Her new favorite book from Daddy. Kevin kept with his wolf/sled dog book theme.
C enjoyed a quiet family birthday celebration last week. We did our usual family birthday traditions(you can find them here), and C once again, for what I think might be either her second or third year in a row, chose broccoli soup for her birthday dinner. The daffodils in our front yard that usually bloom during C's birthday week (and are used to decorate her birthday table) didn't bloom this year, much to our disappointment. It just didn't get cold enough this winter. C found some peachy-pink roses to take their place.
We decided to forgo homeschooling that day and C, Little L and I spent some time at the pond across the street from K's school. We were hoping to see some goslings but apparently the feeling wasn't mutual as they never appeared. We enjoyed observing all the other geese and ducks that did make an effort to come out and wish C a happy birthday. C was quite in her element amongst them. Someday, when we have our farm, we will have to have some geese and ducks for her to tend to.
Oh, and that last photo of her? That's what I get for saying, "Can I take your picture?" (as in a posed shot instead of my usual candids) to my cute little spunky one. I hope she never loses that spark!
Project notes:
Hen with chicks
C's hen and 6 chicks were made using the Henny Penny pattern in Handmade Beginnings. I love that the chicks velcro to Mama hen's body underneath her cozy, warm wings. This project felt pretty thrifty. It was done with nothing but scraps from the folksy flannel quilt I made a few years back, and notions I already had on hand. The chicks in the pattern were made flat to sit under the hen's wings but I knew C would want them to be able to sit on their own, so I added a belly to the pattern (as you can see in the last photo).
C named the hen Patty Cake, in case you were wondering. I find that name quite amusing but very fitting for C.
Birthday skirt and top
I knew I didn't have the energy to pull off a birthday dress and sweater (my usual birthday tradition) this year so I went with a simple skirt and top. I did the same thing for K's last birthday so I think it was acceptable to C.
For C's skirt I used Heather Ross Far, Far Away II fabric (that I had left from a winter dress I made for K) and tangerine flowers from Far Far Away III for the contrasting trim. I made the skirt pattern up as I went but if you wanted a super easy free skirt pattern, my favorite one is here. It's great for learning to sew, too! Both of my girls request pockets in anything I sew for them. I somehow forgot that. When I showed Kevin the finished skirt the first thing he said was, "Where's the pocket?" I had to sit back down and figure out how I would add one. I normally like to accentuate the pockets with trim or contrasting thread but that just seemed too busy for this cheerful skirt. I instead decided to make a pocket that blends in. I cut out a piece of leftover fabric and lined it up like a puzzle piece over the same image on the skirt and sewed it in place. I think it worked okay.
C's top was just a simple cap sleeved knit. I finished it with a picot trim, my favorite way to end girls top and vest patterns. It just makes them all the more feminine. The top is a bit long, as you can see in the photos of her with the ducks. It doesn't help that the shirt underneath is bunched up, causing the top to get all lumpy looking. I added a bunny to the bottom with my first try at duplicate stitching but I might remove it. I'm not sure if you can tell it's a bunny. Can you?...because C couldn't!
The rav notes are here.
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