Just me My Soldier and our 4 little chicks

december sponsor giveaway- heartsmiles

 

 

um, can you tell we're big fans of heartsmiles in our house?? HUGE.

at last count we have five hats from abbie's shop.

i'm so in love with all of the hats we have that i'm having to control myself from ordering even more. until after the new year at least. ;) i want to hoard these hats. i can't even tell you how many compliments the girls get when they wear them!

Here's a little blurb about this sweet shop:

Heartsmiles specializes in boutique quality accessories for you, your children, and photographers.  These adorable and unique accessories are designed to add that extra cuteness to any outfit; because afterall, it is all about the EXTRA details that give your heart smiles.  All hats are made to order with love and care and come from a clean and smoke free home.  Heartsmiles is giving away one hat, of your choice, from her store.

So go take a look...either through the link above or the ad in the right column.

And if you are interested, leave a comment here by January 1 and I'll draw one lucky winner.

Happy Wednesday! xo

i am

i am hopelessly awkward.

i am constantly tripping, or blurting out the wrong thing.

i am tall and i have realllly long arms.

i love to laugh. loudly. lots of times until i cry or fall on the ground. usually at myself.

i am sarcastic.

i am overly sensitive. have been that way all my life. if you make me mad, i'll cry. if i'm scared i'll cry. ditto for embarrassed, happy, worried, overwhelmed. sometimes it frustrates people. or maybe they don't know exactly how to proceed when i start w/ the waterworks. ;)  i think my parents used to get frustrated with me b/c every time they tried to have a serious talk with me when i was growing up,  i'd cry. but it's just how God made me. and i kind of like that about myself.

i love to read. back before children i'd devour a novel nightly, staying up into the wee hours of the morning. i read ridiculously fast. j swears i've taken a speed-reading class and i'm hiding it. but i haven't!

i'm a horrible dancer. horrible. see previous statements on long limbs and awkwardness.

i love the thrill of the hunt when it comes to old treasures. i found these shiny brites at goodwill yesterday for 35 cents and i'm still "high" this morning. ;)
 

i do everything fast. i talk fast, eat fast, read fast, type fast, drive fast (but not since i had the girls), scrap fast...

i love cheddar goldfish. since i was little.

i am a loyal friend. and i want desperately to make new friends every time we move. but it's hard, and i'm trying my best not to give up. it's frustrating to make good friends and then leave over and over. the only part of the army i don't really like. but once i make a real friend, a true friend...i'll love you for life. i don't have many of those type of friends, but that's okay!

i am a hopeless romantic.

i love crisp, dry white wine.

and reality TV.

i have to touch everything when i go clothes shopping. this kind of drives j crazy.

i wear my hair back almost every single day. it's hopelessly frizzy and i don't have the energy to style it each day.

i am 32 and a half...

and still working on the balance between being mommy, a wife...and me.

working on who i am besides a mommy, a wife.

and sometimes it feels good to think about who i am and what i like.

some women i know act as if (or say) that it's all about the babies, the husband. and while LOTS of life is about them...some of life needs to be about you. i need a quiet solo shopping trip or bath or scrap time to stay sane.  and that's okay. no one should be ashamed of that!! so here's to all of the wonderful women who are reading. i love who YOU are, and i'm so grateful you are in my life!!

happy tuesday!

xo

whodunit

It's that time again...Studio Calico Reveal!

This month I got the main kit and the "In the Billiard Room" add on.

I also had some bits and pieces from the other addons in my stash, and  I used those.

Love it. It's fresh and pretty...and I so wish I could have had time to do more. But this month? NUTS! just like it is for everyone else.

Okay, enough babbling...I'll share what I did get to do this month.

let me know if you have any questions and i'll answer them in the comments section!

22 months of sisterhood

this uses lots of pieces from the in the billiard room add on.

the  lovely BasicGrey patterned paper was just screaming to be used, but i wasn't sure how...it's an intimidating sheet of paper!

I cut the bottom three inches or so off and adhered the paper to a piece of cream cardstock. i placed two 4x6 photos side by side at the top of the page, and used the three inch cut off section of patterned paper over them, like a pretty little canopy.

the blue cardstock accent trim is punched with this martha stewart punch, which i love.

i cut a jbs label in half for the journaling, and tied a little bow in the center using the trim and a button. the bow needed something, so i used some twine, the heart stamps (from the candlestick addon), and the new SC sticker sheet (using a butterfly punch) to make some hanging accents.

love how this turned out so girly and elegant.

