Translate

**If you have previously subscribed to received my posts via email: Please subscribe to my posts via Bloglovin in the right sidebar.**

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Operation Write Home Memorial Day Bloghop


Welcome "Hoppers" to my page "painting in the dark". My name is Susan and I am so proud to participate for the second year now.

Operation Write Home began in 2007 with just a few cards made by friends on a message board; what began as an outlet for a hobby has become a much larger mission to help heroes keep in touch with home - and the effort has been joined by thousands of cardmakers!

OWH receives handmade cards donated by crafters across America (and beyond!). Cardmakers range in age, location, and level of skill; cards are provided by individuals and groups, schools and scouts, companies and churches. All have one primary thing in common: a desire to serve those who defend our nation!

Cards are mailed to one of our volunteer shippers in quanities both small and large. The shippers process, sort, repair, and document each donation, and then pack and ship boxes of over 300 cards each to our contacts. Our heroes request cards (families may also request on their behalf; we serve all branches in all deployed locations. Click Here for info on how you can participate.


My youngest sister is in the National Guard [for 2 years now] and was officially deployed on Jan. 5, 2010 from Ft. Lauderdale to report to Fort Hood for preparations to Iraq. I spent the day with her on New Year's Day in Orlando - BUT - The really great thing is that I got to see her one last time. Because at the last minute, the night before, her group [not sure of lingo here] from Cocoa Beach was ordered to ship out with the South Florida deployees. YAY!!! There was a wonderful ceremony at Ft. Lauderdale Airport attended by many military brass and Florida's Governor, Charlie Crist. It was really nice and I was so grateful to have the opportunity to attend. It was just a couple hours on a Tuesday, but some priceless moments I won't soon forget with my baby sister. We shared her box lunch that was passed out to all the troops, which was pretty good: a Coke, bag of chips, an apple, and a ham & cheese sub. Since I live three hours away from my family, it was a pretty special "brunch". One of her comrades snapped this photo of us as we said goodbye & the troops lined up to start loading the planes. What a beautiful day it was.

I am so proud and grateful to all the men and women serving our country, and to their families, too - my thoughts and prayers are with you. Happy Memorial Day everyone! Thanks so much for taking the time to visit, please take the following link to the next blog on the hop:

Pretty Pressings by Claudia... pretty does not begin to describe her work! More like stunning!

DID SOMEBODY SAY BLOG CANDY!!! Please leave a comment to be entered to win some blog candy, consisting of some stamps, blank cards w/ envys and other crafty goodies to make your own cards for Operation Write Home. I am still completing my challenge from last year's hop to make one card for each comment left on each of my three blogs participating [over 300]. I am making cards and collecting cards from friends to send in that will be directed to my sister's deployed location - so cool. To take you back to the "Top of the Hop" click here.

Thanks again : ) Sb

83 comments:

  1. What a great photo and how awesome that you got to be there! Thanks to you and yours for all they do in Service of the country.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great pic and story! Thanks to your sister! My brother is currently in Germany with the Air Force, so I know where your heart is. All the best! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. that pic is awesome! what great big smiles :o)
    best wishes for a safe and uneventful deployment.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love your card..perfect. Praying for your baby sister along with the rest of the 'family' that is fighting for our freedom and the ones that lost their fight, May they rest in Peace and May God's light shine on them!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great card and thanks for sharing about your sister!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fabulous card! And great picture! Your sister is a blessing to us all!

    ReplyDelete
  7. God bless your sister! I love your flag card - i might have to sraplist it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. My daughter and me just love your card!!! I'm glad you got to spend the day with your little sister before she got deployed ;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love your story! I wish you and your sister the best!

    ReplyDelete
  10. You are wonderful to get 300 cards made in response to last years challenge. Awesome! This years blog card is a beauty. Many thanks to your sis!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love this card! Your sister is beautiful...thank you for sharing your photo!

    Hugs,
    Lelia

    ReplyDelete
  12. Susan,
    I just went ooooh when I saw your card.Love it so much I may need to copy it.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I remember your sister's photos from last year! I hope she is well--a big thank you to her! Great card--beautiful! Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your card is great, love the pennants. You are your sister look so happy. Please let her know how much her willingness to serve our country to keep it safe means to those of us back home. Being a Vet myself, I have a soft spot for all veterans.

    If I am soooo lucky to win your blog candy, I pledge to make cards to send to OWH so they can forward them to our troops. God Bless you.

    ReplyDelete
  15. i love that picture of you and your sister! :) Thanks for your support of OWH

    ReplyDelete
  16. LOVED your card! Reading about the precious time spent with your little sister brought tears to my eyes. I will hug my little sis extra tight the next time I see her, thankful that she is always only a short drive away. Your family is in my prayers...and a big THANK YOU to your baby sister.

