Happy holidays!!!

How are you keeping the festive holiday spirit alive in the office? It can be tricky sometimes to decorate with a limited space or a limited wallet.

Here are some of the office ideas we have done here around our Porter’s Office Products work station!

Our furniture specialists pop onto the retail floor several times a day. They decided to hang some garland up with some fairy lights intermixed for some holiday glow!

What brings the holiday spirit better than a fully decorated Christmas tree? We have loved having this tree in on our retail floor so that everyone always see it. We even stored our employee Secret Santa gifts for one another underneath it for the time before our party!

A great and inexpensive way to decorate is hanging Christmas ornaments around the office. We hung them from the shelves on the retail floor. It glistened the place up a great deal.

Something else we enjoyed doing this holiday season was displaying our holiday cards we received from fellow business friends on our warehouse door.

Of course, we couldn’t do any of this without the Blue Cow stamp of approval! Our little buddy has certainly enjoyed the holiday season thus far!!

There are also many ideas we have seen that we love to share as well!

One of our absolute favorites is this rendition of Elf on a Shelf! They created Elf bodies out of construction paper and attached their own photos on as well! They move them all around the office and have them act out hilarious winter scenarios. Great idea coming from Seema Adnani

Another great and simple one is turning your door into a present! We love this idea coming from Nap Time Decorator. It will make anyone feel the holiday spirit as they walk into your “presents”!

There are so many fun ideas and decorations you can use in your office space. Let us know if you have another idea or something you have already tried!

A great way to being a sense of unity into the workplace is around the time of Thanksgiving. Everyone is grateful for something!

Something that we like to do here at Porter’s Office Products is to make a gratitude wall. We cut out lots of yellow leaves and leave them in the breakroom for people to write on at their own time. During lunch hours, after work, before work, stopping in for a drink of water, we let people write on these leaves. We were pleasantly surprised that the leaves started filling up the bulletin board and the surrounding wall within the hour! It is continuing to fill up more and more every day.

This has been a great chance for us to reflect on the aspects of our life that we may take for granted. We are especially grateful that we are able to serve those in our community and interact with customers like you each and every day. We wish that you all have a great Thanksgiving and that you will be blessed. You have certainly blessed our lives! Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at Porter’s Office Products.

I think we can all admit that in some job we have felt the “hum-dum” repetition. Everyone wants to look forward to something when heading into work! If you are feeling up for the task, change up the pace and mindset of your work place by showing your coworkers that you are grateful for them.

Here are some ideas of how to do that!

1. Do a little survey or poll to get to know your coworkers a little better! Take your conversations from “how was your weekend?” to the next level ! From the pole, you can have an idea of something to get them talking.
2. Send a group email or chat with some work appropriate jokes to bright up everyone’s day! It may even get a stream of jokes going so you can look forward to that every day! One of my favorite places to look for jokes is http://www.laughfactory.com/jokes/clean-jokes
3. If you have some time to spare or you are in need of some unity in your workspace, try a team building exercise! Here are some of our favorites here at Porter’s! http://levymarketingawards.com/2015/08/3-teamwork-games-to-engage-employees-at-work/
4. Boost their confidence with some motivational messages in places that they frequent. I like to post mine on the bathroom mirrors, computer screens, the water station, and the time clock! This is a great way to make everyone in the office feel great!

Try it out! When you reach out to brighten others’ days, yours will be brightened as well.

Oh Hiya,

Meg here and we’re on our way to some of the coldest months of the year. During these chilly days, I’d love to curl up with a mug of hot cocoa and a good book, but there’s always work to be done at the office! When the winter winds start blowing, I like to make sure our office is well stocked with cold-weather supplies and I’m sharing a few of my winter essentials with you!

• Winter always seems to bring a case of the sniffles and there’s nothing worse than suffering through a runny nose without tissues. Be sure that your desk is supplied with a few boxes, just in case. I just love these Tissues from Kleenex. Not only are they soft enough to keep your nose from getting irritated, they’re also anti-viral to take care of any cold and flu germs.

