Pink Saturday Celebration of Miracles and Victories

Today is a special Pink Celebration…We are celebrating bravery and miracles in our lives and in the lives of those who are battling Cancer. Please join this special Saturday by visiting Kelee at http://www.katillacshack.com/ for an amazing day as Guideposts Magazine reveals a special healing room created for a special lady.

I just celebrated my birthday  with an annual tradition that some might find unusual…I’m giving myself my yearly mammogram…well, not on my actual birthday, but I make sure it’s at least scheduled by my birthday. I consider it a wonderful gift to myself…we are so fortunate to live in a time when early detection is saving so many lives.

A couple of years ago one of my Flickr groups made Itty Bitty Books to commemorate  Breast Cancer Awareness Month and this was my page…I don’t have the book any more; I sent it to Gilda  who is one of the millions of American women who have survived Breast Cancer.

That was then… this is now…2010 and Gilda is Cancer Free and raising my smart, cute, loving grandson. We have all been blessed by her miracle.

I celebrate  my birthday with my official birthday sponsor , The American Cancer Society who has made more birthdays possible for more people than any of us realize. You can make them your official birthday sponsor…check it out at

 http://www.morebirthdays.com/morebirthdays/index.asp?from=MoreBirthdays09

Then stop by Beverly’s house to see who else is joining us for Pink Saturday …How Sweet The Sound  … It’s sure to be a great day for a visit. Grab a tissue, we’re going to be celebrating Miracles among us.   LaVerne

Pink Saturday…Pretty in Pink

Well, if Pink Saturday has taught us anything, it probably is that everything is sweeter with a shot of pink…I was going through some pictures of crafts that I had done a few years ago and I found these…This first church stands just over a foot tall…

It and the little Nativity set were made in Mexico. The Nativity set was already pink when I bought it in one of my favorite shops and I painted a plain terra cotta mission-style church to match. It sold at Wimberley and is now part of the holiday season for one of our Pink-soul sisters … I wonder if she sings “I’m dreaming of a Pink Christmas” while she decorates each year.  Another Pink church went to some little girl’s bedroom…

You can see the original natural clay if you look inside.

I sorta miss painting these mini-missions, but shopping trips into the Mexico border towns are so uncertain right now that I’ll wait until I feel more comfortable shopping in the markets again. It’s too hot to visit Mexico right now anyway. We should stay indoors and visit our blog friends. Beverly at  How Sweet The Sound  has our invitations to all things Pink…swing in to see her. http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Thanks for stopping by…leave a note and I’ll hop on over to see you too. LaVerne

Pink Roses for Pink Saturday...with a warning!

This morning Hubby and I we were pruning the pink China Doll roses and I saved some of the casualties for the dining room table. I got the start from my mother who got them from one of her sisters...She was never too crazy about them because they have so many sharp little thorns, but we tolerate them because they are such good bloomers even in the Texas August heat and because the deer usually pass them up. (Which explains why I have any blooms at all.)

While we were working, we paused to admire our "pet" spider...if the truth be told, spiders are my "Room 101", but this one type is just so striking that I can't help but spare them my usual spider reaction. I was first introduced to the Golden Orb Weaver Spider when Mother called me out to her patio one morning to watch as she pitched a grasshopper into a giant spider web in the Rose of Sharon bush.  I freaked a bit, but the spider was so quick as it wrapped its prey in a cocoon-like web that I couldn't help but watch. I think, even if you're squeamish about the species, you'll admit that this one is really pretty.

   OK, I'm a little too scared to get really close or to hold the camera really still..

You can see the zig-zag pattern that is typical of their web. I tried to throw it a small grasshopper I had caught to demonstrate Ms. Spider's weaving ability, but I dropped it short of the web...Hubby says I would scream like a little girl if Ms Spider got very close...probably. After all, they eat their mates... But I do love watching from a safe distance. Guess I had better close this post with something pretty and pink to help settle your nerves. 

There, that's better...for your weekly dose of pink, head over to Beverly's house at How Sweet the Sound  http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

She might be sharing roses today, but she usually leaves out the scary stuff.  Thanks for dropping by...enjoy the rest of your weekend. Come back next week and I promise no more spiders.  LaVerne

Pink Saturday celebrations…Summer Family Reunions

My mother’s family, the Bielkes, have been celebrating summer with an annual family reunion for close to 80 years…that’s a lot of gatherings…tons of German potato salad…and 9-pin bowling…and, of course, Bingo…Here’s my mother with her pink-clad great-granddaughter Ava at last year’s reunion. Isn’t this a great picture?

  Mother’s getting ready to celebrate her 88th birthday in November so she has attended lots of these reunions and played many, many games of Bingo. Today I want to share some seriously vintage Bingo cards …

They’ve been used for years…in fact, the Zuel Lodge 163 is so distant a memory that only the really old old-timers can remember it…the cards remind me of our old travel Bingo with the sliding windows…

Aren’t they cool? Mother can’t get in the kitchen to organize the side dishes and the serving lines the way she used to, but she still plays a mean game of Bingo…

Hope your Saturday and your summer are filled with Pink and that you have had some time for family visits along the way.

Beverly’s gathered lots of Pink for you to share, so head over to her house at How Sweet the Sound to see who is posting today.  http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

LaVerne