The Stone Rabbit

Whew. . . .what a week. . . .

 

On Monday, Patty hosted a wonderful Halloween Brunch at her home for the Breakfast Bunch!

 

Her table was set in just a festive manner. . . putting all of us in the "spirit" of the season!

 

For some reason I decided, in a weak moment, that my hubby and I should host a Halloween Party this year.

Actually, I do know the reason was because for the first time in  years, that weekend was finally open for us and I wanted to actually enjoy a gathering in honor of the occasion. . . and it was also a huge motivation for me to CLEAN MY HOUSE!!!

I have been on a cleaning rampage this week. . . . ceiling fans. . . woodwork. . . .blinds. . . . I even cleaned my oven this week.  OK. . . if you look closely you can see that I didn't clean the racks. . . but the rest of of the oven looks amazing!

I find that I open that door about 22 times a day, just to see the sparkle and glow coming from the clean metal!!  :)

I've really been a slouch about Fall decorating this year.  SO, having a party inspired me to "get with it".

My pal Bonnie gave me some wonderful corn stalks.

 

Yesterday, I had this really great idea to put the cornstalks on the front porch, but I couldn't get them to stand up.

After a bit, I came upon the plan to use a couple of old metal plant stands as  bases onto which I could anchor the stalks!

I pushed the stands against the brick wall on each side of the window on the front porch.  Then I stood cornstalks around the plant stands and secured them in the middle with jute.

I had to enlist the "weighty" help of one of THE STONE RABBIT'S concrete bunnies to help secure the base of the plant-stand.

I added some birch branches and bittersweet, then wrapped burlap ribbon around each group of stalks.

 

Some time ago, Marian and I signed up to take a pie making class on The Historic Independence Square.  Well, last night was the night for that class!

Sally, our teacher, was fabulous!  She gave us such great directions for making the perfect crusts, then demonstrated how to fill a fruit pie and a custard pie.

 

She then turned us loose to make our own pies to take home and bake!

 

I couldn't think of a better item to bake in my pristine oven than the little cherry pie I had created with my own two hands!!

THE STONE RABBIT was really impressed with my new found pie making skills.  It didn't slip by him that I had nibbled away on the crust.  :)

What a wonderful treat. . . .homemade cherry pie. . . .with the perfect amount of pinky-redness!!

Hmmmm. . . .Twiggy was pretty impressed, too!!!

 

Please visit Beverly, at HOW SWEET THE SOUND, for a long list of other bloggers who have Halloween or Fall or PINKS to share with you!

 

Happy PINK SATURDAY!!!

 

DANA

I WAS PUTTING AWAY THE HALLOWEEN. . . .

A couple of days ago, my Halloween decorations were starting to scream at me to put them away!!!  Well, most of them were. . . .these sweet little items were not!!!  They just came to live with us a week ago. . . a hand-painted gift from my DIL and the Grand Girl!!  Aren't they cute?  

My DIL found a variety of wine glasses at a thrift store, then. . . .

she and the Grand Girl let their creative juices flow!  THE STONE RABBIT is showing you one of the battery operated tea lights that go inside of each little beauty.  They are amazing in the evening. . . when it's dark.  The little orange flickering candles bring the little pumpkins to life!

SOOOOO.....as I put away my Halloween decor, that also meant taking several seasonal shirts of mine to the cedar closet in the attic!

Access to the attic is through this door, which is located in the laundry room.   

As you can see, the litter box is located in front of the attic door.  

Entering the laundry room with my left hand loaded with hangers of Halloween shirts, I reached for the handle on the litter box with my free hand. . . picking it up and swinging it back to the right of me. . . moving it so I could open the attic door.  When I first picked up the litter box, the thought that immediately crossed my mind was "MAN, that sure is heavy. . . and I just changed the litter a day ago".  

I was wrapping my mind around how often those kitties had been using their little potty while,  at the same time lifting and swinging the little box around me. . . . then a cat shot out of it!!!

We were both pretty surprised!!!  

That poor Twiggy had been inside, quietly doing her business when her little throne suddenly became airborne!!!