    ReplyDelete
  17. wonderful pic, thanks for sharing the story!

    ReplyDelete
  18. thank you for making cards. you must be really proud of your sister. We are too!!! may God bring her home in safety and health. :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Your card is fabulous. Thanks for sharing the story of your sister.

    ReplyDelete
  20. What a fun card!! It makes me think of summer. :) It is a great thing that your sister is doing!! Thanks for sharing your story and card! :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thank you and your sister! love your card

    ReplyDelete
  22. You must be so proud of your baby sis--please thank her for her service on our behalf! Love the banners on your card--such a nice touch!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Thank you to your sister and your family for the sacrifices you are making to our country. May God bless you and yours!

    ~Courtney~

    ReplyDelete
  24. I love your flag card!

    And that pic of you and your sis - fantastic!! What a treasure to have!!!!! Thanks so much for sharing about her. I hope her lunches are as good as what you got a taste of, but I think MREs are, well, a bit less than that :(

    Happy hopping!

    ReplyDelete
  25. the pic of you and your sis brings tears to my eyes. The only way this terror will ever end is if we can win over the hearts and minds of the PEOPLE of countries who oppose what the U.S. has to offer. A beautiful, sweet and positive face and glorious smile like that of your baby sister could win anyone's heart. I'm glad she's out there, and will pray to keep her safe.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Such a beautiful and unique card! And thanks for sharing the personal picture and story too!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Bless you, your sister and the whole family please let her know how much we all care.
    God Bless,
    Jeanine
    OWH

    ReplyDelete
  28. I'm participating in the blog hop. I loved your story about your baby sister! I don't have any immediate family in the service, but do have a cousin in CA in the Navy.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Please thank your sister for me!! Love your card...thanks for the chance at the blog candy.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Your story of getting to see your sister unexpectedly before she shipped really touched me. I love the look of happiness on both of your faces. Thanks so much for sharing it.
    And thank you for supporting OWH!

    ReplyDelete
  31. What a great tribute to your sister-love the card with the banners! And, your card from last year is so cute- love the image you used! Happy Memorial Day!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Love the flag design on your card and the subtle, muted color combo too. What a great pic of you and your sis. Thanks for sharing your story!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Beautiful card! And, as a military wife, let me say thank you for sharing your creativity to help bring families closer who are separated by duty.

    ReplyDelete
  34. wonderful card, GREAT picture! THANK your sister for us, PLEASE!!

    Fellow OWHomer (since the spring break blog hop, so kind of newbie-ish, LOL

    Susan (in NJ)

    ReplyDelete
  35. Very nice! A big thank you to your sister for her service and I love your challenge to yourself for making cards. I'm just getting started with OWH myself!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Thank you to you and your sister. Great pictures... I hope you get your goal done...
    I have part of OWH for a year now... It such a wonderful cause..
    Thank you for the chance to win some candy
    Celeste

    ReplyDelete
  37. Beautiful card- wonderful story- and thank you for the candy opp!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Super cute card! I love that banner!! Thanks for sharing your sister's story and please thank her for her service!

    ReplyDelete
  39. great card & photo of you & your sis! Let her know how much we appreciate her service & will keep her in my prayers. My niece's fiancee just got home last week from deployment, it was awesome to share the homecoming with them!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Your card is very nice..love the banners!!! Thanks for sharing the picture of you and your little sister..it was great that you got to spend that extra time with her!!! Thank her for her service...we really appreciate her!

    ReplyDelete
  41. I adore this card! I love your trendy little banner...so cute! And that is a wonderful photo of you and your sis.

    Corinna
    www.myscrapbooklife.com

    ReplyDelete
  42. Hi Susan!

    Nice cards! Thanks for your participation in OWH and the Blog Hop. God bless you and your sister.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Awesome card and great pic of your sister. Thanks to her for all that she is doing and have a wonderful Memorial Day

    ReplyDelete
  44. wonderful card.....Thank soo much for sharing your story.
    Jennifer....Marine Mom of deployed hero

    ReplyDelete
  45. Cute card. Glad you got to say good bye to your sister in such a special way.

    ReplyDelete
  46. What a pretty card. That's a great picture of you and your sister!

    ReplyDelete
  47. love the flags! thanks for sharing :-)

    ReplyDelete
  48. I love your card. Thanks for sharing your special moment with your sister. Please send her my thanks for all she is doing for our country.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Your card is awesome and your story shared even better! Tell your sister that we all hope for her safe return.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Awesome card...Awesome story :)

    ReplyDelete
  51. What a sweet card creation! My husband is a vietnam veteran and says he wished there had been an OWH program when he was overseas. Thanks for supporting our fellow patriots, and have a great Memorial Day weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  52. Aww! Thanks so much for sharing your story and your photo - that is so neat! I love your card - those flags are fantastic :)

    ReplyDelete
  53. Very cute card. I really like the pennant idea.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Great creation! I am so impressed with all that is being done through OWH - it's fantastic. Keep up the great work.
    DianeL
    loyaz1@wbhsi.net

    ReplyDelete
  55. What a an adorable picture of you and your sister!! Love the pennant card! Thank you for such a nice post on the hop!

