'Twas The Week Before Christmas - And There's Still Time To Make It From Scratch

The final edition before Christmas of the Make It From Scratch blog carnival is Here and once again, it's full of really good stuff...

Visit Mrs. Micah's site and find links to all of the participants - lots of recipes, last minute craft ideas, some different thoughts on ways to celebrate.

I love Make It From Scratch day!

Make It From Scratch - For Christmas!

My post for today has been made super easy by Summer at Summer's Nook and the ladies of the 43rd edition of the Make It From Scratch Blog Carnival. This week's carnival is loaded with Christmas crafts, gifts, comforts and recipes.
Go on over to Summer's Nook and take a look!

Speaking of Cooking...Enter This Fabulous Apron Giveaway Contest!

Hurry on over to the Apronista for the chance to win a designer apron from Sommer Designs.
Very June Cleaver with a sort of funky twist!

The Halloween Page

The Halloween Pages are up and running on my website - COPD and So Much More.
You'll find a page of Great Halloween Links; pictures of Jack-o'-Lanterns and Dogs in their Halloween garb will entertain the children, grandparents might be interested in our trip to the Voodoo Temple in New Orleans. You'll find other articles on the Halloween pages too and while you're on the site, drop by the Grandparent Pages to see what you may have missed on your last visit there.
After you stop by for a visit, please email me or leave a comment and let me know. I'd love to hear from you.

Halloween And More At Thrifty Fun.com

I found a great new site this morning - Thrifty Fun! I stumbled onto their Halloween Page with it's Frugal Costume Ideas, lots of crafts, and even some ideas for Halloween Alternatives for families who don't celebrate Halloween.
From there I discovered that the site is really a community - a site where regular folks can share their knowledge and ideas.
There are also free newsletters to sign up for - if you're like me, your email box is already bursting with all the great newsletters out there - but there is always room for a few more!

October Fun From HighlightsKids.com

The October Newsletter from HighlightsKids.com was in my email box this morning and it's a good one!
Here are a few samples :
They have two Fall games - Build A Scarecrow and John's Leafy Puzzler. Hidden Pictures with a Fall theme - Acorn Collectors and Pumpkin Pickers , a Halloween craft - Ghost House for Halloween Treats and this month's story player - Monster Me.
Follow the links for some real October fun from HighlightsKids.com

October First And A Free Calendar!

October is the beginning of that Magical Season that closes each year.
Celebrate by going over to Miss Mary's and getting your free October calendar!

Games Kids Play

Here's a great link for a Friday!
Games Kids Play
There are rules and directions for over 250 indoor, outdoor, active, quiet - you name it! - games on this site. The web owners describe their site this way:

The purpose of this page is two-fold;

- One, to let you remember some of those odd games we used to play and bring a smile to your face.
- Two, to try to catalog a fascinating piece of oral tradition, and make sure none of these games are ever lost forever.

There are hundreds of these games, and no one person has played them all. Plus there are undoubtedly hundreds more variations depending on where you grew up.

It's a fabulous list - Remember this one?

Red Light/Green Light
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In this game, one person plays the "stop light" and the rest try to touch him/her.

At the start, all the children form a line about 15 feet away from the stop light.

The stop light faces away from the line of kids and says "green light". At this point the kids are allowed to move towards the stoplight.

At any point, the stop light may say "red light!" and turn around. If any of the kids are caught moving after this has occurred, they are out.

Play resumes when the stop light turns back around and says "green light".

The stop light wins if all the kids are out before anyone is able to touch him/her.

Otherwise, the first player to touch the stop light wins the game and earns the right to be "stop light" for the next game.

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I have one more link to share.
I moved my Grandmother blog to this site when fall began (and the title Summer With Grandmother Wren proved to be a bit short-sighted). I really haven't fully "moved in" here yet - one of the things I have left to do is a Link List of my favorite blogs.
I'm starting the list today.
Please visit mommysecrets.
The mommy there says "Moms, Don't you wish there was an instructions manual for becoming a mom? I use this forum as a way to collect tricks of the trade for moms. I'll share my secrets, spotlight secrets I've learned from friends, and I hope you will share what works for your family. I will focus on tips that help families stay balanced, healthy, frugal, creative, and closely knit. Who knows - maybe one day we'll turn our collection into a real handbook to help moms do their job fantastically!"
mommysecrets

Surfing The Net With Kids - Fall Leaves

I look forward every week to the Surfing The Net With Kids newsletter and I'm never disappointed! This week's topic is Fall Leaves. Visit their site to find a collection of links such as:

>Chemistry of Autumn Colors
>Foliage Vermont
>Why Leaves Change Color

along with free Autumn coloring pages and some great games!