UnFROGettable Mail in Honor of Leap Day!

What could be better than an actual letter in your mailbox? Why, an extra day to send and receive mail, of course!!

Frog Forever Stamp 2019

With the release of the frog FOREVER stamp by the USPS in 2019, now is the perfect time to create and send some frog inspired mail!! The frog is the unofficial mascot of Leap Day because of all the leaping they do, I assume. 🐸 

Although I don’t regard them very favorably in a face to face close encounter, I do enjoy a good frog (and toad) story. I don’t really know why, as they are not particularly beautiful or majestic or intelligent, but frogs and toads are all over children’s literature. Princesses are kissing them, they drive cars recklessly, they go swimming in silly bathing costumes and eat too many cookies!! The literary adventures of frogs and toads are many and varied, to be sure! Sending a book or a book recommendation via post is a wonderful way to celebrate this Leap Day! (In my humble opinion, book based mail is the best!!) 🥰📚📬 

Take advantage of this “extra” day and send some literary frog mail to the young pen pals in your life! Some of my favorite froggy kid lit includes:

• Frog and Toad Storybook Treasury by Arnold Lobel
• The Tale of Jeremy Fisher by Beatrix Potter
• Tadpole’s Promise by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
• Toad Rage by Maurice Gleitzman

(Frog and Toad Are Friends)

Another fun option is to create a “time capsule” letter. A lot can happen in four years. Write down some of your thoughts, hopes and dreams, what you are currently reading, doing, interested in and seal it in an envelope. Mark it “To be opened on Leap Day 2024” and enclose with an explanatory letter to your dearest pen pal. Encourage them to write you back with their own enclosed time capsule. Keep it some place safe and make a note to open it on the next leap day...with your pen pal, hopefully! ❤️

Leap day is viewed as a gift of 24 hours! This year it’s a Saturday, a day off for many. But good news the USPS delivers on Saturday! (Thank a mail carrier today!) 

Kids and adults alike love the idea of an extra day!! Won’t you join me in creating some Leap Day post!? Leap into the pleasurable pursuit of postal projects with me! 

XOXO

Mrs. Murphy 

Nuts About Mail

Back when the Murphy Bros. were in elementary school, Super Murphy Boy (the younger) came home with a school project that pleased his nerdy, library-loving mom immensely. Write a paper and create some art accompaniment that details the life of an inventor or innovator, someone who contributed positively to the world. How exciting, right?! Perhaps not, when one is 10 and is feeling overwhelmed by the broadness of the assignment. It is rather daunting, isn’t it? When one has all the people in the history of the world to choose from, where does one begin? 

To the post office!!!

When you are feeling uncertain and in need of direction, simply follow Mrs. Murphy’s lead and HEAD TO THE POST OFFICE! Looking for someone notable to write about? Check out the folks on a postage stamp! Not only are postage stamps little works of art they are history lessons, and as always, a source of inspiration. Super Murphy Boy chose George Washington Carver. 

George Washington Carver has been on not one but two stamps over the years! He is one of the most incredible people I have ever read about and he has ties to Iowa. The more I learned about this amazing man, the more I was blown away. His words need to be read, reread, meditated on and mulled over. They are great words...

“When I was young, I said to God, ‘God tell me the mystery of the universe.’ But God answered, ‘That knowledge is reserved for Me alone.’ So I said, ‘God, tell me the mystery of the peanut.’ Then God said, ‘Well, George, that’s more nearly your size.’ And He told me.”

“No one individual has any right to come into the world and go out of it without leaving something behind.” 

Collecting stamps and snail mail is such a wonderful hobby! Writing letters to our friends and family is special on its own, but postage stamps are a whole new world of wonderful!! I have fond memories of my dad and his stamp collection. I’d climb up on a chair next to him and search through his big pile of brightly colored stamps. He’d tell me the story of the subject depicted on the stamp and we’d find the place in his album to place it.

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The USPS receives NO tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. They process and deliver 484.8 million pieces of mail each day! They release amazing new stamps every year and there are private collectors and sellers who deal in uncanceled postage from the past that can still be used to send your snail mail creations today!! 

Wouldn’t a “Nuts About You” letter or care package be extra special if you could add GWC to the stamps on the envelope?! I’m on the hunt!  

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Go postal, everybody!! You’ll go nuts for it! 

XOXO,

Mrs. Murphy 

The Wonder of Bread

“All sorrows are less with bread.” This sentiment, expressed by Sancho Panza in Don Quixote, is, I feel, quite accurate. I recently received a gift of bread made by an actual baker. 🥰 It cheered me to no end!  

There is nothing like bread. In its simplicity lies its genius. Every culture and people group has their own version of bread. We can eat it at every meal and never tire of it. We break it and bless it and share it. It nourishes and satisfies, giving us strength, energy and restoration. It’s brings us together in community. It unites us around the table. It is a celebration of our humanity. It is the symbol of our daily needs and a metaphor for the ultimate fulfillment of them...our Savior, Jesus. Not to mention...it’s tasty and delicious! 😋🥖🥐🍞

One of my “old lady goals” is to be able to bake a decent loaf of bread. I practice frequently and like to think I am getting better. Recently Mr. Murphy had a birthday and he requested a loaf of my homemade bread! (Yay! I feel validated by that!😁)

This month I am taking some time to dwell on the significance of bread in my life. I will take special note of the mentions of bread in the Bible and I will give praise and thanksgiving to the Giver of the Bread of Life. AND...one of my outgoing letters will be a thank you note for the dear baker who got me thinking about the wonder that is bread!! (No pun intended!😉)

XOXO,

Mrs. Murphy

Outgoing Post

You know your Valentine is from Iowa when it’s got a pig on it! 😉

Some envelope fun!

