Happy Valentine's Day!

Goodie Bags & Candy Galore.
...enough to share, since it is the holiday of spreading the love, and there is plenty to go around for these guys :)

These adorable Conversation Heart boxes are made of plastic but are strong, and stay closed with the lids on... each bearing a different little Valentine's message. 

The goodie-bags also included a mix of Valentine's Day candy and individual Valentine's Day cards in this little pink mailbox I purchased at Michaels.  I used adhesive-backed felt letters and put their Troop numbers along the side without the flag.

 Last but not least, Valentine's Day Cookies!!

Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve 2010... in Afghanistan

To help the guys ring in the new year, I put together a next-best-thing celebration & toast package. Party poppers, party horns and party hats. Since New Year's Eve-- as far as I'm concerned-- must involve champagne, I had to think outside the box on this one. You can't send alcohol, obviously, and I searched high and low for sparkling grape juice in anything other than glass (no luck): Welch's white grape juice and plastic champagne glasses for a 2010 toast!

Christmas Letters

Rather than sending more candy, which I know there was a ton of around the holidays, I decided to reach out to my local community (including friends, family members, the sisters of a sorority from the undergraduates at my current graduate school, and anyone who was interested in sharing their love and support for the soldiers). Initially I planned to craft a box or a giant stocking to send these in once collected, but I found at Michaels, the Arts & Crafts store for $2.99 this amazing Christmas Gift Bag, already bearing the perfect message: Don't Open 'Til December 25th!

What a great deal (as is everything at that store, which has come to be like a second home to me throughout this deployment... you'd be surprised how many good ideas come to you while wandering up and down the aisles... more to come!)

Anyway, here is how it turned out:

Thanksgiving is on its way!!

Marie Calendar Turkey & Stuffing Meals (in the 'super pasta' aisle)
Werthers Originals
Ginger Snaps
Small pop-top cans of Corn and String Beans
Sweet Potato Chips
Microwave Popcorn
Dried Cranberries
Apple Cider Mix
Home-made Apple Spice Cakes (from muffin mix)
Apple Cinnamon Applesauce
Homestyle Gravy (wrapped in bubble wrap & zip-lock bag!)
Betty Crocker Instant Mashed Potatoes (just add water!)
Dunkin Donuts resealable coffee big-bag

Happy Halloween!

Trick-or-Treat... Well, just treats for these guys! 

Home-made Halloween sugar cookies (this was my first attempt at decorating with royal icing so I practiced a few times and threw out a LOT of cookies, but I was proud of my work).

 

Individual Halloween-themed goodie bags filled to the brim with gummy insects, candy corn and tons more.

 I also included some Halloween photos from past years, just for fun!