The Stone Rabbit

A GIFT TO ME. . . FROM ME !!!!

 

 Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.- Victor Hugo

 Our first "dusting" of snow this winter was December the 6th, but we had our first measurable snowfall on Wednesday night, making THE STONE RABBIT a very happy guy!!!  He had waited anxiously for morning to come so he could get out and hop around!  Rabbits love snow and cold. 

Actually the Grand Dog beat him out the door.....can you see her little paw prints ?  I believe I heard we got something like three tenths of an inch.  Last year, and the year before at this time, we were BURIED under several inches of snow.

I have loved the weather this winter.  Our temps have been so mild and our form of precipitation, until Wednesday night, has been rain!  I absolutely hate the cold, so when I walked out with the dog and THE STONE RABBIT, I was quickly reminded of just exactly why I feel this way. . . 

 

 

at 16 degrees. . . .it's just plain miserable.  On the plus side of cold. . . it doesn't take the dog too long to do her business. . . sniffing and circling for the perfect "spots" just don't seem as important as they do when the weather is decent.

As the morning wore on, we watched a variety of birds hang out in front of our living room window. . .all with their little feathers "puffed out"  to help keep them warm.

 

  The robins were dining on the few holly berries they had left on our bushes after nearly stripping them clean last fall.  They were just as sad about the cold weather as me . . heck, just the day before, they were still pulling worms out of the ground.  .  . and now, they were eating berries.  Guess it was a good thing they left a few for later.

I put together a batch of beef stew in the slow cooker. . . it was, after all, a stewy kind of a day. . . .then I worked on a variety of projects around the house, but even while wearing several layers of clothing, I just couldn't get warm.

By the time it was my "nap time/aka General Hospital Break Time" I decided it was the day I'd been waiting for since August.  

In the heat of that month, I found a bargain at our local Old Time Pottery store. . . .and stashed it away. . . until the perfect time!

YES, YES, YES!!!  It was the day to pull out my PINK Snuggie!!

When I saw the display of these little beauties last August, I let out the teeniest of shrieks!  They were PINK and they were on SALE!!!  

Actually, I couldn't believe that I hadn't already received one as a gift. . . my family and friends know how much I love PINK and how much I love to be warm!!!  That was OK. . . my wait paid off with a bargain!  It didn't bother me, either,  that it was "last year's design" as plastered on the package.  This one would be perfect!!

On the box, it says "one size fits all". . .  Well, Snuggies are VERY long. . . you can see little TWIGGY standing on the part that hit the floor while I was wearing it. . . .  and so are the  sleeves. . . but in comparison to their length, they aren't that huge around.  With that said, the body type that it would fit the best would be someone well over 6 feet tall, a bit on the slight size and with long arms.  Does that sound like you?  :) 

Actually, Snuggies probably are not meant to be "worn" and walked in. . .they are a  throw with sleeves. . .your backside is pretty much exposed, and with the loads of fabric in the length, it could be a tripping hazard, especially for short little Snuggie owners.  Basically, their claim to fame is that they are meant to be used while sitting on a sofa or chair that has a big back.  :)  

With all of that said. . . 

 I got all cozy on the sofa and ottoman, sporting my Snuggie for it's inaugural wearing, and concentrating on my beloved General Hospital. . .and then I realized. . . 

just how really warm that Snuggie was making me feel!!!

 "OOOOOH".....I said aloud......"I'm LOVIN' my Snuggie!!"   That's when THE STONE RABBIT hopped up on the ottoman and joined me in watching my soap and a little Snuggie Love, too!  :)

 

 

 

 

 

Brrrrr. . . this morning, as I finish the post, it is now 13 degrees!!!  And YES, I'm wearing my PINK Snuggie!  I have made steady PINK Snuggies Progress, too!

I have found that if I turn it around,  like a robe, it keeps me warm while perched in my computer chair which doesn't have a big cushy back.  PLUS, I've even learned that I can carefully hold up the bottom of it and make it into the kitchen for more coffee without having to take it on and off!  

 

SNUGGIE LOVE!!

