What weekends are for...

This weekend was so busy. Here's what we accomplished in the two days:

• ripping out the old shelf and rod in our closet, repairing the walls, repainting, and installing a great new system by Rubbermaid that has loads of storage and shoe shelves (finally!) - it even has drawers! Love it.
  
• putting up the Christmas lights... I know it's early, but it was so nice to do it on a rare warm day in November than a freeze-your-buns-off day in December!
• bringing in our patio set for the winter... aw.
  
• making 2.5 litres of applesauce with locally grown apples from the market. Yum!
  
• making an apple-cranberry loaf
• making 8 meals' worth of butternut squash soup. Loading up the freezer with fall harvest goodness!
  
• making two loaves of spelt bread. I love my Kitchenaid stand mixer (which I won in a contest last year)! We used to have a bread machine, which was great, but when a small plastic part in it broke and Black & Decker wouldn't replace the broken piece (instead telling us to throw out this large countertop appliance and buy a new one), we opted not to get a new one. Not cool to add to landfills rather than replace a 50-cent part! B&D gets a big thumbs down.
  
• making chocolate ice cream (without an ice cream maker!). This one's for the grown-ups, as it's full of Baileys and rum! Mm. It's so easy, too. Though if you do make it, expect an overnight freeze time - the four hours the recipe says is not long enough. Maybe it would be, if you put it in a shallow container (I didn't think of that until too late). I confess, I had a spoonful at breakfast this morning :)
  
• cleaning the house... just a regular weekend task, but it got done along with everything else
  
• installing blinds on four windows. We finally got rid of the last of the 'temporary' paper blinds that have been up for two years since we moved in!
• Hosting our great friends for dinner. They brought their sweet daughter, whom I adore!
  

I think that's all! Good stuff. Isn't it satisfying to get stuff done?! Ok, I'm finished bragging about our accomplishments... With Christmas on the way, the blog giveaways have really ramped up lately! Here are some giveaways for today.

For baby:

• Win a set of fleece pants and a tee (for girls) by Brooke Van Gory Designs at Diapers and Dimples. Ends November 21st.
• Win a $25 gift certificate to Maukilo (toys) at The Bragging Mommy. Ends November 13th.
• Win a $25 gift certificate to Sprout Baby at Jabbering Jessi. Ends November 20th.
• Win a Babybjorn Travel Crib Lite at MomFuse (5 winners!). Ends November 15th.
• Win a Lamaze Space Symphony Motion Gym from The Learning Curve at Monkey Mayhem! Ends November 20th.
• Win a $20 gift certificate to Snap-Ez at The Cloth Diaper Report. Ends November 16th.
• Win a Econobum Onesize Cover & Onesize Prefold at Diaper Discussions! Ends November 13th.
• Win your choice of an AIO or Fitted with Coordinating Cover from My Sweet Punkin Patch at The First Time Around. Ends November 22nd.
• Win a Zosephine diaper bag at The Bragging Mommy! Ends November 15th.
• Win a Kolcraft Jeep stroller at A Giveaway Everyday! Ends November 16th.
• Win a $30 gift certificate to Great Lakes Diaper Company at Little Birdie Secrets! Ends November 15th.
• Win an aden+anais Burpy Bib at Tara's View of the World. Ends November 24th.
• Win a big Amelie Jo gift box full of goodies over at From Scratch. Ends November 23rd.
• Win a Britax Marathon CS car seat at $30 Weekly Grocery Challenge. Ends November 22nd.
• Win a ring sling from Belly Bumps to Baby Hugs at Moma Lovebug. Ends November 22nd.
  

For the ladies:

• Win a bamboo wrap by Naturally Knotty at A Kindred Spirit's Thoughts. Ends November 28th.
• Win a Shower Hug at Minnesota Mama's Must Haves. Ends November 18th.
• Win Om Shanti body scrub (in your choice of scent) at Cute Like Me. Ends November 16th.
• Win Cream perfume or lotion (your choice) at Mommy 2 Two Girls. Ends November 17th.
• One more chance to win Cream perfume at One 2 Try. Ends November 18th.
  
• You can also win Cream perfume at Helping Mommys Win. Ends November 20th.
• Win a hand dyed silk chiffon scarf at La Mimi. Ends November 21st.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $20 gift certificate to The Brown Bow at Mommies Angels. Ends November 30th.
• Win a $35 gift certificate to Novica at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. Ends November 19th.
• Win a Walmart photo book at Peg City Momma - open to Canadians only! Ends November 16th.
• Win a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer (like I said, I love mine!) from Style At Home - open to Canadians only! Ends November 30th.
• Win your choice of BearPaw shoes (or boots!) at Fabulous Fun Finds! Ends November 12th.
• Win your choice of watch from Inexpensive Watches at A Mom's Balancing Act (two winners). Ends November 18th.
• Win a Christmas ornament from Huephoria at Simply Living on a Budget. Ends November 23rd.
• Win a pretty planner by My Lavender Cottage at Gifted Giveaways. Ends November 12th.
• Win a Mighty Leaf Tea travel mug at Katydid and Kid! Ends November 22nd.
• Enter to win a Hallmark ornament at the Canadian Family blog (open to Canadians only!) every day until December 18th.
  

For the dog:

• Win a Natural Luxe Eco-Me Natural Dog Kit at Mkokopelli. Ends November 15th.