10 Tips for Saying Thank You

Writing notes of gratitude may be a lost art, but perhaps due to Jimmy Fallon, thank you notes are coming back in style. Here's 10 tips for how to properly appreciate someone:

1. Be sincere: Even if your Aunt Irene gifted you a cat sweater you totally hate (although I'm not sure why anybody would hate a cat sweater), try to give your gratitude honestly. E.g., you should say something like "this sweater is sure to keep me warm over the winter!" (fact) rather than "I've never loved anything more!" (lie).

2. Be timely: Timeliness is important when writing thank you's because it often reflects sincerity. A too-late thank you could look like an afterthought, and you wouldn't want that! Ideally, send thank you's no later than 2 days after the gift was given or event was experienced. (Oops, I guess I'd better start writing some..)

3. Be specific: Specificity is one of the cardinal rules of thank you cards. You'll want to name exactly what you're giving gratitude for, and even feel free to mention why you're giving thanks. I had a set of fill-in-the-blank thank you notes as a child, and they were good for this. "Thank you for the __________; I like it because __________." Sounds silly, but people like to hear why you enjoyed the gift and how you'll use it!

4. Find a cute card: Self explanatory. Re: That cute card, use a notecard instead of a letter. This takes a lot of pressure off you because notecards can fit approx. 5 sentences as opposed to the 15 or so you could fit on a letter. Chances are, you don't have a novel-worth of things to say in your thank you note, so keep it short and sweet. 

5. Thanking somebody for a tangible gift: Send a picture! Snapping a photo really adds a nice touch to the note. I have a family friend who is so kind to often send me gift cards for my birthday or Christmas. I also have a tendency to save gift cards for a "rainy day," if you will, so I try to send a handwritten note and follow up with a picture text when I buy my new dress/candle/wallet/whatever!

6. Thanking somebody for an intangible gift: An interview is a good example of this. One of my friends sends a handwritten thank you note after any job interview she has, and I'm pretty sure she's gotten every job she's ever applied for. Another example is if somebody hosted you in their home, saying thanks may be implied, but writing it will make the host feel extra-special. 

7. Appreciate presence more than presents: This should be a goal in life, whether or not you receive a tangible gift. Be grateful for the people who surround you. If they're giving you a reason to thank them, they probably care about you, so challenge yourself to appreciate the sender more than what was sent (even if they sent you, like, a billion dollars). 

8. Write using your hands, with pen on paper: It's 2015, so digital thank you's are passable (any thank you is better than none), but you'll get bonus points for a handwritten note. Everybody loves to receive snail mail (as long as it isn't from MasterCard), and you'll look like the nicest person ever.

9. When in doubt, say thanks: "Should I send a 'thank you' to Susie for babysitting my pet lizard?" Yes. "Do I need to send a note to Sam saying thanks for letting me cheat off his math homework?" Yes.

10. When appropriate, thank the person in public: This probably goes more for intangibles than anything else, but sometimes it is nice to publicly recognize people for what they've done for you. Your friend probably won't toot his or her own horn, so toot it for 'em!

Dear people who read this blog post,

Thank you for taking the time to read this. It made me feel special. I included a few photos in the post; I hope you'll accept my gratitude.

Sincerely,

Ana

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Cheesy French Toast Friendship

If you landed on this blog post from a thumbnail photo you saw of a bunch of cheese on french toast and now you're planning on thinking "that looks disgusting" the whole time you're reading this, you're probably not alone. But hey--can't knock it until you try it! This Memorial Day weekend marks the 1-year anniversary of when my supercool roommate Merry and I moved in together. So naturally, we decided to make cheesy french toast.

Last year, we had just finished moving everything up the 3 flights of stairs to our apartment, and somehow Merry started talking about this ridiculous recipe she grew up on in Wisconsin. Merry's mom would often put cheese on their french toast. Yes, CHEESE. I know what you're thinking because I thought it too. Why would anybody ruin french toast by putting CHEESE on it?? And why on earth would anybody ruin cheese by putting it on FRENCH TOAST?? But sometimes, when you combine 2 good things, you wind up with something even greater. Enter cheesy french toast.

So we headed over to the store with our friend Meghan to get things to make french toast…and cheese…and came home on a rainy Memorial Day weekend to eat it, sitting in our new living room with no furniture. But we had friendship, and cheese. It's a great memory for us, so now you can all recreate it because I'm giving you the recipe!

Cheesy French Toast

Makes about 6 slices

- 4 eggs

- 1 1/2 cups milk

- 1/4 cup sugar

- 1 tablespoon vanilla

- 6 slices bread

- 6 slices sharp cheddar

1. Whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla to create batter to cover bread. Dip bread in egg mixture, coating both sides evenly.

2. Cook bread over lightly greased skillet on medium heat until golden brown.

3. Melt slice of sharp cheddar over top.

4. Don't forget the bacon. (It's not technically part of the recipe, but everything is better with bacon.)

Also don't forget the syrup. Mer's mom said she learned how to make french toast this way when she was 7. So, we're not totally sure on the original source for the recipe, but I like to think some brilliant soul in Wisconsin had too much cheese on his hands and came up with this.

I think if they ever reinstate Fear Factor into NBC's nightly lineup, answering affirmatively to "will you eat french toast with cheese on it??" may win somebody a lot of money someday. (We know it sounds weird and looks gross but it's really quite good.) ((Eating bugs on Fear Factor is probably way less enjoyable.)) 

P.S. Thanks to Austin Elliott for doing all the photography in this post and letting me edit 'em and to Merry Tucker for making french toast and letting me eat it and put her recipe on the internet.

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She Sells Things

You must have thought I've forgotten about learning. Or that I fell off the face of the planet. Or worse, that I've been trapped on some remote island with no internet access. 

None of those things are true. But if you thought, "Hmm, Ana hasn't blogged in a while. I wonder if she's been busy opening a mini-boutique," you would have been right! Opening a shop has always appealed to me, and I can now officially say that 2015 was the year that I dipped my pinky-toe into the vast pool of business ownership. 

Turns out there are a lot of things to do to open a business--who woulda thought. But I am enjoying the new adventure! I'm carrying a lot of products from Rifle Paper Co. (insert heart-eyes emoji), some magnet boards, wall hangings, lamps, mugs, coasters, and a few other little knick-knacks.

I've already learned things (look at me go!) through this process, and I'm sure I'll continue to learn a ton more. It is helpful and humbling to have an individual like my mom (who has been a small biz. owner for over 20 years) to help me navigate the process for myself. 

So, where is it? I thought you'd never ask! There is a boutique in my hometown called The Market, which my mom has had space in for as long as I can remember. There are a few women who have space in the shop, and everybody has different things, ranging from home furnishings, gifts, clothes, baby clothes (the cutest), accessories, etc. etc. etc. It's pretty hard for me to remember that I'm there to sell things and not buy all the things. 

Now that I've gotten the shop up and running, I should be back to learning things more often. Thanks for sticking with me, guys!

So if you wanna, look up The Market's page on Facebook, and follow @themarketspringfield on Instagram. Also, if you have any products you'd love to see in the shop, send me a note at shelearnsthings(at)gmail(dot)com, and I'll see what I can do! 

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