Stella & Dot Giveaway!

My lovely friend Julie over at The Girl in the Red Shoes is doing a Stella & Dot giveaway this week: two gorgeous pieces of jewelry (Serenity Stone Drop Earrings or an Interlock Cross Necklace) for two lucky ladies! You can view how to enter the giveaway here

These pieces are just beautiful! I would really love to win these earrings and sport them around Bend; I think it would even call for hiring a babysitter and wearing them out for a date night, don't you?! :)

My 5 Minutes of Fame...

Photograph courtesy of Laura Izumikawa Photography

So, remember about a year ago when I submitted an original quote to Good Earth Teas during their "Tag, You're It" tea bag quote contest - and I won?! Well, just last night a friend of mine from high school sent me a picture of her tea...with MY quote printed on the tea bag!!! The funniest part was that she thought it was just a coincidence - she didn't think I had actually written the quote, just that someone out there had my same name:) Too funny! And how random that she would just happen to get that specific one (and actually READ the quote) and then take a picture and send it to me (well, she is a professional photographer, so she probably always has a good camera handy!) I hadn't yet seen my quote in print, so I raced over to Fred Meyer today to buy a new box of Good Earth Tea. I'm hoping the box I chose has at least one bag with my quote on it, but if it doesn't, at least I'll always have this photograph...

I Never Should Have Done It...

It's official...I've joined a cult. You've probably heard of it; you may be a follower, too. It's called Pinterest and it's a virtual pinboard that lets you create your own themed "boards" (you may have one for crafts, cooking ideas, home decor, kids, gardening, etc.) and add "pins" to them (inspirational photos, DIY projects/tutorials, etc.). You can see what your friends are "pinning" you can make your own "pins" (links to photos you find anywhere online), or you can just look at random "pins" by strangers and then "re-pin" them to one of your boards. One thing's for sure...you will be inspired, amazed, sucked in, and obsessed! Here's just a sampling of some of the things I found today that I just had to "pin" to my various boards for safekeeping. If you'd like to follow my "pins" on Pinterest, you can click on the red tab to the right...enjoy!

Paint an old frame, paint the mirror with chalkboard paint, and voilá - your very own chalkboard!

Cut strawberries in half, dip in yogurt, and freeze.

This looks like such a cozy reading nook!

I am totally doing these fabric circles on one of my walls!

Hammered gold earrings from Etsy. I'm hoping Robert gets me these for Valentine's Day:)

Paint Mason Jars with Glow in the Dark paint to look like you've captured the universe...love it!

Baby Bennington #4 is...

A GIRL!!! We had our 18 week ultrasound today and got to see our precious baby girl moving all over the place! The ultrasound tech checked all her measurements and organs and everything looks GREAT (including placenta, cervix, etc.) - Amen! The radiology clinic had upgraded to even fancier machines since our last ultrasound (three years ago) and this time we were even able to see her sweet little face in 3D!!! She's due to arrive in mid June - exactly one month after the triplets 3rd birthday. We are so happy and feel so very, very blessed. We are hoping for a full term, natural vbac (vaginal birth after cesarean) delivery. Please pray this stays a healthy, uneventful pregnancy...quite a different experience than our last pregnancy - in every way imaginable!

Happy New Year!

2012...wow. All of a sudden 1983 is seeming really, really retro:) This year holds a lot for us: Robert will be 34, I'll be 29, the triplets will be 3 years old already (I know, gasp!), we will celebrate 7 years of marriage, and the newest Bennington baby is due to join us in June (we find out January 17th if that little peanut is a boy or a girl!) Speaking of the baby - I think I felt the first solid kicks last night while watching a movie waiting to ring in the New Year (which didn't happen - we fell asleep way before 12:00...hey, what do you expect, I'm pregnant:)) That was a fun "first" and a nice reminder of what's to come in the new year!

As far as "resolutions" go, no dieting or exercise for me (well, at least not until after June). I'd really just like to slow down a bit and take time to focus on what's really important. I bought a daily Bible Verse calendar that the kids will enjoy ripping the daily pages off of, I'm sure, but I thought it would be fun to say the verse together each morning as a family and then try to say it to each other throughout each day. Also, I'm going to make a concerted effort to be more consistent at attending church. This year our attendance was probably at about 50% - we just seemed to either be travelling, sick, or just too exhausted from a week full of chasing toddlers around, but I want it to be a more consistent part of the kids' lives, and now that they're a little bit older, and a bit more aware of actually being at church, I think it's important to be there every Sunday (and if we're travelling - we'll visit a new church!). Today, Sunday, January 1st, was our first test: we woke up at Robert's parents' house in Sunriver and had to not only get all the kids up, bathed, dressed, and loaded in the car, but had to pack up all of our stuff (from a week of having it spread to every corner of the house) along with all of our Christmas booty. It was quite a challenge, and we ended up being 30 minutes late to church, but hey, we made it.

What does the New Year hold for you and your family? What goals, hopes, and dreams do you have for 2012?!