Posts Tagged ‘holidays’

{Day 7 of Universal Letter Writing Week 2011}

Sadly, it’s the last day of Universal Letter Writing Week. But that doesn’t mean we have to stop writing letters! It’s been so much fun reading about all the letters y’all have written this week, writing letters of my own, and hearing how you’ve been inspired to send more handwritten notes. Since there seems to be a lot of interest in this, I’ll definitely be posting more on the topic of letter writing. Maybe once a month or so.

If you’re really hungry for more ideas on letter writing, links to neat websites and articles from stamps to postcards to the Pony Express, 365 Letters is a great website to bookmark. Carla started this blog to document her progress as she wrote a letter a day for an entire year. Now she updates her site with letter writing prompts, quotes, articles on letters, links to other websites, etc. You definitely should pay her a visit!

Thank you for coming by this week. Remember to enter the giveaway for a $10 Amazon gift card before you leave. The contest ends at midnight (EST) on January 15th.

{Day 6 of Universal Letter Writing Week 2011}

I already mentioned writing letters to soldiers and missionaries, but there are so many other ways to brighten up the day for someone you don’t even know.

{Leave a letter in a library book.}

• Share what you liked or didn’t like about the book (be careful not to give spoilers – or tell them not to read the letter till they’ve finished the book).
• Ask thought-provoking questions about it.
• Tell them why you checked it out in the first place.
• Let them know you’ve prayed for them.

{Send a letter to your mailman.}

• Thank him for delivering your mail everyday.
• Tell him you pray for him.
• Wish him a beautiful day.

{Write to your senator, congressman, etc.}

• Thank them for their work.
• Mention something they’ve done that you appreciate.
• Tell them about a bill or a cause that you’d like them to support.
• Ask if there’s anything in particular that they would like prayer for.

{Write to residents of a nursing home.}

• Tell them about yourself.
• Ask them about their lives and interests.
• Share Scriptures and the Gospel.
• Let them know you’re praying for them.

{Send letters to children in the hospital.}

• Tell them about yourself.
• Include a picture.
• Ask them about their interests.
• Wish them a beautiful, happy day.
• Mention that you’re praying for them (but leave out “get well soon”).
• Write them a story.

Have you ever written a letter to a stranger? Or received a letter from a stranger? Who was it to or from? What was it about?

{Image from Ainsling’s Hobby Blog}

{Day 1 of Universal Letter Writing Week 2011}

Pre-paid postage stamps were first used in England in 1840. Prior to that, the recipient had paid upon acceptance of their letter. A few years later the United States saw its first stamps, bearing the likenesses of George Washington and Ben Franklin. It wasn’t until the early 1900′s that postal administrations around the world started regulating the placement of stamps, requiring that they be placed in the upper right-hand corner.

Before then, stamps were often used to convey messages to the recipient; their placement on the envelope, as well as their angle, determined what message was being shared. From “I love you,” to “Write no more,” stamps were used as a means of communication, just as much as the letter. This was especially true during the Victorian era when postcards were popular and writers were wary of nosy postmen and neighbors.

Researchers don’t all agree on what each stamp position means, due in part to the differences from one country to another. In France, a stamp turned on it’s side might mean something entirely different than it would in Russia or the United States. Here’s a sample list (from the Philatelic Database), though now an upside-down stamp in the top right corner means “I love you.”

• Upside down, top left corner = I love you
• Crosswise on top left corner = My heart is another’s
• Centre of envelope, at top = Yes
• Center of envelope, at bottom = No
• Straight up and down, any position = Goodbye sweetheart
• Upside down, top right corner = Write no more
• At right angle, top right corner = Do you love me?
• At right angle, top left corner = I hate you
• Upright top right corner = I desire your friendship
• Upright in line with surname = Accept my love
• Upside down in line with surname = I am engaged
• At right angle in line with the surname = I long to see you
• Centred on right edge = Write immediately!

If you’re interested in reading more about the history or the language of stamps,  here are some good websites to visit:

• 16 Sparrows – The Language of Stamps
• bookofjoe – The Hidden Language of Stamps
• Wikipedia – Postage stamps and postal history of the United States
• Philatelic Database – The Language of Stamps

{Remember to leave a comment on this post and then comment on my original ULWW post in order to gain an extra entry to the giveaway.}

Last week we went to the Christmas tree plantation down the road (just about the only thing only 5 minutes from us!) and cut down our very first Christmas trees.

Yes, trees. I’ve always wanted to have a big “family” tree with all the ornaments that get collected over the years, and then a smaller tree that’s more for looks than for memories. Michael was just as excited about having a second tree as I was, so we decided to see if we could fit two into our budget.

