Thanks Dawn - I will look into it later. Right now it is a hurry up wait - don't have the paperwork or the class assignment for OCS. Waiting, waiting.... But he is handling it very well. Once he is at Newport than I will check out naval aviation.
Once you find out the class he is in join their face book page. Family members can talk and it helps a lot in the initial weeks of OCS when you can't talk to them. Have him memorize any emails or address he may want as they do not have their phones to look them up. Send phone cards for the pay phones. That will be their communication as well as stuff to send letters.
Another successful day of sewing, by the best group of ladies!! You ladies rock, thanks so much for all your help on completing over 100 pillowcases. It was wonderful to spend the day with you!
Northern CA Navy for Mom Sewer's. Another hard working group of mom's making pillowcase for our loved ones.
I was in my local CVS Pharmacy the other day and saw a display of greeting cards that I don't recall ever seeing-- Veteran's Day cards! They all contained messages along the lines of "Thank you for your service to our country." I picked out a Navy-themed one with ships on the front to send to my son on Nov 11th! I'm proud of him because he's my SON, of course, but sometimes I forget to express to him how thankful I am for what he's doing---defending our country. I hope I can find these cards every year!
M's Mom..I have merchandised for Hallmark in the past and each year we displayed a small but great selection of Veterans Day cards. I'm sure you'll be able to find them again in the future! I send one to my Son as well!
Ladies....Again thank you for all your hard work and help with this service project. We made 114 pillowcases and dropped them off yesterday to be shipped out. Bravo Zulo!
My son will be moving to Norfolk next month as a SWO Nuke - does anyone know of any areas around Norfolk to look for an apartment? He has talked to a few friends but no good leads yet -- Thanks
My son just moved from there after 2 1/2 years and lived in Ghent which is a very nice area of Norfolk not far from base or downtown and near many nice eateries. I can give you a name of a realtor if you need one.
My son moved yesterday after two years. He lived in Alexander at Ghent Apartments, 1600 Granby. It's a very nice place. Easy to get to the base. Walking distance to downtown and lots of great places to eat and socialize. He loved it.
When my son first moved to Norfolk, he got an apartment at 201 Twenty-One in Ghent. http://www.201twentyone.com/ It was very nice and convenient. Had a parking garage in the building. He wanted to be live in a place where he could walk out to shops and restaurants, and where he did not have to drive a long way or through any tunnels to get to base. He got deployed unexpectedly while living there, and the people who worked for the apartment were very helpful to my husband and me as we went to take care of things and eventually moved his belongings. We enjoyed going there - it's a great neighborhood for walking and dining out. A lot of his friends live in Virginia Beach and like it, but they have a pretty long drive.
I know the dentist discussion came up a little ways back. I talked to my son last night and he said because of budget cuts they could only clean 3/4 of his teeth the other day. I am not joking!
My son was commissioned about a year ago. He said his dental check-up 6 mos ago was just, "OK, your teeth are fine." He has another dentist appt coming up on October 28 which he said was very hard to get, (eight weeks!) He says he needs a cleaning, but not sure he will get it. I told him if the base dentist/hygienist doesn't give him a good cleaning, that he should call the civilian dentists in the area and ask if they accept Tricare and get it done off-base. I told him even if he has to pay a civilian dentist out of his own pocket, just do it, and I will reimburse him myself!
I know a gal whose son has his Bachelor's Degree and is seriously thinking of going OCS to become a pilot. I was wondering if any of you moms have a son or daughter who is currently a pilot who went through OCS and might be generous with their time to have a short conversation with this young man. He is a nice guy and would really appreciate a chat with a pilot.
Question.....I am looking for the size (measurement) of the beds on board ship. Not sure if all the officers beds are the same size or if they differ based on rank? I would appreciate the help.
Does anyone have experience baking and shipping cakes in canning jars? My son is going to deploy soon, and he had heard about this and asked me to look into. I found instructions online, but there were also comments from some people saying the cake molded or that botulism was a possibility. Anyone tried this? Any advice?
The site I looked at recommended using wide mouth pint jars, sterilizing the jars and lids, baking the cake and then sealing the jar while everything was hot.
Linda....I have had my son deployed multi times, made and baked many things over his career. I have never made a cake in a jar.
But one rule I always use is never ship anything that contains eggs in it. I always worry about it becoming contaminated. What every you make your officer if you have a sealing machine it is the best for keeping this fresh, its worth the investment. I am sure this is just me, but I try to bake my things on Sunday night so they are fresh as they can be when I mail them on Monday morning.
ok, now that you know all my secrets and worries, let me know if I can help you anything further?
Some of the moms on another group were talking about these cakes in a jar. They said they make a cake just like the directions call for, fill the Ball jars 2/3 full and bake as directed. As soon as you take them out of the oven, put the vacuum lids and rings on. You might want to take a clean rag in hot water and carefully wipe the top rim of the jars to make sure they are clean. As the cakes cool you will hear the jars pop and the lids will be vacuum sealed. Then they wrapped them in bubble wrap and sent them with cans of ready made frosting. Test the vacuum seal of your jars just like you would any jarred item you buy in a grocery store!!!
