Valentines day for the deployed

The holidays were hard enough with out our loved one... now coming up is the most romantic holiday of the year. Lets try and make them feel like they are home and with us on this day. So, what travels well? What's unique? What wont he hate? I have scoured through the inter webs and came up with a pretty decent list to start your valentines day package.

What travels well:

• Not chocolate. That's the one thing you think of when it's valentines day. I know, that puts a damper in all the gifts I was thinking of too!
• Hard candy
• Home made cookies- They will travel pretty well. they might be stale a few days after he gets them but if you seal them in a Pringles container or well sealed Tupperware, they should make it. On the upside, if they happen to not stay fresh, stale home made cookies are better than anything that they are eating out there, I promise.
• Cake- Mason Jar cake to be exact. Just make sure that you use bubble wrap and news paper and anything you can think of to protect that glass.... shard glass in cake doesn't sound fun.

What's unique:

• Anything home made. Cards, scrap books, picture frames, any pictures of your hometown, kids, and other familiar places and faces. If your not that creative Shutterfly makes this easy. Just upload all the pics you want, pick out the colors, theme, choose the picture you want on the page and it does everything else for you. Pages and pictures are of great quality too. 
• Calander- good idea if he just deployed. you can put every ones birthday, and special holidays or events to celebrate. They loose track of time out there so this will really help them out. Also, you can get on Shutterfly and add pictures to each of the months to make it extra unique.
• Pillow case. Find the highest thread count, and softest fabric, spray his fave perfume of yours on it (load it up). Place it in a plastic bag and tie it really tight so the smell stays on the pillow case. When he opens it he will get a wall of your perfume and should send him tons of memories of you!
• Teddy bear. Sounds lame but go to Build A Bear and you can add your voice to the bear and say cute sayings to him. If he's staying anywhere like where my husband is, its hard for him to call or Skype so all he will have to do is push the bear's paw to hear your voice :)
• Video- cant go wrong with a video of you telling him you love him and his family saying hi, kids playing in the yard, or your dog licking the lens. Edit them together and add his favorite song; it will defiantly bring a smile to his face. I did this for Christmas for my husband one year of the snow falling, friends that were home for the holidays that he hadn't seen since high school and us decorating the tree. He said that was the best present he ever got. :)
• Photo blanket of you and loved ones- I got one for my friend from Walmart online with a collage of her family. They are decently priced, really soft and warm.

What he wont hate:

• Anything he needs. i.e a new watch, sun screen, new sheets for his bed or a new camera
• Snacks- granola, chips, hard candy, gum, mints, microwave mac and cheese, Jerky, and his favorite cereal
• Recreating his favorite dinner. For Thanksgiving this year I did a recreation a turkey dinner which included turkey jerky, sweet potato chips, dried cranberries, Dole cinnamon apple crisp (its a play off of the Stoffer's cinnamon apple sides) and load baked potato Pringles

Mason Jar Cake Recipe:

• 6 mason jars
• Cake mix, and the ingredients on the back
•  Cooking spray (Pam) 
• Bamboo skewers
• A rimmed cookie sheet

- Preheat the oven as directed on the box

- Make the cake batter as shown on box

- Grease the inside of the jar with cooking spray

- Fill the jars to just below the one-cup mark. make sure you wipe down the jar real good so there isn't any excess batter

- Place the jars evenly spaced on the cookie sheet.

- Bake the cakes until a bamboo skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. They say 15 mins less than the box directions but I've read that it actually ends up being longer, just keep an eye on them. Mine took a lot longer than what the internet said.

- While the jars are still hot, place the seals and rings on the jars; the seals and rings should be at room temperature or warmer. Make sure not to tighten the rings too much. Within 15 minutes the lids should seal themselves so the center button can no longer be depressed. Add a cute scrapbook tag or decorate it and your done

 

 

 

 

As always; For every package:
Their favorite:

• Shampoo/body wash
• Colone
• Tooth brush/paste
• Snacks
• Baby wipes
• Pictures
• Playing cards
• Video games
• Movies
• PC computer games
• Powered juice (for water bottles i.e. crystal light, gatorade, mio)
• Vitamins
• Air activated heating pads
• Paper and pens (incourage writing letters instead of emails)
• Local news papers
• Magizines
• And anything else that will help them feel like home

Also, get creative, decorate the box.. with stickers, markers, construction paper... :)

-enjoy