Happy Birthday to Me....

I've got birthday stuff to report! I had a very happy birthday weekend. Rob was off to Connecticut fishing (that's not why I had a good weekend) so I was expecting to just have a low key weekend, work on some projects, and start painting the baby's room.

The weekend started with Leslie, Rob's biological mom, staying the night on her way to Williamsburg. We went to downtown Silver Spring for a bite to eat and got to witness the excitement of the evening--someone threatening to jump from the top of the parking garage. As far as we can tell, he was talked down. At least that's what we told ourselves.

She left early the next morning and I got started priming the walls of the mini-Maloot's room. I forgot to take pictures, but after priming only 2 walls, the room already looks bigger. Why didn't we do this sooner??? In the middle of painting (read: unshowered, in crappy clothes, covered in paint) my phone kept ringing. It was my neighbor, Cecelia, calling to wish me a happy birthday and to see if I wanted to go to a movie! She caught me off guard, being covered in paint and all, but how sweet was that! She arrived to pick me up bearing this:
and off we went to see the new Elizabeth movie, which was just gorgeous, and it's got Clive Owen in it, so what more could one want? Really, a lovely, unexpected afternoon.

The yarn under the mum is from Stitches, which I went to on Sunday. Here's a close up.
The greyish is yak and silk (yilk?) and really is that shiny, the blue is alpaca, and the plum is merino. I'm sure the knitting gods will strike me down for saying this, but I think I like MD Sheep and Wool a lot better than Stitches. MDSW has more stuff from little shops and independent spinners that you can't get anywhere else. Most of what was at Stitches I could get online. Plus the food at MDSW is SO much better!

I did end up doing a bit of sewing. This little bag was supposed to be for my mom for her birthday, but I liked it too much and it holds my scarf project perfectly, so I have to make another one.
Here's a glimpse of the gnomes.
And Rob came home Sunday afternoon bearing tulips and chocolate torte. What a guy!
And lest you think that my birthday ended on Sunday, there was a box waiting for me yesterday when I arrived home. And holy %$##, K did make stuff last weekend! The first thing in the box was some Egyptian Magic which I think has already changed my life. I've wanted to try this but never got around to picking some up. It may just clear up all the crazy stuff my skin has been doing lately.

And in the bottom of the box was this:
Abi looks underwhelmed, doesn't she? I would be too, if all I had to look at were the horrible pictures that I took of the absolutely amazing wrap the K made for me. Here's a detail shot, which still doesn't come close to doing it justice.
It's linen with silk on the edges and some lace on the other side and it's handstitched at the ends and it just drapes gorgeously and I totally love it! And my pictures are in no way a reflection of how much I love it. Now if only the weather would get cooler again so that I could wear it! Thanks so very, very much.