The Stone Rabbit

VALENTINE MEMORIES. . . "SPRINKLED" WITH PINK!!

 

Last Friday morning I was headed over to our son and DIL's home to pick up the two older grand kiddos for a little over nighter at our house!  Along the way the local Krispy Kreme made my car pull right into their parking lot and DEMANDED that I pick up some of their delightful heart shaped donuts to take on my trip!!

 

Of course, I had to do what they told me!!  So I bought a dozen of these "melt in your mouth" delicacies and continued on my way!

Everyone was thrilled with the do-nutty surprise....well, the little 6 week old Grand Boy #2 wasn't impressed, but the rest of 'em were!!!

 

After a sweet visit with my DIL and the baby, I loaded up The Grand Girl and Grand Boy #1 ..... and some of the donuts....then headed out to meet my hubby so he could have lunch with his little ones, too!

Then, we returned to our house and started making Valentine Cookies!!

I wasn't sure how Grand Boy #1 would do with this project......I was certain The Grand Girl would be very good at it....HOWEVER, that little guy did a fantastic job of rolling out the dough and cutting his cookies,too!

Flour on the nose of the Grand Girl.

OK...this was just too cute of a shot for this Nana to pass up!!! :)   

Here you see a batch of those, "made with love" cookies, baking away!!

Next it was time to frost!!!

Again, I knew The Grand Girl would do a fine job with that, as we've frosted lots of cupcakes in the past, but this was my first time of actually "cooking" with Grand Boy #1, and again, I didn't know how he would do with "frosting".

Well, he did just fine!!  :)  

He only frosted three cookies, but he enjoyed frosting them over and over!!  He assured me he was not eating the frosting off the cookies, then reapplying more, but this smart old Nana wasn't fooled !  :)

 

 

By the time we were ready to start putting PINK and red "Sprinkles" on the tops of the cookies, Grand Boy #1 had decided he was finished with the cookie project and was off to play with some of his toys.

The Grand Girl is the Sprinkles Princess around here.  I recall  last Easter when we made cuppy cakes and she was in charge of putting pastel sprinkles on them.  I found sprinkles in rooms that were far, far away from the kitchen.  Those little babies can ROLL!!  :)

 

Here are a few of the completed cookies we made!! 

 

The next morning, I made some heart shaped pancakes for part of their breakfast.  I remember doing that when their daddy was a little boy.  We also had scrambled eggs and fruit and . . . .

 

Krispy Kreme donuts!!!  Honestly, that was the hit of the meal!!  I can't remember the last time I'd had one of those. . .  boy oh boy, were they yummy!

THE STONE RABBIT has been in charge of locating the "runaway sprinkles" this week.  He's very good at that job. . .so I rewarded him by baking more heart shaped sugar cookies, with just a little of that yummy frosting and a few of those PINK and red sprinkles!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day and a really fine week!

 

Please visit Beverly's blog, HOW SWEET THE SOUND.  She will have LOTS of other bloggers ready and waiting to share their PINKS with you this weekend!!

 

Happy Pink Saturday!!

 

DANA

 

Note:  here is the link to the recipe I used for these sugar cookies.  They are just what their title says:  THE BEST ROLLED SUGAR COOKIES .   This is an awesome recipe!   For the frosting, I  used the butter-cream recipe on the back of the C & H Powdered Sugar bag...and added Ghirardelli Natural Unsweetened Cocoa until I reached the taste I liked!  :)

A TREAT FOR VALENTINE'S DAY!

 

We had our first REALLY measurable snowfall of the winter yesterday morning!   I was secretly hoping we'd make it through the season with zero snowfall this year. . . we had enough snow in the past two years that I think we deserve the break!  I do realize we need the precipitation, though, so this little amount was a welcome present to our yards and plants. 

While yesterday was snowy and cloudy and cold, today. . . 

 

 

it's sunny and warmer!

In fact, it's so sunny in our kitchen this morning that THE STONE RABBIT had to borrow my Valentine sunglasses in order to help me show you guys how I made these cute little Valentine treats!

 

   

My inspiration for this project came from "CHIA and JO, Tackling Life One Project at a Time".

