A stick horse and a machine of death

Posted by Kristin on Sunday, February 24, 2013.
No Comments »

I would like to preface this with the fact that I don't have kids.  My sisters don't have kids.  Although I hang around with the kids of friends, it is only for small moments of time.  And by kids I mean babies and toddlers.

Therefore, when it comes time to buy gifts for kids, I'm at a loss.  Apparently, I am too poor to buy anything fun and not made in China, so I always resort to something handsewn.  But by handsewn, I don't mean pink bunny costumes like in "A Christmas Story"...I try to come up with things I think the child will actually like.

For my godson's first birthday, I made him a beautiful rag quilt:

It was three layers of flannel, so it was so soft and cuddly...I really wanted to keep it for myself.

For Christmas, I made all of the little men in my life (including my godson) PJ Monsters.  The pattern is by Sew Fearless

These have been such a hit that I have a waiting list!

Today was my godson's second birthday party and I decided to make him a stick horse using a pattern by Abby Glassenberg (Abby Glassenberg Design).

Oh how I loved this stick horse.  I couldn't wait to give it to him today.

But I didn't think the horse through....instead of it becoming a fun toy to ride around the house on...it immediately became a weapon of mass destruction.  When a hyped up on cake two year old hugs a stick horse upside down, the stick flails about looking to make a pinata out of any human within a two foot radius.  Or tv.  Or window.

I hope when I see my best friend tomorrow, she is without a black eye.  She has also promised to make all of this up to me when I have kids.

I can't wait.





My Last Bella Article

Posted by Kristin on Tuesday, February 5, 2013.
1 Comment

I'm calling this my last Bella article...but technically January was my last article.  I had already submitted this one before my column was booted for advertising.  The magazine has decided to move in a different direction (and that direction is allowing advertisers to write editorials which are in reality just long advertisements for services).  This is a short column, because before my space got completely taken over by ads, it was shortened to 300 words.

I feel as if this one needs to be printed somewhere, even if it is just a blog (and I am not advertising anything....).



Life is too short NOT to be famous!

These are the words of Famous Dave Moran, who was recently diagnosed with the same cancer that took my own dad’s life a few short years ago.  This issue is all about love…weddings, romance, Valentine’s Day…where does a terminal illness fit in with this?  Bear with me, I’ll reach a point, I promise.
I don’t personally know Famous Dave, but I am friends with his daughter, Jessica McClung.  Well, maybe not “friends”, she is technically one of my supervisors.  But I like to pretend we are friends.  When she first told me about her dad’s diagnosis last spring, it sounded eerily similar to what my own family had gone through.  But what is different is where my dad hid his disease for as long as possible, Dave is facing it head on.  And that is where the quest for famousness comes in.  If the Kardashians can be famous, anyone can be famous (Ok, totally stolen from his website but an excellent quote nonetheless.  But I would also add in Paris Hilton and anyone from Jersey Shore).  

Therefore I need a few favors from all of you out there.  First, can you help Dave in his quest to become famous?  Visit him at www.famousdavemoran.com  and share it with all of your friends.  Read his blog and follow him on Twitter.  Second, if you or anyone you know works for Ellen DeGeneres, please put in a good word for Dave.  And last but not least (which is why this fits into a magazine issue devoted to mushy love), please encourage the men in your life to get regular prostate exams starting at age 40.  And that is the ultimate goal of Famous Dave, to give a face to prostate cancer which is often seen as an “old man’s disease” and not something to worry about.  Help protect the men you love (and help make Dave a little more famous).

  


LinkWithin