Hitty's Thimbleberry Cottage Too

After Christmas Visitors

2012-01-09T15:54:00.001-08:00

Barney and his brother Desmond are staying for a visit. We hoped to have some snow so we could all go sledding but this has been a very dry, warm winter so far. The boys are all visiting in Hank's room.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

A New Family Member

2011-12-31T07:11:00.000-08:00

A new wooden dolly has joined our family. She was created by Mom's dear friend, Barb.

Meet Miss Hickory. She will be staying with us for a while until she can find a home of her own. She longs for a nice cozy home that she can call her own.

Visit with Santa

2011-12-15T16:26:00.000-08:00

We took the little ones to see Santa today! They were all so excited!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Old friends

2011-10-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty quiet summer so no new posts for ages. We were delighted to have our dear friend, Barney Bear, pay us a visit. It's always fun to talk about the good times we've had together.

Beautiful Scotland!

2011-06-07T06:34:00.000-07:00

After our stay at the Isle of Skye we headed to the Highlands of Scotland.

Eilean Donan Castle is beautiful!

We made a stop at the beautiful Loch Ness, unfortunately, we didn't spot Nessie!

We paid our respects at the Culloden Battlefield.

Our hotel in Aviemore had a beautiful view!

Blair Castle in Highland Perthshire is really beautiful.

We made a stop at the ruins of St. Andrew's Cathedral. It was Scotland's largest and most magnificient Cathedral.

And what visit to Scotland would be complete without a visit to Edinburgh Castle!

We spent some time shopping on the Royal Mile.

Alas, time to say farewell - we had such a great time! Hank didn't get to meet J.K. Rowling but he says he had the best time ever!!

Thanks for sharing some of the highlights of our trip!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Scotland

2011-05-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

We spent the last days of our tour in Scotland. First we visited Glasgow. Our room didn't have much of a view as it overlooked the Glasgow Central Train Station.

Glasgow Cathedral or St. Mungo's as it's also know is a beautiful cathedral. We also paid a visit to the Necropolis that is located next to the Cathedral.
The monuments are really beautiful!

In the Trossachs of Scotland we visited the famous Hamish, his mate Heather and their baby Honey!

A beautiful boat trip around Loch Lomand!

In the Highlands we paid a visit to Glencoe and paid our respects at the Commando Memorial.

A highlight of our trip was a stay in Portree on the Isle of Skye. What a beautiful little town!!

Continuing on through Ireland

2011-05-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

Creevykeel, in County Sligo, was an interesting stop. It is a court tomb that dates anywhere from 4,000 to 2,500BC.

Hank and I are posing across the street from Belleek Pottery on the banks of the Erne River in Northern Ireland.

Our next stop is the Ulster American Folk Park in Northern Ireland. (Sorry the picture is out of focus.)The Bluebells were beautiful!

In Belfast we took a walk along the city walls and saw some of the city.Reminders of Northern Ireland's turbulent past are never far away.

We made our way out to Malin Head, Ireland; it was so windy Mom didn't take us out for photos. So we just had some scenery shots.

The Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland was a great stop! Huge basalt columns rise up from the sea.

Scotland awaits.........

More pictures of our tour

2011-05-25T06:43:00.000-07:00

Hank and I visit St. Mary's Cathedral in Killarney.

The highlight today is a tour of the Ring of Kerry - some of the most beautiful scenery in Ireland. Here we are at Ross Castle on the shores of Lough Leane in Killarney National Park (sorry for the poor quality picture).

We stopped by a picture of the King Puck statue in Killorglin.

A sad reminder of the hard times during the potato famine - a famine house.

Beautiful Castle Cove.

The picturesque town of Sneem. We have it on good authority that the wonderful actress, Maureen O'Hara, (one of Mom's favorites!) takes afternoon tea here.

Our next stop was in Adare; such a pretty village!

A visit to the Cliffs of Moher! What spectacular scenery! Do you see those black streaks in the pictures? They are bugs! We were completly overtaken by swarms of flying bugs of some kind. We heard little children screaming and crying, "They are getting in my eyes!" Hank and I posed bravely until Mom couldn't take it anymore and had to leave the cliff edge!

Next was the Burren. A strange landscape of weathered and eroded limestone.

Our last stop for the day was Dunguaire Castle on the shore of Galway Bay. Beautiful!

More later.....

We're Back!

2011-05-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Hank and I are back from our trip to Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland. We had such a great time! It's the first time that Hank has ever travelled so far away from home - he said he had the best time!

Our trip started in Dublin. We spent some time walking through the beautiful St. Stephen's Green.

The next day we made our way to Glendalough, the "Glen of Two Lakes". It was such a beautiful place. It is a monastic settlement founded in the 6th Century by St. Kevin.

Our travels led us next into County Kildare and a visit to the Irish National Stud and Japanese Gardens. The grounds are really beautiful! Everything was looking especially nice as they were preparing for a visit from the Queen!

The next day found us in the quaint, picturesque town of Youghal in County Cork. We made just a brief stop on our way to Blarney Castle.

Blarney Castle
A view from the top of the Castle - Mom climbed up to kiss the Blarney Stone!

The final stop of the day was at Muckross House and Gardens in Killarney National Park. The grounds are really spectacular!

I hope you've enjoyed these pictures - I'll be posting more later. I hope you come back and visit.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Only a Few Days Left Until We Leave!

2011-04-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

Mom hasn't been keeping up with my website lately; but I forgive her because she has been busy preparing for our trip. Hank and I are joining Mom for a two-week tour of Ireland and Scotland! Hank is especially excited; he has never really travelled before. (I think he's secretly hoping to meet JK Rowling, his literary hero.) We are all packed and ready to go - we can hardly wait!

See you when we get back!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

A New Family Member and Dollhouse Redecorating

2011-01-11T09:37:00.000-08:00

We received a new family member from our dear friend, Barb and her Hitty family. Her name is Bonnie Babe and she is so wonderful! (Mom says she reminds her of Baby Betsy from the book, "The Doll People" - she might have come from a different doll set and be much bigger, but we love her and knew she was meant to be ours!)

Mom had been thinking about rearranging the doll house to make a nursery for Chet and Bitty Barbara and now, with the addition of Bonnie Babe, she has decided that that is the thing to do.

