The Stone Rabbit

SO MANY CANDLES!!

 

 Woo-wee "Birthday Season" is in full swing around here. . . and that means lots of fun and LOTS of candles!

Our Breakfast Group celebrated Mary Ann's special day by gathering at "Avenue's Bistro" in Leawood, KS., for lunch and birthday sweets. . . note the PINK candle in the cake!

Pictured here (L to R) are Beth, Mary Ann and Mary!

 

(L to R) Patty, Laura, and Dana (me!) 

We also had a little "gifty" time for the birthday girl.  This photo shows Mary Ann  with the gorgeous apron Laura made for her from a vintage table cloth!

 

Bonnie was next on the Birthday Parade!

She, Marian and I went to a flea market that day, then stopped by Bonnie's to open presents.

When Bonnie went inside, through the garage door, I pulled my gift out of the back of my vehicle and placed it on her front porch.

Then I made her come out the front door for a birthday pose!  :)

She had seen this metal dress form when we were out shopping recently.  I thought she was gonna buy it that day, but when she didn't, I decided I would. . . for her birthday gift!

I attached a little chalk board to it - - - - on which I wrote Happy Birthday.  Sadly, I smeared "birthday" when I was hauling the dress form to the porch.   The shopping tote contained smaller gifts, too.  

 

Marian made the most wonderful cupcakes for this special occasion.  They were chocolate with peanut butter frosting. . . mouth watering.  

She added the little ice cream cone candle. . .  PINKNESS. . .

 

 

 

with a flame!!!!

AFTER dessert, we headed over to SQUARE PIZZA, on The Historic Square in Independence, MO, for a very late, but yummy lunch!!

 

Last weekend was Marian's birthday celebration!!!

She wanted to see HOP, so we did!!

Here Marian (on the left) and I are standing outside of THE PHARAOH THEATER on The Historic Independence (Missouri) Square!  

You can tell my our hair-dos that it was a verrrry windy day!

 

After the show, we had a great lunch at THE COURTHOUSE EXCHANGE, then returned to Bonnie's car where Marian's presents were waiting for her to open!  

Did you notice that Bonnie used the tote I gave her?  :)

 

 Yep, inside that tote was a delicious cake she had brought for Marian's birthday! (It was in the box she was holding!)  Plus, plates, forks, napkins, lighter AND. . . .

 

the candle. . . . which was  lit in honor of her special day!!

That cake was SO, SO scrumptious!!!

I LOVE birthdays. . . don't you?  

 

 

OK, I'll admit I  wasn't too excited about seeing Marian's movie selection, but I'm so glad she picked HOP. . .  we all LOVED it.  It was so cute and very, very funny.

However we all agreed. . . 

 

that after viewing this little story about the Easter Bunny and his boy, EB, we will . . . 

 

 

 

 never look at jelly beans. . . 

 

the same way again!!   :)  

If you've seen the movie. . .you will know what I mean.  

If you haven't seen it. . . you should!!!

 

 

 

 

Oh, and one other thing you should do is visit Beverly's blog, HOW SWEET THE SOUND!

She will have gobs of other bloggers waiting for you to see the PINKS they're sharing this week!

Happy Pink Saturday!!!  

DANA

LABOR DAY WEEKEND TRADITION

For over thirty years, I have attended the Santa-Cali-Gon Days Festival in Independence, MO.  It's a huge event held annually around the historic courthouse.  Thousands of folks attend.   

The festival has a variety of entertainment, loads of tempting food booths, a carnival and, my personal favorite. . .  several tents filled with vendors selling a wide variety of items.  

In earlier years, it was very hard to get to be a vendor at this sale.  The committee was very selective about who they wanted there. . . concentrating on quality hand-made wares.  Sadly, over time, the folks in charge have let tons of imported items flood the booths.  Very few quality, hand-made items are there any more.  

Here are some of the "crafters" tents.  I tried to get a view that showed how long each row of tents was, but I ended up getting the alley between the tents!  

The tents that line the streets going around the court house are mainly food and business booths. 

The festival opened Friday morning.  We were there early. . . and so were lots of other folks!  This year, the temps were in the mid-70s, with beautiful blue skies. . . and lots of wind!  Last year on the first day, it was pouring.  

My friend Sharleen's shop, LUTICIA CLEMENTINE'S, is located on The Square, too.  We made certain we stopped by to  hi to her.   I told her I needed a couple of PINK items to share for PINK SATURDAY. . . and she happily pointed out this darling outfit and . . . . 

 sweet little booties!!!!
 
