A Love Story.......

My daughter entered a competition to win a designer dress on facebook and needed to write a love story to qualify. Here is the story she wrote - about her grandparents:


This is not my love story, but that of my grandparents...
It's Sydney, 1940 and they are both 13, childhood sweethearts, completely inseparable. He's a larrikin, always wearing a grin from ear to ear and she's a stubborn, proper, young lady.

Fast forward a few years to when they're 16, they have a falling out, neither could recall over what, but he hurt her feelings and so she snubbed him.

A few years she finds herself completely swept off her feet by a tall, dark and handsome stranger, it's only a matter of months before they are wed and she begins her 'perfect life'...

Alas, this man is not all he appeared to be, he cheats, he's callous and his love leaves her wanting. It's the 1950's and divorce is a long, painful and shameful process, but that'd never stop someone as determined as her. And he's waited all this time, her childhood sweet heart, has never stopped loving her.

The 28th December 1958, they are married. They begin their life together and the doctors say that due to a medical condition it will be impossible for her to conceive. They are content with each other and can get through this together. Just a year later it comes as a surprise and shock when they discover she is pregnant and it takes a while to come to terms with the news and it's impact on the plans they'd made. But in 1960 they are blessed with a son and a few years later a daughter...
Their life is far from perfect, they argue and stir each other up almost constantly. They have their ups and downs, journeys, challenges and adventures. They struggle and stumble, there are health issues, fights, and many memories created. Through everything they are always there for each other. They watch their children grow, they welcome grand children into the world, she has a lot of health issues and her leg has to be amputated, he is always there for her, through everything.

In late 2004 he is diagnosed with cancer, it's in it's final stages and has spread to his bones... It's terminal.
She's there for him, she doesn't cope, they fight, they're in denial, they love, they enjoy the moments they have, they continue to make more memories. He's cheeky until the end, always pushing her buttons, always getting a reaction.

Christmas 2006, and he's fading fast, we can all see it, yet all try to deny it. On New Years Eve we get the call, he's been rushed to hospital, and she's by his side. They say he probably won't make it to morning, won't see 2007... She can't let him go yet and makes that point well known. He stays, for her, he waits.

It's late January 2007 and he's a shadow, his body is failing him, he's losing conciousness, but whenever she holds his hand, he changes and he grips her hand right back. On February 2 she realises she has to let him go, as hard as it is to say goodbye. She has her children there with her.

"You can go now". Within half an hour of her uttering those words, their son in law gets a phone call and leaves the room, their daughter in law leaves to make a call. By the time they return, he's passed away. He waited for her to let him go, and for a moment to be with his little family, alone.

On Valentines Day this year, my grandma had been in hospital for a little while when they took her into emergency surgery, her chances of survival were extremely low, but she made it. How ever she never made a full recovery and she passed away a few months ago. I know that whatever there is next, he would have been waiting for her, he was always waiting for her.
I love you grandma and grandpa, your love inspires me every day, because it was real, it was hard and it was so very worth it all.

One day I want a love story like this. I want a, crazy, unforgettable, challenging, rewarding, enduring, everlasting love like you had...


The competition finished a short while ago and casey WON!!! Of course, I am not surprised as I believe Casey write's beautifully. 

Oh, and the dress is called Love Story - you can see it here on the Lucy in the Sky facebook page.


Have a wonderful week! *smile*

All People Dream..........

All people dream, but not equally.
Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind,
Wake in the morning to find that it was vanity.

But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people,
...For they dream their dreams with open eyes,
And make them come true.

~D. H. Lawrence

 

A Few of my Latest Creations..........

I have been playing with new soap recipes, fragrances and colours and these are my latest soapy creations.....



Yoghurt & Aloe soap - made with greek yoghurt and aloe vera juice to sooth, soften and revitalize your skin; teamed with silk and a generous amount of avocado oil and shea butter for a nourishing boost.

Tomato Creme Facial soap - made with tomato paste – one of the highest sources of lycopene, a very efficient antioxidant which can neutralise free radical damage - sour cream, honey and egg yolk to sooth, soften and revitalize your skin and including camellia tea seed oil, avocado oil and shea butter for a moisturising boost.

Blueberries & Cream soap - scented with a lovely and realistic fresh blueberry fragrance; teamed with gentle olive oil, silk and with shea butter added for extra creaminess.

My next project is refining my new Goats Milk & Oatmeal body cream recipe *smile*

Malaspina Soap Factory

Last Christmas I had the great good fortune to be involved in a product swap with a wonderful soapmaker from the other side of the world to me - Lindalu of Malaspina Soap Factory 
  
Lindalu is based in Powell River, BC Canada and you can also find her lovely products in her FACEBOOK SHOP


I received 3 wonderfully lathering soaps, Sparkling Cranberry Lotion, C-Mango Lotion Bar and Honey Lip Balm.

Linda's soaps are made with lashings of moisturising olive oil and smell divine!

My husband actually said to me "you should make your soap like these ones".........higher praise I cannot give!!! *grin*


The lotion bar is unscented so the lovely oils and butters shine through and it is very moisturising and protect on my hands, especially right now during winter.  The lip balm is naturally scented with real honey, feels smooth on my lips and a little goes a very long way.  The lotion is gorgeous!  It not only smells wonderful, it also spreads well and sinks in quickly.


Thank you Linda!

Nature's Art

I recently felt the urge to lather up with a Santa Fe Sun Baked Soap, made by my soaping friend Kimberly of NATURE'S ART Handmade All Natural Soaps & More.  I ordered the Crisp Pear Olive Oil Soap, the Tooth Cleanser Soap with China Clay and a wonderful Green Tea Facial Mask.

The Sun Baked soap is gorgeous, with a lovely fresh, warm pear scent and thick, fluffy lather which left my skin feeling velvety soft.  Tooth cleaning soap is a product that goes back to at least early last century and I was pleasantly surprised at the taste (not soapy!) and at how squeaky clean my teeth felt after using.  In fact, my teeth felt as if I had just had them professionally cleaned at the dentist.  The green tea and clay mask comes as a powder that you mix to a paste with your choice of wetting agent.  I used plain water although you could use your favourite toner, aloe vera juice, yoghurt, pureed fruit, or whatever takes your fancy.  This is an excellent way to buy a mask. The powder stores very well in its tin with no preservative required as you only blend up enough for a single use.


Nature's Art also has a FACEBOOK SHOP where you can buy her lovely products.


Have an awesome day!