Congratulations to Tanya from Tennessee (love the way that sounds) for purchasing the Red Snowboarder Lid and the Vintage Tie Tee from the Nie Nie Etsy Benefit.

About 4:00pm on Friday…
Call from Rachael: “Do you guys want to carve pumpkins tonight?”
Me: “Sure!!”
Rachael: “We don’t have pumpkins…”
Me: “Either do we… Lets go to the pumpkin patch (aka Ralphs)!”

Big kids decorate…

Little kids crawl all over eating craft supplies and pumpkins…

Little kids go to sleep and we put Big kids in front of the TV…

Dads and Moms get to carve!!

I paint “BOO” on some little pumpkins, decopogue old comics on one pumpkin and make 3 little bats with tiny pumpkins.

My hot hubby carves jack-o-lanterns on a pumpkin.

Rachael decorates a Halloween cat, creates a witch (the nose is a lime peel and the hair is orange peel strips dried up).

Jason freehands a scary vampire!

For the month of October in honor of Stephanie’s favorite holiday, Halloween, Eli’s Lids will be donating 20% of each sale to the Nie Nie Recovery Fund.
About a month ago, Stephanie and Christian Nielson were in a private plane crash and are now at the beginning of a long recovery process for severe burns. Christian is starting a rehabilitation program and Stephanie is still in a drug induced coma enduring multiple skin graft surgeries. They have 4 young children who are staying with loving family members.
Read Stephanie’s delightful blog Nie Nie Dialogues
Read Nielson family updates C Jane (Stephanie’s sister)

I heart Tuesdays! It is our only do-nothing day during the week. Some of my most precious moments with the kids are on Do-Nothing days…

I have decided to post a Tribute to Betty Rose, my Grandmommie.

Tribute means an acknowledgment of gratitude, respect, or admiration or Evidence attesting to some praiseworthy quality or characteristic.

This idea came about because she was reading my blog (yes, I do have 1 reader!) and after reading Race for Pink Eye she asked why I didn’t mention that as of last year she is also a breast cancer survive. I’m really not sure why. Though I did think about her during the race, my mind was a little distracted because my eyes were burning like HE-double hockey sticks. I guess I’ll leave it at that. Anyway, to make sure that she knows how much I adore her, I hope this tribute cancels out my forgetfulness about the race.

Things I love about Betty Rose…

1. She is a feisty Texan woman!

2. She is an artist. Her quilts are all show-worthy and her paintings are AMAZING.

3. She uses her oven as storage because she never uses it, AND there are always some sort of tasty treats in there for hungry grand kids… and great grand kids.

4. She truly loved her husband with all her heart.

5. She raised 4 beautiful children in California while all of her family lived in Texas, too far away to help out.

6. She still has a Texan accent though she has lived in California 50 years.

7. She has gorgeous skin (ask her about Mary Kay, she should be their poster girl).

8. Her mom was a professional ballerina in New York… I guess that isn’t about Grandmom, but you have to admit, it’s noteworthy.

9. She taught herself how to email and buy stuff on eBay.

10. She worked at my high school in the office… that was pretty cool!

11. She makes this yummy not-too-bad-for-you dessert with Jell-O and… well, I’m not too sure what else is in it, but it sure is tasty.

12. She adores my husband and is head over heels for my children.

13. She always can think clearly in a crisis and knows just what to do.

14. She is loyal. If someone says something less that pleasant about one of her babies (or grand babies), she’ll defend us tooth and nail.

15. She likes to read.

16. She loves scrapbooking and is working on an awesome family history album.

17. She cross country skies.

18. Her iPod shuffle only has one CD on it. Barry Manilow!

19. She can refinish furniture like no body’s business.

20. If she sees a need she’ll try to fill it.

21. She gets words confused… just a little, but enough to really make things interesting. A family favorite was when she told my mom she saw a man “driving erotically.” In which my mom responded that she thought that was illegal. (Do you get it? She meant to say erratically, but instead said erotically. I know! Funny!!!!)

22. She has a hallway filled to the brim with family photos.

23. When I was little we started the “Only Children’s Club” because her, my grandaddy and myself are all only children (well adjusted, of course).

24. She took me to dinner every Wednesday night before Pioneer Girls.

25. When she is watching a show and she thinks you may like it, she’ll call you so you can turn it on too.

26. She reads my blog!

See Betty Rose’s Wedding here!!

Still one more load to add to the pile!
Cora added to pile for perspective :O

Me: “Eli you get yummy carrots today. Did you know carrots are good for your eyes?”

Eli: Confused look

I look down to feed Cora a big bite

I look up and see…

I’m making EZ Mac for Eli’s lunch, while hanging out with my awesome mom. I grab the washcloth so I can take the piping hot bowl out of the microwave

Suzie says: “If your dishes get SUPER hot in the microwave, they have lead in them!”

Awe mom, you have got to be kidding me! I have been microwaving these plates since my wedding day almost 4 years ago. Are we all going to die from lead poisoning? No way, the bottom even says… oh no… it just says “dishwasher safe,” we all ARE going to die of lead poising (pity party of one)!
This can’t be true!
Google search… awe man!?!
Go to IKEA to get new plates.
Get flustered at IKEA because everything is made in China… can’t have that…
Find cute glass (made in France) dinner dishes for .99!
We are safe again.
Thanks mom!

FYI
Just because your plates say they are microwave/dishwasher safe doesn’t mean they are lead free. Here is one helpful article. Lead testing kits are also available at the hardware store for around $10. Do some some quick research of your own. Following is a microwave safe test I found. I didn’t actually try it, because my dishes got VERY hot in the microwave… I mean if you touched the post microwaved bowl you would have blistered and my mom said to get new dishes. She has her Bachelors in Consumer Science so I just listen when she talks… plus she is my mom.

Microwave Dish Test
To test whether a dish can be used in a microwave oven, make the following test: Pour 1/2 cup cold water into a glass measure. Set a measuring cup inside the dish to be tested. Cook 1 minute.
Use: If water is warm and dish remains cool, or if dish is warm yet can still be picked up with bare hands, the dish can be used.
DO NOT use the dish if water remains cool and dish gets too hot to handle.