A Real Man

oh this one means so very much to me. these words were in my heart, i've been wanting to say them for a while...and i'm so glad i got them down on paper.

this uses the main kit,  the "love you" card from colonel mustard, the alpha and rubons from billiard room,  and the stamps from candlestick

this layout is pretty self explanatory...a two pager, all 4x6 photos. I accented it here and there by matting certain photos or adding scalloped borders using the apron lace punch or  SC journaling stickers

i also punched (two) 1 1/2 inch  circles from the woodgrain on this exclusive SC paper and embellished them with stars and hearts stamped in red ink. I also used the same red ink on the journaling stamp. 

i used the & stickers from the journaling page to embellish the "i love you" die cut...and i thought that turned out as a good accent for the page. star rubons here and there were the final touch.

journaling: There's a lot in the news these days about famous men having affairs. I have heard this said lately..."men all cheat. it's a fact.". And I want to say this: A real man doesn't cheat. A real man treats his wife with respect. A real man loves his children, has character. Is honest &trustworthy. A real man leads by example. I love you Jimmy, and I have no doubt in my mind that you are a real man.

Remember When

 

this one is all main kit, except for the jenni bowlin die cut card, which is from billiard room.

it's pretty self explanatory...i used the pretty fresh papers (mostly basicgrey origins with some SC thrown in) and weaved them (like a basket) to make the background. i love this photo and wanted to put it on a page by itself.  i used lots of those journaling stickers again, they are just the best. but i'm kind of a journaling sticker/tag junkie! ;)

If All Else Fails, Just Dance

i made this one yesterday, way past the kit due date. so it's not in my gallery over at SC, but i wanted to share it here.

this one is main kit, stamps from colonel mustard, and rubons from billiard room.

i love a good clean and simple layout. and i wanted this one to be that kind of layout...b/c the photo is the star of the page. h and s had a good old fashioned nekky dance party in my scrap room the other day. and the photos...they make me so happy. pure, unadulterated, childlike joy.

can we discuss how much i LOVE the birdie stamps? i told april she must have made them just for me and my two little chickies. ;)

the title work is also pretty big on this one, but i like the way it turned out.

whew! okay...well let me know if you like the way i formatted the post this month. i linked lots more so that you guys will be able to find things easily. i thought that might be a nice addition to my monthly "explanation post".

love you all!

xoxo

s

it was very, very merry.

very merry indeed. ;)

and only in the howell family could christmas eve, day, and the day after Christmas

be comprised of these ingredients:

church,

princess and the frog,

dress up,

the infantry museum.

among other things.

love it. love that all of those elements combined together to make the perfect holiday.

i thought i'd share some of my favorite photos from the past couple of days.

check back soon for my studio calico january kit reveal, as well as a giveaway from a sponsor who makes PRECIOUS things.

xoxo

s

p.s. you may notice a theme in what the girls (especially harper) are wearing. it's pretty much the  standard uniform and i don't argue. i choose my battles, and this isn't one i'm fighting. ;)

christmas eve dinner:

 

 

christmas morning:

 

 

 

I just know this one's growing up to be a biker chick. HA!

 

 

night after Christmas, family date to see Princess and the Frog:

 

i believe

i believe that Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, who is my personal savior. 

i believe that is the true meaning of Christmas.

 

I believe that it is more fun to give than to receive

 

i believe that Christmas is a time for anticipation:

 

 

a time for family:

 

 

i believe that Christmas is a time for laughter and happiness:

 

 

 

a time for beautiful decorations and good food:

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas is a time to wear that new dress, because you never get to dress up otherwise. ;)

 

I believe that Christmas is a time for beautiful, special moments that make your heart ache:

 

 

 

i believe in santa claus:

 

 

i  believe.

and i hope you do, too.

i hope each and every one of you have a beautiful, magical, merry Christmas.

love, me

 

tuesday miscellany

first, i wanted to share photos of the girls from this weekend.

we took them to the national infantry museum to have their photo taken with santa,

and then to the IMAX 3D showing of Polar Express...the day was a big hit with both girls.

we were the first people there to see santa (best santa EVER by the way), and the photographer was late...

soooo

they let me take my own photos. YAY!!! much better than the posed 8 dollar shot in my book.

 

  

isn't he the best? so glad i got to use my camera!

before we left the house, the girls (well, by girls i mean h, since s wasn't really participating) let me take some portraits of them.

 

someone loves the camera. a little bit too much, me thinks.

closest to a normal photo i got of the two of them. how much does s look like her daddy here??

 

if i could capture sadie perfectly in a photo, this would be it.

sadie is always getting smooshed. ;)

so that was our day sunday, so much fun and such a special family date.

i want to try to do that, or something similar, each year.

one last thing, i want to share the sneak peeks of this months SC kit, whodunit.

i purchased the "in the billiard room" add-on, but i also already had bits and pieces from the candlestick addon.