We had a blast wandering through the plantation, looking over all trees, trying to determine which types would hold our ornaments well, which ones would fit in our living room, etc. We finally settled on a large Scotch Pine and an adorable little 4′ Norway Spruce – both trees for under our total budget!

Unfortunately, we hadn’t asked what forms of payment they accepted and, since the checkbook was at home, we had to leave the trees all bundled up at the plantation while we went back for it. Thankfully, the plantation is close. If we had driven all the way into town and made that discovery, we would have been in trouble!

We finally got our trees and carried them into the house. We got the first tree all set-up and watered (turns out we had actually erred on the side of too short, but we were okay with that), and then took the small tree into our bedroom. Note to self: small trees have small trunks.

Our petite Norway Spruce had a very tiny waistline and no matter how tight Michael cranked the screws in the tree stand, it just wouldn’t hold the tree upright. After about an hour of wrestling with it, trying to pad the trunk with various materials, we finally admitted defeat. The tree stood leaning in the corner for another day until we were able to buy a smaller stand. Tree stands come in different sizes – who knew!

So now we have two very beautiful trees in our home. A large one in the living room, bright and cheery, decorated with all Michael’s ornaments from growing up, several ornaments I’ve collected, an “Our First Christmas” ornament, enormous glittery teal poinsettias, colored lights, silver garland, and happy-colored balls. In our bedroom is the smaller, more calm and ladylike tree. It’s decorated with white lights, prisms, various ballet ornaments, and pale pink and lavender balls.

Our first Christmas trees.

{The little one in our room. We have since replaced the bulb that created the light outage near the bottom}

I’m so thankful for my family. For my parents, who have been married for over 30 years, for my sisters who have been my friends all my life, and for the new family I have through their husbands and children. I’m thankful for my own husband, my best friend, biggest fan, and hero. And I’m grateful for his family, and that they’ve welcomed me in and accepted me as their family, too.

Family is a wonderful thing.

{The photo is very loosely related. It’s from Fourth of July this year, which is a big holiday in our family.}

27 tubes of Colgate toothpaste - These were on sale at Kroger this week for $1.50, and they were included in the Buy 10 Save $5 promotion they were running, which made them each $1 when I bought 10 participating items. I had gotten a hold of 30 SmartSource coupon inserts from this week, so I had lots of $1/1 Colgate coupons. (I’m giving away a couple of the coupons, so I only used 27.) That made all that toothpaste free!

I got these at two different Kroger’s, and I did not go out the first day of the sale and wipe them out – I made sure there were still plenty left for other shoppers.

Half the toothpaste is going to Operation Christmas Child, some of it will be going to the local domestic violence program, we’ll keep a little bit, and some of it is going to various family members.

6 cans of Cream of Chicken soup - These were included in the promo as well, at $0.50 each when you bought 10 participating items. Since I had 2 $1.50/3 coupons, these were free. (I bought 4 other items that were already on my grocery list to bring me up to 10, so I didn’t spend any extra to get these.) We use this in casseroles, so I plan to keep all of it.

StoveTop stuffing & Pepperidge Farm cookies - I bought these in one transaction, along with 7 of the toothpastes. That brought the cost of the stuffing down to $0.75/box and I had a coupon for $1/3. The cookies were on sale for $2.27 with a peelie mail-in-rebate on the front. My total was $4.52 + tax, and I used a $3 catalina I had received for buying some spices last week. That brought my total down to just $1.61. What will make all of it free is that when I submit the rebate I’ll receive either $2.27 (the cost of the cookies), or $3.39 (the regular price of the cookies). I’ll make back the entire $1.61, plus a little extra to help with, or cover completely, the cost of the stamp.

(Lest you think we only eat processed foods, this is not all that our diet consists of!)

I have an overabundance of coupons and I thought I’d share them with you.

One reader will receive that pile of coupons pictured above, including coupons for Colgate, L’oreal, Wisk, Newman’s Own, Kashi, Pedigree, and more. There’s even a coupon for a FREE can of Pringles in there! And in case you’re buying lots of toys for Christmas, I tossed in two ToysRUs coupons good for a $10 gift card with a $75 purchase. Lots of good coupons to help you save more – and give more.

To enter, please leave me a comment sharing one way that you/your family shares their blessings with others around Thanksgiving.

For a second entry, leave a comment telling me about your first Thanksgiving with your husband OR one of your favorite family Thanksgiving traditions.

For an extra entry, tweet, blog, or otherwise share this giveaway. Leave me a comment letting me know you shared it, and include a link back to your post or tweet. (You can get this entry after doing one or both of the above.)

The giveaway will end on Friday, November 5 at noon EST.