Just me My Soldier and our 4 little chicks

Introducing My April/May Sponsors!

Happy Monday morning, y'all!

This is the Monday of our Spring Break and we are so excited to get started on our Spring Break bucket list.

Check out the ummm...extensive? list the girls came up with.

Oh.My.

So far we have seen a movie, visited the USS Massachusetts, visited Federal Hill, and gone to the playground.

This week we want to visit Maine, see a Red Sox game, explore Jamestown, and visit the Boston Museum of Science. WHEW!

I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to my very first crop of sponsors.

 

A while back I mentioned that I was thinking of taking on a few sponsors and some of you complained that this blog would stop being the blog it's always been.

That it would be one big ad.

 

And that made me sad because I would never let that happen. If that was going to happen, I'm pretty sure it would have happened six years ago. :)

Tuesdays have always been a spot for me to spotlight small businesses I love.

That will stay the same.

I love using and sharing products I believe in. And I love sharing the people who create them.

That will stay the same.

You know who responded when I asked if anyone was interested in ads?

Five companies I am a fan of. Women I consider friends. Five businesses that I've spoken of many times before I took sponsors.

I couldn't be more thrilled with my first group of sponsors.

 

 

1. Stuck on You. I have been using these labels since Harper was a baby. You can find many past spotlights and reviews over the years. Here's a bit about the company:

In 1995, as a busy mom of 3 boys, Carrie Felton discovered the need for gorgeous name and clothing labels for children and founded Stuck on You -  little did she know, it would grow to be one of the worlds favorite children's labelling companies. Stuck on You now sends personalized labels and gifts to over 120 countries with tens of millions of labels sold every year! With a huge range of personalized products, from labels and tags to wooden puzzles and stationery, it seems their creative spirit will ensure Stuck on You continues to be "Trusted by Moms and loved by kids.

 

2. Gossamer Blue-Lori and I go way back. We were on the Lily Bee design team together and she's a class act. I ordered the very first GB kit and I've been a fan since. Amazing kits with flawless customer service. Can't beat it. Here's a little about Gossamer Blue:

My name is Lori Gentile.I started GB last August and am ever grateful to the members and customers that have helped GB grow as it has in a short amount of time. I started the club to follow my dream. A big part of that dream is to be able to do what I'm passionate about (crafts) while being able to stay home with my two boys, Dylan and Brody. "Gossamer" represents that which is most fragile (customer service) and is my reminder to always hold customer service as the first priority. "Blue" represents my boys, the very reason I am driven to succeed. May they witness their mom walk her talk and learn through her action that dreams really can come true.

The club is subscription based. The main kit is discounted and shipped to your door once a month.

It is a non-commitment club. Cancel when you want.

Each month the main kit and the add-on kits are built around one color scheme. This helps ensure that everything coordinates and can be used together.

You can even earn a free album just for using your kits.

 

3. Freckled Fawn- My favorite source for doilies and tapes. I've known AesaLina for years and had the privilege of finally meeting her at CHA. It's been a joy seeing her business succeed! Here's a bit about Freckled Fawn:

Hello lovelies! My name is AesaLina Compton, my customers call me "Doe". I am the owner of Freckled Fawn.

We opened the store in January 2012 and we were just a little shop, only 20 styles of washi and same paper doilies and such. But since then, all your little washi addictions have been a catalyst to our growth and manufacturing of Freckled Fawn products (e.g., Wood Chips, FF washi, Dew Drop Stickers).

We pretty much love, LOVE this industry. I have been reading Stephanie's blog for yearrrrrrrs. I got the chance to meet her at CHA in January and she is adorable. Stephanie was actually our first customer ever!! It is an honor to sponsor and support her blog.

 

4. Chic Tags- I've considered Veronica a friend since 2009 (see a theme here?). I met her at my very first CHA and I got to see her start a very small business and turn it into something amazing. I saw her again at the last CHA when she had her very first show booth. So proud of her! Here's a bit about Chic Tags:

Hello Crafty friends! I'm Veronica, mama to 3 & wife to one. ;) I'm a full time work at home mama and the owner of Chic Tags. Albert, my better half, is the man behind the graphics. I'm just the sketches on the notepad until Albert converts them into wonderful little tags for all your crafty needs. :)

My husband and I started Chic Tags in 2008, this all started as a small etsy shop. With no intention of growing. It was simply a source for extra scrapbooking money. As new parents and recent graduates money was tight and scrapbooking was expensive!

