Two Straight Lines

Summer is (more than) fading (it's over) and school is back in! And I'm back...in more ways than one. Back on the blog, back in the classroom (part-time), and back to meal-planning, baking, letters/notes/packages...

My daughter completed the Summer Reading Program through our local library and loved it! During the last week of August we had a great book that inspired me a little and I was so happy to think that it might inspire others as well (kids and parents alike). These two pages are from a Madeline book about politeness and manners (excuse these not so great phone pictures).

We also checked out a Curious George Thank You book where he writes thank you cards to everyone, including the mail carrier! I knew I loved that little monkey for a reason! My darling girls is selling mint chocolate GG cookies so she has a number of thank you cards to write as well. And suddenly we are in a season of fundraising - for school and activities. Funny how all of a sudden we are in that realm (no doubt frozen baked good and chocolate covered almonds ahead). So many thanks to our neighbours, friends, family and strangers as you support us in this new era of (school-aged kid) life. We'll do our best not to hound you.

Adding 12 to the count - which brings me to an even 800! Wow, only 200 to go. It's pumpkin month - enjoy all things autumn!

I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.
~Anne of Green Gables

Where Does a Word of Thanks Lead...

Don't know if any of you accepted my challenge of sending a thank you note for good customer service but after posting that blog I sat down and wrote mine! Before I put pen to paper I sat and thought about my past interactions with Dan at the grocery store - he has always been helpful, pleasant, and geniune. And what makes him so great is that he is consistently this way (maybe I've missed him on his bad days or maybe he doesn't have bad days - either way, he's great). I addressed the note to the manager because I feel/felt like Dan should be recognized for what he does day in, and day out.

As I was writing my note I started to think that perhaps this type of mail is the best kind of mail I can send. Sure it's nice when friends and family members notice what you do and congratulate you on a job well done, but a stranger? An unbiased party? That is a whole different ball game isn't it? Somehow it is more legitimate (especially to your boss anyway). So I encourage you to try it.

Indeed!

Of course, you don't need to send mail to do this either. You can simply pipe up when you encounter great service or pop by the customer service desk and chat with the manager. Or simply start handing out compliments to strangers. I remember I was standing in line and the lady in front of me had a brightly coloured pedicure. I can't remember what the line was for but it seemed to be a bit of a wait. Anyway, I leaned in and said, "I love the colour of your toes." She gushed in return, obviously thrilled to let me know that her daughter and her had gone together and she had let her daughter pick out the colour (she was maybe even a little unsure about the bright colour). My comment had clearly made her day. A small observation. A few words off the tongue. And you know what, the exchange made my day too.

Are you looking for more/any ideas of mail to send? How about a thank you for a recent gift - traditional note or maybe a photo of you using, wearing, eating the gift (whatever happens to work). Manage to snap some great family photos over the holiday or have a few favourites - send them off to friends and family for the fridge (it seems we print fewer and fewer photos in this digital age). Send a Happy New Year card! A Have Your Best Year Ever card! An I Look Forward to Seeing More of You in 2014 card! Have some fun this January through the post. If you are snowed in, iced in or just choosing to stay cosy inside it's a great time to get creative.

Here are a couple of thank you photos I should send to my Sister-In-Law and her awesome family for one of the coolest/best Christmas presents my kids received this year (and homemade to boot)!

The Piper and Sam Show!

Oh my... is she ever at home
on a stage (or tv for that matter).

671/1000 14 fun pieces going out on this rainy Saturday! Inching my way to 700 and ever closer to my goal of a thousand paper letters! Woohoo!

'Tis the Season...

...of busy-ness? It can be. And that can be a big part of the fun sometimes - all the hustle and bustle. But like many of you I sometimes wish for the occasional quiet moment (this is hard with a toddler and a preschooler in the house). So I've been carving out some little moments here and there of quiet,  peace, and Christmas.

