Thursday, February 26, 2009

Support Our Troops Blog Day Event ~ March 21, 2009 ~ Please Join Me!


I haven't posted in a while, sorry, I have been under the weather and received a telephone call I wasn't expecting...
I have some news I want to share with everyone ~ my niece, who is 19 left for Iraq last Thursday and will be gone for approximately 16 months! I was upset, but proud! She joined the US Army when she was 17, yes ~ 17! She did her basic training at Fort Leonardwood, in Missouri, did very well and then was transferred to Washington State where she stayed until last Thursday. She trained as a medic and will be close to all of the terrible things happening in Iraq! Given the circumstances they weren't supposed to be sending any more troops to Iraq with the new administration in place, I was both very saddened, upset and worried about her being stationed in Iraq! I guess you could say it's better than Afghanistan, but who knows, with her tour of duty just beginning, she may up there along with the rest of her company. They sent another 16,000 troops over there! So anyway this is my thought and want I would like to do!

I want to host a blog event (certainly not a party) ~ but an event to Support Our Troops! I have been thinking about what to do and this is what I am going to plan:

I am going to post my niece's name, rank and APO mailing address here on the blog and would like to invite any blogger who would like to support our troops to participate, to please email me with their link and I will post it on my blog, with a link back to your blog. Please just drop a card in the mail, an email or possibly even a small package with some of the items from below! A card saying "thank you" would also be wonderful.

There are many wonderful creative people out there with beautiful blogs with hearts to match, and I think it would truly lift these "kids" spirits, given the location, living conditions not to mention what they will endure for quite a while!

It's a good way to keep up their morale while they are in this awful place and make them smile, given what they will see and have to do while they are stationed there.
If you send a box of "goodies and smiles", with a note asking Meggie to please share whatever items you send to the troops in her company, she will do that.

If you think about your "special tribute" post for your blog, maybe there is someone you know who is stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan or some other remote place in the world, who would love to receive a "care package" and post their information on your blog. An email would be great, as they love to receive news from the States with well wishes extended! When people read your story about your special person, friend or family member, they may choose to send a "care package" to them! I am hoping this will be like a "Pay it Forward" event honoring all of our troops!
Meggie has no idea I am doing this, I am sure she and her fellow soliders will be so happy to know that we, as Americans are just taking the time to send a note, an email or a box from home, especially being from someone they don't even know, it truly speaks volumes about each and every one of us. Oh, they also love pictures, especially when receiving a gift from someone they don't know, but are fighting for!!
So here is how it will work ~ and hopefully many of my wonderful followers and visitors will decide to participate! The "Support Our Troops" Blog Day Event will be March 21st.

All that is required of you is to have a "Support Our Troops" inspired event on your blog the day of this special tribute, a link back to my blog (Banner is above) and I will link to yours.

If you would like to post about this special tribute to "Our Troops" on your blog here is the flyer with the information, please feel free to copy this and post it on your blog, along with a link back to my blog! The more people who see it, the more participation we will have and the more emails, letters or cards our troops will receive!


Oh, and be sure to let me know you are going to participate by leaving your blog name and address either in a reply post or by emailing it directly to me at mimisrosecreations@yahoo.com (be sure to put "Support Our Troops" as the subject line).

The week of this very special tribute, I will create a list of all blogs/sites that are participating so that we can all visit each other's blogs the day of the v
ery special event!

Some of the items which are most requested by our Soldiers are listed below:

wet wipes, individually wrapped in foil packs (not gel bottles)
body wipes in plastic pull-out canisters
disposable razors – men's and women's
chap sticks
floss
toothbrushes

feminine hygiene products

foot powder
and the like
magazines (clean content)
books (clean content)
fun posters & calendars for dressing the place up
AA batteries
AAA batteries
movie DVD's (clean content)
music CDs (clean content)
small earphones
1 GB and 2 GB USB memory sticks (external hard drives) (blank)
beef jerky and sticks
peanuts and nuts in cans with lids
tins and packets of flavored coffee and cappuccino
candy
gum
breath mints


Thank you for your support and I hope you will decide to participate! I have added Mr.Linky ~ yeah, if you want to participate, I am thanking you in advance. Just sign up following the easy linking device below! Then grab the small banner on the right side bar up at the top, along with the link to this post and place it on your blog.
Mimi

I received this email from Becky, her husband is a medic and also in Iraq. There is some information on shipping items to our troops which is very helpful ~ Thank you Becky!!

