that Northern Illinois has yet to see snow on the ground!  I can’t complain because there really isn’t all that much to do in the midwest when it snows.  If we had mountains nearby, we could ski or snowboard.  But, we aren’t quite that fortunate. So, I’m taking you back to Fall, because the temps lately feel somewhat like this season.  It is currently December 29th in the infamous Windy City and the weather has been so strange.  As I {Read More}

My entire family will be together just in time for the holidays!  Matty comes home tonight from South America. Although hard to believe, you heard me correctly! Finally, I get to spend some quality time with him and Chris.  Anyone who knows the Sweeney family……knows it will be a crazy, fun-filled, noisy week. That’s right, it will be a LOUD house full of LAUGHTER.  And, when I say loud….that’s no joke 🙂  When you put my dad, Rob, and well….the rest of {Read More}

to make me happy 🙂  That’s right…..this little lady has two weeks off of work! Sorry, don’t mean to rub it in, but it feels good.  Okay, that was a slight understatement…..it feels UH-MAY-ZING!  It all started when my job got me into an extreme choke hold and wouldn’t let go.  I gave it a few jabs in the gut, but it was relentless and I didn’t come out with the victory.  It pretty much chewed me up and spit {Read More}

I’ve realized that “slow and steady” certainly will win the race!  If you rush to get to the finish line, you miss all the fun along the way! No matter how organized, productive, or focused you are…..it’s a lot of stinkin work to make a house feel like a home! Kyle and I moved in at the beginning of February, and of course, I immediately had a vision for every single room.  I imagined where pictures would hang, candles would {Read More}

is something I tend to feel a lot……..that’s just me.   It’s not that I wish I could go back to the past, but I do wish I could sometimes relive the feelings I’ve experienced at certain moments in my life.  I love to reminisce.  The beauty, the scenery, the authenticity of a place…..I can go back and look at pictures a million times and see something new to appreciate.  As I was looking through some photos from the past {Read More}

stands for “Do It Yourself” projects…..and man it can become addicting!  Since we moved into our house in February, the gears in my head haven’t stopped turning.  With empty walls to be filled and furniture to be purchased, money sure adds up quick!  To save money, I thought, “Why not try to DIY?”  Since I’m so chaotic and busy during the school year, I often come home during the week feeling like I just go through the motions and don’t {Read More}