Hitty Barb and Madeline have moved downstairs in order to free up the big room for the nursery. They are very pleased with the changes and think their new room is very cozy!

Hank also got some wonderful gifts (a boat bookcase and a ship in a bottle) and has made some changes to his room as well.

Every one is very happy with the changes and can't wait to help start work on the nursery!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Fun in the Snow

2010-12-26T12:32:00.000-08:00

Barney is visiting us for Christmas vacation. It snowed overnight so we thought we would all go sleding!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Christmas Cookies!

2010-12-22T12:58:00.000-08:00

Hitty Barbara and I serve the treats we have been so hard at work preparing!

Merry Christmas!

Hitty-Ann Grace and all the gang!

Christmas is Nearly Here!

2010-12-12T14:27:00.001-08:00

Barney Bear Visits!

2010-12-09T16:56:00.000-08:00

Barney Bear came for a visit. He and Hank are practicing their Christmas songs!

Fall in the Kitchen

2010-11-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

The girls prepare dinner in their new Fall dresses.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace and Hitty Barb

A New Hitty Joins the Family!

2010-10-22T12:22:00.003-07:00

Made by a dear friend, Hitty Lily joins the girls at Thimbleberry Cottage! She even brought along her beautiful rocking chair!

Finally a new post!!!

2010-08-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

Mom feels bad that we haven't really done much around Thimbleberry Cottage since Spring! She's been working on the playhouse (you can read about it on her blog) so much that she hasn't had time for much else.

Anyway, she said we could all get together for a BBQ - what fun!! Barney Bear came to visit and the Norwood Mouse family came over too. We haven't seen much of them lately since they moved over to the playhouse. We had a great day!!

Mr. Norwood was excited to use his new BBQ to grill for his family!

Barney Bear was in charge of the grill for the rest of us - vegetarian fare of course!

We had ice cream for desert!

Play time for the kids!

We all had a great day! It was nice to get together with family and friends!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

More new sweaters

2010-04-23T17:06:00.001-07:00

The Never-ending Winter!

2010-04-22T11:51:00.000-07:00

We are all wishing for Spring but it never seems to come. Just when the weather starts to warm and we think "Finally, Spring!" a snowstorm comes and ends our hopes of warm sunny days. Today we got about 8 inches of new snow, with more predicted for next week! Mom has been busy knitting and gave us each a new sweater. Oh well, Spring will arrive someday..........

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Meet Chet!

2010-01-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

Little Chet was spotted in an antique shop and Mom knew he was meant to be a part of our Hitty family. Even though he is not a wooden boy he fits in with our family perfectly. He needed some new clothes so Mom made him a tiny sweater to match Hank's. Welcome home Chet!

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T16:52:00.000-08:00

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This New Year's Eve we are staying home and watching "Wild Hogs" on TV. Popcorn and soda make good treats for movie watching!

Best Wishes to everyone for a Happy New Year! See you in 2010!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace, Hitty Barb and Hank

(PS - Barney Bear, wish you were here!)

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T07:06:00.000-08:00

Hank's trip to Disneyland!

2009-12-15T16:38:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, Hitty-Ann Grace let me borrow her blog to tell you about my trip to Disneyland yesterday. Hitty has told me lots about Disneyland because she has been there many times. When I heard Mom mention that she was going I asked if I could go too. She said "Of course!"

We picked up our good friend Barney Bear and off we went. I had such a great time; I've never been anywhere like it before! My life was rather sheltered before I came to live at Thimbleberry Cottage.

Our first stop was to see "The Holiday Spectacular" with Billy Hill and the Hillbillies! I enjoyed the music so much and there were funny jokes too! Since I play the guitar I really appreciated all the great music!

Next it was on to ride "Thunder Mountain". I've never been on a roller coaster before - it was so much fun!

Next we stopped to visit Santa's Reindeer. They are such neat animals!

We stopped by "It's a Small World" next. Unfortunately, the park was so crowded the line looked like it was miles long! Mom said not to worry - this wouldn't be our last trip to Disneyland and next time we could ride on all the rides we missed this time.

Isn't Sleeping Beauty Castle nice - it looks really neat with the holiday decorations.

Thanks Mom and Barney Bear for such a great day at Disneyland! I can't wait to go back! I even got a Mickey Mouse souvenir to put in my room!

See you next time. Thanks, Sis, for letting me borrow your blog.

Hank

Finally a new post!

2009-12-12T15:17:00.000-08:00

You've probably been wondering where we've been!!! Mom has so been busy preparing the house for Christmas and making Christmas gifts that she hasn't had time to update my site.

We are finally decorating the house and getting ready for Christmas! This will be Hank's first Christmas with us so that makes it very special.

Bitty Barb nearly fell off the footstool; luckily Hank was there to catch her. She wanted to see what was on the mantle.

Hank hangs the stockings. I think Bitty Barb may have the wrong stocking, it's nearly as big as she is!

Time for a Christmas story!
Hitty Barbara and I are busy in the kitchen - lots of goodies to make!

See you next time!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Happy Halloween!!

2009-10-31T18:10:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone!!! All the kids from Farm Camp came to the party and we had a great time!!

Best buds - Hank and Barney Bear.

I LOVE my ballerina outfit!

Hitty Barbara looks lovely as Snow White!

Hank came as a pirate - he didn't tell Mom until too late that he really wanted to come as Harry Potter - his new favorite character.

Pepito makes a handsome Matador!

Nicole looks lovely as a Flower Fairy!

Barney Bear makes a handsome Roman Soldier!

Bobbing for apples was great fun!

Twister is always a party favorite!

Everyone got a turn at pumpkin carving.

Everyone had a wonderful time!!

Thanks for stopping by - I hope you had a fun Halloween too!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Getting ready for the Halloween Party

2009-10-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, Hitty Barbara and I are busy today getting ready for our Halloween Party. All the kids from Farm Camp are coming - we are so excited!

I hope you will stop by tomorrow and join the party too!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Halloween dresses!

2009-10-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

Mom made us new dresses for Halloween. She also told us we will be having a Halloween party this year. We can hardly wait!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Farm Quilts

2009-09-28T06:45:00.000-07:00

One of our projects at Farm Camp was to make a quilt that we could take home with us. We had a great time working on these! I'm sure we'll all have fond memories and dreams of Farm Camp as we snuggle beneath our quilts this Winter.