 

Something else I love. . . PINK SATURDAY!!!  Kudos to our faithful hostess, Beverly, for making it happen for us every week!!

Please visit her blog, HOW SWEET THE SOUND, for a loooooong list of other bloggers who have PINKS to share this week, too!!!

Keepin' warm in my PINK SNUGGIE.....DANA

SNOWBOUND

 

 On Wednesday morning the Grand Boy was very, very sick.  He needed to go to the ER. . . . so I headed over to fetch the Grand Girl.

Kansas City was forecasted to be getting several inches of snow, starting around the time the baby was going to the hospital and I was transporting the girl across town.  Fortunately everyone made it to their destinations before the weather became wicked.  Before I continue,  the Grand Boy is improving and is home.

OK, back to the story. . .. so the Grand Girl and I were heading across town to our house when she informed me she'd really like some mac and cheese for her dinner!   I told her I did not have the ingredients for such a dish.  However, she advised me that a stop at the grocery store was all it would take to fetch what we needed for her culinary wish!  Of course, even with snowflakes flying, we stopped at the grocery store because she really wanted mac and cheese!  :)

We dashed inside the store, along with every other person in our city.  All of us were trying to "stock up" before the snow started accumulating!

We didn't waste time grabbing a couple of boxes of mac and cheese, paying for them and heading back out the door.  However, the Grand Girl was sidetracked by a cute display of books.  She thought this one was pretty neat.  I told her that maybe the "Valentine Fairy" might bring her one of those for Valentine's Day.  She looked up at me and rolled her eyes, saying "there's no Valentine's Fairy, Nana".   

Maybe there is. . . . 

 

Later that evening, she informed me over and over how much she LOVED mac and cheese as she gobbled up a couple of bowls full!

 

 

The snow was beautiful as it came down.  And it came down the rest of the day and into the night.

 

 

While the Grand Girl enjoyed her mac and cheese, I hooked up my new Cricut!!  Bonnie and I each purchased one recently, but hadn't done anything with them except learn the basics of operation.  This occasion would be the perfect time to really try it out.

 

I had purchased the "paper doll" cartridge" with the grand kids in mind.  The Grand Girl's first creation was a "likeness" of her little brother!

 Early the next morning, THE STONE RABBIT, watched as the sun was coming up. . . clearly showing the many inches of new snow we received over the night.

 

The Grand Girl and I had made plans to make snow ice cream.  

 

She had made it the week before with her mom when we had several inches of snow.   She was quite the pro at adding the sugar, milk and vanilla, then stirring and stirring until everything was nicely mixed.

Of course, chocolate syrup made the perfect addition to the frozen treat!

 

We decided to make some "indoor snowmen" with the extra snow!  It was the Grand Girl's idea to use raisins for eyes!  We transported those little guys out to the front porch where they remain. . . enjoying our freeeeeeezing temperatures!

 

Later that day, we made some heart shaped sugar cookies.  I was really impressed with her "rolling" skills!

 

She's also a pro at cutting out the shapes!

 

We thought it would be fun to decorate a "Valentine Tree". . . that's a work in progress!  She still has lots more creations to add!

 

She decided to make a "work place", too.  Twiggy appears to be her assistant!

Of course, we had to watch one of her favorite movies, too!!!

 

 

Today, Friday, we are again receiving more snow!

We have watched the neighbors continue to dig out.

We watched her grandpa continue to clear our driveway.

 

The streets are in pretty decent shape right now, but when we look outside at all of the snow we have. . . we are certainly SNOWBOUND!

 

I can't think of a nicer way to be SNOWBOUND !

 

 

 

PS   Don't you just LOVE those PINK Hello Kitty boots?  :)

 

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

 

HAPPY PINK SATURDAY!

 

 

DANA

AT LAST. . . WE HAVE A SNOWY DAY!

 

Last year at this time, we were still dealing with the Christmas Eve and Day Blizzard of 2009.  We continued to have snow and ice through February.  This winter, however, we've just had a dusting. . . until last night.  