• It may get dark sooner in the winter, but that doesn’t mean the work day is shorter! While I use my desk lamp throughout the year, I’ve found that it brightens my day most during the winter months. A nice warm light will turn any dreary workspace into a sunny spot. Be sure that you’ve got a replacement light bulb or two set aside for the winter. If you don’t already have a lamp at your desk, this is the perfect time to get one.

• There aren’t too many folks who will turn down a mug of hot cocoa on a chilly day, especially while working in the office. When the snow starts to fall you can keep your office mates in good spirits by keeping plenty of cocoa mix in supply. At our office, we love this tasty Rich Chocolate Hot Cocoa mix from Nestle. On the coldest days it can be quite popular, so we keep a few boxes in our breakroom to keep up with high demand.

Even the chilliest of days can make for a productive time in the office with these winter essentials. If you’re looking for other ways to keep your office cozy, take a look at these ideas from Pay Scale.

Until next time,

Meg

Oh Hiya! Meg here, with some easy ideas to take your work day from dull to down right super. Your job may not be the most exciting part of your day, but these workplace resolutions will go a long way to brightening your office outlook.

• Learn Something New– Don’t take for granted all the exciting work your company does! Take an active part in learning something new about your workplace and you’ll be surprised at how much more exciting your job can be. Whether you take a minute to chat with a co-worker about their task list or read up on the recent happenings, staying in the loop keeps you motivated to do your best.

• Sit Up– Sitting for 8 hours in a day can really wear on a body, leaving you feeling exhausted at the end of the day. To combat that sleepy feeling that comes right around 3:00, I’ve decided to stand up and stretch it out. I’m working on taking a short break every hour to give myself a little time to breathe and re-energize. Whether you take a quick walk to the water cooler or take a minute to stand up at your desk, you’ll notice a difference.

• Keep It Clean– Nothing decreases my productivity than a messy workspace. It’s so easy to get distracted in the piles of paper and notes that I simply forget my to-do list. I’m working on staying organized and taking time to neaten up my desk before I head home at night. A neat desk in the morning leads to a successful day!

• Stop Slumping– As the day goes on, I’ve found that my posture starts to droop as well. When I get up to take a little stretch during the day, I’ve found that my posture improves when I sit back down. Getting two things done at once is a great way to improve productivity!

• Positive Notes– Take a minute to jot down a little note about a positive thing that happened during the day. It can be big or small, from drinking an extra glass of water to checking that big project off your to-do list. Then, at the end of the week take a look at all the wonderful things you’ve accomplished. You’ll be smiling in no time!

These resolutions are sure to put a smile on your face during your workday. Have a great month everyone!

November is the time to start thinking about all the upcoming holidays and how your office is going to celebrate!  Coordinating an office party seems simple enough, but it always leads to a headache. Follow these steps for planning an office holiday party and enjoy the season!

1. Send Invitations: Even if the party is only for employees, make it more official with printed and mailed invitations. This makes your employees feel important and can act as a company holiday greetings card. Make mailing super easy with the Avery 5.5 x 8.5, White Shipping Labels w/TrueBlock Technology.
2. Schedule Events: Office parties don’t usually have a set agenda, but make sure to have some back-ups if there’s a lull in activity. Try having music or decorations that encourage conversation.
3. Double Plan Refreshments: While planning any party, it is guaranteed that the day-of someone is going to forget or cancel on bringing their assigned refreshment. While delegating who brings what, double up and plan for too many people. That way, you won’t run out of refreshments, and maybe you’ll have leftovers in the office kitchen the following week!
4. Don’t Forget Utensils: How many times have you needed to make a last-minute run to the convenience store for forks, cups or napkins? Plan ahead and purchase these materials a couple days before your party and store them at the party location. Our Red SOLO Plastic Party Cold Cups come in packs of 50 and will be perfect for the occasion!
5. Create a Cleaning Committee: The party planner is always the one stuck with the clean-up! Make sure to talk to some fellow employees before the party and have them agree to stay after and pick up. Even if there isn’t a large mess, you’ll have a back-up plan and be able to enjoy the party more!

