How is it already Friday? (Not to mention, how is it already Halloween?!) I was going to write this post a few days ago, right after the books arrived, and...here we are! Another week has flown by and left me feeling more than a little overwhelmed with all that has transpired. But, let's get back to the main point: the cookbooks are really and truly HERE!

The first 5 copies arrived Tuesday afternoon, and I barely slept Monday night because I was so insanely excited to see them. All Tuesday morning, I was practically waiting on the edge of my seat for the doorbell to ring. When FexEx delivery finally arrived, I sprinted down the stairs, grabbed the box, and sprinted back up. Brandon took an iPhone video of me opening the box which I will share eventually (I have no idea how to edit or upload video so I'll need his help!), but suffice it to say, my excitement level was pretty high. It was, and is, completely surreal paging through the book. I mean...is this really mine?? Looking through the book feels like an out of body experience: almost like I'm looking at someone else's book. After dreaming about writing a cookbook for so many years, then working on this project for a year straight, it still doesn't quite click in my mind that this is really real. Does that make sense?!

TYT-Notebook

The beginning scribblings of the book, over a year ago.

I don't have kids yet, but for those of you that are moms, I'm curious: did you have an experience where, after carrying around a baby inside of you for nearly 10 months – after dreaming about this little person, imaging what he or she would look like, and trying to guess how you will feel once he or she arrives – you looked at the newborn baby in your arms and thought: 'Is this really mine?!' Obviously, a cookbook is NOT a baby (and having a baby is a WAY bigger accomplishment!!), but it's the only comparison I can think of that kind of makes sense to me. Because right now it all seems really exciting, but also really hard to believe. (I went back and read this post I wrote a year ago called "This is Happening"...crazy all that has transpired since then!) But actually, what's been the most fun is seeing other people look through the book, and watching their enjoyment, and getting to experience it through their eyes. That's when it starts to feel real.

All that to say: I CANNOT WAIT for you all to see this book, and to hear your thoughts! I know I'm biased, but I am absolutely thrilled with the way it turned out – from the design to the photos to the print quality and the paper. It's just so beautiful. I get a bit teary thinking of all the hours of hard work, from SO many talented people, that went into making this possible. I feel wildly blessed to have had the chance to be a part of such a collaboritive, community-driven project. From the recipe-testing to the Kickstarter crowdsourced-funding, this book was truly made possible because of you guys. Thank you. For believing in me, for cheering me on – even when I had doubts and felt discouraged – and for being such enthusiastic supporters of the book! I wish I could meet each one of you, and give you a big, gigantic hug.

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It's super-weird seeing a picture of myself in a book!!

So now, on a practical note, now that the books are arriving, I wanted to address a few basic FAQ's that I've been getting from several of you:

I pre-ordered a book (or books) through Kickstarter over the summer. When will I get my book?

Thank you for your patience! Because I am personally mailing out all orders from Kickstarter and from my website (and because I live up five flights of stairs!) I have shipped the bulk of the books to my parents' house in Brentwood, TN and I'm spending the week of Nov. 10-16 there shipping out over 1800 books. I am sending everything via media mail, which takes between 2 and 8 business days, so if you live in the U.S., you can expect your books to arrive either the week before (or the week of) Thanksgiving. If you live internationally, you should have your books hopefully by the end of November.

I recently ordered a book (or books) through your website. When will I get my book?

Same as above. Any orders from my website that were placed before Nov. 10 will be shipped out the same week as the Kickstarter orders, and will be shipped out on the same timeline. If you ordered books via Kickstarter and on my website, I will do my best to ship your orders all together.

I pre-ordered a cookbook on Kickstarter, but I never got a survey asking for my address.

I'm sorry. Please email me your mailing address at [email protected].

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Signe and I this time last year, shooting the book in my apartment. (Photo by Elise Inman)

What if I live in NYC or Nashville? I heard you are having book-signing events - can I just pick up my books there?

Absolutely. A few of these are smaller, invite-only events, but I'll be having larger events in each city and I'll share these dates on my blog and social media soon. I would love for you to come in person so I can sign your book and give you a big hug!!

Will The Yellow Table cookbook be available on Amazon or in bookstores?

The book will be available on Amazon starting in about a week (I'll announce that on the blog soon)! This is great for the holidays, because you can use your Amazon Prime service to get the book in 2 days with free shipping if you'd like. The book will be sold in several small boutiques and independent bookstores (so far in Alexandria, VA, in Houston, TX, and hopefully in NYC) over the holidays, and I am currently in the process of pitching it to buyers right now.

But the big news is: I am in the process of finalizing a distribution deal that will allow me to have an official Spring 2015 release in stores nationwide! As fun as it is to sell my book on a small scale now, it will be even more exciting to have it sold in larger stores across the country. More details on this coming soon...!

Thanks again, friends! I hope you have a great weekend!

xo, Anna

P.S. Aside from the picture Elise took, the shots in this post are from my iPhone – please forgive the graininess!

P.S.S. On Monday, I'm sharing the details of my Barefoot Contessa interview...see you then!