 

 

 

 

i only had time to do 3 layouts this month, but i love them dearly.

and please take note that

a. i used stamps on two of them...what???

b. one is a two pager.

so there you go!

hope you have a beautiful tuesday!

xo

favorite photos of 2009 (part two)

okay. this post might be boring to some (most, ha!) of you, as it's fairly recent history.

i've posted most of these here in the past six months, but i love this idea and want to finish what i started, teehee.

so here we go.

July:

 

i know. duh, a no brainer. but come on...i HAD to include one of these photos as my favorite of 2009. i swear i will never ever get sick of looking at these photos. (thanks kristen!!)

 

i still remember how blissful this moment was. these are the moments we treasure when he comes home. just being together. being still.

August:

 

what a magical trip disney was. this photo sums it up perfectly. bless her sweet heart.

 

the "NO" phase was just beginning. i love that i captured the face she makes when she's done something naughty.

September:

 

ballet was such a big part of our lives in waco. h adored every single class. and she makes a beautiful ballerina, if i do say so myself. ;)

 

another magical moment that i was blessed to witness. s getting to know her daddy. i love the clear adoration on his face.

October:

 

this is harper in a nutshell. captured exactly. pretty, but mischevious. and quirky. and a fan of snacks (hence the crumbs on her chin).

 

a moment i'll always remember. and a family photo i'll love and cherish forever.

November:

 

oh how i love her. again,  being somewhat naughty here...but those lashes!!!

 

it's rare that we have photos of the three of us. i love this one.

December:

 

just a delicious photo. this one makes me grin.

classic sadie. and i am in love with their Christmas dresses this year.

is there anything Target can't do??

 

best santa EVER. and i love love love the looks on their faces. this photo makes my heart hurt. literally.

whew! i can't believe that it's been a year when i look back at some of these photos.

i love my family. so much.

I know i always say this...but can i possibly say it enough? God is good.

love you all!

xoxo

favorite photos of 2009 (part one)

so last night i was thinking and thinking...

about what i should blog about. i asked my twitter friends and they gave me some great ideas.

my friend jenni told me i should blog my favorite memories from 2009.

there are some biggies that come right to mind, but to be honest, i have  a horrible memory. that's why i scrapbook. ha!

so i thought instead i'd do favorite photos of 2009.

i thought it'd be simple, but i started looking and found so many photos that are near and dear to my heart, photos that touch me. make me want to cry, or laugh, or say "i can't BELIEVE she used to be so little!!!!'. so i chose a few from each month.

and, incidentally, i found many many photos that i need to scrapbook. i've forgotten about so many special photos that are tucked away in iPhoto!!

so, here we go. and thanks, jenni, for the idea!!!

January:

 

oh, this one just slays me. she's so beautiful when she sleeps. i loved that she had ballerinas on her pajamas, and that she was sleeping with her hand like that. lovely.

 

this is just SO harper. i had just taken her out of the bath, and the light in our bathroom was so wonderful. i loved snapping their photos in that bathroom!

February:

 

sadie bug turned one this month. she was ALL over the place and wearing me out. love the look on her face here.

 

i can still remember the way it felt when he walked through those doors. sadie was not having it, hence the stink eye. even though i'm on the verge of the ugly cry here, i love it. i love the way J is looking at sadie.

March:

 

sadie has grown to look so much like j...those squinty eyes. my favorite. ;) i remember that i was so happy to watch sadie getting to know her daddy.

 

that's my girl. playing soccer in her fairy dress. ;) this was just a lucky shot. so glad i captured it.

 

oh man, those eyes. big trouble. and i can't say no. another bathroom photo shoot. ;)

April:

 

my alltime favorite photo of the three of us. this sums up our year together so perfectly. thanks, kelly. (p.s., meeting you was one  of my favorite memories of the year, hands down).

 

oh, i'll miss those texas bluebonnets! not the best photo, technically, but i love that joy on her face.

 

my old timey girl. photo shoot at my parents house.

May:

i loved these photos from Zilker park. they look like woodland creatures. 

beautiful colors.

 
our trip to DC. i was so proud of him that weekend. well, i'm always proud, but i thought my heart would burst that weekend. ;)

june:

 

sadie in that bikini? toooo cute. they LOVED bubbles that summer!!!

harper's very first ballet recital. she shines, that girl. ;)

so...there you have it!! my favorite photos from the first six months of 2009.

love this idea.

i'll be back tomorrow with the next six months.

i hope you all have a beautiful weekend!

xoxo

s

SCT subscription winner!!!

20

Keshet said...

Oooh, I would LOVE to win a free subscription!
The house looks absolutely beautiful, Stephanie! Good luck with that trifle!

email me at stephaniehowell8(at)gmail(dot)com

and i'll pass your info on to SCT

CONGRATS!!!!

 

thanks everyone!

someone is back in town, so i'm off for family date night!

love you all! xoxo