Peahen Sighting

A few minutes to create a post...still living without a computor.  I like it, really.  I have more time in the day!  I do admit to checking Pintrest rather frequently...I recently spotted a peahen there...

This is pretty amazing!  There are lots of peacocks, not many hens.  Sort of makes me want to work in the garden.  I know I have lots of rose bush pruning to do this fall.  Robin is so gracious about mowing for me.  Here she is mowing last weekend - I was in the kitchen and overheard her singing over and over - "all I want for Christmas is a goat".  Pretty funny. 

We have an old fashioned push mower, so it's a bit challenging if the grass is long like it is here.
I don't have any cross stitch photos today, though I am still working on the Cottages of the Month.  My mind is on English Smocking lately, as I am gearing up to make a Christening gown for our friends Amy and Ryan.  I'd better get busy - the baby is due next month!!!  I finally convinced Robin to dig out the box of her baby clothes that I had made her that I hand smocked - for inspiration, and also to copy a few techniques.  I really want to find the photos of her wearing all of these, but for now, I took some snaps of a few, wrinkles and all.  This one is my absolute favorite and the one I'm going to copy.  It's a Grace Knott pattern, a baby gown with raglan sleeves and a smocked yolk.  I used Imperial Batiste cotton, satin ribbon, and pink floss for the stitching on the pleats, as I no longer had a pleater, I hand pleated the fabric first, which is what I will do with the gown I'm going to make soon. 

Here is a close up of the smocking, maybe you can see the little gold heart charm at the neck.

Here is another dress I smocked for her:

and the yolk:

also, a detail of the smocked bonnet, which, the day I finally finished, was the day she decided she didn't like bonnets anymore! 

While we were in the box, I did a little snooping for fun.  Robin really liked Pooh Bear.  Here is a little winter hat she had...it's a little small now.

She also had a Pooh bathing suit...

Here is her very favorite dress, her elephant dress, we found it at a garage sale, and it's pretty tiny.  After all, she started out at 2 1/2 pounds!  This is pretty cute - I would have liked one in my size this past summer.  My grandma Mee Mee hand made all of her summer dresses, very similar to this with the high yolk with gathers, and pockets.  Another project for next summer...

Next time we snoop through Robin's closet, I want to look at the stuffed animals.  Teenages like them too, here are the two Robin keeps out in her room currently:

She says "what? so I have varied interests!"  This from the girl who just finished a book on Thermo-Dynamics and is studying Calculus.  Variety is the spice of life, after all!
One last little thing - a little miracle - got this plant at Kroger on the mark-down table for $1.00 last month.  I love succulents, they are my favorites, and this little darling decided to bloom for me!

Seems like this is short and scattered, I guess since I didn't pull it together like I wanted to, but it's nice to send something out.  Have a very blessed week, please come back again!  Shari

Something's Fishy

We had the most fun ever one afternoon last week - so that became our summer vacation.  Our dear friend and Seminarian Bill took us fishing.  The day was lovely, temperature mild, and it was so peaceful.  Even though Robin is a vegan, (I was too in the days of consuming gluten), she proved a gifted fisher and caught 4 or 5 bass.  I caught a large bluegill and a bass.  Luckily for the bluegill, it got away. 

Robin with some of her fish:

Bill commented on what a great team Robin and I make, since I won't touch the fish or the bait, and she won't eat the fish.  Ideal.  Bill is a fantastic and patient teacher, and we learned so much.  I think the most important thing we learned was to step out of the ordinary and enjoy the beauty of God's creation and have a lovely summer afternoon together. 

Conversing.

Speaking the language.

Smoochy smoochy.  She said she didn't really kiss this fish, but it sure looked like it to me!
All in all, a day I will never forget.  Thanks Bill, and we are keeping you in our prayers.
Well, this whole post is quite short, as we are currently enjoying a computor free lifestyle at home.  I still have much more to share, but for the time being here are just a few photos for my stitchy friends - these are just a few samples of vintage Swedish cross stitch pieces.  I am very fond of Swedish folk art - mostly cross stitch and allmoge, folk painting.  Here is a lovely cross stitched piece of some Linnaea, or Linnea flowers, native to Sweden. 

The Linnaea flower or Linnaea borealis is named after Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist from the south of Sweden in Smaland, around 1778.  Fascinating man!  Here is another sample of some linnaea's from Smaland - an older piece:

This long delicate fringe is common on many Swedish pieces.  Here is a photo of the actual flower, which not only blooms in Sweden but also on this continent in Alaska.  Isn't it lovely?

Here is one last piece, showing the charming folk style and native dress:

and a close up:



This makes me want to stitch!  Maybe this will be a "three dog night" - you know the Australian term for a night so cold it takes three dogs to keep you warm?  Well, at our house, every night is a three dog night, we curl up and I get to stitch.  Look who's waiting for me:

Thanks for sticking around, posts may be shorter and posted a day or two late each week while we live computor-less, but I'll keep showing up.  Peace and Joy, Shari