Happy Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! This is a post about Halloween Care Packages! 

Here is a picture of the one i sent one Halloween: 

(And as I am sure you noticed I like to decorate ALL of my themed/holiday boxes, and my Husband loved it too, He said it made him feel like i poured some of myself into the care package for him)

& In the Package I sent a "pumpkin" (it was a hard foam one from Michael's that i bought for $4 their pre-holiday sale) that i decorated... 

***A good thing to think about is that stores like Michael's & Hobby Lobby will put ALL of their Holiday decor on sale when they put it out about 8-6 weeks Before the holiday. And since it can sometimes take 4-5 weeks to get a package to your loved one, sending Holiday ones a month before the holiday can be a great idea so they receive the package on the actual holiday.***

Since Halloween is a holiday that has become All about Candy, I decided this package would be a perfect one to send the troops some candy. I carved a top off of the foam pumpkin (pictured above) and stuffed it with my husband's favorite candy. I then bought 30 smaller plastic Halloween themed baggies (you can get these at the Dollar Store) and filled them up with other types of candy for him to pass out on his base. (Keep in Mind What the weather is like during this time of year from where you are sending the package, it's route to your loved one, and where they are.... If it is Hot, it is best to NOT use any candy that can melt such as Chocolate!)

Some (non-chocolate) Candy Ideas: Laffy Taffy, Skittles, Mike & Ike's, Starburst, Tootsie Rolls, LifeSavers, Smarties, SweetTarts, Twizzlers, Sour Gummy Worms, Nerds, Gobstoppers

I can tell you that this box was a hit with all of the guys, and they wound up keeping the pumpkin in their space the rest of the deployment as a decoration. 

So other good Halloween Ideas are: Scary Movies, Popcorn, Small Halloween Decor (fake spiders, small skeletons, goofy face masks)

Good Reads

So, my first post will just be two of my favorite books (as well as one exciting upcoming book).

First is Confessions of a Military Wife by Mollie Gross (there is a picture I took of it below). This book is written by a Marine Wife and is great for spouses new to the military way of life, spouses whose Marine is about to deploy, or long time military spouses. She is a comedian and this book will have your laughing so hard you can't breath. It will also have you crying and totally agreeing with her experiences because they are the same that almost ALL of us will or have had. It addresses Military Life in general, and each stage of Deployment (pre, during, and post). Here is a link to her website where you can purchase the book: Mollie Gross

The Second Book is one for You & Your Husband (or Wife), The 5 Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman (pictured below, but this is NOT my picture). I recommend this book to every married couple I have ever met (whether you've been married 3 months or 30 years). It goes through each love language and helps you figure out which one you are and details how you can interact with your spouse if their primary love language is different than yours (& it most likely is). Here is a link to his website: 5 Love Languages   

....Rumor is, he is also coming out with ANOTHER The 5 Love Languages Military Edition sometime this year (& I am super excited about it, as is my husband), I found a picture of it on the Web, so it is pictured below as well (once again, it is not my picture). Ladies, even if your Husband is NOT a reader (mine is not!) he will appreciate you asking him to read this once he is finished with it... Not sure if the rumor is true, but this picture showed up on Pinterest, so fingers crossed it is real. 

I Hope you enjoy these books as much as my husband and I did! 

Hello World

Hello Blogger World!

While I am by far NOT a professional Blogger or one of those Amazing Women Bloggers who have endless posts about everything from DIY House Fixer-Uppers to Childcare, I did document different things I went through and made for my Husband while he was Deployed... I am just an every day Marine Wife who is going to school, working part-time, and has a dog, I do not claim to be an expert, but my ideas & thoughts are available for you to use and build off of.

Now I would like to share my ideas with other Military Spouses & Parents out there so you can take care of your Deployed Loved One while they are gone... Some of my ideas were original, and others were modified ideas I have heard of from other friends or discovered on the web. I will credit as much of my posts as I possibly can!

I am going to start off with some GREAT books I HIGHLY recommend to military spouses and We will go from there. It might take me a while to get ALL of the pictures and posts up, but bear with me, I have ideas for almost every month and holiday of the year and then some. Enjoy. =)