This is what we woke up to this morning!!  I took this picture looking out our garage door and across the street.  I wanted to get the newspaper out of the driveway before it was totally buried. . . our forecast is calling for the snow to continue all day and maybe until tomorrow morning.  We should have several more inches of snow before it moves out!

All of the schools are closed, of course, and there were major traffic jams all over town this morning during rush hour.

I had the best phone call from the Grand Girl just a while ago.  She was so excited that her pre-school had been cancelled and they had a "snow day"!!  She and her mom already had big plans about making snow ice cream and building a snowman!! 

We live on a cul de sac that doesn't usually see a city plow for a long  time after it snows.  Luckily for us, a neighbor now has a snow blade that he puts on his truck. . . and he plows our street!

 

 

 

While I finish taking down the Christmas decorations today, THE STONE RABBIT and Twiggy will keep me updated on what's happening outside.  

They love Snow Days, too!!!

DANA

MOTHER NATURE AT WORK

 

A couple of weeks ago, I heard a very strange sound coming from outside.  When I looked out the front window I saw our neighbors' yards COVERED with birds....all were wildly pecking away at the ground. 

 

 

The birds were also in the trees. . . and I could see wave after wave (should that be flock after flock?) of them flying in the air, too!  

My husband was trying to get "the big" camera ready to snap a few shots, but I just grabbed my little point and shoot, knowing they wouldn't stay too long!  Just as I captured these, they ALL took flight at once. . . and the SOUND their wings created was like nothing I'd ever heard before!

The next morning, they  (or some that looked like them!) were back. . . just as wild and noisy as the day before!  Since then, I haven't seen them again.  I'm guessing they were making their way South. . . and we were just a  "break" so they could eat and rest their little wings for awhile.

 

 

On Christmas Eve morning, we had the sweetest snow fall.  It was just the perfect amount. . . a little dusting of sorts.

 

The robins seemed to appreciate the beauty, too!

Fortunately for us, we didn't get hammered this year like we did with the Christmas Blizzard of 2009.  I am sorry our friends on the East coast did, however.  It's a mixed blessing. . . . so beautiful, but so hard on the travelers and on everyone who just needs to get places. 

Yesterday morning, I looked out front and saw what looked like a very heavy frost on the roofs of neighbors' homes, on the lawns and on our little trees.

 

 Our dried out spirea bushes were covered in the frost. . . 

and so were the holly bushes.

 

 

 

A few minutes later, I looked out our back windows and saw this spectacular sight!   The trees in the yards of our neighbors to the West were coated with even heavier frost!!

 

 

As the sun came out, the coating was even more amazing.

I later heard on the news that type of frost is called a "hoar frost"!!  I had read about that on a post my blogging friend Keetha, of THE ECLECTIC CO.,  shared last winter (I think!).  Now we were experiencing it, too!

Thanks to the "National Snow and Ice Date Center"  web site, I am including a definition of:

"Hoarfrost A deposit of interlocking ice crystals (hoar crystals) formed by direct sublimation on objects, usually those of small diameter freely exposed to the air, such as tree branches, plant stems and leaf edges, wires, poles, etc., which surface is sufficiently cooled, mostly by nocturnal radiation, to cause the direct sublimation of the water vapor contained in the ambient air."  

 

The frost started melting as rapidly as it appeared, but it was a sight to behold while it lasted.  

 

This morning, our temps are in the low thirties and we are enjoying a lot of sun!  The holly bushes no longer hold snow or frost.  They do, however, provide one of THE STONE RABBIT'S favorite spots to just sit and "unwind" and to reflect on Mother Nature's unexpected gifts.

 

DANA

IT'S ANOTHER FROZEN MONDAY!

With the sun shining brightly this morning, our frozen world springs to life in glistening beauty.

The "expanding"  pole is in the "down" position. . . waiting for it's icy case to melt so a flag can be attached and lifted high!  In the mean time, it too becomes part of our winter show.

 

Our young trees are decorated with little fingers of ice. . .

and the early buds are now tucked in frozen blankets.

  The spirea proudly display their snowy and frosty coats, while . . .

 

Big Boy keeps his winter watch without complaint.

