Not part of the plan

Last Monday I went back to work after the break, and everyone was talking about how much illness they'd experienced over the holidays. I was kind of dumbstruck by how rampant it was, given that we escaped relatively unscathed. Wouldn't you know it - by Tuesday night I knew exactly what they meant. I lost several days last week to being incredibly sick. Definitely not part of the plan with all of the projects I have on the go right now! (On the bright side, the rest of the family seems to have dodged the bullet.)

As a result, I haven't made any more progress on doll clothes, although I did finish the party dress and it turned out awesome. Liam was very excited to see it finished and wanted to give it to Mallory right away, so we did. She was tickled, and then promptly decided that the party dress would be her gift to Jenna for Jenna's birthday. It's now wrapped up in some tissue paper and a gift bag and hidden behind Mallory's closet door, which I have come to find out is her secret hiding spot for everything (this will serve me well in the future.)

Something else Mallory now has hidden behind her closet door is the card she made Jenna. I started laughing hysterically when I first saw it but then took a look at Mallory and saw how serious and earnest she was, and I shut right up about it. 

Clearly, she is pretty smitten with this doll. Chad said she saw more or less the same wording on a card at the store and remembered it pretty closely when it came time to recreate it at home. Yes, this birthday is going to be a big deal; Chad bought Mallory a bag of balloons (blue, of course) while they were out, and Mallory is also requesting blue-iced cupcakes. I think we can handle that.

I will keep working on my clandestine sewing but am not sure how much more I can get done between now and next weekend. Another project has taken precedence lately, and I'd like to get it finished up sooner rather than later because it's spread pretty much clear across the house right now. But now that Mallory has the party dress in hand, I think the rest of the outfit options can trickle in over time.