Custom Beanbag Animal Giveaway

Aren't these guys just the cutest?

Don't you just wish you could win one for your very own? Or for your child, grandchild, niece/nephew, neighbor's kid?

Don't you wish you could get one in any color you wanted?

Well, you can! I am giving away one beanbag animal to one lucky winner! The winner may choose any color for his or her beanbag animal. You can have a pink and blue animal with purple skin! Or yellow and navy with bright pink skin...well, you get it. The winner can choose any two colors for the stripes and any color for the skin.

All you have to do is enter to win! You can enter up to four times (leaving a separate comment for each entry.):
- One, just leave a comment!
- Two, follow my Blog and leave a comment saying you've done so.
- Like Nantucket Knitter on Facebook and leave a comment saying you've done so.
- Share this giveaway in some way (Facebook, forum, Ravelry, pinterest, etc), and leave a comment (with a link to where you've shared it) saying you've done so.

I will leave the contest open until August 27th 'round about noon time EST. Please leave some way to contact you in at least one of your comments. E-mail, Ravelry name, whatever. If there isn't a way to contact you I will wait 48 hours after a winner is chosen for you to contact me, at which point a new winner will be chosen. Winner much respond within 48 hours otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Winner will be chosen via the awesome folks at random.org. Contest is open internationally. Please allow about two - three weeks after winner is chosen for prize to ship, as it will be made just for you!

Want to buy a custom beanbag animal? Just shoot me an e-mail at natalie.knit@gmail.com.

DUE TO LACK OF INTEREST THE CONTEST IS BEING CANCELLED

The Perspective of a Glutton

This is an essay I wrote for one of my classes. We had to share a moment that changed our lives for the positive. Thought I would post it here now that it's been graded.

On December 24, 2012 while talking with my friend Kristina at a Christmas Eve party, I realized I am a glutton. I had, for lack of a better word, an epiphany. My friend and I had been talking about losing weight, diet and exercise; common enough for us. And, naturally, we weren’t taking it seriously. Nothing was really going to change. I was going to remain 220 pounds forever, unless I gained more weight. Until I realized – something had to change.
If I continued my current course of self-destruction, I was going to die by the time I was 40. This wasn’t so much a hypothesis. Both my uncle and my father died of massive heart attacks in their 40’s (my father was later literally brought back to life, my uncle wasn’t so lucky.) So you see, it runs in the family. If I wanted to do better by said family, something had to give.
I joined a free program for recording every bite I eat as well as my exercise. I made it a goal to exercise five days a week, if not more. I picked up running again. There were mostly good days, and some bad days. Heck, there were bad weeks. But I’ve always managed to get back on track, even though I may have had to lose the same two pounds five or six times.
Since that faithful day of December 24, 2012, I have lost 45 pounds and about 16 inches off of my waist. My cholesterol, which was so dangerously high my doctor thought I might have a stroke (at 28 years old!) is now well within normal range. I can wear clothes off of the rack. I can run up to six miles a day, and I run four days a week while walking the other three. A few months ago I could do only three or four modified pushups, and now I can do over 40 “real” pushups without stopping.
My first goal weight of 160 pounds is right around the corner. From there, I’ll see where I want to go. I am not at my goal yet and I’m not perfect (nor do I strive to be.) I know there are always going to be days or weeks when I won’t stay on track. I have an impulse control disorder, and that effects my eating (and drinking). But I’m a far better me than I ever used to be, and my daughter couldn’t be more proud.
Am I still a glutton? Some days and weeks, yes I am. But those moments are more few and far between than ever before, and for now, I’m content with that.