I've been sitting down every night to write a few Christmas cards and it is so lovely to think about each person or family that I'm writing to - each card is a walk down memory lane (from recently to years ago). I think I forget this each year and when I sit down to write cards it is such a gift! It reminds me of how blessed I am to have the friends and family that I do. We received our first three Christmas cards in the mail on Friday and it just warmed my heart (they filled up my mailbox and I was excited to get home and share them with our family). Thank you Shelley, Patti and Jeff. Our very first card was hand delivered and that is quite lovely too. Thank you Harmony.

My Christmas Card Mess-Making Station.
And those puffs keep popping up everywhere!

I realize that there are lots of people out there who won't receive any Christmas cards this year, people who are alone or lonely or who don't have a fixed address. It is heartbreaking. There are a lot of programs that bring people together and give in times of need and cold and trouble. But it can also be easy to walk by and not notice when we are so caught up in our own lives and our own "stuff." You may not be a Christmas-card-mail-sending-kind-of-person like I am but I do hope that you will take a chance to lighten the load of someone in your life or a stranger. That you will love as the season dictates. That you will say to the, often, unseen "I see you, you are known." Think about carrying around a few coffee gift cards, warm socks or food items you can share with someone out in the cold who doesn't have a place to call home (and more if you are able). My Christmas wish...love your friends, your family and your neighbours (we all call this planet home - so that's everyone right?).

Simply love people this week as much as you can. See how it makes you feel...

620/1000 Adding a big 56 to the count - lots of Christmas cards but a few other things too - hooray!

P.S. Congratulations to the 2013 Canadian Weblog Award Winners! So lovely to be nominated and in such good company for the ride.

Thankful

     It's been a really eclectic mail week - stickers, thank you notes, quarters (for a young collector), post cards! It kind of fits the mood around here - little bit of this, little bit of that. We seem to be experiencing some summer days and some fall days - never know what to expect so trying to enjoy it all by getting out but also doing some crafty things too. I've even given good ol' Christmas a few moments of my time lately, although perhaps I should be focusing on Halloween (my daughter would like to be a robot - time to start building). Scattered I guess but in a good way.

     Thanksgiving (for us Canadians) is just around the corner. I've seen the usual Thanksgiving cards in the store which kind of makes me laugh - is it really a card sending holiday (I know, from me right?). But when you think about it perhaps Thanksgiving is the perfect card sending holiday. Maybe, more so than a lot of others. A good time to stop and think and perhaps count your blessings. And send off some thank you notes, some encouragement, some words of wisdom/advice and love to the people who make a difference in your life. Or those who need someone to make a difference in their lives. I'm sending out a few this year but I've also taken the change in seasons as a time to be more thankful and to let people know how important they are to me, to not keep compliments to myself (I'm always telling my husband "Oh, so and so looked so good today" and he inevitably says, "Did you tell them?" Okay, I'm sure I'm not the only person who does this), and to be a helper (a role I find myself filling a lot lately that seems to make sense to me).

Go out there and do good and be thankful!

Oh and I picked up the new Superman stamps! Yes, Canada Post has Superman stamps!

432/1000  as I add 8 to the rising count!

Mailbox Monday

8th Oldest Operating Post Office in Canada - Going Vintage Today!

This photo for Mailbox Monday comes from my friend Tracie! It's located in Barkerville and one of the oldest operating community mailboxes in Canada! Only 39 little boxes - a very exclusive club to be in. I love how there is a tiny little window in each box to see what treasures might lie inside. I love it!

Lots of mail going out - will tally it up in my next blog post! It's been a wonderful summer of travel, family, friends and life! More to come soon.

Walking, Scavenging, Neighbouring...

I've been doing some walking lately (one of my fav forms of exercise) and I've been following the same route for the most part and really checking out the houses along the way. There are some really beautifully kept homes in my neighbourhood. And I was reminded of this house in Washington on the rural roads of Blaine/Birch Bay, that I used to drive by regularly, that was always decorated for the seasons/holidays (even the little ones...back to school for example).

