wolves in sheeps clothing

**warning, major sharing here... maybe too much***

So i wasnt even going to post this... I wrote it last night and decided to sleep on it. And then this morning decided to post my loving post instead.

But things have got even worse today and I need to vent...


This isn't the post I planned to write tonight... The post I planned was about loving and all those awesome things. In fact I had an AWESOME post to put up.

But this is on my heart, its keeping me up at midnight and its making me hurt. And the tears are falling fast and my heart hurts.

This is the update I have posted on facebook

"I genuine and I am honest. I am not perfect. I speak my mind, my face wears my emotions.
I am giving and caring. I put others needs before my own.
I am sensitive and I am loyal.
My TRUE friends know this about me.
Since when did it become ok to write nasty untrue comments about other people on facebook?
I have had a SHIT of a year facing all kinds of stressors including breast surgery and moving internationally twice. Everyday I struggle with depression.
The last thing I need are slanderous comments about me being made on a public (or any other) forum. (slanderous: communication of false statements injurious to a person's reputation).

Sadly the person who wrote it won't be reading this because for obvious reasons they are not on my friends list."

Tonight I have been brought down by not one, but two awful things.  I cannot even write about them because both are a complete trashing of my integrity. Im not saying I am perfect, but I know, in my heart, that I try to be a good person.

I am hurting and I can feel the darkness of depression barrelling in at great speed. I have actually felt it creeping in all week but there's nothing like a slanderous comment on facebook or an accusation from someone to speed up the process.

What on earth is our world coming to when women in their late 30s/early 40s think it is okay to trash people on public forums?

The hardest part is that the person who has done this was a friend of mine for a very long time. And although she is completely at fault for writing on facebook about me, I actually feel sad for her that she feels what she has written is true.

What else is difficult is that on Monday I will most likely be seeing her at our new school. Every day.

For my children's sake I am going to have to put on my armour, paint a smile on my face and pretend that it doesn't hurt, that I don't care.

But I do.

My children are feeling very nervous about starting a new school and rightly so. They are children who have faced so much change. What noone knows is that I find it really hard too, starting them at a new school means I will also have to meet new people, forge new friendships and so far not all my experiences have been that great. (most of them are...just not all)

I am a person who cares deeply for others. I go out of my way for other people. I give till it hurts and then some. I have a genuine affection for my friends and I am loyal to the bitter end. I know I am not perfect, boy do I know that. I fall down in so many areas .. because I am human.

But time and time again I get hurt by people... you know, those wolves in sheeps clothing.

I have heard (from Joyce Meyer I think) that God will give you the same challenges again and again until you learn what you need to from it.  Well thanks God, I guess mine is the nasty people challenge.

The saddest part of it all is that I am blessed with SOOO many beautiful, genuine and lovely friends but it only takes one or two nasty people to make me lose sight of what I do have before me..

And I think I place too much of my self-worth on what others think of me, maybe thats what I need to learn from it all?

So what do I do now? do I confront this person? (hate confrontation)

Naturally I want to clear my name, defend my honour... but is that the right thing to do? Am I the better person if I say nothing at all?

I am seriously considering closing down my facebook page (and was before this happened) but then Id miss out on all the genuine awesome friends I do have on there.

I dunno... Ive probably shared far too much so please only comment if you have genuine kind words or experiences to share.

I really mustache you a question...

Do you think we might be a little (itty bit) crazy???

Ive been pretty clear on my blog that there's a whole lotta Love between us bloggers from Whangarei.

This week the lovely girls in Whangarei had a get together and made these fab videos for me....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POzdPA4FEZc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmXfv24PBuk

LAUGH I did, nearly wet myself I did..... feel the love - I totally did!!!

So on Wednesday, I was so excited to go and have my own little catch up with Lisa and Anya and we did a little (what we call the Mblog) in return (but we took it a step further and did it in public)


Now come on, tell me you are so keen to do one of these too!!!!

I am LOVING GOOD HONEST FRIENDS this week!!!

My creative space: Crochet headbands

I've been whipping up these super quick and easy crochet headbands for the girls. The four weeks my darlings have had of holidays is dragging a wee bit and I can't settle to any major creative task..

I used this flower pattern here (quick and easy and super easy to follow with its pretty pictures) and then just added a button and a string of chain stitch (or two)...

The girls have had fun wearing them different ways....

and we are getting a collection of headbands to match their outfits...

Dont you love the 'hippie' style of wearing the headband...haha

and because there is nothing for Mstr B to wear ... he just wanted a photo...

Linking up over here

whats happening in your creative spaces??

Wordless Wednesday: family

being together

this weeks loving brought to you by the letter S

This weeks loving is brought to you by the letter S!!

its about school holidays...
Swimming lessons with Daddy

Eating Sushi

my darling son ate 13 pieces!!!

