Happy Veteran's Day

Image by Christian Huth from Pixabay

With gratitude to all of those who have served and sacrificed.

As always, I am grateful to all of those who serve and protect us, whether in the military or as first responders here in the States. They, as well as their friends and family, contribute and sacrifice so much to keep the rest of us safe.

If you are so moved, these are some of the organizations I have worked with over the years, but there are plenty of other ones out there. Even if you don't have enough discretionary funds to send boxes, the soldiers always appreciate cheery letters that help them remember who they are fighting for.




Operation Gratitude

AnySoldier.com

Wounded Warrior Project

Soldiers' Angels

Operation Paperback

Happy Memorial Day 2019

Happy Memorial Day!


A special thank you to all who have served and those who are serving and to all of the family and friends who support those brave souls!


Don't forget the multiple ways you can brighten the day of some of these folks by participating in or donating to some of the support organizations such as:


AnySoldier.com

Operation Gratitude

Soldiers' Angels

Wounded Warrior Project

Operation Paperback


Feel free to list in the comments other organizations that help our troops!

Happy Memorial Day

My apologies for the blog being quiet lately. I've been dealing with a few personal challenges and have gotten behind. I appreciate those who continue to visit!


I am grateful to all of those who serve and protect us, whether in the military or as first responders here in the States. They, as well as their friends and family, contribute and sacrifice so much to keep the rest of us safe.

If you are so moved, these are some of the organizations I have worked with over the years, but there are plenty of other ones out there.




Operation Gratitude
(when I have time, I will post the pictures of how to make a paracord bracelet, since my past few months have been taking them apart and making them consistent!)


AnySoldier.com


Wounded Warrior Project


Soldiers' Angels


Operation Paperback

ELFing around

It turns out the Zygo cactus does NOT need a frosty night in order to bloom!

Yep, one would think I would be used to this time of the year being a maddening, hectic, chaotic period, but somehow I always continue procrastinating and end up madly trying to finish things. In my defense, this year, we have had several pretty serious illnesses in the family...one of which did NOT end well, so it's kind of a gloomy time of the year for the second year in a row.

But anyway...

there are the ongoing projects, like the paracord quality control for Operation Gratitude (which just sent out its 2 millionth box to the soldiers), which realistically ends up with me dismantling the paracord bracelets submitted by enthusiastic volunteers who...don't quite follow the standard pattern. Why is this important? Because the soldiers need to be able to unravel the bracelet quickly...and the pattern is designed for quick unraveling.

So...Mr. Snowden is presiding over a bag that has about 1/10 of the number of cords I need to go through. Because I have wrist/hand issues, I have sadly come to the conclusion that it is better to just unravel the bracelets and start over than trying to tug and tighten them up. I was straining my wrists trying to fit that last bit of cord into the loop...and I had to quit for a while because I was exacerbating my tendonitis!

 

Transfer paracord

into

a useful

   

bracelet that can be

used for a WIDE range of things!

So, now I unravel a group, let them rest for a while in hopes that some of the curl relaxes, and make them into a bracelet again. I've discovered that keeping strong tension on the cord I am wrapping
around and around keeps me from having to tighten quite so much at the end.

And, voila...the bag of bracelets is started.

Of course, I am so behind that the ELF'n workshop did NOT get the snowmen assembled for the soldiers' Christmas box, so they are going to get there terribly tardily...

and, because they have adhesive on the back, I have started trying to leave the protective cover on as much as possible--otherwise they end up stuck to everything!

So...MAYBE I'll finally put a box in the mail...and hopefully, they will get it by next year, lol

What projects have you started that will need to carry on into the new year?

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Happy Veteran's Day!

Today (and every day) is a great day to remember those who have sacrificed so much to keep us safe and to allow us the freedoms that many struggle achieve. There are plenty of folks in the romance world who have either served or are part of a family who has served, or is still serving. Say hi or thank you when you have a chance.

Other ways to support range from letter writing or sending holiday cards to sending boxes of goodies or adopting a military family. I warn you, it breaks my heart when I read the lists of things being requested--folks putting their lives on the line should not have to ask for basic hygiene necessities such as toothbrushes or socks or laundry detergent!

Please be advised that the post office allows the use of flat rate shipping for military addresses (thank you, USPO!) but it's still a fairly hefty charge for a large flat rate box (about $18-19). Make sure you wrap things that COULD leak, in sealed plastic bags, and take into account the weather when choosing goodies, since nobody really wants liquid chocolate all over everything, lol. For safety, please send prepackaged non-expired items, and remember the distance the box has to travel, so pack snugly and know things can (and do) get crushed.


There are many organizations to support, but these are the ones I have dealt with over the years:


AnySoldier

Operation Gratitude

Soldiers' Angels

Operation Paperback


If you need more tips, feel free to contact me!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans. May we remember the precepts that led us to becoming an independent country and focus on how important tolerance and teamwork are!





If you are looking for ways to honor the soldiers who are risking their lives for us, please remember organizations such as:

Operation Gratitude
(yes, I am honing my skills at making paracord bracelets and I was there--but not packing boxes--this past weekend when they packed more than 8,000 boxes in fewer than three hours!)


AnySoldier.com


Wounded Warrior Project


Soldiers' Angels



Operation Paperback

The Grand Canyon