Sgt Grit Marine Forums

Alright, I am sure that someone is going to want to throw an $8 flat rate box at me for this one...but i can't resist! 

For those of us whose guys are deployed I thought it might be useful to put the idea out there.  It is something to refresh our minds with... and after all it's not that far away! You see! I just gave us a peak into a few months down the road! and quick, they are coming our way! Whooohooo!

So... any good ideas?  I'd love to hear them!

Brainstorm away!

(ducking for cover) 

much luv,

cj 

Lol, I have noooooooooo idea yet! But you're right...its not too far away. I always think of something cute to send after the date. lol i'm sure i'll come up with something cute/fun soon. And i'll let ya know! lol

OOhhhh! Can't wait for the ideas. Roly will be at ITB so I'll have to think of something too!! 

How about a personalized Valentine's Day card? You can order them online at kodakgallery or shutterfly. I'll keep thinking...:) 

Individualized cards are a great idea! I am going to make a homemade valentine to... maybe i can combined the two... get a little creative.

thus far i have a few ideas:

a comfy pillow (with my perfume). a talking picture frame that is sure to make him smile. a home made video IF i can get on a computer. i need to get a computer now that i have a digital camera which i bought just for his deployment *sigh*.

i am thinking of getting a few professional pictures taken as well. i love the idea Leah gave about doing an outline/ poster of yourself with your face on it.... kind of like our shadow is there even if we can't be.

*keep the ideas coming!* 

I read this online. Get a pair of boxers. Put white paint on your hands and put prints on the back. Then put some hot red lipstick on and kiss all over the front. Spray with perfume. Send away. LOL. And I was looking at Build A Bear workshop to see if they have cute plush toys for Valentine's. They're cute and our Marines will undoubtedly get laughed at for them, but I'm sure the others will be super jealous. LOL. And definitely spraying perfume on stuff. Yummy!! 

Melster:

And I was looking at Build A Bear workshop to see if they have cute plush toys for Valentine's. They're cute and our Marines will undoubtedly get laughed at for them, but I'm sure the others will be super jealous. LOL.

The first time Chris deployed I had made him a Build A Bear....he took it with him..in his carry-on bag..the guys made fun of him but he didn't care because he knew that whenever he missed me he had a little bear to cuddle on that smelled like me!

I think i'm going to send Louie a build-a-bear. Heck, he can't get made fun of anymore than he already does for me sending him a hot pink blanket, sheets, and pillow. LOL. They all laugh and give him a hard time but they all think its cute and most of all Louie LOVES it :)

I'm sending Shaun the hugest card and when you open it up it says "I love you this much". He'll probably just throw it away but I think it's funny.

SunshineSmile:

 a home made video IF i can get on a computer. i need to get a computer now that i have a digital camera which i bought just for his deployment *sigh*.

You can take your digital camera to Kinko's and for 5.99 or whatever you can download all your pictures onto a CD that they provide. It is super fast and easy!

I also take my digital camcorder to a "U-Edit" video place and have them download all my movies for about ten bucks.

AAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA. See? As long as he likes it, that's all that matters. They act all macho!!! ha! We know better. That's too funny.

So all our Marines just might have Build-A-Bears this year. BUILD-A-BEAR FOR '08!! LOL!! 

Okay, quick story: Last year, I put together a Valentine's Day box for EJ and was going to send it along with him back to Camp Pendleton (He had a 96 during the first weeked of February). He kept pestering me to open it, but I didn't want him to. I wanted him to wait until the 14th. He was going to take it back as a carryon. Well, he told me that sometimes it makes him really sad to open something that I put together for him and not be there. So! I had him open it early. Good thing! Because I'd taped in a pair of scissors, haha! He would've tried to go security and I don't think they'd be pleased.

I put chocolate covered fortune cookies in the box, heart shaped peeps, a fuzzy panda pez dispenser (EJ likes pez a lot), strawberry creme filled kisses and some other chocolate candies. I feel like there was more, but I just don't remember. Oh, a nice, long, romantic letter, as well. He liked it a lot and we ate the candy together, haha.

This year, I think I'm going to get him some kind of stuffed animal, as well as some lovely junk food. I should really buy him a blanket. I have fabric to make him one, but just haven't had the time at all.

okay so i came across an exciting find at the grocery store today.... a pair of the cutest boxers ever!

yes, that's right i did just say grocery store and boxers in the same sentatnce- ha! and yes, i bought them!  i just couldn't resist!

So now i have a few questions- does anyone know:

#1 if guys actually like getting, or more so (since everyone probably picks on them at the getting part)- having a stuffed animal? i am seriously considering this as an option. 

#2 do guys like silky boxers & and if so would they wear them over there in iraq?  (i am always willing to save them for when he gets home!)

*sigh* - advice?

 also the one thing i am looking for that i can't seem to find is a small photo frame where you can record a message. 