If I remember correctly, they are 6 ft long X 28 or 30 inches wide. You will have to check with the Captian or the Chaplin of the ship to see if there are requirements regarding the quilt. Normally, there isn't an issue. Fleece is a great choice for the backing on a quilt! Remember there isn't a lot of room. The state rooms are really small. When my son was on board, it was all work for him, normal days were 15 to 16 hours, so bed time was crash time for him! Good luck.
My son says that technically, quilts, personal bedding, etc., are not allowed. If there were to be a big inspection, or if someone high up on the ship is a real stickler for rules, it could be a problem. On most ships at most times, it is OK. He also said that he would not take anything personal that he cared about on deployment because everything eventually smells like the ship. He took an inexpensive fleece blanket on his last deployment. He said he wouldn't want to take a nice homemade quilt, but other people might decide it's worth it to have something from home.
Trick or Treat bag I just finished for this evening. This one is for our youngest grandson. What you can't see in the picture is I have hand embroidered all the characters. It really make the bag pop. Not that anyone will notice when they are Trick or Treating tonight, but I will:) Hope you all have a great evening.
Yup, he's traveling from NY to WA....in November....we're a Florida family not used to inclement weather. I'll be sure he keeps in touch with us....He's perfectly fine with it, it's mostly me, lol....
Just got a look at the Trick or Treat bags. Sooo cute. What a lot of love went into those bags.
Anyone with an LO down in Pensacola? My son just graduated from OCS and is down there now getting settled. He has a house he is sharing with his first hatchmate at OCS and getting measured for his new flight suit?? I'm not sure what they are called at this point. But I guess they will wear that now instead of the NWU's plus he had to get the brown boots because he's on the aviation track. They sure do have a lot of uniforms and boots and shoes. It's pretty exciting. Lots more studying coming up. He's going to be pretty busy.
Dawn
Sep 9, 2013
Dawn
For those with a LO in a aviation there is also a naval aviation group
Sep 9, 2013
Marmie
Thanks Dawn - I will look into it later. Right now it is a hurry up wait - don't have the paperwork or the class assignment for OCS. Waiting, waiting.... But he is handling it very well. Once he is at Newport than I will check out naval aviation.
Sep 9, 2013
Dawn
Sep 9, 2013
Paymaster
Sep 16, 2013
NOAM
Hi NurseNavyMom,
Our LO is winging in a few weeks. We haven't heard a lot about it. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Sep 17, 2013
Paymaster
Welcome RhondaLou!
Sep 21, 2013
Paymaster
Another successful day of sewing, by the best group of ladies!! You ladies rock, thanks so much for all your help on completing over 100 pillowcases. It was wonderful to spend the day with you!
Northern CA Navy for Mom Sewer's. Another hard working group of mom's making pillowcase for our loved ones.
Sep 23, 2013
Marmie
Woo hoo. He has his class start date 27 October. I am so..... not sure which word(s) to use but we have a date now!
Sep 23, 2013
susank
Sep 26, 2013
Helomom
Congratulations SusanK! And Marnie, excellent news on your son's start date!
Sep 27, 2013
Paymaster
Congrats to all!!
Sep 27, 2013
susank
Sep 27, 2013
M's mom
I was in my local CVS Pharmacy the other day and saw a display of greeting cards that I don't recall ever seeing-- Veteran's Day cards! They all contained messages along the lines of "Thank you for your service to our country." I picked out a Navy-themed one with ships on the front to send to my son on Nov 11th! I'm proud of him because he's my SON, of course, but sometimes I forget to express to him how thankful I am for what he's doing---defending our country. I hope I can find these cards every year!
Sep 28, 2013
OkSuzy
M's Mom..I have merchandised for Hallmark in the past and each year we displayed a small but great selection of Veterans Day cards. I'm sure you'll be able to find them again in the future! I send one to my Son as well!
Sep 28, 2013
ChrisyDVM(Chris'sMom)
M's mom, you can also find really nice military appreciation cards at Family Christian bookstores.
Sep 28, 2013
Paymaster
Hmmm....Never thought about sending out Veteran's day cards. I might have to start a new tradition.
Sep 28, 2013
Paymaster
Ladies....Again thank you for all your hard work and help with this service project. We made 114 pillowcases and dropped them off yesterday to be shipped out. Bravo Zulo!
Pillowcases for the Wounded Warrior project
Pillowcases for the Wounded Warrior project
Oct 4, 2013
Paymaster
Welcome Lauren Bruss!
Oct 6, 2013
kab
My son will be moving to Norfolk next month as a SWO Nuke - does anyone know of any areas around Norfolk to look for an apartment? He has talked to a few friends but no good leads yet -- Thanks
Oct 11, 2013
TwoForTheNavy
Oct 11, 2013
ChrisyDVM(Chris'sMom)
My son just moved from there after 2 1/2 years and lived in Ghent which is a very nice area of Norfolk not far from base or downtown and near many nice eateries. I can give you a name of a realtor if you need one.
Oct 11, 2013
AnnfromLouisiana
Oct 11, 2013
LindaB
Oct 11, 2013
susank
Oct 14, 2013
ChrisyDVM(Chris'sMom)
Unbelievable!
