"How Do I..." get more followers? + sundaysocial

What a glorious weekend, am I right?! I am LOVING fall- and it's now in full swing! I broke out my Pumpkin Carving candle from Bath and Body Works yesterday... yay! I decided to join the party:

Since I'm late posting this, my sale will run today through Wednesday! I'm posting a new product soon too! So head over and fill your cart with some goodies!
 It's Sunday, so you know what that means!

This week's topic comes from another suggestion from my readers-- How do I get more followers? This is a big concern for a budding blogger, no matter who you are! Heck, I'm still trying to build a bigger followship! But today I have a few tips that should help you out! 1. Build a strong foundation- write! People will follow if they are interested about what you have to say! Honesty is the best policy. Write from the heart and on what you love. 2. Network! If you want followers, you're going to have to work for it! Comment on other bloggers' posts stating that you now follow them (make sure you do follow them too!). Then give a link to your blog, so they can check it out! Reach out, and others will be interested. 3. Get your name out! Guest blog, give something to someone's giveaway, and/or work with other bloggers to host fun things! It gets others aware of your blog. You can start by guest blogging for me! Fill out the form HERE. 4. Link it up! One of my favorite ways to gain new followers is LINKY PARTIES! Find a party you like and you're passionate about, and write a blog post to link up! Some of my favorites include:

Michelle has a weekly Pinterest party on Wednesdays!

Jamie also has a fun weekly party!

Farley has her super fun monthly Currently party! Link up for October soon!

I'm linking up for another weekly favorite today:

Ashley and Neely host this fun linky where you post answers to their specific questions every Sunday! So here we go!

1. What do you miss most about being a kid?

I miss the innocence, and just being able to be carefree!

2, Did you have a nickname growing up? What was it?

Well, my full name is Alexandria, even though I go by Allie. When I was really little, I couldn't pronounce my name, and my parents claim that when I tried to say Alexandria, it would sound like "JaJa" so they call me that sometimes!

What was your favorite thing to do at recess?

I loved playing four square!

4. What did you want to be when you grew up?

a teacher :)

5. What was your favorite toy?

Definitely dolls and Barbies!

6. What is the funniest thing that you did as a kid that your parents still remind you about?

probably the name thing (see #2)

I hope you got some great ideas on how to grow your blog- and learned a little more about me! Have a fabulous Sunday! 

p.s. there is ONE MORE SPOT open for the Pay It Forward blog challenge! Comment on THIS post to be a part and read up on the rules!

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Pay it Forward

Hey guys! Hope your week has been fantastic! Sorry for the double post today, but I'm taking a break from my foodie posts to share some fun with you! I have a bloggy challenge! Miss Sarah from Miss V's Busy Bees, who is a fabulous bloggy buddy of mine, passed this on to me: Pay It Forward The first three people that comment on this post will get a gift from me within the next month. All you have to do is follow the rules below.

1. Within a month, I will create something unique to share with the first 3 people that comment on this specific post.
2. ...but, in order for your present to arrive, you must play along. Spread the love on YOUR own blog promising to send a little something special to the first three that comment on your post.
3. You get 72 hours (that's 3 days) to re-post this SAME post, or I'll have to move on to the next person.
4. PLEASE, only comment if you are willing to pay it forward.

So, if you are interested, comment away! Please include the following in your comment:

Name
Blog address
E-mail address
Something about you to let me get to know you better! Could be your fav color, your fav season, favorite food, how many pets you have, how many kids you have, what you do for a living, anything! PS. You can leave more than one thing ;)
I love this challenge, and am so excited about it! So, I'd love for you to comment and Pay It Forward!!

