into pieces.

This was definitely a hit and I will make it again.

Emma enjoyed the bickies and I am sure when Eli is older he will also enjoy grandma's cooking just like my other grandchildren.

He is so cute.


Have a fabulous week everyone.  Tomorrow is my first day at my new job.

Sue xx



Saving for the piece of paradise.

DH already left this morning for work.  Besides his forklift job for G James he also occassionally ties up ships in the Brisbane River so this morning he has left to do a ship at 10am then off to G James to start at 2pm.  Yes that is a big gap in time but with the price of petrol  $149.9 cents a litre in the Redcliffe Area it is not worth coming back home.

We also have one of Bill's mates living with us at the moment so every little cent helps.  This is only temporary for a couple of weeks.  So I am the Rose between the thorns in this household.  3 males and 1 female but not a problem.  Marks first day here on Sunday had him mowing the lawn.  Shock to the system that no nagging was done to get this chore done.  The last few times I had been doing it so it was good to have someone else do it.

So we need to pay of about $25000 and save about $30 000.  This is very achievable but not sure DH will be able to cope with no takeaways,  and giving up smoking.  $20 a packet is to dear now.  Thank goodness I quit 2 years ago.  Anyway his credit card is in a glass of ice in the freezer and I have control of the ATM card and he gets an allowance.  ATM he is not happy.  I suppose he has been spoilt over the last 25 years. 

So today I looked at how we could save some money.  When I had my shop I use to sell Soap Nuts and I have had plenty left so they have been sitting in a box.  Today I pulled them out and got on the internet and worked out how I can turn them into a greener cleaning product.  I now have 2 litres of natural washing liquid scented with Eucalyptus Oil.  This should keep me going for a couple of weeks plus you can use it as a liquid soap, shampoo, floor cleaner, just about anything but I will start as a washing liquid.

 Then I got to thinking what other products do I use that I can change over and use a natural product.  Good old vinegar.  My bathrooms and toilets are now smelling and clean with vinegar and Eucalyptus.

  I also have a tin of handmade  Vapour Rub.  Number one son has a bad cough and I had run out of Vicks so decided to make my own with out the petroleum jelly.  Good old beeswax, olive oil, euclayptus oil and Vitamin E capsule.

  I will let you know how it works but already have an order from Sarah for some for the grandchildren.  I don't know how much I saved today.  But 2 litres of washing liquid sets you back about $6-$8, Vick Vapour Rub is about $5-$6 and all purpose bathroom cleaner about $4-$5.   Every little bit helps.

Do you have any handmade remedies or recipes that you use.  Please let me know.

cheers

Sue

A new job and new adventures

It has definitely been awhile since the last blog but plenty of things has happened and I am sure that there will be exciting times in the next year to write about.  Well most of you who follow my blog also follow my business page blog Spoil & Indulge .  This blog is more on the personal family life of us and really doesn't reflect into my business.  Here I get to voice my opinion.  Scream, rant and rave and write about everyday stuff.  This year so far has been a trying time for us and a big step for me to return into the workforce.  It has been nearly 3 years since I have worked for someone else  but I do know that everything will be fine.  A few of you might wonder why I am doing this?  As all of us know the price of living has increased and now I need a little bit more money for us to survive plus I would like to buy a piece of paradise.  Okay a house with a decent allotment. 

Where I currently live is like living in a goldfish bowl.  Our neighbours are very close and we here everything that they do and I assume they here everything we do.  Thats what happens when you squeeze lots of houses onto small blocks.  Anyway it has been over 10 years since we last  bought a house so now is the time for it to happen.  I want the house, the vegie patch and the chickens to start with.  I want go a bit back to nature.  Have the few fruit trees in the yard.  Bill can have the shed that he wants.  Hopefully this can be achieved in the next couple of years.  I am sure I will have plenty to write about.  By the way.  I think this came about when I watched the full dvds of The Gourmet Farmer.  Enjoyed it thoroughly.  Anyway until my next blog.

Bye for now.