See you again soon.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Hoedown!

2009-09-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

It has been such a fun week at Farm Camp. We've learned so much about caring for animals, gardening and farm life in general. We continued to work on our quilts today; we are in a rush to finish them so we can take them home tomorrow.

To celebrate our last evening the boys pulled out their musical instruments and played some country music! Hitty Barbara and I had such fun dancing!

It's been such fun; I hope we can return to the Farm again!

See you later.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Farm Gardens

2009-09-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

Today after our morning chores we had classes on gardening. We learned about compositing, organic gardening and harvesting. In the afternoon we harvested a lot of the veggies and Hitty and Barney were in charge of running the farm stand to sell them.

We are still working on our quilts and can't wait to show the ones we will get to bring home.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Yikes!!

2009-09-24T06:21:00.000-07:00

Hank and I were working in the barn this morning when all of a sudden we turned and saw a most unwelcome visitor - a skunk!! Hank and I ran for our lives!!! Luckily for us the skunk wandered out of the barn and back into the woods without spraying anyone. When we told the other kids they thought it was very funny. I hope someone else is in charge of gathering the eggs tomorrow.

In the afternoon we began a quilting project. Each of us is working on a quilt we will be able to take home with us. I won't spoil the surprise of what each one looks like yet.

Farm Camp - Day 3

2009-09-23T18:01:00.000-07:00

Hi again. Today Hank, Hitty-Barbara I and were in charge of feeding the chickens, gathering the eggs and milking the cow. Hitty-Barbara loves taking care of the goats and sheep. She is hoping to gather some wool from the sheep and try her hand at spinning. I love gathering the eggs - we have fresh scrambled eggs for breakfast every day.

After chores this morning we had classes on animal care. There is always so much to learn about.

See you later!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Farm Camp - Small Animals

2009-09-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, farming is hard work!!! The chores need to be done every day. Animals need to be fed, the stalls and barnyard need cleaning, the gardens need watering. It's hard work but we are all having a really good time. Tuesday we got to meet all the small animals on the farm - goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits, pigs. Barney Bear really fell in love with the little piglets!

After our visit with the animals in the morning we worked in the kitchen helping to do some canning. We also made zucchini muffins from the zucchini we harvested yesterday afternoon - yum!

See you later!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Farm Camp, Day 1

2009-09-21T06:37:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! So far we are having a wonderful time at Farm Camp! We need to get up early every morning and help with the chores. We help out in the farmhouse by making our beds, helping to cook the meals and washing up the dishes. The most fun though are the farm chores - today we met the horses. We learned about the care and feeding of horses and how to clean up the stalls. Then we got to go horseback riding.

There are several little foals that are so cute - Hank and Hitty Barbara had fun playing with them.

This shy horse is Betsy; Barney and I tried to coax her from the barn. She's a really beautiful horse!

Our first day was very tiring but lots of fun.

I hope you come back and see the rest of our adventures at Farm Camp.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Farm Camp!

2009-09-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

Mom has finally revealed the secret - we are all going to Farm Camp!! She asked everyone to put on their overalls and by tomorrow we will be down on the farm! We have two new family members that will spend summer vacation with us this year - Hank, of course; and Pepito, a friend of Madeline. Here is our family camp picture - left to right Pepito, Nicole, Hitty Barbara, me, Hank, and Barney Bear.

Come back and visit as we have fun at Farm Camp!

See you soon.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Barney Bear meets Hank

2009-08-25T07:30:00.000-07:00

Barney Bear has come to stay for summer vacation. Mom has something special planned but isn't giving us any hints yet. Barney was excited to meet Hank and they found they both love music.

Family Reunion!

2009-08-16T13:51:00.001-07:00

Little did we know that we had a long lost brother! He's been living with another family for the past few years but found his way to our home on Friday. We are so excited and happy! His name is Henry and he likes to be called Hank. We are overjoyed to welcome him home to Thimbleberry Cottage.

You might see a family resemblance; he was brought to life by the same Mom that carved Hitty Barbara and Bitty Barb.

Welcome Home Hank!!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T10:20:00.003-07:00

Wishing everyone a very happpy 4th of July!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Souvenirs

2009-06-23T17:54:00.000-07:00

We thought we would share a few of the souvenirs from our trip. There were so many wonderful things to buy! We shared some of these with the other families that live at Thimbleberry Cottage - the china set, bird picture and cheese dish went to the Three Bears and Goldilocks family, the phone box went to the Mossflower Tea shop, and a set of bagpipes (not pictured) went to our good friend Barney Bear. What a great time we had - I think our memories will be the best souvenirs!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace and Hitty Barbara

Shakespeare Country, Oxford, London

2009-06-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

04/18/09 Today we visit Anne Hathaway's Cottage.
Anne Hathaway (1556-1623) was the wife of William Shakespeare. Her family home is in the village of Shottery, near Stratford-upon-Avon. Hathaway married Shakespeare in November 1582 while pregnant with their first child, to whom she gave birth six months later. Hathaway was 26 years of age; Shakespeare was only eighteen. She was widowed on Shakespeare's death in 1616.

Next, on to Stratfond-upon-Avon to tour William Shakespeare's birthplace. The site is a carefully restored 16th century half-timbered house on Henley Street. It is believed that William Shakespeare was born here in 1564 and spent his childhood years here.

We were quite surprised at the large size of the home and grounds. The grounds were especially beautiful.

Since this is the last day of our tour we wanted to get a picture with one of our new friends. This is Wayne, he is a travel companion with a very nice Austrailian family. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get a group shot with all the travelling companions; it would have made a great picture!

Our next stop is Oxford where we will visit the University and see some city sights. The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. The university traces its roots back to at least 1167.

We also had time to tour the famous Covered Market and get a snack before ending our day with the trip back to London.

It's hard to believe our trip is over. We will travel back to California tomorrow. It was so much fun - a trip of a lifetime!!!

I hope you enjoyed sharing our travels. I wonder if we will be able to take another trip someday - I sure hope so! We'll post some pictures of our souvenirs tomorrow, until then:

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace and Hitty Barbara

PS We'll leave you with a picture of some of the friends that will join us back at Thimbleberry Cottage - Rats from Warwick Castle (one will live at our house), a Scot Bear from Edinburgh, and a Beefeater Bear from York.

