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Goodbye, Beatrice.

7/31/2014

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Poor Little Bee died last night. It was really rather unexpected, as she had seemed so healthy for the past months. She was my little baby girl kitty. Very small, all black, short hair and knock knees. She was nine years old in May, and we had had her for eight and a half years. Someone had dropped her off at the local shelter, along with her Mother and litter mates, when she was six weeks old. That's her kitten photo on left. When we adopted her, she had been at the shelter for six months. No one wanted her because she was all black. I'll post more of her story later on.

She has always had asthma, but it seems that her heart must have been bad, too. She was sitting on the stool at the kitchen window last night when she got startled. She fell off to the floor and had a little seizure or heart attack and in less than a minute she was gone. God really blessed us with all the years that we had her. She was super special. She was always bringing me presents of her toy mice --- the green ones were best! I'm really missing her.

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Little Bee in the "Pent House". (March 9)
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State Fair Results & a Best-of-Show Ribbon

7/26/2014

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The State Fair opened on Wednesday, so the three of us went down to see how my dolls did. :) I'm always curious to know and don't want to wait until the end of the fair to find out! Elizabeth and I were both very excited and happy. Elrond won 1st Place and Best-of-Show. Beorn did well, too, as he got a 3rd place ribbon. Here is a photo of the happy pair:
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Now I have to begin planning on the dolls to make and enter for next year's fair! I really enjoy making them to enter. It gives me a good deadline and reason to make them. I think that I'm ready to take a break from fantasy characters, though, so that will play into the next doll. My favorites to make are the men --- just because of the types of clothes. The last girl that I made was Carmen Miranda (two years ago!), so maybe it's time for a girl again. We'll have to see. Since it takes several months of my evening time to make these, I have to pick a subject that I really want to work on for a while.

We've been doing a lot of canning and freezing around here. Produce auction is on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so that keeps us busy. Lots of zucchini this week --- and green beans! More later.
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Prince George Celebrates His 1st Birthday!

7/22/2014

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It hardly seems like this much time has passed, but Prince George is celebrating his first birthday! It seems like only a couple of months ago that we were standing in the airport picking out a newspaper announcing the birth of the little prince.
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I have spent the last couple of weeks finishing off my "first" Prince George scrapbook. It turns out that my scrapbook has gotten so large that I could only fit the first year in it. So, I have a new one to start with all of the birthday clippings, pictures and articles.

Three new photos were released in honor of today. Baby George has certainly grown a lot --- and is walking in those adorable little shoes! I was a little disappointed that there have been no formal portraits of George on his own. His birthday would have been a perfect opportunity, but the three photos are really cute. Happy Birthday, Prince George! May God bless his next year.
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Canning Beans and Salsa, Freezing Zucchini, etc. 

7/21/2014

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Life has been busy around here, so I wanted to post a quick update. We have gotten into the canning and freezing swing. We've been working on pickles for the last two weeks. We have cucumber pickles, zucchini pickles and pickled green beans. In fact, Mom and I just finished doing up the last of the pickled beans that we'll need for the year! We have also gotten a start on salsa, as we've been able to do some zucchini salsa. I have all of the strawberries mashed and in the freezer, so we can make jam later on in the year.
The Day Lilies are in full bloom. I went out last week and took some photos, so here are some of the special ones. I am hoping to move a whole bunch into the back yard into a big patch next year. We've been having a lot of rain, but also a lot of nice cool weather. Not bad! The State Fair opens this week. Hoping to go. Also, Prince George has a birthday tomorrow! More on that later. I've been working on my scrapbook a lot lately! More later.
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Another Needle-Felted Doll: Beorn from "The Hobbit"

7/12/2014

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I've finally finished another doll! Just in time, too, as it had to go down to the State Fair today. Nothing like squeaking in at the last moment, right?!

This time it is Beorn from Tolkien's The Hobbit. Elizabeth is wanting to make a dollhouse display of Beorn's house, so she wanted an 8" Beorn doll to go in it. So, I got the job! It was a nice break after doing Elrond, as this one is a smaller doll with simpler clothes. However, the stance was a lot of fun. It is based on Michael Persbrandt's portrayal in the new film, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. In particular, he is based on the character as he appears in the first moments after he enters his house.

Beorn is made of Merino wool roving, with some Cotswold for the skin tone. He stands 8-1/2" tall (including hair), weighs just under 2 oz., took approximately 38 hours to complete and was made with .40 and .42 needles. His boot laces are linen thread. It was his hair that was the tricky part. I have a lot of different wool hair for these dolls --- all types and colors. But nothing seemed right. Elizabeth and I spent an evening trying to pick one, but nothing was satisfying me. So, I had a fitful night --- until the wee small hours, when I suddenly remembered something! A friend had given Dad a piece of Black Bear fur (helps to know a taxidermist!) for fly-tying. That was it! It would look perfect, but the only problem would be getting it to felt. I figured that if it would not felt on, then it would be worth sewing on. Surprisingly, the fur felted fabulously!! Thank the Lord, it worked so well that I was able to do the hair in one evening. Of course, trimming it took another evening. ;) So, Beorn has genuine Bear hair!!

To see more photos of this doll, just click on the "Wool Dolls" button above, then click "Fogleberry Photo Gallery".

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    SAMWISE: MY HONEY-POT  
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              Colossians 2:8:
    See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
    BEATRICE: MY HONEY-BEE
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    Edward James Eliot
    My "favorite" member of the Clapham Sect. Not very much is known about him, but what is preserved keeps a beautiful memory alive of an exemplary Christian man.
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    William Wilberforce Quote:
    May I look to Him for wisdom and strength and the power of persuasion, and may I surrender myself to Him as to the event with perfect submission, and ascribe to Him all the praise if I succeed, and if I fail say from the heart thy will be done.
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    For you Jesus Christ came into the world. For you he lived and showed God’s love. For you he suffered the darkness of Calvary and cried at the last, ‘It is accomplished.’ For you he triumphed over death and rose to new life. For you he reigns at God’s right hand. All this he did for you, though you do not know it yet.

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    Where there is one, there is a majority of one; and when the rights of the majority take away from the rights of the one, then the many will themselves suffer.
    ~Henry David Thoreau~
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    I often think of Bag End. I miss my books, and my armchair, and my garden. You see, that's where I belong. That's home. That's why I came back, because you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can.
    ~ Bilbo Baggins ~
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    FAVORITE BOOKS & FILMS
    Gone With the Wind (Mitchell)
    Genesis of a Legacy (K. Ham)
    Prisoner of Zenda (Hope)
    Scaramouche (Sabatini)
    Amazing Grace (2007)
    Bertie & Elizabeth (2002)
    Farmer's Daughter (1947)
    Ride Clear of Diablo (1954)
    Secondhand Lions (2003)
    Sweethearts (1938)

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    SCARAMOUCHE QUOTES

    He was born with a gift of laughter & a sense that the world was mad.

    The future is to be read with certainty only in the past. Man never changes.
    PRIDE & PREJUDICE:

    A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment.
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    PRIDE & PREJUDICE:

    Laugh as much as you choose, but you will not laugh me out of my opinion.

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    WINSTON CHURCHILL ON
    KING GEORGE VI


    "His conduct on the Throne may well be a model & a guide to constitutional sovereigns throughout the world today & also in future generations."

    "For 15 years George VI was King. Never at any moment in all the perplexities at home & abroad, in public or in private, did he fail in his duties."

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