Our Eighth Year

Schmidt's Sausage Haus

February 19, 2011

PJ Breakfast - Sunny Street Cafe

November 10, 2010

The Old Bag of Nails Gahanna

September 25, 2010

The Pine Tree Barn

August 21, 2010

Red Hat Mall Strut - Polaris Fashion Place
Brio Tuscan Grille

July 10, 2010

They were warned and on alert, the security of the Polaris Fashion Mall.  "A rowdy bunch of women in their red and purple, lavender and pink gang colors will be casing the stores.  Do not approach with a sullen or degrading attitude.  These women are determined to have a good time.  The leaders are especially rumored to be on a mission to prove that ladies over a certain age, are no longer expected to sit in rockers and watch the world go by."
 
Though "the gang" was not big in numbers, they came together for an impressive parade through the mall.  It was a great time to join their Red Hat Sisters for a fun time.  

Cambridge Tea House

June 12, 2010

The ladies of the Victorian Bouquets put on their "classy panties" and decided this month would not involve slides, horses, or bloody fingers.  They polished off their manners and had a lovely luncheon and tea at the Cambridge Tea House.

These Flowers do enjoy some sophistication occasionally, but as they said their "Good Byes", some went off to the "Nut House", while others hit the road to JoAnn's to update their "gang" attire for the July Polaris Mall Strut.

Hartstone Pottery & Giacomo's

May 15, 2010

The Victorian Bouquets did a little bit of everything on this beautiful spring day.  We traveled to Zanesville to visit Hartstone Pottery.  We took a few minutes to relax after our drive ......

We were welcomed by Dawn and given a brief history of building and the pottery business in Zanesville.  Hartstone Potter is located in the old J.B. Owens Pottery and Tile plant.  In 1935 Elliot Ness and the FBI converged on the plant to shut down a still.  The still would turn out to be the largest capacity still ever shut down by the federal government. We didn't find any samples left behind but we did get very creative with the help of our great artistic helper Eric.

By the time we finished our masterpieces we were good and hungry so we headed to Giacomo's for lunch.  We donned our bibs and dug in.  Ruebens and phillies and subs, oh my!

Myers Inn Museum

April 17, 2010

The Victorian Bouquets were greeted at the door and welcomed into the Myers Inn Museum for lunch and a tour.  While we waited for everyone to arrive, our hostess Marchesa of the Nimble Thimble Liz gave us a couple of trivia games to keep us busy on the subjects U.S. Presidents, famous movie lines, and romantic Hollywood couples.

A Royal Proclamation from Cween Carole and Queen Marilyn was announced and loyal subject Princess Daughter Mary was called forward.  The Co-Queens decided that because Princess Daughter has proved herself capable of performing Queenly duties in the absence of the Queens, because she can make fancy bracelets, because she understands the importance of the RSVP, and just because.... Mary raised her left hand and promised to make waves, to love people out loud, to do one thind a day that scares her, to moisturize, to be generous and kind, to celebrate herself because she is a phenomenal woman, to make visible what might never have been seen without her, and to live with intention and abandon.  By promising all those things Cween Carole and Queen Marilyn pronounced her "Vice Kween Princess Daughter Mary" while Cween Carole crowned her.

The ladies of the Inn set a beautiful table with fresh flowers and Red Hat decorations.  The Queens placed a fancy hat pin at each setting as a favor for each flower of the bouquet.  The Inn prepared a wonderful lunch of onion soup, warm chicken sandwiches, hearty spinach salad, and the best angel food cake that we've ever had!  They waited on us, shared stories of the history of Sunbury and the old inn, and treated us like royalty!

Marchesa of the Nimble Thimble Liz reviewed the written games and awarded prizes to the winners.  Duchess of Windsor Lois correctly guessed that Cween Carole was the direct descendant of General W.S. Rosecrans.  The Duchess of Windsor looked wonderful in her new Red Hat purse earrings.

Following lunch we broke off into two groups with one group heading upstairs and the other downstairs for our tour.  We enjoyed the museum's exhibits, our tour guide's stories, and even saw "the raccoon that saved the bank".  After our tour we all gathered for a presentation on the history of the Inn and the preservation efforts that were 30 years in the making.

Thank you Marchesa for planning this event and thank you ladies of the Big Walnut Historical Society for making this a memorable event!

The Myers Inn contains the one room house of Lawrence Myers who was a co-founder of Sunbury, and the two story stage coach inn build in 1820.  The Inn is now home to the Big Walnut Area Historical Society, a museum, a meeting place for the General Rosecrans Department of the Ohio Headquarters, and a small gift shop. For more information on the Myers Inn Museum, the Big Walnut Historical Society, and the General W.S. Rosecrans' Department of the Ohio Headquarters, please visit their website by clicking here.

Hoe Down & 7th Anniversary Party

March 20, 2010

Oh, give me a home where the red and pink hats roam,

where the golden age women do play.

Where seldom is heard a discouraging word

And the love and friendship are shared all day..................

This song could have been sung today as the Flowers of the Victorian Bouquet shed their proper, delicate facade (cough, choke,giggle) and donned overalls, cowgirl boots and hats and let loose to celebrate their seventh anniversary as a "sisterhood"

Everyone was happy to have Lolly and Lucy join the "Chicken Dance" as Roberta strummed along, croaking the whole time...

 Naturally, there was lots of tasty chow to be consumed.  

 "Wanted Dead or Alive" fliers torn from Polaris Security walls (just jokin') were posted. 

 The Bouquet welcomed guests, Helga, Beverly, Paula, Carol, Barb, and Raquel.

 The highlight of the afternoon was Paula giving line dancing lessons.  She was GRRRREAT!   

Even the Flowers with achin' knees enjoyed the toe tappin' music and the dancin' talents of the "Praire Flowers".

Forelorn,.... as many good times have to come to an end, this one did too with anticipation of being once again together next month.  

The fun and friendship will never end as long as there are beautiful Flowers in the Bouquet. Now let's begin year number 8!!!!!!!