December 2nd, 2009 by Erin
“If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path..” — Buddhist Saying
I am involved with many charities in the DC area, but one is very special to me. LOAVES & FISHES has been serving weekend and holiday meals (most programs only serve on weekdays) to hungry and homeless people in DC since 1968.
WE NEED COATS!!! The diners at Loaves & Fishes have become my friends and it is heartbreaking to see that basic needs – food, shelter, and warmth – are not available for so many. Unfortunately, I have seen their needs increasing greatly due to the economy and the arrival of winter and the cold weather. It is my goal to collect enough coats for anyone at Loaves & Fishes who needs one (about 300).
We have made great progress (about 100 coats handed out in November!!), but we still need more coats. If you are interested in donating gently used MENS coats (all sizes welcome, XL and XXL are especially needed), please contact me at erin@murphyandmeboutique.com or leave me a comment on this blog. Forward this to your office mates, friends, and family too – you’d be surprised how many people are looking for a good reason to clean out the closet!
OTHER SPECIAL REQUESTS: I am also going to keep a running tab on this page of other items I have been asked for. If you happen to have any of these things, they are special requests from people who truly need them:
- JEANS – Size 38 (two pair)
- Winter BOOTS – Size 8 1/2W
- Winter HATS & GLOVES
- Baseball Caps
- Men’s SOCKS (preferably new)
Washington, DC remains the city with the highest rate of homelessness in the country. Want to learn about homelessness in DC? Check out these FACTS ABOUT HOMELESSNESS in our community.
Tags: Coats, Giving Back, Homelessness, Loaves & Fishes, You Can Help!
Posted in Coat Collection | 2 Comments »
November 3rd, 2009 by Erin
CHRISTMAS!?!?!? Saturday was Halloween and my hangover candy induced sugar coma had only partially lifted when – BAM! -the next thing I know, Christmas is everywhere. Are stores and advertisers starting on Christmas insanely early this year, or is just me?? I was in Miami for Halloween and needed some last minute costume props, so I went to CVS and they had already done away with their Halloween aisle and changed it to Christmas stuff the day BEFORE Halloween. It’s crazy.
Anyway, I guess since I am in retail now, I shouldn’t be so cynical about the holidays and mass consumerism…but I just would like to enjoy my Fall a little before we start with the snowflakes and santas. That being said, the bright side of the holiday season (especially in this economy) is that I see more people looking to help others and get involved in their communities in some meaningful way.
I am a big advocate and supporter of many charities in DC, obviously animal and dog rescues being top among them. I also do a lot of work with low-income/homeless people in my area. Murphy & Me was a sponsor at a great event last week for StreetWise Partners , a group that works with corporations to build mentoring relationships between low-income individuals and volunteer business professionals to develop workplace skills and employment networks as the bridge to a successful career. They are a great organization and the event was a lot of fun. Our friends at K Street Kate did a nice write up on the event.
Tags: Christmas, StreetWise Partners
Posted in Holidays | No Comments »
October 26th, 2009 by Murphy
This weekend was the doggywalker.com 10th Anniversary celebration and fundraiser for Lucky Dog rescue. It was at National Harbor, which I’d never been to before. It was actually a very cool place and dog friendly. If you’re in the DC area, you should definitely check it out.
We met a really nice photographerthere and he took this stunning (if I do say so myself) portrait of me. Granted he had a good subject to work with, but still, it’s a pretty cool photo. Thanks Michael! I also like it because of the all of the blue. For those of you who don’t know, I’m a huge Duke fan. Which leads me to my next exciting bit of news from the weekend – Duke beat Maryland in football!! Duke hasn’t had a winning football program in a looonnnng time, and that was our 2nd ACC win in a row and gives us a winning record for the season. Go DUKE!
Tags: Duke, National Harbor
Posted in Events | No Comments »
October 1st, 2009 by Murphy
So as my Mom blogged, last weekend was Clarendon Day and it rained cats and dogs (no pun intended). But all that rain got me to thinking about one of my favorite books -The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. I love this book for many reasons, but primarily because it is narrated by a dog. Seriously, why aren’t more books narrated by dogs!?!?! Hmmm, maybe it’s because, relative to the human population, dogs have far less access to the internet and computers. It’s really unfortunate actually, as dogs have some incredibly important things to teach people. Maybe I can talk to Bo Obama about putting internet access for dogs on the President’s agenda. After all, I think Bo is now polling higher than his master, so he’s got to use that to further the policy objectives of all dogs.
Oh wait…sorry…I’m off on a tangent. I can focus so easily when it comes to squirrels, but blogging is another story. Anyway, back to the book. Enzo, the dog who narrates the book, proves that a good story is even funnier and more compelling when told by a dog. Trust me – read the book and you’ll see.
Speaking of reading, I’ve been trying to start a book club for a while now, but most of the dogs I know prefer fetching to reading. I totally get that. To be perfectly honest, I’m not really an avid reader myself but I think it’s important to be a well-rounded pup so I try. So if you have any suggestions for my next Bow-Wow Book club, please leave me a comment with your recommendation. I trust you more than the NY Times!
