Bella the Great

bella_the_great-first_clouds_8zfr

A few months ago I saw some posts on facebook from multiple friends about a couple trying to save their home from foreclosure by starting their own publishing company and children's series based on their now four year old daughter, Bella. I was touched by their story and their creativity in finding a way to supplement their income. I was drawn to the concept of Bella the Great - an imaginative and adventurous little girl, (much like my own) and her sidekick Iago, a stuffed bunny. As I navigated their website and saw the lovely illustrations created by Jonathan Ashley, I got excited about getting to not only share Bella the Great with Zoe and Finnegan, but with my friends and family as well. I had to resist the urge to purchase the coloring books and t-shirts I wanted because we're on a tight budget ourselves these days, but I quickly pre-ordered the first book:

Temp-Web-Bump-Bedroom-Balle

Bella Goes Bump in the Night

Moments later, I was messaging Derek and telling him how inspired I was by his story. We quickly became facebook friends, exchanged messages and later connected with each other's spouses. I shared my interest in pursuing my photography and writing and he and his wife became my cheerleaders and gifted me with the services of a designer to build a merchant site for my photography. Since then, I have gotten to know them more through messages, posts and photos and I am so grateful to have connected with two people who are filled with so much "Love and Light". I do not doubt that I am a more optimistic person by having them in my life. It is amazing to me that despite Derek and I growing up in the same town, going to the same high school and sharing many friends past and present, we didn't know each other at all before all of this - I'm just happy I get to be friends with him and Gina now.

When I first read about Derek and Gina, Daniel and I were just starting the process of buying our first home. When we signed our loan documents and committed to 30 years of payments, I couldn't help but think of our friends and what they are going through. Now that we are homeowners, (as of April Fools, ha) I am even more sympathetic and invested in helping them get their story out there. I have so many dreams for our home, I can only imagine what a nightmare it would be to be faced with losing it. Not a day goes by without me thinking of my new friends and hoping people are as touched by their story as I am.

So, here's the deal: Derek and Gina have a Bella the Great website. It tells their story and has an online store for you to pre-order from the Bella line. Please, check it out. They're on Facebook - become a fan and help me spread the word! Help my friends and get a beautiful book, coloring book, poster, or t-shirt (or hey, the entire line!) in the process - everyone wins...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Let Them Be

One of my children pushes themselves very hard. Sometimes to the point where we have to remind them how awesome they are doing and that it’s ok to relax. They stay up late doing homework and studying. They put extra effort in on projects. If you set a challenge in front of them, it will make them anxious because they want to be the best, but they will jump at the chance to participate anyway. They will get frustrated when things don’t come as easy for them. They are hard working and smart. They are emotional and sensitive. This child wants to belong. They thrive in groups and always stand out as being friendly and kind. Adults love this kids engagement and optimism.  This child actively seeks validation and recognition. They enjoy being a part of team. They love opportunities to be in the spotlight - whether it’s on stage or drawing attention to themselves by dressing up for theme days. This child came home yesterday with marker on their nose because they didn’t have time t...
Read more

Adventures in Crockpot Cooking

Crockpot Cookin' is all fun and games until you realize that a crucial ingredient is just over 2 months passed it's "Best if used by" date and the clock is ticking for it to cook for 6 hrs so you can serve dinner by 6. So then you grab your *almost 4* year old and toss him in the van and you race to the grocery (while you've got your husband on blue tooth talking you down from the crazy "I am not cut out to do things like this!" ledge. You wrap that up and he's very encouraging and you race through the grocery with your little boy (who has very short legs in times like this and does not run fast enough) and you grab the broth and make a mad dash to the register, but your son almost knocks down a five foot display of fruit cakes that was in the middle of the flipping aisle (for goodness sakes!) like the HULK, but he stops just short of disaster and very calmly says " It's alright, Mama. We're cool. " and he gently takes one finger an...
Read more

Tuesday: Girl's Day

Image
Last Tuesday was Finnegan's first full day away from the house and me. Daniel and I carefully got him ready and loaded him up in his car seat. I loaded a bag with 20 diapers, 4 burp cloths, 3 changes of clothes and five bottles of my milk for his nine hour stay at Cheryl's*. And as we were securing him in his seat, I might have cried... just a little bit. And then I went back to sleep for a while because Zoe is still my little sleepyhead who will sleep til 10am if I let her. I took a shower and got ready - meaning, I actually put some lipstick on. I got her up at nine. We had breakfast together and watched some PBS Kids. And then we got ready for the park because we were lucky enough to have a lovely, sunny day instead of this grey weather we've had since yesterday. Zoe squealed with delight when I pulled into the parking lot of the park. The park is only two blocks from our house and I feel a little guilty for not just pushing her stroller, but I had big plans for our girl...
Read more