Spending time with special friends and Sleepovers

Miss K broke her heart leaving these two special friends earlier this year... it still brings tears to my eyes when I think of that day...but seeing them together, laughing, singing, dancing, eating PILES of sugar....it really makes my heart swell.

Eating Sundaes

This cute little face (with the remnants of spaghetti bolognaise)

Strawberry picking...

And this morning... yummy strawberry smoothies for breakfast

Linking up with Paisley Jade

Vintage Sheet Picnic Blanket

Today we are off to the beach with some friends for a picnic.  A friend kindly gave us an esky (Australian speak for chilly bin, cooler...) but I realised yesterday we don't have a picnic blanket.

For about two years I have had intentions of making a vintage sheet picnic blanket, inspired by one I saw that even had rock pockets included so you could pop rocks (or something heavy) in them to weight the blanket down.

Cue my collection of vintage sheets and a sewing machine kindly lent to me from a friend.

An hour or so later... one picnic blanket... with pieces of vintage sheets I have collected in Northland, NZ ..so its kinda special too!

I sewed 16 large squares together

Sewed the back on and turned it out the right way, whipped around the edge with the sewing machine.

(PJ dont you love the backing sheet!!!)
Then sewed buttons where each of the squares meet...



Oh how I love the wee rock pockets in the corners.... just need to find some rocks to use..

Linking up over here at Our Creative Spaces....

*oh and we went to the beach... to the picnic...and didnt even use it!! hahaha.. we got a picnic table under the shade instead... but its all ready for next time.. just going to add some ties so I can roll it up.

Coconut Apricot Balls, Dairy and gluten free

Ive decided that each week I am going to post about living with food allergies, specifically gluten, dairy and eggs.
Im going to include recipes, ideas of what to eat, how to get started and products Ive found that we like.

First up these great Coconut Apricot and Cashew Balls that I love for a little sweet treat.

Coconut Apricot & Cashew Balls (Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Egg Free)

1 c Cashew nuts (blitz to a powder in food processor)
1/3 c agave syrup
1/3c coconut oil
1 c coconut (dessicated, organic is best as no preservatives)
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 c chopped apricots (soaked in 3 tbsp water for 10 mins) - I use organic for these too.

Add coconut oil to cashews. Add other ingredients.
Roll into balls and roll in coconut.
Freeze.

Loving in Abundance

So here it is, the loving post thats totally picture heavy...

Loving...

Being back in Oz with Daddy/Hubby and living in a lovely little townhouse...

in a complex so new there's hardly anyone else living in the 65 houses... (maybe 10 are filled?)

So the pool is empty (or is that because we are crazy Kiwis-haha)

it kind of feels like we are at a resort

the sun is always shining

We are eating lots of fabulous fresh juicy (cheap!) fruit

We are loving seeing our special best friends

Enrolling at our new school

(eek someone needs to wash their feet!)

Scoring BARGAINS at the local op shops

take one Tip (dump) store + 3 scooters + $21 = 3 very happy children and hours of play today

And at the same tip store.... $10 bought us this hand mower, now Miss K can earn her pocket money mowing our token piece of grass

(hehe caught Daddy in that shot, just after he rolled his eyes about the camera!)

Loving a huge stack of library books to get me through the school holidays...

Loving having this 10 minutes from our door step

(yes those are my children off in the distance... )

And finally.... a reason discovered today that might mean I never ever leave Australia again...

COCONUT MILK YOGHURT!! Heaven I tell you!!!!

Linking up with Paisley Jade

Crossing the Ditch and other stuff

Ok, so here we are.
Its taken me almost two weeks to feel motivated to write a blog post.

I have even considered letting my blog go.
Why? because as soon as I start worrying about stats, number of comments and number of followers, or comparing my blog to the success of others, then I wonder if its worth it.
I did after all start this blog to record my crafting, and we all know there hasn't been a lot of that lately!

So instead I'm going to try to refocus on why I am doing this and try to structure my blogging a bit more. I love how my dear friend Paisley Jade, has a plan to her blogging, each week I know what she will post and when and I look forward to it! What will she create this week? what recipe will she post? what will she be loving?

So Im going to be more structured and see if that inspires me to keep on blogging. I have a few ideas to work on.

But for now, I guess you want to know about our move??

Well, as an expert mover (yes, three international moves in four years, 10 moves since we had children, a total of 27 moves in my life!!! eek! only someone who moves constantly would even add those up!) this move was just as hard as the rest.

source

Its not just the packing, its the cleaning, dealing with three children's emotions, saying goodbye to precious family and special friends.  Yes, we've done it all before and no, it doesn't ever make it easier, just means you know what to expect.

