The Stone Rabbit

Remembering Mother's Day 2012

 

This is part of the crowd I was mixing with, bright and early, on the morning of Mother's Day 2012 .  

These gals were standing in line, waiting to receive a nice "giveaway", prior to participating in the  MOTHER'S DAY 5K in Overland Park, KS!!!

 

 

Here were some of the many volunteer folks who helped make the MOTHER'S DAY 5K a huge success.  They were busy readying the "tiaras" for the first time participants in this event!

 

I took this picture as we were waiting for the run/walk to begin. 

There were around 3,500 females participating in the event this year!!!

I can't adequately describe how much fun this is to be a part of!  All females. . .of every age, shape, size and fitness level. . .all out there on Mother's Day morning. . .exercising!!!

 

 

My sweet niece is the one who got me involved with this run. . . she was walking the event with her young niece. . .and got this picture of me with her phone!!

Again this spring, I've been dealing with Plantar Fascitiis in my right foot. . .so my running, after my foot started hurting, has not been consistent. . and because of that, my endurance isn't wonderful.

However, I was very pleased with how I did.  Even with taking two short walking breaks, my time to finish the run was 33 min. and 54 seconds!!  Not bad for an old chick, huh?   There were 138 of us in the age division of 60-64 and I placed 9th!

What's really great is that the ladies who placed in the top three spots in our age division had times of :  24:04, 27:30 and 28:39.

 Wanna hear more?  In the age division of 65-69, with 60 ladies participating, the first three times were 27:55, 29:38 and 30:55.

 I can keep going!!  In the 70-74 group of 23 participants, the first three places came in at 32:31, 40:50 and 42:27.

I can't stop now. . . .in the75-79 age group, with 21 runners/walkers, the first three places were timed at 32:05, 37:19 and 46:12.  

Finally. . .there were 9 participants in the 80-89 group...with times ranging from 47:18 to 1:02:32.

 

 

While it's awesome to see so many great "times" in the various age groups, the really important part to remember is not the speed in which folks complete the 5K, but rather the fact that they are getting out there and moving!

After the run/walk, we could write "Why I'm Doing the Mother's Day 5K" on a piece of paper and then have our pictures taken.  A sweet girl took mine with my phone as I was waiting in line.

Some folks were running in memory of someone. . . there were all sorts of reasons. . . but this time, I felt I did it for me.  Hope that doesn't sound too selfish.

 

After the 5K, I headed over to my son's house, cleaned up, then went to their church because our 4 mo. old Grand Boy #2 was being "dedicated".  It was such a sweet ceremony!!

Here is a precious photo I took of my hubby walking with Grand Boy #1 following the service!

 

The day just kept getting better and better!!  After church, we returned to our son and family's home. . .and dined on an awesome brunch!!!  He made crepes and stuffed French toast.  My hubby fried the bacon and I had made an egg casserole!  What a yummy meal!!

 

After brunch, I watched the Grand Girl show me how she can ride the scooter we gave her for her 5th birthday last year!!   Check out that sweet girl in PINK!!!!  Oh and that scooter. . .well, yes, it's a PINK Hello Kitty number!  :)

Here's Grand Boy #1 heading to the sidewalk for a little ride time, too!!

It was truly a wonderful Mother's Day for me. . . .here I am (clunky blue "running shoes" on!) surround by my sweet grand babies.   It doesn't get much better than this.  

THE STONE RABBIT loved my reason for doing the Mother's Day 5K this year. . . .and hopes you all had a great Mother's Day, too!!!

Be sure to visit our amazing hostess Beverly of HOW SWEET THE SOUND!

She will have a long list of other bloggers who are ready to share their PINKS with you again this weekend!!  

DANA

Happy Pink Saturday Mother's Day 2012

 

I found this awesome basket at a friend's shop recently.  Isn't it wonderful?  I just love the shape of these vintage finds.  I love the faded green color.  I love this kind of basket SO much. . .that this makes the third one I own!!  :)

 

 

They can be used in so many ways. . .like this fast and pretty arrangement!!  I just plunked in two plants I purchased recently. . . they haven't made it to their real pots, yet.