 

I didn't buy much this year at the sale, BUT one item THE STONE RABBIT really loved was the new TYLER candle I found at LUTICIA CLEMENTINE"S.  It's a yummy fall scent called "Homecoming". 

Today's outing at the sale, which is always held on Labor Day Weekend, put me in the mood for pumpkins and gourds and yummy fall scents. Thanks to Sharleen's fine candle selection. . . I'm ready to jump into fall!!!  THE STONE RABBIT says he's ready for fall, too, but he will HOP into it !!! 

  
 
  Please visit our hostess, Beverly, at HOW SWEET THE SOUND!  She will have a very long list of bloggers who also have pinks to share with you!

HAPPY PINK SATURDAY. . . and have a safe and fun Labor Day Weekend!!

DANA

BINGHAM-WAGGONER ANTIQUE SALE 2010

On Saturday, July 10, I attended the annual antique show held on the grounds of the Bingham-Waggoner Estate in Independence, Missouri!  I always look forward to this event.  It's a gathering of amazing vendors with their wares displayed in such a gorgeous place!! 

My friends and I always try to arrive early. . . it's cooler and you get to see what's available for sale before items are "picked over"!!   

However, before we start serious shopping. . . we take a few minutes to enjoy a breakfast of biscuits and gravy.  Here is Bonnie. . . SO excited about this annual meal!!  :)

  Temptations were everywhere!!!!

This is my friend Kathy Taylor, a great artist.  I recently wrote about her (HERE) .  Kathy is showing me a rug she is working on. . . it features one of her beloved cats, named Gabby!!!

Here's a photo of that wonderful feline featured on Kathy's hooked rug!



 Marian is pictured with a vintage, plastic Bud Light dog. . . the price tag was (gulp) $110.00!!!  No, she didn't buy it, nor was she even interested in it. . . I just thought they looked cute together in their blue shirts. . . so she kindly posed for the photo !!!   Antique shows present unlimited opportunities for fun. . . as well as great finds!

Here I am, on the right.. . . holding the cookbook  I just bought from the author, Debbie Kraft!  Debbie was also in one of the same shows I did earlier this year.  I didn't have a chance to meet her then, so I was thrilled when I saw her at this sale!!!  Her book is filled with wonderful time-tested family recipes!! 

 

The "Spirit of Independence" Community Band  provided the greatest music during the show!

I knew my pal Jill (on the left) of BITTERSWEET SOAP was going to be at the sale.  It was so fun to run into her and her friend Rita!   They're smiling cuz they found lots of terrific treasures!!

 

This year, there were several overdressed folks mingling with the shoppers!

Whoa!! This guy was heading our way. . . he appeared to be trying to tell us something. . . or offer us some refreshment!!

  It seems he thought Bonnie and I would love to meet  a few of his friends , so he called them over!!!   It was a good thing Jill was there to capture that moment. . . no one would have believed us otherwise!! :)  HUZZAH!!!,

Actually, these fine folks, and MANY others, were "in character" during their time at the sale. . . visiting with the shoppers and promoting the upcoming Renaissance Festival held annually in Bonner Springs, Kansas.

 

After several HOURS of eating and shopping we took a little break and enjoyed some iced tea and lemonade.  Once rested, we loaded up our "finds" and headed home. 

It was another WONDERFUL day at the Bingham-Waggoner Antique Show and Sale!!!   YOU should come next year- - - I'm certain you'd love it, too!

 

A few of my "buys". . . .a great old magazine rack (perhaps to be painted black?) and a "perfectly rusted" coal or ash bucket. . great for all sorts of fall arrangements,

 

a vintage black metal floral basket. . . I'm seeing orange pumpkins and fall leaves arranged in that.

 Bonnie and I each purchased several of these paper mache' flower pots . . . we have a plan!!!

A  metal stand (on the left) that holds pictures.....or messages!  It's not old, but it's sure cool!!  I also picked up two vintage black hats (another plan in mind for them), a neat wood tote (I have a thing for totes. . . especially if they're CHEAP) and some  blue paper  mache' fruit baskets!!   I'll probably use them in my spring show!

   

Here's a super old bench that went to a dressing table at one time.  It needs some work, but I clearly see it has a bright future!

Besides old totes, I love vintage baskets. . . so does THE STONE RABBIT!!!  If I can get him out of this one,   I will use it in tons of ways. . . .displaying seasonal arrangements, holding papers, or maybe it will end up  in a future sale!!!  That's the fun of treasure hunting. . . once you have your "finds" , you can keep them or sell them to someone else to love for awhile!!!