One night while scrapping I realized I was missing something on my page- CUTE journaling tags and paper embellishments. Albert, a full time graphic designer (B.A. in Graphic Arts) knew he could create better tags than I had envisioned for my page. After designing several sets for personal use, I decided to open up a small etsy shop. I started off with 3 punches and a paper trimmer. True story. I made everything by hand and took a plunge. I opened up "Shabby Chic Crafts" in January of 2008. We received our first order 20 minutes after launching our etsy shop. I realized then, we were on to something!! That night Chic Tags was born.

 

5. Sandy Burns for South Hill Designs- Sandy was spotlighted on my blog a couple of weeks ago. She sells custom lockets for South Hill Designs. They are quite lovely and unique. Here's a bit about Sandy:

Create unique jewelry that shows off what you love with South Hill Designs by Sandy Burns.  Wear a locket that is all about you. Displaying what you love. Growing and changing with you. 

What story will your locket tell?

 

So there you have it! Please check out their shops and their products. They are all pretty awesome.

Check back for spotlights and giveaways each Tuesday!

Have a beautiful Monday, friends.

xoxo

S

NYC

NYC holds a special place in our hearts. I grew up visiting with my family, and fell in love at a young age.

The city was part of my love story with J. He went to West Point, which is about 45 minutes north of the city.

I'd fly to NYC to meet him all throughout our years of dating.

We have so many good memories there. We've taken the bigs once, you can read this post to hear about our amazing adventure.

We decided to take a pit stop in the city on the way to my brother's DC wedding last weekend.

Good idea and horrible idea. All at the same time.

NYC is just NOT quite as enjoyable with four children. Oh my lord. I pretty much just sweated the entire time.

Twins that can fall onto subway tracks. Four kiddos that touch EVERYTHING. Sadie tries to lick things.

Lucy? Dropped a paci on the subway floor and then grabbed it and put it in her mouth before we could stop her.

Oh dear Lord have mercy.

I think I aged 10 years and had double the gray hairs after the few hours we spent there.

But still...

My heart loves NYC. So much. I loved spending a few hours in town.

But next time? It will be an adults only trip. HA!

Here's a quick recap of our whirlwind trip.

We packed up and headed out at about 12:30.

We pulled into Manhattan around 4:00 or so and the light was just beautiful. And traffic was super light. Perfect.

We checked into our hotel. We stayed in the Doubletree Financial District.

Our room had an incredible view of the new World Trade Center.

It literally took my breath away, made my heart pound, and brought tears to my eyes.

We hopped on the subway and met Dan and Colton for dinner in TriBeCa. Leigh was sick and I was so sad not to get to see her, but I did get to love on Colton.

Who is, quite possibly, the cutest little boy I've ever seen. I thought Jimmy might steal him.

The Howell girls were also quite enamored with him. Or, as Dan says, Colton "speed dated" the Howell girls.

HAHA!

Lucy was the winner, I think. They kind of loved each other.

I had to take this shot of Dan, Jimmy, and the kids.

From West Point cadets to awesome dads. Kind of cool, no?

And I've always thought that these two resembled each other. Totally could be brothers. They are both so handsome!

We hopped back on the subway and headed back to the hotel.

This picture cracks me up so much. Do H and S not totally look like disinterested NYC natives? perfect.

The girls couldn't stop looking out the window and saying how much they loved the city.

It made my heart happy b/c they are the product of two parents who feel the same.

The next morning we walked around a bit...the girls wanted a good view of the statue of liberty so we walked through Battery Park.

 

And then it was back to the hotel to load up the car.

I snapped this photo of the girls in the hotel window.They were waiting for their daddy to pull up with the car.

LOVE.

So there you have it. Our NYC experience with six.

It may have not involved high heels, fancy food, and chic cocktails. But I've had plenty of NYC experiences involving those things.

This time it was more about surviving. Teehee.

Happy weekend, y'all!

xo

New MME layouts!

Hey y'all! Happy Friday!

I just wanted to share some layouts I made with the new MME lines and show you how you can win them.

Today's the last day of the giveaway so make sure to follow my links and enter!

These were for an email blast that MME sent out, so they are a little different than my usual layouts (fewer photos,more product driven, no mixing of brands)...but I love these new lines and wanted to share them.

This one is the Cambridge Court color scheme from the new Kate&Co. line.

I am in love with Kate and Co. It is bright, happy,and fresh.

You can win the entire thing by commenting HERE.

This next layout was made using the Up and Away color scheme from Rhonna Farrer's new line Find Your Wings and Fly.

It's romantic and modern all at once. And I'm not typically a romantic product lover, but y'all..this is a gorgeous line.

