Happy Valentine's Day!

Love it or hate it...it's here again. Valentine's Day! If you have read my previous Valentine's Day posts then you know that I am rather fond of this day of love (and not because I'm married or in a relationship). I've always enjoyed it and how it gives us all an excuse (and sometimes we do need one) to share/spread/profess our love/like/kindness to the people in our lives.

My daughter and I put together just over 30 Valentine's Day cards for her friends at school and at Sparks. It was a great activity for us to do together - being with each other, chatting with each other, and figuring out love together. And what a fun filled day she had at school with activities, snacks, playing, and distributing her cards (which had a rad pirate theme!). I came across her cards at Armelle Blog (for personal use only). We tucked in a couple of gold wrapped chocolate coins and a red foil wrapped heart as the treasure.

I did some silly little games (Mad Lips, yep lips for Valentine's Day & a left/right Valentine's Day store with prizes) with my with high school students yesterday and you know what? No one complained. And as much as they want to be adults they all still want to belong and be loved. I kind of wish (in a small way) that they could do Valentine's cards for everyone in their classes until the day they graduate. And sure that wouldn't work for all kinds of reasons but I did challenge them all to go out into the halls and wish someone they didn't know a Happy Valentine's Day (maybe, another student who looked like they were having a bad day or are walking along without a crowd of friends).  I sure hope a few of them did. The more kindness I can infuse into their lives the better.


With all the prep for kindergarten and Sparks Valentine's cards, food for the K - class, games for my high school students and a few little surprises for my own sweethearts, I didn't end up sending out any homemade Valentine's cards like I have been doing for the last few years. So I've decided to send out some encouragement cards (which can go out any time of course). Oh Target Canada I am going to miss your dollar section and your great cards.


Speaking of rad cards I received a lovely one from my sweet husband. And melt my heart - he knows I love a gorgeous compass design and I'll take the "I'd be lost without you" sentiment any day of the week.  Our big plans for tonight are Vietnamese food (a first for us!) and renting a movie for when the kids are in bed.

And while love is generally what is on the agenda for today...I had a friend offer up a different word to me today and it meant just as much, "I really do trust you." Wow, what a beautiful thing to hear on Valentine's day (or any day) - means so much!

I hope that whatever your plans are today you know that you are loved and you are enough. My favourite piece of wisdom for the day is: When in doubt, be kind.

873/1000 - Okay, just three.

On the Cusp

Tonight is the very last night of my 30s...tomorrow I turn the big 4-0...yep, it's true and I'm having a hard time believing it myself. I'm so thankful for those people who also share my disbelief that I could actually be starting my 5th decade (whoa, kind of don't like that 5 there just yet) - you make me smile with your, "No way that you are turning 40, I don't believe it." Aw shucks, go on...

The highlights of the last day of my 30s...my daughter confided in me that she told her kindergarten teacher that she loved her (this fills me with joy), I had a wonderful dinner out with my parents (only child), husband and kids, and I've just spent the last half hour snuggling my two and a half year old to sleep. I wish I was this reflective at the end of every day...counting my blessings, thinking of my highlights and filling myself with love and hope in those last few moments before I am lost to sleep for the night.

If there is anything I take into my 40s it is the idea that I can truly make a difference in the lives of the people around me, near and far, friend and stranger...kindness seems to have taken hold of me and if I can lighten the load, offer a hand up, brighten a day, cause a smile then so be it (in a quiet way, always a quiet way as is my nature). I think it is a big reason I started this thousand paper letter challenge (that is nearly complete...so soon...aaaahhh...not ready for it to be over).

What a world we live in where we have the means and the opportunity to make a difference in so many ways.  My grade nine students are all writing encouragement/compliments to each other right now (yep, sharing the love wherever I can and guess what...we are going to put them into envelopes and "mail" them via our class mailbox - yep, that's just how I roll mail peeps). They've come up with some great ideas too. Someone once told me that if you give kids the chance to be amazing they will be...so I'm doing my best to offer up those chances as I get back into the classroom.