I left a comment on you blog. But I wanted you to know that you should mail all packages priority mail. It still takes about 2 weeks for them
to get it but you have less chance for the boxes to get lost if you send it priority.
Also the post office have boxes that you can pick up just for the troops. The boxes are free they are a flat rate box so you can fill it as heavy as you want.
It is $11.95 a box to send I think. But I do not know if they will go up in May when the stamps go up.
I hope this info helps.
And some thing to add to your list if you want. The sand is real bad there so they
need computer wipes and some good eye glass cleaner. They wear goggles alot because of the sand storms. Plus the sand is always bad.
Thanks so much.
Hope you have a great weekend.
Becky

Mimi

25 comments:

Unknown said...

Mimi, so sorry to hear that your niece is going to Iraq. I know your heart is heavy at this time. I will certainly participate in this blog event. What day is it going to be? I will start gathering things for my "care package". Have a blessed day!

Unknown said...

Mimi, I posted a link on my blog about this event. You can see it at www.gracefulrose.blogspot.com.

Also I hope you are feeling better. I missed you on the forum.

Debbi said...

Mimi, I posted on my blog too~what a wonderful gesture of love for your niece!

Linda said...

What a great idea.Count me in.

DandiCreations said...

Hi Mimi,
I am the team moderator for Etsy Thread Artists and was contacted by Maryann from crochetbymsa and told about this wonderful event. I have the information on our team blog with a link back to you. I want to put a care package together and also a nice poem for our blog on that day. Thank you for sharing this with us.

http://etsythreadartists.blogspot.com

Diana

Kimberly said...

Mimi, I would be very honored to send your neice a package, and I'll post your link on my blog as well. My oldest son joined the Navy last November and is still in school in Boloxi, MS but who knows where he'll be going afterwards.
Blessings~
Kimberly
Irish Rose Creations

Becky said...

My hubby(also a medic) is in Iraq right now and I can not tell you how much it means to them to get mail. I am sorry that your niece has to go too. I don't have a blog but just wanted to thank you for supporting our troops. I will be happy to add your niece to my list. I just sent out boxes for the troops to share.
Hugs and Love
beccatoler@bellsouth.net

Jil~Say It With Roses said...

Mimi...What a brave young woman! You must be very proud of her, for it were not for people like your beloved niece we would not be the country we are!!!

I am going to attempt to add the link to this on my blog. I am still learning how to do things and then you can add me to the list, too!
I hope you are feeling OK now!!
Hugs,
Jil

Jil~Say It With Roses said...

Mimi....I have the link on my blog and will start gathering items.

This makes me think back to when I was in grade school and we had Red Cross boxes to fill for the troops. I loved taking my box home and going to the store to get the little tubes of toothpast and a tooth brush and Kleenix, little items like that...now we can add some items for their relaxation as well.

Why, I wonder, is this no longer done in our schools? It initiates PRIDE in country which is sorely needed....but I suppose it is because it is "Not Politically Correct". Three words I have come to hate!
Jil

Mimi's Rose Chenille Boutique said...

I received this email from Becky, her husband is a medic and also in Iraq, please read it!

I left a comment on you blog. But I wanted you to know that you should mail all packages priority mail. It still takes about 2 weeks for them to get it but you have less chance for the boxes to get lost if you send it priority.Also the post office have boxes that you can pick up just for the troops. The boxes are free they are a flat rate box so you can fill it as heavy as you want.It is $11.95 a box to send I think. But I do not know if they will go up in May when the stamps go up.I hope this info helps.And some thing to add to your list if you want. The sand is real bad there so theyneed computer wipes and some good eye glass cleaner. They wear goggles alot because of the sand storms. Plus the sand is always bad.Thanks so much.Hope you have a great weekend.Becky

Jacalyn @ rmebathproducts.com said...

Hi Mimi,

Here's the link to my blog for the event: http://rmebathproducts.blogspot.com
I will be thrilled to participate!

Jacalyn

Becs said...

Hey Mimi, I would love to participate. I have copied and pasted the banner and linked you, but I am not sure about how to use Mr. Linky. LOL BEcs

Karen said...

Love what you are doing, Mimi. I have a friend, Stacy Bomar, in Afghanistan. We will pray for all of our troops. Karen

The French Bear said...

