Rainy days and Mondays make me cry

Rainy days and Mondays make me cry - and today we have a double whammy! A rainy Monday morning, yuck. I am not looking forward to running around in this all day, sigh.
Hope you have been over to my friend Lisa's blog. An amazing give away - drawing is today, if you hurry you may make it. http://www.palepinkandroses.typepad.com
It is that magic time of year when the garden is producing like crazy and time is short to get everything picked and stored for the winter ahead. I like to take my fresh herbs, chop them up (not too fine) put a bit in each compartment of an ice cube tray and cover with water or oil and freeze. When they are frozen, pop them into a plastic container or freezer bag and store to use as needed. Fresh garden herbs all winter long!
Don't forget to take a few of your favorite tea herbs and dry them for some yummy tea all winter long. Chamomile, peppermint, lemon verbena are just a few. Just read some tea labels for inspiration!
And it is elderberry harvest time. You know I'm going to tell you to get those dried and ready for winter. You can tincture those or make a yummy syrup or jelly with these little gems. Wonderful for warding off the flu bug.
Has everyone been celebrating Leave a Zucchini on Your Neighbor's Porch and Run Week? Those squash sure are plentiful.
It is Team Week for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. My family and I are looking to have the biggest team yet. Justin's Jungle Joggers has grown each year to amazing heights. My daughter is quite the recruiter and fund raiser! Visit the JDRF website to read about all their good works.
Have a great week all,
Pat
Patricia Rose-A Potpourri of Fabric, Fragrance and Findings

Show and Tell Monday, 10/20/08

Going to work a little in reverse today. Sunday, 10/19/08, was the JDRF Walk for the Cure. It was a record setter, 3500 walkers. It was so inspiring to see so many people out to support these children who have been diagnosed with Type I Diabetes (Juvenile Diabetes). Our team, Justin's Jungle Joggers, was 120 strong, all friends and family. How do you thank people enough for supporting Justin like this? It was a crystal clear Autumn morning with the bluest sky. It was a little cool and breezy, but nobody seemed to mind.

My grandchildren, once again, designed our team T-shirt. Black tie dye with neon yellow and pink lettering and a neon yellow Volkswagen type van on the front and on the back the sponsors in neon green. We were quite colorful and stood out in this sea of walkers. Think we may have a shot at the T-shirt award this year!

This walk was held at the Medco Corporations campus in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. This is so lovely, beautiful paths, lightly wooded in spots, a gorgeous pond where we always take a little detour to check on the swans (We're a little sad, there was only one swan this year. They are monogamous and we're afraid the one has lost its mate. It was the only sad note of the day.

There are gates that got locked at 10AM and the entrance was manned so the area is nice and safe. Plus, over the years we have gotten to know a lot of the families that participate and it is so much fun to see how the children grow from year to year. We won't see most of them until July 2009 at the awards dinner. At any rate, everyone is watching all the children.

There was pumpkin painting, face painting, spin painting, sandwiches and soda, those huge blow-up bouncy things for the kids. This is the only day of the year Justin is not unhappy to have diabetes. It was a wonderful day for all. Thank you to all who have supported us and pledged.

During the week, my youngest son (24) decided he needed a Halloween costume and came home Friday night for the weekend. Well, he was bound and determined he was going to be Beaker from the Muppets. This is the result,

We had an awful lot of fun with this. I think it came out pretty well! He's going to wear a white lab coat and he has a pair of Mickey Mouse white hands to wear. Wouldn't seeing this guy respond to your emergency instill a lot of confidence?

This is the NYC firefighter! He's planning on going out with his nieces and nephews for Halloween before the grown up stuff!

Make sure you check back soon. Lots of big news coming up. This week's Pink Friday is Coming Up Roses. I think this is just about everyone's favorite, both sellers and customers. And the next Shop Hop is just around the corner--it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas--is that a good enough hint? Everyone at Make Mine Pink is as busy as an elf. We are gearing up to get all the Christmas goodies ready so our customers can get a head start on things. It's awfully sparkly around here!

Have a wonderful Monday, come on back Wednesday or Thursday for the Pink Friday update. There just might be something about a new give away, as well!

JDRF Walk for the Cure - October 19, 2008

In my tiredness last night, I neglected to add the JDRF links, here you go:

URL: http://walk.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=extranet.personalpage&confirmid=87017764

Remember, these kids have a life threatening disease. Here are just a few facts that make me want to work ever harder for this cause:

Do you realize that a child with Type 1 Diabetes will be stuck with a needle more than 4000 times a year? If they are fortunate enough to be able to get the new insulin pump (as my grandson is), the number drops to 'only' 1825 times a year (minimum).

Did you know why they encourage children to draw blood for testing their blood sugar from their arms? It's so they have feeling in their fingers in the event they go blind, a common complication with diabetes, so they will be able to read braille.

Did you know that Type 1 diabetes is thought to be an autoimmune disease? The pancreas is not making insulin which is why it is life threatening. They can start throwing ketones overnight and if not brought under immediate control will result in hospitalization. This is different from Type II in that, Type II diabetes is caused by worn out insulin receptors. The insulin is there but the body cannot use it effectively. It can be kept in control with diet and exercise, and usually an oral medication. It can progress to insulin dependence if sugars and carbohydrates are not kept under control.

Did you know that a stomach virus or the flu can be a life threatening disease to a Type 1 diabetic? More than 24 hours of vomiting and it's a hospitalization.

When you are looking at these precious kids being so responsible about what they eat and how they exercise, it breaks your heart (mine anyway) that this must always be on their minds. They will never get a day off, no drug free holidays for them.

So, once again, if you can find it in your heart to donate to the Walk for the Cure, follow the link above. My family and I and all the Justin's Jungle Joggers will be forever grateful.

Pat

Pink October Shop Hop, 10/6 -10/12/08

This week there is a Pink October Shop Hop at Make Mine Pink. Those of you who have participated in the other shop hops will remember. Step one is to go to Make Mine Pink and register. There you will find a list of the participating boutiques. Go to each of the boutiques and find the pink ribbon that is hidden, it will say 'You Found It'. Click on it and it will register that you found the ribbon at that boutique, then continue on. The more ribbons you find, the bigger prize you will be eligible to win. There will be a drawing at the end of the Hop to see who has won the gorgeous gifts! Please join us, it costs nothing to enter but will give you the opportunity to see all the special items the boutiques are offering, help an extremely good cause - the Susan G. Komen For The Cure Breast Cancer Research Fund - and have a chance to win some great gifts.

Then, I have started a few new projects that I am anxious to share with you on my website. I have been working on the most amazing Victorian letters from Ribbonsmyth. I just love them and hope you will enjoy them as well. Here's a sample of the small 2" letter. Wait until I unveil the 6" letters--just gorgeous! More information over the next week or so.

And then the last thing I wanted to mention is the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) Walk for the Cure in Bergen County, New Jersey. It is coming up really quickly--October 19 is the day. This is such an amazing event for the children who have to live with this disease. They are the stars that day and we are all out there walking with and for them. Scientists are so close to finding a cure, may no child ever have to face a life time of injections ever again. My grandson's team is Justin's Jungle Joggers, we are over 150 strong, all family and friends, and have already raised more than 20% of our goal this year of $20,000. My daughter and her husband work tirelessly to make this a rousing success for their son and I am so very proud of them. If you can find it in your heart and wallet to donate to this worthy cause, please go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's website and make your donation under the Justin's Jungle Joggers team to sponsor his Nana, me, Pat Morello. Thanks so much. I will post a picture of our team after the event.