York, Coventry, Warwick Castle

2009-06-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

04/17/09 Today we take a walking tour of York - through the Shambles, a walk around the city walls and we finish at the largest cathedral in Britain, York Minster.

Flesshammel is an obsolete term for an open-air slaughterhouse and meat market. This used to be the street of butcher shops. There were no sanitary facilities so the butchering waste and blood were washed down the runnel in the middle of the street. There are no butcher shops there today. The shops are overhanging timber-framed buildings, some dating back as far as the fourteenth century.

York has some wonderful shops and we were bitterly disappointed that the one we most wanted to visit, the Mary Shortle Doll Shop, was closed. All we could do was look longingly in the windows - so many beautiful dolls, wonderful miniatures - all out of reach! (We can't find our picture of the shop so we will add this link for now.)

http://www.maryshortle.com/epages/Store3_Shop2335.sf

York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The formal title of York Minster is The Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of St Peter in York. The first wooden church was built on the site in the 300's. The Gothic church was begun in the 1200's. Since then it has been through several fires and many restorations. It is very beautiful!

There are some very beautiful carvings:

Our next stop was Coventry. The Cathedral, also know as St Michael's church, was constructed between the late 14th century and early 15th century. It was the largest parish church in England when and was given cathedral status in 1918. This St .Michael's Cathedral now stands ruined, bombed almost to complete destruction by the German Luftwaffe during the Blitz on November 14, 1940. The new Cathedral was begun in 1956 and stands right next to the bombed out ruins of the old.

The striking bronze at the new Cathedral is "St Michaels Victory over the Devil", a sculpture by Sir Jacob Epstein.

Just around the corner from the Cathedral is the statue of "Lady Godiva".

According to legend Lady Godiva took pity on the people of Coventry, who were suffering under her husband's oppressive taxation. She appealed again and again to her husband, who obstinately refused to lower the taxes. At last, weary of her requests, he said he would lower the taxes if she would ride naked through the streets of the town. She took him at his word and, after issuing a proclamation that all persons should stay in their homes and shut their windows, she rode through the town, clothed only in her long hair.

In the late afternoon we arrived at Warwick Castle just in time to tour the grounds. We were initially rather disappointed because this beautiful setting seemed like a cross between Disneyland and a Renaissance Faire. Even with all the "touristy" atmosphere we did have a good time.

Warwick Castle is a medieval castle in Warwick, the town of Warwickshire. It sits on a cliff overlooking the River Avon. It was built by William the Conqueror in 1068. In 1978 it was purchased by The Tussauds Group and turned into a tourist attraction.

The Castle is home to one of the world's largest working siege engines. The trebuchet is 59 ft tall, made from over 300 pieces of oak and weighs 22 metric tons. On 21 August 2006, the trebuchet claimed the record as the most powerful catapult in the world when it sent a projectile weighing 29 lb a distance of 820 ft at a speed of 160 mph.

It was great fun to watch the trebuchet in action! The men set off a flaming projectile that went an amazing distance.

There was also an eagle show - what huge birds these are.

The grounds are beautiful and the Peacock Garden was especially nice.

All in all, a fun day!

Saying goodbye to Scotland; hello toYork

2009-06-10T13:15:00.000-07:00

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04/16/09 Today we drive through the Scottish Borderlands and across the River Tweed to visit ruins of Jedburgh Abbey. A church had been at Jedburgh since the 9th century. The abbey itself was founded in 1147. Border wars with England in the 16th century left the abbey a ruin.

Mother sheep and their lambs were a scene we saw all over the UK and Ireland. Getting a good picture proved difficult. At this stop for pictures all we could get was a view of the mama sheep leading her babies away from the road.

Our next stop was at Heddon-on-the-Wall to view a section of Hadrian's Wall. The Roman Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Roman Empire across the width of what is now northern England. It was begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian. The Wall was 117 kilometres long and its height varied by region.
Here at the village of Heddon-on-the-Wall is the longest section of unbroken wall at its original and planned width (most sections were not built to the full width to save time and money). The Wall was constructed primarily to prevent unwanted immigration from the north. Mom was laughing a bit while viewing the wall - she said couldn't help but remember the scene from "Black Adder Back and Forth" where the Romans looked out over the Wall: "There appears to be a large orange hedge moving towards us." "That's not a hedge, counsel - that's the Scots."

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The village homes are quite close to the wall. This shot is just facing the other way while standing at the end of the wall.

Our next stop was an afternoon tea in York. It was very lovely but unfortunately Mom didn't have the camera with her. After tea we had a "Ghost Walk" through York but we didn't see any ghosts!

It was another fun day!

Edinburgh and Rosslyn Chapel

2009-06-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

04/15/09 An early morning for sightseeing at Edinburgh Castle! During the tour the fog crept in and we had a wet, foggy day.

Edinburgh Castle is an ancient stronghold which dominates the skyline of Edinburgh. It sits high atop the volcanic Castle Rock which offers a naturally defended position. Castle Rock has sheer cliffs to north and south, and a steep ascent from the west. There has been a royal Castle here since the reign of David I in the 12th century.

At the entrace are statues of William Wallace (Braveheart) and Robert the Bruce. Unfortunately our picture of Robert the Bruce did not come out. William was a Scottish knight who led a resistance to the English military occupation of Scotland during the Wars of Scottish Independence. He is one of Scotland's greates heros.

Robert the Bruce was a leader in Scotland's First War of Independence (1296-1328), Robert was crowned king of Scots March 25, 1306. He eventually reclaimed almost all of Scotland from the English. He had a stunning victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

We toured the National War Museum of Scotland and St. Margaret's Chapel. St. Margaret's Chapel is the oldest building in the castle, and in Edinburgh. It dates to the reign of King David I (ruled 1124–1153), who built it as a private chapel for the royal family and dedicated it to his mother, Saint Margaret of Scotland, who died in the castle in 1093.

We also viewed The Honours of Scotland (the Crown Jewels of Scotland), The Stone of Destiny. There is so much to see here - we could have stayed all day.

A last stop in the Castle was at the Cemetery for Soldiers dogs.