I have to say I started laughing like a fool in the middle of that laundry room.  The more I thought about  what she was doing when "lift off" occurred, the more spasmodic I became.

When I finally calmed down,  I could hardly wait to share the story with my husband who was in another part of the house.   The moment I  started reliving the laundry room events with him, my uncontrollable laughter started up again.   Tears were rolling down my face and I could hardly get the words out.  While I was close to rolling on the floor in hysterics, he  stood there with a puzzled half smile on his face....like he knew it was something funny, but he couldn't understand what I was saying.

Sometimes. . . ya just have to be there.  

Actually, I am chuckling up a storm as I shared this with you. . . Twiggy, on the other hand, didn't see the humor in it, either.

THE STONE RABBIT thought it was a great story.  He and I have the same kind of warped humor.  I'm sure that's one reason we've always gotten along so well. . . that and the fact that he doesn't need a litter box.

DANA

A HALLOWEEN RECAP with TOUCHES of PINK

 Last week, I shared a photo of the ANNIE dress I had made for my Grand Girl to wear on Halloween.  

 The perfect accessory for the ANNIE dress was this amazing locket.  It was actually a vintage ANNIE necklace that belongs to one of my DIL'S dear friend.  It is a childhood treasure of hers as she was an ANNIE fanatic!   

It was hard to believe that Halloween had finally arrived.  The Grand Girl's mom had been thinking about the family costumes since June!!!   She knew, with those gorgeous red curls, her daughter would be the perfect ANNIE. . . 

 and she borrowed a dog costume from another friend for The Little Grand Boy to wear.  He would be the perfect Sandy. . . Annie's beloved pooch!

 

To complete the cast of characters, my son dressed up in a tux and was Daddy Warbucks, while my DIL found the perfect clothes to transform herself into Miss Hannigan. . . the "mean" woman in charge of the orphanage.  However, our Miss Hannigan was the "nice Miss Hannigan" on Halloween evening.    



After a quick dinner, Little Annie, grabbed her PINK bucket and lantern.  She was ready to do some serious candy gathering!!!

 

Her neighborhood was Halloween Heaven for the little costumed kiddos!!!  I mean. . . they go all out to put the evening over the top!  Here, ANNIE is in the garage of a neighbor.  It had been transformed into a spooky, but fun location!  The kiddos helped themselves to tons of candy arranged on a table . . . 

 

and there were games set up for the little ones, too!  It was quite the fun spot to be!

The evening started out with fairly warm temperatures, but jackets were needed before the candy collecting was finished.

When her PINK bucket was full of candy, the Grand Girl headed back home to check out her loot.  She did take time out from candy sorting to enjoy a little dish of apple crisp her Nana made for dessert.

Here's a closer view of the candle arrangement  my DIL created for their kitchen table!  She changes the contents of the glass cylinder for each season.

It was so much fun to be a part of this Halloween evening with my son and his family.  However, I was just a little glad that I didn't have to be the "Post-Trick or Treating Halloween Candy Police".  Been there, done that!!  :)

 Actually, I  received some Halloween candy, too.  A couple of weeks ago,the Grand Girl gave me this special PINK Tootsie Pop.  I had been saving it for just the right time.   This afternoon,  the time had come.   I retrieved it from the spot I had it stashed and started to tug at the paper wrapping.

 

As I was eagerly starting to reveal the yummy pop that I had waited so long to enjoy, THE STONE RABBIT reminded me how very much he loved those PINK Tootsie treats, too.  In fact, he was whining so much that I broke down and let him have it!!  I know the Grand Girl will be OK about that . . . she loves the rabbit, too, and she knows just how persistent he can be.

 

 

I hope you  had a great post Halloween week!!  I need to take down my black and orange decorations and concentrate on our season of bounty, feasting and thankfulness.

I do know one of the things at the top of my Thankfulness List is our weekly Pink Saturday gathering.  Beverly, our hostess, has faithfully organized our participants every week for over two years.  Her Pink Saturday has become a fixture in the lives of many of us.  What did we do on Saturday mornings before Pink Saturday?  Thank you, Beverly, for making this event possible!

