Member Spotlight: Family, Love, and Food with @Suzanne rose
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Content warning: This story contains mentions of miscarriage. Reader discretion is advised.
Today we’re shining a spotlight on one of our most active members. She's done everything from consistently contributing to the Cooking/Recipes forum to sharing interesting news insights and Yesterday’s Australia nostalgia! Need a hint? Have you ever read or tried a recipe shared in our newsletters? If so, chances are, you’re familiar with this talented member.
Introducing the one and only, member @Suzanne rose! Read on for an exclusive look into the life of this recipe maestro.
‘I was born in October 1961 in Peakhurst, a Suburb of Sydney. My mother was only 14 when she had me and too young to look after me, so I was raised by my amazing Grandparents
that was until…’
‘At 13, I became a rebel. Staying out and smoking pot. I was then given the choice by the children's court to live with my mother or go to a girl's home. After much thought, I chose my mother, who lived in Dulwich Hill, Sydney.’
‘It was during this time I discovered cooking and loved it. I was self-taught as it was me who had to cook for six of my siblings and clean each day after school.’
‘It was also during this time my eyes laid upon a guy I thought looked like a Greek Adonis or rock star, and he was the one who would become my husband and father to my children. He was living with an aunt due to both parents being killed in a car accident three years earlier.’
‘At 15, I became pregnant and had to drop out of school, and my rock star boyfriend finished year 10 and started work to support me and our firstborn. We were told by many to adopt our baby out, but with the loving support of our families and hard work, we gave birth to a baby girl.’
‘Life was hard, and there was a song on the radio at that time, “Too Young To Be Married”. Well, that fitted us to a tea.’
‘Five years passed, and we purchased our first home and welcomed our first son.’
‘More years passed, and we welcomed another 11 children. To us, we were blessed.’
‘We needed to upgrade to a bigger house, and we worked hard to pay that off.’
‘We went on holidays to Nelson's Bay and Manly. With a large family, we couldn't travel too far, but where ever we went, we made beautiful memories.’
‘People would often ask what I feed my family, this I thought strange. I made exactly what other families made, only larger; instead of one leg of lamb, I made two; instead of one chicken, I made four. I learnt to shop well. Instead of restaurants, we went for loads of picnics, and I always made special dishes when it was a birthday.’
‘As the years went by and the kids were in school, I got involved with helping children read. I did a St John's reading course which helped me know how to help these kids. Around this time, I had a miscarriage and was rushed to hospital. While there, I heard my dead grandmother talking to me. I was losing a lot of blood and was rushed to the operating room. While under, I saw my dead mother-in-law, whom I’d never seen. I then woke up to find that I was on life support in ICU. I then found out that I died three times: 11 minutes, 7 minutes and 9 minutes, but that is another story.’
‘I decided to do years 11 and 12 at TAFE, and while doing year 12, I was pregnant with baby number 10. He was born two weeks after my final exam.’
‘I thrived on doing things, and I feel one of my biggest achievements was helping a friend host a few fundraising dinners: one for the cancer foundation, the other for breast cancer. This was a lot of work emailing and calling for companies to donate items for our auction, and finding venues that would give us a good price. At both of these, we had between 200 and 300 people attend.’
‘I loved working, and I was lucky enough to work around my husband by doing party planning. I did Tupperware and Bessemer parties and even made kids' clothes, and then I was offered a job in bridal. At this time, my youngest was three and this was a dream job. I worked there for 14 years until I needed surgery to remove a gallbladder, and that is where my nightmare began by the surgeon also removing a hernia and being very negligent but that's also a whole other story.’
‘I am now 61. I suffer from depression and anxiety, and by joining SDC it sort of changed my life by adding my favourite recipes, playing the games and just talking to all you amazing people on here.’
‘Life hasn't been easy, but I wouldn't change a thing. It's by our mistakes that we learn
Wouldn't life be boring if it was too simple?’
‘One of my favourite sayings to my family is “ALWAYS TURN A NEGATIVE INTO A POSITIVE”.’
Isn’t that such a fantastic saying to live by? We had such a fantastic time reading member @Suzanne rose's story, and we hope you did too! Next time you see her name pop up on the forum, you’ve got a little insider insight into the brains behind the posts!
