Thursday, May 17, 2012

30th Birthday!

So I have totally slacked on the posts and pictures of care packages I've made. The ones I've sent in the past months have always been decorated with paper on all sides of the boxes, but no writing or cute drawings/cutouts. The Easter package I made in such a hurry to try and get it out on time. I drew eggs with a sharpie, how pathetic! That package actually made it to my husband in less than a week and in time for Easter! Yeah!

I have been brainstorming what I wanted to do for Shane's birthday care package since he turns THIRTY! The past deployments he was either coming home shortly after his birthday or left shortly before it. I wanted to make this one really special. Here is the picture of all the stuff I packed in the two boxes:




- pixie straw type deals, but Car themed and called Turbo Dust
- Avenger themed pop rock type candy
- Big League Chew (2 bags)
- Fun Dip (2 packets)
- Glow in the dark axe
- Glow in the dark trident
- Creamsicle flavored Oreos
- Nutella & Cookie sticks (4 packages - I wanted to eat one so badly!)
- 3 pack of silly string
- spicy almonds
- M&M sweet salty mix
- Transformer crayons (surprised my 4 year old did not want to keep these)
- 2 inflatable Star Wars light sabers
- plates with 30! on it
- napkins with 30! on it
- cupcake shaped marshmallow snacks
- package of lollipops that say 30 sucks!
- fold able travel tooth brush (oooh so exciting!)
- mind puzzles (2 types)
- 30 party necklace
- set of dominoes
- and a fire truck from my son's toy car collection he wanted to give daddy


Not pictured:
- magazine
- 6 cards (yes, I did get 3 birthday cards for him from just me - funny, sweet, and romantic)
- 2 cakes in a jar: Betty Crocker Rainbow Chip - birthday tradition for him to have his favorite cake (in a wide mouth quart glass mason jar)
- Betty Crocker Rainbow Chip icing (I could eat the whole tub!)
- 30th birthday confetti! (he is going to kill me if it flys everywhere when he opens it, LOL oh well!)


I wrapped every single thing in birthday wrapping paper. Good thing I bought two rolls because I ran out of the blue paper and had to use red for the remaining things.






Please excuse my messy floor! I decorated the "yellow" box so it could hold the cakes in a jar, and then the "red" one to be funny. I got him a card with a mustache on it, so I continued the theme for the funny box. The proper looking man in the black outline is a meme that I see when browsing 9gag. I love that site! It has hilarious pictures on there. I may be older than the usual demographic that posts there, but I still get a kick out of it. But the whole shabang with him is about being proper and "like a sir."

Yellow box has an added touch from my 4 year old. While I was upstairs printing mustaches and the sir for the red box, I came down to find that he made a volcano for Daddy's box. Red box says "Respect the mustache!" and "aka: cookie duster, 'stache, lip spinach, and soup strainer." I was really grasping for ideas, can ya tell? LOL.



In the yellow box above, the two things in the left corners are the cakes in a jar wrapped in my youngest son's receiving blankets. I didn't have the energy to drag the baby and my 4 year old to the store to get bubble wrap. Hopefully they stay nice and safe.

So now they are on their way to Afghanistan! I hope they arrive in time and all together! Thanks for reading the SUPER long post!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Welcome!

Hey there! I'm Kristen and I thought that I would start this blog as a way to help me pass time while my husband is deployed and also share my ideas with everyone else. We live in NC and have two handsome boys - 4 years (Landon) and 4 months (Mason). 

My husband just deployed (on Valentine's Day no less!) and so I have been brainstorming care packages. I had to send one out on the day he left because he forgot quite a bit of stuff/it wouldn't fit in his bag.  I was able to write a little note, but felt rushed and hated sending such a "boring" package.  So, I turned to trusty Pinterest for ideas and inspiration! 

When I sent care packages in the past, I sent the thin rectangular flat rate boxes (you know, the ones that have the self adhesive strip on both sides). The other night I came across a pin where the pinner had decorated the inside of the box (the large flat rate boxes - they need tape to close)! I wish I had thought of such a brilliant idea!


So, since Saint Patty's Day is the next holiday coming up, I was inspired by yet another pin to make an all green care package. I am no spectacular artist, but I decorated the box with shamrocks (pretty pathetic looking ones), a rainbow (and a pot of gold - heart shaped!), and a beer mug. I wrote "Happy St. Patty's Day!" "Cheers!" and "Pot Full of Love!" On the left are all the green things I am going to attempt to fit into the box: 
  • 3 Utz chips bags
  • 1 Pringles can
  • Nature's Valley granola bars 
  • Quaker Oatmeal cookies box
  • Goldfish bag
  • Individual Kool Aid packs (add to a water bottle)
  • Green toothbrush
  • Hand sanitizer with green gummy holder
  • Clorox wipes
  • Q-tips
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Mike & Ikes
  • Pop Rocks
  • Gummy Bears (which my son opened, so that is one less thing to worry about)
  • 3 Packs of gum
  • Wintergreen mints (makes everything smell like them, yum!)
  • Green olives (a cute little pack of a few olives)
  • Crackers
  • Monopoly card game
  • Mouthwash
  • ...and maybe a few things I can't remember
On the right are the non-green things: two candles (he has a stinky room apparently), two magazines, a cord for his external hard drive, and cards from me and the boys. I will post a picture once I pack everything and see if I have any leftovers. Let the game begin!


...and the result:

I couldn't fit: 2 Utz bags, 1 granola bar and 2 packs of cookies. I also added another card filled with pictures, but that was easy to fit on the side. Pretty happy I made most of it fit! Look for the next care package game in a week or two! :)