  DANA

Bingham-Waggoner Antique Sale ANTICIPATION!!!

This is such a fun packed time !!!  Last weekend we celebrated Independence Day with a parade and a picnic and loads of good times with family and friends.  However,THIS Saturday is probably one of my all time favorite days of the year!  It's the day that my buddies and I meet up at the Bingham-Waggoner Estate in Independence, Missouri, for their annual antique and craft show!!

Below is a photo of the mansion as seen on the website.  Please click on the link above to read more about the sale and the many other activities that take place there!

 

THE STONE RABBIT knows how very much I love going to this sale!  He thought he'd help me out by locating my HUGE flag bag that's perfect for taking to sales!    I just added the bottle of water (cuz it can be a HOT day!) and a little cold, hard cash!!

L to R you see Bonnie, Marian, me and Patty. . . posing just as we go into the sale!  They all have flag bags, too!!  This photo was taken at the sale in 2007!

Here I've met up with some of Bonnie's buddies. . . all with their flag bags!  :)
 
 

One of the very first items on our agenda . . . breakfast!!!  We have been known to wait too long and they RUN OUR OF BISCUITS AND GRAVY!!  Not last year, however!!  We headed to the food booth first thing!!

There are about 125 vendors spread out on the grounds of the estate!  It's a beautiful venue for such a fantastic show!!
 

This is Kathy Taylor.  She does the most fabulous painting on gourds!!  She is a "cat lover", so one of the primary designs in her paintings are . . . cats!!  I have a little Christmas tree that I fill  with the wonderful gourd decorations I have purchased from her over the years!

 

My heart is beating with excitement as I revisit some of the wares from last year!
 

This booth belongs to Nancy Rose aka The Gourd Lady!  She also paints on gourds, but with a different style than Kay.  Nancy and I go waaaaaay back!!  MANY years ago, when we were first teaching, she was the art teacher and I was speech therapist in the same building!!! :) 
 

I can HARDLY wait!!
 

Someone I ALWAYS look forward to seeing each year is an OLD high school classmate. . . Sharon!  Actually, she's two years younger and was my sister's very close friend!  She does this sale with her sister!  It's always fun to see what tempting items they have gathered for the sale!

Here's another friend, Vicky.  She's hauling a buy to her vehicle!!  Vicky owns, OLD GLORY in Greenwood, Missouri. It's a fabulous shop filled with wonderful primitive furniture and decoratives!
 

Talented local musicians are shown preparing to entertain the crowd.
 

LUNCH TIME!!!
 

Bonnie found some bargains.

  

My friend's daughter, Cassie,  had a booth at the sale, too!  Here she modeled her super sweet skirt made from vintage handkerchiefs! 

I LOVE old metal picnic baskets!!!
 
 

Last year, among my purchases, were a sock monkey, a wooden chimney and a tarnished silver tray!!!  I know I bought more.....I just don't recall what!!  :)  I resold the monkey and the tray in my own sales. . . I still haven't figured out what to do with the chimney. . . but I will!

I wanted to show you a few photos from the 2008 sale, too!  First, cuz we had missed the biscuits and gravy the year before, Patty brought us fresh cinnamon rolls to enjoy before the sale!!

Here I am with my high school friend again. . . and a metal picnic basket purchase!! :)
 

Here's a shot of the mansion. . . it was very cloudy and RAIN was predicted!!!  We shopped quickly because it wasn't too long after I took this photo that. . . .
 

the umbrellas had to come out!!!
 

The rain became so heavy that some vendors had to stay dry in any way they could!!
 

We stayed until it was no longer fun to shop in the rain, so we headed back to the parking lot and . . . .
 

crawled into the back of my van, out of the rain.  Then, we finished the cinnamon rolls!!

 

Talking about the rain reminded me. . . .I'd better put my umbrella in my flag bag, too!! 

DANA

THE FUN OF SIMPLE PINKNESS

THE STONE RABBIT wants to show you one of the most popular items in our house!

It's hard to believe that this recycled  "simple PINKNESS" can provide. . .

 

so much fun!!!

Twiggy can spend hours playing "tug" with it or whacking it under footstools and chairs just so she can figure out how to retrieve it.

She and THE STONE RABBIT also like to play a game they call "How Fast Can  You Get the Pink Ring Off My Ear"! 

On that day, Twiggy set a record of 3.7 seconds!!!  

 

Frankie doesn't like that game . . .

especially when he's trying to take his Cat Nap!