A huge thank you to member @Suzanne rose for sharing her story and allowing this spotlight.
Today we’re shining a spotlight on one of our most active members. She's done everything from consistently contributing to the Cooking/Recipes forum to sharing interesting news insights and Yesterday’s Australia nostalgia! Need a hint? Have you ever read or tried a recipe shared in our newsletters? If so, chances are, you’re familiar with this talented member.
Introducing the one and only, member @Suzanne rose! Read on for an exclusive look into the life of this recipe maestro.
‘I was born in October 1961 in Peakhurst, a Suburb of Sydney. My mother was only 14 when she had me and too young to look after me, so I was raised by my amazing Grandparents
that was until…’
‘At 13, I became a rebel. Staying out and smoking pot. I was then given the choice by the children's court to live with my mother or go to a girl's home. After much thought, I chose my mother, who lived in Dulwich Hill, Sydney.’
‘It was during this time I discovered cooking and loved it. I was self-taught as it was me who had to cook for six of my siblings and clean each day after school.’
‘It was also during this time my eyes laid upon a guy I thought looked like a Greek Adonis or rock star, and he was the one who would become my husband and father to my children. He was living with an aunt due to both parents being killed in a car accident three years earlier.’
‘At 15, I became pregnant and had to drop out of school, and my rock star boyfriend finished year 10 and started work to support me and our firstborn. We were told by many to adopt our baby out, but with the loving support of our families and hard work, we gave birth to a baby girl.’
‘Life was hard, and there was a song on the radio at that time, “Too Young To Be Married”. Well, that fitted us to a tea.’
You can listen to the song below:
‘Five years passed, and we purchased our first home and welcomed our first son.’
‘More years passed, and we welcomed another 11 children. To us, we were blessed.’
‘We needed to upgrade to a bigger house, and we worked hard to pay that off.’
‘We went on holidays to Nelson's Bay and Manly. With a large family, we couldn't travel too far, but where ever we went, we made beautiful memories.’
‘People would often ask what I feed my family, this I thought strange. I made exactly what other families made, only larger; instead of one leg of lamb, I made two; instead of one chicken, I made four. I learnt to shop well. Instead of restaurants, we went for loads of picnics, and I always made special dishes when it was a birthday.’
‘As the years went by and the kids were in school, I got involved with helping children read. I did a St John's reading course which helped me know how to help these kids. Around this time, I had a miscarriage and was rushed to hospital. While there, I heard my dead grandmother talking to me. I was losing a lot of blood and was rushed to the operating room. While under, I saw my dead mother-in-law, whom I’d never seen. I then woke up to find that I was on life support in ICU. I then found out that I died three times: 11 minutes, 7 minutes and 9 minutes, but that is another story.’
‘I decided to do years 11 and 12 at TAFE, and while doing year 12, I was pregnant with baby number 10. He was born two weeks after my final exam.’
‘I thrived on doing things, and I feel one of my biggest achievements was helping a friend host a few fundraising dinners: one for the cancer foundation, the other for breast cancer. This was a lot of work emailing and calling for companies to donate items for our auction, and finding venues that would give us a good price. At both of these, we had between 200 and 300 people attend.’
‘I loved working, and I was lucky enough to work around my husband by doing party planning. I did Tupperware and Bessemer parties and even made kids' clothes, and then I was offered a job in bridal. At this time, my youngest was three and this was a dream job. I worked there for 14 years until I needed surgery to remove a gallbladder, and that is where my nightmare began by the surgeon also removing a hernia and being very negligent but that's also a whole other story.’
‘I am now 61. I suffer from depression and anxiety, and by joining SDC it sort of changed my life by adding my favourite recipes, playing the games and just talking to all you amazing people on here.’
‘Life hasn't been easy, but I wouldn't change a thing. It's by our mistakes that we learn
Wouldn't life be boring if it was too simple?’
‘One of my favourite sayings to my family is “ALWAYS TURN A NEGATIVE INTO A POSITIVE”.’
Isn’t that such a fantastic saying to live by? We had such a fantastic time reading member @Suzanne rose's story, and we hope you did too! Next time you see her name pop up on the forum, you’ve got a little insider insight into the brains behind the posts!
A huge thank you to member @Suzanne rose for sharing her story and allowing this spotlight.
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