After leaving the Castle we strolled down the Royal Mile and visited some of the many shops there. An interesting stop was the Museum of Childhood where we purchased a beautiful china set.

After touring Edinburgh we visited the statue of Greyfriar's Bobby and the gravesite of his master. Unfortunately, we did not get any pictures.

Late in the afternoon we made our way to Rosslyn Chapel. In 1446 Sir William St Clair, 3rd Prince of Orkney, founded Rosslyn Chapel. The Chapel is 69 feet in length and nearly 42 feet high; practically every surface of Rosslyn Chapel is covered with intricate and beautiful carvings. Today Rosslyn Chapel is covered by a steel canopy which protects the building. Over the last 10 years this canopy has helped to keep rain off the roof and allow the Chapel to gradually dry out. Plaster coating used in the early 1950s resulted in problems with moisture becoming trapped in the stone and causing mold and mildew to discolor the carvings.

Back to our trip ..... again

2009-06-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

Computer problems continue to plague us so we will try to get back to the trip. I think we were just leaving Liverpool....

04/14/09 Today we travel through the Lake District; some of the prettiest countryside we have ever seen. We stopped at Lake Windermere and took the boat cruise across the lake. What beautiful scenery! It was a bit cloudy and chilly up on the top deck but well worth it for the lovely view!
Our boat awaits:

Next on to Grasmere, a beautiful little village full of charm. It was still raining but it didn't really dampen our spirits.

We paid our respects at the gravesite of William Wordsworth:

Next stop is Gretna Green, a little stop just over the Scottish Border. What a fine sight to first greet us -- Highland Coos! Great, hairy cows that are seen all over Scotland - what fine beasts they are!

It was a lovely day in the beautiful Lake District despite the rain!

Tomorrow - Edinburgh Castle!

Before we were so rudely interrupted...back to our trip......

2009-05-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

There have been a lot of computer problems here, hence the long delay in posting about our trip. Mom was ready to toss the computer through the window but has calmed down now and can finally get back to posting.

We pick up on the way to back to England....

04/13/09 - We had to get up extra early this morning to catch the ferry to Wales. This time our crossing was much calmer. We left Dublin on the Ulysses Cruise Ferry which is the largest car ferry in the world and can carry 1342 cars and 2000 passengers; we landed at Holyhead.

We drove across the Welsh country side on our way to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, on the island of Anglesy in Wales. The name is Welsh for "St Mary's church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool and the church of St Tysilio of the red cave". The name is the longest officially recognized place name in the United Kingdom and one of the longest in the world. We stopped for lunch, pictures and shopping.

Back on the tour bus to go across the Menai Strait via the Britannia Bridge which was built in 1850.

Next, on to Chester. We took a walking tour of the city and then had time to roam on our own. We viewed Chester Cathedral, the Roman Walls, and the "Rows".
Chester Cathedral:

Chester Town Hall:

The Rows:

Street Scenes:

Edward Alleyne-Johnson - the MOST amazing violinst!

Next, on to Port Sunshine and dinner at the Bridge Inn (it's supposed to be haunted).

Port Sunlight is a very pretty town. It was built as a company town in 1888 by William Hesketh Lever for the employees of Lever Brothers soap factory. The name is derived from Lever's most popular brand of cleaning agent, Sunlight. The garden village was a model village with beautiful living conditions for the workers. Each block of houses was designed by a different architect and every house has a beautiful garden.

Dinner tonight at the Bridge Inn. After a wonderful dinner we went on a "ghost walk" in the lower recesses of the building - unfortunately we didn't see any ghosts.

After dinner it's on to Liverpool to spend the night. No time for sightseeing.... so pictures are taken from the bus.

Dublin

2009-05-09T18:50:00.000-07:00

04/12/09 We have two days in Dublin so hopefully we will be able to see a few more sights. This morning we take a city tour of Dublin. We visited Trinity College and viewed the Book of Kells which was incredibly beautiful! (No photos allowed!)

We walked to Christ Church Cathedral which is located in the former heart of mediaeval Dublin, next to Wood Quay. The cathedral was begun in 1038 by King Sitric Silkenbeard, the Danish Viking King of Dublin. The cathedral was extensively renovated in Victorian times.

After visiting Christ Church we made our way to St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was founded in 1191 and is the largest church in Ireland. During Oliver Cromwell's conquest of Ireland he stabled his horses in the nave of the cathedral. This to demonstrate his disrespect for the Anglican religion. After the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, repairs to the building were begun. A major reconstruction was undertaken in 1860-65, inspired by the fear that the cathedral was in imminent danger of collapse.

The grounds here are so beautiful with large beds of flowers and a wonderful fountain. It is a truly beautiful cathedral.

After this we went to Dublin Castle and stopped for lunch in nearby shop; Mom said it was the best soup ever - carrot and parsnip soup with whole grain soda bread - delicious!

After lunch we walked back to our hotel. Mom took us through the Temple Bar area so we could see what it was like - we still wish we hadn't missed the pub night!

Bunratty, Galway, Dubllin

2009-05-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

04/11/09, Not too far from our hotel in Limerick is Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. The Castle is the most complete and authentic medieval fortress in Ireland. Built in 1425 it was restored in 1954 to its former medieval splendour and now contains mainly 15th and 16th century furnishings, tapestries, and works of art. It was one of our favorite stops! After exploring the castle we moved through the village of little thatched roof cottages. Bunratty Folk Park features reconstructions of historical cottages and buildings, all with the feel of the 19th century. There were peat fires burning in the fire places; the fires were so fragrant - I loved the scent!

Hitty Barbara and I visit the old School House

We need one of these!!

Next on to Galway where we stopped for lunch and shopping (always lots of places to shop!).

After lunch we drove across the beautiful Irish countryside to Dublin. After getting settled in our hotel Hitty Barbara and I decided to stay in for the evening. Mom and Drew and a lovely Australian family from the tour went down to the Temple Bar area of Dublin to grab a bite to eat at one of the pubs and listen to some Irish music. After hearing about the great time they had I wish we had gone - the Australian family were travelling with their own little travel companions; a Koala, a Kangaroo and a Cat! What a great picture that would have made! Travel companions from across the world!

