Blogoversary - Giveaway!

There is still time to get in on my little giveaway!

Just leave a comment on the blog...

The winner will be posted tomorrow morning!

Good luck!

Blogoversary - Giveaway!

Three years!

Can you believe it?! Monday, January 31....this little blog of mine with be three years old.

That's just totally crazy to me!

So I'm having a little party!

Nothing big...just a few little "treats" to celebrate all of YOU who stop by and share a little of yourself with me!

So, what do you get?

First, you get this cute pink/orange journal! Perfect for writing down all those "things-to-do!" (Oh, wait...that's what I would do with it!....this is for one of you!) Then, I found these cute metal tags with Valentine sayings on both sides! They are so stinkin' cute...I almost kept them for myself....then a little box of my favorite mints. They are just so adorable. You will also receive a $10 Target card. (Who couldn't use that!)

So what do you have to do?

All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post!

Tell me if you have been around from the beginning, or if you are a new follower. Whether you know me in "real life" or if you are a bloggy friend. I can't wait to hear from you!

I am posting it today (Friday) just to allow enough time for people to stop by. You will have all weekend. I will use the random generator to pick a winner on Monday night @ 8:00 p.m. CST. (Any later than that, and I will be in bed!) The winner will be announced Tuesday morning.

U.S. residents only please!....Thank goodness the Shoes are back, she can participate this year!

Oh, and Facebook comments don't count! Sorry, but if you want a chance at winning, you have to leave your comment on the blog. (Don't get me wrong, I totally ♥ all the comments on FB, but they can't be printed into my blog book...and I want to remember all who stop by!)

If you leave a comment using Anonymous...make sure to leave your name/email so that I can get in touch with you...when you win!

So there you have it!

I know it's not much, but I wanted you all to know how much I appreciate you stopping by and letting me share our lives with you!

This is the stuff!

I love this new song! What a great reminder of what is really important!

(Nicole, that line about the phone...I totally thought of you!)

WFMW - The coffee pot!

This might seem a bit obvious to some, but for some reason I just figured this out.

Like many, I like to have a little bit of coffee in the morning. Nothing fancy...just plain ol' Folgers (breakfast blend) with fat-free french vanilla Coffee-Mate creamer.

And with all the fancy new coffee pots out there, I find that I'm totally content with my Mr. Coffee. It suits me just fine.

Our mornings are pretty calm around here. I know that will all change next year when Max has to be at school in the morning too, but for now my girl has the routine down. She even makes time to read in the morning...just so she won't have to do it after school.

Anyway, my point is that even with the calmness of our morning, I have started to get my coffee pot ready at night. Usually when I get finished with the dinner dishes, I take a few extra seconds to get the coffee pot ready for the morning.

Then the most amazing thing happens. When I get up and get downstairs to the kitchen, all I have to do is press the button. I could program it (I think) but something about pressing that button makes me feel good. (remember I'm a control freak!)

So there you have it...my brilliant idea. Get your coffee pot ready the night before. It will be a great start in your day!

Need some more great tips? Head on over to We are THAT family!


(I'm also sending out a great big birthday hug to my SIL, Jodi! Have a great girlie! Did you know you share a birthday with Ellen DeGeneres! Happy Birthday Ellen! I *heart* your show!)

A little bit of Spring!

So I've had it with this winter weather!

I'm tired of bulky winter coats, gloves and hats!

I'm tired of the gray sky and the rare site of the sun!

I'm tired of all the salt on the roads that end up on the outside (and inside too) of my van...which then end up on the sleeves of all those bulky winter coats!

I'm so ready for spring!!

I'm not really even talking about spring spring! Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to see the green grass and the flowers starting to bloom. I'm just talking about maybe 40-some degree weather!

So I thought I'd share a little bit of spring with you today!

I've heard this called different things, like Cowboy Caviar, but I simply call it corn salsa!

Corn Salsa:

1 can sweet corn (drained)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped onion (more or less based on what you like)
fresh cilantro (again to your liking....I ♥ it....so I use a lot!)
1 Tbsp fresh garlic (more or less)
2 Tbsp Zesty Italian dressing
3-4 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Mix all the ingredients together and let it chill for a while in the fridge....it's actually better the next day! It's great with just tortilla chips, but tonight we'll be using it to top our tacos...because it is Taco Tuesday!

Have a great day and think Spring!

Letting go!

I am a control freak!

It's nothing new, I've know for a really long time.

My husband is aware of the fact! (Please pray for him!)

And so are my children.

