Message In a Bottle

I love getting mail.  Let me rephrase that.  I love getting letters in the mail.  I hate getting bills in the mail.  Too often, we text, email, or post messages on our loved ones Facebook walls  We rarely take the time to sit down and hand write someone a note.  Isn’t it a nice feeling to open your mailbox and find a letter addressed to you?

The Monkey made some friends while we are on our recent cruise, and they agreed to become pen pals.  The idea is a great one – it not only allows the Monkey to practice her writing, but it allows her the opportunity to continue the friendships she created on our vacation.  She and the other girls became fast friends – they spent time at the pool and in the kids club together, and whined when it was time to leave.  In fact, they broke out into tears when they had to say goodbye.  It was heart breaking.

We decided to start the letter writing first, and the Monkey couldn’t just do a simple letter.  No, that would be easy.  She wanted to send them a letter in a bottle.  I guess it reminded her of our time on the beach in the Bahamas. 

I have sent various items in the mail in the past, such as boxes of movie candy, flip flops, and school supplies (search for ideas on Pinterest!), so I was used to sending out unusual mail. 

• Slice a two litter bottle in half (make sure it’s empty!).  I used a pair of scissors, and cut along the middle.  I’m sure you could use a sharp knife and get the same results.  Be sure to cut evenly to avoid sharp edges.

• Use soap and hot water to clean the bottle, and allow it to dry completely.
• Fill up the bottle with whatever you want to send.  The Monkey included Disney themed stickers (to remind them of the cruise), a letter, a drawing, and two Disney hair clips that I made.

• Place the upper half on the bottle on the lower half, and tape it back together using packing tape (it’s clear!).
• Place your address label over the seam to cover it up.  We taped the label with more packing tape.
• Be sure to put your cap back on the bottle (we taped that as well).

That’s it!  The only thing left to do is to go to the post office and expect a bunch of crazy looks from the staff there.  I think that's worth it, because I imagine that the girls will love getting this in the mail.

The next time you need to say thank you to someone, don't send them a text.  Take five minutes, and grab a piece of paper, and write them your thanks.  It will be much appreciated.

Until next time.....

More Teacher Appreciation Ideas

It’s still Teacher Appreciation Week!  Have you made sure to thank a teacher this week?  The Monkey has brought in something little for her teacher each day this week, and here’s the recap.

Tuesday

Super easy!  All you need is some ribbon, a pack of Extra gum, and tag.  We wrote Thanks for Being “Extra” Special to Me.  So easy even a caveman can do it.

Wednesday

I found these awesome (and free) tags over at Make Bake Celebrate.  I bought extra cookies during the last Girl Scout cookie sale with this gift in mind.  Did you know that Girl Scout cookies freeze well?  Remember that next year when you see scouts selling outside in the cold!  Using some ribbon I had on hand, I wrapped up three boxes of cookies, and attached this cute tag.  She gave one package to her teacher, and dropped off the other one to the staff in the front office. 

Thursday

This is another easy gift to put together.  It’s fairly inexpensive, and in fact, you might already have the supplies on hand.  Wrap up a bottle of nail polish, emery boards, and nail polish remover, and attach a tag to the package.  I wrote this oh-so witty saying on the tag: I Would File You Under “A” for Awesome!.  File…get it?  The gift had nail files in it….get it?

Now to start thinking about tomorrow's gift.

Until next time.....

Foodie Pen Pal Reveal Time!

Holy poop!  Did you know it’s already May 2^nd?  I was supposed to post my latest Foodie Pen Pal package on the first of the month, and completed forgot that the calendar changed!  So here goes…

I got a package from Katie, who blogs over at Baking and Swimming.  I let her know that I would like to try new things, but in reality, I’m a super picky eater.   As in the past months, I let my pen pal know that I LOVE popcorn, and Katie did not let me down!  The first thing I took out of the package was a popcorn ball, which is the Monkey’s favorite.  She is always asking me to make them, and I don’t out of pure laziness.  Thanks for brightening up her day, Katie!

She also sent Wild Blueberry muffin mix, which I haven’t made yet, but will soon.  I love blueberry muffins…especially when they are having the HUGE sugar crystals on top.

Funky Monkey banana chips were tasty – freeze dried bananas with cinnamon.  It’s like healthy candy, so eating the entire bag is okay.

