Scary Good Cause

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and I will have more about our plans later, but for now I want to spread some news.

Local photographer Dominique Attaway is going to be at Trailside Coffee (in Old Trail) taking photos of kids in their Halloween costumes from noon until 2 p.m. on Halloween. Each person will get a 4x6 picture of their child in exchange for a donation to HEAL Africa. Dominique says that whatever donation you feel comfortable with giving will be accepted; 100 percent of what she receives goes directly to the organization.

Dominique is an incredible photographer (she did some beautiful portraits of Jillian a year ago) and a very busy mom of three active boys, so the opportunity to tap into this amazing talent and help a worthy cause is the best Halloween treat you will get this year.

New Again

I have become a major fan of consignment sales, especially the Here Wee Grow Again sale that started on Saturday. I had every intention to walk away from the place without spending a dime but, well, it didn't happen. What can I say? I'm a sucker for pique sundresses with rick rack trim. Thankfully I did not attend the pre-sale for consignors and volunteers or the damage may have been worse. But I had plenty of time to scan the racks during my volunteer shift on Saturday and was able to fill JillyBean's closet with some super cute dresses. Seriously, I scored some amazing outfits and didn't pay more than 5 bucks for one. So far I have broke even - I made just as much selling my stuff the first day as I spent.

Now I need to get some bloomies for Jilly to wear under the dresses. I came across Avannabel Baby and these cute boomers that will go with one dress:
I'm in love with this site.

Still, probably the best thing to come out of my volunteer time on Saturday was learning where all of the unsold items consignors want to donate are sent. The Clothing Center is an amazing place here in C'ville that helps people are are in need. It provides free clothing for women who are victims of domestic violence and who are seeking assistance from the local shelter. It provides free baby clothing to moms who can't simply pop over to Wal-Mart or any other store to get necessities. And it allows men and women the opportunity to fill a bag with all the clothes they can put in it for only 3 bucks.

Learning about The Clothing Center is exciting for several reasons. For one, I had wanted to work with the local women's shelter to create a career closet for its clients. They don't have the space to do it on site and since they send their clients to the Clothing Center, I am hoping that I can work with organizers and create something there. Also I have been at a loss finding some place to donate my clothes as well as some of Jilly's stuff. I want to make sure that they go to an organization that helps the truly needy in our community and this place is it. I did a major clear-cut of my closet several months ago and the clothes are still in a pile waiting for a place to go. They're on their way tomorrow.

As for the consignment sale, it continues through Thursday so if you're looking for a deal, head on over. The quality of items is awesome.

Spring Deals

This is just a quick post to let you all know that Janie and Jack is having a friends and family sale. You get 25 percent off your entire purchase Friday through Sunday by using the code JJFRIEND. I love their stuff and it holds up well through multiple washes. Believe me, JillyBean got a lot of use out of tops and shorts last summer and they still looked new when I pulled them out for the consignment sale.

Speaking of the consignment sale, our playroom/study is back to normal and no longer resembles a girls' retail shop. I hauled off tons of dresses, shorts, tops, bathing suits, shoes, etc. last night for the spring Here Wee Grow Again sale. If you're a C'ville resident, you must check out this place. The quality of clothes and gear is heads and shoulders above other consignment sales that I've shopped. The workers who "screen" items at drop off are super picky and make sure that all items are in tip-top shape.

The sale begins Saturday and continues through Thursday, except Sunday. It's located at Aldersgate Church at 1500 East Rio Road (behind the mall).

Sweet Ending

Even if your candidate didn't win yesterday, there will always be cupcakes. At least I don't recall Obama campaigning against such sweet delights.
JillyBean and I went to Cappellino's Crazy Cakes this afternoon, a new bakery at the Downtown Mall. It helped melt away our disappointment.

Halloweeve

Tomorrow is Halloween and we're super excited around here. JillyBean has been practicing her "trick or treat" the past several days to ensure that Beanie Mom and Beanie Dad get a great stash of sweets this year. After all, it will be the last time we get the candy since I'm sure that she'll figure it out next year.

Jilly's costume is sort of a mish-mash of stuff. She really isn't anything, though a friend said it seems like she could be a bug. So we decided that she's a JillyBug. Beanie Grandma found a super cute black cape last year at Cracker Barrel that has eyes that light up. We've paired with a purple and black polka dot dress from Hanna Andersson along with some purple and black striped tights, also from HA, and a headband with bug antennas on it from Gymboree that she won't wear.

We plan to start the festivities with trick-or-treating at The Lawn, part of UVA's historic Academical Village . It's a tradition with the students who live there to hand out candy to kids. We went last year, when Bean was only 6 months old, and it was a blast. It will be even more fun this year since she'll be able to walk around herself. After that, we plan to go to do a bit more trick-or-treating with one of Bean's Buddies in his neighborhood. Bean is the only kid in our neighborhood so it wouldn't be too much fun for her here.

Backyardagains

I'm not familiar with the Backyardigans but apparently they're a cartoon on TV. Well, they also have a live show and it's coming to C'ville on Thursday, Sept. 18. Get your tickets by clicking here.