Irish Coast, Blarney Castle, Kenmare, Ring of Kerry, Adare

2009-04-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

04/09/09We woke up to a rainy day today. Our drive takes us along the southern coast of Ireland and through the quaint town of Youghal. Our stop this morning is at Blarney Castle. What a beautiful sight! Even through the rain the castle and grounds are so pretty!

Blarney Castle is a medieval stronghold in Blarney, Ireland. The castle originally dates from before 1200 AD. It was destroyed in 1446, but subsequently rebuilt by Cormac MacCarthy, the King of Munster. At the top of the castle lies the Blarney Stone. You can hang upside-down over a sheer drop to kiss the stone, which is said to give the gift of eloquence. Some say that the stone is the Lia Fáil,a magical stone upon which Irish kings were crowned.

A gnome in his native habitat:

Enjoying the flower gardens:

Next, we continue over the Cork and Kerry Mountains to Kilarney. The jaunting car rides were cancelled due to the rain so our stop in Kilarney was just a shopping stop. Then on to our hotel in Kenmare.

Our hotel has a lovely view of a green field:

04/10/09 This morning we awoke to a view of snow-capped mountains just outside our hotel room. Today will be a drive along the Ring of Kerry; some of the most beautiful scenery in Ireland.

Next we travel on to Adare - called the "Prettiest village in Ireland".

Next, on to Limerick!

On to Stonehenge, Wales and Ireland

2009-04-28T07:06:00.000-07:00

04/07/09 - We started our day early and left busy London behind. The countryside is so green and beautiful! We arrived at Stonehenge, the famous prehistoric monoliths. It was a magnificent sight! There are still many mysteries about Stonehenge and the people that built it. It is believed that it was built around 2,500 years ago! It's an amazing sight; one I never thought I would see. There were some sheep grazing nearby that didn't seem impressed!

Our next stop was Salisbury Cathedral. Construction on the Cathedral began in the early 1200s. This cathedral has the tallest church spire in the United Kingdom at 404ft. (You will notice Mom couldn't fit the whole structure in her camera view finder!) The Cathedral contains the world's oldest working clock (from AD 1386) and has one of the four surviving original copies of the Magna Carta.
We had lunch in the Cathedral's Refectory Restaurant, you can look out through the glass roof at the magnificent structure and spire of the Cathedral.

After our quick lunch it was back to the tour and our next stop was Bath. The city was founded in the valley of the River Avon around naturally occurring hot springs (the only ones in the United Kingdom). The Romans built baths and a temple here in 60-70 AD, giving it the name Aquae Sulis. Three churches have stood on the Abbey grounds - the present Abbey church was completed in 1611.

04/08/09 Our tour begins early with a trip to Cardiff Castle in Wales. This was one of our favorite sights. Unfortunately, on a tour you are limited to the amount of time you can spend in each place. Here our time was so limited that we got very few pictures. This fairytale castle was one of the highlights of the tour!

During 2000 years of history, Cardiff Castle has been a Roman Garrison, a Norman stronghold and in Victorian times was transformed into a gothic fairytale fantasy.

Next was a quick stop at Pembroke Castle; located in the center of the town of Pembroke, it is one of the most impressive Norman castles in Wales, first established in 1093. We didn't have time for the tour but just a quick viewing from outside.

Then, on to the ferry crossing at Pembroke to take us across the sea to Rosslare, Ireland. We borded the Isle of Inishmore Ferry, one of Europe's largest car ferries. The sea was rough and much to Mom's surprise she didn't feel well on the 4-1/2 hour crossing. She was on the top deck for a while but the wind was so strong and the sea so rough she thought we might fly out of her hand and into the sea. So, no pictures of us enjoying the ferry voyage; luckily, wooden dolls do not get sea sick.

After our landing at Rosslare it was on to Waterford. We arrived that evening at our lovely hotel situated on the River Suir - it was a busy day!

We're Back!

2009-04-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

We have been back from our trip for a week now and have been busy unpacking and visiting with family. We had such a wonderful time! The countryside was so beautiful and the sights were amazing! It was a trip of a lifetime!

We'll share our pictures as we travel through England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. We hope you enjoy them!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace and Hitty Barbara

April 4th and 5th - After an overnight flight from LAX we arrived in London late in the afternoon and took some time to study the guidebook. There is a beautiful park across the street from our hotel so we walked over to take a look. It is called the Royal Crescent and is a beautiful private garden. It was filled with beautiful flowers and flowering trees.

April 6th - We are scheduled for a city tour this morning and then the rest of the afternoon is free.

We visited Westminster Abbey and then on to Buckingham Palace.

Westminster Abbey is the traditional place of coronation and the burial site for English monarchs.
Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of Queen Elizabeth.

Here you can see Big Ben - the famous clock tower and the London Eye in the background.

We had a lovely walk through Hyde Park and the Kensington Gardens. The flowers were so beautiful. It's early Spring so the trees were just beginning to leaf out. The gardens are such a beautiful place!

In the picture above you can see the Albert Memorial and behind that the Royal Albert Hall. The Memorial was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved husband, Prince Albert who died in 1861.
Here is another view of the Albert Memorial.

Our walk led us to the Serpentine; a beautiful lake built in 1730. We saw an unusual duck family there. Their coloring was very different than the Mallards and Red-headed ducks that we are used to seeing. We continued on and stopped for a very nice lunch at the Lido on the Serpentine.

After lunch we continued our walk through the park and stopped by Kensington Palace. Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens. It has been a residence of the British Royal Family since the 17th century.

Nearly time to go!

2009-04-02T15:59:00.000-07:00

We are packed and ready - all that's left is saying "Bon Voyage" to friends and family.

See you when we get back!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Nighty Night!

2009-03-13T14:08:00.000-07:00

The last two items for our trip - new nighties!

Next, make sure all the packing is done and our passports are in order!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Scot Girls

2009-03-07T19:55:00.001-08:00

Though perhaps not truly authentic - we are ready for Scotland in our new dresses!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

One more dress for Ireland

2009-03-05T16:29:00.000-08:00

Hitty Barbara models her new dress.

I think we are going to go to Scotland too; I wonder what Mom has in mind for dresses for us?

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Sisters!

