The Stone Rabbit

Such a Sad Pink Saturday

 

Just a week ago I featured my precious Frankie Cat on my Pink Saturday post.  

Frankie. . .always near by.  

My little buddy.

 

I can't believe that in just seven days I am sharing this. . . my amazing and sweet and gentle and loving Frankie Cat died this morning.

He appeared to be the picture of health. . .and yet. . .sometime during the wee hours of the morning. . .he died.

I found him. . .still. . .on the floor in the dining room. . . by the patio door.  

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

My beloved Frankie was dead.

Just a few hours earlier he was playing with his cat sister, Twiggy.  Later, he was in the "office" with me. . .on "his" table. . hanging out while I watched the late news.

And then. . .in just a few hours I found my beloved Frankie......lifeless.

 

It's been a really sad day for me.

I loved that kitty so much.

My heart aches over his totally unexpected departure.

As a good friend of mine put it recently. . .I'm crying "Pink Tears". . . lots and lots and lots of tears.

 

 

 

I hope to do a much better tribute to Frankie soon. . one that will be there forever to help me not forget all of the wonderful memories I have about such a special fur bundle from heaven.  BUT for right now. . .I just can't deal with that.  Right now. . . I just need to cry some more Pink Tears.

Please visit Beverly of HOW SWEET THE SOUND so you can visit the many wonderful bloggers who have PINKS to share with you this weekend.

DANA

 

Little Helpers

 

I've spent a few days this week working in my basement "craft room". . .and where I am so are my "little helpers".

I was at the sewing table when I heard the rustling sound of tissue paper . . . and  this is what a saw!  Frankie had pulled the PINK tissue out of this box, then settled in!!!

 

It's just amazing how a 12 pound kitty can flit in a "Medium Flat Rate" box!!!

 

 

Twiggy has a  special little box by my "gluing and painting" table that she likes too hang out in while I work, but since I wasn't working there at this time, she found a perch on the end of my ironing board.

 

It's amazing. . .no matter where I am in the house. . .they are there, too, giving me lots of comfort, inspiration and laughs.

Of course, THE STONE RABBIT is always close by, as well, and also been a  source of many an inspiration and laugh. . .especially since blogging entered my life.  

He  wanted to show you that he can almost go "Medium Flat Rate", too!  Wow. . .what a way to travel! :)

 

 

 

 

It's PINK SATURDAY again. 

Please visit Beverly at HOW SWEET THE SOUND!  She will have a long list of bloggers who have lined up to share their PINKS this weekend!!

DANA

It's Hard to Believe. . .

 

 

Yesterday was the day that our Grand Girl wore this shirt.

 

 

It's hard to believe because I can still remember holding her and walking around with her on this night . . . when she was  attending her first Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary Party!  

Even then, she loved PINK!!

 

 

And I'm certain it wasn't that long ago that my husband and I took photos of her (unbeknownst to her mama and daddy) for a surprise Christmas gift. . . a calendar.

We used a wrinkly sheet as the backdrop, then I surrounded her by items for her to "play" with that represented each month of the year and then my hubby took lots and lots of pictures!!

As I look back on the pictures, I see that they are not at all professional looking, but they certainly are a treasure. 

 

March. . .

October . . .

 

 

 

December. . .

And in NO TIME. . .she was toddling around in her little PINK Crocs and showing all sorts of "independence".

 

 

I can close my eyes and vividly recall this day when our families went to a local park area to take "fall family pictures" and how much fun she had playing in the leaves. . . and how she hated the swarms of bugs that looked like lady bugs, but weren't, and how they were landing on all of us and we were going crazy brushing them off.  :)

 

 

And it doesn't seem that long ago  that she was CRAZY about all things "Abby Cadabby" (from Sesame Street) . . .and how her mom created that look for her halloween costume and how stinkin' adorable she was in it!

 

And I'm certain it was just the other day that my husband and I took her to the Wizard of Oz exhibit at our local Crown Center and how I worried that she would be tramatized from the witches . . . 

 

and scarecrows. . .

 

 

and lions . . .

 

 

and, instead, how she LOVED it all. . . which eventually led to a Wizard of Oz themed birthday party and, now,  decor for her adorable bedroom!