You can win the entire thing HERE.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! We kick off our Spring Break this afternoon. YAY!
xoxo

S

Greatest View Guest Designer Layouts {And a Giveaway!!}

This month I had the privilege of being asked to guest design for Greatest View.

Greatest View is an adorable Etsy shop owned by an amazingly sweet lady named Gail. The shop sells badges, twine, envelopes, ribbons,and my favorites...petite doiles.

They also have a wonderful blog and FB page, so make sure to check it out!

Here are the two projects I made for Greatest View.

 

I had so much FUN with these products!

Would you like a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the shop?

Leave a comment here for a shot at the shop credit. And if you are in the mood for even more chances to win these awesome badges,

READ THIS POST

AND THIS POST

Each of the above links contain a chance to win all of the products I used on my layouts.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

And thank you so much for giving me this fun opportunity, Gail! It was a joy and a pleasure. :)

xo

 

wedding festivities

This weekend we attended my brother's wedding in DC.

We had an amazing time and I wanted to share a few photos. You know why I LOVE photography? Because I love capturing little moments and connections between people.

I am not a technically gifted photographer. NOT fishing for compliments here, I'm being honest.

I don't know much about the mechanics of photography. Or editing. I just like taking photos.

I like taking photos when everyone else is taking photos of something else.

I like capturing the moments no one else notices.

Okay, so a little info on the photos...

who: jimmy, harper, cate, lucy, sadie, my mom and dad, my brother jonathan and his bride lauren, my brother andrew and his wife ashley

what: jonathan and lauren's wedding

when: april 5 and 6

where: washington, dc

I just want to say that I see my family very rarely. I haven't seen my dad in a year and a half. I haven't seen my mom since December.

I saw Andrew in November but haven't seen Jonathan since 2008.

There were aunts, uncles, cousins, and loved ones that I haven't seen in ten years.

I love my family and miss them dearly. And this is why I have little to no patience when I see others complain about having family around all the time.

I would do anything to have that kind of support.

Having so many people love on my kids this weekend was amazing.

Have a beautiful day.

xo

busy.

source

This is the time in my life when I am ridiculously busy.

Everyone I know is ridiculously busy. It's the season of carpool lines, sports, ballet, gymnastics. It's the season of "blink and you'll miss it".

There are grocery trips, loading the girls in and out of the car 293480238 times a day. There's the neverending picking up and putting away.

The cleaning itself is a constant battle I can NEVER win. I feel like I run the dishwasher 91382048 times a day.

To do lists, notes from school, coupon cutting, budgeting, forgetting to budget, stressing, more laundry, kissing scrapes and wiping away tears.

Breaking up fights, making up beds, picking up barbies.

Sometimes I feel like Jimmy and I are ships passing in the night. A bump here, a nudge there.

A silent grin or grimace over the heads of the girls...a telepathic conversation might be the best we get until they are all in bed.

Falling into bed at the end of the night because we are just.so.tired. Waking up with little bodies climbing all over us, just as tired as we were the night before.

And guess what?

This does not make us special.

EVERYONE IS BUSY.

It doesn't mean you are better or more important than someone else because you are busy.

Here's when I think busy becomes a problem.

When it becomes a badge of honor. When it makes you treat others in an unkind way.

When you use it as an excuse to not make eye contact and not interact.

When you use it to make yourself sound important.

EVERYONE IS BUSY.

It is a gift. It means you've been given LIFE.A full-to-the-brim life. A life that doesn't stop.

A few years ago we had a neighbor. I really liked her. She was loud, outgoing, and funny.

I soon realized that every single time I saw her she'd tell me how busy she was.

Once at the grocery store as I opened my mouth to talk to her? She RAN by me with her cart yelling "sorry! I'm SO BUSY!".

Every time I saw her on her street, she'd bustle by...the words "I'm so busy!" wafting on the breeze.

And you know what? It made  me feel unimportant.And it was rude.

I stopped trying to talk to her.

Another friend I knew a few years ago constantly backed out of every plan we had.

She'd call the day of or text...saying she was just too busy to make it.

Over and over.

It made me feel insignificant.

I stopped asking her.

People glorify busy.

They use it as an excuse to cut you off in traffic. In line.

To talk on their cell phone all the way through checkout...with no eye contact, no thank you.

You see...they're busy.

"Busy" can be a power trip in a funny way. As if the busier you are, the better mom you are? As if telling people constantly how busy you are makes you sound super important?

Listen here. We are all busy.

But life is too beautiful to be spent running by,yelling you are busy, making someone feel insignificant.

