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