 

Then to make the arrangement look perfect for this weekend, I added a Happy Mother's Day sign!

 

Then I added a Happy Pink Saturday sign!!

At that point, THE STONE RABBIT decided he'd add himself to the picture!!

Would you just look at that cute ribbon he made in honor of Mother's Day!!!!   

He really is a crafty guy!!

Whew.  After all of that creating THE STONE RABBIT and I did, it was time to enjoy a PINK Hostess cuppy cake!!

This one had been frozen for a few months. . . 

but it still tasted superb!!

 

Something else that's superb is paying a visit to Beverly at HOW SWEET THE SOUND.

 

She is our fantastic Pink Saturday hostess.  She always has a huge group of bloggers ready to share their Pinks!!!

 

Happy Mother's Day and Happy Pink Saturday!

 

DANA

RUNNING AROUND ON MOTHER'S DAY

 

If you had told me last Mother's Day what I would be doing on Mother's Day 2011. . . well, I would have said "you've  lost your mind!!"  

You see, last May, I hadn't given a thought to running. . . let a lone running 3.1 miles, but as many of you know, last summer, I set a goal of doing just that and by November, I'd participated in two 5K runs.  Just a month ago, I ran my third one. . . then last Sunday, I put on this shirt, and at 6:45 a.m., drove across town with my husband and daughter .

There we met up with my niece, pictured on the left.  That's me in the middle and my girl on the right!!

 

 

 My son met us, too, just to cheer us on!  Wasn't that sweet?  He is!!!!

Are you wondering why they are posing in front of those Porta Potties?  ;)

Actually, they are a focal point of the fantastic event in which the three of us gals were about to participate!!!  We were getting ready to run or run/walk or walk in a "Mother's Day 5K for WOMEN" in Overland Park, Kansas.

The annual 5K is organized by the KC EXPRESS, a local running/walking club for women.

 

 

Back to the Porta Potties. . . not only are they all a pretty color of RED. . .many of them are decorated!!   Note the lovely PINK embellishments on this one and . . .   

 

 the "red carpet" treatment we received!!! 

Someone shouted out to us, near the end of the run, that "running is easier if you have a smile on your face!"  Just revisiting these photos certainly put a smile on my face. . . just as they did early on Mother's Day morning!!  

What a delightful Potty of Pinkness!!

 

 

This was the 7th year for the club to host the event.  A portion of the proceeds are donated to the American Heart Association.  I heard them say that on the first year, there were 600 participants. . . this year there were nearly 4,000!!!

Here we are, just minutes before the 5K started.  It was a blast to be surrounded by all of these females. . . congregated on a glorious Mother's Day morning. . . with so many smiles EVERYWHERE!!!  Age or athletic ability were not issues .  The point of the 5K. . . a good time celebrating women's health! 

This is the one and only shot my husband got of me "running" and it was near the end of the event.  It was a total accident that he pointed and clicked, because he had no idea I was in the crowd until he reviewed the photos. :)

I have not been able to run on a regular basis for a couple of months because of dealing with a foot issue....the dreadful Plantar Fasciitis.  So, my endurance level isn't as good as it was in the fall.  Let me tell you, I came really close to walking many times before I crossed the finish line that morning.  

Don't get me wrong....tons of folks run/walk and probably end up getting better times than I do.  At my tiredest points on Sunday, I'm certain I could have walked faster than continuing my jogging efforts, but for me, if I stop and start walking, I have a real hard time getting back to the jogging part.  SO I kept pushing myself.

Actually, I saw my husband before he saw me and I  shouted and waved at him. . . but he didn't actually see ME until I was. . .  

 

 

 near the finish line.  :)

I have to say, in that sea of blue shirts so many of us were wearing, it was hard to pick out individual folks. . . even if we wore a YELLOW VISOR so we could be spotted!!!  

That day, I wasn't concerned about how fast I ran the course. . .I was just happy to finish without walking.  However, my time turned out to be my "personal best". . . 34 min. and 4 seconds!  I was thrilled.

As happy as I was about my own running experience, having my daughter, Bridget,  participate, too, made me even happier.