Sue x

Our sister Lisa

Today I have the honor of sharing with all of you the beautiful life of our little sister Lisa.  .  A lot of you would not have known the Pre Damian days of Lisa.  Today I will reflect on fun childhood memories that only sisters could know. 

  Lisa was actually born Sharon but Mum and Dad changed her name within a couple of weeks after she was born to Lisa.  To many SSS with all of us.  Sandra, Cheryl, Susan, Sharon was a bit of a mouthful.  She was always Lisa to us.  A few years ago Lisa rang me up and told me she tried to get a passport and was told  “I don’t exist did you know I was born another name.?”  I said “Yes you were born and named Sharon for a very short time” Lisa wanted to know why she wasn’t told this.  “Slipped my mind.  I was only 6 years old at the time.  I still laugh when I think about this conversation how serious she was about the whole situation but after awhile we would joke about it.

We all grew up in

Dalmore Street

at Ashgrove.  This was our family home.  Our eldest sister had moved out not long after Lisa was about 4 and my pesty little sister was to share my room.  We eventually called a truce and started to get along with each other but occasionally had the odd tiff.  That’s what sisters did but we always made up.

Lisa and I loved our big sister Cheryl and her possessions.  Cheryl at this time had met her future husband Paul and while they were dating Paul use to buy Cheryl all this amazing jewellery.  Of course she had to parade it around in front of us.  Lisa and I needed to have some of the stash.  Cheryl use to lock her door when she went out but we had a door between the rooms.  Cheryl had her wardrobe up against it but Lisa was small enough to squeeze through the door and between the wall and cupboard to collect our cut.  Even though we knew we couldn’t wear the jewellery we had a box we hid it in and we would pull it out occasionally and try them on.  Cheryl never knew and I only told her this story last week.

Dad had built a cubby house in the back yard plus our swings and slippery slide and we would spend hours each day with all our dolls playing grown ups in the yard.  I can remember one day around the ‘Bionic Woman era” Lisa decided with her nephew Glenn who was only a couple of years younger then Lisa  that my Wendy walker doll had been involved in a  terrible accident and needed a surgery on her eyes.  Well both of them pushed out the eyes and stuffed the eye sockets with balls of newspaper.  Wendy walker was no more.  She became Lisa’s doll.  I didn’t want her anymore.  Thank goodness she never got hold of my Barbie which I still have today. 

Lisa loved playing dolls and had so many Barbie dolls over the years we lost track of them all but she just loved playing with them.  And the scissors.  I recall mum having to hide the scissors from her because Lisa said some of the dolls needed a haircut.  She eventually had a few Barbies with some amazing haircuts.  Just goes to show when she was determined to do something she would do it.  So glad she didn’t make Hairdressing a career choice.

Our summers were always spent down the Gold Coast at our Grandmothers place.  Swimming at the beach or the pools down there and plenty of family get togethers with our Aunts, Uncles and cousins.  We spent a lot of our time at our cousins Julie and Carmens place who only lived a few streets away from our Grandmothers.  Julie and Carmen had the biggest Persimmon tree that I had ever seen.  Full of ripe, over ripe and rotten fruit.   All of us would all have Persimmon Fights.  The smellier the better.  I know Lisa coped a few over the years.

Lisa was adorable beautiful little girl.  Blonde hair, dimples and as she grew older became the tomboy.  She was sporty, slim and played netball at primary school.  We all went to Oakliegh State School and eventually to Newmarket High School.   When Lisa was 11 dad had lost his battle with cancer so it was just Mum, Lisa and myself at home.

During my single wild days my little sister was there to let me in after curfew.  Mum was always telling me to be home by midnight but most times it was more like 2am in the morning so I use to knock on her window and she would come and open the front door for me.

 When Lisa was 14 I had my eldest daughter Sarah and lived at home.  Lisa adored Sarah.  I knew Lisa would be an amazing mother when it was her time to have children.  Lisa always wanted to bath her, nurse her and play with her.  Lisa is one of Sarah’s godmothers.

Lisa adored all of her nieces and nephews and when the whole family got together she was always found playing and looking after all the kids in the back yard.  They adored her.