SOOOOO. . .if you want to share in the Pink Saturday fun, just visit Beverly's blog, HOW SWEET THE SOUND.  She will have a long list of bloggers who are ready to share their PINKS with you!!!

DANA

HAPPY PINK SATURDAY HALLOWEEN!!

 

Our local HY-VEE store has been using the best paper bags this month.  As you can see, they are also helping  spread the message about breast cancer awareness.

I let THE STONE RABBIT peek inside this particular bag!  When he did, he realized how close we are to Halloween!!   He said he hadn't  given a thought to his costume this year!!!

 

I couldn't believe he hadn't thought about it, because he saw me working away on The Grand Girl's costume for quite a while!!  

In fact, I had showed him the vintage pattern I  found at a flea market. . . 

and he watched as I created new pattern pieces and sewed several "proto-type" dresses and tried and re-tried the protos and the REAL thing on  The (very patient) Grand Girl, until. . . . 

 

we came up with  a little dress that looked pretty much like something ANNIE would wear!!!  

 

 

What a perfect costume for a little girl with the most beautiful curly red hair!!

THE STONE RABBIT moved like a bunny possessed!!   

He went to my sewing room, surveyed the supplies and came back with with a pile of white fabric and some PINK scissors!!  Then he set about cutting the fabric into strips!!!

Then, with a little help from me. . . .


 

he turned into The Mummy Bunny of Halloween!!! EEEEEEEEK!!!

 

Of course he needed something to put his candy in.   A PINK plastic cup, a pipe cleaner handle and a magic marker was all it took to make his treat bucket!!

It's hard to tell, with all the wrappings, but THE STONE RABBIT is smiling from ear to ear!!  He LOVES Halloween!!! 

 

 

Don't forget to visit Beverly at HOW SWEET THE SOUND!   She will have a long list of bloggers with great PINKS to share with you.. . .be careful, cuz some of them might be pretty scary this week!!!

 

HAVE A GREAT PINK SATURDAY HALLOWEEN!!!

 

DANA

DOROTHY AND THE CHICKEN GO TRICK OR TREATING!!!

My husband and I were so excited to be able to attend the Halloween festivities held at the home and neighborhood of our son, daughter-in-law and little Grand Girl and Grand Boy!

Several of their friends were also present, along with their very own excited little kiddos.   However, before the Trick or Treaters headed out the door, there was some wonderful food to enjoy!

Besides two types of soup and some yummy hot dogs, there were these great treats!  Apple slices were smeared with peanut butter, then lined with miniature marshmallows, to give us a delicious and fun snack!  The little folks at the party gobbled them up!  (So did many of us big folk!)

YES!!! Beneath the plastic wrap were scrumptious homemade cinnamon rolls. . . I was in heaven!

OOOOOOOH MY, and this little dip was a major hit!

After our tummies were full and the children had donned their costumes....it was time to head outside!

  Last Saturday evening, the 31st of October, was the perfect night for Trick or Treating!!  The weather was a bit nippy and the night sky was clear and dark. . .making the gorgeous moon a splendid light to show the children the way from house to house!

Our Grand Girl wore the "DOROTHY" outfit from her Wizard of Oz Birthday Party (last June)!  She also carried the PINK Jack-O-Lantern I posted about earlier!  How very lucky for ME that she used that container to hold her bounty of candy. . . that made it easier for me to share our Halloween evening with you on PINK SATURDAY!!

Last year, the Grand Girl was pretty hesitant about Trick or Treating. . . but not THIS year!!!  No sir!  Not even the scary pumpkins and . . . . .

spooky flying skeletons and . . . .

tables filled with (gasp!!!!!) BODY PARTS kept her from moving forward in her search for Halloween Treats !!!!!

(Note:  they have some fun neighbors who clear out their garage and set up the most amazing Halloween spooktacular!)

That's right!! NOTHING was going to stop the Grand Girl in her "Dorothy" outfit from filling her PINK candy container. . . not even a BIG pooch disguised as a witch or. . .

a scary house with BIG eyes peering out the front window and GIANT spiders hanging everywhere  and two giant masked men standing guard at the front door! 