2009-02-27T18:02:00.000-08:00

I noticed that my sister, Hitty Barbara, has been very quiet lately. I realized that in all the preparations for the UK trip she was feeling very left out. I asked Mom if Hitty Barbara could PLEASE go with us and she said, "Of course she can. Two can travel just as easily as one!" Yeah!!! A trip is always so much more fun when it's shared with someone you love.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Dress #9

2009-02-25T16:18:00.000-08:00

Another dress for our visit to Ireland!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Dress #8

2009-02-24T09:41:00.000-08:00

Continuing in our Irish theme is dress #8. Mom tried a new square neckline; I really like it!

Thanks Mom!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Dress #7

2009-02-21T18:45:00.000-08:00

Our UK travels will include time spent in Ireland so Mom thought this dress would nice for our trip.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Dress #6

2009-02-17T18:56:00.000-08:00

Mom finished another dress and a reversible pinny to go with it!

Thanks Mom!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Dress #5

2009-02-15T14:51:00.001-08:00

Mom is still sewing! Here is my latest dress. Fabric is an 1850-1865 reproduction.

Thanks Mom!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-13T13:39:00.001-08:00

Wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-13T13:39:00.000-08:00

Dress #4

2009-02-12T06:56:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful surprise, dress #4 was donated by Mrs. Norwood Mouse who runs the Thimbleberry Needlework shop. She also included a shawl and purse. Thank you so much Mrs. Norwood!!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Dress #3

2009-02-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

It was a nice sunny day even though the temps were low. After more shoveling Mom had time to finish this dress for me.

Thanks Mom!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Sewing slowdown

2009-02-09T12:59:00.000-08:00

Well, the sewing has come to a real slowdown. It's not Mom's fault though. We are having blizzard-like conditions with very heavy snowfall. We've gotten over two and a half feet since last night. Mom and Dad are kept busy trying to keep the driveway and cars clear of snow. Right now it seems like a losing battle; they can't keep up with the snowfall. Mom's very tired.

I can post a picture of the dress she finished last night. The Sampler Dress.

Thanks Mom!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Dress #1

2009-02-08T17:41:00.000-08:00

We're off to a good start! Mom has been sewing all day.

Here's my first dress for the UK trip.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Assembly line sewing

2009-02-05T15:24:00.000-08:00

Mom and I will be making a trip to the UK this Spring with her son. He is doing all the planning for us since he has made several trips there before. We are both very excited since we have never been out of the country before! I have been telling Mom over and over that I will need a new wardrobe but she has been dragging her feet; she thinks I have too many clothes already! But, after much pleading and a little pouting, she has finally consented to get started on the sewing. She already has nine dresses cut out; I think I may need some accesories to go with them. Mom is really running behind on things - you can see I'm still in my Christmas dress! I hope she finishes the new dresses in time!! I do feel a little guilty - she's not really buying many new clothes for herself for the trip - but only a little guilty; I can't wait to try everything on!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-28T13:28:00.000-08:00

My best friend, Barney, and I celebrate Christmas together.

Merry Christmas,

Hitty-Ann Grace

Christmas is coming!

2008-12-08T14:56:00.000-08:00

Hitty Barbara and I had fun decorating the tree!

Then, off to the kitchen to bake cookies. We love this time of year!

We hope your Christmas activities are bringing you joy!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T06:09:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Fall is in the air!

2008-09-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

Here in the mountains the weather has a touch of Fall in the air. The acorns are falling and the squirrels and chimpmunks are starting to hide little stores of sunflower seeds and acorns for the winter to come. This is my favorite time of year!

Mom loves to make me these little shawl sets and they are nice to wear on a chilly morning.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Mr. Bear's New Clothes

2008-09-17T06:30:00.000-07:00

Mr. Bear spent a week with us. It's always fun to have company! He wanted to model his new clothes before he left for home.

See you next time.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Mr. Bear's Tea Party!

2008-09-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

Mr. Bear has come to stay with us for about a week while Mom makes him some new clothes. He belongs to my Cousin and he's a very nice bear! We thought a welcoming tea party would be just the thing! (Mr. Bear is the brown bear sitting on the pink chair in the upper left corner.)

A new dress!

2008-08-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I have to say it's been pretty boring around here since Summer Camp ended. I've been feeling a little blue since then; we haven't been on any trips or gone any fun places lately. Mom decided a new dress might lift my spirits. I might wear this to the County Fair next month - the pinny will help keep my clothes clean when we visit the animals - that's always my most favorite place to visit at the Fair.

See you next time.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Last Day of Camp!

2008-07-26T16:15:00.000-07:00

We are all kind of sad on this, our last day of camp!

After breakfast we worked on our Nature Boxes. We filled them with things from nature that we found on our hikes; acorn caps, bits of stone, and bird feathers. We also got a collection of stamps that we used in one of our nature studies.

Our end of camp Bar-B-Que was delicious!!

After lunch we had our awards ceremony! We each received merit badges for the following activities:

Camping
Bird watching
Astronomy
Arts & Crafts
Archery
Fishing
Nature Studies

Camp was such fun!

See you next time.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

PS - Special thanks to Jen for making all 32 camp badges! Great artwork!

Camp - Day 6

2008-07-25T17:34:00.001-07:00

Today after breakfast we went on a hike at the Children's Forest. It is an area that involves and teaches children about forest management. You can read about it here:

http://www.sbnfa.org/chindex.php

We had a great time hiking the trail. It is so quiet up here - all you can hear is the wind in the pines and birdsong.

The lake you can see in the background is owned by the Snow Valley ski area. The water is used to make snow in the winter.

Mathilde and I wonder if someone lives in here!

We try our hand at rock climbing - can you see us on these huge rocks?

We were glad we brought our canteens; it's hot today!

It was a great day at the Children's Forest!

After we had lunch back at camp our craft project was painting birdhouses. We've learned a lot about the birds that live here in the mountains.

We're all kind of sad tonight; tomorrow will be our last day at camp. We will have our awards ceremony tomorrow and then a goodbye Bar-B-Que. It's been so much fun!

Our Campfire Program tonight is "Indian Stories and Traditions".

See you tomorow.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Camp - Day 5

2008-07-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

What a great day at camp!

After breakfast we went to the lake for boating and fishing. It was so much fun!!!

Barney and I decided to take the boat out. It was really pretty on the lake!

Hitty Barbara and Mathilde decided to fish from shore.