And to put the frosting on the Mother's Day Cake . . .  was having my niece, Carrie, and her little niece, Julia, there along with Julia's mom Beth and her friend Sasha.   Actually they did the 5K last year and were the reason I got involved with it.  

I am sooo happy I did.

"Newbies" at this event get a tiara when they finish!!!  ;)

 

Posing at the starting/finish line. . . .it's easy to clown around when the 5K is over!!!  :)

Our post run/walk "group" photo:

top row, L-R Carrie (my niece), Sasha (Beth's friend), Dana (me), Beth (Carrie's SIL)

bottom row, L-R Bridget (my daughter) and Julia (Beth's daughter)

 

Well, that's what I did on Mother's Day morning. . . the rest of that fantastic day is material for a future post!  :)  I will tell you, that I wore my tiara all day!  :)

Here I am with my husband, the official 5K photographer. Beth's youngest boy took this photo of us. . . he did a great job, don't you think?

 

 

THE STONE RABBIT is posing for a close up of my shirt and tiara. . .note the PINK jewels!!  Each participant in the Mother's Day 5K also gets a charm. . . it's a different one each year!

He was really impressed with all I told him about the all female 5K.  He said he was going to try to organize such an event for bunnies only---both real and concrete!!!  

I told him I had a 3.1 route already mapped out in our neighborhood that he could use for the event. . . and I was certain I could get some of my friends to volunteer to pass out water along the course for the participants!!!  

He said he'd think about it!

If you live in the Kansas City area, I hope you think about joining in the Mother's Day 5K Run/Walk next year.  Bring your family and friends. . . you will love to start that special day in such a wonderful way!!

 

 

 

 

 

For another fun thing to do. . . please visit Beverly at HOW SWEET THE SOUND.  She will have a very long list of bloggers. . . ready and waiting to share their PINKS this week!

 

Happy Pink Saturday!!

 

DANA

The Power of Two Little PINK Pills. . . .

It  started with a bouquet of flowers given to me by my husband on Valentine's Day. 

 In one hand he carried the flowers. . . the other hand held the Prep Kit he had picked up  at our pharmacy. . .  for my upcoming colonoscopy!  What a sweetheart !

My procedure wasn't scheduled until late  April, but for some reason, the doc wanted to make certain I had picked up that kit in plenty of time! 

I stored it on a shelf in my bathroom for the next two months. It served as a daily reminder of what was to come !!!

I'd had this exam before, so I knew very well that the rough part was not the ACTUAL examine. . . heck, you're asleep for that!  NOOOOO, the challenging part is the day before AND the night before AND the morning of!

A couple of weeks ago I prepared for THE EXAM.

The day before the PROCEDURE you are on a "liquid diet".  This is really a tease.  The "food" you can ingest is food you would not normally touch more that once or twice EVER.  However, on THIS day, that's all you can have. . . and you can enjoy as much as your little old heart allows!!  

You can enjoy such delicious goodies as lemon or lime Jello ( but......no RED Jello and of course, I detest lemon or lime and I love the red flavors !) or

 

  lemon and lime Popscicles. 

Again, I just do not like lemon or lime in Popscicles, but I was pretty hungry, so I ate them. . . not with gusto, mind you, but with appreciation.

 

Yummy bouillon along with tea, coffee, soft drinks, white grape juice, and lots and lots of water were on the liquid diet list !!!

Even though the lemon and lime flavors were not the best ones to be putting in my growling, empty tummy, I was  going along with the program. . . sipping my bouillon and coffee and juice and water  and eating my Jello and Popsicles. 

The morning breezed by and before long, it was twelve noon and that meant it was time to . . .

take the LITTLE PINK PILLS that had been waiting for two months in the  Prep Kit.

Nothing seemed any different after I swallowed the pills. . . and still feeling real perky at that point, I spent the afternoon on my liquid diet and filling out the multiple number of hospital forms and fixing supper for my husband.  

Now I know you are thinking, "Why didn't he volunteer to pick something up on the way home---and even be nice enough to eat it in the car, out of my your sight?"

Yes, I was thinking the same thing, but no such offers were made, so. . . .
 