 

Whitney would rather keep the Pinkness on her ear instead of having one of the others try to rip it off.   She says she always gets compliments on that little touch of color.  Twiggy agrees that it looks marvelous with her slick white coat, so she just lets her wear it. . . .  for  awhile!

The most fun comes when the rabbits and Twiggy decide to play together using the "simple PINKNESS" in a game they created over the winter. They are such a creative little group!

 

The game is called "Pass the Pink".   Actually, this game came about because of the interest our town has now grown in the sport of ice hockey.  We just recently opened an events center in Independence, Missouri,  and it is the home to our very own minor league ice hockey team called The Mavericks.

Anyway, the crew here in our house love to pretend they are skating on the ice rink. . . while passing their little pretend Pink Puck!

Here we go!  First Twiggy has the PINK circle and she passes it to . . .

 

WHITNEY!  

Whitney quickly stops the circle with her right front paw. . . . then fakes  back at Twiggy, but slyly shoots it at THE STONE RABBIT instead!

THE STONE RABBIT successfully stops the circle.  He tapped the Pink Puck back and forth between his front paws for just a bit then  sent it sailing to. . . . .

 

Twiggy!!!   What a stop. . . . I mean CATCH !

 

Unfortunately, the game ended there that day.  Twiggy wanted a little alone time with the circle of PINK! 

Sometimes she makes up her own rules.

 THE STONE RABBIT didn't care.  He knew that in a while, Twiggy would be back wanting to play   "How Fast Can  You Get the Pink Ring Off My Ear" again.

  He would be ready!

 

I hope YOU'RE ready for some Pink Saturday fun once again!  Our wonderful hostess Beverly has made certain there is a long list of folks waiting for you to visit just by going to her blog HOW SWEET THE SOUND! 

Have a wonderful Pink Saturday!

DANA

MEMORIES OF CHRISTMAS 2009. . . . . Part One

Lately, posting on my blog has been very limited, however, I did want to make up, just a bit, for my recent lack of sharing by showing you some of  the great times I did experience during the days leading up to Christmas.  Better late than never!

As I was reviewing the tons of photos I took during that time, but had not shared on my blog, I realized what a wonderful two months I had prior to Christmas and how very lucky I am!

I guess I am probably posting these photos for a selfish reason, too.  I want to hang on to the magical time of The Season.

Brace yourself. 

There are a lot of photos on this post.  This collection  shows bits and pieces of the events that took place in my life during November of 2009. . . MOST of which helped to put the season in motion for me.

I will refer to this post as "The Holiday Season Begins"......

In my book, the "holidays" officially start when the shops in Greenwood, Missouri, have their Open House.  It is held on the first two weekends of November.   My friends (Bonnie, Patty and Marian) and I look forward to it and try very hard to attend this event every year.

Greenwood is located South and East of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the home of some of my favorite antique shops .

 

This building houses Vicky Hale's OLD GLORY, a shop that specializes in primitive and Americana as well as wonderful handpicked seasonal decoratives.

 

Across the street is the GREENWOOD ANTIQUE MALL and COUNTRY TEA ROOM.

 

This mall is packed with wonderful vendors.

For some reason, I wasn't busy taking photos of the awesome displays and the few I did take were blurry.  However, this  photo gives a little glimpse of a few of the tempting vintage decorations for sale.

Perhaps, I wasn't taking pictures of the booths because I could hardly wait for our lunch in the Tea Room!  Shari, the owner, always has a fantastic menu! 

This photo shows just inside the entry to the main dining room. . . our table was located across the room,  next to another fireplace.

 

Shari has three dining rooms within her Tea Room.  This year, the middle room was decorated in the most gorgeous PINKS and silvers.   

 

I  had to have a photo of my lovely plate!  The quiche and salad were perfect!

 

HOWEVER, the best part of the meal HAD to be the appetizer we shared. . . fried and seasoned sweet potatoes and green beans.  They were served with two types of amazing dipping sauces!  I think this meal was the beginning of my holiday weight gain!

 

After we visited the rest of the shops in Greenwood, we journeyed to the Independence Square, as their Holiday Open House was going on, too!

We first stopped in Sharleen's store. . . LUTICIA CLEMENTINE'S, then . . . .

 

we visited the rest of the shops that surround our newly renovated historic court house square! 

We visited Greenwood and the Independence Square on Friday, November 6th. 

On Monday, November 9th, my Breakfast Group traveled to the Briarcliff Village Shopping center in Kansas City North to celebrate Mary's birthday!  Besides lunch at The Cafe', we couldn't make a trip to that location without spending lots of time and money in. . . . . .