One day (around Christmas time) I decided to write them a card and tell them how my friends and family and I would drive by their house with the excitement of anticipation...what would it look like? How would it be decorated? And it didn't ever disappoint. I stealthily left a card on their door step, after stopping my car just past their house and running like a madwoman (not wanting to get caught in the act - wanting it to be an anonymous kindness). Such a simple thing to decorate their house and I bet they had no idea the happiness it caused (and then they did). I'm feeling like I might have to get into this again and drop off a few cards along my walking route. Good Neighbouring (new verb?) - worth a try.

In other news, I received one of my scavenger hunts back on July 25th! In that particular one (to some writing students) I asked for 4 things (a book spine poem, a 6 word story, something that starts with G that makes them happy, and their best knock knock joke). Thank you Miss H for being first and for full documentation - you rock!

And then later that day, my nieces sent me a picture of one of their scavenger hunt tasks (write on a banana with a ball point pen).

 



And I did hear some complaints from them too, "My Mom keeps throwing out the striped rocks" and "Seriously there are no pennies from 2002" (the year my middle niece was born - she's looked everywhere). I love it! And now I may have to be on the hunt for a 2002 penny (which will be a bit harder now that we have outlawed the penny so to speak). I also received this very cool postcard (I believe all hand drawn) - thanks Sage!

4 pieces heading out!

407/1000

Wish You Were Here!

Yep, it was our turn to send postcards!  

My Beautiful Princess!

We were lucky enough to be able to take a trip to Disneyland and celebrate birthdays while we were there (Sam - 1 and Piper - 4). What a magical adventure! From favourite rides (Teacups, Jungle Cruise, Tiki Room) to becoming a princess, Rapunzel to be exact, (at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique) it was amazing to see my daughter discover Disney for the first time.  We all enjoyed Carsland and Fantasy Faire - the imagineers do such an amazing job with all of their projects! We are big fans!

The Amazing Bus!

My son (who turned one) was really just along for the ride. And funnily enough his favourite ride was the bus that we rode to and from the airport and to and from the park - easy to please! He did grab a Winnie the Pooh off the shelf that was the size of him and wouldn't let it go. It was his birthday so we figured it was the perfect gift! And really who could say no?

As I mentioned we sent out some postcards from our lovely, warm, fun-filled spring break! And as one person has already mentioned - a little Disney magic in mailboxes here and there from us! Wishing you all could have been there or at least that you get to experience the magic with your own loved ones sometime soon.


Also, heading out into the world is a stack of thank you notes for birthday gifts and various other sundry reasons! Also, a couple other special pieces! I love the mystery and gift of mail!

Would love to hear some of your favourite Disney memories/moments!

344/1000 12 postcards, 24 heartfelt thank you cards & 2 mystery pieces of mail! On a roll!

Winged Gratitude

6 little cards left my hands and flew out the window - hope they all land safely in the laps of their recipients sharing thanks and kindness.

Headed your way world: Delta (4), Surrey (1), Richmond (1)

139/1000

Just Checking In!

Sorry I've been so long between posts lately - I am still sending out mail, so I am here to do a little update.  I started a home business in March (other than my beloved Etsy) and it has kept me busy: www.pamperedchef.biz/erinevans

As for postal news: some more handmade postcards went out, at least one thank you for a super duper book, and a comic book made its way into giggling, girlie hands :)

Grand totals: Delta - 1, Surrey - 3, South Korea - 1, Norway - 1 = 5 (I think Surrey is winning).

92/1000

Oh getting close to 10%...more fun exciting stuff coming to a mailbox near you :)

Rainy Day Update

On a rainy day walk to the post office: Delta, Ontario, & South Korea :)

86/1000

Baby Girl Turns One!

