Just me My Soldier and our 4 little chicks

well, hello there 33!

During "33" I will

1. Embrace the craziness.

2. Laugh at myself more.

3. Be easier on myself.

4. Celebrate eight years of marriage.

5. Meet Cate and Lucy.

6. Move to Savannah.

7. Endure another deployment

8. Be one of five women in the house.

9. Start exercising again.

10. Make lots of mistakes and learn from them.

During "33" i won't

11. Expect things to be the same as they were during "32".

12. Be afraid or ashamed to ask for help.

13. Forget to concentrate on strengthening my marriage.

14. Be frustrated if it takes a while for my body to be back to normal.

15. Lose sight of the fact that each day is a learning experience.

16. Get my feelings hurt so easily.

17. Forget to spend quality alone time with each of my girls.

18. Put too much pressure on myself to make new friends at our new duty station.

19. Wait to find a church.

20. Feel guilty for needing a few moments to myself now and then.

I hope that during "33"

21. We love Savannah.

22. I find friends that "get me".

23. I have the birth experience I want to have.

24. I grow big babies that stay in my belly as long as possible.

25. The girls adjust well to the changes that will be happening.

26. I get to experience Savannah.

27. I get to spend lots of time with my husband.

28. We see family often.

29. We fall into a routine quickly as a family of six.

30. All the people I love most stay safe.

I know

31. I'm blessed beyond measure with the gift of seeing another year.

32. I will jump in with both feet. Eyes wide open, heart soaking up the next 365 days.

33. I will reach 34 a better, stronger, more faithful woman.

Happy Tuesday!

xxo

Back 40

Oh my goodness- I can't believe August went by so quickly! It's that time again...Studio Calico Reveal! This month's kit is called Back 40.

I went just a bit nuts with this month's offerings... I ordered

Back 40

Fresh Cut

Open Pasture

Free Range

and the Postage Stamp Border punch.

What can I say. My creative drive came back and I wanted to celebrate!! ☺

Here's what I came up with layout wise:

made using: back 40, fresh cut, open pasture, free range (made with love chipboard sticker, basicgrey ribbon doilies)

i've loved these photos since i took them on our family vacation to tybee island, but i just haven't had the motivation to scrap them until now. lots of different borders here, and that makes me happy. i use the heck out of those sassafras papers and their funky borders. i love the indie girl line, and think i need to order more.

the sassafras sweet treats stickers layer PERFECTLY with the JBS star stickers that come in open pasture.

made using: fresh cut

look at my sweet girl. :) this sweet, delicate add on was perfect for this story.

this is one of two layouts i stamped on this month. the butterfly stamps in fresh cut are made to match the martha stewart butterfly punches (royal butterfly punch and classic butterfly punch). i used faded jeans distress ink.

i'm usually not drawn to papers in these colors, but my gosh these are beautiful. i love the color palette in this add on.

i had so much fun stamping and punching...i couldn't believe it. if you know me, you know my stamp aversion. ;)

another punch i used here is the bubbles border punch. my new favorite.

made using: back 40 (i got major mileage out of those sassafras border stickers!!) fresh cut , free range, sweet treats from open pasture

this one is pretty simple. most of the embellishments are the sassafras journaling stickers and border stickers. i cut one of the flower stickers from the sweet treats in open pasture to make the wings for sadie.

i have to say that i LOVED the basicgrey alpha from free range. i used them on several layouts this month and love the sleek, graphic style of them.

made using: back 40 and all add ons.

yes, more border stickers. what can i say. they are so easy to use!

this layout is lifted from maggie holmes' CK cover this month. we were all asked to create a layout that was inspired by hers. super easy to do, her layout was fabulous.

it's pretty simple and self-explanatory, and i'm super happy with the result.

made using: back 40, fresh cut (there are some more of those stinkin' sassafras stickers!!), free range (the title stickers).

a girlie page for my girlie girl. these photos make my heart hurt, they are so beautiful. i wanted to do them justice with feminine, soft accents.

 

made using:back 40 , fresh cut, free range.

i'm pretty proud i did a two pager with stamping! the ruler stamp from the main kit is perfectly cool and vintage...i couldn't resist using it.

i like the balance of lots of photos/minimal embellishments on the right page, and the simple, graphic design of the left page. told you i loved those white alpha stickers!

okay, that's it for now. let me know if you have any questions! not that you will considering these are, as always, simple (with heart!!).

go see for yourself, and make sure to look at the new border punches. that large circle border punch needs to come to my house NOW.

oh, and don't forget to check this out, yay!!:

 

hope you have a lovely weekend!!

xxo

s

thinking pink

journaling: it's the life we were born to lead. princess dresses, boas, tea parties, bows, tutus and tiaras. one day it will be boys, proms, shopping. so when i tell you we have 2 more girls on the way, don't tell me you are sorry. we wouldn't trade this for the world.

supplies:

patterned papers: hambly (doily), girls paperie (roses)

vellum butterflies, labels, pearl buttons- JBS

chipboard alphabet- american crafts

happy happy thursday!

xxo

some answers

happy tuesday everyone!

i hope your week is going well. :)

this morning i thought i'd answer some of the questions that were asked a few blog posts ago. i will do a few today and more soon!

