Andries Willem

My sister gave birth to her son, Andries Willem, via C-section at 12:30 this morning. We're calling him Dries which is Dutch and rhymes with peace. He was 9lbs. 4oz., 21 in., and a FULL head of hair. (Just like when his mom was born.) He's really cute. And so far, he seems skeptical of me which is a good sign.



Mom, Dad, and Baby Dries



Aunt Nell is very silly!



That's some hair!

Happy Birthday, Dries! We're so happy to meet you.

The Office

I have a glorious week off from work. I was supposed to go to my 10 year college reunion. But most of my closest friends decided not to or they just had a baby. So the prospect of flying cross country, renting a car, and not seeing all the people I really wanted to made the trip not so feasible. However, I had already asked for the time of from work. A week that will now be devoted to home improvement. WooHoo!!! You know sometimes there are projects that linger because you want to be sure you have a couple days in a row to work on them. And a day after to recover. I'm taking full advantage.

First up... Finish painting my office. I had the color up on the walls for a few weeks. But I needed to do the trim and the ceiling.

Before...



After...



The terrible curtains with the brass rods are gone. And there's color!!!



Clearly, I need a bigger bookcase. Especially since most of my books are still in boxes in the garage! Maybe I should destash books. Hmmm....



This empty corner is just begging for a big comfy knitting chair. It's going to be a couple more paychecks before I can make it happen though.

I love the color. It's Halcyon Green from Sherwin Williams. Sometimes it looks more blue. Sometimes it looks more green. But it always reminds me of beach glass.

Notice I didn't show you the closet. It's a mess. But my whole stash is in there. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to organize it. So for now, no closet shots.

And it wouldn't be home improvement without some sort of injury.



This is Nell's shin vs. the ladder. Proof that once again I am very clumsy and very pale.

Where I've Been

About a month and a half seems to be the pace at which I can handle blogging these days. The house/garden/snail war is stealing my knitting and blogging mojo. I'm still here. Just not as tied to the computer as I used to be which is both good and bad. Anyway, here's some pictures from the last month and a half of so. Enjoy...

In February, there was a book signing and Stitches... Both of which I forgot to take my camera to. Duh!



Me and the fabulous Lauren Groff.



Finger puppets from Malabrigo



Silk Lace from Stitches- Someday I will knit lace...



Miss Babs Sock Yarn in the color Nell. Tapmouse was Nice enough to make sure I got some!



A new KA needle set. They have a swivel join!

In March, we moved. You've seen all that. And I'm trying to repress memories of said chaos.

In April, my little sister came out for my big sister's baby shower.



Big Sis with the tattoo onesie



Little Sis looks on as Big Sis opens gifts



There were cupcakes. Yum!



Then off to Napa to taste some wine. (Not Big Sis, of course!)

That's about it. We ordered furniture. But until it's ready in July, I leave you with a picture of our family room.



They are surprisingly comfortable!