Caroline Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 I'm delivering a care package tomorrow. It is a crate to use as a bookshelf. Inside the crate he will find: bottled cream soda, Pringles, Ghost figurine from Game of Thrones, latest GoT graphic novel, and a copy of What Was I so Scared Of by Dr. Seuss. It was the first book he read and I found a glow in the dark copy at Barnes and Noble today. (I should NEVER walk into that store.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Hen Posted September 15, 2014 Author Share Posted September 15, 2014 I found, way back when, that 2 9*12 pans of brownies JUST fit into a flat rate box. They don't wiggle around, so that they arrive in good shape. Don't cut them, leave them whole. I left my brownies whole---thanks Margaret! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myra Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 Last week, I sent off a three pack of sport's socks from Target but they were superhero (Marvel) ones. My son said the guys in his crew rowing boat loved them! And to my oldest, I sent a CD of "Guuardians of the Galaxy" movie's sound track along with a sweatband to hold back his hair (as he is running on the treadmill for 45 minutes a day while memorizing his Greek vocab flashcards.) Myra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 homemade beef jerky. Time and time again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 BlueHen have you considered starting a care package business? Your lists sound amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Hen Posted September 15, 2014 Author Share Posted September 15, 2014 Recipe please! homemade beef jerky. Time and time again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 I've sent several very small packages (padded envelopes), one a week, to get him "over the hump". It is MUCH too hot here to send baked goods and have them arrive in edible condition, so instead: - one had pages of print offs of a favorite comic strip, and two gift cards to fast food restaurants within walking distance of campus - one had a pair of sunglasses (he had mentioned that his pair broke the first week he was there), a box of movie theater size candy, and his new debit card (that didn't arrive until after he left home) - one had packets of dry Crystal Light drink mix and microwave popcorn packets, and a $10 bill to go bowling at the little alley in the Student Union Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 The Ohio son has already received 2 packages. The first was a 15# box of buckeyes. The second contained air rifle shot and a t-shirt. This box has more variety in it: buckeyes (this is just a small bag of buckeyes cause I need these things out-of-my-home!) Too Funny! DS18's care package this week has his Nerf gun and an extract package of foam dart things. It is the only thing from home that he said he "desperately needs". Also included: his too-late-arriving health insurance card, bags of sour gummy worms and juggling balls. His earlier package contained many bags of lollipops, a mug and bowl, and a Google Play gift card to download some more music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 All three of mine (even married boy) got care packages about a week or so ago. We tailored them all according to their likes and needs + a few requests. I'm sure I can't think of everything, but the boxes included things like dried beef, Spam, Nutella, Herr's Sour Cream & Onion potato chips, forgotten clothing items, Les Mis DVD, Axis & Allies, Star Trek Risk (or maybe it was Monopoly?), small French flags, forgotten paperwork, mail that had arrived here & things like that + $100 cash (each) for whatever extra they want. I rarely bake here at home. I didn't start when they left for college... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 Margaret, BlueHen, or anyone who has successfully sent brownies ... how do you get the brownies out of the pan while still leaving the whole block whole? I'm wondering if they could be baked in a pan lined with aluminum foil so that the whole thing, foil and all, could be lifted out? Any btdt advice would be greatly appreciated. Also interested in any other methods which have resulted in anything other than crumbs on the other end. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 Margaret, BlueHen, or anyone who has successfully sent brownies ... how do you get the brownies out of the pan while still leaving the whole block whole? I'm wondering if they could be baked in a pan lined with aluminum foil so that the whole thing, foil and all, could be lifted out? Any btdt advice would be greatly appreciated. Also interested in any other methods which have resulted in anything other than crumbs on the other end. lol Line the pan with baking parchment. You can lift the entire block out, and it makes it also very easy to cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 Margaret, BlueHen, or anyone who has successfully sent brownies ... how do you get the brownies out of the pan while still leaving the whole block whole? I'm wondering if they could be baked in a pan lined with aluminum foil so that the whole thing, foil and all, could be lifted out? Any btdt advice would be greatly appreciated. Also interested in any other methods which have resulted in anything other than crumbs on the other end. lol What about just baking in a disposable foil pan, and use the edge of a plastic spatula to cut into pieces, but leave it all in the pan it was baked in, place a lightweight piece of cardboard over the top that just fits inside the edges of the pan (sort of like how restaurants do), seal with foil and/or in a ziplock, wrap in a layer of bubble wrap, and ship? So that way, you never disturb the brownies from the baking pan, and let student worry about it on the other end, and they can toss the disposable tin when done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Regentrude and Lori, thank you both for great suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Recipe please! My delicious recipe! Tell dh to make beef jerky... