I am in love with every. single. thing. about Milk + Bookies, "a non-profit organization that exposes young children to how great it feels to give back while celebrating the love of a good book." (I mean what's not to love.) So I'm so excited to be the guest reader at an event at babyGap NorthPark next Saturday, January 26 benefiting the awesome organization.
The event celebrates the launch of babyGap's new limited edition Peter Rabbit collection in partnership with Beatrix Potter. (Think: cozy bunny whisker emblazoned sweaters, soft cotton onesies, and sweet plaid button downs.) There will be tasty snacks, fun family crafts, and I'll be there doing a reading of Peter Rabbit for all the littles in attendance. In partnership with Milk + Bookies guests are also invited to donate a gently used book that will be given to a local Boys & Girls Club for another child to enjoy.
Fun, yes? Hope to see you guys there!
(Insanely awesome cat collage via Lieschen Mueller...Bryan, the girlies, and I, it should be noted, are cat peeps... )Ok, speaking of books and bunnies and awesome ideas, I got a letter earlier this week from one of my sweet blog readers, Dana Forrest about a lovely little book of sorts that she's pulling together for her cousin Anna who lost her older brother in the Sandy Hook tragedy. It's a bit of a collaborative project, and she needs our help... I'll let her take it from here.
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"I lost my cousin James in the tragic incident last month in Connecticut. My family and I wouldn’t be able to get through this with the outpour of love and support from around the world. Now that I am back in Seattle, far away from my family, I’m trying to continue to help bring them some happiness any way possible.
After this incident, Anna (J’s older sister) was promised a pet by her 10th birthday but she has no idea what she wants to get. As of today she is 9 years and 125 days old (trust me, I listened to her count…so I am running out of time. Luckily, I was able to bring my dog home with me, and we spent countless hours playing with Anna — she knows more about animals then anyone I know. I’d like to collect photos and fun stories from all pet owners out there so we can provide Anna with a catalog (and some fun reading sessions) of all the possibilities and why they are so amazing!
If you are anything like me you’ll have hundreds of pictures of your beloved animal and this should only take a few minutes. You can use your pet, your family pet, your friend’s pet, or even make up a story about your pet rhino. They can be drawings by your kids or even stories from the point of view of your pet! Really, it doesn’t matter – I just want to make Anna smile. My goal is to collect 100 of these by February 1st and as of this week, I’m at just under 50. My only request is that these are happy notes about pets only, as this project is to help her live a normal life."
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So friends, while you're hanging with your littles this weekend, how about writing a quick letter or story about your pet to help sweet Anna make her decision. You can e-mail your letters and drawings directly to Dana. Or if you'd like to snail mail it to her, shoot me an email and I'll pass on her address.
Happy weekend!