 

NELL HILL'S, the store owned by this lady, Mary Carol Garrity!  Mary Carol wasn't there that day for me to take her picture, but here is the next best thing!!!!

 

NELL HILL'S is totally a feast for the eyes......amazing decorating ideas and over the top displays are situated in and ON every square inch of the gorgeous store.

 

 

 

Patty and I loved this colorful wreath, however, we couldn't resist the temptation to . . . .

 

see how we looked in the elf hat we found on the bed !!!

I think Mary Carol leaves that hat out just so folks like us can have fun!

 

Cynthia, Patty's cousin, posed with us for our group picture.  She is on the front row, left side.  Cynthia is a designer at Nell Hill's and plays a big role in the amazing displays seen all over the store.

Pictured, left to right on the front row are:  Cynthia, Patty, Beth, and Dana (that's me!).  On the back row, left to right are:  Laura, Mary Ann and Mary The Birthday Girl!

 

I decided I wanted a photo with Mary Carol.......this was the best I could do on that visit.  I know if she had been there, she would have graciously been in our group shot, just like she did (HERE) last summer when fellow blogging pal, Jeanne of BACKYARD NEIGHBOR , paid a visit to Kansas City!

After we left NELL HILL'S, we  checked out a few of the other stores in the shopping center.  In one of them, we found this heartwarming sight.

Each year, Bonnie and I put up our "Country Living Tree" and fill them with vintage ornaments.  The tree is a live tree......a very scraggly kind that I can't recall the name of right now. 

THIS year, we decided we would each get a fake tree. . . one we could keep the lights on for storage and ease in decorating the following year.  We're getting old and tired.

We  looked at several stores, but couldn't find the tree we had in mind UNTIL we spied the tree of our liking for sale in one of the fall issues of   * "Country Sampler"  magazine.  We called in our order on Saturday and by Wednesday.....the boxes  arrived!

*  Sorry about the punctuation of "COUNTRY SAMPLER"....I couldn't get the italics editing thingy to work on the post!

 

My 8' tree came in three sections .  It looked very sad when I first put it together.  I truly had my doubts about the decision we had made. 

It took me two hours to "fluff" the tree (they use that word in the business of artificial florals....."fluff".....doesn't that sound funny?)   Let me tell you, there was nothing "fluffy" about that job.......those are some danged stickery branches! 

I stood back and thought the tree was beginning to look better.....maybe I was just getting sick of dealing with it......and it wasn't cheap.....it needed to be looking better!

 

I even bought special lights for that baby!  Vicky, who owns the shop OLD GLORY in Greenwood, was selling strings of mini-lights with brown wiring instead of green.  Since this tree has lots of brown mixed in with the muted green of the branches, I figured I'd be happier with that type of light.  It was a good choice.

I'll show you the decorated tree in a later post.

These next two photos don't have anything to do with Christmas.....except maybe more about how THANKFUL we should be.

This is the front end of our daughter's car. 

A few days after I took the pictures of the above tree.  This is what happened to her car when a deer ran in front of her (on a BUSY city street)!    She was very upset that there was deer blood on the side of her car and . . . .

THIS stuck in her headlight.

She said it just ran off.

We have so many deer/car accidents in our area during October to December--- their mating season.  She was so lucky that the deer caught her with just a rear leg.  Many of the accidents are very bad. . . we were thankful this one wasn't.

 

On Thanksgiving Day, with the help of my daughter-in-law and daughter, a scrumptious dinner was prepared and enjoyed by our little family. 

A little family that had grown by one this summer. 

A little that family sat together in our home and gave thanks for the many blessings that had come our way that year.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, we returned to the Christmas Tree Farm with our son and his family, where we had tagged our trees in October.

Santa had heard  I was coming and he asked if he could have a photo with me.  I happily obliged!  :)  You see,  Santa is a big MIZZOU fan, too! :)

We took off to the area where our trees were waiting!  Note the wagon load of folks ahead of us. . . it was full, so we decided to walk!

Walking was a good thing. . . the holiday pounds were coming at me right and left and I still had a month to go before Christmas!

I had placed a PINK lei of flowers on top of our tree, so I knew exactly which one was ours.  I'm smiling as my DIL was taking my picture.  Our son is attempting to cut our tree. 

The tree cutting is a story in itself.  I will try to remember to tell you about it on another post.  It's a good one.

This photo of me was actually taken December 3rd.   I am, dog tired.  Patty and I had just unloaded my van in preparations for setting up for my LAST sale of the fall season.

Once that sale was over, the real fun of the holiday season could begin for me!

