HP TouchSmart 600 Giveaway

Starting tomorrow Jolly Mom will begin a giveaway for a HP TouchSmart 600. Unless your computer is 3 months old, you can probably use a new computer. And if you head over to http://www.jollymom.com tonight you might even be able to get in on some extra entries. Go take a looksy!

Tasty Tuesday!

I've been tinkering with a Pumpkin Cake recipe to make it lower calorie and lower fat.  We call them cupcakes, but I think they're more like muffins.  And that's okay because the girls like to eat cupcakes...

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Craisin Muffins

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line or grease your muffin tins.  In a small bowl combine 3 cups flour, 2 tsp each baking soda and baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp each cloves, allspice, ginger, & nutmeg (I like a lot of spices!  To the point that it might be a tad redundant, but oh well...).  Make sure those are stirred together well.  You can sift it all together if you'd like.

In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup applesauce, and 1 1/4 cup white sugar.  Add 4 eggs to the mixture making sure they are mixed together well.  Combine the flour with the egg mixture.

Add 2 cups pumpkin puree.  Stir together.  Add 1/2 - 1 cup each chocolate chips and craisins.  Drop into muffin tins.  Bake 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

 The first time I made these I planned to put a cream cheese frosting on top.  I decided not to at the last second.  It would be incredibly decadent & delicious with frosting, but they're tasty even without it.

I've been slowly replacing the vegetable oil with applesauce.  1/2 cup of canola oil has 960 calories & 112 grams of fat.  1/2 cup of applesauce has 90 calories and 0 grams of fat.  And because the applesauce has a natural sweetness to it, I can cut out some of the white sugar without losing that sweet taste.  Next time I make them I'm going to completely replace the vegetable oil with applesauce & reduce the white sugar to less than a cup.  So far no one has noticed.  Unfortunately, applesauce can't always replace oil.  Sometimes you just need the texture that oil gives.

Current Giveaways!

This past week we got a fun box in the mail.  It was our winnings from Knitting Knoobie!  I should have taken pics, but the kitchen was a mess & didn't want ya'll to see the proof.  But, those mugs are SO huge.  The girls were so thrilled to have a lunch of Noodles in them.  And, how can you not like soup with extra fiber.  If you know me in real life, you know fiber is something I'm passionate about.  Whether it's of the food or yarn variety.

I'm waiting to receive a highly demanded Zhu Zhu Pet that Sissy and I won in a twitter contest that was hosted by Resourceful Mommy.   I was so excited that I told her immediately, forgetting that if I won, it was going to be a Christmas present.  Fortunately, at the age of 3, she forgets that type of thing easily.  So, just don't remind her, okay?

Also, l learned last night that I won the giveaway for a Crazy Dog t-shirt hosted by Frugal & Fabulous.  How cool is that?!

Well, there are a ton of giveaways going on out there in the blogosphere.  Here's the low-down:

* Today's Give Away has a $40 gift certificate to Clothes Hound.  Ends 11/17.

* Autism Learning Felt has a  Boardmaker Plus! v.6 from Mayer-Johnson.  This would be great to have to use with Missy.  Ends 11/20.

* Santa's Picks has a way cool diaper bag that doesn't look like a diaper bag from Crazy Baby Clothing.  Ends 11/20.

* Go Graham Go!, baby Luxe {daily}, & Jolly Mom have an incredible giveaway for a Zigo Leader X2 from Zigo.  This is the ultimate jogging stroller, bike, bike with baby carrier rolled into one!  Ends 11/20.

* Piece of ME has Speesees Organic Hooded Towel from My Little Snuggle Bug.  Ends 11/21.

* Another Piece of ME giveaway is for a Family Set of Matching Christmas Pajamas (two adult, two kids) from Snug As a Bug.  Ends 11/23.

* A Nut in a Nutshell has a pretty wax seal toggle necklace from Lauren Nicole Gifts.  Ends 11/24.

* Thrifty and Chic Mom has a set of 4 SoftLips lip balm in special Winter flavors.  Ends 11/25.

Okay, that's all for now.  Sissy keeps asking me if I'm going to get ready to have our picnic at the park.  We found a wonderful new park courtesy of our church playgroup on Friday.  She is anxious to show it off to Daddy today on his day off.  It is an awesome park; it has a tire swing like I had at my Elementary School! 

Silly Saturday!

This edition of Silly Saturday comes to us courtesy of Close to Home by John McPherson.

Have a great weekend!

Current Giveaways!