High School years was full of assignments and homework.  Lisa hated wasting her time doing this and was always calling on her Brother-in-law Paul to help her out.  All of her Brother-in-laws would do anything for her.  She was not one of those annoying teenagers like most of us were she was beautiful and had time for everyone.

Lisa’s taste for music was an ‘80s nightmare.  She loved Michael Jackson and her first album she bought was ‘Thriller”.  This album is part of her collection today.  I remember how excited she was the night it was being played for the first time on television in Australia.  Her and I were glued to the TV waiting to watch it.  She loved it.  Around this time Wham and Madonna had hit the scene.  So her dress sense was a Life shirt, black pants, legwarmers, jewellery, permed hair.  I tell you now that was not a pretty sight. 

I eventually moved out of home and married my husband Bill in 1986.  Of course Lisa was one of my bridesmaids at my wedding.  Lisa was there when I found the dress and of course the bridesmaid dresses.

 Eventually Lisa moved out of home and lived at Bardon in the pink house. Sarah had many sleepovers at her place.  They would sit down and put on the Madonna DVD and spend the day singing to it.  This was also the house that Lisa met the love of her life Damian and the rest is history.

I’m not here today to say goodbye to my little sister I’m here today to say see you later. I also believe you are not alone and our eldest sister Sandra is with you.  I know one day I will see you again.  Lisa we promise we will be here for Damian and the girls and we know that you will always be around guiding us.  Until we meet again.  Love you forever.

Its not goodbye its see you again

You know that the facts of life is that eventually we are going to die no matter what.  I sit here on a Tuesday Morning and in disbelief that my little sister Lisa is gone.  Who would of thought last Monday after celebrating Christmas we were all over our Mums Place laughing and enjoying ourselves.  Talking about holidays, renovations, children, grandchildren.  All the normal things sisters talk about.  Lisa was giving our elder sister Cheryl a hard time  about not ever being on an airoplane and we needed to change this.  Lisa then started on me about it but quickly reminded her that I flew to Gladstone for the birth of the grandson.  We all started laughing.  That was us.  We always made time to get together at christmas. 
We are all so busy with our own families that during the year we hardly have time to do this.  I am grateful for emails.  As we all started to say goodbye and see you later Lisa was so excited that the back deck on their house had finally been completed and she would ring me before we all went back to work for a BBQ.  Lisa and I always enjoy a nice bottle of something  so it was the christening of the deck.
We all hugged and kissed and said goodbye.  Who would of ever thought that this would of been the last time I would ever speak to my little sister again in this life.

Thursday morning 30th December 2010.  My nephew Tylers birthday, the day before my birthday always a busy time of the year.  Mobile phone rings at 8.15 in the morning.  Missed the call and noticed it was Lisa calling and rang back.  I thought this is strange Damian has answered.  Then my world fell apart.  He found Lisa on the lounge and thought she was sleeping and he went to wake her.  She had passed away.  How does a healthy 40 year of just die.

So I sit here this morning as I have sat here every morning for the last couple of days writing her Eulogy for here funeral on Friday.  This is one wish her partner Damian wants me to do.  How could I say no.  But how am I going to stand up in front of everyone and read it.  I know it can be done but most people who know me knows I'm a fairly emotional person.

I am now on my 4th page of Lisa's Eulogy.  All those fantastic childhood memories have been captured in this.  Funny little stories that only sisters would know.  Wow what fun my little sister and I had.  I hope I do her justice with this.  40 years into a couple of pages.  Lisa wouldn't want it to be sad so I hope with some of the stories if I make a few people smile that day I know I have done my job.  So for know I will continue to write what needs to be written and told.  She is the most beautiful little sister in the world.  I know most people have a little sister or brother.  Do one thing and after you read this blog ring them and tell them how much they mean to you. 

I know I am NOT say goodbye to you Lisa. I know I will see you again.  Love you forever my beautiful little sister.  I will promise you that your little girls and Damian are looked after.

See you one day,

Love and Kisses

your big sister Susan.