 

1. How is it different to be pregnant with twins than it was to pregnant with your other two children?

I mentioned in my last post that the movement is SO different. It's almost painful...already! It wakes me up almost every night and is already visible. I love feeling them move, and I just can't believe that there are TWO little girls in my belly. It is still so surreal to me.

Other than that, it's pretty much double everything. Double the indigestion, double the exhausted feeling (my OB says that normal "singleton" pregnancies have the second trimester where you feel like you can conquer the world, but that with multiples you don't get that as much. or at all!). Double the emotions, double the cravings, double the eating.

2. Question - are you making a baby book for the girls - what have you started on, are you collecting things for their nursery yet? 

I have not started a "book" for the girls...I have done a few pages, and I will do a month by month for them, just like I did for H and S. not much of a game plan for the scrapbooks OR for the nursery! i know we need another crib, and I would love to do a REAL nursery for the girls. we've never really had one! but we will be in a new house by then, and i have no idea how much room we will have. now clothing, that's another story. i've definitely started collecting that. HEE!

3. Where are you moving?

we are moving to Savannah, Georgia. WHEEEEEEEEEE! we should be moving sometime in october.

4. Where do you get the clothes you are wearing this pregnancy?

Non Maternity-
Forever 21- Here is one of my recent favorites
Ann Taylor loft
Charlotte Russe
anything flowy/empire waisted anywhere i see it. Any tunic. Any longer tank.Leggings.

Maternity-
Liz Lange for Target
Shade
Forever 21
Olian - this is who makes the coral wrap dress from my last post
A Pea in the Pod

5. I 'd love to know if you have read anything fabulous this summer!

Here is my GoodReads page if you are a member there!

This summer I have LOVED:

The Help-Kathryn Stockett

Looking for Alaska (YA)- John Green

The Hunger Games book series (YA)- Suzanne Collins. I preordered the third and final book and cannot WAIT to read it.

Still Missing- Chevy Stevens

Winter Garden- Kristen Hannah

Whistin' Dixie in a Nor'Easter- Lisa Patton

6. Stephanie, what are some of your favorite recipes? What do you find works best when you are in a pinch for time with the kids and balancing it all>

Confesson time. When J is away I am NOT creating meals from scratch every day. Just can't do it. Lots of casseroles. Crock pot meals. Taco salad, pastas, wraps, fresh fruit and veggies.

When J is home he loves to help me cook and he is an AMAZING cook. We grill lots. I love recipes from Southern Living, Cooking Light, and Clean Eating Magazine. Our favorite Italian cookbook is the Silver Spoon Italian cook book.

So there you have it. If you have anything else you were wondering, feel free to ask and I can add it to my next post.

Have a beautiful day!

xoxo

23 weeks

* enjoying the look on people's faces when they ask how pregnant i am. when i say 23 weeks, i kind of like not mentioning the {twins} part. it's funny seeing people try to cover up the fact that they thought i was like..oh say....8 months pregnant. ha!

* craving chocolate milk and cheeseburgers(still)

* starting to panic a teensy bit when i think about j coming home+packing+moving+unpacking+having the babies and DOUBLING the amount of children we have! i haven't even thought about how to do it all, i have just been concentrating on staying healthy and *getting there*. breaaaaaaaathe stephanie.

* loving mixing maternity and non-maternity pieces. thank heavens for the empire waist trend! the gray top above is not maternity (ann taylor loft) but the coral dress is.

*already at the point where i can see my belly jump.

*was surprised that having twins in there feels TOTALLY different. one is always on my bladder or up in my ribs. not the delicate butterfly flutters/thumps i felt with my other pregnancies...already feels like there is a herd of elephants in there! 

*hating the indigestion (booooo).

*but loving the excuse to take naps. :)

happy sunday, sweet friends!xxo

friday mish mash.

first, i want to share the winner of my august giveaway. thanks again, heather and georgia blue!!!

47  Jaimie said...

What cute hair accessories! thanks for the chance to win!

Reply August 16, 2010 at 07:06 AM

Congrats Jamie! - you didn't leave an email address, so you need to email me at stephaniehowell8(AT)gmail(DOT)com. If I don't hear from you in the next few days, I will pick another winner.

Next, I want to talk about what is going on today at Elle's Studio. Elle has been running an amazing and FREE journaling class this month.

I was so very flattered that she asked me to participate...and I had a ball creating this layout using her tags.

Please go check out the entire post and my interview here, and leave a comment if you get a chance...I know they worked REALLY hard on this class!!!

here is the layout i created!

