This is how you can GO GREEN

I am the fundraising chairperson for Halle's school ABC Montessori. We are selling these great grocery bags that are recyclable. Check them out and order 2 or more.

http://fundraise4abc.com

Welcome to Wordless Wednesday

Justin on Pride Walk day onward to 9th grade


Dutchess at the vet.


Daddy spending time with the girls.


Sandy posing.


Kyra smiling for the camera.


The girls with Auntie Karen. They love Auntie Karen:)

Decorating - Benneconomy 101- part 4

Decisions, decisions~My kitchen counter top is speckled shades of gray with a hit of what looks like tan. With the cabinets being cherry wood and the stove and frig being black it is difficult to find a color for the kitchen. I really do not like this kitchen. I wish it were a different shape. If you do through that doorway and go to the right is a short hallway which leads to the great room on the left and the stairwell to the right, in front of you would lead to the guest bedroom and bath and to the right of the stairs around the corner is the foyer leading to the front door, livingroom and dining room. The stove and the frig will be changed to stainless steel at some point. These are just some pics to show where we are so far.

Since the counter tops are speckled we are experimenting with this gray color. It matches the counter tops.

And we are looking at these shades of gray as well

You can see 3 patches of gray on this wall. The lighter one at the top is my favorite one even though it may be a little light but the darker one at the bottom is the color that is shown above by the sink. This is the opposite entrance or exit to the kitchen which leads to the family room. If you remember we painted the family room sweater green. The picture hanging there on the wall was painted by our resident artist, Halle.

I have ZERO decorating skills and I am learning so much through these projects. We finished painting the dining room this evening so stayed tuned for the pics of that room. I would post them tonight but I would rather you see it in daylight.

Dinosaurs, lizards, Gekkos, Geico.....what?

So, Halle wants a lizard or an Iguana. Yes I know you're thinking...didn't you just get a 2nd dog? Yeah we did. But, she has already begun her campaign. She has her position and her talking points ready. She has studied each animal and the proper care for each one. Personally I like this one...but from what I've heard he has a contract with Geico so he won't be available to join the Bennett family any time soon, besides he may not make such a great pet anyway. I'm not looking forward to a new pet. Should we say no? She's so passionate about reptiles and dinosaurs. I'm willing to wait it out to see if she changes her mind. Tony and I went to PetSmart to price the reptiles. Prices range from $8.99 - $79.99. It's still up for discussion but no definite decisions yet. No one told me about this part when it comes to raising children. I know children do not come with instructions but I thin it's perfectly okay for someone to give out the directions for raising kids long after they are born. Heck if the instructions were included in the womb or attached to the placenta the paper would get all sticky and yucky.

On the serious side, we already have our hands so full we do not need another member of the family.

He said, She said

New rule: From now on when someone calls me or talks to me about another person/sister/friend I will not participate. I will say "Why don't you call her and let her know how you feel" I don't participate in gossip anymore, even if it's just listening to it". I say this because amongst my sisters there is a lot of gossip. The funny thing is that it is disguised as "concern". Since there is very little interaction between us, using concern for the other sister is just a ploy. It is to me anyway. I know what you're thinking, Okay, I will admit that it will be pretty tough to go cold turkey so I will just limit my gossiping to gossiping with my favorite gossip partner. I would miss the hard belly laughs way too much to stop completely.

Proverbs about Gossip

• Whoever gossips to you will gossip about you.
  • Spanish proverb

• Gossip needs no carriage.
  • Russian proverb

• Gossip is unbecoming an elder.
  • Yorba proverb

• If we all held our tongues, there wouldn't be much left to talk about.
  • English working class saying.

Wink, wink, just being facetious.........

What are your family vacations like?

Almost every year we take a family vacation. Lately we've been going to the same place. Wrightsville Beach, NC, because of Tony's family reunion. It's beautiful there. We're not going this year and we did not attend last years' reunion. I have been wanting to plan a vacation where the whole family participates. Rent a big house and just chill out for a week. Many families do this. I was reading an article the other day about a family who vacations every year in Cape May, NJ. Here's a little bit of it.

Alma Parker and her husband, Charles, began spending summers in Cape May, NJ, back in 1946. After Charles died, in 1999, Alma chose to live in the family's Cape May house full-time. Every year, her daughter, grandchildren, and extended family reconvene in the seaside community.

Why Cape May:
Alma sought out the welcoming seaside city as an alternative to the racially segregated (and often racially hostile) shore towns of the 1940's Maryland, and she quickly recruited other African-American families from Baltimore and Philadelphia to explore the area, as well. "Cape May is our second home," says Nicole Cosby, Alma's granddaughter. "Our entire community of friends and family who we work and play with throughout the year in Baltimore all pick up with us and travel to Cape May every summer. Learning to ride a bike, learning to swim, learning to drive, first dates, first jobs - they all happened for me and most of my family and friends in Cape May."

The article further lists their favorite activities, where they stay, beloved local joints, and their favorite eats. What wonderful memories they have created. I want this for my family too, even if I have to start with my own children. I'll be seeking out a good spot for us. I will start with choosing a state. It may be North Carolina. If you have any suggestions let me know in your comments. If you have a spot where your family already vacations every year share that with me too.