Yesterday was one of those days. You know the ones…when around 8am you are wishing for bedtime? Of course, there was some good with the bad, but man oh man, every time I turned around something was wrong (lost toys, exhausting errands, peed in pants, no naps…). Both boys and I each cried at one point or another. But I did learn something that I thought you may not know and knowing this might help you avoid a piece of a terrible day in the future. So here it is:
Even if your cute (late) New Years cards are vertical and you got cool catalog style envelopes (that you double and triple checked were the size for standard postage) for mailing them…
…do not spend a precious 2.5 hours after bedtime hand writing the addresses and sticking stamps on them vertically. Because even though it looks really cool and artsy, the post office will tell you they are oversized (going that direction) and you have the choice of either sticking an extra stamp on each one-which is out of the budget, or re-addressing and re-stamping them all (cue my turn crying for the day).
Luckily, I thought of a relatively simple way to not have to forsake the envelopes themselves for new ones. After slowly and carefully peeling and re-sticking the stamps, Dave helped me figure out mail merge on the computer. We turned my excel address file into a Word doc with addresses formed. When I printed them onto full page adhesive paper, I could cut them to way-over-sized address labels and stick them right over the previous, hand-written, vertical address. And watch Late Night on Dave’s iPad at the same time. An okay end to a very weird day.
6 Comments
Damn that post office! No wonder they’re practically bankrupt! I feel your pain, because even though the mailing labels solved the problem without extra postage, I’m sure you preferred the envelopes with your (vertical) handwritten addresses.
Please tell me that the kids were peeing in their pants and not you. See? It could have been worse!
Hang in there; when you have a really lousy day, there’s nowhere to go but up.
Ahhh! Did you notice my Christmas cards were addressed vertically too?! Yikes, big mistake. I found that out too, after I had waited in the looooooong holiday post office line with all 3 of my kids. I was so defeated and just wanted it all over, so paid the dumb double postage fee. argh!! Never again.
Oh bummer, what a crummy day! I hate days like that… it’s so discouraging.
I hope today is much better!
Oh sad! I think this was my post-puking day or I would have been happy to come help you relabel!
Miranda,
I’m so sorry for all the trouble those virtical envelopes caused you, but we just received our fabulous 2012 calendar in the mail and it made our day! The calendar is so darling and is already hanging on our fridge, and the pictures were darling, too. So as the beneficiary of your terible day, thank you! Your creativity (and energy) never cease to amaze me.
Love,
Em
Thanks Em! I’m so glad it got to you four and it has a place in your home:)