Out of the Ordinary birthday gift

All my family know that they will get either beer, a bottle of wine or flowers I grabbed on the way to see them. It was successful for a while, but now it seems to be just too probable. Looking for a totally different birthday gifts can take a lot of time. Today I went looking for my best good friend which should be easy. I know exactly what he will like so it should have been very easy. I ended up just running to a big box store and buying a gift card. They used to have small cool wooden crate type things to put the gift card in but not anymore. So that was adequate but really dull. Last Sunday my spouse was out of town and asked me to run out and get things to put in a basket for her cousin who was bringing her daughter to Colorado to start college. My wife emailed me a list of all the products to buy for the basket so I went to find it. She puts in mostly Colorado products like candies, potato chips, salsa, tortilla chips, nuts, Colorado water, tea, coffee, beef jerky, cheese, crackers, and honey sticks. First I could not find a basket in the supermarket and only a few of the goods. I finally gave up because it was taking forever to look and be sure I had Colorado made foods. My neighbor was also shopping and I revealed my frustration when she suggested just going to our business district and going into the large home specialty store and having them help me. I did that and it was helpful but I was shocked at how much it expense, including the basket. They proposed to help me put it all together in the basket and put on a nice big bow. It looked great and my wife was not surprised at the cost of buying the things there. She goes to 7 or 8 different places to buy all the merchandise and saves about twenty dollars. Now that is just way too much effort. An better way is just to go online and find a gift basket shop that will do it and deliver it. My wife and I argued over the cost, so to demonstrate my point I found a several of baskets at Baskets by Rita which is a Colorado based company. They have a Colorado wooden crate that is cooler than typical baskets. Even after the delivery cost, it turned out it was cheaper than us doing it ourselves. So getting back to the birthday gift idea I saw the crate and decided to order one and have it delivered to my house so I could see how it looked. It came and was great. My wife and I agreed that they do a much more professional job of putting it together and it looks amazing. Plus it turned out to be more affordable than doing it ourselves. They have a great selection so that is my plan from now on when buying Birthday Gift Baskets. http://www.basketsbyrita.com

Back to School

 Hard to believe that school is almost starting since August has already arrived. Summer goes fast. Children are back in college and for me it is hardest to say goodbye to the kids who are my relatives who are going back to college. It was so fun to see them all summer and now some are packing up getting ready to go to school. Most of the kids I know go to Colorado State University in Fort Collins or Colorado University in Boulder. Two are going to Colorado College in Colorado Springs. Actually there are two of my cousins kids who are coming to schools in Colorado. My neighbor is making up little gift bags for each kid with cookies and goodies from the grocery store to assist get them stocked up for dorm life. She has bought chips, dip, candy, nuts, and snacks and put them into a bucket. They turned out pretty cute. When I asked her how much it cost she said she had no idea. I had a tough time finding a bucket and filling it with stuff to look good. It just did not seem like enough. Then I started adding up the cost because I knew I needed to go buy more stuff to make it look good. I just that wow factor for college students when they get to school. I know they may be a bit homesick and this is the nicest thing I can do for them and probably more for their parents. Shoving the stuff in the bucket is alright and it gets the job done. After making two of the buckets my next door neighbor suggested I check out Snack Gift Baskets. She shared with me this after she was surprised at how much I had spent on each gift. Her agency uses Baskets by Rita for all the gift baskets they send to visiting clients. There are great wooden crates with mountains and the word Colorado on them filled with products from Colorado. After checking out the website of Baskets by Rita I do not dare tell my hubby that I actually could have sent a Colorado crate for the same price or even cheaper than I spent on my own. http://www.basketsbyrita.com

Aurora, we love you!

! After the shooting tragedy in Aurora Colorado we are at a loss for what to do or how to help. Aurora is a suburb of Denver. We are all feeling such sorrow and send our sympathy and best wishes and best hope for healing to that whole community. The shooting attracted national news and what a devastating tragedy. I am so sorry and want to do something to support. The Aurora police department must be amazing with what they are dealing with. They made it to the scene in 90 seconds. People and businesses in Aurora must be comforted to know the department responds so quickly. Plus what must those heroes from the police department and all the medical facilities in Aurora Colorado feel now as they work to save lives and keep people protected. You cannot put a price tag on that kind of help. A group of friends yesterday had a talk and we all decided to do something. Some are sending cards and others of us need to do something far more personal to help our own sense of healing the emotional wounds. My cousin is going to send some kind of food coupons and my neighbor is sending flowers with a message. My brother is a small business owner and suggested we find neighborhood Aurora Colorado businesses to support since they must really feel the impact. So we are going online to find coffee shops, pizza places, florists, etc. I was going to place an online order to an Aurora company Baskets by Rita to send a Bereavement Gift Basket to be shared by everyone. http://www.basketsbyrita.com

Remember, Aurora!

 After the shooting tragedy in Aurora Colorado we are at a loss for what to do or how to help. Aurora is a suburb of Denver. We are all feeling such grief and send our sympathy and best wishes and best hope for recovery to that whole community. The shooting attracted national news and what a devastating tragedy. I am so sorry and want to do something to help. The Aurora police department must be amazing with what they are dealing with. They made it to the scene in 90 seconds. People and businesses in Aurora must be comforted to know the department replies so quickly. Plus what must those heroes from the police department and all the medical facilities in Aurora Colorado feel now as they work to save lives and keep people protected. You cannot put a price tag on that kind of support. A few of friends yesterday had a discussion and we all decided to do something. Some are sending cards and others of us want to do something far more personal to aid our own sense of healing the emotional wounds. My cousin is going to send some kind of food coupons and my neighbor is sending flowers with a message. My brother is a small business owner and suggested we find nearby Aurora Colorado businesses to support since they must really feel the impact. So we are going online to find coffee shops, pizza places, florists, etc. I was going to place an online order to an Aurora company Baskets by Rita to send a Comfort Gift Basket to be shared by everyone. http://www.basketsbyrita.com