 

And I'm sure this Easter egg hunt was just a few months ago. . and not years ago.

 

 

And I'm positive this bubble blowing session was just last week. . .cuz it sure seems like it to me!

 

 

Honestly, it couldn't have been that long ago that she enjoyed this particular July 4th parade in the little chair with her Tootsie Pop!

 

 

Wow. . . she was the perfect little Christmas Angel in this little pre-school program. . .that had to have been last Christmas. . wasn't it?

 

And I'm positive it was just the other day that she helped water my plants!!

 

But all too soon. . .that sweet little red headed baby Grand Girl was marching up the sidewalk, with her mom and dad and little brothers following her.

 

 

And she took her place in line. . .

 

 

 then, with the help of her mom, she looked for her seat and started her very first day of Kindergarten!

And I still can't believe it.  Where did all of that time go?  

Well, it went into the growth and development of a smart and sweet and loving child who is now ready to take on the world. . . one grade at a time!  

I just hope she slows down a little. . . so we can all hold on to her a bit longer.

 

 

Her darling outfit was created by a friend of my DIL's.  

The special top. . .

 

darling matching headband. . .

and skirt!

Here is a Facebook Link to their business.  Be sure you scroll through the posts so you can see some of their amazing designs!!  I have to say, this outfit is so cute in real life and is exquisitly constructed!!

 

M.E. LOU CUSTOMS

https://www.facebook.com/M.E.LouCustoms

OK. . so THE STONE RABBIT has been feeling like me about how the years have flown by since we first welcomed The Grand Girl into this world.  He says one of the things he's loved the most has been seeing how much she loves books and loves being read to.  I have to credit her mom and dad for making sure books are a huge part of the lives of her and her brothers. . . and that watching TV is not.

We just had to share a small selection of books we have at our house to read to the kiddos.  The ones in the front of this picture belonged to her daddy and aunt . . and were read many, many times to them when they were little.  :) 

 

 

Thank you for letting me walk down memory lane.   I'm so lucky we live near my son and his wonderful family because we've had the great fortune of being around them during so many wonderful days in their lives.

 I'm also lucky to be a part of the Pink Saturday Group!! For four years I've been sharing PINKS.  Thank you to our hostess, Beverly, for making this all possible!

Please visit her blog, HOW SWEET THE SOUND, for your weekly fix of PINK!!

DANA

The Journey of the Journals Continues. . . Circle Journal Part VII

 In January, our Circle Journal Group of ten started the journey of turning our blank journals into real treasures.  We each picked a theme for our own journal, decorated the front and back pages and a two page spread that was our interpretation of that theme.  Then, we put them in the mail and eagerly awaited the arrival of another journal.   We had a month to complete two pages in that journal. . .our interpretation of that particular theme. . .then we mailed it off and eagerly awaited our next project!!

As of this month. . .we have worked on 7 of the 10 journals!!! It has truly been an honor to be a part of this group.  I have come to know and appreciate my fellow journal gals as we shared pictures of our work and watched the journals come to life with each new addition.

This month, I so enjoyed completing two pages in Shelia's (Note Songs) journal, which she had entitled "By Hand".

 

 

THE STONE RABBIT has really enjoyed this journal process as much as I have.  He is truly impressed with the creativity and talent of my fellow journal friends !   Shelia, he wanted you to see how much your journal has grown since you mailed it off in January!!!

 

 

 

Here are my two pages. . .yes, I chose PINK for the background color!!!

It's hard to tell from this picture, but there are ten hands on those two pages. . . one for each of us participating in this project.  There are also pictures of vintage state postcards. . . representing each of the states in which our Circle Journal Friends live.

 

My interpretation of Sheila's theme focused on how we ten created these journals "by hand". . .yep, by our own little hands over the course of  ten months!!  

 

 

Each hand holds the title to their journal theme.  I also added a little personalized bling to each wrist . 

So on this page, starting in the upper right corner is Kathy's hand (The Writer's Reverie)  and her theme "Of Seeds and Stars". Appropriately, her bracelet is made of sparkling stars.