Barney and I head to shore - time for lunch!

We had a lovely picnic in the shade of a big tree.

Barney and I went back out in the boat after lunch. We found a nice cove to try some more fishing.

Barney has hooked a big fish! It fought so hard it nearly swamped the boat!

Wow! What a big fish!

It was a wonderful day!

After we returned to camp we were all pretty tired. Later in the afternoon we worked on finishing our mural art projects.

After dinner we made S'mores!!! We have all been looking foward to this special treat all day!

Our Campfire program tonight is "Wildflowers of the Mountains".

See you tomorrow.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Camp - Day 4

2008-07-23T19:01:00.000-07:00

Another busy and fun day at camp!!

After breakfast we had archery lessons! Mathilde was especially good at this sport! We all had a great time!

For lunch we had a Pizza Party. Yum..... everyone loves pizza!

For crafts today we had Mural Art. It will take more than one day to finish these large works.

Our Campfire program tonight is "Songs Around the Campfire".

See you tomorrow,

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Camp - Day 3

2008-07-22T19:42:00.000-07:00

It was an exciting day at camp today - it was Parents Day! We all had a wonderful breakfast together.

Today's nature study was about Birds and Butterlies. We learned a lot!

After lunch we went hiking at the Heap's Peak Arboretum. It was a wonderful hike and we saw lots of interesting things.

We wondered what dug this hole!!!

A lot of the Arboretum was burned during the big fire last Fall. But there are still beautiful vistas to see!

We got to do some rock climbing.

There are beautiful Dogwood trees that bloom in the Spring. Maybe we can come back next Spring to see them!

Mathilde wants a closer look at this nestbox.

Time for a rest! We are tired and thirsty! The squirrels have been busy here; they leave behind the pinecone cores - they reminded us of corn cobs! This time of year the squirrels are busy tearing apart the cones to get to the pine seeds inside.

Our campfire program tonight is "The Skies Above Us". I've never looked through a telescope before. The skies here in the mountains are so clear we can see so many stars; it sounds like fun!

We are studying the star chart so we will be familiar with some of the constellations.

See you tomorrow.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Camp - Day 2

2008-07-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

After a nice breakfast we had a busy day. There are always camp chores that have to be done; airing out the sleeping bags, sweeping the tents, doing dishes. After chores we had a nature study about rocks and minerals.

After lunch we had free time and then game time. We all played several games of Scrabble and then Barney and I played with Lincoln Logs.

We are all looking foward to tonight's campfire program "Ghost Stories"! I hope they aren't too scary!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Welcome Campers!

2008-07-20T14:54:00.002-07:00

We are all settling in at camp. We have a very nice campsite. Today we had free time and after lunch we had crafts. We made "Ojo de Dios" or "Eye of God". I think they turned out very nice.

After dinner we will have our campfire program; tonight it's on the Wildlife of the San Bernardino Mountains. We will all get a poster to take home! The camp owners said that last night a bear came through camp. It tore down part of the fence to get out - I'm glad we weren't here then!! We are all hoping that it doesn't happen again tonight!

Happy camping!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Camp begins tomorrow!

2008-07-19T15:10:00.000-07:00

We are so excited!!! Camp Thimbleberry begins tomorrow! Barney, Mathilde (Madeline's twin sister), Hitty Barbara and I will be going to camp together. We have received our vests with the Camp Thimbleberry button and our sashes - we will get to earn buttons for the different activities we will have at camp! We are packing our travel boxes and will be ready bright and early tomorrow morning. (Mom says I'm trying to pack too much stuff!) Come back and visit to see all the fun at summer camp!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Doll-size dome tents

2008-07-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

Mom's been busy crafting in preparation for "Camp Thimbleberry", a summer camp for dolls and bears. The tents have turned out pretty nice - I can't wait for camp to begin!

Tutorial for the tents can be found here:

http://www.julieoldcrow.com/tutorials/tent/tent.htm

Happy Fourth of July!

2008-07-03T12:04:00.001-07:00

Adventures found!

2008-07-01T17:56:00.001-07:00

Mom found some of my adventures on geocites. You can see them here:
http://geocities.com/hittyanngrace/index.html

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Best friends!

2008-06-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I thought I would talk about some of my friends today. Barney Bear is my best friend. We've travelled a lot together and have had lots of fun over the years. He came for Winter vacation this year. You can read about his trip here: http://angryhedgehog.net/2008/02/winter-vacation.html

and here:

http://angryhedgehog.net/2008/03/finally.html

We always have a good time together!

Barney and I have made lots of trips to Disneyland; it's one of our favorite places to visit.

My other good friend is Madeline. We had a wonderful picnic at Big Bear Lake last summer. I even caught a fish!

The Norwood Mouse family live here too. They live in the little Thimbleberry Cottage. They are a wonderful family!

Well, there are a lot more families that live here; I'll tell you more about them next time.

See you soon!

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Thimbleberry House Tour

2008-06-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

Hi again,

I asked Mom to take some pictures of my dollhouse to share with you. I live in Thimbleberry House which is in Thimbleberry Cottage (Mom's house).

I hope you enjoy the tour. As Mom looked at the pictures she said "We still need more pictures on the walls." I guess a dollhouse is never really finished.

This is my room.

Next door is the playroom. It looks like the little girls are playing a game of Monopoly.

This is the library. Madeline and I were just having our music lessons. I am learning the violin and Madeline plays the flute.

This is the bathroom.

This is the living room. Hitty Beau says this is her favorite room. She's an older Hitty and I think she appreciates the peace and quiet here. Hitty Beau has been our caretaker for the last few months. Miss Clavel, our previous caretaker, has been on vacation. She is due back next month. I'll bet Hitty Beau and Miss Clavel will have lots to talk about.

This is the kitchen. Hitty Barbara is making a salad for dinner. She loves to cook.

Please come back and visit again.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace

Hi and welcome to my new website!

2008-06-29T14:54:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Mom lost my old website when she changed internet providers a while back. How sad.... I had four years of pictures of my adventures and travels and friends. Oh well.... Mom has started this new page for me. She's pretty busy right now but hopefully she will get things going pretty soon.

Since Mom has been working on fairy gardens lately, I thought I would model my flower fair dress.

Love, Hitty-Ann Grace