But I'm trying. I'm trying to be better. I'm trying to let things go. Because do all those little things really matter? No they don't! And I know this....I really do. So why is it so hard.

I've decided that baby steps is going to be the best way to start dealing with this.

A few weeks ago on a Sunday night, I went upstairs with the kids to get things ready for the next day. You know, clothes laid out, library books in book bags ready to go back....that sort of thing. Maggie room was a mess! (At least it was a mess in my eyes!) I try really hard to make things simple for her. I put a laundry basket in her closet for all her dirty clothes (just one basket...she doesn't have to sort or anything!) To me it's very simple to just put the dirty clothes in the one basket, but I ended up finding several, like seven or eight different dirty socks under her bed!

WHAT IN THE WORLD!

Isn't it harder to put the socks under the bed than to just put them in the basket?! UGH!

I was NOT happy!

I yelled...

and she cried!

Later than night while I was apologizing for yelling, she apologized for "not being a good girl!" My heart broke.

I have since cried several times about how badly I'm screwing this poor girl up!

So, after much talk with Andy and friends, I have decided to take a new approach! I am going to let her room be her room. I'm going to let her pick up when she feels like it needs it! I'm going to trust that she makes wise decisions when it comes to her room. If she doesn't have clean socks because they are all under the bed...so what...she will have cold feet! If she doesn't put things back where they belong...so what, they aren't my things.

The only rule is, that if we are having company over (not her friends....but mine!) then I have to right to tell her to pick up....otherwise, it's all up to her. I also informed her that if I didn't like the looks of her room, I could shut the door at any time! That would be her "flashing neon sign" that it might be time to clean up!

I also told her how hard this is going to be for me. That she might need to remind me to "let it go!" So, wish me luck and I'll be sure to keep you posted!

The Murse!

So for a while now, Andy has been giving me a hard time about taking his lunch to work. The problem isn't actually taking his lunch, it's what he has to put his lunch in to take it.

Remember a long time ago, I posted about Maggie's new lunch bag. (BTW, that giveaway is no longer going on...Wendy V. won that...see what happens when you stop by this little blog!) Well, I also purchased a brown one for when I have to travel with my medicine. (It's a pain in the you-know-what...but I have to keep that darn medicine cold!)

So, on the "brown bags" off days, I told Andy he could use it (I love multi-purpose items!) for his lunch. With much hesitation and almost down right refusal, he started to use it.

He has been using it for some time now, and everything has been fine....until last week!

As he was walking out of work, his boss and another guy stopped him...to talk about work related stuff. But as their conversation continued, one of them noticed the bag. And as you can imagine, it all went down hill from there.

So today, I dug out an old lunch bag that I found in the back of the pantry. It's just a plain ol' gray guyish insulated lunch bag that would have been put in the garage sale pile a long time ago if I had known it was up there.

And he was thrilled!

So it's out with the "man-purse" and in with the ol' gray guyish looking bag.

Whatever makes him happy!

Happy Birthday Nana!

Even though she's not with us here on earth anymore, we still want to celebrate and remember her birthday today! I'm sure she's having a grand celebration in heaven today.

We love and miss you very much!

(You'll have to scroll down and turn off my darn music so that you can hear these sweet voices!)




I found this (it's from January 2007) and wanted to share...enJOY!

I'm also wearing this today....just for YOU!

Miss you!

Blog Anniversary!

It's coming up quickly!

On January 31, 2011 this little blog of mine will be three years old. Can you believe it? Crazy to think I've stuck with it (for the most part!)

So to celebrate, we'll be having a little party!

Stay tuned for more details!

"Snow" much fun!

Before the snowmobile was filled with gas...Andy was the one to get us to the top of the hill.

Max and Andy! (Can you see Max waving?)

Aunt Jodi ♥'d the saucer sleds!

Dylan and Max on "pick-up duty"!

Maggie and Jodi on the carpet-ride back to the top!

So sweet!

I love this one!

Mag driving!

Max on his favorite sled!

I think the hill was about 1/4 of a mile long...this is just to give you a little bit of an idea!

gettin some air!

Jodi wins for getting the "most" air! (I think she looks a little like Santa in this one!)

Sweet boy!

Debbie going down the hill....

Oops!

Dylan and Andy...those crazy boys!

Andy is trying to talk her into going off the jump!

She did it! (Candy works every time!)

Max did it too!

We had an awesome weekend!

Headin' for the Hills!