I'd like to think that we all have the chance to be amazing. In fact, everyday we wake up with that chance. The chance to do right, to be kind, to hit it out of the park, to love all day long, to leave it better than we found it, and to make a difference. One of my vehicles for these ideas is handcrafted, old fashioned letters/notes/snail mail. It works for me. With the simple tools of paper and pen I can make a difference. Life is about finding your gifts and giving them away. Find your gifts and if you think you might have time to sit down and write someone a little uplifting note...do it, it will feel good.

"The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been."

Madeleine L'Engle

811/1000 - a wonderful 7 added to the count!

The Random Drop Off...

One of my favourite movies has a great line in it to help the guy get the girl, "An unexpected gift, at an unexpected time." He does get the girl. I'll send you something fun in the mail if you can tell me what movie that's from. 

I really like the idea of that unexpected gift at an unexpected time! In fact it seems to be popping up all over the place this week (how unexpected). A friend just wrote on Facebook that for the last four or five years her family has received an Easter basket on their doorstep and they truly have no idea who it is from. This is so cool! And today a friend had the water service guy in her office bring her a coffee - how sweet! I brought someone special a soy cinnamon dulce this week too (although she knew I was dropping it off but she loved it just the same)! Which had me thinking about putting up my own Facebook post and asking all of my friends what their favourite coffee shop beverages of choice are...so maybe one day I can surprise them (so many different options)! Okay, I might just do that!

Oh and how could I forget this! My sister-in-law came by with these beauties for me! I mean one for each of us. They were delicious and fun. Thank you!

An unexpected gift!

On the news there has been a push in the last 48 hours for people to become organ donors in my little corner of the world. One of the ultimate unexpected gifts and at an unexpected time. My husband and I have been donors for years (although him longer than me). I somehow had this irrational fear about it (darn movies and urban legends) but I got over it and saw all the good it can do for others and that was the most important. Congrats if you are one and if you aren't...what are you waiting for?

Mail is super cool but the random drop off...a little gift to make someone's day - on their desk, doorstep, windshield...maybe they need some encouragement, some love or just because. Feel free to write a little note to go with it (always working the mail angle - haha). Not sure what to drop off? A favourite hot beverage or a $5 gift card so they can pick, chocolate (this is always good, unless you are allergic of course, but try to find out what their favourites are...dark, milk, peanut butter, sea salt...with bacon...oh yes that is a thing and so good), actually any favourites of anything (snack, cookie, lotion, bubble bath, candle), flowers, a good book and so on...

Share the love!

767/1000 4 new ones (and one is a birthday package for Piper's pen pal)!

Sweetness

This story starts back in November when a new friend started reading this blog for the first time...and she liked it. Really liked it. Which makes me incredibly happy and makes me think that my little challenge is not just my little challenge. It's been shared with readers, friends, recipients of my mail and all mail that might have been inspired by a blog post along the way. And this sweet friend liked my blog/challenge so much that she wanted to help me meet my thousand paper letter challenge! And so...

How Lovely!

she offered up hair clips for me to send out to some little girls in my life. She simply said just tell me how many you would like - I just want to help. How nice is that! My friend and her business partner have a little company called Hair Candy. Super excited to get these out to some sweet girls (already three have made their way out into the world). So thank you, thank you, thank you to a very sweet friend! You may have already met her in my last post  - yep, that was her (and her awesome family) making people happy on Valentine's Day. How lucky am I to have met her - thanks Melissa!

728/1000 some hair clips, some thank you notes, and some randomness.

A Little Inspiration...

