First Birthday Party

Now we all know that children never remember their first birthday party, so bearing that in mind my sister really wasn't intending to do anything for my niece's first birthday. Also it did come a day before my cousin's wedding and everyone was busy with that. However my mother, brother in-law and sister's father in-law started talking about do something for the occasion. On the actual day we just had an impromptu lighting of candles on a bakery bought cake with just the people who were already over at our house. Then a week later we ended up doing a proper thing at my sister's in-laws. This was an excuse to make up a dessert table, which to be honest me, my sister and her sister in-law were more excited about putting that together than anything else. Here are some pictures from the occasion.

I wasn't going to put any pictures of the impromptu thing but I like this
 picture of my brother in-law light the candle

On the party day, barbecue on the menu

It was lovely eating in the garden 

For the dessert table: Brownies with hearts on made by me 

Biscuits made buy my sister's cousin in-law 

Vanilla cupcakes with strawberries and Thorntons smiles on top of buttercream
made but my sister's sister in-law

The whole dessert table 

Buttons, paper straws and mini spinning wheels  

Chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate buttercream and gold glitter covered cherries, also made by my sister's sister in-law

Even though my niece was actually asleep when we did the actual cake cutting a lot of fun was had. I can't believe my niece is actually 1 years old mashallah, it just seems like yesterday my sister told us she was expecting. Here's wishing her a long, happy and prosperous life inshallah.

The Untimely End

As you can tell from the title of the post there had been some bad news. It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that one of our new chicks has passed. It was the youngest of the brood and we think it was attacked by a bigger bird (maybe a magpie). My granddad found it under one of the trees with injuries and wounds. I can just imagine the horrific struggle that it went through to try and get away, but it just wasn't enough. Even more bad news is that four of the eggs that the other hen was sitting on have been broken. We think this must have happened when the other three hens have wanted to lay their own eggs. So all in all it hasn't been a good week for the Big Chicken House. Here is the last video I made of all six of the chicks together when they ventured outside on to the grass and just enjoying life.

The Wedding

A couple of the days after the mehndi is the wedding which took place a Tatton Park in Cheshire. There was a beautiful garden and mansion and the weather stayed well so the whole day was a delight. There was a sweet station, a dessert table and of course wedding cake. Also a message board where people could write their well wishes for the happy couple which was sweet. I was running around taking loads of pictures and video footage so here is a selection.

Wedding favours from the grooms side 

Car ribbon

Wedding favour form the brides side 

Drinks

Stage

Sweet station (Thank you to my sister for letting me use her hand )

Wedding cake 

The happy couple 

Message board

Dessert table

Me 

The dress that I was wearing was from Debenhams but it was sleeveless so I had sleeves put on to make more hijab friendly. The scarf was also from Debenhams, the necklace that I on top of my scarf was from Accessorize and I am also wearing a hand chain from River Island.

Here is the video:

Mehndi

So as you know I have been fully involved in a family wedding which is now over and now its picture time. Starting with the Mehndi occasion which is a bigger and more extravagant than a mayoon. Again the candles,  corsages and the bangles sets were made up by ourselves. The mehndi took place at Eastern Pearl in Manchester and all of the pictures were taken but me.

Corsages

Henna and candles

Bangle sets

Decorated tea lights

A lovely golden scarf

The stage

The Bride and Groom to be

Me 

Candles from the brides side

........In other news......

So a midst all of the baby chick excitement, we are actually in the midst of a family wedding.  Asian weddings can be very extravagant and consist of many events (minimum 3). Last night we went to the brides family house for a traditional ladies night of dholaki (traditional drum), ladies singing out of tune, the grooms family coming with gifts and a good laugh. With our family being from the grooms side we were the ones baring gifts (which we made ourselves). Here are a few pictures from last night

Fruit basket, clothes and corsages 

Close up of the clothes 

Dholaki drum

Love the movement in this picture 

Corsages

Decor

Veils on the ceiling 

The saga continues......

Just when we thought we had all the chicks we were going to get, another one started cracking so at this moment in time the is a half hatched chick trying to get out of it's egg shell. However that's not even the end of it. One of our other hens has started brooding as well so we have another mother hen and in about a months time we will have more chicks hopefully :-)

 

Party of Five

Baby chick update............we now have five and what an adorable little family they are. Our hen is a very proud mother and has taken to motherhood rather well. It is so cute to watch them communicate with each other.

Lovely little family

Proud mother hen

Lunch time

Having fun

Don't forget me

So yesterday we were all excited about the new chick and it was all good. However during the night something happened which got us even more excited in the morning. Baby chick has got a sibling YAY. My dad and I went to have a look this morning and there were two little chicks chirpping under their mum. I had to film it so here you are watching them have their breakfast:

A new member of the family

About three weeks ago one of our hens started brooding and we were all over the moon. We don't know how it happened, one day she just stayed sitting down in the place where our hens lay their eggs and didn't move. For the next few days she would collect all of the eggs that the other hens had layed and was brooding in her own corner of the hutch. We had marked the calender and eagerly waited for any sign of new life. Yesterday (31/05/13) the wait was over and one of the chicks had hatched. I was at work all day so I missed the actual egg hatching but when I woke up today I went to have a look. Even though we have had our cockerel since he was an egg, the excitement and the cuteness factor was still very high.  

Mother hen and baby chick 

'Mummy can I have a cuddle please'

Cuddles

Mother hen staring right down the barrel of the lens 

My dad giving the both of them food 

'Mummy I don't want to eat anymore'

Snuggling back under mother hen