To create these sweet little treats, you need:

1.  Popcorn (I used prepopped corn called "Festival Time Kettle Korn"....it's made in Missouri...and is only $2.99 for a big bag and it tastes just like frest kettle corn.) .

2.  M&Ms...I used the special Valentine edition featuring only pink and red candy!!

3.  Cellophane treat bags.

4.  Printed Templates from CHIA and JO. 

5.  A stapler.

 

I printed these on white card stock, then cut them apart.

 

 

Next, I filled in the "to" and "from" lines, then. . . 

 

 folded the tags in half so they would be ready when I needed them!

 

Now it's time to fill the bags!

You can see that little Twiggy was interested in this project, too!  She's such a good helper.

I alternated a few M & M s with a cup of corn until the bags were full.  

Be sure to leave room at the top so you can. . . 

 

easily fold it down about 1/2 ".

 

Then, place the tag over the bag, centering it and getting the fold of the bag under and snug to the fold of the tag....then staple once on each side!

 

That's all there is to creating cheap, but sweet little treats for your special Valentines!

 

I told Twiggy that kitties don't eat pop corn, but that I'd be certain to have a special Valentine for her, too!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

 

DANA

"CHEERS" to you on this VALENTINE'S DAY PINK SATURDAY!

 

Actually, I had hoped to have a bottle of BOULEVARD BREWERY'S special edition product. . . Chocolate Ale. . .to share with you on this special Valentine's Day Pink Saturday!  

This was the second year that they produced this much sought after Valentine delight  (in very limited quantities).  I wasn't able to locate a bottle last year and this year. . .  

 

 

NO LUCK AGAIN!!!

Here's one of the signs I saw when scanning the shelves in our grocery store.  I had also looked in a couple of other locations. . . also no luck.  I hear they "sell out" within minutes of putting the Chocolate Ale on the shelves!!

What a Valentine's Day Bummer.  :(

 

 

THE STONE RABBIT knew I had really, REALLY wanted to snag a bottle of that special Valentine brew . . .  he even put "feelers" out with his little yard ornament buddies, hoping one of them would locate one.

However, as the days went by and no Chocolate Ale was found, THE STONE RABBIT did the next best thing. . .

he surprised me with a bottle of Chocolate Raspberry Wine!!!

Holy Cow. . . that is one sweet bunny!!

 

 

Actually, as much as I thought I wanted that Chocolate Ale. . . I have to admit I probably wouldn't like it half as much as I do this brand of chocolate wine!!!

I am a lucky girl to have THE STONE RABBIT as my Valentine!!

 

 

Oh, and don't you just love my banner?  I shared how I made it (HERE). . . using the wonderful graphics designed by my blogging buddy Nancy of MY CRAFTY LITTLE PAGE!  She's a great Valentine, too!

 

 

And speaking of great Valentine's. . .that includes Beverly of HOW SWEET THE SOUND!  She works hard every week to be sure our Pink Saturday fun keeps going strong!!

She will have a super long list of bloggers ready for you to visit this weekend...just head on over to her blog! 

Happy PINK SATURDAY and Happy Valentine's Day, too.  I promise I'll save some of that Chocolate Wine for you!  :)

DANA

 

PS  

I can't thank you all enough for the prayers and kind words for our daughter over the last few weeks.  She is doing well, now, and we pray this continues to be the case.

PINK SATURDAY SWEET TREATS!

 

On Monday, Valentine's Day, I decided to make come chocolate dipped strawberries for my sweetheart.  

I started with some washed and dried strawberries.  

 

 

 Then I melted a 16 oz bag of chocolate chips with two tablespoons of vegetable shortening in a double boiler.

I next dipped the berries in the chocolate and placed them on a sheet of waxed paper.  When I had all of them finished, I placed them in my refrigerator to really firm the chocolate.

Sadly, I had chocolate strung all over the place while I was dipping, so I was unable to capture the process in pictures.

 

 

 

However, I did take a photo of the little dessert plate I presented to my Valentine that evening!  I had also made heart shaped brownies!   To off set the hight fat content of the brownies, I gave him a little scoop of low fat chocolate chip frozen yogurt!  :)

 

 

My Valentine had been sick the previous Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  He rallied to make it to work on Monday and, while feeling pretty tired after working hard all that day, he still remembered to stop and pick  up this sweet little bouquet of flowers (with a touch of PINK) and a cute little card full of hugs and kisses . . . for ME!!

