A Month of Letters

I recently saw this link on facebook and was intrigued!

The challenge is to write a letter every day 

(except Sunday's and one holiday when there is no mail service).

I love a good old fashioned letter and although I love the ease of online communication these days, there isn't anything that compares to getting a card, note, postcard or letter in your mailbox. I still to this day love going to the mailbox even though I know it is not likely that I will find something fun inside that box. I still hold out hope. (Kind of like when I found out the REAL Santa story and still woke up Christmas morning with the hope that Santa had come while I was sleeping).

I'm going to take this letter a day challenge with the hope of bringing some cheer to another person, to find a way to communicate with some people that I've lost touch with and to have fun writing,

like in the good old days.

I'll keep you posted!

2.13.13 update: I've fallen terribly behind, but I'm not giving up. I spent today writing some letters and I'm going to do the best I can. 

Just some random (Mostly Unflattering) pictures of my family before the wedding

Portland.
The land of Subaru and Prius.
Sunshine, rain and snow within 24 hours.
Two hours from mountain to coast.
Chai latte and triple mocha's. A coffee shop on every corner.
Powell's books. A purse with a bird on it.
Burgerville.
Portland.

Outdoor Movie Night

We had such a fun activity at our home last week. A few families from church came over for a family friendly movie. Everyone brought movie treats, the kids came in their pj's, and we had a nice mix of people. The weather was perfect and with it getting dark earlier now we were able to get started early enough for the kids to get to bed on time!

Mario borrowed the projector and screen from school and we put chairs and blankets on the lawn to enjoy the movie. The kids were great and seemed to enjoy the movie. My sister and her kids, who had just moved into the neighborhood 5 days before, joined us. As well as our neighbors who moved in over a year ago that we had not met yet.

We watched "Johnny Lingo", which is a movie I've seen at least 10 times, as this was a favorite of my Sunday school boys I taught many years ago. It's a short movie (about 20 minutes), with a great lesson about self worth.

Just Say NO to Chips

I learned something today. If you go to your favorite neighborhood Mexican restaurant, and just say no to the complimentary chips and salsa they bring you immediately, and then wait patiently for the meal that you ordered, that meal tastes delicious! And you enjoy eating it. And you may even eat the entire meal without feeling sick.

Hmmmm....

I really want to share my feelings about the election, but honestly I don't feel that I can gather my thoughts in an organized way just yet. I feel emotional, excited, hopeful, anxious, proud....I could go on and on with the adjectives. Just suffice it to say that I have many thoughts going through my head.



Instead I'm just going to share a funny and appropriate ending to a story. It's the story of the woman who showed up at my door for an interview, minutes after I woke up after only a few hours of sleep after being at a birth most of the night. My first greeting to her was in my robe with my hair up in a towel.

Imagine my shock and surprise when she actually hired me!
(I've already shared this in a previous post, and if I knew how to link it here I would, but I don't, so you'll just have to look for it if you're interested)

So it seemed appropriate that on her final postpartum visit she showed up at my home office two hours before her scheduled appointment with me in the same robe and hair towel that she was greeted with two months earlier.

We both had a good laugh over that one!

Wordle, because I need one more thing to waste my time on

I had so much fun with this, I wanted to pass it on......

Wordle

This one is from my blog:

Perfection

Yummy

I love chocolate. I mean I really LOVE chocolate. Is it really a problem that I want to eat some every day? And I try not to, but it doesn't work? And that I can't usually eat just a little bit? Once I have a bite, I just want more and more? OK, so maybe I'm addicted. But anyway, I found this recipe, and not only is it loaded with chocolate, but also the perfect pairing with chocolate (besides mint), peanuts AND peanut butter!


So here is the recipe if you want to give it a try......

Chunky Peanut, Chocolate, and Cinnamon Cookies

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 & 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup roasted, salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

Beat butter and peanut butter using an electric mixer on medium speed. Mix about 2 minutes, or until combined. Add sugars and mix another 2 minutes. Add eggs and mix. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips, peanuts, and vanilla. Refrigerate dough about 15 minutes or until slightly firm.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place 2-3 inches apart on lined baking sheets. Flatten each cookie slightly. Bake 11-13 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.