 

 I was cooking dinner, and it was time  to start ingesting the BIG GUNS in the Prep Kit. 

Ya start by filling the bottle with water (pictured below) to the line marked on its side.  There's some powdery  stuff already waiting in the bottle . . . and it needs to be mixed up with the water.

Then, the "good times" begin!   You have to guzzle 8oz of this liquid fuel every ten minutes. 

I have to say, it is the NASTIEST tasting stuff I can recall EVER putting in my mouth.  Even little Twiggy got a whiff of the faux LEMON/LIME scents drifting up from the bottle. . .  her face clearly reflects what SHE thought of it! 

Once it was in my mouth, my stomach was sensing what was to hit  and it started to dance around telling me "no, no, no!"

But, I HAD to swallow it. . . continuing to swish it around in my mouth while I attempted to figure out how to best deal with the stuff I had in my mouth wasn't making things any easier.  That was where the various "swallowing approaches" came in. 

On the first couple of glasses, I had a rapid "sip, swallow, sip, swallow" pattern going on.  However, by the time I had reached the fourth glass, I decided I needed to up the rate at which I consumed that dreadful potion. That's when I just tipped up the glass and gulped the contents as fast as I possibly could.

The gulping/chugging approach continued though glass number six.  Sadly, by that time, I was hanging over the sink after each round. . . certain the contents of the previous glass would be  coming back up as fast as it went down.

 

It took SEVEN glasses before I knocked off that bottle!!! 

By that time, I was feeling very nauseated .  In fact, while I was hanging over the sink, I yelled out to my "sympathetic" husband that I thought I might throw-up.  He just chuckled and continued to read the newspaper.  A split second later, I was really, really glad that I had positioned myself by the sink, cuz in that moment I could hear Captain Ahab yelling  "thar she blows"  and then I was spasmodically spewing about 4 of the last 8 ounces I had just gulped into the sink.

After a bit, I stood up and wiped the sweat off my brow with a cold wet cloth then told hubby to finish fixing his own dinner. 

At this point I realized something . . . .I was no longer thinking about how hungry I felt .

That's when the POWER of those PINK pills, in combination with the liquid-fire, kicked in and I was occupied for a few hours. 

The Prep Kit was doing the job!!!  Woo-Hoooooooooo!!

The next day, my "designated driver" took me to the hospital and waited while I was prepped to say "hello" to my Gastroenterologist!  The lights in the "holding area" were bright, so it was a good thing he had worn his shades!

I jabbered away with my nurse about where she was going on an upcoming vacation, while she "readied" me for what was to come in just a short while.  I knew she was trying to make me feel all relaxed, but I wasn't uptight by then.  Heck no. . . .I'd just spent hours starving and being sick, then doing what the PINK pills and the liquid dynamite had made me do.  The rest was a piece of cake. 

I was on the DOWNHILL, now. 

Soon I would be getting a great little nap!!

Then, right on time, Dr. T.  arrived and I was wheeled away for my exam! 

The doc and I spent a few minutes catching  up on what we'd been up to since I had  seen him a few years ago at my last exam . . .  then he told me to roll over on my side . . . .and my nap was ON!!

                                                    *   *   *    *    *

Later, my eyes fluttered and I vaguely recall seeing Dr.T.  He told me the exam was fine. . . . no problems  ! 

YES!!!  I was glad that was over and all was OK.

Now it was time to go to SONIC- - - -  I was STARVING!  No, I did not have a lime-aid!!

THE STONE RABBIT was also relieved that my colonoscopy was good. 

In fact, he told me that he had retrieved the prep jug from the recycle bin, cuz he had a great idea for a Mother's Day gathering. . .both to recycle and to celebrate the good news about my exam !

So, today, we worked on his plan!

He had this terrific idea to cut the top off that jug. . .

 

then scallop the rim with some scissors to give it a festive look. 

"Festive?  Why are we making it FESTIVE?" I asked.  "Just watch,"  he answered while he continued with the design he was creating on the  rim.
 

When the edges had been embellished with his special touch, he quickly flipped the container over, added a couple of jars, then proudly plopped silverware in them. 
 