Its the near meltdown at the airport when you are told your luggage is over weight and the way the check-in person looks down their nose at you when you suggest weighing your youngest child to see if the excess luggage can make up for the little weight she is taking up on the plane ...after all we do pay for her the same as her sister who weighs a lot more.

But no, so out of the luggage go most of my clothes, my hair dryer and straightener.... sigh.

source

Its the looking forward to meeting up with family at Butterfly Creek before check in, only to get SCREAMED at by one of their staff for sitting where we weren't supposed to.

Yes its now on here and YES I did warn her I would make sure other people knew how rude she was... shocking!

source

Thank goodness Mc Donalds a few metres down the road were BRILLIANT and couldn't do enough for our group of 15 people (shakes head at Butterfly Creek, hope they treat the visitors for the World Cup with better manners and maybe a little customer service!).

But we make it through those two challenges, say our sad goodbyes to Nana and Poppa and off we go.

Our kids are great little travellers. They have had quite a few plane rides in their short lives, nothing too long, but usually with me alone.

They pretty much know the drill about putting their stuff through security, asking for help to stow their hand luggage, choosing their movies, using the airplane toilets.... bickering at the gate in front of everyone ...*ahem*.

So we make it to Brisbane and there is great excitement and hugs and kisses for Daddy.

My hubby has found us a lovely townhouse and thanks to awesome friends and family its almost completely furnished. Blessed!

We have spent the last 11 days enjoying being around hubby/Daddy, catching up with dear friends, checking out the local op shops, enjoying the SUNSHINE... oh, the sunshine....

But more of that for tomorrow's loving post and some photos because I have been sooo slack at taking photos.

Right now we are off for a swim, its 28C and the kids have been begging me all week.

BLOGGY FRIEND LOVING

It is that time again, time for another change in my life. Time to be reunited with my hubby, and our children with their Daddy. A time to celebrate us as a family. A time to move...again. Back across the ditch to the land of plenty. Back to old friends, an old life.

I have plenty of experience of moving, and plenty of experience of making new friends. I have lived in Auckland, Whangarei, USA, Hamilton, Brisbane and now Waipu.  Along the way I have met a lot of people and made a lot of special friends.

But in this post, even though I have lots of beautiful lovely friends in my life, I want to concentrate on one group of friends.

Nothing prepared me for what God had in store for me on my return to New Zealand.

A whole bunch of beautiful friends. All met through our love for blogging, and more so, each others blogs.

It started off only days after we arrived back, with meeting Simone and Gail and I have been so lucky to stay at Simone's a few times and she is someone I just hit it off with IRL (Gail too of course!!!). Nights spent up talking to 1.30am... days still talking and Simone hosting wonderful bloggy get togethers...for morning tea and dessert.

I have also met a bunch of other GORGEOUS bloggers who are also IRL friends....but for now I want to concentrate on my local bloggy friends.....

THE .... Whangarei bloggers....

I first met these beautiful girls at the Town Basin in Whangarei, for a morning tea.  Nervous much?? eek I was freaking out. Will they like me? am I too loud? too fat? .... blah blah blah.  But you can read all about that here.

I have no idea what I was worrying about. INSTANT FRIENDS!!!

Seriously.

These girls have been my saving grace this year.  Hand picked for me. Special women with special qualities, all chosen to be in my life.

I am blessed, I am humbled, to know I am so deserving of these special people in my life.

They have lifted me up, they have held my hand, they have helped to dry my tears. They have laughed with me, they have shared, they have been my friend, unconditionally. 

It is so refreshing to be so open, transparent... to just be yourself and be accepted.

I know a lot of people out there who could learn a lot from these girls. About acceptance, trust and friendship.

My friends, I love you and appreciate you, I am so thankful to have you in my life.

for cups of coffee...

crafting in the park...

celebrating birthdays in the park....

for a little bit of crafting.....

for monkeying around

and even trips to Spotlight together!

Lots of THIS!!!

Lots of this....

YOU GIRLS ROCK!!!

Yesterday I met up with a few of the girls for morning tea and goodbyes

and then last night a group of us went to my favourite eatery in Whangarei, The Fat Camel. YUM!
We had so many laughs, we were so raucous....but boy did I feel so loved, accepted and blessed.

One of these extra special girls made me a video, she is singing my favourite song... how special is this... I cried and cried and cried....and then cried some more. Tears of sadness that I have to leave these friends so soon, tears of joy for having them in my life, tears of thankfulness.
(make sure you click, watch on You tube if it says embedding disabled) still crying when I watch this...

Oh and Juanita.... I get the last laugh my dear....

hmmmm.... i wonder who knocked this over??? lol.

Linking up with my gorgeous real life friend Paisley Jade