Just me My Soldier and our 4 little chicks

happy "cyber monday" to you!WINNERS CHOSEN

I guess you'd better get used to it...since it is the holiday spirit lots of people are in a generous mood.

I've got two giveaways today. And a HUGE  (i mean worth hundreds of dollars huge) giveaway on the 4th. See, like I said...the giving mood. :)

First, I wanted to share a couple house photos. Feel free to skip over this part if you are tired of hearing me talk about house stuff. But J left yesterday and it's how I've been keeping busy. ;)

We painted the bar/"man cave" knoxville gray by benjamin moore. 

today i found these pillows at stein mart for his couch:

 

the living room will be painted revere pewter (one day. that's a BIG room!)

and i've found some pillows for the chairs (also at stein mart):

  

a lamp (target)...which is much greyer and opaque than it looks here. it's on the other side of the room from the chairs and matches nicely. even though it doesn't look like it here.

 

and i'm slowly gathering things to decorate the mantel. i'll get to arranging them one day. ;)

 

almost done with my christmas tablescape (i have some ornaments to hang from the chandelier):

so, yeah...guess you could say i'm trying to stay busy. HA! you gotta do what you gotta do, right??

okay, now on to the good stuff.

ONE WINNER will win:

a free pass to shimelle laine's Journal Your Christmas class. 

A brief synopsis is below...click the link above for more details!!

Every year, Journal your Christmas includes daily prompts from the 1st of December to the 6th of January, the twelfth day of Christmas. The 37 illustrated PDF files are delivered straight to your inbox so you can read them over your first cup of coffee and mull over each topic for a full day. There’s also an archive of the class materials online in case you can’t get to your email or in case something dreadful happens to your computer. And like every year, you can go it alone or be as social as you like, with a private discussion forum where you’ll find other Christmas journallers who will cheer you on and share your excitement, but if you prefer to stick to the prompts only, that’s completely fine too. And like every year, if you’re participated once, you can join us every Christmas for as long as you like at no extra cost.

ONE WINNER will win:

A "Big Dot Tot" dress Size 6 months- 5T  from Hot Tots Boutique.

Rebecca is having a big Cyber Monday sale, too...so check it out!

 

okay. this is a FAST one. leave a comment by tomorrow night, and i'll choose two winners then.

happy monday, y'all!!!

orchestra layouts and a fresh coat of paint

what have we been up to in the howell household the past day or two?

why...painting! my whole body is reminding me that we painted all last night ('til one a.m.!!)

sore muscles, splattered hair, and eyes i can barely open...i'm tired!

but it's worth it...check out our dining room!

before:

after (painted benjimin moore vellum):

 

next up? the living room and bar.

j leaves tomorrow for a "business trip", so i'll have some time on my hands. on my to do list?
tape and prime living room

organize basement

decorate for christmas

find or redo dresser for harper's room

work on decorating girls rooms.

so, last night was the big reveal at studio calico...the december kit, orchestra!

i played with all three add-ons this month. i wish i could have made more pages, but between the move, getting ready for J to leave, and also having to do home front layouts...it just wasn't in the cards. i still have LOTS left and hope to do more.

here's what i did this month:

this one just gets me. makes my heart hurt. j got a bit teary-eyed when he read it...even though he probably won't admit it. ;)

it's fairly simple, yet speaks volumes. i cut the banner from the exclusive SC paper in this month's kit and embellished it with a prima flower center, and two flowers that are meant to be Christmas colors...i think they work just fine on this non-holiday layout!

i cut a circle from the canvas and framed it with a glittery circle frame. in the center, i added another of the making memories flowers and topped it with a monogram.

as it often goes, the journaling is my favorite part. i decided to make the journaling pop a bit (and make it more of a design element) by adding basicgrey chipboard letters.

a layout about my best friend michelle. we've been friends since freshman year in high school, now she is "aunt mishayelle" to us...thanks to harper, her biggest fan.

i adhered the basicgrey yellow doily paper (which i LOVE by the way) to the background, and traced around it with a white uniball signo pen to make it pop a bit.

i painted a 5x7 square of gesso on the patterned paper, traced around the edges, and embellished the inside with some gold hambly rubons. i did my journaling around the edge of the gesso frame.

i created the bouquet out of making memories stick pins, a making memories blue flower, the orange cabs (with sequins and brads layered on top), and tied the bouquet with a shredded piece of the canvas.

i like how this one turned out...like a pretty package all tied up.

i cut the die cut paper to make more of a butterfly shape. i adhered the two 4x6 photos of sadie and framed them with bits and pieces of the hambly frame rubons. i "tied" the package up with the making memories tape (again, christmasy products used for a layout that isn't holiday related).

