Our new Noah-Two-Of-A-Kind fabric collection has just shipped and should be arriving in Jo-Ann stores, Walmart, and several fine fabric stores this month, a list of which I will give you as soon as I know! The fun fabrics feature a unique new color story for a Noah print–safari tones with orange accents–as a backdrop for adorable characters just having fun two by two.

I think this border print turned out really great … it will be fun for babies and toddlers to watch these new little friends marching across their crib bumpers or window shades!

So, here is how it happened. After our beloved lab of 11 years, Mocha, went to doggy heaven right before Christmas, I had promised that we could get a puppy this summer. But, I had meant something like July. Approximately 30 minutes after Margaret’s last final on May 29th, the official start of summer, I received a call from the two sisters which started like this: “Mom, now don’t say no until you hear us out.” (I should have known better that very moment!) On their way home, they had happened to stop by PetSmart where there just happened to be several puppies! So, with much pleading, promises to feed, wash, and clean up after the puppy, a picture was sent to me via cell phone–how unfair is that?! Long story short, we now have a new puppy. He is a rescue puppy and according to his rescuer, he is part border collie and part lab … but we think he is 100% cute. ( … well, except at about 3:00 in the morning, when he is so ready for a playdate!)

He also has excellent puppy breath, which smells a little bit like a coffee shop!

Well, we had a great day yesterday. We climbed to the top of Yosemite Falls, the highest waterfall in North America! They say you have to be wary of bears if you are camping in Yosemite – stashing your food in a box that hangs high in a tree so that bears can’t eat it. For this reason, you can understand my concern when I saw this large brown bear sunning himself on a rock only a few feet from my husband on the edge of the falls…

Thankfully – when I took a closer look with the binoculars, I saw that it was the harmless and cuddly Little Forest species of brown bear, so I didn’t worry anymore…

We just received our samples for the new Scrapbook Complete kits we designed for C.R. Gibson for Sam’s Club. They will be in the stores this month. They feature our Little Pond characters in two different color themes–one for girls and one for boys. Each kit includes a 12 x 12 album, stickers and great 3-d embellishments using jewels and glitter and even some metal charms. The pre-formatted pages include 3-d frames and characters, as well. (I love the pages shown here with the little duckies sporting real feathers on their little heads.) You will have so much fun just popping in your pictures, curling up with your favorite little one and turning the pages together.

I am certain that when I gave birth to three daughters, I was not imagining how much time I would be spending on the athletic fields. But, it’s true, pointe shoes were replaced by cleats and tutus became jerseys. It‘s a good thing we love to watch them bound across the lacrosse field, because I think we have watched at least 300 games so far!

For the seventh time in eight years, our varsity girls’ lacrosse team won the Central Texas Division Championship! Yea!! Lucky for the team, Margaret could call on her big sister, Ellen, (artist/daughter of this blog) to create the celebratory tee shirt. Since we were headed to the State Championships, Ellen based her hip tee design on Jasper Johns‘ States series, and it was a winner on so many levels, not the least of which is that the girls loved it. Subtly, under each numbered win is hidden the year that the team won … starting, not coincidently, with the year that Ellen’s team won the first championship!

Dear Mom: Thank you for putting that first pencil in my hand. But did you really have to cut my bangs three fingers above my eyebrows?! Hee Hee.

Love, Cathy

Dear Mom: Thank you for putting that first pencil in my hand. And, thank you for not cutting my bangs three fingers above my eyebrows! hee hee.

Love, Ellen

Dear Ellen, Clearly, by the look of my crazy hair in this picture, I must have been having some kind of revolt against my early years of short bangs!

Love, Mom

P.S. to my mom: I’m just teasin’ mom–I actually kind of love those short bangs. I found this sketch of a character I created a few years ago, and as you can see, she is sporting your signature tidy style!