Time For Homemade Soup

The cooler weather is a great time to enjoy delicious homemade soup and what is nicer than a warming cup of Pumpkin soup made from scratch.

I enjoy many different soups in the winter months but I think my favorite is pumpkin. It's quick and easy to make as well as looking and smelling delicious.

Although it can be easily cooked on the stove top I like to make it in my slow cooker. Nothing's easier and it's great to have a meal already cooked when you get home from work. Anything that makes life easier in the kitchen suits me just fine which is why I love using the slow cooker.

What's your favorite soup?

Martha Stewart Halloween Punches

If you love crafts and enjoy making your own cards for Halloween you'll love the Martha Stewart Halloween punches. They're perfect for Halloween scrapbooking to preserve all those fun memories. You can also use them for other crafts like decorating Halloween candles, place mats, invitation cards and many other items. It's a fun way to create the perfect fun of Halloween.

Airblown Inflatables For Halloween

I really enjoy the idea of decorating for Halloween. There are just so many options and one of the increasingly popular ones is using airblown inflatables for your outside yard decorations.

What's so great about them I hear you say. Well they are so quick and easy to erect. Just plug them in and they're inflated in minutes. All you need do is stake them in place and you have an instant display. They deflate quickly too and can be stored away fairly easily for next year.

Many of them are quite large so they can make quite a feature on their own and the kids love them. If you really like the idea of outdoor decorating it is certainly a good option with so many fun designs to choose from. Happy ghosts, pumpkins, Disney characters and much more.

Do you use them or have you ever considered them?

Squidoo Page Break Module

I've created a few new Squidoo lenses since last time I posted. I'm still spending a lot of time learning new things especially about promoting. Finding places to promote can be such a time consuming chore but it needs to be done.

Anyway I decided to try out the page break module on one of my new lenses Decorative Garden Flags. I have to say it took me a while to figure it out properly but I think the result was worth it. The main difficulty was creating links to the other pages since the tabs at the top of the page don't stand out very well. Thanks to Flynn the Cat's lens Page Break Module I was able to figure it out(I'm such a dummy with all this stuff). It's still a lens that needs some work but I'm getting a couple of visits from Google, so I hope that's a good start.

The page break module certainly makes for quicker loading of bigger pages which is obviously a good thing. If you're a Squidooer , why not check it out.

How About A Mocktail - Or Two!

This weeks feature Aussie is Louanne better known as lou16 on Squidoo. Louanne has over 360 lenses to her name as well as several blogs, including to upkeep.

Her blogs include Swimming With Giant Squids. This is an interesting blog where Louanne shares her experiences writing for Squidoo and shares many tips and advice for those of us still learning.

Another interesting blog is Lou's Cocktail Blog where she shares all kinds of amazing advice about making cocktails and cocktail recipes.

On Squidoo you'll also find a wonderful collection of cocktail lenses including this popular one on Mocktails that I really like. This is a great selection of non-alcoholic recipes for anyone who doesn't, or can't drink. Of course there are plenty of links to the alcohol recipe lenses as well, and I can tell you they sound great. So if cocktails are your thing then Louanne's lenses are the ones to check out.

Happy mixing to you all.

Promoting Can Be A Bit Tedious

Just after I had published my very first lens on Squidoo, I was invited to join Rocketmoms. For me this was a great thing and I was thrilled to join and participate. I have certainly learned a lot from being a member of this fantastic group and certainly would not have made Giant Squid without it.

How ever there was a bit of a downside. Well it's not Rocketmoms fault but this group became my little world and I really didn't venture much outside it. Consequently I'm now trying to do things that I should have been doing all along. This includes trying to get backlinks to my lenses, improving tags and making sure that pictures are also tagged correctly. A big task now that I have 50 lenses.

I'm afraid I was guilty of only listing new lenses at the Rocketmoms site which doesn't provide backlinks. So now I'm busy listing all my lenses at various Squidoo directories and trying to find other places to promote them. Quite a big task that is not very exciting either. Oh well, I only have myself to blame. But it means I don't have much time for the fun stuff of creating new lenses at the moment.

T Shirt Gifts For Frog Lovers

Fashions change over the years - always have and always will, I guess. So what is it about the good ol' t shirt that seem to keep them ever popular and fashionable.

For me I think they're just so comfortable and can be worn just about anywhere. You can dress them up or be totally casual in a t shirt and they are made for all members of the family, which is one reason they make such a great gift idea.