    ReplyDelete
  56. Love the picture of you and your baby sister! Thank her for her service to us all. Thank you and the rest of the family, too. It's' hard on families as well.

    Great pendant card.

    Thanks for supporting our Heroes and OWH!
    R/

    ReplyDelete
  57. Here's another comment, so now you'll have to donate another card to OWH! Don't worry, I'll donate one too, and then we'll have 2 more smiling soldiers! Thanks for supporting our troops!

    ReplyDelete
  58. Your card is very pretty. Thanks for sharing your story.

    ReplyDelete
  59. I know it's hard to sy goodbye,I've done it myself, but when you know they are serving our country it makes us all so proud. Thanks for sharing your story and just wait until the homecoming. that's even better!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  60. Wonderful card! I love the banner. Thank you for sharing your story.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Fabulous card! I love the banner!! My best to you and your sister!

    ReplyDelete
  62. So grateful for your sister's service. My she know we appreciate her.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Very nice card. Love the banner. Thanks for your sister's service. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  64. Great card. Thanks for participating.

    ReplyDelete
  65. I've been making cards for OWH since I discovered them during the blog hop last year! Thanks for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  66. Awesome card and even better that you got to spend the time with your sis. Thanks for sharing the story. Your excitement and pride and sense of joy really shone through and had my tears streaming. Reminded me of the Boot camp graduation of my neice I was so lucky to be able to attend a couple of years ago.

    Hugs to you both. Now to get started on my own batch of OWH cards & kits.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Love your card! So cute how you used the little banners!!!

    ReplyDelete
  68. Thanks for the great story about your sister. Loved your card and your web site.

    ReplyDelete
  69. cute card! love the banners. thanks for sharing. also my thoughts and prayers go out to your sister. i greatly appreciate the sacrifices she is making to protect my freedom.

    ReplyDelete
  70. Great card and story about your sister. Love the banner on your card.
    slrdowney at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  71. Hi Sweetie...
    I am Country Wings your newest follower. I adore the banner card that you designed for OWH. How precious it is. It says it all.

    Thank you for sharing your story about your sister sweetie, and I will be adding her to my daily prayers for a safe journey and return to American soil. I so appreciate the sacrifices that these soldiers have made. My husband was a Viet Nam soldier and he would so have appreciated such a wonderful gift of love that he could have sent home. I have many vets in my family and actually they all would have loved these cards.

    I have never made one, but am so inspired with this blog hop that I am going to give it a try. I have been ill and confined to the house for a month, and was told on Friday I have an additional two weeks to go. My lungs have been poorly and my chronic asthma has not helped at all. I spent 8 long days in the hospital so am doing my best not to have to go back there. This is something I could do from home, so I am truly tickled with this special mission for me. I am going to start searching the house for materials tomorrow. I hope I have something that will at least allow me to start with. I am so excited to start.

    Thank you for your inspiration sweetie. Please stop by and say hi. I would be so honored if you signed up to follow my blog as well. I love meeting new friends and love sharing crafts and ideas.

    Country hugs sweetie...Sherry

    ReplyDelete
  72. Great card and thanks for sharing the picture of your sister.

    ReplyDelete
  73. Awesome card! I love the banner!! Thank you for sharing your story and the picture of you and your sister!!

    ReplyDelete
  74. Beautiful card and photo! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  75. Hugs to you, and your sister, too!
    Talk about throwing paint... I love to!!! Enjoyed your blog, cards, and also... your wonderful comment on my blog hop post! Thanks for all your are doing! (Over 300!!!! ) wow!!!

    ReplyDelete
  76. Hi everyone - I thank you all for dropping by and all of your kind words, hugs, love and prayers for my sister. I am so grateful to have found OWH!

    The winner of my blog candy picked by random.org is COMMENT #15!

    "Lisa at ML Design Works said...
    I remember your sister's photos from last year! I hope she is well--a big thank you to her! Great card--beautiful! Lisa
    May 29, 2010 4:41 PM"

    CONGRATULATIONS!!!

    I have gathered a collection of crafty goodness from my craft studio and will send out as soon as I receive your info.

    Please e-mail me at sbartist1107 at yahoo dot com to give me your address.

    : ) Sb

    ReplyDelete
  77. such a cute banner card - i totally need to make one!

    ReplyDelete

I would love to hear your thoughts and comments...

Blog Widget by LinkWithin