OK, OK, I have to tell the truth.  Little "Dorothy" skipped this house. . . . but it was pretty cool!  These folks go all out in this neighborhood!

"Dorothy"  preferred the calmer homes with the "non-costumed" candy dispensers!

While the Grand Girl traipsed from house to house, accumulating candy loot, her brother, aka "THE CHICKEN" snoozed in his stroller!  These sweet Corgi's were out and about that night, too, . . .  they loved looking at the cute little "CHICKEN" !

 

Yep, THE CHICKEN enjoyed the cool night air and pretty much slept during the entire outing!!!  By the way, his big sister wore that very same Chicken Outfit on her first Halloween!!! :)

So, as THE CHICKEN slept, DOROTHY continued her candy quest. . . .

going from house. . .

to house, until . . . .

she ran into this!!!!  Sadly, the  candy supply had come to an end!!  It was time to call it quits and go sort the loot!!

When we arrived home that evening, I told THE STONE RABBIT how great the PINK Jack-O-Lantern looked filled to the brim with DOROTHY"S treats!!  He said he wished he could have seen the Grand Girl and Boy Trick or Treating, but he enjoyed staying home and passing out treats!!!  He said their were tons of little Trick or Treaters in our neighborhood, too!

I have to add this awesome picture!!  This beautiful dog is GLORY. . . she's all dressed up in her PINK wings and scarf and ready to attend the party held in the classroom in which she is the "therapy dog" for many lucky children.  Glory owns Michelle, who so kindly sent this photo to me to share with you for PINK SATURDAY!  To read my older post about Glory, just click (HERE)!!!

Isn't she wonderful? :)

 

  I hope you all have a fantastic PINK Saturday!

Please visit Beverly, at HOW SWEET THE SOUND, for a long list of bloggers who also have  PINKS to share with you!

DANA

A LITTLE COSTUME TUTORIAL and a PINK TRICK OR TREAT!

THE STONE RABBIT loves to dress up for Halloween . . . this year is no exception!!

When he made his decision on what he wanted to be,  he thought it would be great fun to show you how we created his costume!

He's a real thrifty guy. . . . he LOVES to use items we have around the house to for his costume each year. . . .

so on the day of THE COSTUME CONSTRUCTION, he quickly assembled the necessary items!

The first step was to determine the proper length of the garment.  That was very simple!!  I just tossed the fabric over my rabbit, then . . .

I CAREFULLY started  snipping away. . . all around the bottom of the future outfit!

I am sooooo lucky to have a rabbit that holds still, as this could be a very stressful time if I had to deal with a wiggling subject!

In no time at all, we had the PERFECT length!  This is very important for costume safety. . .we don't want the Trick or Treater to trip over fabric that is too long!

I then needed to add a little spot at the top for THE STONE RABBIT'S ears to protrude!

I tried to convince him to leave his ears covered, but he insisted I make a spot for them to come out! 

NO PROBLEM!  I just snipped, snipped, snipped........ever so carefully.......until . . . .

his magnificent ears popped out!

The next step was the scariest part for me. . . it was time to cut out. . . . .

the holes for his eyes.

OMG!  That rabbit MOVED just as I was making my final cut on one of his eyes.

Can you tell which one it was?

I told him I'd make it look OK .    First. . .

I cut a strip of the fabric to use as a little tie around his neck. . .it would keep his costume from slipping, then I . . .

even upped the eyes by drawing black circles around them with the marker!

See, those eyes look pretty even now, don't they?

THE STONE RABBIT wanted me to put a sign on him that said "TRICK OR TREAT".  I asked him why he needed that.  He told me if he had the sign on  he wouldn't have to say the words!  That way no one would know who he was when he was out Trick or Treating  . . . otherwise they would recognize his voice!

He's pretty clever!

I used PINK for the sign for our PINK SATURDAY friends!

Sometimes I'm pretty clever, too! :)

Of course TWIGGY wanted in  the photo!

I told them both to "smile" for the picture.  As you can see, Twiggy wasn't in a smiling mood. 

