Letter writing and some other favourite things (and a link to a giveaway!)

Raindrops on roses. Whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles … you know how the song goes. The Sound of Music was the very first movie that my parents took me to. I think I was five. I fell in love with the soundtrack and played the record over and over again; acting out the storyline from our living room to my
bedroom.

Years later as my husband and I strolled through the Barvarian-themed resort town, Leavenworth in my beloved Pacific Northwest, I heard those same songs piped through the town’s loudspeakers and surprised him by singing along to every song. Every single one. Every single word. Still more years later when my daughter was born, I held her in my arms and rocked her in our shared hospital bed. When she needed comforting, the songs that came flowing out of me were from this same movie: Favourite Things, Edelweiss, and more.

I have a lot of favourite things. I think they’re good to collect around you (you remember how very much I love to collect things, right?) to remind you of good memories; to guard against negativity; and just because beautiful lovely stuff is fun to have around.

Now sometimes – many times – favourite things aren’t actually “things.” The sound of words. The smell of summer. The feeling I get when I dance with my husband in the kitchen. A new favourite that is a thing (and yet isn’t a thing) is writing letters. I have always loved this way to build friendships and communicate – even with the advent of quicker technology. Nothing is quite the same as sending or receiving a hand-written letter from someone who is near your heart.

And several months ago, one of my favourite communities (the Five Minute Friday and #fmfparty) expanded into something more. My friend Kaitlyn is the gatekeeper and organizer of this part of the community, and she tells the story best here. I have loved connecting even more with the women and friends in this group: getting to know new people and deepening friendships with the ones that I have already been growing with. There’s just something really wonderful about making an investment in the lives of women who share your faith and your passion for writing.

We’re about to kick off round three of this adventure, and our ranks have grown from over thirty, to over forty, to one hundred and twenty. Amazing. That will be fifteen groups of women writing to each other for eight weeks to encourage, uplift, and pray.

To celebrate, we’re adding some new dimensions this time, and part of the fun includes giveaways.

I told Kaitlyn that I just had to share some of my favorite things with this group, because this group is one of my favourite things. You can enter over on her blog if you’re signed up to be part of Round Three ... let me tell you about what I have planned for you.

Cards & Postcards: I love writing letters. I love encouraging others. I love cards. So much so that I could probably open my own retail store with what I have the space of our home. You can’t do the #fmfpartysnailmail adventure without them, so I’ve picked out 8 cards (plus 2 postcards and 2 mini-encouragement cards) for you to help you through this round. They’re a collection of ones I’ve loved and sent – mostly from Dayspring, but a couple are from Current. Because I don’t discriminate. I just love cards.

Stickers: Along with the card shop I could open, I could probably host a year-long sticker bar. Again, with just what I have in my home. I’ve picked out two of the sets I like best – cupcakes and ladybugs – for you to adorn your envelopes with. I think it makes the sending even more fun.

Pens: Don’t even get me started. This is beyond a favourite. This is a full-fledged addiction. And I’m okay with that. I own more pens than most people I know – and that’s saying a lot in the company I keep (many pen aficionados among them). I really love these Pilot G2s (I must have seven or eight different colours) and I hope you will too.

Chocolate & Tea: While these items are not directly related to letter writing, they are definitely on my favorites list, and it’s always nice to write a letter with a warm cup of tea next to you. Early Grey is my go-to warm drink, and is the basis for the one latte I’ll order from Starbucks (try a London Fog some time when it cools off – it’s divine), and salty dark chocolate is about the only way I’ll eat the sweet stuff these days. Curl up and enjoy!

Magnets: I have an incredibly talented friend who is so crafty and becomes a master at whatever she decides to pick up. She had a business called

Vintage Susie for several years – lots of very cool shabby chic type items. These handmade magnets are from her collection – I have several sets on my own fridge.

Notebooks: Sigh. I’m really confessing way too many of my happy obsessions here in this post. I don’t have nearly as many notebooks as I do pens or cards, but I’m not saying that the stack isn’t high. I’m just saying I could probably go three years without needed to buy another one of any size. But that’s probably not going to happen. Tuck one of these next to your bed. Tuck one in your purse. They are so handy and go anywhere.

So there you have it. My own list of favourite things – ready to package up and send off to one lucky participant in Round Three of #fmfpartysnailmail.

Be sure to click right over here to Kaitlyn’s blog to enter.

I can’t wait to send these things your way!








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