T shirts come in many fantastic designs but today we're looking at frog design t-shirts, the perfect gift for frog lovers. There are so many frog designs to choose from, so I created a Squidoo page with a selection of my favorites. From cute to funny or realistic life-like frogs, there is something to please everyone.


The Washing Frog T-Shirt
I love this. Frogs obviously like to be clean.

These designs are all available from Zazzle a print on demand company. If you can't find something you like you can even design your own special t shirts and other products.

Vegetable Garden Layout Ideas

This week's feature lens is by Aussie Squidooer GonnaFly It seems that she comes from a long line of vegetable gardeners and enjoys growing vegetables herself.

Planning a veggie garden takes a bit of thought. You need to decide where the best place is for your vegetables to receive the right amount of sunlight, how much space you have and how many vegetables you would like to grow. Then you need to consider the actual layout.

On her lens Vegetable Garden Layout you will find all the tips and information you need to create the best layout for your vegetable garden. It includes plans for the traditional vegetable garden layout, raised vegetable gardens, potager vegetable gardens, cottage vegetable garden plans and even a kids vegetable garden. These all come with great illustrations and information about each type of garden.

You can make your garden as simple or as creative as you want it to be. Gonnafly has also added links to several other lenses she has created to help you with your vegetable garden plans. Whether you are an old hand at gardening or just a begginer, you'll find loads of useful information. Get cracking and plan your vegetable garden layout now.

Are You Getting Ready For Halloween?

If your not already making plans for Halloween, you probably should be. Do you want a theme for your Halloween Party? Is your party for kids or adults? Will you be using Outdoor Halloween Decorations this year?

So many things to organise but wow what a lot of fun you can have at this time of year, and the possibilities seem endless.In Australia we don't really celebrate Halloween that much but it is one event that I am quite envious of. My mind is running wild with all the possibilities.

Whilst kids always love to play dress up, the same is not true for adults. Halloween, however is one time when everyone is willing to join in the fun. As adults, halloween costumes give us the opportunity to play the part of our "alter-ego". We can become our favorite super-hero or rock star, or anything else that takes our fancy and since everyone else is doing it, we don't feel stupid.

When it comes to decorating, the sky's the limit. Everything from Halloween Spider Decorations to vampires, bats, ghosts, witches, graveyards, black cats and pumpkins to name a few. So go ahead, let your creative side out and start planning that super halloween party now.

It's My Squidoo Birthday

Break out the champagne and lets party. Today is my first birthday on Squidoo. It's hard to believe that 12 months has gone already. Where ever does the time go?

For me it's been a big learning curve and alot of fun. From creating my very first lens (page), to joining Rocketmoms, through to the present day, I doubt I would have learned so much anywhere else. Squidoo is such a friendly and helpful community, even for dummies like me who don't always "get it".

As many lensmasters will tell you, Squidoo can be quite addictive, but even so I've experienced a couple of little squidoo humps along the way. But after a short break the enthuisiasm always comes back. I thoroughly enjoy reading and rating other peoples lenses and it never fails to amaze me just what people write about. Doing that alone is enough to inspire me in different directions and stimulates new ideas that I can work with. That, of course, does not mean copying someone elses work, but rather opens your eyes to all kinds of possibilities.

One thing I have found, is that friends and family often haven't got a clue what I'm talking about. I'm sure my huband thinks I've "lost my marbles" since I joined Squidoo and sees me doing a happy dance around the house. He really doesn't understand why I get so excited about being sprinkled with "angel dust" or becoming a "Giant Squid". Ah well, my Squidoo friends understand!

I have ended my first year on Squidoo with a great month. In July I became a Giant Squid, was awarded two Purple Stars and had one of my lenses in the top 100 (ok it was only there for a day but I'm not complaining). Oh yes, and I also started this blog - something I had been procrastinating about for ages.

All in all, I'm very happy with my first year but I still have much to learn and improve on. Who knows what the next 12 month might bring.

So raise your glasses, bring out the party hats and celebrate my first birthday with me!

Animated Squids by Steve Thompson / tagsforkids is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Squidoo logo is a trademark of Squidoo LLC. Graphics, Squidart and Squidoodles © 2009 by tagsforkids (Steve Thompson)

How Has The Automobile Changed Society?

