Blog Archives

Agnes and Matias

8/19/2023

Introducing my newest couple.
Matias, who is Dominic's son, and Baron's younger half brother, is in love with Elf Agnes, the Elf King's daughter. He is currently borrowing Rex's knight costume, and is still patiently waiting for me to make him an outfit of his own.

These photos were taken right after I'd finished Agnes' dress, and even though they were beautiful, the loose shoulders were really bugging me. So I decided to rework them. I removed all the beading, then stitched a strong thread under the neck opening, pulling it tighter to help shrink it in some. Then I redid all the beading. The bodice lies nice and flat across her shoulder now...

Which meant taking some new photos of her with Matias, who had changed into Jude's dress uniform under Rex's surcoat. And I'd worked some hair gel into his wig to help tame it some.

the Elf King's Daughter

8/18/2023

Elf Agnes in her newly finished gown...

Sand Castles

8/17/2023

Today, August 17th, is National Sandcastle Day, so we gathered all the stuff, and took the kids who wanted to come down to the beach this morning...

Garage Sale

8/15/2023

Yesterday, August 14th, was National Garage Sale Day, so Owen decided to participate. He hung up signs and hauled all manner of stuff outside that his family was willing to part with. Then the crowds of bargain hunters arrived...

A New Beginning

8/14/2023

The two men went out on the terrace to talk.

Miho and Naomi watched out the window

but couldn't hear what they were saying...

Miho and Naomi could only imagine what they were saying to each other...

Naomi turned to Miho. "How are you doing?"

The enormity of the situation had taken her completely by surprise.
"It's hard to believe that all this time with Dominic, that I was with my son's father."

"Don't get me wrong. I'm very happy for them, but I feel like I should have sensed something. All this time together, and then for the truth to come out like this. I feel so guilty.....but I didn't know."

"And I just hope they can forgive me for having kept them apart all these years."

"I'm sure they are both in shock over today's revelation, and they are going to need some time to adjust, and get to know each other better, as father and son. But I'm also sure they won't hold any hard feelings towards you. "

"They both love you very much. And even as Baron and Dominic come to know each other better and build a relationship together, you will still always remain the mother Baron loves.."

"The past is in the past, and there's nothing we an do to change it." Naomi continued, "So now we all just have to move forward from here. Everything will be fine. I am sure of it."

"Probably even better than fine. In fact this is all wonderful news.
I think fate has been smiling on all of you."

"Who would ever have imagined that the man you fell in love with was actually the father of your adopted son?"

"Today is a new beginning for all of you."

Overwhelmed

8/13/2023

Miho turned to Dominic,

"So, it would seem...that Baron is your long lost son."

"I'm so sorry, that I had mistakenly assumed that his parents had both been killed in the attack."

"By taking Baron home with me that day, I deprived you of your son all these years....and him of his father."

The enormity of the situation had hit her hard. "I am so sorry....."

Dominic tried to comfort her. "Don't think like that. You saved his life. I didn't return for several weeks, and if you hadn't found him that day, he'd surely have died there inside the chest under the rubble. So you saved his life."

"But I didn't even try searching to see if the baby had any surviving family or relatives." Miho continued.

"You have to stop thinking like this. It's totally understandable with the horrific scene you faced, that you'd assume both his parents had been killed. But you saved my son's life.

Yes, I grieved his loss, and he grew up never knowing who his real parents were. But that's all in the past now."

"It's a miracle, after all this time, to discover that my son is still alive."

"And that he was raised to become such a wonderful young man, by the very woman I love."

Baron had remained silent, in shock at the news...and got up....

Miho turned to her son, "Baron, my love, this is your father."

"Dominic is your father..... and....you are his son."

Naomi sat in silence watching the drama unfold.

Baron approached the chest to take a look for himself.

"Baron, you know this is the chest I found you in so long ago."

"When you were little you always loved hearing the story about how I found and rescued you. And we always wondered what the initials A and D stood for."

"Now it turns out that the chest I found you in belonged to Dominic and his wife."

"He and his wife Amelia were your real parents."

It all seemed too much to take in. Then Dominic reached out to Baron, "I think we need to talk."

Baron was lost for words.

"Come take a walk with me.."

the Wedding Chest

8/12/2023

Dominic had never spoken of his first son before, and Miho was listening intently as he related his tragic story....when it started to become all too familiar.

..and she suddenly felt overcome, and could barely breathe.

Dominic noticed. "Are you alright?"

"Your village?" she asked. "Was it Avilion....on the Ailbe River?"

"Yes! How did you know?"

"Because...because.. I was there..."

"I had received a vision that there would be an attack and that I needed to go up there."

"So I told the King, and he immediately dispatched his Special Forces."

"But we arrived too late. The enemy had already destroyed the entire village and killed everyone. It was a horrific scene. We searched through what was left, but could not find any survivors."

"The King's Forces went in pursuit of the enemy, but a few men stayed behind to bury all the dead. Then after they left, Winston and I went on one final search of the rubble. And we heard a small, faint sound coming from under the rubble of one of the few houses that had not been burned."

"Under the rubble, we found a chest, and inside was a baby...a little baby boy."

"His parents must have hidden him to keep him safe, and I assumed that they'd both been killed in the attack."

"So I took him home with me, and raised him as my own son."

Everyone turned to look at Baron,

... then at Dominic. Could it really be?

Miho got up and went to get the old chest.

"This is the chest in which I found Baron."

Dominic went white, in shocked disbelief.
"That's....that's the chest I made Amelia as a wedding present...."
He paused, "Please....would you look inside the lid? Is there a heart encircling the letters A and D?"

Miho opened the chest...

Inside was the inscription just as Dominic had said...

"Yes...there's a heart with the letters A and D."

"Which means....that this is your wife's wedding chest!"

Dominic had to see for himself...

After all this time, could his son still be alive?

But the proof was there right in front of him. It was his chest. Which meant that....

"Baron is...my son."

the Loss of His First Son

8/11/2023

Dominic was telling Baron and Naomi about his son.

"So, Matias is your only child then?" asked Naomi.

"Yes." Dominic paused, "But......I did have another son....a long time ago,"

"But he and his mother were killed in an enemy attack on our village, when he was just a baby."

"I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Yes, I was away at the time, and when I returned a few weeks later, our village had been completely destroyed. My beautiful wife and baby, and all my friends were gone. No one was left alive."

"How awful for you. That would be so heartbreaking."

"Yes it was. All that was left of our village was smouldering rubble, and row upon row of freshly dug, unmarked graves."

"I spent a year searching in hopes that I'd find Amelia and our baby, hoping against hope that they had survived the massacre. But there was no sign of them. I finally had to stop hoping and accept that they were both dead."

Book Update

8/11/2023

The pre-order for A Christmas Story reached enough sign-ups to qualify for the printer's quantity discount, so the order went in yesterday. There will be just one extra copy available.

However, unfortunately there has not been much interest in Mr. Ropuha's book, so it continues to wait for a sale before we can order it.

Which means that the Christmas Story books will be arriving first, and when they arrive, I'll be in touch with those who ordered both books to see if they would like me to send it by itself, or hold onto it until the other book is ordered and thereby save a bit on shipping.