Last week I posted some ideas about Valentine's Day and I had to interrupt our regularly scheduled Mailbox Monday to share this with you:

Just got in from a handing out "Free Kisses" on the streets of
Steveston. The amount of smiles we shared has filled our hearts:)
Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

My friend Melissa took some inspiration from my last post and came up with this incredible idea! Melissa and her beautiful kids handed out "Free Kisses" to the people in their community - this would absolutely have made my day if I was passing by. In Melissa's words: "It was a great way to spend the evening. Some people told us it was the only valentines day gesture they received all day. The kids handed out a couple hundred and every person was really happy about accepting a 'kiss.' Made us feel great about the people in our community."  Oh my goodness, they handed out "a couple hundred" - I am just in awe of this gesture. She said she was inspired by me but have to say I'm feeling incredibly inspired by her brilliance and sweetness. Truly a Happy Valentine's Day story (for many).

*Thanks to Melissa for sharing these pictures and her story with me.

Valentine's Day

Radio, tv, the Internet, magazines, store fronts are all a buzz with flowers, diamonds, expensive dinner dates and chocolates...which are lovely (really lovely) but I worry about the expectation it puts out there for Valentine's Day and the entitlement that follows for those that are figuring out this like/love thing (which might just be all of us). There are so many ways to show love, to support friends, to be kind that are special. So ignore the hoopla and make it about love on your own terms!

I received some sweet tea towels from a friend - just because!

Love them!

And Piper received this fabulous hair clip from another lovely friend (more about this later).

Piper was thrilled with this Hair Candy Hair Clip
made just for her!

Not your typical Valentine's Day Fare are they? But amazing nonetheless. Think outside of the roses, chocolates, diamonds, dinners etc. scenario and share love with those around you in amazing ways on Friday!  

Love people you've never thought of loving...your neighbours that you don't know yet (baked goods, a plant...foster a little community), your children's teachers  or office staff (they have to deal with a lot of kids hopped up on Valentine's Day sugar  - maybe a coffee card...maybe something stronger), drive through worker (it's not the best job is it and they are working on Valentine's Day - sucks), buy a bag of chocolate hearts or heart lollipops and just hand them out to everyone you meet, bring flowers to any office/residence/hospital/library for the staff room, if you go out for dinner by all means overtip, fill coin operated coin parking meters, offer to take a couple/group photo for someone so they can be in the photo, or don't plan it out at all and just be open to making someone's day. 

It can certainly be a dark day for some - remember that too and appreciate that/honour that. And if you can lighten their burden, do. If nothing else reach out and have a conversation with them on Friday. I saw a card recently that said something along the lines of "it could be worse you could be dating a total idiot." So I guess there is that. I just saw a cool "new" holiday out there in cyberspace scheduled for February 13th called Galentines...where you get together and have fun with your girlfriends (the gals) - oh fun! Don't forget to love those close to you too an extra little bit today just because! Why not?

Meanwhile at our house my husband and I are pretty low key on the gifts and by that I mean...we don't tend to spend a lot but we do tend to think a lot about the gift or card or gesture (and that's why I love him). My love language is gifts and he knows this but this past weekend he did all of the laundry - ALL! So maybe, service is one of my secondary love languages - it was so thoughtful and to boot he let me sleep in on Monday (Family Day). Those are great Valentine's gifts right there (or any day). A huge thanks to him! He needs to do nothing else (he'll be glad to hear that). 

"Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude."

AA Milne - Winnie the Pooh

711/1000 Four pieces out the door

Thinking Outside of the (Mail)Box

I love mail. I love paper. I love lists. I love sticky notes. I love little notes.

And there are so many ways to share a few words with someone without needing a stamp or an envelope. At the end of November I went away for the weekend (without kids, without husband) but before I went, I left my hubby a number of sticky note reminders and other notes around the house. You know...things to remember about the kids, dinner possibilities, and other general messages but I also left one on the bed that said, "Enjoy having the whole bed to yourself" and one on the bathroom mirror that said, "I love you." It's been about two months since then and guess what...

it is a little wrinkled but it is still kicking around in the bathroom and that just makes me smile (with my whole face). It was fun to put them around the house and think about where my guy would see them and be surprised.

