Something unique for a birthday gift

 All my pals know that they will get either beer, a bottle of wine or flowers I found on the way to see them. It worked for a while, but now it seems to be just too anticipated. Looking for a completely different birthday gifts can take a lot of time. Today I went looking for my best close friend which should be easy. I know exactly what he will like so it should have been very easy. I ended up just going to a big box store and getting 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 fine but really tiresome. Last Saturday my spouse was out of town and asked me to venture 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 items to buy for the basket so I went to find it. She puts in mostly Colorado products like goodies, chips, salsa, tortilla chips, nuts, Colorado water, tea drink, gourmet coffee, beef jerky, cheeses, crackers, and honey sticks. First I could not find a basket in the supermarket and only a few of the products. I finally threw in the towel because it was taking forever to look and be sure I had Colorado made foods. My neighbor was also shopping and I shared my irritation when she suggested just going to our downtown and going into the big 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 offered 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 shocked at the cost of buying the goods there. She goes to 7 or 8 different places to buy all the items and helps save about twenty dollars. Now that is just far too much work. An less difficult 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 expense, so to prove my point I found a number 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 less expensive 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 excellent. My wife and I concluded 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 Snack Birthday Basket.

http://www.basketsbyrita.com

Remembering the Victims of Aurora!

 After the shooting tragedy in Aurora Colorado we are at a great 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 brought national news and what a devastating tragedy. I am so sorry and want to do something to assist. 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 answers 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 assistance. A few of friends yesterday had a discussion and we all decided to do something. Some are sending cards and others of us desire 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 Fruit and Cheese Gift Basket to be shared by everyone. http://www.basketsbyrita.com

Care Package

 Impossible to believe that school is almost starting since August has already arrived. Summer goes quick. Kids are back in school and for me it is hardest to say goodbye to the kids who are my neighbors who are going back to college. It was so enjoyable to see them all summer and now some are packing up getting ready to go to college. 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 friend is making up little gift bags for each kid with cookies and goodies from the market 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 appear to be enough. Then I started adding up the cost because I knew I needed to go get 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 best thing I can do for them and probably more for their parents. Shoving the products in the bucket is alright and it gets the work done. After making two of the buckets my next door neighbor suggested I look at Care Gift Baskets. She told me this after she was shocked at how much I had spent on each gift. Her firm uses Baskets by Rita for all the gift baskets they send to visiting clients. There are neat wooden crates with mountains and the word Colorado on them packed with products from Colorado. After checking out the website of Baskets by Rita I do not dare tell my spouse that I actually could very well have sent a Colorado crate for the same price or even cheaper than I spent on my own. http://www.basketsbyrita.com