 

 

Oh, and I had to show you the card our daughter gave to me. . . .along with a little box of candy!  I can't look at that card without laughing!

 

 

 

OK....so here we are, the Friday after Valentine's (which was on Monday).  And, guess what. . . . . we SAVED some of the brownies and chocolate covered strawberries just for YOU!!!

 

 Ooops.....I'm really sorry.  I LOVE chocolate covered strawberries . . . . I just couldn't help myself.

It's OK. . . I made LOTS of them, so there are plenty for all of you to enjoy. . . and gobs of brownies, too!

 

 

THE STONE RABBIT wants you to be sure to help finish off these treats.  He's had a really hard time staying away from them this week.  After this miserable winter, he's put on a little weight and having this kind of temptation around hasn't helped the situation!  :)

 

 

 

 

Don't forget to stop by Beverly's at HOW SWEET THE SOUND!  You will find a lot of other bloggers with great PINKS to share with you!!

 

 

Have a HAPPY PINK SATURDAY.

 

DANA

 

 

 

                                                      Keep smiling!!!

 

VALENTINE FUN!!

 

 

 

The first one he saw was on the floor,

holding a sign that said "LOOK ON THE DOOR".

 

 

Away he hopped, as fast as could be!

That Valentine's sign read "LOOK ON THE TREE!"

To the tree he did dash, without even a shrug,

and quickly read the message:  "LOOK UNDER THE RUG!"

 

The next Valentine, told him with a wink,

"Hurry up now. . . LOOK IN THE SINK!"

With a hop and a leap, to the kitchen he flew!

That little heart said "LOOK IN A SHOE!"

 

He  spied the shoe where the next heart sat. . 

 holding a sign that  said "LOOK BY THE CAT!

 

 "HOP TO THE OLD HIGH CHAIR AS FAST AS YOU CAN!""

read the sign from Twiggy and the little heart man!

 

When he spotted the candy box and the message "BE MINE". . .

 

 

he knew I have given him his own Valentine!

 

 

He told me he was  happy and had so much fun,

following the little clues, one by one.

Then he gathered  the  Valentines to help send you a wish

 

and added this special one. . . WHO

reminds us that we  celebrate Valentine's Day,

AND Pink Saturday, too!!!!

 

 

Special THANKS to Beverly, our hostess, for featuring my blog on this Pink Saturday!  I always look forward to this special event each week!! Thank you for making it happen for us!!

 

To see other bloggers with PINKS to share, just visit Beverly at HOW SWEET THE SOUND!!!

 

Happy Pink Saturday.....and have a wonderful Valentine's Day!!

 

DANA

GIFTS OF LOVE

My husband has made many Valentine's Days memorable for me over our four-plus decades of marriage.  The one that most stands out in my mind was eight years ago. 

On the evening of February 14, 2002, he came home from work.  I had prepared one of his favorite meals. . . Chicken Ala King.  As he came in the family room, I handed him a glass of red wine and we sat down on the sofa to talk a bit before we ate dinner.  He soon excused himself and went upstairs.  When he came down, he had changed into some casual clothes.  I didn't think anything of that. . . but, then, I noticed he had his glasses on, which meant he had taken out his contacts.  This was not at all a normal behavior pattern for him that early in the evening.

 Shortly, he turned to me and said, "We need to go to the hospital." 

"Why?", I asked. 

"Because I think I'm having a heart attack," he answered.

We soon found ourselves in an emergency room with all sorts of medical flurry going on about him.   Yes, he was having a heart attack, but they were able to get things under control pretty fast. 

The next day, it was determined he had blockages that would require surgery.  Because they had given him so much blood thinner the night before, the surgery had to wait two more days.  On February 18th he had three by-passes performed.  While that was the most frightening time of our married lives, it was also a gift. 

Had he not realized that the pressure he was feeling in his back was probably a heart issue, it would have been a matter of time before  the blocked arteries caused  an irreversible health crisis.

Since his heart attack, he has taken better care of himself than any of the years prior to that Valentine's Night. . .and I have NEVER fixed Chicken Ala King again.

