Summer Days & Fall Nights

     Oh Summer how I love thee! Your long days filled with family and friends, sunshine, camping, swimming, cold drinks, roasted marshmallows, and that sense, that time, has simply slowed down.  But as the nights start to feel that familiar touch of damp I know, that very soon, I will miss you. The back-to-school shopping has already started (my sweet girl picked out an R2D2 backpack - oh yea!), I'm starting to think about making food for frozen meals/lunches, and I've started my new fridge calendar...yep, all sure signs that September is coming. There are three of us going to school this September...my daughter to kindergarten, my husband to work (as per usual...over a decade in), and me (after a 5 year break...feeling like it's not real yet). But I only have one foot out of summer's door. Still loving the sunshine and looking forward to more beach exploring, swimming, sunshine, marshmallows, and memories.

Lofoten, Norway

     Received a very cool postcard from one of my favourite Norwegian families yesterday! Thanks to Elias who did the writing (I think). I love it! I know I don't send as many postcards as I used to (sometimes it is hard to sit down and write when you have a couple of kids on vacation with you needing you every moment, or at least thinking they do) but wow, it was so nice to receive...I think I'll try harder - it was such a gift to see which postcard was picked out, imagining them there and reading their note to us! Wonderful. And doesn't it look like a beautiful place (hiking, swimming, viking museums - they had a lot of fun!).

Happy August, happy back-to-school, happy memory making, happy letter writing...

happy, happy, happy.

788/1000 My count is up by 10 - some packages, some notes, definitely some love.

P.S. working on a very cool pen pal project with a friend - stay tuned.

Sweet Summer Reading

     Yesterday, my husband and I had an Auntie/Uncle date with our three beautiful nieces (9, 11 & 13 - these are of course, their ages, we don't refer to them as numbers - lol). And we decided to take them to a very cool bookstore near us called Kidsbooks. The ladies are so knowledgeable and we were excited to take the girls in for an end-of-the-school-year-beginning-of-summer gift/book. So the girls were able to say what they liked, the staff picked out a few options and then they sat down and perused each copy and made a decision! Of course, you know, I just sent the store a handwritten thank you note because they are awesome!

To round out the afternoon we headed over to Menchies for a sweet treat (their first time!) and fully indulged our sweet tooths (teeth?). Just noticed they do fundraisers too - always looking for new fundraising venues (yum, frozen yogurt) - making a mental note about that.

    Summer and reading go hand in hand! I know I'm compiling my summer reading list right now and starting the stack to pull from.  I think we are going to head to the library in a couple of days to see what their summer reading program looks like and get our sweet five year old excited about that - brings back so many memories! Of course, libraries are great places for recommendations as well and love that you can also rent movies and take out magazines and more. Reading on the beach, on the deck, in a hammock, in a tent (with a flashlight) tucked in a sleeping bag, in a book nook, at Grandma and Papa's house, at a sidewalk cafe...reading has always been a big part of our summer and I hope that continues. All of those places are great places to read and write mail as well.

     Connecting with characters in a book is not so different than connecting with people via the written word (aka letters & postcards). In fact, one of my favourite sayings is, "We read to know that we are not alone." Some of the world's greatest people and mentors are characters in books - share that with your kids and give that to yourself as well! Some books even have letters and postcards inside them (The Jolly Postman & Meerkat Mail for the younger set and Griffin & Sabine for adults - full of beautiful mail and an intriguing story/series).

778/1000 Sent a couple of great packages to Norway, one to Piper's pen pal, and a couple of cards - making it 5 that I get to add to my count.

Summer Makes a Cameo

   If you are looking to send out some personal and fun mail try this...I just had one of my favourite summer pictures printed onto postcards (via vistaprint) and added a great little quotation. Going to send some out this week and save some for gifts too (I love homemade gifts). This is the second time I've done this - through vp you have to order 100 at a time but it's a pretty cool thing to do (you just have to narrow it down and I like to wait for a sale). So if you have a favourite photo - give it a go (via your local print company or wherever works for you) and send something unique and personal out into the world.

A mug of tea on a beautiful morning in Garden Bay.

     Speaking of sending things out into the world, I was at my local Michaels Craft store and they had a flyer by the exit "Michaels Operation Christmas Card." You can bring handmade and filled out cards to Michaels locations and they will send them to American and Canadian soldiers. What a great thing to do with your own children or a classroom of students (teachable moment). Here are the deets, "Cards must be handmade and include a heart-felt handwritten message. Glitter of any kind should not be used. Include envelopes which should remain unsealed. Please do not include photos or phone numbers." You can find more info here. Mail for good - love it!

      I also have to send a little thankfulness out to my Post Office ladies - one of whom saved me over $10 on a package this week by making a suggestion and helping me re-pack and re-tape it. They are both the best!

442/1000 Sending out some of my fav photo postcards, a special package for a very special mama-to-be, and a couple of other things - count is up by 10!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends and family this weekend. Hope you have time to spend with your loved ones.

Oh Glorious Summer!

     We've been visiting a lot of places that we normally send mail too - so fun! I imagine I'm not the only one. We feel like we've had the one of the best summers of our lives over here - weather was great but really it was all about visiting friends and family and doing lots of things together - including camping with the kids for the first time!

Beautiful Summer Sunset in Wabasca, Alberta
One of our stops this summer - 16 hour drive (with kids - yikes!)

   
     My kids also had the chance to be in a wedding - flower girl (loved the dress and took her job very seriously) and ring bearer (at 18 months we weren't sure how this was going to go down - happy to say he nailed it).