Seriously, can you imagine a world without cars? Yet only 100 years ago the automobile was almost non existent. We rely on them so much and everything that goes with them. By that I mean roads and highways, fuel stations, and even the employment that they offer. These things all provide employment for someone. Someone to build and maintain the roads, to operate the fuel stations and someone to build and repair all aspects of the automobile.

So just what impact did the automobile have on society 100 years ago and how does that effect us today? Back then the only way of getting around was either by train or by horse drawn wagons and horseback. Roads were pretty much just dirt tracks and communities were considerably smaller than they are today.

With the advent of the automobile these things began to change as the government poured money into building the first roads and highways, connecting towns and cities together. Suburbia began to spread out because people no longer needed to live close to there workplace. The population loved this new found freedom. Imagine what is was like to be able to travel where ever you wanted to go, whenever you wanted. Every one wanted their own motor car. Towns that once had been isolated, especially if the railroad did not pass by, were now accessible.

Without all these things our lives today would be very different. We would need to live closer to work, school and shops. If you live in a city you might think you could manage without the automobile. Think again. Sure, you might be able to walk, that's probably not a bad thing, or use the subway. Perhaps you already do that. But what about shopping?

Without the automobile (that includes buses,trucks and cars) how would stores get all there goods delivered. I'm thinking here about fresh produce. Today you can buy all kinds of produce, even when it's out of season. That would be impossible without trucks to transport it. By horse and cart it would be rotten long before it arrived. The variety of all kinds of goods that is available to us today, is largely thanks to the automobile.

If you don't live in a major city or town you wouldn't be able to rely on the subway and the good old horse would be the only way to get around. A horse can travel around 10 - 15 miles a day. How far do you need to travel to get to work etc? Where would you "park" your horse while you were at work? Ha ha, can you see the parking at your local supermarket full of horse and carts. Wonder if you'd get a parking ticket. (Sorry, I just had a mental image of that.)

When Henry Ford created his first affordable Model T, I wonder if he had any idea of what effect it would really have on society. Of course today the automobile has brought many problems. Pollution, congested highways, the reliance on a fuel source and many deaths and accidents. It's certainly not all good but what would we do without them?

Do you think the Automobile Changed History? Let me know what you think.

Image courtesy of aldenjewell

How To Increase Your Chance Of Getting Pregnant

Today I want to introduce you to a fellow aussie who goes by the name of hayleylou on Squidoo.

Hayley is a wife and busy mother of two active boys, but still finds time to write for Squidoo and maintain a blog Mom Is Blogging.

For the last 18 months Hayley has been trying to get pregnant again. While she had no problem conceiving her first two children, this time is another story. Through a series of lenses, (pages) she has traced her journey through the steps she has taken to increase her chances of getting pregnant, and faced the disappointment as each month shows a negative result.

In Tips To Getting Pregnant Hayley talks about her first visits to her GP and later referral to a fertility specialist. All the steps, from learning about ovulation and the fact that she has irregular cycles and didn't even ovulate every month, to taking clomid for ovulation induction are detailed here. There are links to her other pages about determining baby gender, artificial insemination treatments, gonal f injections, and other aspects of her experiences. Currently Hayley is taking a break from all this somewhat clinical attempt to fall pregnant and is now trying natural fertility methods.

Although she has obviously done plenty of research of her own, she writes only as a woman telling her, often moving, story of her attempts to conceive and the affects it has had on her life.

I'd like to wish Hayley all the best in her attempts. Perhaps taking the pressure off is all that is needed. I hope her story will help others who have problems getting pregnant, understand the processes involved.

The Bunya Mountains

Have you ever heard of the Bunya Mountains? If your not an Australian resident the answer is probably not. Even if you hail from this country you may not of heard of them.

Whenever we holiday, which is all to rare these days, we prefer to get away from the crowds and main tourist centers. Whilst Australia boasts some magnificent natural attractions like The Great Barrier Reef, Ularu, Kakadu or the Gold Coast, to name a few, these places are not for me. I hate crowds and prefer to find lesser known places.

Although only situated 200kms north-west of Brisbane this is not a place where you get crowded out by people. Those that know about it will return again and again and it can get a bit busy in school holidays. However this does not detract from the attraction.

The Bunya Mountains are an 11,700 (25,000) area of national park in Queensland. It is the home of the world's largest forest of Bunya Pine trees. The Bunya "nut", as pictured above, can weigh up to 10kilo's. Panoramic views, wildlife and unique and rare plants are protected in this wonderful park.

