Wrapping up and moving on...

Well it's been quite a month in our household. I've been down to LA three weekends in a row cleaning out my mom's condo that we sold. Thanks to everyone who helped with this process. We worked with two great organizations that I would highly recommend if you are ever in a situation where you need to donate (or get rid of) a large amount of household stuff.

The main charity that we donated to was the National Council of Jewish Women. They came and took nearly everything which was a real godsend. Then at the last minute, they couldn't take the couch! Agh! It was like those moments when I was working in advertising when something really bad would happen at the last minute. I literally had 6 hours to get this couch and a bed out of the condo. After thinking of about 20 different crazy solutions, my real estate agent recommended gotjunk.com. You can basically pay these guys to come pick up anything, and they charge based on the amount that your stuff takes up in the truck they bring. Now, mind you, this was not cheap ($150 later), but they came in about 45 minutes and I have never been so happy to pay for something in my entire life. I would recommend them if you ever are in a last minute ditch and need help.

I've been poking around today for something to feature, and I did find a site (a few weeks too late) for organic flowers. It's call Organic Bouquet and it donates proceeds from the sale of each bouquet to support non-profit organizations dedicated to social justice, wildlife conservation, animal rights, and environmental protection. They partner with some great organizations like the Red Cross, the Jane Goodall Institute, Heifer, Amnesty International, etc... It goes on and on. Check them all out here.

Plus I get to show some pretty flowers, which I kinda need to do after a tough day yesterday.

Inspiration in Paso Robles

We just got back from a weekend of indulgence in Paso Robles. A belated b-day gift from my sweetie. We stayed at this amazing little B&B, The Canyon Villa, that had 4 rooms and the nicest owners. I would highly recommend this for your next wine tasting trip! At this B&B there was no TV, so needless to say, I devoured about 10 magazines in the course of the weekend. One of them was Oprah's Home Magazine for Winter 2006, which actually had an entire page devoted to Gifts that Give Back! Yipppeee! I immediately tore it out (sorry future guests!) and now I have a few postings worth of stuff to report on.

These blankets from a site called FunQuilts.com really caught my eye. Here's the description from the site:

Featured in TIME, The New York Times, and Country Living, these cozy blankies are a collaborative effort between FunQuilts and CARC, an organization that provides training and jobs for developmentally disabled adults in Chicago. Each blankie is made from two layers of 100% cotton flannel stitched together in a charming animal pattern. Stitching patterns include A Herd of Elephants, A Troop of Chimpanzees or A Pod of Dolphins. Your purchase of these blankies will provide meaningful employment to many hands. All colors and patterns are in stock for immediate delivery.

Here are two of my favorites. Btw, these are only $75 each, which I think a really reasonable price for a handmade gift that is as whimsical and functional as these are. Enjoy!