I'm  sure glad THE STONE RABBIT was!

 

I hope you all have a great PINK SATURDAY and a terrific Halloween!!!

 

Please visit Beverly's, at HOW SWEET THE SOUND, for a long list of bloggers just waiting to share their PINKS with you!

DANA

Hey, Charlie Brown! We've Found the Great PINK Pumpkin!!!

This year, in addition to the fine vintage goodies Bonnie and I had gathered for our Third Annual Tag Sale, we  had  also acquired pumpkins and cornstalks for our customers to purchase. 

On Wednesday of this week, while we worked on setting up tents and covering display tables, Bonnie's kitty, K-Mart, helped us by inspecting the pumpkins.  He knew we only wanted the most perfect ones for our great shoppers!

As you can see by this photo, we certainly had a terrific variety of pumpkins! 

We had to move them several times before the sale actually started.   Pumpkins are lovely to look at, but they are also very, very heavy.  They were also a little muddy, so they all  got a little bath!   They needed to be in tip top shape for their debut Thursday evening at our little Pre-Sale event held for special customers !

K-Mart was so excited when he located this huge PINK pumpkin we had for sale!!

Have you ever seen a PINK one before?  Bonnie and I hadn't.

The color in this photo does not show the real life amazing PINKNESS of this beauty---but it truly was PINK!

Even though it's late and I'm tired and we still have one more day of our sale, I thought I would  quickly show you a few photos of the Pre-Sale.

Below you'll see (L to R) Bonnie, me, and Patty.  We had spent 6 hours that day putting the finishing touches on our sale.  

Prior to Thursday's hectic pace of preparing for the Pre-Sale, Bonnie and I had worked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday pricing items, hauling items, setting up tables, covering tables, arranging the items, making bundles of cornstalks, and sooooooo many more tasks that a sale like this involves.  We owe a big debt of gratitude to her husband and son for helping set the tents up!   

Just as we were at our tiredest moment, everything seemed to come together.  A HUGE thank you goes out to Patty for pitching in and helping us.  It would not have been ready on time without her assistance. 

The weather that evening of the Pre-Sale was glorious . . . a perfect fall night.

Of course, THE STONE RABBIT had to be present for this gala event!

He was so excited when Joy, the lady pictured below holding him, came to the sale!  You see, last June I was at a local flea market with Bonnie when Joy (I didn't know her at the time) came up to me and said, "YOU'RE  The Stone Rabbit!"  I was trying to figure out what she meant---how I knew her.  I thought she was a customer of mine from a couple of local shops I'd been in or perhaps I'd met her at a sale in which I'd been a vendor.  Then she said, " I love your blog!!!"  Well, I mean to tell you, I just about fell over! 

It was such a great surprise that someone had connected me in real life with my blog.  Of course, Bonnie was with me at the sale, so I asked Joy if she wanted to meet one of my friends who had been on my blog several times.  She then told me that she thought one of her friends KNEW Bonnie!!  I introduced them and it turned out that Bonnie's nephew's mom (hang in here- - -it's not that confusing!), Barbara, is a friend of Joy's!!!

OMG!!  Can you believe how small this world is at times?

Well, it just keeps getting smaller, because the lady pictured on the left of Joy (your left) is  Sharyn. . . who was a customer of mine at the sale I was in last Saturday.  I had given her a flier for the tag sale and she brought her friend - - -JOY!!!!  Now, the lady on the right below also knew both Sharon and Joy ( I think), but I'm afraid I don't recall her name, SO Joy, when you read this, leave me a comment and tell me her name!!! : )  I don't think she appeared real thrilled to be plopped in this picture, but it was a pleasure to meet her!  I'm wondering if she thought we were all nuts. . . she just didn't realize at that time how cool THE STONE RABBIT really is!!!   :)

NOTE:  Thank you Sharyn for letting me know that the lady pictured on the right (below) is Delores!

This sweet lady is  Candy.  I met her recently at a little class we were both taking!  She decided to purchase this bicycle!