Inside, Frankie, THE STONE RABBIT, and Twiggy enjoy the February spectacle from their warm and cozy spot.

So do I!

DANA 

FAREWELL

Recently, I shared the snowman I  created from some of the many, many inches of snow that came our way starting on Christmas Eve.

THE STONE RABBIT and The Snowman spent hours and hours enjoying our winter wonderland.

Sadly for them, however, the sun started to shine and the temperatures warmed up. . . . and the snow started to melt.

 

Then one day, THE STONE RABBIT discovered that his friend  . . . .

could no longer take the change in the weather .

Yes, the snowman was leaving THE STONE RABBIT behind for now.

Even though the rabbit was sad and he knew he would miss his winter friend, he also knew he would return to spend more time with him on a future cold and snowy day!

So, he dabbed the tears with his PINK scarf and gave a final farewell to The Snowman. . . . The Snowman who had become a very dear friend!

 

 





Please visit our faithful friend and hostess, Beverly, at HOW SWEET THE SOUND.  She always gathers a great group of friends who have lots of wonderful PINKS to share!

Happy Pink Saturday!

DANA

Finding Beauty Friday- - - January 15, 2010

Today, THE STONE RABBIT surveyed the snow melting progress that had taken place in our little neighborhood.  Warmer temperatures and sun had combined forces to begin freeing us from the grip of many inches of snow. 

He saw one of his rabbit friends, who lives beneath the holly bushes, start to emerge from the snowy blanket that had covered her for quit some time.

He looked down  at the tiny patch that  had grown larger and larger as the day progressed.

A big smile crossed his face. . . . then he wiggled his toes in the beautiful green grass that had been hidden for so long.

 

Please visit Claudia at, DIPITY ROAD, to find other bloggers with  beauty to share!

DANA

MORE FUN IN THE SNOW. . . . .

This photo of THE STONE RABBIT, sporting his warm PINK wool scarf was taken as he watched me shovel one of our recent snows.

The temperatures weren't as cold on that day as they have been over the last few days.  As you can see, I had made great progress on the driveway.  There wasn't a whole lot of snow and it wasn't brutally cold. . . unlike what has been going on recently.

When I glanced over again, I realized THE STONE RABBIT had been busy in a snowy patch that remained on the front sidewalk.

Ahhhhhh. . . . that sweet rabbit.  He had been working very hard at writing a message in the snow for all of you PINK Saturday readers!

As I was telling THE STONE RABBIT how impressive his snowy work was, I could see Curly sneaking up on him.

OOOOOOOOOO-----he had an evil look in his eyes.

However, before I could warn THE STONE RABBIT. . . .

POW!!!!!

That Curly had nailed THE STONE RABBIT with a snowball!

That's when the fun in the snow REALLY  started. . . . those boys played all afternoon!

 

You will be able to play all day, too, if you visit Beverly at HOW SWEET THE SOUND . 

She will have a very long list of bloggers who have fun PINKS to share.

Have fun!

DANA

MEMORIES OF CHRISTMAS Part 2. . . . OUR DECORATED HOME

Here you see Twiggy the Kitty doing one of the things she loves most in the world. . . looking out the  window in our living room, watching for birds or cats or even a dog or two.  However, when I put the Christmas decorations out, she had to move her perch over a bit to allow room for a wooden flying Santa!

Our live tree resided in the corner of the living room.  Twiggy's window is to the left of this tree. 

I recently shared how I decorate this tree in all vintage red glass ornaments. . . many of them from the first Christmas my husband and I shared forty two years ago.  Gads, that makes us pretty vintage, too! :)

I posted earlier about  my new fake tree.  This is how it looked when I opened the box and assembled the three sections.

This tree is in the dining room area.....just in front of the glass doors that lead out on to a patio.  You can see one of my beloved light up Santas through the window......he's waving at us!

I fill the twig tree with vintage glass garlands and ornaments I've collected over the years.

 

As you enter our house, the office is on the right.  That's where I put my tree filled with old Dancing Santas.

 

Bonnie gave me a wonderful Christmas present this year....a vintage table cloth with Dancing Santas on it.......to use as a tree skirt for my tree!