                         *   *   *    *   *   *   *   *   *    *   *   *   *   *   *   *

When he came home from work today, he had brought me a couple of Valentine's gifts. 

In one hand, he had a bouquet of fresh flowers.

 

In the other hand was an item he had picked up at the pharmacy. . . . for me . . . .cuz I'm going to need this for a little  routine exam I'll be having soon. 

Now THAT'S true love!

THE STONE RABBIT wanted to wish a Happy Valentine's Day to all of you. 

  

  Please visit Beverly at HOW SWEET THE SOUND for a long list of bloggers with more Pink Saturday Valentine Fun to share with you.

Also, our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Beverly and her family as she recovers from her recent surgery!

DANA

A SPECIAL VALENTINE PROJECT

Recently, my blogging friend Nancy of MY CRAFTY LITTLE PAGE, showed us some of her amazing Valentine Decor.  I loved this banner that she displayed. . . . . and do you know what?  That sweet gal shared the pattern with me so I could create my own version of "LOVE"!!

 

I am not a paper artist like Nancy and her friends, therefore, I didn't have  neat supplies to make this project.   Also, I've been battling a "bug" . . . so I couldn't get  out to shop for cute papers! 

This meant I had to use what I had !   

SOOOOO. . . . I copied the hearts on some parchment colored card stock.  The color on this photo is not the REAL color of the parchment. 

Nancy had a cool background paper. . . I didn't.  Nothing I had looked right.  Then I recalled that lots of bloggers show projects  using old pages/sheets of music.  Well, that presented another problem, as I didn't have any sheet music or books of music. . . except a couple with Christmas carols and a hymnal that once belonged to my mom.  I looked in the hymnal index and found this song entitled "Oh Perfect Love"!  It was under the category of "Marriage"!   Now that would be "perfect" for Valentine's Day!

I made four copies of the page. . . once again on the parchment card stock.

This picture shows a better likeness of the "parchment" color.

Next, I trimmed the four sheets of music to the same size.  

I decided to use red card stock as a background to the music.  After trimming the background with my scalloping scissors. . . .

 

I adhered it to the music page with one of my favorite products ever. . . double sided tape on a handy roller!!  All of you scrappers know about this stuff.  I was introduced to it by my DIL . . . I've loved it ever since.

The above step was  repeated  until all four sheets of music had been trimmed and attached to the scalloped red card stock background.

Remember, I was feeling pretty rotten as I made this. . . don't be too critical on how evenly things were trimmed!
 

Twiggy supervised the project.  She felt sorry for me cuz I was (and still AM) sick.    Can't you see the compassion on that little furry face?

It's really hard to stay focused and "create" when you have such sweet company.

Here, Twiggy is showing you that I repeated the previous process with the hearts as I did with the music pages and red card stock.

Once the music pages and hearts were attached to their scalloped red backgrounds, it was time to adhere one heart to each page. . . I used the tape for all of the "adhering"!

 

 
 

Now it was time to punch two holes at the top of each completed page and then. . . .

 

 thread  ribbon. . . .OOPS, that darned kitty.  Please excuse her tail and scroll on. . .

As I started to tell you, the next step was to thread  ribbon through the holes until . . .

 

all of the cards had been connected.   I left extra lengths of ribbon on each end for hanging the garland!

 

Because Twiggy had been such a big helper, I decided to make a little Valentine necklace for her to wear!!

 

Hmmmm. . . . that does not look like the face of a Happy Valentine Kitty, now does it?  :)

I grabbed my creation and hustled as quickly as my sick body would let me hustle. . . .up the stairs to the entryway and the fireplace surround we have there.   It was the perfect spot to hang my garland!

Just pretend you don't see the tacky nail  in the wall behind my garland!

 

There it is. . . . .the ONLY Valentine's Day decoration I have displayed in our house.  I was going to do a little more, but I'm still feeling cruddy, so for this year . . . .that's it! 

I really appreciate Nancy's inspiration. . . . thank you!!!

THE STONE RABBIT, unlike Twiggy, proudly wears the little heart necklace!!  He told me he could count as my second piece of Valentine Decor. . . yes, he can!

 
DANA