Seven Years!

Hard to believe we were married seven years ago, today. I probably knew then that he was a better person than me, but seven years & two kids later, I definitely know it. He's more patient, more kind, more giving, more accepting. More more more. I'm the lucky one, and I know it.

(But don't let it go to your head, buddy :) Let's keep this up. We've got a lot of years ahead of us.)

We're celebrating at this fancy place tonight! I'm fasting all day for it.

15 Years Without My Mom, Linda

Death is Nothing at All

Death is nothing at all…

I have only slipped into the next room…

I am I, and you are you…

Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

Call me by my old familiar name,

Speak to me in the easy way you always used.

Put no difference into your tone;

Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed

At the little jokes we enjoyed together.

Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.

Let my name be ever the household word

that it always was.

Let it be spoken without effect,

Without the ghost of a shadow on it.

Life means all that it ever meant.

It is the same as it ever was;

There is absolutely unbroken continuity.

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?

I am waiting for you, for an interval,

Somewhere very near just around the corner…

All is well.

                                           

                                                   - Henry Scott Holland

This week marked the 15th anniversary of my mom's passing. I was telling a friend that after years of being sad for myself, of missing her for me, that in recent years, I have felt more sad for my mom - for her missing out on seeing her four kids through college, seeing all of us get married and being a grandmother to eight (going on nine) grandchildren. My friend sent me this poem, above, - a beautiful & simple reminder for me that while she is not here physically, she is very much here. Another friend who lost his dad a few years ago told me that he actually likes when people ask about him, that he likes talking about him. I feel the same way. I love talking about my mom & dad. And the more I do, the more I really do feel them here.

One of Griffin's Christmas gifts was a Names & Places Book with photos of people we love, including three of his grandparents who are no longer living. He can quickly identify them by name, which is a good start. And because we've told him, he knows Farmor made the blanket he sleeps with. As he gets older, it'll be even more important for us to keep talking about them so that he and his soon-to-be brother or sister know them as they know anyone living - that his Farmor, Pop & Grandma Linda are just as familiar, present, here.

Griffin's Thank You Notes

I try to be good at writing thank you notes, but sometimes, my good intentions are derailed by my forgetfulness - like straight up forgetting (terrible) or finding an addressed envelope in my purse weeks later (more than once, sadly!) or where did I put those stamps? or did I write that person already? Not great. 

But when it comes to Griffin's thank you notes, I try even harder. Christmas Eve with my family was such a rush of present-opening amongst the 8 young kids, that it was nearly impossible for gratitude to sink in. So, the thank you note writing for us seems all the more important for times like that. And even at 2 years old, Griffin knows that we're writing our thank you notes. Okay, so the only thing he knows is that he's sitting down & drawing circles and Mommy's talking to him & writing something. But, so far, it's been a time when we're able to pause & talk about the people we're writing to & what gifts we're thanking them for. Even if he only gets it for these short moments, I'm pretty determined to make this a habit for him. Of course for now, Mommy will still need to find the stamps & actually get the envelope out of her purse and into the mailbox :)

NSS 2012: Best Honor Ever

Yesterday, Grace of design*sponge wrote up her first post on the National Stationery Show and said our 2013 oversized Quilt Calendar was her favorite piece of the entire show. Pardon the toot toot of my own horn here, but TOOT TOOT!

This calendar has been in my head for over a year, but I knew that not everyone would get it. (You have no idea how many people asked if this was the real size or just the size we were showing at the show. Wha???) It was a bit risky, and I wasn't exactly sure (as I never am) how people would respond. So Grace, a design blogger I love & respect, saying that it was her favorite piece at the show is the biggest honor I could ever hope for because it means that my audience gets it & likes it as much as I do.

Big big big thanks to Grace at design*sponge for getting it & loving it!

I'll post more pics from the show tomorrow, but check out Grace's first day's coverage here.

A Bruce Hightlight: Words Not Sung

We went to see the tireless Bruce Springsteen last night at Madison Square Garden. Twice he came into the crowd and stood up on a chair about five feet from us. Crazy. But the point of me writing about this was the bigger highlight of the night for me & one that gave me chills - when he was reflecting on people who have passed away (possibly referring to his saxaphonist Clarence Clemons who died last year) and said to the crowd: All I know is, that if we're here tonight, then they're here tonight. That simple statement brought tears to my eyes & does now just typing it. I know he meant that in any way you celebrate someone who is gone, you are bringing them to life, keeping them here, with us in life. I've lost both my parents at a relatively young age, so for me to think about how this statement applies to me is both comforting & profound. To remember that I am, in fact, a literal part of my parents. And indeed, Bruce is so right: Me being here is them being here. So simple. Amen, Boss. And thank you for the reminder.

Dear Beach, I miss you.

A few weeks ago, we took our first kid-free vacation to St. Lucia. Now that life is back to its hectic usual self, I thought I'd post some pics to remind myself that sitting on the beach all day actually did happen. My favorite time of day was just after sunset, when the sky & sea turn to shades of blue & gray and the light danced on the water. Ending the day with a beer on the beach was cool too :)

Reinventing Letterpress

My copy of Reinventing Letterpress by Charlotte Rivers arrived last week & I was so excited to see the L&H page! I feel very honored to be included in this round up of great letterpress printers & designers from all over the world. If you have a thing for letterpress or know someone who is, I'd highly recommend picking this up.

The Rotovision version is available now on Amazon. (Next month, it will be released by Chronicle Books under the name Little Book of Letterpress.)

Many thanks to Charlotte for including us!

30 for 30

Aren't these some of the prettiest matches you've ever seen? (I love those olive green match heads!) The story behind them is even better.

You might remember me mentioning last year the genius idea my friend had to send her sister 30 packages for her 30th birthday - a package a day for 30 days during her birthday month. Who doesn't love mail - the non-bill/flyer/junk kind, of course. Am I right?? And now lucky me is the recipient of these packages, as this is my birthday month (and yipes! I'm turning the big 3-0!) and my friend remembered me loving this idea. (Okay, I might have even asked her if I could be so lucky to receive this gift:) But she remembered!) I had forgotten all about it until this little package arrived the other day with these cute matches & a note announcing the gift parade. (They were shortly followed by homemade chocolate chip cookies - my favorite!)

This has got to be the best birthday gift idea ever. I'm sure it takes a ton of planning & trips to the post office, but man, I feel like it's a surprise party every day.

Big hug, kiss, & thanks, miss Lizzy!