In other noteworthy news (and you just know that pun was intended) just this week I registered my girl for Kindergarten! That means packing a lunch and a backpack - oh perfect for little notes or pictures at least until we get the reading thing down! I really hope she loves school! I look forward to sharing in her adventures and sending her off with love!  I don't send notes with my hubby normally but we do send him mail and emails throughout his week (he doesn't have a lunch bag because he just takes a homemade or leftover meal from the freezer and a fork - although I have been known to tuck something in his bag or pocket). I also try to pop in during candy gram time (Christmas/Valentine's Day) and send one to his classroom (he has his Christmas one up on the fridge right now).

Now I was lucky enough to receive a little letter out of the mailbox last week! It was just lovely.

This typewriter sits on the hutch in our dining room. How nice to come home to this note from my beautiful sister-in-law! Opportunities are out there just waiting for you to seize them and spread some love. Lunch box notes, fridge notes (sticky notes, magnetic poetry), bus stops, doors (outside/inside), cubicles, pockets, bags/purses,  bathroom mirrors/shower doors (you can even write in soap and it will show up when it gets steamy), in a library book you are returning (just for fun)...a note by nature is just a few words but wow, what a few words can mean! Getting any ideas yet? I hope so!

680/1000 Four pieces dropped in the mailbox...

Advent Calendar Monday

Advent Calendar of Goodness: A Flurry of Ideas

     When I was teaching Writing 12 one of the assignments we worked on as we got close to December was an Advent Calendar of Goodness/Kindness. They had to craft their own calendar and write a good deed they could do for someone else behind each door. I encouraged them to be creative and go beyond the typical. They came up with some great ideas and their calendars all looked so different from each other.

     I thought I'd better make one myself if I expected them to do it (that's mine above - cardboard box, stickers, buttons, green paper and glue).  Mine is actually called 'Advent Calendar of Goodness: a Flurry of Ideas" with the buttons representing snowflakes. It was a lot of fun to make.

     There are a lot of DIY advent calendar ideas out there! Good deeds are a great thing to put behind each door (bake cookies for the firehall, help a neighbour put up their Christmas lights, drop off canned food to the Food Bank). Another option is to put Winter/Christmas activities to do together as a family/couple (decorate the Christmas tree, go ice skating, make bird seed ornaments).

     And you don't need kids to have an advent calendar my husband and I would alternate days and fill them for the other person long before any kids came along. What a fun challenge to see what we could fit behind each door. More to come about this next Advent Calendar Monday.

Here is a cool DIY Advent Calendar
from Erlend at Creative Morning -
a cool DIY craft blog from Norway.

     If you click on the photo it will take you to the Advent Calendar tutorial but check out the rest of his blog too - lots of neat ideas! Some cool crafts with buttons up right now. For other great collections of DIY Advent Calendars check out Tip Junkie or Pinterest (of course). There are lots of ideas floating around out there. Or you could just look around your house and see what you have and put something together like I did. You could even make it a competition (we do a gingerbread party with my family every year - we kind of make it a contest - it's a lot of fun but this could be fun too). Make one for your kids, for a friend, for you. Get your craft on! You could even send it in the mail! Oh yes, now it's all coming together.

Operation Postcard

Quite a few years ago when I was teaching Creative Writing our school principal was off for a month after an operation, so as a class we all wrote postcards of encouragement and sent them off to her. She was thrilled.  I sent them all at once but I wish I'd staggered them a little bit so she would receive them little bit by little bit. Although I guess her mail box was flooded on that particular day. There were at least 30 in total and I dubbed the assignment "Operation Postcard." A few kids weren't too sure about the assignment but I think we need to give kids kindness opportunities often - then it becomes normal and easy.

I had a friend who recently organized something similar for a friend of ours who is going through chemo (she told us her idea about sending a postcard from our hometown with words of encouragement for our friend - whom I'm sure has been flooded with cards from around the world - facebook can definitely be a good thing). What a simple, sweet idea! Kindness and the written word go hand in hand! I know this friend is feeling the love!