One of the first things I decorated was my fireplace mantel.  I used two frosty swags I purchased at NELL HILL'S. 

Oh, and I HAD to have Mary Carol's newest book, too. . . . for inspiration!

THE STONE RABBIT finds it inspirational, too!  He just wasn't too keen on me making him pose in the middle of the "frosty swags". . . he has a delicate skin condition!

DANA

SUMMER BOUNTY, OR ONE STEP CLOSER TO FALL

Saturday morning, I made a little trip to the Independence Farmer's Market, located near the historic square of Independence, Missouri.

The weather was absolutely amazing and the market was PACKED with vendors and shoppers.

Vendors displayed their goods  on tables, under tents, on the ground and out of the back end of their pickup trucks.  It was such a festive outing to see the shoppers eagerly selecting the best produce they could find and on that day.......EVERYTHING looked wonderful.

The peaches were from Dover, Missouri, which is  East of Independence on Highway 24, in an area full of orchards. 

I brought home some of this corn.....it was wonderful.

The little lady at this space always has plants to sell, which she "starts" herself.  Sometimes, she sells fresh cut flowers, too.   That day, she added this little sign to her booth.

I found the spot where my friend Marian had purchased blackberries last Wednesday.  If you click HERE you can read why I needed to buy these to give to her!! :)

Look at that sky!!!  How could you not feel anything but GREAT when you're out and about on a day like that!

Whoopee!!!  Look what I found.......Fall is almost here!

I made my purchases and headed home, but first I had to stop at Marian's (who had JUST returned from her Pilate's class!) and give her the replacement blackberries!  

In addition to the blackberries, I purchased corn, green beans, tomatoes, a watermelon AND theses terrific gourds, pumpkin and yellow sunflowers!  I'm not certain if these are sunflowers or not, but I thought they were beautiful!

Bonnie has a little Zinnia bed at her house, so I helped myself to a few of those, too, to add to my bouquet.  She knows how much I love them.  She won't care if I snipped some.  Plus she was away on a little trip with her friends.......having FUN!!!   :)

I just love Fall and this little grouping certainly puts me in the spirit for our next season!!!

THE STONE RABBIT  liked the little pumpkin I brought home to him, but he reminded me that we still have lots of time left in Summer. . . .even my patio plants were saying, "Hey, wait a minute.   We're finally looking good!  Don't wish Fall to come so soon!"

They're right, but I can't help but be a little excited about the coming of our next season!!! 

REALLY IMPORTANT NEWS!!!

I just found out from my daughter-in-law, that JC (the fellow pictured on your left below) and his group called THE TEXAS TENORS, will make their next appearance on "America's Got Talent",  Tuesday evening, September 1 ST !!!  As I wrote about (CLICK HERE) earlier, JC is a friend of my son and daughter-in-law.   He is a super nice guy as well as a wonderful singer!  Hope you can tune in for their performance!!!  I won't ask you to vote for them, but I'll bet you just might want to after you hear them sing!!

Have a great day!!!

DANA

PINK FRIENDSHIPS

Ever since last Summer, Jeanne, of BACKYARD NEIGHBOR, and I have been looking forward to meeting in real life when she and her husband travel to Kansas City to visit relatives!  Well,  on Thursday of this week, our long-awaited day arrived.

So NOW, please enjoy our day with us!!!

Of course, THE STONE RABBIT wanted be the first  pictured with Jeanne!!!

Jeanne brought me a special gift---a gorgeous white bunny (it's a girl bunny because she has a garland of flowers around her neck!).  I just love her and so does THE STONE RABBIT!.   We decided to name her Whitney!!

 

THEN, we were off to meet some of my friends who were waiting for us on The Historic Independence Square!

Of course, we all wore PINK for this fun meeting!

Our first stop was at Sharleen's shop, LUTICIA CLEMENTINE'S.

Sharleen, on the right, visited with Jeanne for the first time!!  She also  joined in the PINKNESS of the day with a lovely PINK scarf and flower pin!

Our first photo together!

Whoa!!! Sharleen found another customer who loved PINK, too!  Check out his PINK PINKIE ring!!! :)   

PINK makes EVERYONE smile!

Sharleen shared a newly published book with Mary (on the left) and Jeanne.  It is a wonderful decorating book written by Stan Williams, entitled THE FIND.  It's all about "decorating with thrift shop treasures, flea market objects and vintage details"!!  It's right up MY alley. . . AND Sharleen is featured in the book!!!

The author will be in her shop on June 19th for a book signing.  On the next day, he'll be at Mary Carol Garrity's store, NELL HILL'S, at Briar Cliff Village in Kansas City North.