My tour is a bit choppy.  Now we're back in the dining room. . . . across from the twig tree.  This is one of my two most favorite pieces of furniture. 

I bought the wardrobe a few years ago at an antique mall. . . hoping I could put it in my office to house computery stuff.  Unfortunately, it didn't work for that. . . so it sat in our garage for a long time.  It's a great story about all the work that was eventually done on it to bring it to life and I will share that on a future post.  For now, I will say, it houses lots of dishes and glasses and linens AND is a great spot to put some greenery, lights and decorations!

The plastic light up Santa, under the cloche, is old. . . as are the ceramic "NOEL" candle holders.

On the left of the wardrobe is a tree filled with pewter ornaments.  My mom originally gave me a new one each year that she received by subscribing to Country Woman magazine.  I used to hang them on a much smaller tree, but my  collection grew and grew.  I  also have some sold by Longaberger Baskets and Avon and a few given to me by friends who just ran across them in a store and thought of me. 

Isn't it amazing how easily a "collection" can start?

The tree means so much to me because it was my mother who started it with her annual ornament gifts.

 

This was a gift to me from Bonnie.  She carved the details and painted it, then. . . .

her talented husband made a great stand to attach it to and I painted it black!  It is to the right of my wardrobe in the dining room.

 

This is my mantel over the fireplace in the living room.  The photo is really bad, but I used two frosty garlands I purchased at NELL HILL'S, added lights, a sparkly HAPPY HOLIDAYS sign and two old lanterns (found at a thrift store).  I also added electric candles to the lanterns.  I took photos as I completed that project. . . it will be a post one day, too.

To the right of the fireplace, and on the floor, is an old wood sled I found at a flea market near St. Joseph, Missouri.  On top of it is a basket of vintage Santa lights with greenery.  Yep, they light up. . . it's a beautiful sight! :)

This wreath is on a wall in our dining room.  I love those sparkly words!

This year, I added greenery  over the windows in the breakfast nook and . . . .

wonderful gingerbread men that Marian made!  I also made some vintage looking candy canes from 15 mm pipe cleaners that I've had for a long time.  Then I just stuck them here and there in the greenery.

 

 

We have cabinets built on each side of the breakfast nook.  They provide great space to display my decorations. 

I love the old Christmas houses, bottle brush trees and snowmen.  I have them  on top of an old silver plate, which is atop  a silver chafing dish base.

Also, on that same cabinet, I put my favorite Christmas card.  It was the very last one my sister sent to me . . . December 1989.  She passed away that following March. . . at the age of forty . 

The amazing thing. . . I also had sent out that very card that year. 

I LOVE vintage NOELs!   Bonnie gave this one to me. . . it was my first!

 I found this wonderful Santa pitcher last Christmas, 2008, when we attended the Greenwood Christmas Open House. 

On the other side of the breakfast nook is a wonderful Santa plate. . . also painted by Bonnie.  There is  another old NOEL set and a couple of my favorite candles that I can't bear to light! :)

I have a new friend, named Joy, who just started her own blog, COUNTING BITS OF JOY.  Joy is an amazing counted cross stitch artist.  She shared, on a recent post, this very Santa pattern.  I told her it was the ONLY cross stitch project  I had ever started and actually completed.  Joy, on the other hand has stitched many, many, many beautiful works.  You need to visit her. . . tell her I sent you over! :)

My second favorite piece of furniture is this old fireplace mantel and surround.

The photo does not do it justice.

It is in the entry of our house.   The door you see goes into my office. . . the front door is to the right of that. . on a different wall.

Anyway, the mantel has a good story, too.  I will tell that later when I post about the wardrobe.  They were both given new looks by the same craftsman.

You can see THE STONE RABBIT  on the floor to the right of the mantel.  He likes that spot, cuz he can see who's coming and going!

I like to change the arrangements within the firebox area and the top according to the seasons.

This year for Christmas, I have a little arrangement of "Bonnie Work".  She painted the paper mache' houses and the stacking boxes and the moon in the star!  I leaned one of my favorite Santas on the opposite side. . . to hide the extensive electrical wires for my lights. . .then topped it off with fake greenery and holly.

