The Stone Rabbit

2016 . . .A YEAR PACKED WITH RUNNING FUN!

 

I am one of "those" people who feel like if I don't get a photo or two of a running event....well, it just didn't happen!  :) Thankfully, the awesome friends I've made through running are (mostly) tolerant of me lining them up at races for a group shot...not to mention the photos I get while on training runs!  Actually, most of them are fantastic...and take their places as soon as I pull out my camera!

Anyway, yesterday I found a free on-line app for creating photo collages.....and I've had a ball trying to figure it out!!  The results of my first attempts are three groups of photos that document a "race" I was in for each month of 2016!!  I had forgotten than I'd actually pulled that off this year.  

I am in awe of these people that I have met through running.  They are a tough group who show up in almost all kinds of weather conditions to compete in a race....well, we PAY for those races, of course we're gonna be there!  haha   However, training runs are done in all sorts of weather, too, and a lot of them start before the sun comes up.....in the cold of winter and the heat of summer!

This year I did: 9   5Ks ( 3.1 miles)

                         2   10Ks (6.2 miles)

                         2   Half Marathons (13.1 miles)

                         1    Marathon (26.2 miles)

Most importantly, I logged over 1,000 training miles!  That was a big deal for me.  Of course, training for doing my first marathon contributed to the increase in those miles......but it was so worth all of the extra time, energy, effort and additional new shoes!  :)  

 

 

My next computer project is to figure out how to make a slide show of the many, many pictures I took while we were out on the trails, roads and sidewalks training for our upcoming events....or just enjoying some relaxing running time together.  

Hope you have a great end to 2016. . .and a wonderful New Year!!

Please visit Beverly's blog HOW SWEET THE SOUND for a long list of other bloggers who are ready with their PINK SATURDAY shares!!

DANA

A New Christmas Treat.....Appearance: Fail Taste: Wonderful!

 

 I have LOVED Ree Drummond ever since I first started blogging and discovered her blog, THE PIONEER WOMAN.

She is funny, smart and talented beyond belief in so many ways!

She has turned her blog into a wonderful business.   She has written cookbooks and childrens books....has a line of kitchen products....and her latest endeavor is the restoration of an old building in a small Oklahoma town that she's turned into a deli and gift shop.  A journey to this business of hers is definitely on my bucket list!

 

 

I have made a few of the dishes from this particular book of hers....among them the cinnamon rolls!  They turned out great and I'm terrible at making such dishes.

Yesterday, I decided to try making this pie.....where you roll out the crust, put the filling in the center, then fold the edges of the crust up to the top of the pie....it's a rustic look and I love it!  I had visions of of taking a few of these to our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day gatherings!! 

I used the recipe for the flakey pie crust that's  also included in this book.

Just look at Ree's beautiful finished pies!!

 

 

So, here's the first one I made.

I'd call it a tad more than "rustic", wouldn't you? :)

Disregard how nasty my pie pan looks....it's ancient.  There have been a lot of pies made in it over the last 30+ years.  I'd like to call it seasoned.

Actually, Ree bakes her rustic pies on a baking sheet, but by the time I'd wrestled the pie crust around, there were lots of holes in it....the juice from the filling was oozing out...and I fear I'd have an oven fire if I just plopped it on a sheet.  Thus, I contained the oozing mess in pie pans.

I also added fresh cranberries to the fruit mix.

 

 

 Here's my second attempt.

By then I'd wised up (I thought) and lined the pan with foil...hoping to  make the clean up easier.   The edges of the first crust were pretty well adhered to the pan by the time the baking process was complete....a real challenge to remove a "slice".

However, on the second pie there was just as much "crust sticking" going on.....and, sadly, trying to remove the pie from the foil (in one piece) didn't happen.  I ended up just peeling the foil off as best as I could and piling the "pie" in a dish.....it took on the look of a cobbler.

 

 

 

I have to say, while the finished dishes were  not worthy of an entry in a fair because of how sad they looked, they were definitely "blue ribbon material" in taste!!  Such a flakey crust....and the filling was  yummy!

 

So.... I will practice working with the crust recipe.  It's not gonna happen until after Christmas cuz I need to bake some of my "go to " dessert recipes .  They are the ones I have repeated so much over the years that I could make them in my sleep!!   Well, now that's an exaggeration!!

 

 

 

This morning, THE STONE RABBIT, Twiggy and I have been wrapping presents!!  I don't know why I procrastinate doing the wrapping, but I always do!  

Thankfully, that's all done.  Now we are gonna pop a couple of things in the oven to cook while we take a little nap and recharge .

 

Please visit Beverly's blog HOW SWEET THE SOUND for a long list of other bloggers who are ready with their Pink Saturday shares!

Merry Christmas to all of you!!

DANA

 

The Candy Cane Course 5K 2016

 

A week ago today was our local Candy Cane Course 5K/10K run/walk hosted by BODIES RACE COMPANY!  It was on a new....and HILLY course this year!! HoHoHo HILLS!  