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Get least fatty meat you can find (roast, red meat of course!) Semi freeze for easy slicing. Slice as thin as you can against the grain. Take meat and (by feel) soak in Dale's Steak sauce with shakes of liquid hickory smoke (doesn't need much). Doesn't need to soak but a minute. Just get it all wet. Lay out in dehydrator. Shake a little lemon pepper on it (use Tones for best results/has more lemony flavor and less salty). Run in dehydrator until it is jerky. Which is something you just have to learn... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 No official care packages, but we did send my son back to campus after a weekend at home with bags of supplies. He took single-serve chocolate soy milks, a big box of zBars, microwave popcorn, a couple of boxes of papadam, two party-sized bags of potato chips, single-serving packets of smoothie powder and some other stuff I'm probably forgetting. I did send my daughter a box of stuff. She got a somewhat delayed final paycheck from her job here that included the pay-off for her unused vacation days and will go a long way toward covering the next tuition payment for her acting program. I tucked in a few items of her clothing that had turned up in our laundry, a couple of packs of the face wipes she likes but doesn't buy because they are too expensive, a box of zBars and a copy of the latest Oriental Trading catalogue. (We have always enjoyed looking at them together.) My son will be back in a couple of weeks to work with his local dance teachers. I'm trying to brainstorm some stuff to start collecting and send back with him next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 I have an enormous cookie "spatula" that I can lift the entire block of brownies out at once. My care package to ds this week is lots of back issues of World magazine. I figure he'll enjoy reading SOMETHING besides chem, physics and calc! Margaret, do I remember that you write to your kids every day? Or close to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Hen Posted September 16, 2014 Author Share Posted September 16, 2014 Margaret, BlueHen, or anyone who has successfully sent brownies ... how do you get the brownies out of the pan while still leaving the whole block whole? I lined the bottom of the brownie pan with Al foil. I let the brownies cool completely in the pan. Next morning I ran a knife around the outside edge of the brownies, inverted the pan and was pleasantly surprised at how they came out in one piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Thank you Margaret and BlueHen! I can't imagine how large that spatula is ... lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Younger dd and I had so much fun making and sending a couple of care packages -- a homemade pillowcase that matched some of her pajamas (Marie from Aristocats), special tea, a Star Trek magazine, sunglasses, a tshirt. Then we waited and waited to hear what she thought .... Finally I texted her to ask if she'd received anything from us (yes, we had tracking on the packages, but still we had started to wonder what was going on). Her response? "My mailbox is challenging to open," so she hadn't bothered to pick things up. :glare: Younger dd and I have gotten a lot of mileage out of THAT, though, since now whenever we see anything vaguely interesting in a store we comment, "Oh, I'd send that to [older dd] except she never checks her mailbox." It's possible younger dd is snapchatting her pictures of things she'd send if only she'd bother to check her mailbox. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prim*rose Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Does anyone have suggestions on a care package for a college student who has access to a full kitchen? Our friend's daughter lives in a small dorm, and is a foodie. She cooks meals for the kids on the weekend, and has access to a microwave, stove/oven. We're trying to think of things to send, but I'm completely blanking on what might be useful, while not spending an arm and a leg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Does anyone have suggestions on a care package for a college student who has access to a full kitchen? Our friend's daughter lives in a small dorm, and is a foodie. One possibility is a jar of pesto. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Does she already have an assortment of spices? If not, one of the all inclusive sets could be a good starter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoggirl Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Ds received his first care package yesterday!! I had a friend mail it on Saturday to make sure it would arrive this week. You see, this Friday is Ds's "day" at his alma mater!! The superintendent of his charter school *names* days off after seniors he chooses at the graduation ceremony. Based on academic success, service to the school, etc. Ds was named out of his graduating class, so this Friday his high school has no school and the school calendar reflects it as "DS Day." Of course, he had to have a care package for "DS Day," and I wanted to make sure it arrived beforehand! I have a friend who prints up stationery, and I had her do a special card for him in his high school colors and with the school logo. It read, "Celebrating DS Day - September 26th, 2014." In addition to the card, I put in four dozen chocolate chip cookies and two batches of brownies! I wrapped the brownies individually in cling wrap and wrapped the cookies back-to-back in pairs of two in cling wrap. I figured this would keep them fresher and also ease in sharing them. In the card I put a little ca$h and wrote, "Happy DS Day! Please use the enclosed cash to celebrate your day. Please use the enclosed treats to get your new friends to think your mom is awesome." He sent a text of thanks saying the treats *were* great. Wonder if that means they are all gone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Time