WOOF!! (That’s dog-speak for leave a comment)
Tags: Bo Obama, Bow-Wow Book Club, The Art of Racing In The Rain
Posted in Book Club | 1 Comment »
September 28th, 2009 by Erin
Clarendon Day 2009
This past weekend was Clarendon Day, and while the day looked promising to start, it ended up pouring rain for most of the day. Such a bummer because the event is always so much fun and we were looking forward to seeing everyone.
So Saturday was pretty much a wash, which is why I was especially looking forward to Sunday, when we were hosting a Murphy & Me preview party for friends and neighbors at my house. I went to the grocery store at about 10am to grab a few things for the party, and came home and my street was shut down by the police and hundreds (OK, that’s a slight exaggeration, but it was a LOT) of police officers surrounding my house. Turns out there was police chase and the bad guys jumped MY fence and then disappeared, so the police thought they may be in my house.
Cue me having a panic attack, since Murphy was home alone, and the thought of my dog and some criminals hanging out in my house together was NOT going over very well. I begged and pleaded with the officers to let me go get Murphy, but they were having none of it. After a little while, the K9 police dogs arrived and sniffed one guy out from my garage and the other out of a neighbor’s tree – totally insane!
So the wonderful news was Murphy was safe, although a little stressed out, I think from all the K9 dogs running around his yard. And I was more than relieved that Murphy didn’t have any quality one-on-one time with federal fugitives. I swear, this stuff NEVER happens where I live, but of course it happens the morning I’m having a party…Murphy’s Law!!
Anyway, the chaos finally subsided and I hosted a slightly scaled back preview party. Big thanks to all of my neighbors and friends who stopped by. And a little lesson learned this weekend - remember to lock your doors (and garage!) even if you’re just be going to be gone for a few minutes on a Sunday morning. Having bad guys use your garage as a hiding place really isn’t that cool…
Tags: Bad Guys, Murphy's Law
Posted in Events, General | 1 Comment »
September 25th, 2009 by Erin
Our new website is finally up, so you now can shop some of our favorite gifts and doggie desserts online! If you see something missing that you love, let us know! Or leave a comment or send us an email and let us know what you think!
We’ll be at Clarendon Day tomorrow, so stop by and say hi. Our booth will be located on Clarendon Boulevard, near Jump Works and the Kids’ Activities. Clarendon Day is always an awesome event and, fingers crossed, the rain and heat will hold off, so it should be a great time. We also have some great new stuff that we will be previewing there. Hope to see you!
Posted in Events | 1 Comment »
August 23rd, 2009 by Erin
OK, it’s kind of embarrassing that Murphy got his blog posted before me. But in fairness, I have been super busy getting ready for the launch of the new website and store. Just got back from New York and the International Gift show, where we found some amazing gifts that I know you are going to love! I am so excited about the site and our store (which will hopefully be open later this Fall – check back for updates and keep your fingers crossed for us!)
And I’ve never had a blog before, although then again, neither has Murphy (at least that I know of), so I’m a little unsure what to write about. While I’m sure it would be highly entertaining for me to share with you all the details of some of the priceless dates I’ve been on lately, I think we should get to know each other better before I go there…But trust me, I could write a book.
So for now, I just want to reiterate how thrilled I am about Murphy & Me. I think I have found some really fabulous and unique gifts that you will love to give to the special people and dogs in your life. Thank you for visiting and please send me any ideas, feedback, or advice you have on the site or our products.
Posted in General | No Comments »
August 19th, 2009 by Murphy
Since this is my first blog, let me introduce myself (you can also learn more about me at ABOUT US). My name is Murphy and, wait, now I feel like I’m at an AA meeting. Yeah, dogs know about AA. Did you not think we were paying attention when you’re watching TV?
Anyway, I am Murphy and I am a 3 year-old, border collie/spaniel/corgi/etc mix. Speaking of “etc.”, I’ve never understood you people’s fascination with what breed dogs are. It’s not like if I were a German Sheperd mix, I’d speak German. And even though there’s not an ounce of French anything in me, I still enjoy a nice cheese with a glass of Merlot. Just kidding, I’m not in AA but it’s certainly not like anyone ever offers me a glass of wine. But I do love me some cheese!
Well, this is my first time having a blog, so I’m not exactly sure what all I’m supposed to write about or for how long. And honestly, typing with your paws is as hard as you’d think it would be. For that and many other reasons, be grateful you have fingers! So I’ll just finish by letting you know that we are really excited about Murphy & Me and are glad you visited the site. Judging from all the running around my Mom is doing, we should have our on-line shop up and running within the next few weeks, and the retail store should hopefully open in a few months. I hope to see you on-line and at the store soon!
WOOF! (That’s dog-speak for leave a comment!)
Posted in General | No Comments »