Now, this part is for my dear blogging friend Jeanne of BACKYARD NEIGHBOR.   Jeanne, this lady is THE Candy who is coming to your town in North Carolina!!!!  She was sending this wave to YOU and saying how she is looking forward to her trip!!!   She thought about riding her new bicycle all the way to NC, but there's no spot for her luggage, so I'm guessing she and her hubby with drive after all!

Pictured below are (L to R) Paul (Bonnie's husband), Ellen (Bonnie's daughter-in-law) holding THE STONE RABBIT, and Bonnie!!

Paul was our official Grill Master!  He so kindly grilled up 64 of the yummiest hot dogs to serve our guests!  Thank you, Paul!

Here is long time friend and customer, Nancy!!!  She also reads my blog!  Nancy, THE STONE RABBIT and I thank you so much for your support!  You look very cute on that hay bail, next to the PINK pumpkin - - - holding my concrete pal.  Did you EVER think you would be holding the world's greatest concrete yard buddy- - - on a hay bail-  - - and featured on a blog? 

This lovely lady is Raylene!!!  She and Bonnie have been good buddies since High School Days!!!  Raylene was also featured on the post I did about The Witches Party that Bonnie hosted last October.  You can read about that HERE.   She and THE STONE RABBIT are good friends, too.  She was pictured holding him in our group shot at Bonnie's party!  THE STONE RABBIT always wants to go with me if he knows Raylene will be there!

Ellen thought it was so funny that she was giving "rabbit ears" to THE STONE RABBIT!  She didn't realize her mother-in-law was giving some to her, too!

Aren't Tag Sales fun?

YES!  Tag Sales are fun!

NOW you get to meet (L to R), Barbara (friend of Joy's whom you met earlier!), Owen (holding THE STONE RABBIT), Heath, Cindy and Karen. 

Owen also enjoyed giving Rabbit Ears to THE STONE RABBIT!!

Yep, Tag Sales ARE fun - - - especially when swell folks like all of the ones I introduced you to show up!!!  THEY make any gathering a fun time!

THE STONE RABBIT enjoyed his evening at our Pre-Sale.

When we got home that night, he told me the PINK pumpkin was the greatest pumpkin he'd ever seen. 

He was certain Charlie Brown would  love to have such a Great PINK Pumpkin visit him!

We held our sale today, on Friday- - - again the weather was wonderful.  We will be open on Saturday, too.   As I write this post, the weather folks are predicting rain.  We'll be keeping our fingers crossed that they are wrong!

I wish you  a great PINK Saturday. . . and the best of luck in finding your very own Great Pink Pumpkin!! 

Be sure to visit Beverly's at HOW SWEET THE SOUND for a long list of bloggers with PINKS to share!!!!

DANA

HALLOWEEN SURPRISES CAN BE PINK!

On our recent antiquing trip to Sparks, Kansas, Bonnie and I were keeping our eyes open for vintage Halloween items.....they are hard to find and they are usually pricey when you do find them.

In one booth, I spied this little box of holiday cookie cutters.  All seven of the designs were there and for the bargain price of $4.00.

I love these vintagey cutters of cookie dough.  They're NOT plastic and they were made in the USA!!

I wonder if some grandma like me owned them and made wonderful sweet delights for her little Grands. 

I hope so. 

I hope I will, too!

But, if I don't get around to mixing up a batch of dough, I will still enjoy displaying the shapes during the holidays they represent and perhaps. . .

I will turn my little Grand Girl loose with her Play Doh and the vintage cookie cutters.  I know she'll have fun making "cookies" and I will love watching her as she does.

THE STONE RABBIT wanted to tell you that he was on a recent shopping trip, too.

Yes, he visited our local Walmart  and was thrilled when he saw all of the Halloween items tempting the shoppers.  In fact, he made a purchase!!!

Yes, indeedy, THE STONE RABBIT bought a PINK Jack-O-Lantern!!!

What a PINK HALLOWEEN surprise!

PINK brings a whole new attitude to Halloween, too!!!

For many more  PINK surprises, please visit our hostess, Beverly, at HOW SWEET THE SOUND.  She'll have a very long list of great blogs ready and waiting to share their wonderful Saturday PINKNESS!!

DANA