And so the mail flies out the door! Thank you cards, photos, and might I add a few Easter notes. It is almost April! Wow, time has flown by but my mail has been a bit relaxed lately - time to get back on track. This little cupcake eater to my right has been keeping me busy. This birthday photo was taken by Stephanie Young of http://www.moonlightmedia.ca/ fame - check her out. Love the cupcake mustache :)

In other mail news...I lent out a cookbook to a dear friend who lives down the lane (or a couple blocks over) and upon its return, it sat quietly on my shelf giving nothing away. About a week later I thought I'd flip through and came across a little treasure tucked inside. A lovely little mouse-doodled pink envelope was awaiting my return, with an even lovelier thank you note inside. Wow. Thanks Colleen - it made my day!

I also have to mention a very cool handmade pop-up card that my little Piper received in the mail for her birthday. She may not appreciate it yet but I'll be singing its praises in her journal for now. Thanks Katie - I did a little skipping on the way back from the mailbox.

Today's tally: local x 7 (Delta x 1, Surrey x 6), not so local x 2 (Osoyoos, Kelowna), out of province (Ontario), stateside x 1(Iowa), world stage x 1 (Norway).

77/1000

Artists on the loose!

This past weekend I went away with my husband's family for a little ski

getaway and in between skiing and skating and tubing I commissioned three artists (my nieces - 5, 7, and 8) to work on some envelopes for me. This is a great way to make your envelopes stand out and if you have your own children give them licence to colour the mail. Or let your own creative juices spill out onto the page and doodle away - how fun for the postal workers! You could even give them a little shout out, "Hello, mailperson - you are doing an awesome job! Thank you for helping this letter get from A to B." A great way to make someone's day :) 

Just a short one to say - get the crayons out!

I think my sister-in-law, Jenna (a.k.a. Mom of above artists), did this one. Love it!







On a side note: Every Christmas I put a Christmas card in my mailbox, addressed "mailcarrier" that thanks them for delivering all of my mail and I slip in a $5. Starbucks card :) It's the little things.

Two local thank you notes (Delta, Surrey)
22/1000

Change of plans

I was going to write about envelopes today but instead I am going to write about...oh whoa, wait...did you think that I was giving up on my one thousand letters.  That change of plans meant giving up my challenge? Nope, definitely not.

As I was saying, I was going to write about the joy of the envelope today but that will have to wait until next time because today I HAVE to write about being thankful. For the last ten years I have been a high school English teacher and in the last four I have also taught Creative Writing (my favourite). During that time in the classroom I talked a lot about writing and encouraged the writing of many a thank you note. In my Creative Writing class I aimed for at least one a month (count 30 kids - that is a lot of great mail going out to the world). 

But before I was a teacher I worked in customer service (a hotel, retail store, major U.S. mouse-eared theme park, insurance call centre) and I really enjoyed it (helping people). I was lucky to have worked for companies that had great training and I prided myself on good service.  Which is why I think I totally appreciate it when I have great service from someone. I know we have all experienced bad service and we've probably even complained about it too. But how often have we complimented good service? Or gone a step further and written a letter to the company to celebrate an employee - a letter that will no doubt go into their file and be passed on to them by a manager or whomever they answer to (not just the comment card tucked in with the restaurant receipt or in the spa change room). A thank you letter for great service is a beautiful thing.

I live in a townhouse and just had my one year evaluation/walk through for areas that needed repair. I was lucky enough to have Rick come in and help me out - what a lovely gentleman. He remembered my name and used it in conversation, he gave me tips on things in my house that I didn't ask about, he did an excellent job on every repair, and even had time to chat up my 9 1/2 month old daughter. He was very personable and had a very kind nature. He had to come back a second day (today actually) and he called before he came, remembered my daughter's name and was just an all round great guy. I HAD to write about being thankful today because I will be sending a letter to his boss to express my thanks.

I realize that I haven't done this in awhile and this has reminded me to pay attention to the good service (it's far too easy to miss it and focus on our bad experiences). I'm challenging the rest of you to be on the look out and then get that pen out (or keyboard) and celebrate good service.

One thank you letter going local (Richmond).
17/1000