Handmade from the Heart *GIVEAWAY*

Happy Valentine's Day!

To celebrate Valentine's Day, I've joined the Blogging Mamas Network in the Handmade from the Heart Giveaway Hop!  This Event is all about the Love for Handmade things - each blogger involved, including me, has a great prize for you to enter to win!  

My sponsor, Unique and Chic Creations, is offering a tutu wreath like the one below to one lucky winner!

After you enter my giveaway, be sure to hop around to all the others.

And you definitely don't want to miss the Grand Prize...

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fine print: Open to US only. Winner chooses any two colors and letter initial they'd like. According to Jenny, So Easy Being Green, and the Handmade from the Heart participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations. Anyone found to have fraudulently claimed an entry will be reported. 

Seven-- SEVEN months?! Sheesh.

My little Josiebean,

     It seems like just the other day I was sitting in your Grandma's living room writing you your first letter. And it really was only two weeks ago when I wrote the last one. I keep writing and taking pictures because it seems like the time is going by so fast! The first three months of your life were spent feeding you, changing you, and crying. Both of us cried... A lot. I don't want to forget how difficult it was and how little sleep I got because we have made so much progress!
     You are the happiest little baby, and your smile is contagious. I stare at you over and over again with tears of love welling behind my eyes. You are such an amazing little person! We're working on crawling right now. (I still remember the first time you rolled over without help!) You can scoot backward, sideways, and in a circle, but forwards is still a mysterious direction. That's OK. I am in no rush to baby-proof the entire house!
     I love feeding you, but you prefer to feed yourself (or at least gnaw on the spoon) most of the time. We've tried lots of different foods, but so far the apples and blueberries seem to be your favorites! You are not really a fan of chicken, peas, or bananas (oddly enough for a little monkey like you.)
     Last week Daddy and I took you to the driving range and you liked watching us hit golf balls for a while (you LOVE being outside!) but it must have gotten lonely in the stroller because you let me know very promptly and very loudly when you were ready to hang out with the big people. It occurred to me that you've never sat in grass before, so I sat you down and couldn't help laughing as I watched you pet it! It must have been such a strange feeling!
     Your first Christmas is coming up, and it will be the beginning of some new traditions (like cinnamon ornaments!) and passing on old ones, like your handmade stocking (made by the same people who made mine and Daddy's) and maybe driving to look at the lights like I used to do with my grandpa when I was little. For us, Josie, Christmas is about being able to appreciate the people who love you and to learn the meaning of giving to others. It is very important to us that you know how lucky you are to have SO many people who love you and that we work very hard to make sure you never have to worry about going without the things that you need. We also want you to develop a kind and giving heart toward those who are not quite as fortunate. When you get older, we will pick toys and books to give to children who wouldn't have a Christmas without our help. This Christmas, though, you will be smothered with love and kisses from many people who love you and I can't wait!

See you in the new year, little girl!
<3 Mama

Adopt-A-Platoon

Photo by vastateparksstaff, via Flickr

Before my husband even considered joining the Army, I was working in an 8th grade English class. Motivated by a conversation we had with the students regarding Veterans' Day, the teacher adopted a platoon on behalf of our classes. We had only two responsibilities: write letters every week, and send one care package a month. The results were so inspiring, I adopted my own platoon when I became a high school English teacher.

(I really want to share our amazing stories with you, but first I want to tell you how you can support our troops!)

Adopt-A-Platoon is a fantastic organization. They really have their youknowwhat together when it comes to matching you up with a soldier (or marine, sailor, or airman--all branches are supported) or unit, they make if very easy for anyone to participate, and they are extremely clear about the rules of the organization and laws regarding OPSEC. Seriously, I knew nothing about the military, or even sending packages overseas for that matter, and had a ton of questions before I signed up. Their website is so thorough and intuitive, I never had to look very far for answers, and when I did have to send an e-mail, the responses were quick, personal, and just as thorough.

Even if you don't have 150 middle school students to help you write letters every week, you can still make a difference:

• Adopt a soldier! As an individual or small family, you can adopt up to four troops. You'll be asked to send at least one letter or card a week and one care package per month. 
• If you feel that you will be unable to send a care package, you can sign up as a pen-pal and send a weekly card or letter. A lot of soldiers don't have access to national news or current events outside of their job, so they like to hear about what's going on "back home." We always ended up sending the sports section of the local paper with our letters along with updates on upcoming movies, celebrity gossip, and other trivia.
• If you want to send a single care package, you can sign up specifically for a one-time campaign, like Operation Holiday Eagle or Stockings for Santa.

If you would like to involve your church, company, school, youth group, or other civic organization (Rotary, Kiwanis, Boy/Girl scouts, etc.) I urge you to consider adopting a platoon. You will be in touch with a Point-of-Contact (POC) for the unit, and there is no guarantee you will hear back from the troops, but we always did!
     The first time, we were sent a flag, pictures, and letters from individual soldiers as well as information and a brief history on their specific unit. It was a GREAT learning experience for our students. A lot of them left with a new perspective on the military and even a new sense of self, realizing that a lot of the soldiers with which they communicated were very much like them. 
     The second time, our POC actually sent us a weekly newsletter (which I read to my 11th grade classes) and they loved that he commented on their letters! Once the deployment ended, he actually took a "Thank You" tour around the country to personally meet and thank everyone that supported his unit. He came to my classroom and spoke to my students! (He also took my husband and myself out to dinner *twice*. Not to brag, but how cool is that?! And as a new military spouse, the information and advice I received from him and his wife was absolutely invaluable.)

If you are looking for a way to teach your children about giving back this holiday season or you just want to support our troops, please check out Adopt-A-Platoon.

*It may sound like an advertisement, but I was not compensated or even asked by anybody to write this post. I believe strongly in supporting our troops, and AAP truly is a wonderful organization.