 Hera your post made me giggle. it completely sounds like something i would do! *looks for scissors*

oh and also- if you want to you could make a blanket quick and easy if you want a warm one- there are fleece blankets that are super quick. you just buy two piece of fabric make slits up the sides and tie them together! you can find directions for the dimensions needed online! my boyfriend loves his!

let the scheming begin!

cj 

Heera, that was a funny story. LMAO. Good thing you let him open it!

I did a quick search for the recording frames

http://www.amazon.com/Dual-Picture-Frame-Recorder/dp/B000CCZS12

I'll look more after I get back from lunch. Good ideas...keep them coming!!!

Oh and if they don't like getting stuffed animals and silk boxers, I'm sure they would now. It has to make them think of us and that helps get them through......:) 

About those talking frames, have you checked Bed Bath & Beyond? They sometimes have little things like that up front. Or if you have a Radio Shack or Sharper Image by you...???

I also found a cool idea at kodakgallery.com and shutterfly.com for photo playing cards. You can choose one photo and it'll be printed on the back of each card. This does double duty...has a picture (so sweet) and gives them a deck of cards (game on!). haha. 

I'm going to have so much fun getting this package ready for Louie!!!! I just want it to be as cute as possible.

I wasn't able to do this last year because he was in SOI and wouldn't have gotten it until way late and they were pretty bad about getting them their mail because they were never at the squadbay anyways so I didn't even bother sending a package. He barely got the few letters I sent! lol so i'm making up for last year by making this extra cute! lol

Well, I didn't do this for Valentine's Day, because Mark came home a few days after Valentine's Day and I was told to stop sending stuff a mont or so before Valentine's Day.  But what I did [and it was for Christmas] was I made this thing and put the reasons why I love him in it.  At the bottom, I glued a piece that said "And those are only a few reasons why I love you." or something along those lines.  Mark liked it, and all of the guys over there started joking around saying, "How LONG did it take her to make all of that?"  I got asked once they got home by a few of the guys.  Let me tell you though, I started that sucker a while before I sent it because it took a while to come up with reasons to fill up the container, decorate the container, and laminate the reasons before putting them in the container.  Also, I got a little thing to put at the bottom of the container with a recording.  I got that at Pat Catan's.  I just left him a little message, and he also enjoyed that because he got to hear my voice whenever he wanted to...up until the truck that carried all of the guys' extra stuff that they couldn't carry with them lost EVERYTHING when it all just fell out while they were moving locations.  LMAO.

BUT, Mark liked it and called me soon after he got it.

OMG that is such a sweet thing to do!!! What a cute idea. haha, all the other guys were probably jealous! lol

These are such cool ideas. I love them. I'll have to get all my stuff together and just hold them until Roly finishes SOI. Thanks, Andrea, for burstin yet another bubble....can't send packages to them while in SOI cuz they won't get them. Party pooper!!!

hahaha Just kidding. Glad you mentioned that so that I don't send something just for it to get lost. LOL. 

Chocolates.... like the good kind... like the really really good kind.

the kind that cost like $5 for three of them at the specialty shop.

would they make it there?  does anyone have any idea?

thanks!

cj

Melster:

So all our Marines just might have Build-A-Bears this year. BUILD-A-BEAR FOR '08!! LOL!! 

 I say we get all of our Marines matching ones.  B-A-B all the way!!!!

I also like the boxer idea.  And I brought a pair of boxers at the grocery store too about two weeks ago.  I plan on sending Marvin a box with them, a teddy bear, and some other things that I don't what I'll send him. 

SunshineSmile:

Chocolates.... like the good kind... like the really really good kind.

the kind that cost like $5 for three of them at the specialty shop.

would they make it there?  does anyone have any idea?

thanks!

cj

 

Why hasn't anyone answered you, crazy monster girl???? Well, I can only imagine that they would melt....seeing as packages take about two weeks to get there...but that's my guess.  

SunshineSmile:

Chocolates.... like the good kind... like the really really good kind.

the kind that cost like $5 for three of them at the specialty shop.

would they make it there?  does anyone have any idea?

thanks!

cj

 

I sent some chocolates not too long ago and they made it there fine. So I think you'll be ok to send them. Its not hot in Iraq right now so everything has been making it there fine :)

I definetly need ideas for this!  I'll be sending the first care package to my Marine for valentines!  However he would hate the bear idea lol!

so i think i have finally finished making joes valentines day package. i read all the ideas here and ended up using some =].  In the package i made him a really cute pillowcase with pictures of us, i bough him boxers and on one of them i wrote funny things and colored it haha, i got him a cute teddy bear which he prob will get made fun of haha, i made him a CD with songs that reminded me of him and i made a copy of one of the CDs that he had that i broke, i bought him two DVDs, a picture frame with one of our pictures, and tons of junk food that he liked, lots of chocolates and razors and things that he could always use more of and ofcourse some cards. i cnt wait till he gets it, i have to figure out how long it takes for a package to reach Japan because i wnt it to get there valentines day.