Your office holiday party will go off without a hitch when you follow these simple steps. Enjoy the season!

Wow, we almost can’t believe it – this year, Porter’s is celebrating our 100 year anniversary! A full century in business, and we couldn’t have done it without you, our fabulous and loyal customers. To celebrate, let’s take a quick look back at how it all started:

Porter’s History

Porter’s Office Products was founded in 1915 by Arthur Porter. The business started as a variety store, which housed a printing business and local newspaper. We grew quickly and in the 1970’s, Arthur’s son, Warren recognized a growing demand for commercial office supplies. He began catering to this market and delivering supplies to businesses in the region.

In 1998, Warren’s grandson Mark joined the family business to run the commercial office supply division. In 2001, a new building was purchased to expand the operation, which gives us the Porter’s Office Products we know today. We are proud to say the business has remained in the family for its entire history.

Others Turning 100
We’re in good company! Here are a few others celebrating their 100th birthday this year:

• Rocky Mountain National Park. This Colorado wilderness haven celebrates its centennial through September 4, 2015.
• The Coke Bottle. Its original design patent was granted in 1915, and the iconic bottle is still around today.
• Universal Studios Hollywood. The studios originally opened on March 15, 1915.
• Frank Sinatra. The late, legendary crooner was born on December 12, 1915.
• Maybelline. The cosmetic empire was founded in Chicago in 1915.

We may be 100, but we’re still young at heart. Here’s to another 100 years.

Porter’s Holiday Candy

It may not be the warm time of the year or the best for sticking to diets but there are some perks to the winter time. Holidays that  bring family together and remind us how much we have to be grateful for and appreciate. Part of all the festivities and the cheer we like to share comes in the form of the treats we give and receive. In the spirit of the season Porter’s likes to offer for a limited time some really exceptional holiday candy. So go pull out that box of decorations. Send out the family greeting cards. Carve up a turkey and enjoy some of the best candy you’ll see this holiday season! And please don’t forget to share. We’re sure there’s someone in your life that’s deserving. These sugary delights come from Florence’s and Farr’s candy creations.

Whether you are looking to send out a warm message to your customers this holiday season or just need a personal family holiday card we’ve got the solution. Each year at this time we take orders for holiday Cards. These cards are classy and esthetically pleasing. Celebrate the spirit of the season with everyone.

Porter’s Office Products has an account with the high quality folks at Carlson Craft and we can get your holiday cards for you. Its as simple as meeting with your account manager and looking through their catalog to find the perfect card for you or your company. We’ve made the process easy for you because you deserve that kind of service, you deserve Blue Cow Service.

Apricot, Orange, and Rosemary Glazed Pork Roast

If you want to have a specail dinner this Easter without spending all day in the kitchen here is an idea for the main dish that is sure to taste amazing and not over work you.

Ingredients:
1 (3 lb) pork loin roast, trimmed
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3/4 C. apricot preserves
1/4 C. orange marmalade
1/4 C. dry sherry
1 1/2 tbsp. fresh minced rosemary leaves
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional– only if you like heat)
3 garlic cloves, minced

Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Sprinkle your roast all over with salt and pepper and place it in a greased 13×9 baking dish.

3. To make the glaze, combine the apricot preserves, marmalade, sherry, fresh rosemary, red pepper flakes (if using), and garlic in a saucepan.

4. Bring to a boil and cook over med-low heat until well combined and thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.

5. Use about 1/3 of your sauce mixture to glaze your pork roast. Reserve remaining sauce.

6. Place glazed roast in the oven and roast, uncovered, about 75-90 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 155 degrees F.

7. Remove roast from oven, tent with foil, and let stand about 20 minutes before slicing.

8. Reheat the remaining sauce (the microwave works a great!) and pour over sliced roast before serving (or serve on the side and allow your guests to take as much as they like).

Once you’ve tried this ultra-easy roast, making it will be one of those Easter menu ideas you have every year. Mmm.

Via