New season, new projects

Hi friends! I hope you all had/are having a wonderful weekend, were you celebrating Easter or not

The Easter Vigil went well. I was very nervous at first, but I felt "carried", so it seems my nervousness didn't show after all and my voice was OK (at least, that is what people told me - boy did I feel overwhelmed with their kindness at the end of the celebration!). Thank you for your support! The whole celebration (it lasted 3 hours) was beautiful and made me so happy.

Yesterday morning, I took the train to Lille to spend some time with my family. We celebrated my brother's birthday. I cannot say I came home to Paris perfectly happy though - my father's health has us very worried. He's smoked since he was 14 and he is now 56. He now constantly has colds, which turn into bronchitis, and his emphysema is getting worse and worse. You should think that with 2 of his children being doctors, and all of us being so concerned, and a beautiful grandson now, he'd know better! :(

Anyway - we did have a good time together. Robin has grown so much, and he is such a happy baby! He's laughing all the time. He'll be 5 months next Sunday.

He was seated right next to me at the table... Let us say I didn't eat much of the Sunday lunch - I was too busy with him ;)

By the way, I realized most of you may think spontaneously that Robin is pronounced with the in pronounced like the English preposition, "in". It's actually pronounced with the typically French nazalised sound that you find in the French "copain" (friend), and which you don't have in English. Robin est mon copain rhymes.

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A new season (be it meteorological, or spiritual), is conducive to new projects, right? Especially when Easter coincides with the true arrival of spring, as it has over France.

I just started a design for the bourse tutorial that will be held next month on the Focus on Finishing blog. I managed to stitch in the train! That hadn't happened in a long time. I'm stitching the top part of LHN's Morning Berries (the tree and bunnies, which will be a square piece), and it is very sweet. I plan on stitching more of it tonight.

My other new project is a sewing one (again!). One of the liberty fabrics I bought in London in January is being prewashed right now. It is a beautiful flowery lawn, in my favourite tones:

I have decided to make the Vogue 2902 dress with it. You see, yesterday evening, I showed my Dad the new Vogue 2960 that was released last week, and he said I should definitely make that one, too. There was a 60% sale on sewingpatterns.com and he got it for me as an early birthday gift. How sweet is that! I can't wait to receive it, and this is why I decided to get cracking on my other Vintage Vogue pattern.

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Speaking of birthdays... This made me realize that my birthday was not so far away. Just in case any of you were considering sending me anything - not that I am expecting anything at all, it would be sheer arrogance, but better be safe than sorry ;) - I have a favour to ask. I would really like none of my friends to send me anything this year. Please, don't take this the wrong way. You know I have resigned myself not to send birthday gifts this year - it just wasn't realistic anymore. I would feel terrible receiving something while I'm not able to send anything for birthdays. I really mean it - I don't need any gift to feel blessed in my friends! True friendship doesn't need any gifties, so please don't send me anything. My friends make me happy throughout the year, not just on my birthday

Hope you have a lovely, sunny, happy week.