 

He pulled the PINK cloth napkins from the drawer where I keep them, and added them to the mix of jars and silverware!

"See," he said, "we've just made a caddy to hold these items in place for our MOTHER'S DAY DESSERT BAR !"  He continued, "I have other ideas for our party. . . all to remind us of the good results of your exam AND to recycle AND to celebrate Mother's Day!!!"

Isn't it obvious why I'm nuts about that rabbit????  :)

 

His next idea was INCREDIBLE.   He took the top of the jug that had been sliced off. . . and set it in an upright position.  The lid allowed the piece of plastic to remain standing in place so it could be used as . . . . . .

a menu board for our MOTHER'S DAY DESSERT BAR!!! 

He asked me what kinds of desserts he thought we could serve, then he wrote them on the paper and affixed it inside the plastic with a bit of double-sided tape!!!
 

Next, he fetched the bargain dessert plates I found at a flea market last week. . . .all eight for one dollar!!!!  He thought they would look awesome piled high with yummy desserts!!!  I do too!

 

His next plan of action was over the top!!!  That rabbit had even saved the box that my Prep Kit came in!!! 

He opened it up and flattened it out. . . .

and looked and looked and looked at it. 

I could see the ideas as they surged in his sweet head. 

THEN he looked at me and said. . . . "I've got it!!!!"

And did that rabbit ever have it!!!! 

He promptly set about snipping on that flattened Prep Kit box. . . . .  turning it this way and turning it that.  Then he sketched little zig zags on it and cut them out resulting in . . .
 

this shape.  He looked up at me and smiled, then said, "I think you will enjoy this when it's finished!"   "Actually," he continued, "I think YOU should add your touches to it!"
 
 

I still wasn't clear what I was adding my "touches" to , but I just followed his instructions. 

He told me to glue some PINK crepe paper down the long straight edge. . . . pinching it up and trying to give it a "ruffled" look.

 

Next, he handed me a magic marker and instructed that I write the letters M O M within the pointed areas of the piece we were creating.


 

He was really excited about the next step.  He had purchased the PINK foam paint for an Easter craft project and didn't have a chance to use it.  He thought it would make the perfect embellishment for our design.  OOOOHHHH, it was really fun to use!!!

 

After the PINK paint dried, he had me hot glue PINK buttons to each point, then. . .

he handed me a bottle of purple glitter and some clear glue . . . .
 
 

and instructed me to "glitter away!!!!"  He knows I've always loved that great stuff, so I was more than happy to follow this step!

The last step was to pull the two sides together and staple them in place!!!  It was at that point that I realized what THE STONE RABBIT had helped me to make. .. .

 

a Mother's Day Crown!!! 

I quickly tried it on and decided I would have to share the thrill of that creation with my Daughter-in-Law!!!  I'm sure she will be delighted to have it atop her bouncy brown curls while enjoying yummy items from the MOTHER'S DAY DESSERT BAR!!!

THE STONE RABBIT enjoyed the excitement I displayed over his brilliant and functional and meaningful recycling efforts. 

After a few minutes of watching me prance around,  admiring myself in the mirror while sporting the MOM crown, he told me that we weren't finished.  He had more ideas in mind!

First, he showed me how we could make GIFT TAGS with scraps of that Prep Kit Box!!! 

He just simply snipped out tag shapes,  had me punch holes in the top of each one and  then insert PINK ribbon to use as ties.
 
 

I decided to use the leftover Jello I had from my Liquid Diet stockpile as little gifts for everyone to take home after our MOTHER'S DAY DESSERT BAR.  Don't you think the tags make the perfect touch?  (Shhhh . .. . . . don't tell anyone, but I'm really glad to find a way to get that Jello OUT of my house! )

 

THE STONE RABBIT thought we should have some coasters for our drinks, so he quickly came up with a design!!!  We cut circles from that good old Prep Kit Box using scalloping scissors.  That design co-ordinates with the silverware caddy! 

THE STONE RABBIT pays attention to details! 

 

He decided a little rabbit stamp on each coaster would be HIS special touch!!! 