It's no wonder more people are discovering this area with all it has to offer.

Discover the beauty of The Bunya Mountains for yourself.

Weird Ice Cream Flavors

Just a quick update. As I posted earlier this month, (see post) my lens Weird Icecream Flavors received a big serge in traffic, going from around 100 visits a week to 4500 over the weekend.

I figured this must be due to it being National Ice Cream Day in the USA. Over the following week it dropped back until I was getting around 200 visits per week.

But today it has happened again!! Currently I have 1858 visits. I'd love to know why this is happening so that I could apply it to all my lenses. That would be really neat. Does anyone have any ideas?

Novelty Pillows For Kids

Kids just love novelty pillows and they are a great way to decorate a child's room. Not only are they a fun accessory, they can also be a great way to get the littlies to take an afternoon nap. Kids novelty pillows can be used to lay on the floor to watch tv, or play games, even the older kids and teenagers can have their favorite cuddle pillow.

These fun pillows come in many shapes and sizes featuring many well loved characters like Wall-E and Lightning McQueen Perhaps you would like a Hamburger cuddle pillow or the popular range of cute Pillow Pet pillows.

Whatever your child prefers your bound to find something that your youngsters will love to cuddle up with.

The Tawny Frogmouth - A Unique Australian

Although I'm not Australian born, I have lived here nearly all of my life and truly consider this country to be my home. Being as isolated as it is, Australia is home to many unique animals and plants that, being a nature lover, have always fascinated me.


Consequently I like to write about Australia and it's uniqueness. Plants, birds and animals, places that no one has ever heard of, are the some of the things that interest me. For example the Tawny Frogmouth is a fascinating nocturnal native bird that visits my backyard. Although this bird looks similar to an owl, they are not related. The tawny frogmouth is a master of camouflage in the day time, blending in perfectly with it's surroundings.

Have you ever come across this bird?

Amazing Things Can Happen!

The internet can be a funny place where amazing things can sometimes happen. Imagine my suprise when one morning I was looking at my Squidoo dashboard and found that one of my lenses (that's squidoo talk for page) had over 4000 visitors literally overnight.

At first I thought it was somekind of mistake in the traffic reporting but no, it was real. I was dumbfounded. Why? Well, it seems that in the USA it was National Ice Cream Day and my page had become "the flavor of the day" so to speak. I didn't know Americans loved their ice cream so much.

So why was my lens so interesting? It's not about regular ice cream. No indeed, it's about a range of really weird icecream flavors.

It's actually incredible just what some people will eat. Check them out and let me know if you'd give them a go.

Purple Potato Icecream!! Photo by jetalone

I Squidoo - Do You?

One of the greatest things about writing on Squidoo is the community. Since beginning my Squidoo journey nearly 12 months ago I have learned so much. Mainly because of this wonderful and helpful community.

On Squidoo you can write about anything (almost) that interests you. If you have a hobby, support a cause, or have a passion about something, you can write about it. If you are an avid gardener, you can share your garden and gardening tips. If you have a favorite pet, you can tell the world about it. If you want to make money on line, you can do it.

Be warned however, Squidoo can become addictive, as many fellow lensmasters will testify. It doesn't take long before you find that you are looking around and thinking - I could write about this. You might even wake up in the middle of the night with an idea.

The worst part about Squidoo is that none of your friends or family have the faintest idea what you are talking about. For example I recently became a "Giant Squid". This was an achievement for me and I was so happy and excited. But my family just looked at me as if I was crazy. Not to worry though because my Squidoo friends understood.

If you're thinking about writing on line and don't have much idea as to how to go about it I would certainly recommend Squidoo. Not only is it fun, it's also totally free. What could be better than that.

Just Do It

It's amazing. It really was simple. Can you believe that I have been procrastinating for months about starting a blog. Partly because I'm not too good with figuring out the how of it all, and partly because I was worried about niche. I faced the idea with so much trepidation that I would not be able to figure it all out. It was supposed to be a priority right after Christmas but I kept talking myself right out of it.

I knew that blogging was something that I should be doing and wanted to do, but oh the anguish, the tearing out of hair, the sleepless nights even. I know some people might be laughing at that idea but it really did scare me.

But here I am - finally.


To anyone else out there who feels that they are somewhat "computer illiterate," I can now say, give it a try. Take the plunge, dive in feet first. Whatever, just do it. After all what have you got to lose by trying.