Thank you for the lovely comments on my work, I do sell it, I hope to have more soon. It's hard, cause I can't seem to catch up with working full time, but soon I hope!! I joined your "support the troops". I just have to figure out the banner thing, I am a little computer challenged. Haha, to say the least. You can email any questions, margaretwomacks@hotmail.com
Thanks!!!
Margaret B

One Supporter said...

Mimi,

Just Awesome what you are doing. As a fellow OIF/OEF Vet and one who just got back from Iraq, I say to your Niece, "thank you for your service".

Thank you for YOUR support Mimi!

I posted the support our troops link on my page.

http://thetroopsupportsite.blogspot.com/

Keep it up!

Scott

Tristan Robin said...

Thanks for find your way to my blog and leaving a comment so I could discover yours!

Definitely count me in on this.

I will add the banner and information on my blog on Sunday (Saturday gets reserved for Beverly's Pink Saturday LOL)

Nice to meet you - hope to see you again.

Courtney said...

Mom,

I need Megan's address so that I can get everything together on Monday. I will take Lauren to the post office after school to mail some stuff out. Sunday, after church we will gether everything that we can and mail it Monday when she gets home, but I need the address. I'm also going to meet with her principal Monday so I can discuss this being a school project.

Anonymous said...

Prayers for your niece and all the troops working to ensure our safety here. What a wonderful thing you are doing Mimi.

TheChicGeek said...

Hi Mimi. You have a lovely blog. I do a lot of work with Operation Gratitude out here in California. They prepare care packages to send to the troops year round. You can volunteer to help pack them up, address labels, all sorts of things. It's a great organization and it's great that you are doing this too!
Here's their web site if anyone wants to check it out.
http://www.opgratitude.com/

Deborah said...

Oh so sorry I just found your blog and missed this wonderful event...my son is at FOB Marez,
1st Cavalry Infantry...patrolling Mosul. He will be home for two weeks in July for mid tour leave, and then return to Iraq to finish his tour. I have been pleasantly surprised at how much contact we are able to have via internet, and pray your experience with your niece is the same....**blows kisses** Deborah

Tonya Staab said...

What a fabulous idea. My thoughts will be with your niece.

I'm married to a US Marine who is currently on a year long deployment to what I refer to as 'the dessert'. He's home for just a couple of weeks on leave but will be heading back out there next week.

I'll blog about this later today.

Thank you for bringing awareness

ME said...

Mimi,

A post for the "Support Our Troops Blog Day". I guess I am the first, YES!


Dear Troops,

We can never repay or thank you enough for what you have done and will continue to do. You have chosen of your own free will to serve this great country and uphold all the great ideals of it.

You face evil head on and will not sit idly by while it works it's course. You uphold freedom. You uphold human rights. You uphold the good in all of us.

You do it for unselfish reasons. You do it because it is right. You do it because that is who you are.

Thank you for your service and for your and your family's sacrifice.

Thank you for stepping up and doing what is right. Thank you for being a hero!

I am proud of you all and thank you for your service!

I have piggy backed off of Mimi's doing and have a goal of "5k by 25 May" (5,000 posts of support) at

http://www.baladmix.com/?mrcb

Join us there?

Cheers,

Maj Scott Bowen, USAF
C-130 Aircraft Commander

DandiCreations said...

I wanted to thank Mimi for bringing this wonderful tribute to our attention. My husband is a Marine veteran and he was very touched by all this. My 2 Supervisors and myself, along with our families, have a care package ready to go and will ship it out this coming week.

Diana

Brian said...

Operation: Hi Mom: Free 16×20 canvas for Mom’s of Deployed Troops - www.canvasondemand.com/himom/

We appreciate our trooops! That's why we started Operation: Hi Mom, a program that gives hundreds of our deployed military men and women a free fine-art canvas that will be presented to their moms on Mother's Day. The beautiful 16"x20" Pixel Painting canvas, created from a favorite photo, has the look and feel of a traditional custom painting. It is a personalized keepsake that mom will hang in a place of honor and cherish forever.

Unknown said...

Hey everyone...this is another free giveaway from Canvas On Demand!

Canvas on Demand appreciates our troops! That’s why we started Operation Hi Honey, a program that gives hundreds of our deployed military men and women a FREE fine-art canvas that will be presented to their spouse on their anniversary. The beautiful 16″x20″ PixelPaintedTM canvas, created from a favorite photo, has the look and feel of a traditional custom painting. It’s a personalized keepsake that their Honey will hang in a place of honor and cherish for years to come. The free canvas is normally valued at $112.

http://www.canvasondemand.com/hihoney