ANOTHER GIVEAWAY? And EVERYBODY WINS!

This Giveaway is Closed. Thanks for playing!

I have a small problem, and I need YOUR help to solve it! You see, I'm off to the beach in two weeks and need a couple of really good books. So I came up with this great idea...



We'll have another Great New Popr's Giveaway!

For EVERYONE who suggests a really good beach read, I'll send you, as thanks, a 10-pack of magic-popping, color-changing crystals.

This stuff is so cool, and GOOD for you, too! The POPrs crystals are red, and when stirred into yogurt (or applesauce) it turns the food blue. And then start to pop. POPrs make eating fun. And tickly. And nutritious, all at once!

As many of you already know, Uncle Lynn makes this stuff. This is a new product, with limited marketplace release. And I'd just love to give you some. But to win, you need to recommend a good beach read. In the comments section of this post, the rest of the week through Saturday, August 1.

And if you would be so kind, after you've tried your POPrs, please let us know what you think of the color-changing variety. Be creative. Come up with new ways to use them. Let your kids in on the fun. Then let us know what you think.

And HELP ME FIND A GREAT BEACH BOOK! But please, no James Patterson. I used to like him, and still would read an Alex Cross book, but his other books have gotten too predictable.

And maybe before the trip, I can suggest a book or two to you. Do we have a deal? The contest will run from now through next Saturday, August 1, at 11:59 EST. Winners will be announced Monday, August 3.

But wait...I can announce the winners all this week...

Because IF YOU RECOMMEND A BOOK, YOU WIN!

Wait 'til Uncle Lynn hears about this one! I'll just have to remind him who he always tells the kids the boss is...Yikes.

Still the One...

Today is our 29th wedding anniversary!

Five months and five days after we met, at a bar called "Houligans" in Eau Claire, WI. Five months and five days, you say? It's not even a family record! But it was quick. I kept waiting for someone to ask me what I was doing. Certainly, I reasoned, if it was a bad idea, SOMEONE would say SOMETHING. But no one did. And we got married.

My family loved Uncle Lynn from the beginning. My mom's four sisters tried to think of who it was that he reminded them of. Finally, one summed it up by saying, "he's like an old shoe. It's like we've known him forever." Heads nodded. He was in.

Maybe because he did the hard work. He got up at 4 in the morning to go fishing with Uncle Lewie. Lewie was the crusty old guy who usually took threatened to take the niece's boyfriends hunting. That way, he explained, if the family didn't like the guy, there could always be a "hunting accident."

But hunting season was a long way off. So fishing it was. I guess Lewie though Lynn could always fall on a slippery rock and hit his head...But no, my favorite uncle and my future husband became buddies, though Lynn never really got into early morning fishing.

I've known brides who are all about the wedding...the dress...the cake...the flowers..the food...the rehearsal dinner...and obsess about it for months. We weren't like that.

I dress-shopped once, and hated it. I went to a shop where they brought you three dresses and if you didn't like any, they would bring three more. After seeing 6 and not liking any, I said it was going to be in the next three. Why? Because one of them will be better than the other two, and I didn't want to shop all day! That may be how I got a long-sleeved, high-necked dress for a wedding in July! But I would have married Lynn in a pillow case in the backyard, so it didn't matter.

On our wedding day, the groom, his family and most of mine went to my Aunt's house. They played tennis and swam. They had a big party. My two brothers and I went sailing, since Lynn and I couldn't see each other until the ceremony. The wedding was at 7 p.m. At 5:30, I was buying shampoo. It was hot. Lynn almost fainted. And it sprinkled a little, for good luck!

Happy Anniversay, Honey. I'd like to dedicate this next song to you! Music, please.

We've been together since way back when
Sometimes I never want to see you again.
But I want you to know, after all these years
You're still the one I want whisperin' in my ear.

You're still the one I want to talk to in bed
Still the one that turns my head
We're still havin' fun and you're still the one.

You're still the one that makes me laugh
Still the one that's my better half
We're still having fun and you're still the one.

You're still the one that makes me strong
Still the one I want to take along
We're still havin' fun and you're still the one. Yes you are.

Changin' our love is going gold
Even though we grow old, it grows new

You're still the one that I love to touch
Still the one and I can't get enough
We're still havin' fun and you're still the one

You're still the one who can scratch my itch
Still the one and I wouldn't switch
We're still havin' fun and you're still the one.

You're still the one that makes me shout
Still the one that I dream about.
We're still havin' fun and you're still the one.

Weekly Winners: Happy Father's Day!

Shot by various cameras over the years, most of them of the Cannon Variety

Welcome to Weekly Winners, brought to you by Lotus, aka Sarcastic Mom. Today's post is a retrospective, in honor of Uncle Lynn and Father's Day. So, here we have The POPrs King...

...facing down a baby hawk at the OBX last summer;

...moving College Boy to school in the fall;

...getting his Big Break with an article in The Milwaukee Journal;

...hanging with The POPrs Family at the beach;

...watching the goats graze on the roof in Door County, WI;

...cheering on The Packers at a home game with Grandma.

Happy Father's Day to Uncle Lynn and to all the other hard-working Dads out there. Hope your day is special!

Weekly Winners: A Blogoversary and a Giveaway

Shot by The Wild One

Canon Rebel XTi

Welcome to Weekly Winners, brought to you by Lotus over at Sarcastic Mom. Today I'd like to talk about a Blogoversary and a Giveaway. And show you some cute shots along the way! But first of all, meet...

...Tina and Sophie. Tina has tried for a long time to get her cute kid to eat her veggies, among other things. Then she discovered POPrs, that nifty new, fun and nutritious seasoning. Here, Sophie's trying Color Burst POPrs on her cereal...

...and what about Cinnamon POPrs on her morning toast?

What would make your yogurt "sing "in the morning? Well, Sophie says either Color Burst, Raspberry, Cocoa...

...Strawberry or Cinnamon POPrs, of course!

As a matter of fact, Sophie's a fan of all eight flavors!

So, POPrs Fans, here's the Giveaway part of this post. Veggie Mom (that would be me!) launched Eat Your Veggies! almost one year ago to spread the word. About healthy eating. About her crazy family. And about Uncle Lynn's cool new POPrs...which are good and fun for you, too!

We'll have five big prize winners in this POPrs Blogoversary Giveaway. Each will receive a Box o' POPrs, containing all eight yummy flavors.

All you have to do is leave me a comment here for one entry. Follow me on Twitter and you get one more entry. Follow my blog and that gets you an additional entry. And blog about this Blogoversary Giveaway for five more sweet entries!

Uncle Lynn will pick a winner by random drawing on Monday, June 15, at 11:59 p.m. We'll announce the Five POPrs Winners on my One-Year Blogoversary, which is Tuesday, June 16.

So get crackin', friends. Hope to hear a lot from you soon!

Mad Skills for the Grills!

Meet Mad Dog and Merrill, who call themselves "Grillologists," and hail from New London, WI. They host a local Saturday Morning grilling show on radio, and hire out to cater gatherings ranging from backyard picnics to college sorority get-togethers.

How do I know so much about these hysterical-and quite talented-guys? Well, Aunt Julie and Uncle Lynn have been fans from Day One. And that prompted The Wild One to hire them to cook for a Larry U. sorority fest Saturday night.

"I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven," is the way TWO describes her first taste of Mad Dog and Merrill's fare. "I'm gonna have a hard time going back to the dorm cafeteria!"

The day before their Larry U. debut, the Grillologists made this appearance on Good Morning, Wisconsin. They cooked a Beer Butt Chicken. Wonder if these guys have tried POPrs yet? We'll check that out and get back to ya!