Greetings From Belle
"Like" for Teddy Bears
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Hi friends, 10/31/2015
What is your favorite stuffed toy? The picture of the love-worn bunny below was my child’s favorite. Do you know that stuffed animals were used in worship ceremonies by ancient Egyptians? But they weren’t popular as toys until the early 1800s. Then they were homemade with straw, beans, and old rags for stuffing, like my bunny, Buttons.
The Steiff family in Germany was the first to make soft stuffed toys like you might have. Margarete Steiff, a dressmaker, made elephant-shaped pincushions. She quickly found that children loved to play with them like toys, so she created other stuffed animals.
If you like Teddy bears, you can thank Richard Steiff. He joined his aunt’s company and created the first Steiff stuffed bears with jointed arms and legs in 1902. They weren’t called Teddy bears, though, until 1903. This is how Teddy bears got their name….
President Theodore Roosevelt was on a hunting trip and refused to kill a black bear. A cartoonist drew a political cartoon of the event. Then a shop owner and stuffed animal maker, Morris Michton, saw the cartoon and asked his wife to create a stuffed bear. He said that the president gave him permission to call his first bear by Roosevelt’s nickname, Teddy. Now you know how your Teddy bears got their name Teddy, but yours probably answer to another name; like Browny, Snuggles, or Paws. If you have a special name for your Teddy bear, why not share it in the comment section below? If I get a page full, I’d be glad to send you a copy. Next week, we'll look at some other toys of the 1880s to 1920s.
What is your favorite stuffed toy? The picture of the love-worn bunny below was my child’s favorite. Do you know that stuffed animals were used in worship ceremonies by ancient Egyptians? But they weren’t popular as toys until the early 1800s. Then they were homemade with straw, beans, and old rags for stuffing, like my bunny, Buttons.
The Steiff family in Germany was the first to make soft stuffed toys like you might have. Margarete Steiff, a dressmaker, made elephant-shaped pincushions. She quickly found that children loved to play with them like toys, so she created other stuffed animals.
If you like Teddy bears, you can thank Richard Steiff. He joined his aunt’s company and created the first Steiff stuffed bears with jointed arms and legs in 1902. They weren’t called Teddy bears, though, until 1903. This is how Teddy bears got their name….
President Theodore Roosevelt was on a hunting trip and refused to kill a black bear. A cartoonist drew a political cartoon of the event. Then a shop owner and stuffed animal maker, Morris Michton, saw the cartoon and asked his wife to create a stuffed bear. He said that the president gave him permission to call his first bear by Roosevelt’s nickname, Teddy. Now you know how your Teddy bears got their name Teddy, but yours probably answer to another name; like Browny, Snuggles, or Paws. If you have a special name for your Teddy bear, why not share it in the comment section below? If I get a page full, I’d be glad to send you a copy. Next week, we'll look at some other toys of the 1880s to 1920s.
My Bunny, Buttons
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Hi friends, 10/24/2015
I’m so glad it’s Saturday, and I get to visit you a spell. In my story of the barnstormer, I introduce you to Buttons. She’s a homemade bunny of fabric and buttons made a long time ago--about 1890. That’s over 125 years ago! Bunny was well-loved. I know, because her little body is worn thin.
If you’ve never read the book The Velveteen Rabbit, you should. It’s about a boy’s love for his stuffed rabbit. The picture here shows my author's son's childhood toy.
Love makes everything possible. My mom’s love for me brought me to the Lake Okeechobee area in 1918. My uncle Arden’s love healed my broken heart and gave me a new family. The love of the townspeople of Ritta and Hayes’s Fish Camp helped me love my new wilderness home. But most important, God’s love for me made me feel safe and content. No matter what my problem is, I just need to remember...for this, I have Jesus. He has seen me through a lot since I came to Lake Okeechobee--snake bites, kidnapping, and more.
If you would like to make your own stuffed, lovable bunny, you can make one with a pair of socks. Just go to http://www.craftpassion.com.2014/03/sock-bunny-lop-eared.html2. If you make this friendly critter, I’d love to have you post a picture or tell me what it looks like in the comments section below. I promise to write you back.
I’m so glad it’s Saturday, and I get to visit you a spell. In my story of the barnstormer, I introduce you to Buttons. She’s a homemade bunny of fabric and buttons made a long time ago--about 1890. That’s over 125 years ago! Bunny was well-loved. I know, because her little body is worn thin.
If you’ve never read the book The Velveteen Rabbit, you should. It’s about a boy’s love for his stuffed rabbit. The picture here shows my author's son's childhood toy.
Love makes everything possible. My mom’s love for me brought me to the Lake Okeechobee area in 1918. My uncle Arden’s love healed my broken heart and gave me a new family. The love of the townspeople of Ritta and Hayes’s Fish Camp helped me love my new wilderness home. But most important, God’s love for me made me feel safe and content. No matter what my problem is, I just need to remember...for this, I have Jesus. He has seen me through a lot since I came to Lake Okeechobee--snake bites, kidnapping, and more.
