Gifts from Pam in New Jersey

Today I received a box of gifts from Pam in New Jersey. Just look at the wonderful things that Pam created!!!

The first photo shows some fabulous toys! There is a baby stack toy, a cute fluffy teddy bear, two ducklings, a flower purse and a bunny cloth.

In the second photo you can see a really great checkerboard set that I'm sure some of our older children will enjoy!

The last photo shows two cute hats and a gorgeous blanket. The edging on the blanket is really beautiful! I know that the mom who receives it will be delighted.

Thank you so much, Pam for all the wonderful donations! The children who receive these will certainly enjoy them!!!

Thank you, Lynn

Lynn from Arizona sent in another two boxes.

Lynn has literally crocheted thousands of hats for Marine Corps Kids over the years. Hundreds of babies are wearing Lynn's hats! Well, now some new babies will get hats too! Lynn sent in over 100 more!

She also sent in some store bought gifts including some cute jewelry items and books which I'm sure some of the older girls and boys will love.

Thank you so much, Lynn!!

Free photo books for anyone stationed abroad

The USO and RocketLife are offering a great deal for loved ones of deployed service men and women!

"Now friends and family can create a 20-page personal photo book and ship it to any APO, FPO, or MPO address for free. These full-color, 5x7 softcover books fit perfectly in a soldier’s cargo pocket, yet hold over 60 photos. RocketLife prints the books for free, and the USO pays for shipping."

The USO is a wonderful operation, and though I am not familiar with RocketLife they have just launched themselves to the top of my "love them" list for offering this wonderful deal.

Check out their website for details on how to create and send a photo book to your loved ones overseas!

Thank you, Elizabeth!

Elizabeth from Virginia sent in a box of some adorable items for the babies!

The photos don't do justice to how cute these are! First is a darling little dress that is going to look so sweet on one of our babies! She also made a red hoodie sweater and a cute bib with a cat button closure.

Next she made 3 adorable character bath mitts. These are made from cotton so they are practical for bath time, and they are so adorable! I love that the frog is grabbing at a fly! It's too cute!

Last but not lease, are three animal caps! I LOVE these. There is an owl, a panda and a pig. They are just precious! I would love to see photos of the babies who receive them modeling these hats!

I know that the moms who receive these gifts will be just thrilled!

Thank you so much, Elizabeth!

Thank you Karen and Lori!

Karen and Lori from Wisconsin sent in some beautiful donations!

Karen made three fleece blankets and also donated 8 rolls of really cute ribbon.

Lori made 8 burp clothes and 1 receiving blanket.

Thank you so much, Ladies! These gifts are beautiful!

I will be packing up bundles for the babies at Miramar tonight or tomorrow, and these will be on their way!

Nursing Covers

I recently found some nursing cover patterns online and thought that they would be a wonderful gift for our new moms. I had some fabric that was donated to Marine Corps Kids a few months ago, and decided to try to make one.

Let me start out by saying that I do not sew. I'm not good at it, and I don't particularly enjoy it. Furthermore, trying to thread the sewing machine makes me realize how bad my eyes are getting. That was the biggest challenge of the project!

What I love about these nursing shawls is that they have a piece of boning sewed into the top hem so that mom has a "window" to watch baby without sacrificing any privacy.

The pattern that I used suggested overall hooks for the strap. This was a problem for me. It was very hard to attach the button, and in the end I ripped the fabric. I sewed up the rip and found a traditional button that works, and ended up with a useable cover.

If you would like to make these for Marine Corps Kids, I suggest using this pattern. All of the patterns are about the same, but using D-rings for the straps eliminates the trouble that I had.

Thank you, Patti!

A box arrived today from Patti in Michigan. In it were 6 beautiful blankets and many lovely hats! I love the blankets - they are all soft and have lovely stitch patterns.

The hats are also great! I like the mixed colors and the fancy brims. The yarns are soft and light-weight so they'll work well in warm weather or cold.

Thank you so much for your donation, Patti! The new moms will be thrilled to receive these!

A thank you note.

"Thank you very much for the blankets and knitted hats and booties. They're very cure and we'll get some great use out of them. Thank you again for doing such a special thing for expecting mom's and dad's. You guys ROCK!!

Thanks,
Mom, Dad and Baby Makenna!"

Thank you, Iris

Iris from Mississippi make 7 beautiful blankets for the babies. I love the yarns and patterns that she used!

These are lovely and will be on their way to the little ones soon!

Thank you so much, Iris!