Up first, Frugal & Fabulous has a giveaway for a t-shirt of your choice from Crazy Dog T-Shirts.  They have a great variety of t-shirts, even some for children.  I love the Tommy Boy and National Lampoon t-shirts.  This ends 11/13, so hurry on over.

#2: This next giveaway is great even if you don't have any children or if your children are grown because it would make an awesome Baby Shower gift! J. Leigh Designs is giving away a very convenient Wahloo Baby Carrier. 

This also ends 11/13 so make a quick dash there!

#3:  We are huge fans of aprons in my family.  I was teased by my roommates when I first moved from home because I always wore an apron while in the kitchen.  But, that was the way it had always been in my family.  Missy & Sissy have great ones made by a fellow etsian, but now Buddy needs his.  How to Be a Mompreneur has a apron giveaway from Bean Soup Aprons.   This ends 11/14.

#4:  The snow is coming, I hear.  Well, maybe not to my part of So Cal, but that's what makes this next giveaway perfecto.  Sorel is giving away a pair of boots through Thrifty & Chic Mom.  And they have boots to fit just about any climate!  Ends 11/17. 

#5 is beyond awesome.  It's be-awesome!  Noobie is giving away a Kindle (worth $259).  Just click this link:  http://www.noobie.com/kindle-giveaway?ref=204127155  & get yourself signed up.  Be sure to read the email you get from Noobie after you register. You'll get your own unique link that you can use to earn even more entries in the drawing! 

Okay guys!  Get to work! 

Veteran's Day & Buddy's Independence

This morning we told Sissy that today is Veteran's Day.  She asked, "What do we do today?"  As we explained what Veteran's Day was, I felt a surge of pride in my country.  I love the United States of America!  It's sad to say, but there are a lot of us taking our independence for granted.  I realize that we as a nation are far from perfect, but I feel that is one area we should not falter in!

Okay, that's as far as I'm going to get into politics for now... :-)

These days Buddy refuses to let me feed him.  He usually won't even let me help him.  So, we end up with as much food on him & his highchair tray as gets in his mouth.  That's okay.  Both are washable!

He just wants to be a big kid like his sisters.  He insists on having his trail mix in a cup like they do (sans almonds, of course).

They're just too cute! :-)

Tasty Tuesday

Last week we had jambalaya one night.  Mmm...  it was delicious!

Here's how it's made:

Chop one small onion and one small green pepper.  Heat a large skillet on medium on the stove top.  Let it warm up for about a minute or two.  Then add a 1 tablespoon oil.  Wait 1 minute while the oil heats up.  Then add your chopped onion and pepper.  Crush one clove garlic in a garlic press and add it to the skillet.  Mix these around and let saute until the onions are clear.  While they are sauteing slice 12-16 oz of pre-cooked smoked sausage into 1/4 inch slices.  Mix in the slices to the veggies.  Mix in one 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, juice & all.  Mix in one can of chicken broth, 3/4 c. water, 1 tsp each of paprika, dried thyme, dried oregano, and 1/2 - 1 tsp of your favorite Creole seasoning (we love us some Tony Chachere's around here!).  Add 1 1/2 cups of rice.  Bring to a boil.  Put a lid on it and turn down to the heat so that it is simmering.  Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the rice is done.

Enjoy!

I have no idea where Sissy would learn to stick her tongue out for every picture.  Certainly not me...

Giveaways!

There are some great blog giveaways going on right now. With the holidays right around the corner these can give you some awesome gift ideas.

First up, is a Leap Frog Zippity Learning System being offered through Go Graham Go! This giveaway ends November 9th so if you're interested, head right over there.

2nd: If you're interested in reducing the amount of plastic water bottles you use, Sweeps4Bloggers is hosting a giveaway for an Earthlust Stainless Steel Water Bottle. Ends November 16th.

3rd: This next product is on the Christmas wish list in the Fringie household. It's a PlasmaCar. One of the boys at Playgroup this last week had one and Missy gave it a try. She loved it. It can carry up to 220# on a smooth surface. Meaning I can even ride it. Cool. Head on over to Piece of ME to enter. Ends 11/16.

4th: If you're like me, my needs always come last. So, the pair of jeans that J. Leigh Designz is offering from Modbe Clothing is perfect! Ends 11/25.

And last, but definitely not least, is the giveaway being hosted by Two of a Kind. It is for an Oreck Halo Vacuum Cleaner. A really awesome one, too! Ends 11/25

Well, I'm off to play Chutes & Ladders with the girls. The kidlets are all sick here. It seems we're doing a hands-on math experiment to see how many different combinations we can have of family members being sick at one time... Happy Sunday!