i covered the cosmo cricket holly/berry chipboard with gesso to take away the christmasy feel.

lots of bright, fun colors in this kit. this one is pretty self-explanatory...had to document this rare occasion between sisters. ;)

okay, that's it for this month. off to paint. sigh. ;) see you soon! xoxo

with all of my heart

the Lord is so good.

and i am so very grateful with all of my heart...

for his grace

for his unconditional love.

for the gift of two little girls

one dark-headed one who is beautiful and talks ALL the time, and who can make me laugh until i cry.

who can frustrate me in one second flat (she knows how, and LOVES pushing my buttons...j says watching the two of us together when we are frustrated is realllly funny- we are cut from the same cloth)

who wants, with all of her heart, to please us. who is a shining example of the love and grace i speak of a few lines above.

one light-headed one who is wild and crazy.

doesn't talk much, but can climb to the top of her changing table or snatch something out of the dishwasher in less than the time it takes me to turn my back.

who cries like her heart is breaking, with her cleft chin quivering and her bottom lip wavering.

who  makes me question if two babies are,after all, enough...yet makes me never want to put her down. sometimes when she cries in the middle of the night i just hold her and smell her hair.

grateful with all of my heart for the year i shared with these two girls.

i look at them and still can't believe we made them. they are beautiful!

they made me stronger, crazier, more sane, wiser, stupider, more grey-haired...

and we DID it. together!

 

and then he came home! and this year, above all...that is what i am MOST grateful for.

He came home.

so many didn't. and lots of times i was terrified he wouldn't.

but he did. and i am grateful with all of my heart

that we have him here this year. and i can look at his handsome face across the table (or give him "that" look when the girls are out.of.control...and there will be someone here to give me that look right back)>

here to help me give baths, to hold my hand during church or during a scary movie,

to protect us and lead our family.

so grateful.

 

grateful for our family. their support, love, and encouragement.

grateful for the gift of life. we are healthy. i thank the Lord for this every day. 

grateful for a wonderful, amazing hobby that keeps my hands busy and my heart full. for the community of friends and the opportunities it has brought me.

grateful for YOU.

thank you for all of the support you have given me over the past year. thank YOU for your love, your prayers. Every sweet comment, encouraging note meant the world to me. i am so very thankful for you and your presence.

happy thanksgiving, everyone!

xoxo

s

november winners!!

shabby chic winner-

409

Robin said...

Great sponsors and great prizes. Thanks so much for the chance and Happy Thanksgiving!
Robin

whimsical paper dot winner-

57

Lori Borntreger said...

WOW!!! Such Fantastic give aways!!! Thanks so much for the chance!!!

elle's studio paper winner-

284

Kimberly Minyard said...

Great Sponsors! Great Giveaways.. I hope you have a great holiday.. oh yeah and pick me!

elle's studio digital winner-

370

Sabine said...

These giveaways are very cute and I would really like to win them.
Wish you an extremly happy Thanksgiving!!

Way to go, everyone.

email me your info

stephaniehowell8(at)gmail(dot)com

and i'll forward your information.

thanks so much and happy tuesday!

Favorites

Thought I'd do a quick fun post showing you some of my favorite things right now.

Reminder! The November Sponsor Giveaways are open through tonight.

See the post below for details.

Okay, here goes.

1. Favorite Shampoo and Conditioner

 

I cannot even believe to tell you how amazing this stuff is.
And the absolute best part? It smells EXACTLY like Strawberry Shortcake's hair.

I kid you not. I've been using it for a few months and it's delicious.

2. Favorite Shoes

 

 

both from Target. these have become my fall staples.

3. Favorite TV Show.

 

Any of you that know me are saying "DUH!" right now.

I know I know, I'm obsessed. I fall more in love with this show every week.
I also have the soundtrack on permanent rotation in my craft room.

A close second is this show:

 

when the movers were at our house and the girls were at BB's house,

J and I caught up on this show on Hulu.

and laughed

and laughed

and laughed.

it's HILARIOUS.

4. Favorite iPhone app:

 

this app turns your photos into polaroids...

you've seen this app on iPhone photos i've posted here.

it's awesome and makes your iPhone photos look better than you ever could have imagined!!

5. Favorite Magazine

 

i have about a zillion projects earmarked that i want to do in our house.

6. Favorite easy read:

 

certainly doesn't hurt that this book is set in a fictional town close to where we live now!

i really enjoyed this book. if you are looking for an entertaining, light read...pick this one up,

or check it out from your library, like i did.

i'm a big fan of mary kay andrews!

okay. random post over.

hope you have a beautiful tuesday!

we are off to get ready to go to the Ranger Regiment's family Thanksgiving dinner tonight.

love you all!

xoxo

November Sponsor Giveaways!- WINNERS CHOSEN

Pay close attention, ladies- this is an AWESOME month for sponsor giveaways!