 

the supply list, process, etc. can all be found on elle's blog.

have a beautiful friday! xoxo

this is my favorite

a lift of the fabulous amytangerine for a challenge at studio calico.

patterned paper- crate paper (pink floral), basicgrey (brown die cut), my mind's eye (teal polka dot)

pearl flowers, butterfly- jenni bowlin

jeweled floral center (on butterfly)- prima

"this is my favorite"- dear lizzy/american crafts

twine- studio calico

stitch rubons- hambly

envelope- maya road

journaling card- collage press

punches- martha stewart doily border punch, stampin' up! scallop border

pen- american crafts precision pen (.01 tip)

happy wednesday!

xxo

daydreaming

**august giveaway still open in post below**

as we approach the end of august, i've got reunions on my mind. i find myself daydreaming constantly about being together again as a family.

i bet that you have probably seen one of the you tube videos circulating. you know the ones...the soldier reunions. they are the best. i ugly cry every.single.time.

the one i watched most recently made me dig up my copy of this video and watch again:

daddy surprise from stephanie howell on Vimeo.

there is nothing in the world like reuniting with someone you love. especially someone who has been somewhere dangerous and really far away for a long period of time.

i just can't explain it. i live for those moments. the in between, the horrible parts? well those reunions make it all worthwhile.

you know when you were sixteen? and you had a massive crush on that cute boy at school??? and every time you saw him or he talked to you, your pulse sped up?

butterflies in your tummy, talking a million miles a minute, in heaven..

that's what it's like.

first kiss good. heart drop to your toes good.

we've been having reunions ever since there was an "us".

j went to west point (in NY) and i went to baylor (in TX). for over ten years now, we've been having tearful goodbyes and hellos.

West Point...and oh, i thought these were the WORST goodbyes. I remember dropping J off at the Dallas airport and crying so hard I couldn't see straight. I simply couldn't imagine anything harder than that. Oh, young love. HEEE! There were much harder goodbyes just down the road.

Ranger School

Afghanistan

Iraq, Iraq again

Afghanistan again

Afghanistan again

our most recent goodbye.

Big goodbyes and reunions. Little ones sprinkled in between. Training, Traveling, R&R etc.

And I can just imagine it now.

That sweet, excruciating anticipation. Waiting, and waiting some more...Feeling sick to your stomach and thinking you just can't stand it for one more second.

 

 

and then finally seeing his face for the first time. drinking it in. thinking you just might be that crazy woman. the one who runs right into the middle of the ceremony and hugs him. because you just can't wait.

But waiting. and then holding him and just burying my face in his neck. Smelling his smell. Which after a deployment is totally that army/infantrymen smell.

Combat boots, dusty desert smell...with minty fresh toothpaste b/c he always brushes his teeth just before he lands.

Oh, it's beautiful.

Just clinging to him, and feeling his heart beat against mine. Holding on to him as tight as I can.

Watching him hold his children again. And seeing that smile he has...the one that looks like it will split his face clear in half.

Seeing the looks on my girls faces. The love and disbelief written all over them. The high-pitched, little girl voices saying "DADDYYYYY!!!!".

And the funny part? Already thinking of the next time you have to say goodbye. That's the heart of a military wife.

That's what's on my mind right now.

Waiting for my next "moment". I can see it, taste it. Clear as day.

And I'm ready. So ready.

xoxo

s

august giveaway!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend...I sure did! Farmer's Market, relaxation, amazing meals courtesy of my mom, and a phenomenal sermon at church. 

here are a couple of snapshots from the weekend:

 

 

moving on, i want to share this month's giveaway.

it's actually a really cool story how this came to happen. right after the fiasco with the...ahem...copycat blog, i received an email from heather at georgia blue.

she knew about what had happened, and she had actually had a giveaway going on the other blog. she asked if she could give my readers something special (as she had pulled her offer from the other blog).

here is a bit about heather.

i am a stay at home mom of four, all under the age of eight!

two boys and two girls...needless to say my house is crazy, but i wouldnt have it any other way.

i think a bow is the just the touch to frame a face...

complete an outfit, and make any messy face cuter.

my youngest,georgia, seemed to always lose her hairbows and it made me crazy..so i decided to make them myself.and thats how i got started!!

Please stop by my facebook page and become a fan!

Aren't her accessories just precious? Please visit her facebook page (linked above) and her shop.

As always, I love highlighting small mom-owned businesses, and really hope you will visit and support heather, whether you win or not!

If you would like to win a 25 dollar gift certificate to Georgia Blue, leave a comment here by Wednesday night at midnight EST. I will draw one lucky winner on Thursday!

Hope your Monday is wonderful, I'll be back soon!

xxo

s

 

Sneaky Peeky.

so i had to post tonight and share my sneaks of the studio calico september kit, back 40.

oh, and look at our new designers..we are so excited!

i got addons one, two, and three. yes, i went a bit crazy this month. :)

and i had so much fun playing and creating.

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um yeah, i went nuts with this month's kit.

love

love

love

love.

and that's how i got my creativity back. :) thank you SC.