On top  (refer to the first photo for the full shot) I added two old black lanterns with battery operated candles I found at Big Lots.  They come on at dusk and stay on for about 6 hours.  I also added one more of Bonnie's houses and boxes.  The arrangement on the wall was made by another talented friend a couple of years ago!

So there's the overview of some of my Christmas 2009 Decorating.

NOW, I have to head outside again for a while.  You see, this is what started falling AGAIN yesterday afternoon. . . .look reallllly close and you can see those white flakes! 

Oh, and yes, not only did the snow start falling AGAIN, so did the temperatures!

In the wee hours of the morning, I could hear my neighbor attacking his driveway with the shovel.  At that point the temperature, per one of our local TV stations,  was 5 degrees.

I think we received at least five inches of snow, but the winds were (and still are as I write this) blowing like crazy causing the just shoveled areas to fill back up.

You can see he was pretty optimistic putting his trash out.  The trash company  he uses (and so do we) put an alert out on the TV that they weren't picking up trash today----just after he hauled his to the curb!  This makes week two that they haven't been able to do their regular pick up! 

We are supposed to have even colder, record breaking temperatures starting tomorrow and  going through Saturday!

Yep, our weather has been horrible since Christmas Eve!

As I said, I have to head outside and work on the drive for awhile!  I just thought you should see how great I look, so I did a little self snap shot out on our front porch.

You may recall that I talked about the snow blower my husband has for the John Deere riding lawn mower.  Well, I don't do that. . . . I use the shovel.  HOWEVER, I have decided that I am going to look into getting an electric snow blower.  This shoveling thing isn't so much fun anymore.

Did I tell you it was COLD?

Stay safe and warm!

DANA 

IT'S A WRAP

Our 2009 is ending in a white wrapping of snow.

We've had two additional snow events since The Christmas Eve Blizzard.

I don't mind shoveling snow. . . IF it's not miserably cold and IF it's not the really wet and heavy kind.  In fact, the kind of snow we've had has been the good kind.  Well, the HUGE amount we received in the first snowfall was more than I would want to handle with a shovel.  Snow blowers were in order for that amount.  However, the last two snow falls have been in the 2 inch range.  That's where I don't really mind taking the shovel to our driveway and working away for a bit.

If you're relatively healthy,  snow shoveling is a great way to get a  little exercise and also a perfect opportunity to get lost in some "thinking time".

However,  sometimes the best part of the job is just putting that shovel aside for awhile and . . .

 

taking up a little scoop of snow in your gloved hands.

Then after packing it into the perfect orb,

 you roll it along atop the ground,

watching as it grows and grows,

all the while recalling doing the same thing many years ago,

when your hands were small and covered with smooth, young skin.

Then, you repeat the process,

but stopping  sooner so it remains just a bit smaller.

After adding it to the first,

and with one more trip to the snow,

you create the perfect, final form.

When  placed on top of the other two. . . . 

and adorned with  some buttons and a carrot,

you have brought a snow person to life----- again.

 

Then you find yourself remembering similar days in years gone by. . .

days spent busily creating snow creatures of all sizes and shapes- - -

and igloos

and snow forts.

You remember how you spent HOURS in the cold with your friends and siblings. . .

building, fighting, and loving the white gift from above. 

You remember your own kiddos longing for it to snow

so they could use their new sleds

or wear their new snowsuits.

 

THEN you remember the first year your hubby got his snow blower attachment for his . . . . .

 

big ol John Deere lawn mower! 

What a glorious day that was for him!  (Hmmmm- just noticed the frozen garden hose on the driveway.  Tacky, tacky!)

Yep, snow can be rough and cause lots of problems for us, but it can also be a gift and . . . .

 bring us lots of fun

and good feelings and sweet memories!

It can also be a way to deliver a message. . . .

like this Happy New Year shout out THE STONE RABBIT, Frosty and I are sending to you!

We hope it's filled with fun,  happiness,  and good health!

AND that's a wrap to 2009!

 

DANA