You have four fabulous chances to win some goodies from my November Sponsors.

Here Goes!!

GIVEAWAY ONE

Shabby Chic Crafts has the perfect assortment of journaling tags and embellishments for all your holiday projects!

Make crafting for the holidays even merrier with their adorable December Daily Album Kit.This is a great value for those planning on creating a December Daily album. Make sure to check out their crafty blog for a free Christmas workshop.

Veronica is giving one lucky reader a December Daily kit (see below).

 

 

GIVEAWAY TWO

Linda at Whimsical Paper Dot is giving  away a set of these precious fabric and felt monkey embellishments (8 total):

 

GIVEAWAYS THREE AND FOUR

Tons of fun going on over at Elle’s Studio! They have put together a Christmas Countdown kit, which includes seven of their popular holiday items that are perfect for making advent calendars, Daily December Mini Albums and more! Check out their blog too, to see how they put together their advent calendar. There are lots of photos and inspiration to be seen!

 

They also just launched some digital download projects for Christmas! There are three banners and goodie bags to choose from! You can see how they put together their Merry Christmas Banner here.

 

One person will win a Christmas Countdown kit and someone else will win any Christmas Digital Download of their choice!

Okay, best readers in the world...here's what you do. First, make sure and visit the awesome shops listed above. They have some great Christmas gifts for friends or for you!!

Leave a comment on this post if you are interested in winning any of the four prizes above,

and i'll pick a winner on Tuesday evening.

Happy Chances to each of you!! xoxo

 

Sneak Peek Saturday

First some sneaks of our newest furniture additions:

entry table:

 

living room chairs:

 

 

j finally got his leather couch (loveseat) and ottoman...he's been wanting one for YEARS!!!

 

all furniture above from pier one- most on sale...plus 10 percent off for opening a card.

sadie got a bigger rug ;)

kmart rug

and i worked for HOURS on this project (sorry about the horrid photo)

 

Harper has been playing dress-up obsessively here, she adores having her own room

where she can hide from the wee-one.

she's like me...she needs a bit of time completely alone.

 

 

and i've been working on my layouts for the studio calico december kit.

it's hard to find time to do many this month...i wish i could do SO many more.

 

 

 

check back tomorrow for my november sponsor giveaway...trust me, it's going to be awesome.

happy saturday, sweet friends! xoxo

this and that wednesday

Holy Cow on the participation in the Home Front blog hop! SO cool!

Congrats to my winner (see below)!

I have one more Home Front layout to share.

 

sorry it's so crooked. i have NO idea what in the world that's all about.

i just couldn't get it to photograph straight, dang it!

Home Front Products used: alpha stickers, fabRips, Conversation Piece, Floor Plan, Odds&Ends, label stickers

Punches: Fiskars Apron Lace, Martha Stewart Large Double Monarch

Love that Home Front!
Could a line of paper POSSIBLY be any more perfect for my life right now? Love it.

Oh, lots of you asked about my bedspread in the last couple of posts.

It's from Pottery Barn, I got it last winter. 

Speaking of my house, thought I'd share a couple more "in progress" photos.

I know I'll appreciate these after I'm done decorating.

The girls' rooms are HUGE. They've shared a room their entire lives, so we don't have nearly enough to fill up two bedrooms. HEE! We are in the market for a dresser for Harper's room.

H's room:

 

sadie's room:

 

look at that pitiful little rug. hahaha! it was perfect for the floor in their old room,

here...not so much. it's like a speck in an ocean. hahaha!

and i also thought i'd share some photos of my scrap room.

 

the wall right ahead of you when you come in the door:

 

left wall:

 

right wall:

 

slowly but surely i'm making my way there!

i clearly need a bigger desk for this room. looking at THIS ONE, it's on sale right now. my friend dav recommends the target version, and i'm going to check that out, too.

i'm also going to paint that dinky desk on the right a fun color (that is my cruddy computer desk from COLLEGE, ha!)

there are maybe two boxes left to unpack. our house is so empty. it's really funny.

antiquing, here i come!!!

 

 

we are doing well. happy. very happy.

like i said, God is good.

oh...one more thing. check this out!!!

recognize that sweet little face? our family is SO excited about this.

 

Happy Wednesday, sweet friends!

xoxox

Winner!!!

136

Michelle W. said...

Love this collection. The woodgrain alphas are to die for!!

Way to go michelle. Email me your info and I'll send it on to april.

Back this afternoon with a new post!!

xoxo