 

In honor of my great colonoscopy, I decided to also serve hot mugs of bouillon and . . . .

 cans of  icy cold Diet Pepsi.  Those coasters will certainly be put to good use!

 

Whew!  THE STONE RABBIT is quite the party planner.   Just when I thought we were finished, he told me that he had one more idea. . .  then we would be all set for the big event!!! 

Not only would we give the left over Jello to folks to take home, he thought we had just enough paper left from the Prep Kit Box to make bookmarks for everyone!  Wow. . . . so simple and yet so danged useful and CUTE!!!

He quickly cut out the shapes and had me punch holes in the tops and weave a little scrap of crepe paper through.  Then. . . .
 

 
 

we wrote catchy little thoughts on the backs. 

Wah-lah!!!  . . . .

 

another great idea from my concrete buddy!!!

While I busied myself baking the desserts, THE STONE RABBIT found just enough paper from the Prep Kit Box to add one more special touch to our MOTHER'S DAY DESSERT BAR.

He's a handsome dude. . . and oh so talented!!!

There you have it. . . we're all set for a swell Mother's Day!  With so much to be thankful for. . . a wonderful husband, children,  and daughter-in-law, two amazing Grand Kiddos, a longtime rabbit friend and a great colonoscopy outcome. . . I will enjoy the day grazing on the DESSERT BAR and sharing the MOM crown with my DIL!!! 

I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day and . . . .

 

 

  the happiest of PINK SATURDAYS!!!

Please visit Beverly at HOW SWEET THE SOUND.  She will have a long list of bloggers just waiting to share their PINKS!!! 

DANA

NOTE!!!!  Have you ever visited HAPPIER THAN A PIG IN MUD?  Please do. . . she's a delightful blogger who shares her love of dishes, gardening and the fun and joy she finds in everyday life!! Oh, and she's having her FIRST giveaway!!  Hurry over and see what she's got for us!!

SWEET PINKNESS----ONE MORE TIME

I shared this photo on a post last year.  It's the last picture I ever took of my mom.  It was taken on Mother's Day 2003.  She passed away that November.

Did you notice she was wearing PINK that day?  I always thought PINK was her color when her hair turned gray.

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When I started participating in Pink Saturday last year, I wrote how I wasn't a PINK person.  However, that's not totally true.  You see, one thing I always LOVED was PINK frosting on an angel food cake.  When I lived at home my mom always made certain I had a cake just like that on my birthday. . . .and often times, over the years, after I'd left home and married, she would still surprise me with one of those confections.

So, in honor of my mom, I decided to make such a cake.  I wanted to have a little Sweet Pinkness again---I wanted to share it with my mom, just one more time.  

                                 ~  ~   ~  ~   ~   ~   ~

THE STONE RABBIT retrieved one of my favorite cake plates from a cupboard, while I. . . . . . . .

pulled out some of the items my mom would have used, at one time, to create such a dessert!  Those are her PINK mixing bowls and that's the angel food cake pan she gave to me when I married.

As I was digging out the recipe, I had a change of heart.  A "from scratch" angel food cake is not hard to make (I won a blue ribbon for one at our Missouri State Fair when I was in 4-H!), but it would be a little time consuming beating all twelve of those egg whites.  So, I put the eggs away and I turned to an alternative technique mom moved on to as the years went by- - - - - - -

yes, mom moved on to a mix!!!!  AND canned frosting!!! 

She was no dummy! 

However, as I read the back of the box, I realized that this approach was still going to take a bit of time, SO I moved on to ANOTHER great baking secret mom adopted- - - - - -

 

she would pick up an angel food cake or two when she saw them on sale in the bakery department at her grocery store--then pop them in the freezer!!   Did I tell you she was no dummy?  This little secret of mom's has helped me out a time or two---like TODAY!!  I'll bet she's loving this right now!

Yes, I realize the cake is in the spot an ice bin should be, but this is a refrigerator in the garage.  We don't have the ice-maker hooked up in it, so I removed the bin so I would have extra storage for special items--like store bought angel food cakes! :)

I learned this next trick, not from mom, but by watching Martha S..  To keep the frosting off the cake plate, just place some strips of waxed paper around the edges of the plate, then. . . . . . .

place the cake on the cake plate and. . . . . . .

ooops!  I got a little ahead of myself.  We'll return to  the clean cake plate tip in a bit.  Before I continue with that, I wanted to show you my frosting process!