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Crockpot Lasagna

For FOODIE WEEK this week, we are traveling around the world! We started in Midwest USA, and stopped in Greece tuesday night. Last night we hopped over to Italy! i'm loving sharing all of these recipes with you!  This recipe is Crockpot Lasagna- the easiest lasagna you will ever make! I love it because I just had to make the "semi-homemade" meat sauce and the cheese mixture, and then throw the whole thing together in the handy dandy crockpot, where it cooks on low for about 4 hours! I even put it together in the morning, had a family member plug it in during the day, and it was ready for us to eat for dinner! The only kind of awkward part was trying to break the uncooked lasagna noodles to fit in the crockpot. But overall, everything turned out yummy! I got this awesome recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything. Crockpot Lasagna

Ingredients:

6 uncooked lasagna noodles

2 cups mozzerella cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 container (15 oz.) ricotta cheese

2 Tablespoons Italian Parsley

1 egg

1/2 cup chopped white onion

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/4 pound ground beef

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup water

 To make the cheese mixture:
combine ricotta, egg, parsley, 2 tablespoons parmesan, and 1 1/2 cups mozzerella in a bowl and mix well.

 For the meat sauce:

Brown the beef and onion together in a pan. Add the garlic and cook one minute. drain the fat. Add the spaghetti sauce and water and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To assemble:

(A 4-6 quart crockpot is best to use)

Start by pouring 1 cup of meat sauce on the bottom.

Then break to fit, if necessary, three of the noodles.

Add about 1/2 of the cheese mixture.

Top with 1 cup of meat sauce.

Fit the rest of the noodles on top.

Layer the rest of the cheese on top.

Pour the rest of the meat on the top.

Cook on low (lid on) for about 4-5 hours, until the noodles are soft. Before serving, add the rest of the Parmesan and mozzarella cheese on top, recover, and cook for about 10 more minutes, allowing the cheese to melt.

Serve with bread and salad, or whatever suits your fancy!

Happy cooking!

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Opa! and TPT

Happy FOODIE WEEK! Last night I made GREEK food! Opa! And might I say, it was delicious! This one took a little more time, but was still easy peasy, and lots of it you can do ahead of time! Chicken Gyros and Greek Orzo Pasta

(Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything)

Ingredients for Gyros: Tzatziki sauce: 1 cup plain Greek yogurt 1 tsp. minced garlic (1-2 cloves) 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded 1 tsp. white wine vinegar salt and pepper squeeze of fresh lemon juice EVOO For the Chicken: 1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts 2 tsp. minced garlic juice of 1 lemon 2 tsp. red wine vinegar 2 Tbls. EVOO 2 heaping Tbls. plain Greek yogurt 1 Tbls. dried oregano salt and pepper Pita Bread Fresh tomatoes, diced Red onion, thinly sliced
This recipe is great because you can make both the sauce and the marinade for the chicken ahead of time! Start with the sauce by shredding the cucumber. Wrap in a towel and squeeze out the water. Mix together the yogurt, cucumber, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle lightly with EVOO. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so that the flavors meld. THE LONGER THE BETTER!

The Sauce!

For the chicken, you basically want to combine all of the ingredients in a plastic baggie, making sure it's mixed well. Then add the chicken and stick in the fridge for an hour or more.

Cook the chicken on the grill or on a skillet on the stove. 

Let them rest 5 minutes and then cut them into thin strips.

Toast pita bread, and then assemble!

Ingredients for Greek Orzo Pasta

1/2 box orzo pasta, prepared

feta cheese

1 Tbls. dried oregano

Lemon juice

EVOO

salt and pepper

Prepare orzo pasta, and add ingredients to taste!

Bon Appetit!

Just so you know, I had to use pita pockets (it's all my grocery store had left at the time) and they work great too! Here's why I use a baggie for my chicken marinade: clean up is way easier, it's airtight, it fits in your fridge easier! Enjoy this delish meal with your family this week, or pin for later! It's a great meal all-year round!

♥

I'm also linking up with Hopkins Hoppin Happenings for

I thought this would be a great time to showcase some of my fun products!

Pail of Pals is most definitely my best seller!

Do you have a pirate theme in your classroom this year? I loved making this product! it's my second best seller!

My Class Journal Jar is the 3rd top seller- and one of my newest products!

And now for, BY FAR, my most downloaded freebie:

Whole Brain Teaching rules in Chevron! Over 1300 downloads!!

Enjoy my freebie, and make sure to pick up one of my products for your classroom!