As you can tell by the photo, we were bundled up as we waited for the race to start!!  It was COLD!!!

 

 

 

Later,  I crossed the finish line.  Actually, they let me do a retake of me crossing the finish line cuz my first picture was gonna be awful...and it was!!  :)   I had my typical relieved/exhausted facial expression going on it!  The second one is the one I'll keep!  haha

 

Here I am (on the right) with running buddies Karen and Verna after we'd all completed the course!

It's amazing how hot you can get while running even when it's cold, but how quickly you start freezing once you stop running!!  

We didn't linger after this race because we were freezing!  PLUS, Verna and I had TWO breakfasts to attend!!  Karen had a booked schedule and couldn't go with us. :(

 

 

The first breakfast/openhouse was held in the beautiful home of fellow running buddies Cory and Marji!  They have three sweet dogs....this one, Ben, was ready to play ball!

 

 

What a feast they had prepared for us.....just look at all of that bacon!!

 

 

The second breakfast was at a local restaurant  where we met up with another group of running friends who had also completed the same race!  The  light gray hoodies were the great shirts we received for signing up for the Candy Cane Course this year!

 

 

My yummy breakfast!!  Wish I had that right now!

 

 

Anyway, last Saturday it was cold.  This Saturday....it's cold and SLICK!!  We've had freezing drizzle.  The streets are terrible.....lots of wrecks.   So, today THE STONE RABBIT and I are staying home!  It's actually been very enjoyable just hunkering down this morning and enjoying our Christmas tree .....I finally got it decorated!!

 

I hope the weather is OK where you are!!  Be safe if it's not!

Be sure you visit Beverly's blog, HOW SWEET THE SOUND!  She has a lot of other bloggers who are ready with their weekly shares!

DANA

They are Baaaaack.....Even if it's just for a short time!

 

In the olden days, Hostess used to make pink cuppy cakes.

I loved those pink cuppy cakes.

I blogged on more then one occasion about them.

Then.....Hostess went out of business, bankrupt .....in 2013 it reopened under the name Hostess Brands, with production of some of their old favorites starting that same year.  I don't recall what the first ones produced were, but I'm thinking it was their signature chocolated cup cakes, with chocolate frosting and a white squiggle on top, plus a cream filled center.  I'm pretty sure the Twinkies came along  then, too.  I know they remade their little chocolate covered donuts, cuz I love those little tasty treats.

Over the last few years, they've brought back a lot of different  snack cakes , but not the PINK ones.  However, one day in 2015, my buddy Michelle found a few boxes of  Pink Cuppy cakes in a little town not far from here!!!  She knew how much I loved them, so she purchased some and brought them to me!!!  See that blog post (here).

I froze them and slowly enjoyed them one, by one, til they were gone!!

I hadn't found any more since.....until yesterday while I was at  Walmart and I saw an amazing sight....a gorgeous display of these PINK beauties!!!

Now, they are not exacty the same.  The old ones had pink frosting....but, hey, I'll take chocolate frosting on pink cuppy cakes any day!

Sadly, it appears they are a "limited edition" ...... so I guess I will be freezing a few boxes once again !

 

And speaking of freezing....that's what it is in our area!!

I hope you are staying snuggy warm where you are.....and maybe enjoying one of your very favorite snack cakes!!

Please visit Beverly's blog HOW SWEET THE SOUND for a long list of other bloggers who are ready with their Pink Saturday shares!

DANA

 

 

And Now......it's time to decorate for Christmas!

 

 

These days are flying by!!  Just a little over a week ago was Thanksgiving, followed by picking up our fresh tree at a local tree farm and putting it in a bucket of water on the patio cuz I had to launch into the final few days before my Christmas sale!!

The sale was this Friday and Saturday and it was OUTSTANDING!!  We had so many wonderful shoppers show up!  It was the best sale we'd had there in a few years!!!

Anyway, I sold out on the first day and had to be creative about coming up with a few items to plunk in my booth for the second day.  I stayed up late and got up early to make a few more snowmen....and I brought a few pieces of Easter and Halloween inventory I had left.....a couple of witches and a Halloween mouse did sell!  :)

I have a lot of help from Twiggy Cat and THE STONE RABBIT as I spend hours in my craft room creating items for my seasonal sales.  This is a photo from 2013...I was pricing some inventory.   I didn't realize Twiggy was in the background when I quickly took the photo!!  She was on the furnace vent cuz it was a cold day!!

You can see our cut tree through the patio doors!!  We just put ours in the stand tonight.  I can pretty much count on us getting into a little disagreement as we wrestle it into the stand, but this year things went pretty easy! 

First Thanksgiving, then going to the tree farm that weekend, then I work like a dog to get ready for the Christmas sale which is always the first weekend in December.  After that....it's finally time for me to get our decorating done. . .and shopping....and cooking....and cleaning!!  ho ho ho!   However, I wouldn't have it anyother way!

Please visit Beverly's blog HOW SWEET THE SOUND for a long list of other bloggers who have their weekly Pink Saturday shares ready for you!!

 

DANA