Stimulating the economy, Benson style

We skipped church Sunday.

Shhh...don't tell anyone. I'm sure no one noticed our absence. *cough, cough*

H and I have been on the look out for new pillows and a comforter for a while now. We've been waiting on the perfect sale to make these purchases.

I'm into flowers. H is not.

H is into boring solids. I am not.

We finally found something we both liked in a department store ad. So, we went in search of the perfect compromise.

Our local department store didn't have the comforter set. The sales lady told us they expected to get it and they would honor the sale price, but not our coupon. We asked them to call some of the other stores in the big city just north of us. Luckily, the mall closest to us (about 1 hour and 15 minutes away) had the set, so off we went.

Little did we know, we would hit the jack pot and help stimulate this sagging economy.

We are now to proud owners of brand news towels, pillows, bedroom accessories (bedspread, etc.), and THIS:


These, my friends, are our new SUPER comfy couch and chair. For years, we have lived on H's old college furniture. It was fine and we were so thankful to have somewhere to cuddle and snuggle and make our house a home. We are even more thankful that I stumbled into the furniture portion of the department store (I didn't even know this department store carried furniture!), that the store was having an amazing sale, and that we could afford to purchase these items for our home.

In our own little way, we stimulated the economy: Benson style.

(H and I have a cuddle date to watch a movie tonight--right there on that big, comfy couch!)

PLAY DOH HELP, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!

How on the world do you get play-doh out of carpet...before H gets home????

EDA: I got it up...lots of rough scrubbing and picking up the tiniest pieces of play-doh ever, but H didn't notice a thing yet!

Thanks!

Eggstra Fun Times

I love my job. I really do.


But I sure do enjoy my time off!!!


M's preschool tries really hard to keep their schedule with the public school schedule. I have no idea what happened, but her spring break and my spring break are no where near the same time. Good for me now. Not good for me later!


One of the great things now is that M gets to go to school and I have quiet time...er...not really quiet time...time without M in the mornings. Monday and Tuesday I did photo shoots with some friends. I'll post some pictures of those later this week.


The other great thing is that I got to help in M's class yesterday. I asked her teacher if I could do an art project with them. Because I work, I can't go to all the fun little parties they have. This was my way of giving back to the class. I had more fun getting to know her little friends a little more. I love how they all have as much personality as M--each a little gem that enriches M's life so much!


They are studying the letter T this week, so I found a fun idea for Tie-dying Easter Eggs. We had a blast. I did some extra eggs to make sure there were enough in case of any cracked cases. Yesterday afternoon, M and I dyed the rest of the eggs.

A week off does provide time for eggstra fun!

(Just wait until I tell you what we have in store for April 2...that's tomorrow!)

A quick peek

into my home.

Right now:
the dishwasher is swooshing away.
the washing machine is churning a load of clothes.
the dryer is is rumbling.
M's lullaby CD is playing for the second time.
all seems to be quiet in M's bedroom.
H is at the grocery store.

This is my favorite time of day.

I'm not a morning person, so I DRAG myself out of bed at the last possible second. On work mornings, just in enough time to grab a shower before M and H get up. On not-work mornings, when M screeches my name from her bed.

Speaking of M's bed--it is the entire reason I started this post.

She's not in her normal bed.

Oh, no, she's not. She's in her BIG GIRL BED.

About two weeks ago, M decided her favorite color is blue. When we were shopping yesterday (a whole post unto itself), she ask H to paint her bedroom blue, "because it's my fravorite color." H told her no way. He said if we have a baby boy one day, he MIGHT paint it blue then. She proceeded to tell him that she didn't want a baby brother, she wanted a baby sister--who is blue. "Because that's my fravorite color." (just an aside: whenever the word blue is uttered, it's followed by, "Because that's my fravorite color.") Did you get the part that she wants her baby sister TO BE BLUE???

Oh...we are NOT pregnant yet...this is all a theoretical conversation.

Back to blue.

While we were shopping, I spied the CUTEST butterfly sheets ever! They have blue butterflies to satisfy M, green butterflies to match her comforter, and pink butterflies so it's super girly! M is in a phase that is completely contrary to Mommy. I knew better than to tell her I liked them, so I said, "M...why don't we ask Daddy to buy you these sheets?" WORKED LIKE A CHARM! She was so excited about them...she talked about them on the way home, she helped wash them this morning before preschool. After preschool, she helped put them on her big girl bed.

Then proclaimd that her big girl bed was too big. "I'm still a small girl, so I need to sleep in my small girl bed. This big girl bed is TOO big for me."

H and I encouraged her to just sit on the bed and see how she liked it. Then we told her NOT to get off the bed until I got her up from her nap. So she stayed there for two hours...no nap.

I was a little anxious about tonight. She tried to talk me into letting her back in the crib. I stood firm and put her in the big girl bed. She didn't exactly fuss, but it has taken her a while to settle down. I think she's alseep now.

Well, not quite a quick peek. I'll post my P365 pictures sometime tomorrow. I'll also tell the exciting news about her shopping trip yesterday!!!

Let me know if you post a quick peek--whether you keep it quick or not.

MBS: Cherry Blossom

This tender little blossom turns a whole city pink. Doorways are decked with vibrant pink bows, wreaths adorn lamp posts and entryways, trees drip with delicious pink goodness. An entire city unites for 9 days, forgetting troubles and worries. Children laugh and run, faces painted, arms thrown wide as the blossom snow down on them.

This is my absolute favorite time of year around here. When the cherry blossoms are in bloom, the whole world feels alive with hope and excitement. This is truly a little gift from God--a reminder, at the end of a dreary winter, that hope abounds.

For other MBS, visit Tracey.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I brought home two of my students Thursday afternoon to make cookies with M and me. We had so much fun. I thought I'd share the recipe with you. This is my all time favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe--add a little dash of cinnamon if you want to spice it up (no pun intended!).

Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 c butter or margerine
1/2 c shortening
1 c firmily packed brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 c (12 oz) semisweet chocolate morsels
1 c chopped pecans

Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well.

Combine flour, soda, and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating well. stir in chocolate morsels and pecans. (I only add the pecans when I make these for H.)

Drop dough by scant 1/4 cupfuls onto UNgreased baking sheets; flatten each cookie into a 3 1/2-in. circle, making sure flattened cookies are 2 inches apart.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheets; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Yield: 2 dozen (I've NEVER gotten 24 cookies from this recipe--I usually get about 20, maybe 22 cookies)

MBS: Fair-ly fun

Our community kicked off its major festival Friday evening and we soaked up as much fun as we possibly could. The whole town is pink, so M dressed the part.

Not only did she fit in by wearing pink, she enjoyed an ice cream just like the thousands of other children there.

And she shared it with her mom!

But only a little bite. She wanted the "most for me!" she said.

This is my MBS. Technically, it's not MY best shot, but it is my favorite from the day. A quick, tight snuggle with Mom before running off to play some more. And technically, probably not a best shot, but what mama doesn't love a snuggle with her favorite girl?
All in all, we had a fair-ly fun day.

For other MBS, check out Tracey's new digs.