It's time to say, "Count me in!"

As I am writing this, the bottom corner of my computer reads 1/30/2012. January 30th! That's just two days away from February 1st!

Which is just one month away from March 1st!

Which is the first day of March Letter-Writing Month!

Now is the time to say, "Count me in!"

If you want to accept the challenge, the first thing I encourage you to do is to subscribe to this blog; that way you won't miss out on any of the fun ideas during February Prep-Month and then keep motivated during the Rah! Rah! You can do it! of March.

Next, leave a comment on this post saying "Count me in!" by midnight on Wednesday. (Be assured, I will not stay up until midnight to read your comment; but I am an early riser.)

On Thursday, I will do a drawing of all who commented. I will draw two names and each will receive, via snail mail, a random selection of five of the cute-as-a-button postcards shown above.

Oh, and if you have re-posted my Just Pen, Paper, & a Stamp link on your Facebook page or on your blog, let me know and your name will go in the drawing twice :-)

Speaking of cute, these postcards are my current Oh-my-goodness-these-are-so-cute-I-can-hardly-stand-it card projects. For those interested, I'll send a tutorial in a February post.

So, there ya go--29 delicious days of February after which we'll be ready to sashay up to our nicely organized desk and gather our pen, paper, & a stamp.

It really is that simple.


If you would like to join me in making March Letter-Writing Month, just subscribe by email and you won't miss a penstroke. And don't forget to leave a comment so your name will go in the drawing for the Oh-my-goodness-these-are-so-cute-I-can-hardly-stand-it postcards.

The Act of Giving Thanks

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Though I may not agree with everything that everyone believes in the public radio This I Believe series, I do agree with Michelle Lee's insights on writing thank you letters. Her excellent audio essay has encouraged me to catch up on some thank you notes during March Letter-Writing Month. And I will use February as my prep month so, as winter edges toward spring, I will be ready to join Michelle on Monday mornings with just my pen, paper and a stamp.

I think you'll enjoy listening to Michelle's three-minute audio clip: The Act of Giving Thanks

If you would like to join me in making March Letter-Writing Month, just subscribe by email and you won't miss a penstroke.

Mysterious Letters

Michael after writing 467 letters.

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I had to chuckle when I came across this video: Mysterious Letters. Writing a letter to everyone in the world is a lofty/preposterous goal indeed--you choose. At any rate, just listening to the lovely Irish accents provides three full minutes of pleasure.

 But don't panic; this is not what I have planned for my March Letter-Writing Month. For one thing, there will be nothing mysterious about our letters, and for another, the list of people we plan to write will be carefully considered and handpicked with love.

That is part of the prep strategy for the month of February.

I am a teacher. Every day I teach English. One of the most important parts of my day is my prep period. Obviously prep stands for preparation.

February is our prep month.

So we'll be raring to go in March.

With just pen, paper, & a stamp.


 If you would like to join me in making March Letter-Writing Month, just subscribe by email and you won't miss a penstroke.

It's really that simple

 Image Credit

You just need a pen, some paper, & a stamp--it's really that simple!

OK, I'm not being totally honest; it's not really that simple, but I did a good job making it sound easy, didn't I? I was trying to entice you to join me in a one-month challenge.

A challenge for just one month.

And you only need a pen, some paper, and some stamps.

Sort of.

Let me explain. Did you know that April is National Letter Writing Month? Yup! National Letter Writing Month. You can click on this link-- Red Letter Day--to get more info.

I have had a personal passion to set aside one month to dedicate myself to catching up on my letter writing. I'm talking about long-overdue letters and never-written thank you-notes.

Since my son is getting married in April and my daughter is expecting a baby soon after, I have decided to make March 2012 my very own Letter Writing Month. Wait! Cross that off! It would be much more fun if a few friends shared in this adventure, so I have started this blog for anyone else who has too many times thought, "I really should write ____________ a letter."

I am making February my prep month so that I will be raring to go once the calendar flips to March. I will use the cold New York winter days to get organized, so that I will be ready to grab my pen, paper & stamp on Thursday, March 1. (See, I said you would only need pen, paper, & a stamp.)

To help any friends who might want to join me, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I will send quick posts with tips on:

--getting organized
--carving out a time and a place to write your letters
--making a list of people to write
--finding the right stationery (Ya gotta love Etsy!)
--links to other blogs on letter-writing
--motivational quotes
--and, for those who love scissors and glue, ideas and tutorials on making stationery and cards by hand.

In addition, I will share personal stories of the power of taking pen to paper and adding a stamp.

All in the month of February.

So you're raring to go in March.

With just pen, paper, & a stamp.

I'll be back with more details on how you can hop on the letter-writing bandwagon. If you want the posts to go directly to your inbox, just subscribe by email and you won't miss a penstroke.