We worked up such an appetite shopping at Sharleen's, we decided our next stop should be LUNCH, at CAFE' VERONA.

That sweet Jeanne presented each of us with a little gift---of course, she wrapped them in beautiful PINKNESS!!  They were darling "friendship magnets".    I couldn't get a clear photo of my magnet because it has small writing on it, but it is so special!!  Thank you, Jeanne!

While we were waiting for our lunch to arrive, Jeanne and Mary Ann discovered they were both wearing PINK watches!!  There's no better way to tell time than with a PINK watch!

Also, while we were waiting for our meal to arrive, we noticed a fashion faux pas just outside the restaurant window!   While it was a handy spot to stash the smokes, it certainly wasn't a good look.

 

Several of us ordered this great grilled chicken salad, served with raspberries (PINK!!) and a raspberry dressing.

Sharleen had sent along some "after lunch" sweets for us to enjoy!  They were assorted yummy chocolates!

Jeanne and I couldn't resist a little Bathroom Divas opportunity!  That's just for YOU, Shelia!! :)

Our sweet waitress took a group shot outside of Cafe' Verona.

Pictured L to R:  Dana (me), Bonnie, Jeanne, Mary Ann, Patty and Mary!

Across the street from the restaurant is a very unique interiors and design shop called BE HERE NOW.

Bonnie had a lot of fun with this wooden hand with jointed fingers.  Here she's showing the sign for "I love you"!!

This is how the grounds around the Historic Jackson County Courthouse look  right now.  This is Phase II of a three phase process to restore the courthouse where President Harry Truman presided as a judge.  In Phase I, the windows and roof were replaced.  Now, they are in the process of returning the courthouse grounds to their 1933 appearance and addressing major drainage issues eroding the building's foundation. This phase will also add 70 parking spaces around the facility.  To read more about this renovation, please click (here).

Under protective wrapping, is a statue of Harry Truman!

After a stroll to the opposite side of The Square, we visited Mary's Aunt Dorothy who owns  "Do-Sal's Antiques".

This shop is filled to the brim with beautiful items.

Jeanne spotted a PINK depression glass "biscuit jar".  I remember when she shared her collection of biscuit jars on one of her early posts!!

Our next stop was in a shop call "POSH". 

We found the PERFECT PINK PURSE for Beverly, our Queen of Pink!!  Check out the crown!!  What do you think, Beverly?  Is it you? :)

We needed a shopping break, so we strolled over to CLINTON'S OlD FASHIONED SODA FOUNTAIN for bit of refreshment.

President Truman worked  in this shop in his youth.

Jeanne added her push pin to the map!!

This photo appears on the web site for Clinton's Old Fashioned Soda Fountain.

We decided we were pretty tired after our little refreshment at Clinton's, so we headed over to my house for MORE refreshments!!!  We had iced tea and PINK lemonade along with strawberry shortcake.

Then, that Jeanne told me she wanted to check out my collection of false teeth!!  Whoa, did that girl have a ball playing with those choppers! 

Twiggy wanted to get her photo taken with Jeanne, too!

Our time was rapidly coming to an end.  It had been such a great day. 

To think, we met because I started a blog and Jeanne started a blog and Beverly organizes our weekly Pink Saturday fun on her blog in which we both participate! 

Wow! 

This computery stuff has all sorts of pluses---like meeting a wonderful person like Jeanne---how cool is that?

Of course, we needed one more special PINK Picture!!!

Oh, and Jeanne, see how great little Whitney looks in the front flower bed with THE STONE RABBIT?

Thank you so much!!!

 For more Pink Saturday fun, please visit Beverly at HOW SWEET THE SOUND.  She'll have a long list of folks who have great PINKS to share!!!

DANA

A LITTLE TOUCH OF PINK

My friend Bonnie knows how much I love funeral baskets.

My friend Bonnie knows I only love certain kinds of funeral baskets.  While these, seen at the Strawberry Festival at the Vaile Mansion, in Independence, Missouri, last summer were wonderful, my friend Bonnie knows they would not meet my criteria for purchase.

Noooooooooo---my friend Bonnie knows I don't really love white funeral baskets.

My friend Bonnie knows I only love GREEN funeral baskets, like this beauty we spied at Apple Wagon Antique Mall while on our St. Louis Road Trip last summer!!

My friend Bonnie knows that the GREEN funeral baskets also have to be cheap---that would be my second criteria for purchasing such a treasure!

My friend Bonnie, in cahoots with my friend Marian, spied a GREEN funeral basket at that same Vaile Sale last summer!