We have another long weekend ahead of us. (Doesn't it seems like we are out of school more than we are in?! But hey, I'm not complaining!) So we are headed for the hills. The hills of the family farm in Wisconsin.

Isn't it just beautiful!

The fresh clean air, the amazing sky and all the wonderful things God created.

However, it's really doesn't look like this right now.

Just imagine, this beautiful picture covered in white, sparkling snow!


It's been a long time since we have to been to the farm to go sledding. Like maybe even before kids. But what I remember the most is the uncontrollable laughter coming from everyone. So much laughter that your face hurts! (The cold weather might play a part in that.) So much laughter that you just might pee your pants! (And that was before kids...I'm packing some extra undies just in case!) I can hardly wait!

Stay tuned for pictures...we are going to have "snow" much fun! (hehe....I crack myself up!)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Pogies!

Remember this picture!
Andy is sewing! (His mom would be so proud!)
What is he making you ask?

He's making pogies!

What in the world are pogies? That is what I asked when he told me that he wanted to make them.

Pogies are like gloves for his mountain bike!

They go over the handle bars and also cover your hands. To give you better control when riding in the winter! (What crazy person rides a bike in the winter?!?!...that would be my husband!)

So this is what they look like!

He made them all on his own. I did set up the sewing machine and show him how to use it...but otherwise he did it all by himself. Pogies can cost about $60 plus dollars if you order them, and his little project cost about $10. And they work. He doesn't even have to wear gloves under the pogies since they keep him nice a toasty! Pretty impressive, don't you think!

Since he's now a pro...I just might have him work on some projects for me!

WFMW - Photo Christmas Cards

My late mother-in-law taught me this nifty trick...so I totally can't take all the credit for it. Every year after Christmas, I take all the beautiful photo Christmas cards that we get and turn them into this little piece of art work.

Okay, it's just a cheap cork board hanging on the wall inside the door of our computer/craft room...but what I love about it is that I get to look at all your pretty faces all year long.

Do you recognize anyone you know?

Can't find your picture? A few lucky pictures made it onto a special frame on the fridge this year...I think I might have to get another cork board next year!

Check out more Works for me Wednesday over at We are THAT family!

My new addiction!

Spicy Pretzels!

My sister-in-law Jodi made these over the holidays and I'm totally addicted to them!

Of course, like everyone else in the world, I'm trying to watch what I eat, but what I have found is that these little guys fill me up! I have been having a handful of pretzels, some cheese and fruit for lunch. And when I feel the need to snack...these spicy guys do the trick.

Plus, I think the spicy in them makes me drink more water! And that's always a good thing!

So, I'm sharing the recipe! (Hope that's okay Jod!)

Hot Spicy Pretzel Sticks

1 bag of stick pretzels
1/2 cup veg. oil
1 package of dry ranch mix
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper

You kinda make this like Chex-mix. Mix all the spices with the oil first, then pour over a big bowl of pretzel sticks. Toss well. Then spread all the pretzels onto a jelly-roll pan. Bake in the oven @ 250 for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. They are so good! I hope you love them as much as I do!

(these would make great gift for the guy in your life...add a six-pack of beer and he might just clean the toilets for you!)

Valentine's Day Wreath!

I saw this on Little Birdie Secrets and I thought it was just perfect. Simple and easy!

Instead of the glue (way to messy for me, I used straight pins...about 300 or so of them!)

I also didn't do the back of my heart...I just hung it up and made sure there wasn't any white spaces from any direction. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time...it does take a while!

Here's how mine turned out!

The Best Gift!

Remember this post last year!

Well, I got the 2009 version for Christmas this year! I can't even begin to tell you how much I LOVE these books.

They are an investment, but I honestly think that they are worth every single penny. They are a true treasure in my eyes.

I know this blog isn't fabulous, or that many people even read it, but when I originally started the Sullivan Sitcom...it was for my family. A way to keep track of all the little things (and BIG too!) that happen in our everyday life. And guess what?! It's still for my family. A online scrapbook of all the good and bad...happy and sad. And these blog books make it even more "real" for me.

I spent a hour or more on the sofa Christmas day (while my people were out playing in the before said snow fort!) reading all the blog posts and comments from YOU! I even got a little teary eyed a few times. It truly is priceless to me!

The 2009 version of the The Sullivan Sitcom sports a bright yellow hardback cover and 286 pages. It also included this little note from my hubby.


Andy used SharedBook to make these books and included all the blog posts for the year plus all the comments (those are the most fun to read!) So if you have a blog of your own, I highly suggest you make the investment. It will totally be worth it.