I have no idea what this stuff is.  The label said Popcorn Papa.  I like to call it “crack”.  Oh.My.Gawd.   It’s totally delicious.  It’s popcorn, covered in powered sugar and something else (maybe caramel, maybe heaven, who knows.  UNBELIEVABLE.  

Thanks a lot Katie for hooking me up with all of these tasty items!

I'm going to take a break from the program for May because the calendar is getting full.  But that doesn't mean you should.  Are you interested?

Here’s the down and dirty on the Foodie Pen Pal Program:

• On the 5th of every month, you will receive your pen pal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your pen pal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
• You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your pen pal!
• The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
• You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
• Foodie Pen Pals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your pen pal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
• Foodie Pen Pals is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

Until next time.....

March Foodie Pen Pal Reveal

It’s Foodie Pen Pal reveal today – well, it was really yesterday, but I took a little break from the computer.  This month I got a care package from Kate, who blogs at What a life…..By Kate.   Not only did she send me an assortment of tasty goodies, but she included a handwritten note to explain what everything was and why she included it.  Thanks Kate for sending me this great package, and for forcing me to try new things!

Here’s the cool stuff she sent

Baklava – She bought this at a local market in her city.  It was very tasty!

Spicy Carrot Chips – I stepped out of my comfort zone, and tried this snack, and I have one word for you.  Yuck.

Rhubarb-Strawberry Preserve – Super sweet, and good on crackers.

Chocolate/Toffee Covered Almonds – One word can describe these.  YUM!

Energy Chunks –Exactly like they sound.

Almond & Hazelnut Butters – Again, I stepped outside of my comfort zone, and I’m glad I did.  These were awesome.

Peeps – You can never go wrong with Peeps! 

So tasty!

You can see what I sent to my pen pal Jordyn over at A Jew Broad Cooks (could that name be any cooler? It's a great Goodfellas reference!)

Here’s the down and dirty on the Foodie Pen Pal Program:

• On the 5th of every month, you will receive your pen pal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your pen pal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
• You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your pen pal!
• The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
• You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
• Foodie Pen Pals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your pen pal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
• Foodie Pen Pals is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

Until next time.....

Operation Baking Gals (Again!)

Last month I wrote about Operation Baking Gals, which is a great program I take part in.  It’s a group of volunteer bakers from around the country who bake and ship homemade treats to military men and woman that are currently deployed in war zones.  I signed up to participate this month, and shipped out the package yesterday.

I fully intended to have the Girl Scout troop help with this package, but time wasn’t on my side.  Sometimes ideas sound great in my head, but when I try to execute them, they go C-R-A-A-A-Z-Y. 

This month I made a batch of Puppy Chow.  No, I did not send dog food.  For those not familiar with it, Puppy Chow is a sweet version of Chex Mix.  It’s super easy to make, but be warned!!!!  It is very addicting.  There are various recipes (check them all out on Pinterest).  I found this one for a Thin Mint version, and that seemed appropriate.  I used the recipe as a guide, and adapted it to use ingredients I could find.

I also included boxes of Girl Scout cookies, plus drink mix packs, peanuts, and gum.  I figured the package would arrive just before Easter, so I included plastic eggs that I filled with candy.   I thought they looked cute, and hopefully it will bring a smile to the face of the recipient.

Some BUNNY is thinking of you

Thin Mint Puppy Chow

Ingredients:

10 cups Rice Cereal (such as Chex)

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp mint extract

Pkg Wilton Candy Melts (or any melting chocolate)

Instructions:

In microwave, melt the chocolate for one minute.  Stir, and continue melting every 30 seconds until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine the cereal with the melted chocolate.  Add the mint extract.  Fold mixture together until all the cereal is coated.

Add the powdered sugar to a large Ziploc bag.  Spoon in the cereal mixture.  Seal the bag and shake until the sugar is coating the cereal completely.

Pour cereal onto a large piece of wax paper and allow to cool.

Store in an airtight container.

Yum!

Not only is it rewarding to participate in Operation Baking Gals, it's easy too.   The boxes are free from the post office, and you can probably whip up something using ingredients you have in your pantry.  If you are interested in taking part, let me know.  I am thinking of becoming a team leader, and could use a little support.

Until next time....