37

And don't I look young for my age??

Roman has been a total blog-hog, so I figured the only way I could compete was to give you little Me. And sucker you into wishing me Happy Birthday! Do you find that you have to remind everyone around you as the years move on?? Thats okay. I just about had to send myself an email reminder, bc lately July 31 just feels like the last day of the month which prompts me into freaking out that I haven't gotten enough done in July. Sigh.

I will tell you, I'm not really sure how I'm suppose to feel about 37. Age seems to be mattering less to me these days and the number feels just obscure. I don't know if I feel too young or too old to be 37, so does that make it about right? Perhaps. I was telling Allie (23) the other day how mismatched I feel with the number 37. Its not like I'm in denial, or that I'm in denial about being in denial, its just that after about 30 or so.... your age really is just that. It starts feeling less like something that can actually describe you. Just you wait, I told her, you'll know what I mean someday. And she seemed to believe me about as much as I believed older women enlightening me about age when I was 23. But thats good. Thats part of being 23.

I went into Eleni's (5) room yesterday morning to wake her up with a hug. Leaning in to her sleeping bubbly face, I scooped my arms underneath her pillow and my right hand ran across about 6 marbles that she had tucked under pillow. How awesome, I thought. She has marbles under her pillow. I wanted marbles under my pillow. I didn't know why I wanted marbles under my pillow in that instant. It just seemed so fun. Youthful. I never asked why they were there, or told her to get the marbles out of her bed. I was just glad she is little. And happy. The HAPPY is the part of HAPPY BIRTHDAY that I have figured out. And at the tender (ha!) age of 37, thats pretty good.

Wishing you marbles under your pillow. xoxo, Anna

Roman Speaks

(Just a quick clarification - the two names in the banners that Roman is holding in the second picture are the two winners of the Ottobre magazines - sorry if there was any confusion!)

Friends in Finland

I was so excited to see my oilcloth on the Autumn cover of Ottobre magazine, but altogether bummed as well that this oilcloth has sold out from every point on the planet. I have answered SO many individual emails regarding the oilcloths and their availability but haven't had a chance to come clean here. So the story started with me showing off the new oilcloths, and promising more, which apparently had such a lovely result that they became unavailable before many stores even received their shipments. Unfortunately the production time on reprinting those and new pieces was so far out, that Westminster chose not to reorder. We could call this the bad news.

GOOD news?

There are two new oilcloths in the works as part of my NEW (thats right, you heard me) collection of fabrics hopefully to be shipping in Septmeber or October. So the fabulous rain slicker pattern included in this issue of Ottobre need not go to waste, but will have the chance to be sewn up in some seriously sweet, slick, little prints. Can't wait to show you!

MORE good news?

I have two extra copies of the Autumn issue sitting here on my much too cluttered desk, and well, just thought two someones out there may want to put them to use, and help me declutter. Leave a comment and I'll draw two names sometime next week and send them on their way. Awe, you're welcome.



My pals at Ottobre were kind enough to also send along this little handmade gift for Roman. How please-keep-me-from-fainting cute is this?? (thank you Tuula and all!)



Ack, that bird is smart and just looks like it's squawking away. Oh, and speaking of squawking, Daria caught me doing such and posted a video interview with me from last fall Quilt market (where I give away a little more about the next fabric line and also lie about it's debut date, which I have become so good at). So you can check that out if you have something more important to do but are procrastinating. I like to be helpful where I can.

Have a great weekend!! xoxo, Anna

Shouting from the moutaintops....

....Mr. Two-months-old slept 8 hours last night for the first time ever.

And this may be an obvious detail, but I slept 8 hours last night too, for what felt like the first time ever.

And naturally once awake, realizing how much time had passed, I jumped up with a start and checked to see if he was breathing.

Looks like he's just fine, no?

xo, Anna (where sleep is such a big huge stinkin' deal)

16 years ago today...

... I married my very best friend on a sweltering summer evening. It was such a beautiful day. It started with my clock radio actually waking me up to hear none other than "goin' to the chapel" playing bright and early. I can still remember smiling at the very idea of that being on the radio before waking up completely, rubbing my eyes and realizing that it really was on the radio. It was just a perfect an unexpected little detail that has been followed by so many others. Falling in love with my husband was the easiest thing I've ever done, only followed in ease by learning to love him more. We are still just getting to know one another in some ways, and in others, the familiarity is the most comforting place we have at the end of the day.



Those unexpected details unfold before our eyes and become our dialogue, our plot, with all of its twists and turns, filled with so many characters that all continue to write the story of us.

I walked out the front door the other day to head to the bottom of our long hill to get the mail. As soon as I had shut the door behind me, I heard it open again with three sets of giggles speeding up to reach my back. I didn't even turn around, but knew immediately who the tag-alongs were by the sound of their mischief. Once I was about 10 feet from the edge of the road, they all stopped at the crack in the driveway that I don't let them passed while I went a little more dangerously to the edge of the road to pull the mail out of the box.

Raising my head up from the pile in my hands after a quick scan of the contents, I watched them race each other back up the hill and was impressed with how well the littlest kept up. In that moment, walking slowly and watching them run quickly, our home in the background holding all the rest of the souls that complete our picture - I was struck - blown over - overwhelmed - at the fullness of it all. How we have become so much more than just us. Not just in numbers. In love. Heavy with blooms like the crepe myrtles that are laying on our front walk when they can't hold up all that beauty any more. It overwhelms them. It overwhelms me.



Over these 16 years there have been countless times when that weight feels more burdensome than beautiful and it causes us to scatter a bit. Last night on the way home from our first dinner alone since Roman was born, we were listening to some exotic, percussion-laden instrumental song, that I cannot remember the name of. I was trying to explain to Jeff how appealing it was to me because all the random, seemingly mismatched elements and beats were happening simultaneously and it gave you the feeling that any minute, it wouldn't work, and the rhythm would fall apart or miss. But it continued just beautifully despite the virtual chaos and all the various tempos happening at once.

And so do we.

Happy Anniversary sweetie, I love you more. xoa

thats MRS. allie to you

photo by rachel williamson

I turn my back for one second and this one runs off and gets married!!! The nerve!

How adorable (and gorgeous and glowing) is our sweet Allie? The day we were off to our vacation last week was the day she was off to becoming Mrs. Allie Murphy. Mike Murphy is one lucky guy, I know that for certain. And we wish them both many, many years of love, health and happiness. (And tons of kids, of course!)

(And Allie- right after that blissful two weeks of a honeymoon in Ireland, its right back to your dreadful work life, young lady! We miss you!)

Did I mention.....

...that we've planted ourselves elsewhere for this week?



And new toes are feeling wet sand for the first time and also feeling the kisses of a dozen cousins, aunts uncles who are meeting those toes for the first time.



Of course we have several experienced grown beach babies too, who know just what to do.



This would be the first ever wave splashed through with Dad.

Here's to thousands more....

sandy hugs and salty kisses from sunny North Litchfield, S.C.
Anna, be home soon