Flabberghasted.

Is that how you spell it?? Nevermind then.

I have been getting SO many responses to this you wouldn't even BELIEVE it. I am beyond touched, beyond overwhelmed.

Yes, we will be doing this again and again, and yes, I know many of you are just finding out about Round One. It isn't too late! really, it isn't! Why? Because you still have tonight/tomorrow morning to get something made for the first big Thank You Post on my blog, She's Becoming DoughMessTic, but there will be another Thank You Post on Saturday, and again the first part of next week. All you need to do to get in on Round One is email me at bakingGALS@gmail.com and I will send you the address. Just let me know if you are going to try to make your goody for the Wednesday post, the Weekend Post or the Next Week Post so that I can MAKE SURE no one is left behind!!

Everyone who has written, THANK YOU. This is by far the most amazing thing I have come across...and the feeling gets deeper everytime I open my mail.

Please feel free to grab the logo picture from the first post (below) and repost it on your own site. The word is getting spread fast and furious, and this is the best way I know to get it spread to others!!

Huge Response & A Little Info...

WOW!! Thanks to everyone who is taking the time to help out with this event! I never expected such a turn out!!

There have been lots of questions about what to send, how to pack...etc...and a very thoughtful Baking GAL supplied me with some of her research. Thanks Teanna of Spork or Foon? for her wealth of info!

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=24758- Here is a link for shipping- It's offering a package of free packing materials, including 10 boxes, 10 customs forms with envelopes, 10 "Mili-Pac" shipping envelopes, which are specially printed to reflect the complexities of military mailing addresses, and a roll of Priority Mail tape.

http://www.treatthetroops.org/tips.htm- here is a helpful website from "The Cookie Lady", who, as of a year ago, had already baked over 150,000 cookies to help the troops!

http://www.operationmilitarypride.org/packages.html - here you can type in the zip code in which you are sending care package items and it will let you know what is restricted for the location.

Also, if you have sent me an email to let me know you are interested in participating, PLEASE don't be put off that your name isn't yet on the Link List. It WILL BE, I promise!

Since I am a newbie to this as well, I wanted you to know what NOT to do. Or at least what I should not have done. DO NOT vacuum seal fresh baked SOFT cookies. It may taste good later on, but they looked gross to me. They squished nearly FLAT! It worked much better with a hard cookie!! (Thank Goodness!)

And one last piece of info - I just returned from the Post Office and got the largest APO Priority Mail Flat Rate Box (It's HUGE!) and the shipping is $10.95. There are smaller Flat Rate Boxes as well, but do ask for an APO Box, as it is less expensive!

Thanks everyone!!

Operation Baking GALS...

Welcome!! I am so happy that you dropped by to check out this site...and hopefully you will want to join us!

What started out with a single email to a few friends and fellow Foodie Bloggers has had an overwhelming response in just a couple of days!

Here's how it all began in my email:

I have a cousin (though more like a brother since we grew up together) in the Army JAG Corp. He and his wife tried for a long time to have a baby, and finally did in January. The thing is, Daddy got shipped to Iraq in March for 15 months. I have been getting emails from him, all sad, all missing his wife and baby so much. He’s been reading my blog and knows that I bake now and has been hinting that he and the other members of his division could really use some sweet treats to “boost morale.” (Apparently, the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders didn’t do a good enough job there last week.)

Now, I fully intended to make a care package and load it as full as possible. The problem is, I simply don’t have enough hours in the day to bake 5 or 6 things for the troops, the Café, go to work, feed my family AND do chores. I can get one thing done, but how pathetic of a care package would that be?

So, I am looking for some volunteers. Could you maybe bake one thing, seal it up and ship it to him? If we all do this on the same day, maybe he’ll get them all about the same time. Imagine how happy all those homesick troops will be to have homemade goodies!! You can make anything you want, and you really only need to wrap it in plastic and then a freezer bag (with a piece of bread to soak up moisture) or, if you have a vacuum sealer, that would be great. It takes about 7 days for them to get packages, so bear that in mind when choosing something to bake. Cookies of all kinds, bars, even things like trail mix would work well.

If you would please let me know that you are up for the task by emailing me, I would SOOO appreciate it. I would hope that we could all get our packages ready by Tuesday & Wednesday yes, July 29 & 30). Then if you would be willing to take a picture of the baked good and email it to me, what I will do is make a big post on my blog linking your site and your sweet contribution next Wednesday. I think I will call it Operation Baking GALS (Give A Little Support) – and if it works out as well as I hope, perhaps we could continue sending things to different troops, especially to anyone who has a special family member serving our country.

Again, please just shoot me a quick email back ASAP letting me know if you are up for this (I really hope you are, I chose my favorite friends and bloggers – and hey – get the kids in on it too – maybe they will get a patriotic boost from it!)
Once I hear from you, I will shoot you an email with the address to send the goodies.

Thanks for taking the time to hear me out. I really do appreciate it. And while we may not be Cheerleaders, I think this could be a really great morale boosting endeavor…don’t you??

What happened?? Well, within an hour I had 10 people email me wanting to do anything they could. I had fellow bloggers reposting the info on their own sites. I had large groups offer to post on their homepages...it's been amazing!

SO, from now on, Operation Baking GALS will be supporting our troops every month, once a month, and instead of our soldiers getting deodorant and soap, they'll be getting the one thing they can't get from the canteen - Homemade goodies made with LOVE. We will be assigning a different soldier to certain sub-groups of bakers each month so that we spread the love, and that way, a homesick troop will have a package with HIS name on it, filled with goodies to share. Now, doesn't that sound like something you could get into??

If so, please shoot me an email at bakingGALS (at) gmail (dot) com and we will get you onboard!!

Thanks again!