a surprise package from france!

Yesterday I walked to the post office in the blistering cold to mail off a check for rent and to mail the terribly high gas bill. Yes, it's officially that time of year and I am learning that it is a huge headache trying to keep a really old building warm. So I've moved my sewing machine into the little entryway and turned off the gas. That was a huge relief. And it's SO much cozier in here. So anyway, you can imagine how I felt after mailing those checks off. But then I went into the post office and looked in my box! There was a little orange key, which means there's a package waiting for me! I opened the box and discovered a parcel from...France! My dear friend Valerie whom I met through my blog, decided to just send me a package because she's awesome like that! You know sometimes you meet someone and you know right away that they are a kindred spirit? Well it was exactly like that when I met Valerie. Oh, no, we haven't "met" in person, but I know in my heart that we have. It is more than seeing a person face to face to meet them. She is sweet and kind and incredibly talented. Not to mention she has impeccable taste in everything! She sent over a beautiful shawl she crocheted, a box of French chocolates, beautiful pocket calendar, tea and last but not least, the most sweet, kind and lovely note that she wrote to me. I don't deserve such kindness!! Thank you again, Valerie. xo

it was a good week.

Thanksgiving week was pretty awesome. SO much to be thankful for this year. Thank you all for sticking around here and for supporting me! You all have been absolutely incredible. I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving, for those of you who celebrate the holiday and also for those who don't. Now it's time to get back into the swing of things. And winter is almost here...I can feel it! Have a great week everyone! xo

good friends.

This morning I woke up to a call (okay, so I slept in, I was sewing until 3a.m. last night...) from my friend Megan. She's in town! A week ago she contacted me to let me know she might be driving through with her family, but she wasn't sure yet. So I was pretty happy they were able to make a stop through Iowa. She and her sister Greta came for the day. We lounged around, made lunch, talked, and then went down to Mt. Vernon for some awesome antique shopping. It was a lovely time. They're headed back tomorrow morning. I'll miss them!!

easter weekend.

dinner with friends. from Anna Allen on Vimeo.

I know this is kind of late, but I hope you all had a lovely Easter! Mine was spent eating a delicious meal consisting of stuffed eggplant, salad, excellent wine and cheese made by our friend Phil. It was fun and relaxing. I hid behind the camera while they discussed Tolstoy in depth {not in this scene, but earlier that evening}.

girl night.

Make time for your girlfriends. It's getting harder and harder to do, but when it happens, oh how nice it is. We watched the original 1939 version of The Women. It's one of those movies you just can't watch with a man. They'd never understand. We were roaring with laughter through the whole movie. I'd say it was a hit.

Happy weekend!

good times

{night time tea. so good.}

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed today. But I'm still going going going. {Sort of.} Just a lot of things happening and it feels like it's all at once and my mind is about ready to explode! But I also had a great weekend. Very relaxing and wonderful to see people I haven't seen in so long. Esther was back and Niki made a surprise visit as well! So last Saturday they called me up randomly to see if I wanted to go out with them. Not to mention they wanted to all try out this restaurant I have been talking up so much called the Lincoln Cafe. I've written about it on here several times. We also went to their wine shop down the street and brought back a couple of bottles. {I think it's kinda nifty to have the wine shop in a separate building down the street. You can get a bottle or bring back a glass, your choice!} Oh man, so tasty. so good.


{esther and liz.}


{niki and leah being silly. they are so much fun.}


{hyper leah! love it when she is hyper.}

So basically that is all I have to write. That and share the pictures. I started on that silk chiffon dress. Just the top part, so I hope I have time to finish it. We'll see. I'm feeling a tad bit stressed lately so not sure how much I should spend on sewing for myself. It depends on how far I get tomorrow. I have a pile of "to do" lists scattered around my desk. And on top of it I can't seem to sleep very well these days so I end up lying in bed thinking of all different random things. :) Well I'm going to enjoy the last bit of this night-time tea and see if I can maybe get a few more things done before I hit the hay. Not that I will actually get to bed for another few hours. haha. night all.