Flower Girl

Ring Bearer

     And while we were enjoying summer (and trying not to be inside too much) the count has been working its way up with thank you letters, postcards, notes and a bunch of chain letters...wait, what? Okay, not a chain letter of old and not as nefarious as it sounds...it is a sticker chain letter - totally fun for kids (had it sent my way and passed it on). I've seen a similar one with books instead of stickers (again, fun mail for kids).

Hopefully this gives you the idea!

     And I'm finally getting to the computer on a cool, September morning. Yep, it seems Fall is here. It was an amazing summer but Fall brings a lot of fun too!  Love the smell of the cool air and how it makes me want to cozy up in a sweater and drink tea on my back deck. Oh yes Fall, you have a place in my heart too. A great time to send your favourite tea/hot chocolate/coffee to a friend in the mail or take some fall photos and send them off to family (you know the ones where you are jumping into the leaf pile).

424/1000 added 15 to the count!

A Little Art to Start the Day...

My daughter was lucky enough to hang out with her pen pal last week - makes the letter writing a little bit more real when you are 4 to see the other girl every so often! And it is definitely our turn to send some mail her way.  So we are on it today (after Van Gogh art class - Yay, Piper is going to love it).

We are able to walk to the 4Cats Art Studio by our house and it is her first class there (other than a splatter birthday party for her friend Andy - which she loved!). Carlen, the lovely curator, is such a wonderful person. She gave Piper a very warm welcome this morning.

We like art. And we like to send art to our friends and family via...you guessed it...the mail! Such an easy thing to do. Any paper (new or recycled), any writing instrument, a little time and off it goes to brighten someone's day and fridge! And while we are in the midst of summer (an amazing summer so far for us) I've noticed that school supplies are starting to creep into the stores bit by bit, aisle by aisle...and as much as I don't want summer to end (it really has been wonderful)...I love the coming of the school supplies - new notebooks, pens, highlighters, post-it notes...it is quite an event (this might be the secret reason why I wanted to become a teacher actually).

Here is a little art piece my daughter did not too long ago. And here is the description she gave me to explain what it is:

A Dibbledop - It cleans up the mess on your floor instead of a vacuum. It never stops until the mess is gone.

She doesn't always scribble but she does seem to get a lot of enjoyment out of it. And seriously, this is a product I could get behind. I particularly like how it really, "never stops until the mess is gone." Love the imagination!


Today I am using my Stella and Sam stamps! Couldn't resist picking some up!

This past month I've had readers from: Canada, US, Germany, Russia, United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, France, India, Japan, Norway, South Korea & Macau! Thanks for reading my little blog - I love that it reaches people far and wide...just like letters finding their way around the world.

403/1000 sending out some thank you notes and other fun things!

Lots of Things to Celebrate!

It's full on summer over here. And for us that means catching up on dentist and doctor appointments (always super exciting), reading, seeing family and friends, road trips, having water fun with our kiddies, movies, and maybe, some relaxing moments in there too (pretty please). Of course, summer is a great time for postcards & special mail.  And FYI the mail carrier certainly does not stop dropping off things in my mailbox or yours...so it is still nice to send out some lovely little notes to your lovely little ones or any lovelies in your life for that matter (I have at least one of those going out today and a few more on deck).

However you stack it...

I'm super excited that I get to send out some gorgeous invitations for a very special bride and her very special bridal shower, that is just around the corner! I would post them here but don't want to give anything away but I can tell you that they were designed by THE very talented Kristy at Twell Media and I am thrilled with them! Take a wander around her page.

...that's a lot of mail!

Just in case I don't say it enough - the mail system is pretty cool! Sending a personal note that you've put together with your own two hands to someone down the street or in the next city over or around the world for a nonimal fee, is an amazing service. And what a gift to open! Always hoping to inspire more  mail! And I just saw the cutest Stella and Sam stamps at my local post office - LOVE!


400/1000 Well! That's certainly a milestone! Hooray! Hurrah! Huzzah!

Summer Days

Rainy days, cloudy days, sunny days...either way summer days are almost here...with kids out of school and lots of time on their hands! Hopefully, you have lots of fun things planned and lots of days of doing nothing (that's important too!). My husband and I adore sleep in days over here...most days it is the crack of dawn but on summer holidays we take turns (yep, I love my guy). We are looking forward to lots of fun-filled activities too (camping is what my daughter is most looking forward to).

A couple of things...the end of the school year is fast approaching and if you haven't thought of getting a teacher in your life a present it might be a good idea. There are lots of fab ideas out there but you know I'm going to advocate for some lovely stationery (that maybe they could use throughout the next year...sending lovely notes home to moms and dads just like you about how great your kids are). Or at least write the teacher a nice card or better yet have your child do it.  I'm also a sucker for cool post-it notes & Starbucks' cards.

"Mom, I'm bored!" Oh my gosh did you hear that already? Hopefully not...but maybe a good time to do the penpal thing if my penpal post didn't inspire you earlier perhaps you are thinking it over now. Or write a note or send a care package to a relative (photos, letter, treats). Is someone coming to visit you this summer or maybe you are going to visit someone else - send them a little, "I'm so excited" mail to get the anticipation going!

Here is a cool idea - Send a scavenger hunt to someone - they can send you a picture of all the items once they've found them (one picture or a picture for each one). Then they could send one to you (okay, I just thought of this and now I think I may need to try it today!).

Find a frog!

Find a red balloon!

So they could be things to do or things to find.

(adults or kids can do this)

A book page with your name on it.

A buttercup.

A heart shaped rock or rock with a stripe on it.
A coin from the year you were born.
Something that starts with the letter M.

Here are some ideas to get you started!
Have fun!

374/1000 - 9 fine letters going out today (they may or may not contain scavenger hunts)...