It was GREEN---and it was only $5.00---and she SNATCHED it right up----and she KNEW how much I loved them.  :(

And do you know what else my friend Bonnie did?

That little sneak, filled that wonderful GREEN and CHEAP funeral basket with a bouquet of her very own zinnias AND presented them to me as part of my birthday present just as we were leaving on our road trip in August!!

Yep. . . . . that's  my friend Bonnie.  She's always doing nice things for me.

See how great Bonnie's basket fits in with some of my other funeral baskets out on our front porch earlier this Spring?

WEELLLLL-- - - -  and here comes the PINK part---I know you were wondering where this was all going! :)

As another part of my birthday gift last summer, my friend Bonnie included this beautiful, shining new gardening tool!  Isn't it great that it has inches marked on it?  My friend Bonnie knew I needed  every little bit of help I can get in the gardening depart.  Unlike me, she has extremely green thumbs!!!

I just thought it needed a little touch of PINK to make it perfect.  Gees, this PINK SATURDAY thing makes me think about PINK all of the time!!!  I guess I could paint the handle PINK but it's CUSHIONED---for the increased comfort of my elder hands. 

Even THE STONE RABBIT was impressed with that little trowel.  However, he wasn't so sure how long that PINK bow would stay clean.  I told him I have lots more PINK ribbon---I can always put a new bow on it!

For more PINK SATURDAY posts, just visit Beverly at HOW SWEET THE SOUND! 

Thank you Beverly, for organizing all of us each week!!!

DANA

STELLA VISITS THE BASS PRO FOR SOME PINK SATURDAY FUN!

Stella, our little visitor from England, was so excited to visit the local Bass Pro shop here in Independence, Missouri.  This business was finished a little over a year ago and attracts outdoor enthusiasts from all over.  It is filled with the finest in hunting, fishing and boating gear and a great restaurant.

Another gray, cloudy, and windy day made taking good photos difficult, but this is the view of the huge store from the front!

Stella could hardly wait to see the inside of this wonderful place!

There are great fishing boats scattered all around on the outside of Bass Pro---tempting the weak fisher folks! 

Stella loved this bass boat and wanted to "get the feel" of taking a ride!

She thought the display of old duck decoys was really awesome---so I helped her find a little spot amongst them for a photo.

She was amazed at the many wildlife vignettes placed all over the store. 

She said she'd never been so close to bears----

or  deer---

OR a skunk!!!

She was thrilled to visit the huge fish tank and she LOVED it when this big one tried to give her a kiss!

She also loved these mailboxes---this place is stocked with everything a fish lover could possibly want.

When we made it to the level with the boats and other fishing supplies, Stella asked what she would need to pick up for a fishing trip.

I told her she would need a little tackle box---and we found this swell Pink one!

Then we discussed the basic fishing equipment required---like a fishing pole or a rod and reel.  When we walked around the area where these items were displayed we spotted some wonderful Pink reels!!!

Just as we were surprised to see the Pink reels we were totally shocked to come upon THIS display of fishing Pinkness!

These Pink reels were pure fishing beauty!

This brand of rod is called Ugly Stick---but with all of that Pinkness, we did not see one bit of ugliness!

Our next necessary item for a fishing trip would be a few lures.  Stella was impressed by the thousands of lures Bass Pro has in stock.
However, it took us a long time before we found the perfect lure for our trip!

We finally found a little display of PINK lures--all ready to be tossed in some water to tempt a fish or two!

Of course, Stella and I both agreed that Pink Fishing Frocks would be a necessity for the perfect fishing trip.
 
Bingo!!  PINK Bass Pro T-shirts!

Any good fisher person needs a hat.

Yep, we found great PINK hats at the Bass Pro, too!

Stella said she had read somewhere that polarized sunglasses were a must for a fishing trip.  When she saw this display she just HAD to check them out!  

One other item we could use would be a carryall bag.  We both thought this one would be  great  to take on a boat and fill with sandwiches, and water, and chips, and - - - - -

Bass Pro fudge!!!

When we returned home, Stella surprised THE STONE RABBIT with a little Bass Pro Gift Card! 

He was so excited!  He said he wasn't sure what he would spend it on, but certainly a bit of that fudge would be on his list!

Wow, Stella had a great time checking out all of the wonderful items in Bass Pro.

We know YOU will have a wonderful time checking out the many, many blogs with more PINKNESS to share.  Just visit Beverly, at HOW SWEET THE SOUND, for the  long list of Pink Saturday participants!

DANA