reminder

fabulous giveaway over at i never grew up. do check it out. if i win, here's my first pick. cuz sometimes i need to be reminded to soar...

beautiful stuff from cinnamon sticks.

happy anniversary

8 years ago i became a mason. well, i'll always be a benson, but now i'm a mason, too. in some ways it seems like we just barely got married. and at other times i have a hard time remembering those first months together. i pulled out some pictures (pre-digital era) and scanned my heart out. so this post will be full of photos for your viewing pleasure.






mike is in california helping take care of his mom this weekend - an emergency trip. although our fun anniversary getaway got cancelled, i am so happy i married a man who will drop whatever he is doing or whatever he has planned to help his family. or anybody in need, really. he's the most kind hearted, accepting and service-oriented person i know. hopefully a little of him is rubbing off on me. i can only hope.

a few memories:

*my dress caused major stress, but was ready just in time. i loved it. i still do.
*the flowers and cake were amazing. i didn't know what the florist was going to do (i gave her my favorites), but i trusted her and loved how things turned out. beautiful.
*it was a chilly march day. sunshiney and perfect.
*our dear friend packed us a yummy lunch to scarf down after the wedding and before the reception. we sat on a curb/bench on temple square and ate.
*you can't tell in the pictures, but mike's leg surgery hadn't gone well and he was limping...even using a cane part of the day. i'll have to break out the vhs of that.
*i didn't get any of the refreshments we served at our reception. we even took leftovers with us when we left. they got left at the hotel. dang. i bet it was good.
*my little brother was serving his mission in italy when we were married. we made sure he was there.
*our former bishop's father-in-law performed the sealing in the salt lake temple. like everybody warned, i don't remember anything he said. i'll never forget the tears streaming down my face and the amazing happiness i felt. that i can't forget.

*the temple was being renovated so we got to make our grand exit through a side building.

*i wore white tennis shoes under my dress and a cute little grandma on temple square didn't think that was appropriate for a bride. and she let me know!

*not only did i become a mason that day, but i became a step-mom, too. one of the hardest things to become overnight, but i wouldn't change a thing.



happy anniversary.

winner

elegance redefined announced the winner of the stories by me giveaway today...did you win? if not, thanks for your kind words anyway! and you can always check us out at scrapbook usa tomorrow and friday! oh ya - and mark september 4 & 5th on your calendars. stories by me will once again be at swiss days! yay!

craft talk...

oh my. this is hilarious. enjoy.



found on the constant gatherer.

he's brilliant!

i have an amazing little boy named max. have you met him? you will wish you had.

yesterday he came into me with this:


and asked, 'hey mom, what's this?'

me: 'a hair clip - you know, to hold hair.'

max: 'oh, i thought it was a pterodactyl nose.'

what the?!

another giveaway

yep - another giveaway. this time head over to elegance redefined for all the details. seriously. why are you still reading this? you really should go post a comment and have a chance to win!

another project

like i need another one. BUT. i need to learn how to make these! aren't they pretty? and i'm sure they'd be useful too. bonus. anyone willing to teach?

found here.

another oldie

seems y'all enjoyed the old pic of little luker. well, here are a few more for your viewing pleasure.



yep, those are max. except for that last one. that would be luke shortly before he burst out of my belly.

as this wave of winter blows in i found myself quite discouraged. again. then i read this:


"if we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."

anne bradstreet

so, while in the midst of winter and adversity, i am looking forward to a pleasant spring and will welcome prosperity.

wow

i think i found my most favorite recipe of all time - and i haven't even tried it out yet. seriously. these have to be amazingly yummy. coming from a true girl scout.
get the recipe here.

i did it. i bit the bullet and bought a new camera. well, there really wasn't any biting of bullets or any other object. just the buying a camera part is true. lucky for me costco was having a automatic rebate on the camera i was looking at. how is it that the upgraded version of my camera was $55 less expensive than what i paid 1 year ago for my now dead version? i suppose that's how the world of technology works, huh? well this time, it worked for me.

meet the new canon powershot sd 790 is digital elph. how's that for a mouthful?:

and from what i can tell so far, it takes beautiful pictures.

temple openhouse

this past week we were able to go see the Draper Temple. wow. i was amazed at the decor. the furnishings. the upholstery. the colors. the carpets. the paintings. all temples are beautiful, but this one struck me in a different way. can you connect with decor? if so, i connected.

something about being able to be in the temple as a family. all of us. i reminded my boys that the next time we would be able to be all together in the celestial room was when they were going on their missions. seems like worlds away. (even thought it will be jake in a short 6 years.) it was so amazing to be all together in the temple and feel of the spirit that is there. even luke - a not-so-still 2 year old was surprisingly good. i'm sure he felt something there.

i knelt down to max's level on several occasions to explain things to him or to answer questions. my favorite was when in the celestial room. i knelt down and told him that this was one of the most important rooms in the entire temple. he asked, 'why?' me - 'because this is what heaven will feel like.' the calm 'oh.' from him made my heart smile.

what a treat to walk the walls of such an amazing building, knowing the work that will go on inside once it is dedicated. i feel so very blessed to live so close to temples. and that i have opportunities like this to take my kids to feel and see and hear.

one bit of humor - when max saw the oxen around the baptismal font in the video they were showing he leaned to me and asked, 'are those butter pigs?' one too many trips to the state fair to see the butter carvings, i suppose!

sad, sad day

i think my camera has officially bit the dust. i am quite sad about it, actually. it's been a great little helper for the past 14 months. why is it things like this aren't built to last much past the warranty? so, unfortunately i now need to buy a new camera. the timing couldn't be worse. oh how i would love to splurge for a nice slr camera. for now i'm sure i'll find a simple inexpensive point and shoot that will keep me content. perhaps next year when that breaks i'll make a real commitment to a real camera. until then, any tips or suggestions for a temporary replacement? (temporary = at least a year!)