GIVEAWAY from Bunnies By the Bay *CLOSED*

It’s been such a great week at our house! We adopted our foster daughter on Monday and now I feel totally free to have this baby whenever he decides he’s ready. We’re so excited to meet him and start our new life as a family of 8. EIGHT? Whew. I guess I’ll get used to that at some point. As part of embracing this new little life and sharing our joy with you, we’re doing an awesome giveaway! I’m a little extra excited about our giveaway today, and I promise you’re going to be too! Imagine this arriving at your door:

Seriously, you haven’t even gotten out the actual item and it’s already the cutest thing that’s ever been delivered to your door. As a woman with introvert tendencies and five kids, I do a fair bit of online ordering and I can tell you the cuteness of this package is something special. I almost hate ruining the surprise of it for you because when you’re expecting the usual (something sliding around in a too big box with some bubble wrap crammed in the end) this is even more of a treat.

So then you open up the adorable wrapping and see this little bit of cocoa fur.

 

Can’t you feel how soft it is through your computer? So so soft. And when you think it can’t get any cuter, you see this little fella looking up at you.

The tag on his back says “Together at Last” which is when the pregnancy hormones overwhelmed me and I got a little misty-eyed thinking about the journey we’ve had to this miracle baby. We can’t wait to be together with him and to give him this special bear.

And then you tell your daughter that this is a teddy for the new baby and she says, “Can I try it out for him?” and. you. melt.

THE CUTENESS! It is too much for me.

Do you want to have your own cuteness explosion? Bunnies By the Bay is ready to help!

First of all, a little background info about why I was excited to partner with them for this giveaway.

–They make beautiful, quality stuff with a classic look. Clothes, toys, blankets, books— you really can’t go wrong.

–They have a really moving story of finding hope in tragedy:

Founded in 1986, the world of Bunnies By The Bay was created in response to tragic events that unexpectedly propelled one family into navigating a wayward journey from tragic loss to hopeful healing.

The lessons of those experiences instilled in us the belief that everything can be rescued and mended, even broken hearts. While life may deal unpredictable challenges, help may come in surprising ways and provide us with those little dabs of glee that enable one to rekindle glad dreams.

I thought the sentiment was so lovely, that I just had to know more of what inspired them to create this little corner of beauty and happiness. This is what I found out:

The Bunnies by the Bay Story

Bunnies by the Bay grew from tragedy and flourished through imagination.  The company was started in 1986 in Anacortes, Washington, as a therapy for sisters Krystal Kirkpatrick and Suzanne Knutson. 

On Valentine’s Day in 1983, their father, uncle, cousin, and 11 other men from Anacortes they’d grown up with were lost at sea in a commercial fishing-boat accident.  Then only 4 years later, tragedy struck their family again when they lost their brother, also in a fishing accident.

Overwrought with grief, their grandmother advised the girls to keep their hands busy and told them “the only way to bring joy back into your lives is to bring joy to others.”  And so the sewing began.

–They care about kids in need! When you purchase something from their Red Thread Collection, part of the proceeds will go toward helping orphans in China. These are my kinds of people! When we were discussing what giveaway to do, I wanted to draw attention to the Red Thread Collection, so that’s where your special gift is coming from. 

So are you interested in something from Bunnies by the Bay?  Here’s how to enter our giveaway:

1) Comment on this post with what animal you’d like to have from their Red Thread Collection. (I picked the Wobbly Friend Cocoa and I love him. Such a classic Teddy Bear look.)

2) Go to the Bunnies by the Bay Facebook page and “like” it, then post on it that you were sent by A Musing Maralee. Two ways to enter with a possibility of entering the drawing twice!  Tomorrow (10/3/14) at noon (CST) we’ll close the giveaway and put your names in a hat (Unless I’m in labor, which is kind of a real possibility and could hold things up a bit. Bear with me. Heehee. Get it? BEAR with me. Sorry. The third trimester makes me a little goofy).  I’ll email the winner and get you connected so you can arrange shipping and any other details.

I can’t wait to hear which animal friend you’d pick for your daughter, nephew, sister, granddaughter, foster son, whoever in your life could use some extra cuddling. Comment away!

*Heads up: If you’re a crafty lady who wants to collaborate with me to do a giveaway to promote your business, send me an email at the address listed on the contact page and we can chat about details.* 

 

Congrats to Meagan! I hope your little one enjoys a new Wobbly Friend.