If you would like to make your own stuffed, lovable bunny, you can make one with a pair of socks. Just go to http://www.craftpassion.com.2014/03/sock-bunny-lop-eared.html2. If you make this friendly critter, I’d love to have you post a picture or tell me what it looks like in the comments section below. I promise to write you back.
Blick, Flick, Glick...and who?
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10/17/2015
Have you seen the play or read the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? It’s my favorite. That’s why I named my Peking Ducks Blick, Flick, Glick, Snick, Plick, Whick, and Quee. I know. I almost named one "Farfalla." That's Italian for "resembling a butterfly."
My author, Mrs. Abney, had a baby duck named Farfalla when she was eleven-years-old, like me, and it would follow her everywhere. It thought she was her momma. I asked her why she gave her yellow duckling that name. She said that she was hunting for a name that sounded and referred to something beautiful like her duckling.
I’ve included the first page of my new book The Barnstormer under the tab “Belle’s Story.” I have nine ducks so I had to come up with two more names. Can you find their two names in the story? What name would you give a new duck? I'd love to hear from you. Just say "hello" in the comment section below.
Note from author: You call them Doc, Dopey, Sneezy, Sleepy, Grumpy, Bashful, and Happy. Those were the names Walt Disney gave the dwarfs when the movie Snow White was first shown in December, 1937. Walt Disney saw the 1916 silent play and later thought the dwarfs would make interesting characters. But he wanted their names to fit their actions.
Have you seen the play or read the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? It’s my favorite. That’s why I named my Peking Ducks Blick, Flick, Glick, Snick, Plick, Whick, and Quee. I know. I almost named one "Farfalla." That's Italian for "resembling a butterfly."
My author, Mrs. Abney, had a baby duck named Farfalla when she was eleven-years-old, like me, and it would follow her everywhere. It thought she was her momma. I asked her why she gave her yellow duckling that name. She said that she was hunting for a name that sounded and referred to something beautiful like her duckling.
I’ve included the first page of my new book The Barnstormer under the tab “Belle’s Story.” I have nine ducks so I had to come up with two more names. Can you find their two names in the story? What name would you give a new duck? I'd love to hear from you. Just say "hello" in the comment section below.
Note from author: You call them Doc, Dopey, Sneezy, Sleepy, Grumpy, Bashful, and Happy. Those were the names Walt Disney gave the dwarfs when the movie Snow White was first shown in December, 1937. Walt Disney saw the 1916 silent play and later thought the dwarfs would make interesting characters. But he wanted their names to fit their actions.
Belle of the Glades Book #3
Have you ever been to an air-show? There’s noise, banners, skywriting, and an array of planes entertaining the audience with stunts. After World War II, the flyers who performed at small towns around the country were called barnstormers. Many were former aviators for the US military and they would often keep their military titles of lieutenant, captain, major, or colonel. I’ll let Belle tell you about her next story in the Belle of the Glades series, book #3, titled The Barnstormer.
Hi again! I hope you enjoyed my other stories of coming to the wilds of Lake Okeechobee, Florida, living in a tent, and making new friends, like My Bigfoot friend, Fernan. When my story about The Barnstormer comes out at the end of October, you’ll meet my newest friend Evie. She’s a lady pilot who flies over towns, tips her wings, and flies over the main street of town to draw the citizens’ attention. If they want to see her and her friend Edward do loops, skydives, and more, they’ll follow their flight to a neighboring farm for a show they’ll never forget. Evie and Edward land in the farmer’s field for a fee, and they give airplane rides around the town for $3. Fun as that sounds, things don’t go so great for Evie as my story begins. There’s a crash, a rescue, and a promise you’ll enjoy reading about. See you next Saturday with another historical goody. Speaking of goodies, I’m sharing my favorite oatmeal cookie recipe from The Barnstormer with everyone who requests it before November 1st. Use the comment form below. I hope you enjoy them as much as Evie and I do.
Hi again! I hope you enjoyed my other stories of coming to the wilds of Lake Okeechobee, Florida, living in a tent, and making new friends, like My Bigfoot friend, Fernan. When my story about The Barnstormer comes out at the end of October, you’ll meet my newest friend Evie. She’s a lady pilot who flies over towns, tips her wings, and flies over the main street of town to draw the citizens’ attention. If they want to see her and her friend Edward do loops, skydives, and more, they’ll follow their flight to a neighboring farm for a show they’ll never forget. Evie and Edward land in the farmer’s field for a fee, and they give airplane rides around the town for $3. Fun as that sounds, things don’t go so great for Evie as my story begins. There’s a crash, a rescue, and a promise you’ll enjoy reading about. See you next Saturday with another historical goody. Speaking of goodies, I’m sharing my favorite oatmeal cookie recipe from The Barnstormer with everyone who requests it before November 1st. Use the comment form below. I hope you enjoy them as much as Evie and I do.