Oct 14, 2013
M's mom
My son was commissioned about a year ago. He said his dental check-up 6 mos ago was just, "OK, your teeth are fine." He has another dentist appt coming up on October 28 which he said was very hard to get, (eight weeks!) He says he needs a cleaning, but not sure he will get it. I told him if the base dentist/hygienist doesn't give him a good cleaning, that he should call the civilian dentists in the area and ask if they accept Tricare and get it done off-base. I told him even if he has to pay a civilian dentist out of his own pocket, just do it, and I will reimburse him myself!
Oct 14, 2013
ChrisyDVM(Chris'sMom)
I'm glad your son is dental wise as dental health is sooo important. Sad the Navy isn't giving these sailors better care.
Oct 15, 2013
kab
LindaB and AnnfromLouisiana -- thanks so much for the info for apartments in Norfolk area - will pass on to my son --
Oct 15, 2013
susank
Oct 15, 2013
USNA Mom
I know a gal whose son has his Bachelor's Degree and is seriously thinking of going OCS to become a pilot. I was wondering if any of you moms have a son or daughter who is currently a pilot who went through OCS and might be generous with their time to have a short conversation with this young man. He is a nice guy and would really appreciate a chat with a pilot.
Thanks!!!
Oct 15, 2013
Paymaster
Question.....I am looking for the size (measurement) of the beds on board ship. Not sure if all the officers beds are the same size or if they differ based on rank? I would appreciate the help.
Oct 15, 2013
Paymaster
Welcome Dinky
Oct 17, 2013
LindaB
The site I looked at recommended using wide mouth pint jars, sterilizing the jars and lids, baking the cake and then sealing the jar while everything was hot.
Oct 27, 2013
Paymaster
Linda....I have had my son deployed multi times, made and baked many things over his career. I have never made a cake in a jar.
But one rule I always use is never ship anything that contains eggs in it. I always worry about it becoming contaminated. What every you make your officer if you have a sealing machine it is the best for keeping this fresh, its worth the investment. I am sure this is just me, but I try to bake my things on Sunday night so they are fresh as they can be when I mail them on Monday morning.
ok, now that you know all my secrets and worries, let me know if I can help you anything further?
Oct 27, 2013
Anna
LindaB,
Some of the moms on another group were talking about these cakes in a jar. They said they make a cake just like the directions call for, fill the Ball jars 2/3 full and bake as directed. As soon as you take them out of the oven, put the vacuum lids and rings on. You might want to take a clean rag in hot water and carefully wipe the top rim of the jars to make sure they are clean. As the cakes cool you will hear the jars pop and the lids will be vacuum sealed. Then they wrapped them in bubble wrap and sent them with cans of ready made frosting. Test the vacuum seal of your jars just like you would any jarred item you buy in a grocery store!!!
Oct 27, 2013
JJ
If I remember correctly, they are 6 ft long X 28 or 30 inches wide. You will have to check with the Captian or the Chaplin of the ship to see if there are requirements regarding the quilt. Normally, there isn't an issue. Fleece is a great choice for the backing on a quilt! Remember there isn't a lot of room. The state rooms are really small. When my son was on board, it was all work for him, normal days were 15 to 16 hours, so bed time was crash time for him! Good luck.
Oct 29, 2013
Paymaster
Oct 29, 2013
JJ
Paymaster...they are 6 ft long by 28 or 30 inches wide (depending on the ship)
Oct 29, 2013
BunkerQB
I would suggest making the quilts a little longer and wider. People who have purchased throw or blankets suggest 40x80 (?)
Oct 29, 2013
LindaB
Oct 29, 2013
Paymaster
Oct 29, 2013
Paymaster
Trick or Treat Bag
Trick or Treat Bag
Trick or Treat bag I just finished for this evening. This one is for our youngest grandson. What you can't see in the picture is I have hand embroidered all the characters. It really make the bag pop. Not that anyone will notice when they are Trick or Treating tonight, but I will:) Hope you all have a great evening.
Oct 31, 2013
susank
Oct 31, 2013
OkSuzy
Nov 3, 2013
susank
Nov 4, 2013
OkSuzy
My LO has a very long drive across country and I'm hoping weather will hold up! I'm sure he'll be fine...it's the Mom in me :-)
Nov 4, 2013
susank
Nov 4, 2013
OkSuzy
Yup, he's traveling from NY to WA....in November....we're a Florida family not used to inclement weather. I'll be sure he keeps in touch with us....He's perfectly fine with it, it's mostly me, lol....
Nov 4, 2013
RhondaLou
Just got a look at the Trick or Treat bags. Sooo cute. What a lot of love went into those bags.
Anyone with an LO down in Pensacola? My son just graduated from OCS and is down there now getting settled. He has a house he is sharing with his first hatchmate at OCS and getting measured for his new flight suit?? I'm not sure what they are called at this point. But I guess they will wear that now instead of the NWU's plus he had to get the brown boots because he's on the aviation track. They sure do have a lot of uniforms and boots and shoes. It's pretty exciting. Lots more studying coming up. He's going to be pretty busy.
Nov 4, 2013