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Doing my bit for those in need.

In my opinion, breeding and pet shops have their place. However, I absolutely hate the thought of there being so many breeders in the world that we have become so over populated with dogs, cats, rabbits etc who don’t have a home because they have been shoved aside for one reason or another. Why can’t we give these shelter pets a home first? Then if we really need to keep breeding, so be it. 

It aggravates me because a lot of homeless shelter pets are seen as dirty, smelly, and no where near as good as a pure bred pup. This is not fair. They may become dirty looking and smelly because they don’t have a home. This isn’t their fault, it’s the people who buy a kitten for Christmas and can’t actually afford to feed or look after it so they have to let it go. It’s the people who buy that gorgeous puppy in the pet store and then the puppy turns into a big dog, they don’t care anymore and get rid of it. It’s the people who keep breeding their dog’s because there’s a quick fire way to make some money.

You won’t get a bond or love stronger than that of a pet you have adopted. A pet who knows, you chose them over everyone else and you gave them their forever home with a good life. A pet that is extremely grateful to you and what you’ve done for them. You won’t find a pet more loyal, more caring than a pet you’ve adopted. Most of the time, these animals have become timid and frightened because they are so used to being  cast aside, but when you adopt them and you spend the time and care on them that they need they will eventually show you a personality and a character unlike any other. This is one of the main points I tried to get across with my book Don’t Shop, Adopt.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I absolutely adore animals. But, it wasn’t really enough for me to admire animals from a far. Of course, I have seven pets of my own but I wanted to do more than that. This is one of the reasons I wrote Don’t Shop, Adopt South Canterbury.

I did my research and no one in the Timaru region had written a book, giving shelter pets a voice yet. So, I thought, why not me. I set about meeting people in Timaru and surrounding districts, got to know them and their animals and then I put them in a book.

Don’t Shop, Adopt South Canterbury recently turned one year old and while I expected the book to be a hit with people who were in the book, it went way past my expectations and people were talking about how it really changed their view on these animals. Even people in other towns, some as far as the North Island. What started as a way for me to feel like I was helping these animals turned into something completely different and more amazing than I could ever imagine.  I am really humbled by all the support and feedback I have had for this book. I did a feature on the SPCA and every single animal in that feature who didn’t have a home all had a home by the time the book was done which made me happier than you could ever imagine. 

As a plus for every book sale, a donation of the profit goes to the South Canterbury SPCA and this was a personal choice. Not only because the book focuses on animals but also because the SPCA have always been a charity very dear to me. When every one else stood back places like the SPCA took a step forward and gave these animals a place to stay until they could find their forever home. They gave them a place where they were cared for and where these animals were given the daily things they need. I, for one, am forever grateful to them.

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Fireworks, again.

Personally, I like Fireworks. It’s delightful watching the pretty sparks and flames shooting up into the air and bursting into beautiful colours but to be honest, it’s only meant to be one night a year and I wish it actually was.

I think Fireworks night should be made into a community event, where for just one night everyone gathers at a certain venue and gets to watch Fireworks go off in a controlled environment and away from animals. Because, as usual, a few ruin it for the rest of us. Suddenly one night a week turns into every night that week and a little bit of fun turns to stupidity and the local grassland going up in flames. 

But what bothers me the most is having to watch my animals huddling in the corner, completely terrified because they don’t know what that awful noise is and why I’m not completely terrified too. I hate having to comfort them (which rarely actually works) and watch them shaking, while they go through this horrible nightmare. 

 So please, remember your furry friends and keep them locked safely inside (if possible) or keep them company until the booms stop. 

 

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Blogmas Day 9: Christmas Giveaway!

55d7057ea9b98_thumb900-1-600x600In the spirit of Christmas I have one copy of How I Met My Match to give away. This is a great book for Young Adult’s and the young at heart and makes a wonderful Christmas gift! All you have to do to win is comment on my blog post with your favourite childhood Christmas memory. Competition will run until Sunday 14th December and winner will be picked at random.

 

About How I Met My Match:

When Lacey breaks up with her boyfriend, Jake, she watches as her popularity, friends and social life goes with him. Managing basketball, school and everyday life is a lot to deal with when you only have one friend by your side, so in the hope to make some new friends, Lacey joins an online dating and friendship site, MeetYourMatch. Then, Lacey meets Chad. Lacey’s dream guy who she couldn’t have more in common with, but is it fate? Or is it to good to be true?

Blogmas Day 8: My favourite Christmas Recipe.

There’s a lot of really cute Christmas recipes going around this year but there’s one that really stuck with me. I’m not really one for baking but I think I will have to try this (:

web-melting-snowmenIngredients

  • 125g butter, at room temperature
  • ½ cup (110g) caster sugar
  • ¼ cup (60mL) milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups (225g) self-raising flour
  • ½ cup (70g) custard powder
  • 290g pkt NESTLÉ BAKERS’ CHOICE White Melts, melted, plus 1 cup (150g), melted, extra
  • 16 white marshmallows
  • Green, red, orange and black food colouring
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil
  • 50g NESTLÉ SMARTIES

Continue reading

Blogmas Day 7: Christmas Gift Ideas.

girlyChristmas shopping is hard, especially when you’re on a budget. There’s so much pressure to find the perfect gift but often they are so expensive.