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Thrifty is Nifty!!

This post is all about saving money!! We all need to, right?! So, first, did you get the Vistaprint Groupon this summer? Ya know, the one where you only have to pay $17 for $70 worth of goodies? Well, I did, and it expires in 2 days! When I found that out, I got my buns in gear today, finding some GREAT fun things to purchase!

Return address labels- I LOVED this design!

personal note cards- can be used as anything!

a stamp with this on it- perfect for my classroom library, notes, etc. for my classroom.

and a car magnet- my personal favorite! The story behind this comes from Elizabeth.  She got a magnetic sign made similar to this, and cut out all the supplies, so she can put on the board what supplies her students will need for the day/lesson. SO SMART that I had to copy her!! The clipart comes from Doodle Darlin!

And for all of this awesome stuff, I only had to pay for my shipping! So great! ♥ I am also getting into the reselling business! I want to make a little money on the side, and so I decided to start reselling clothing items on eBay! I go to Goodwill and pick through tons of clothing to find the unique and brand name pieces (highlight on the ones that are on sale that day), and then resell them on eBay! The great thing about Goodwill is you get a 10% discount for being a teacher! Woo hoo! I made my first trip last week and paid $20 for 10 great items of clothing that are now being sold here: My eBay Store It's so fun to look for and find those gems! ♥  My third thrifty part of the post today is my first FOODIE WEEK recipe! I made it for my family tonight, and it was the perfect Monday night dinner- warm, easy, and thrifty! Almost ALL of the ingredients came from my pantry!  Quickie Turkey Chili with Easy Cornbread Chili Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons EVOO 1 onion, chopped 2 minced garlic cloves 1.25 pounds of ground turkey 2 Tablespoons chili powder 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1 can black beans, drained 1 can pinto beans, drained 1 can diced tomatoes 1-2 cups chicken stock 1 cup corn kernels (canned or frozen, thawed) Salt to taste

Cornbread Ingredients:

1 package Betty Crocker cornbread, mixed up

1/2 cup corn

The How-To

1. Drizzle EVOO in a big pot, or dutch oven, and add onion and garlic.

2. Saute together until onion is translucent and browned.

3. Add ground turkey and break apart.

4. Add in spices while turkey is still browning, and let cook 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. "The Dump Truck": corn, beans, tomatoes, and 1 cup chicken stock, and let cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, letting the flavors meld.

6. While cooking the chili, mix up the cornbread mix. Add in the corn.

Bake the bread at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. (Follow the mix).

Tada!

7. Taste the delicious chili, and add salt to taste, and more spices if you wish!

I hope you get to make this homey meal for your family! I like to call this a "kitchen sink" meal that doesn't dirty the kitchen sink! It's a one-pot meal! Yay!

Watch tomorrow night for another meal for FOODIE WEEK! Goodnight, loves!!

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"How Do I..." hyperlink pictures?

It's Sunday, my friends, and you know what that means!

I've received several comments on topics for this segment, of which I am very grateful! Next week I'm going to start a series on HOW TO START A BLOG for all of you readers out there who have yet to dive into this fun, rewarding, and challenging world! I confess that I'm actually writing this post at 2pm on Sunday, so I don't have much time to get my thoughts together on that one, but it's coming! This topic today is uber important though! Putting links in pictures on your blog is not too difficult, but it's not something Blogger has made easy for you. So, after reading this tutorial, hopefully your pictures and buttons you post on your blog can go from this:

my TPT store

to this!

{remember everything in my store is 20% through TONIGHT! happy fall from yours truly ;)}

So much better, right?! Okey Dokey, let's get started.  Let's say that you are wanting to link a pin from your pinterest through the picture:

Upload the image into blogger via your computer or the image url. 

Then view the html of your post, and find the url from the image. Delete it, and copy/paste in the link that you want your picture to go to when clicked. That's it! Simple enough, right! It's all about the html, but once you've done it a few times, it gets easier!  I hope this helps you! If you have any more questions on this topic, or want to see another topic in this feature, leave me a comment below!

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