Linkage!!!

We've been pumpkin picking, pumpkin carving, play-landing, church going, family bonding, birthday partying, story reading, snow driving, and picture making.

My poor computer is getting dusty.

I'm discovering that's a good thing.

BUT, not everyone has let their poor blogs wither away. Here are some of my favorite reads recently.

Melissa has tickled my funnybone yet again. It's the ultimate sitter instruction letter.

Beck has been taking classic children's stories and giving them a Halloween-y twist. These are NOT meant to be read to your kids. Unless you'd like your kids to stay awake for the next six months or so. But for adult who have to read these stories a bazillion times, well, Beck's takes are SO MUCH BETTER. Scroll down to read them all.

Antique Mommy reminded me of one thing I miss about teaching. The unexpected joy from a simple assignment.

I read this a week ago on Tonggu Momma's Sunday Linkage and it still makes me shake my head a week later. I really hate judging parents before I know the whole story and have walked in their shoes, but in this case I will make an exception. I hope they've saved up for their daughter's therapy.

Happy Monday!!

Since I can't have a lemonade stand in winter

Some of you may be wondering why I would want to increase my blog traffic. If so, you really need better things to ponder, but let me explain anyway. Because I am a stay-at-home mom, I am beginning to look for ways to contribute to the family coffers. Unfortunately, a lot of the traditional home-based ventures may not work for me.

1) Selling make-up. Since I don't wear it, I would feel a bit like a hypocrite and quite honestly, I could not help anyone else choosing it or applying it because my beauty routine consists of moisturizer and lip balm for a good reason, I can't put on make-up. Honestly, I think I am missing that gene. When I put it on it looks like a five year old applied it. Blindfolded. With their feet. So I am not a Mary-Kay or Avon poster girl.

2) Tupperware and Discovery Toys. Both excellent products! However, this cheapoholic only buys them at thrift stores and garage sales. I cannot fathom paying full price for that stuff. Plus, I'd be the salesperson saying "well, if you buy this at a garage sale, but the lid is cracked, if we still make it, we'll replace it for free." This type of selling is not really the best for making a profit.

3) Teaching Piano. I took 7 years of lessons to get to grade 2 Royal Conservatory. Enough said.

4) A photography studio like my amazing friend Char. Great idea except for a tiny problem.

5) Driving schoolbus, because in my city you can take your kids on the bus with you. So, let me get this straight, you want me to take a 3 year old and an 18 month old on a bus along with 40 prepubescent kids (who are not belted in), get behind the wheel of a mammoth vehicle without power steering, in rush-hour traffic and turn my back on them? Sure. I'll get right on that. Right after I shave my head and pierce my tongue.

6) An internet business, except I'm a technological idiot, and after reading about what happened to mommyknows (who runs a fabulous baby boutique BTW) I'm just not certain I need that in my life!

So, what I can do is write. So, maybe I could get a few more people to my blog and get some sidebar ads and maybe make a few shekels a month. One can always dream eh? If not, there's always lemonade!

The Fall Y'all Giveaway

The Contest is now closed! Thanks for playing! I'll post the winner tomorrow morning! Hint, One of you was exactly right!

Shannon over at rocks in my dryer is hosting a fall giveaway! This means that you can go on her site, browse all the possible give-aways, then go to the sites and enter! I thought this might be a good way to shamelessly raise my blog traffic get to know new people, so I started to think about what I might give away.

Now, y'all know that I'm a cheapoholic eh? So what could I give away that wouldn't cost me much? Then I got it. I LOVE living in the city I do for many reasons, not the least being we have a Children's Place Outlet. This is where all the clothes come to be marked down. And down and down. I rarely shop at thrift stores anymore as I can often get new clothes cheaper than ones that pretty much have the knees worn out of. So, I trotted off to the outlet (not that I need an excuse I go about 2-3 time a month) and picked up a little girl outfit (size 24 months) that I am giving away to one lucky reader.

All you have to do is leave a comment. But, not just any comment, you have to guess how much I paid for this outfit. The commenter closest to my actual cost, (including tax) will find herself the winner and I will ship it to your home for free. A brand new Children's Place Outfit, completely free! Don't have a girl? This makes a great shower gift!

There is only one other catch. It's minor really. You have to have a Canadian address. Now, y'all understand eh? I am cheap and it is rather expensive to ship across the border. But this does not exclude Americans. If you want to enter and say have it shipped to Catherine or Dawn or Janet for their new daughters, you are more than welcome to do so. But I will not be able to ship it any place with a zip code.

Now my American friends who may be feeling terribly left out, you have Target, Victoria's Secret, Bath and Body Works, Sonic Drive Thru, Chick-fil-a and Black Friday and virtually everything is cheaper for you! All we've got is this little contest. Y'all realize that's pretty sad eh?

So, look at the outfit and leave your best guess. The closest guess wins. If two people are exactly the same distance apart, the first of you two to guess wins. One guess per person please! The guesses close Thursday at 7:00pm MST. I will post the winner on Friday, November the 2nd.

So here it is, a brand new outfit, full price would have cost $21.20 including tax. That's 2 for $20 for the pants and shirt! Have fun guessing!

Easy Cookie Recipe For Kids (just not mine)

So, on Wednesday I went to Rocks in My Dryer for her "Works for Me Wednesday. " My cheap little heart was looking for more tips on ways to save $. (I eat those up like candy.) Something else caught my eye. JCK had an easy cookie recipe to make with your kids. That sounded so good as I was looking for ways to fill the days while daddy is away.

Unfortunately, I think she forgot some of the instructions. So, I have included the recipe that she posted along with the "missing" instructions which are in Green.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. You now must watch Sprout constantly as he is perfectly capable of opening the oven door at will. And thinks it's pretty fun to do so.

In a large bowl mix together: 1/2 cup of cooking oil & 2 eggs. Add the contents of one box of your favorite cake mix, dry just as it comes from the box. Explain 15 times to Spud what cake mix is.

Mix it all together with your hands. Note, if you try to get Sprout to do this he will scream and thrust his hands in the air repeatedly. There is no way he is going NEAR that batter. Spud will put his hands in but only to retrieve chocolate chips. **REQUIRED** It will be very stiff.

Can continue with your hands to add 1/2 cup or so of chocolate chips, nuts or whatever. If you add chocolate chips be prepared to hear "can I eat that chocolate chip mommy?" every 18 seconds until the cookies are in the oven.

Pinch off bits of the batter about the size of a tablespoon if you want large cookies, or more like a gumball if you want small. Watch out for Sprout who now has a old twist tie and is dragging it randomly through the batter. DO NOT take away the twist tie. If you do, well I warned you.

Bake about 10 minutes. Watch carefully, they bake pretty quickly. Top will still be a little moist when they are done. Remove immediately to a rack or to sheets of newspaper. Now until they cool you will hear "can I eat one now mommy?" "Are they ready yet mommy", "I think they're ready now mommy", "check again mommy." Fortunately for EVERYONE involved, they cool pretty quickly.

Some great variations are: chocolate cake mix & added chocolate chips & nuts. You can also use yellow or white cake and add food color for fun. Or white cake mix with M&Ms! Anything will work - that's the fun! Enjoy.

Another variation is to make them when the kids are in bed, skip the whole putting on a cookie sheet and baking step and add a glass of wine!

Thanks for the recipe JCK, they turned out really well and I will try them again, just not tomorrow!