In the middle is Grace's hand, holding her theme of "Marie Antoinette".  Because Grace's blog is entitled "Pink in the City" I gave her a bracelet made of PINK stones.

On the left, wearing that black splint, is me!!  I broke a bone in my left hand in May and had to wear a black splint for two months. . .which made creating pages in circle journals very challenging!!  Anyway, I put some PINK bling on my splint!!  My theme is "Knowing Me, Knowing You".

 

 

On the bottom right of the page is Nancy's hand.  Her blog is My Crafty Little Page.  Being the Longhorn fan that she is, I have her making the Longhorn sign .  She's holding her journal theme of "Wise Words".  Her bracelet is a "lone star" hanging from an orange Texas Longhorns ribbon.

On the left is Kay Ellen's hand, with her journal theme of "Travels by the Sea".  Her theme makes me think "tropical thoughts", so I adorned her hand with some bright colored flowers.  Her blog is Kay Ellen Designs.

 

This is the opposite page.

 

On this page you can see Beverly's hand (How Sweet the Sound).  Her journal theme is entitled "Christmas Past", so I gave her a candy cane charm bracelet!!  And next to Beverly is her close friend, and fellow North Carolinian, Jeanne (Backyard Neighbor).  She chose "HA" as her theme. . .and it was truly a perfect pick for this fun-loving lady!!  Because she lives close to ruby mines, she is sporting a lovely bracelet of rubies!!  :)

 

 

Susan  (Blackberry Creek) selected "Heart to Heart" for her theme, so  I picked a blingy heart bracelet for her hand!

 

On the bottom are two more Texans!  First, on the left is LaVerne (Riverside Studios) with her theme of "Gifts from the Sea".  She's wearing a bracelet made from the finest pearls . . .a "gift from the sea"!!

Finally, on the bottom right is Sheila's dainty hand!!  She wanted us to include this particular hand image within our two page spread. . . so I think that's really why my layout evolved as it did!  Anyway, it was her theme "BY HAND" that led to what you're seeing on this post today!

 

Because Shelia loves music, her bracelet is made up of little "notes" I created for her!!

Working on these journals has given me a lot of enjoyment . . .and guess what. . . LaVerne's came in the mail this week. . .so I have more fun in store!!

And speaking of fun. . .that's what you will have when you head over to Beverly's blog, HOW SWEET THE SOUND.  She'll have a whole lot of other bloggers who are ready to share their Pink Saturday PINKS with you this weekend!

Happy Pink Saturday!

 

DANA

A PINK SMILE

 

 

Yesterday, I opened the front door and found this gorgeous watermelon on our porch!!!  I knew it was from our sweet neighbor. . . aka "The Watermelon Fairy".

He's such a doll.  He heads up to our local farmer's market each Wednesday. . .and when he does, he sometimes shares his finds with us. . .like this awesome melon!!  Recently, we've also received wonderful peaches from him (that's when he's called "The Peach Fairy") and corn (yes, then he's "The Corn Fairy").   I call him that because it's always such a special surprise to hear the doorbell ring and find him standing there. . .smiling and handing me a gift of fresh produce.

Sometimes I'm not home when he makes a delivery and when that happens he just leaves the treasure by our door. . .such was the case with this wonderful melon surprise!

THE STONE RABBIT and I both LOVE watermelon.  Besides ripe strawberries and peaches. . .sweet watermelons, at the height of their ripe perfection, are my favorite Summer time treats.

I'm no expert in how you can tell when you have a really good watermelon, cept I do know than when you cut into one and it "pops" when you are making the first incision. . .well it's almost always RIPE!!

 

So, today, when I cut into this beauty and it "popped" at me, then made a perfect SMILING split, showing it's glorious PINKish reddish treasure beneath the green rind. . .well. . .it just made me so happy. . .at a time that I really needed to feel happy. . . even for just a little while.

THE STONE RABBIT is such a corker!!!  He knew just how to make that watermelon look even better. . .by adding some "shades"!! 

 

Please visit Beverly's blog, HOW SWEET THE SOUND.  She will have a huge group of bloggers ready to share their PINKS with  you this weekend!!

HAPPY PINK SATURDAY!!

 

DANA