the morning bull pen

Would you pay $1,000 for a real Christmas tree? That's $77 a foot! That's what they're going for in New York -- and if you want it delivered and set up, that's an extra $250. Thankfully, around here the average price for a real fir is $50...

The year seems to fly by quickly with December flying by the quickest due to all the holiday hustle and bustle we get caught up in. That's were we have to be aware and tell ourselves to slow down! The kids grow up so quickly that before you know it they are all gone.

Thanksgiving is a time to enjoy family, friends and FOOD! My hairdresser -- Alex -- asked me the other day if I make a dish that no one eats. She said her mom has to make a pistachio pudding that only her mom will eat, but it was a dish that her grandma always made...

It's that wonderful time of the year -- but for some of us working moms, it can be extremely stressful to the point of exhaustion. We basically miss out on the spirit of the season because we get so caught up in everything that we have to do, buy and decorate...

Thanksgiving traditions -- a lot of families have them. For some, it's a certain dish served each Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe playing games, watching football. Or, if you're like my family, each person goes around the table and says what they are thankful for each year...

My girlfriend and I were chatting about Thanksgiving the other day and she completely shocked me when she said that she wasn't cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. What! Isn't that un-American?

When I chose to attend Monday's Buffalo Bills-Seattle Seahawks NFL game, I had one person in mind: my friend Sheri, who is a diehard Bills fan! My goal was to invite her and her husband to the game with my husband and I. I was a little worried that they wouldn't be able to attend, due to the game falling on a Monday night. Luckily, they both could go, but I didn't realize that Sheri hadn't been to

This cute stuffed bunny kept popping up In my Facebook newsfeed, which piqued my curiosity. So I read the post that accompanied the little bunny. The post was put up by Amy Wallawine. She works at the local Lowe's and posted the bunny pic on multiple group sites that I'm a member of. When I read the post I knew that I had to try to help! Wait until you hear why Amy posted the bunny pic ... Read Mo

I'm feeling a little bit let down after Halloween ... Why? I decided this year that I would participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project for kids with food allergies. I painted my pumpkin teal, bought non-food treats, registered my house on The Teal Pumpkin Project website and stayed home instead of trick or treating with my family. Then I waited and waited and waited and waited and waited.

With my two older sons out of the nest, it's nice to still have two younger kids in the house who still want to do all the fun holiday stuff -- which means carving pumpkins. And now, we also have my niece, who recently moved from Texas, living next door, so she joins in on the family fun. They all carved pumpkins together this year.

Every year Rik and I argue over what Halloween music should be played on The Bull. We both like the classic Monster Mash, but I also love to hear Ghostbusters and Thriller on Halloween. It's the one day of the year that singing along to them in the car or at work gets us hyped up for the fun the rest of the day brings...

He's almost as tall as me, and today is his first middle school dance. Where in the heck has time gone? My little baby, Jack, is a seventh-grader, and he's off to his school's Halloween dance today.