Yes, this is a fair trade gift basket, so the contents (and even the basket itself) were all fairly grown or made of sustainable, renewable resources whose sale directly benefits the farmers and artisans behind them.

And yes, even if your dad (or husband or other recipient) isn’t into the “green scene”, he will no doubt love this thing.

It includes:

• A bag of Equal Exchange Organic Gourmet Coffee, 12oz bag (your choice of roast)
• Firehouse Hot Chili Gift Pack
• Khatsa Hot Sauce
• Chocolate Gift Pack, filled with 10 dark chocolate pieces
• Stylish Trifold Wallet made of organic hemp
• Honduran Organic Cashews, 1/2 pound bag

Yum, right? And it’s all stuffed into a natural, hand-woven Kaisa grass basket from Bangladesh that he can reuse for anything he’d like. Perhaps to put keys, change, and his new wallet into?

Gift Baskets for Dad - $54.00 at GlobalExchange

I’m all about empowering our daughters and now I’ve found a web community that advocates the same. Girls Can’t What? regularly features interviews with women from around the world who have proven that not only are they incredible mothers, wives and daughters, but are also outstanding in their chosen professional fields….fields traditionally dominated by males.

This web community is not only inspirational, it allows extraordinary women from all over to connect with and support one another. Oh, and did I mention that they have the coolest merchandise for sale? Being a pilot myself, I’ll show you a peek at my personal favorite:

$12.99 at Girls Can’t What?

How adorable are these baby girl shorts from Greendog? I absolutely love the flower & plaid print pedal pushers, and the denim capris would look supercute & stylish on any little girl. Oh, I just love ‘em. Now if I only had a baby girl on which to put them…

Pedal Pushers - $10.70
Denim Capris - $9.73

Available in sizes 6-24 months at Amazon.com

The USO is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the troops by providing morale, welfare and recreation services to our men and women in uniform. The original intent of Congress and enduring style of USO delivery is to represent the American people by extending a touch of home to the military. The USO currently operates more than 130 centers worldwide, including ten mobile canteens located in the continental United States and overseas.

I was invited into one of these mobile canteens last December to record a video message for my husband, who was serving in Afghanistan at the time. They made it into a DVD and sent it directly to him, along with a pre-paid phone card and some hand-written cards from civilians, and he received it in time for Christmas. It was the first time he’d seen his son in months, so it meant a lot to both of us that the USO made it possible.

They do so much more than this, so many greater things on much a larger scale, but the fact that they also do small, personal things like recording video messages for everyday military families is another great aspect of the organization. Sometimes it’s just the little things that make the biggest impact on a person, you know?

A few of their great programs:

United Through Reading Military Program

The USO, in partnership with Family Literacy Foundation, is proud to offer the United Through Reading Military program at select USO centers worldwide. Service members are able to record themselves reading a children s book aloud. The USO sends the DVD and a copy of the book to the children in their lives back home. You can donate online and choose the”donate to a specific program” option to help with this operation.

Operation USO Care Package

Distributed to deploying service members, care packages may include snacks,entertainment items, toiletries, sunscreen and other items requested by troops. With a donation of $25 you can sponsor a USO care package and include a personal message of support and encouragement. To support Operation USO Care Package, click here.

USO Operation USO Phone Home

Prepaid, international phone cards are given free to service members, especially those in Afghanistan, Iraq and other overseas locations. Help deployed service members call home by donating to Operation Phone Home today. Donate online and choose the “donate to a specific program” option.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to read through this post. I know many people get sick of constantly hearing about the wars and the troops, but as someone who’s living in it every day, I can’t begin to tell you how important it is to remember and respect what these people are doing for us everyday, so we can have cookouts and parties, and every other freedom we enjoy and usually take for granted.

Okay, and that’s all I’ll say about that. Have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone.

We love our PBS in this house. From my son’s Elmo obsession (which is bordering on addiction) to family-friendly favorites Antiques Roadshow and Austin City Limits, to Masterpiece Theater (most recently premiering the Complete Jane Austen Collection!), there’s actually quite a bit we tune into or program to the DVR. It’s because of this channel that I think I might actually survive if anything ever happened to my satellite.

I’m sure I’m not an ideal viewer because I don’t make financial contributions during fundraisers and telethons. Your PBS programming was definitely not in any way brought to you by viewers like me. However, I’ve now found a great way to, well, indirectly contribute and get a cool gift in return.

Philosophy has partnered with PBS and created the Tree House Hand Care Kit. Adorably packaged, it comes complete with two red delicious apple scented hand care formulas, one a pump lotion and one a tub of hand creme, that will “leave hands silky soft and delicious smelling.”

Philosophy has pledged to donate 100% of the net proceeds from the sale of this kit directly to PBS. If that isn’t a generous show of support, I don’t know what is. It must be made just for people like me who love PBS and love Philosophy products! So maybe once I purchase this kit I can feel a little less guilty about watching all the great public television shows, right?

Get your own and show your support! $25.00 at ShopPBS.org