for an update. Even though my guy is now a college grad, it appears that care packages have not come to an end (although may be fewer in number). I am currently baking oatmeal cookies with dried cherries to ship out on Monday with some other items. My son spent the summer in Britain as a staff member at an archaeological site. After five days at home, he flew out to the Midwest where he is doing precisely what he wants to do: contract archaeology. As he describes it, he tromps through the woods, digs the occasional test pit, and gets paid for this. His care package includes a few items from college days, like the comic newspaper The Funny Times. I am also sending him some individual serving packages of Nutella which might be appreciated on the trail as temperatures fall. The odd item in the box is a high visibility vest that I have sewn to his specifications. He said he wanted something with pockets of a certain size, a loop for hanging his compass, etc. I truly rejoice in his happiness and success but am glad that my Mommy role has not disappeared. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Well, if Jane can do it, then so can I! My daughter has returned to South Korea after a month long visit home. She has a working holiday visa now which will enable her to work, study, and travel for up to eighteen months. She began Korean classes on Thursday. Our most recent care package contained one item, the bank book she inadvertently left behind. I did send, in her luggage, wrapped packages for Halloween and Christmas. Book Depository (with free world wide shipping) and iHerb.com (with very inexpensive shipping to South Korea) will be handling most future care packages. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoggirl Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 I mailed another care package today. I sent some more brownies, but primarily a cream cheese pound cake! I sliced it into individual pieces and wrapped each one in cling wrap and then put them in Ziploc bags. I really like wrapping portions individually as I feel as though it's easier to share that way. Plus, not a bunch of germy hands all reaching into the same container! Both this care package and the last one were sent with the intent to share and were perishable items. However, several of the mom friends of the kid friends are getting together at my house on Sunday to do a group care package with longer-lasting items. Everyone is bringing individualized but different things to throw into everyone's boxes. Trail mix, microwave popcorn, hot cocoa and cider mixes, easy mac & cheese, instant chicken noodle soup packets, some Halloween candy, Skittles, pre-packaged cookies, Chapstick, cold medicine, etc. Not perishable, and not designed so much for sharing. We wanted a big variety of things. Think it'll be fun!! OOPS! ETA: I did a trial run on the EASIEST pumpkin spice muffins today! Sending that batch with dh to work tomorrow, but they will definitely be going in a fall care package soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Okay - I don't come from a tradition of care packages, so I decided on a little thing to arrive each week. So far, I'll be posting: 13/10 - Tablet (a little like fudge but a very Scottish thing) to share 20/10 - Hallowe'en chocolates and some green hair colour spray 27/10 - Picture of the front of our house with garden in a perspex frame 3/11 - Coffee gift card for the independent coffee shop around the corner (I picked this up when I was down dropping him off) 10/11 - Key chain with a logo that means a lot to him 17/11 - A box of his favourite mints 24/11 - Something else 1/12 - A comic novel based in the next door college, for bedtime/travel home reading L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 You all have such great ideas! I'd like to send something to ds - he might come home this weekend for fall break, or might not be home 'til Thanksgiving. Brownies and hot chocolate sound good. I like the Halloween hair spray idea. Maybe I'll throw in a few plastic spiders and some pictures drawn by his little brother and sisters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Oops. The dog chewed the 'tablet'. I'll have to get some more. They have great home-made tablet at the railway station snack shop. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 DD is home for fall break, but we're sending her back w/ a care package. We'll give it to her when we get to the school and unpack her stuff. It's movie themed: a bag of popcorn (pre-popped, since she has a history w/ microwave popcorn, lol) and 5 or 6 movies from a thrift store. She is building a small collection of movies she likes, and we figure she can watch one a weekend and it'll last her till Thanksgiving break. We need some candy to go in w/ it, don't you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 I can't send brownies or cup cakes because DD is the Baker with a capital B in the family. So, her last care package contained brownie mix, white chocolate chips and a bit of instant coffee to enhance the brownie mix, and some pre-cut parchment paper. I think she'll get more joy out of baking than she would get out of eating something I baked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Okay - I don't come from a tradition of care packages, so I decided on a little thing to arrive each week. So far, I'll be posting: 13/10 - Tablet (a little like fudge but a very Scottish thing) to share 20/10 - Hallowe'en chocolates and some green hair colour spray 27/10 - Picture of the front of our house with garden in a perspex frame 3/11 - Coffee gift card for the independent coffee shop around the corner (I picked this up when I was down dropping him off) 10/11 - Key chain with a logo that means a lot to him 17/11 - A box of his favourite mints 24/11 - Something else 1/12 - A comic novel based in the next door college, for bedtime/travel home reading L Could you PM me the name of the novel? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.