First, I take the cheap frosting out of the plastic container and plop it in a mixing bowl. For some reason, a PINK mixing bowl seems to work best for this step!! ;)

Then I add a few drops of red food coloring and. . . . . . here's my little secret. . . . .

I add a few drops of Almond Extract!!  I love the flavor it gives to the CHEAP FROSTING (yes, I KNOW  it's imitation almond extract---but we're not picky!) and it improves the spreading consistency!

Once I have the food coloring and the flavoring in the bowl, I mix and mix and mix--until the frosting is a solid pink all the way through!

Next, I smear that lovely PINKNESS all over the (now thawed) angel food cake! 

Just LOOK at how pretty that PINK cake looks!!!  My little heart is fluttering right now as I gaze at the photo!

OK, now on to the clean cake plate tip---ya just start SLOWLY pulling out those little strips of paper!  Be patient and careful and before you know it, you will see a beautifully frosted cake with almost NO frosting on the plate!

I promise, this is my last tip.  I added this step on my own---mom didn't do this one.  You see, I have a little jar of sugar flakes--they're crystally looking.  I found them at a cake decorating shop!!  I carefully sprinkle them on the frosting to give it a little extra gleam!!

There!  If you look closely---the top of that magnificent cake is gleaming!!!  Oh, be STILL my heart!!

THE STONE RABBIT always gets to lick the frosting bowl---unless, of course, if my daughter-in-law is present, then she grabs it!!! 

THE STONE RABBIT is a good sport and just lets her enjoy the little snack--he knows he'll get his turn later.  Can you see him smiling?  TODAY, it was HIS turn with the frosting bowl!

I decided that I wanted to set out on the patio and enjoy some cake.

The only thing that would make it better, would be to have the chance to enjoy it with my mom---just one more time.

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Yes, if I had my mom with me today, I would place a cloth on the table.  She loved table cloths---and I would add a little basket of flowers.  She had the greenest of thumbs and ALWAYS gave me a plant for part of my Mother's Day gift from her.

She would also point out that Twiggy was watching us from the glass door and  she would enjoy that and laugh out loud.

Then, I would set out a little red transferware plate for each of us.  She wouldn't care that it was the saucer to a cup and saucer set.  She would just love knowing I'd found something ELSE to collect and she'd always be looking out for more of them---at bargain prices! 

And she would delight in having her piece of angel food cake  with Pink frosting served on the saucer because it meant that I wasn't afraid to use items in different ways.

She would also love to use the PINK cloth napkins I had picked up at an antique mall!

We'd sip iced tea from some glasses she gave to me and my husband a long time ago.  I think they used to come in detergent boxes.  They are a wonderful smokey gray.  We would admire how great they still look, after all of these years, and how beautifully they go with PINK.

Then we'd clink our glasses together and say "cheers" and we'd giggle--because we were together----one more time.

If my mom was here, with me on the patio, we'd eat our angel food cake with PINK frosting and jabber the afternoon away, THEN- - - - -

I'd get out the Scrabble game.  We ALWAYS played Scrabble when I was a kid.  Mom and Dad spent a lot of time playing it with us, too.

Yes, if my mom was with me this afternoon on the patio, we'd enjoy angel food cake with PINK frosting and then we'd play Scrabble---just one more time. 

And she would probably let me win---just one more time.

We would even invite THE STONE RABBIT to join in the fun!!

Oh, and then, before we packed up the Scrabble game we would spell a special message to all of you wonderful PINK SATURDAY moms.

So. . . . . what do you think?

Yes, playing lots of Scrabble introduced me to having fun with words!! 

Thanks, Mom-----one more time.  :)

For more Pink Saturday fun, visit Beverly at HOW SWEET THE SOUND.  She'll have LOTS of other bloggers all lined up to share their PINKS with you!!

Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

DANA and THE STONE RABBIT