I’ve compiled a list of gifts you can buy that are good, suit all kinds of people and they won’t break the bank.

Gifts for the animal lover: I come from a family of animal lovers and one of my favourite gift ideas is getting a portrait done of their animal. There is heaps of artists advertising their talents on places like Facebook and Twitter and you can get a bargain at only $20.

Failing that, I love the art prints on www. felt.co.nz they have some adorable animal prints for a bargain and some artists even send you a little bonus gift.

If you have an ultimate animal lover on your hands, perhaps you could gift them a copy of my self published book Don’t Shop, Adopt. You can feel good because, not only are you supporting me, a portion of your sale will be donated to the South Canterbury SPCA. You can visit www.dontshopadopt.co.nz to have a look for yourself.

Gifts for the book lover: Book lovers can be so hard to buy for, can’t they? Some of us will only read certain genres and some of us are willing to read any genre at least once. There’s a heap of cool websites related to books that you can check out but my favourite is Whitcoulls. They often do little features with new release books, good books for her and good books for him. Failing that, why not gift them a gift voucher and they can choose their own present! Everybody wins! However if you really want to give a physical gift perhaps you could ask for an exchange voucher. If it’s not their thing, they can swap for something that is. Continue reading

Blogmas Day 6: Inspiring others through my Christmas Wish.

s61205-214916If there is one thing I believe in, it’s Christmas wishes. Kind of like New Years resolutions except I only make them at Christmas.

I remember when I was a kid I would always wish for a new toy or something that one of my friends had and then I would wish that my family was happy always.

Now I’m all grown up and only one of those wishes has stayed the same. I’m sure you can guess which one. I guess, as we grow up, we lose sight of material things and begin to focus on what’s important: Family, friends and living life to the fullest.

This year I’ll be wishing for good health, not only for me but everyone I know. I’ll be wishing that everyone I know make the most of life because life is far to short so you might as well enjoy it. Seriously, you’ll regret it one day if you don’t.

I’m a person that can often hold a grudge if someone hurts someone I love and me, to a degree. My Dad always gives me one piece of advice and I try to remember this always: Be the bigger person, don’t waste your time and bring yourself down holding a grudge. He’s exactly right and to be honest, most of them probably don’t even care that I feel that way. Infact I should probably be thankful to those people they show me how I never want to make other people feel.

Most people tell me I’m a pretty nice person and that really means a lot to me but next year (and the rest of this year) I want to focus on being even nicer. I’m happier when I’m making others happy. My Christmas wish is that I might inspire others to do the same.

 

Blogmas Day 5: My top 10 Christmas movies.

15380700_991830187587961_2249492106256704997_nIt’s just not Christmas Eve if you don’t sit down and watch some good old Christmas movies. It’s tradition so you have to do it, right?

I love Christmas movies and the ones that have animals as the main characters are my absolute favourites. I’m still playing Blogmas catch up due to starting late so today I’m doing two Blogmas posts. I thought I would start off with my top 10 Christmas movies: Continue reading

Blogmas Day 4: My top 6 Christmas quotes.

s61205-214916I love quotes and Christmas. So, naturally, I love quotes about Christmas 😀 Here are my top 6 favourites:

1. “Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps means a little bit more” -The Grinch.

2. “Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting.”

3. “We are all like a snowflake: Beautiful in our own different way.”

4. “I hope you get the best present of all: The company of those you love, good cheer and a smile.”

5. “Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.”

6. “Christmas waves a magic wand over this world and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.”

I would love it if you guys shared your favourite Christmas quotes with me too (:

Blogmas day 3: My favourite Christmas tradition.

Traditions are a big part of Christmas and everyone has something they always do so here’s mine.

I have more than one Christmas tradition but my absolute favourite one is dressing my pets up in their Christmas outfits.

Every year I buy a little Christmas outfit for my pets and the pets that will allow me to do it get dressed up and get their photo taken. Such a joyous occasion. I thought I would share below some of their Christmas outfits over the years.

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Blogmas day 1: What Christmas means to me

15380700_991830187587961_2249492106256704997_nI know I’m a little late to the Blogmas party but I really love writing so I’ll do four Blogmas posts today in order to catch up. Starting with: What Christmas means to me.

It’s very easy to lose sight when it comes to the festive season. Retail stores get very into the Christmas spirit which is wonderful but often you can find yourself thinking it’s all about material items. But, it’s not.

In my opinion, Christmas is spending time with family or friends and just having a bloody good time.

Eating two or three courses of the main and forgetting your diet while you help yourself to lots of sweets and puddings maybe even trying something new. For example, last year my boyfriend, Shaun, had never had trifle and I had a blast introducing him to one of my favourite puddings.

Christmas is laughing and joking with your family, forgetting all of the worries and stress you have been dealing with all year. Getting out the back yard cricket set and hitting a few wickets. Making fun of your brother while he takes the absolute piss out of you, complimenting your mother on the delicious food and enjoying watching your father relaxed and carefree. Getting excited with your eight year old niece about all the presents and smiling at the memory of when you were that age. Continue reading