Can’t go wrong with a pun! (At least in my book) 😉❤️

Spread some love this season via the post!! 

XOXO, Mrs. Murphy 

In Flanders Fields

The dark days of winter are a perfect time to hibernate with Mr. Murphy (& Lexi the Wonder Dog) to watch movies and stream TV series. Cuddling up on the couch under a cozy quilt may not be the best thing for our winter waistlines, but you know what they say... “everything in moderation!” The Murphys are nothing if not history buffs and a recent perusal of my postage stamps inspired some very enjoyable (and educational) winter watching. The World War I commemorative Forever stamp was issued in 2018 to honor the millions of Americans, both home and abroad who participated in WWI. 2018 marked the 100 year anniversary of the end of the war. World War I was the seminal conflict of the twentieth century and was, in my opinion, one of the most brutal and violent wars.  

2018 USPS Forever Stamp

We were amazed by the 2018 documentary, “They Shall Not Grow Old”, in which state-of-the-art technology restored and enhanced actual combat and military footage. Life on the front was detailed by the voices of actual soldiers that was recorded by the BBC in the 1960s. 

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 “The Wipers Times”, I think, is my favorite WWI film. It is based on the true story of a trench magazine that was published by British soldiers fighting in the Ypres Salient. The gallows humor and wit make the film hilarious but still calls attention to the soldiers amazing fortitude, strength and ability to persevere under horrible conditions. 

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“A Very Long Engagement” is a fictional tale about a young French woman’s desperate search to find her fiancé, who might have been killed during WWI. (It’s a French film with English subtitles, FYI) It tells the story of five French soldiers all sent to “no man’s land” as a punishment for attempting to escape military service through self-wounding. It is based on a novel by the same name (which is now on my TBR list!!) This film reunites two of my favorite, French film people: Audrey Tautou (actress) and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (director). The film is stunningly beautiful but also shockingly violent and harsh. It will not be to everyone’s liking of course, but if you are interested in a compelling story and beautiful cinematography, I recommend it. 

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“The Crimson Field” is a British TV series that we watched on PBS Masterpiece Theatre. It shows the lives of the doctors, nurses, medics and patients at a fictional field hospital in France during WWI. There are only 6 episodes (one season), however, as it was cancelled. It rather leaves one with a feeling of incompleteness, but it was an interesting show and worth watching if you are in a WWI viewing jag as we were. 

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“1917” is a recent theatre release about WWI. We have not seen this one yet. It tells the tale of two young British soldiers who are given a seemingly impossible mission to deliver a message to stop an attack and save soldiers’ lives. The reviews have been good! I think we will keep this in mind for Murphy Date Night.

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These are just a few of the recent films and TV shows we have watched with a WWI theme. I’m always a little nervous recommending books and movies, as we all have different tastes, interests and ideas about acceptable violence, language and nudity in our viewing material. (Please decide for yourself if this is something that is acceptable to you!) From fighting totalitarian regimes, humanitarian concerns and America’s role in the world, there are many parallels between then and now. If you are unfamiliar with the WWI era I encourage you to read (or watch) more about it! It’s fascinating ! 

Share your thoughts and recommendations with others! Via the post, of course!

Go postal, people, it’s a great lesson in history! 

XOXO

Mrs. Murphy 

Love Is In The Air... And The Mail!

Every year the USPS releases a new “Love” stamp. Some folks like to use this sentimental postage on wedding invitations, love letters, birthday wishes and at this time of year...Valentine cards. 

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USPS 2020 LOVE Forever Stamp

When I was growing up Valentine’s Day was pretty significant in my household. My sister and I would spend hours making handcrafted Valentine cards for our parents and friends. I always admired her artistry and creativity with simple construction paper and paper doilies! Our dad would always come home from work with a box of candy hearts or chocolates for each of us. And one year in college, Mr. Murphy sent me a progressively more romantic Valentine card in the mail everyday, culminating in a request to be his girlfriend!   (He must have known the way to my heart was via my mailbox!)

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Hearts, flowers, cards and chocolates are all associated with this holiday, but have you ever wondered how it all relates to a Christian martyr? Who was Valentine, anyway? Like most cultural celebrations it is an amalgamation of pagan and Christian elements. The true origin of Valentine’s Day is hard to discover. My research turned up a variety of stories that influence how we celebrate today, but one thing is certain, it commemorates a martyrdom. The Roman emperor Claudius II declared all Christians illegal citizens. A young priest, named Valentine, was beheaded on February 14, 269AD because he refused to renounce his faith in Christ. The most famous legend goes on to tell how just before his execution, he wrote a note to the jailor’s daughter, signing it, “From your Valentine.” 

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When I think of love letters I ultimately think of the Bible. God’s love letter to us.  I’ve been involved in a Bible reading challenge since last June. The pace of this challenge is slightly faster than I usually read the Bible. By the time June 2020 rolls around, I will have read the Old Testament once, the New Testament twice and some of the epistles 3 times. It has been great to read this special love letter and listen to the story God is telling and inviting me into. The Kingdom of God is different from anything else. God’s heart and love is different from anything else. As I fill up my love tank from the only One who can fill it, I will write love letters to the people in my life. 

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

XOXO

Mrs. Murphy