Do you have a friend that could use some encouragement (because they are missing home or going through some struggles)? Gather up a group of people and create your own postcard blitz! Or maybe, you gather up a group of postcards and send them weekly to that someone who could use some lift to their week. I'm doing my own little blitz of postcards today (going to various people just to say hello). I bought these postcards below in the Ikea 'As Is' section - 5 cents for a package of 5! Woohoo - mail and a deal!

364/1000  **Postcard Blitz** That's 8 cards zipping around out there...now!

Have you had the opportunity to send an rsvp reply to a wedding invitation recently...do anything fun with it? I like adding my own writing/comments and playing around with the fill in the blanks. But it is also fun to put something in the envelope (a cool picture of you and the couple, some tea, a magnet of a cool quotation about love, a coffee gift card for a treat during the stress of wedding planning, an article you clipped about marriage tips...well you get the picture).

Seven to Ponder...

Thought I'd throw some kindness possibilities your way this week...

1. I'm a big fan of the "pay for the person behind you" in the Starbucks drive through - this also works for Tim Horton's or any drive through where you pay and pick up at the same window. But for something different...buy a gift card from 'bucks or Tim's and put it under the windshield wiper of a parked car for someone to find later. Surprise!

2. Gather all those unwanted items in your household (de-cluttering feels great) and advertise a garage sale and make everything free - how fun would this be! Free Garage Sale! Early Birds Welcome!

3. When you are cooking or baking it is often easy to just double whatever you are making - do it and share it with someone who could use a treat or a night off from cooking. That might just be everyone you know!

4. Keep extra umbrellas in your car and on a rainy day pass them out to people waiting at bus stops without umbrellas/shelter or someone walking home without one. Stock up at the dollar store to make this one a go!

5. Bring treats to your local school, preschool, daycare, firehall, care home or maternity ward for the staff - these can be busy, crazy places where the adults could use a boost. And store bought isn't cheating by the way!

6. Take coupons that you don't need and place them on the shelves of the grocery store by those products. You will surely make someone's day! I posted briefly about this here in a post about sending cool things in the mail.

7. Writing encouraging words on post it notes (I like heart ones) and post them on lockers, bathroom stalls, bus shelters, and/or wherever you feel they will make a difference. Stick it!

These were posted on two bus shelters in Vancouver - at least 8 post its! Awesome!

 I've tried to share 7 ideas that might not be your regular go to ideas when you think of random acts or purposeful acts of kindness. Please add your brilliant ideas in the comments on this post.
I'd love to hear some more!

300/1000  Two pieces of facebook post pay it forward mail going local to make it a nice round number!

Conspiracy Theory or...

Have you noticed anything strange lately? Have you noticed people acting differently? Maybe you are in on it and involving others...It feels as if that there is some kind of unofficial or unwritten theme/rule this year and it is KINDNESS - yep, Year of Kindness. At least that is what I am dubbing it. Seriously, I'm feeling the love. 

I made one of my New Year's Resolutions (yep, I make them and do my best to keep them) to do something kind everyday and sometimes it is a challenge and sometimes it isn't. Either way it's been a fun experience so far and the more I make it a part of my day/my life/my outlook, the more I see it everywhere. Kind of like how you never saw THAT car, until you bought one, and then it seemed like everyone had one. Seriously, I have never seen so many Mazda 5s in my life - where did they all come from. I can always pick mine out in the parking lot - it's the dirty one.

And I'm not saying that Kindness is something new but I'm seeing more of a movement lately. It was the official Random Acts of Kindness last week (I love anonymous and random kindness), I just read about a kindness bazaar, saw a compliment challenge on facebook, Chatelaine magazine has started a year long kindness campaign, and it seems to be prominent on recent blogs and social media. I started my January by answering and then posting this offer/challenge:

Erin Ballard Evans

January 3

2013 Creative Pay-It-Forward: The first five people to comment on this status will receive from me**, sometime in the next calendar year, a gift - perhaps a book, or a baked goods, or something crafty or handmade- a surprise*! There will likely be no warning and it will happen whenever the mood strikes me. The catch? **Those five people must make the same offer in their FB status.

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