Life is busy.

And beautiful. And sometimes you have to MAKE yourself sit down (right in the mess of it) and enjoy it, instead of picking it up.

It is always worth it to stop and have a conversation with someone. It is always worth it to look at your children when they are talking to you. And to respond.

It is always worth it to get off the phone and say thank you.

Your busy-ness? Does not make you better or different. It gives us something in common. It makes you like every other woman, man, parent, adult out there.

It's not an excuse or a badge or a medal.

It's life.

S

 

 

snapshots of our weekend

Happy Monday Y'all! I hope your weekend was wonderful!

Our was crammed full with joy, it really was. I wanted to share a few photos with all of you!

Oh, and before I forget...there is an awesome Kiwi Crate sale going on right now.

40% off your first crate! Thought you might want to know! :)

Okay, here's what we did this weekend.

 

an easter egg hunt with our awesome neighbors:

A trip to the Cliff Walk with Uncle Chris and Aunt Anna.

The water was amazingly beautiful and it felt like spring. I even found the perfect spot for a 10 year anniversary photo!

 

Egg Dying

Lots of laughs

 

Hair Drying and Dinner Making

Sweet messages from Sadie

 

Playground Trips

The Howell girls dressed for a classy egg hunt on Easter.

No spotless and perfectly matched Easter dresses for us...this is how we roll.

yes. the babies are using plastic beach pails for their baskets.

Told you.

CLASSY.

 

Anniversary Flowers

And the perfect anniversary. The aforementioned awesome neighbors took all of our girls for the evening.

Champagne, dinner out, and alone time. The perfect way to celebrate 10 years.

There was even a rainbow when we were getting ready. Good sign, yes?

for those of you who asked, the dress is jcrew factory and the necklace is from francesca's. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Love to you all!

xo

s

10.

10 years.

4 children.

5 states.

2 apartments.

6 houses.

10 deployments

50 months apart

3 childbirths together

1 childbirth apart

3 cross country road trips

7 times packing up our belongings

8 times unpacking our belongings

2 surgeries

4 girls

countless letters,emails, long distance phone calls

a few arguments

a fair amount of misunderstandings

lots of tears

so much worry

bliss

frustration

sheer panic

teamwork

communication

respect

more love than i could ever put into words on this blog.

 

ten years ago today i married my hero, my best friend, and the love of my life.

i never ever ever could have known what God would show us, teach us, and put us through.

over the years we have been through more than i could have imagined.

but through it all, the good times and the bad, there has been a finely woven thread of respect.

faith.

love.

honor.

dedication.

commitment.

he is a steady presence in my life. his hand on the small of my back? gives me the confidence to do ANYTHING.

he is my anchor.

i am the silly one. the social butterfly.

he is the rock.

i am so grateful.

so so so so so grateful.

he is the best husband, the best father, the best man.

he loves me in a slow, steady, constant, respectful way. and this is the best gift he could give our daughters.

he is gentle and kind and shows them how a man should treat a woman.

we are a great team. and after 10 years there is still so much to learn.

so much growing to do.

so many mistakes to make (and learn from).

there is no one that i'd rather have holding my hand.

happy anniversary, james carr howell.

god only knows what i'd be without you.

xo

S

 

...

**i am having an issue with typepad marking comments (including mine that are responses to yours) as spam.

if your comment does not show up in the comments, no need to re-submit. just be patient, i check the spam on my account each day and publish them! **

Happy Thursday y'all! I hope you are having a fabulous week so far!

I have gotten a ton of questions about Italy, so I thought I'd update all of you.

 

q: When are you moving?

a: We are moving this July!

 

q: How long will you be living in Italy?

a: 2-3 years, hoping it is closer to 3.

 

q: Why are you moving?

a: There is an army post in Vicenza, Italy. Jimmy will be doing his next job there.

 

q: Where will you live?

a: In Vicenza. Vicenza is in Northern Italy (up by Switzerland), between Verona and Venice.

It's a great location for travel. I've made a Pinterest board with all of our travel dreams.

 

q: Where will the girls go to school?

a: We are putting Cate and Lucy in an Italian nursery school. Sadie and Harper will be attending the DOD school on post.

 

q: Will you keep working for MME?

a. Yes.

 

q: Are you learning Italian?

a: We are trying. We are doing Rosetta Stone, but there are only so many hours in a day and it's hard fitting it in. 

 

q: Have you ever been to Europe?

a: No.

 

We are so overwhelmed in so many ways. There is a TON of paperwork involved.

A million to-dos, what ifs and fears.

But mainly...overwhelming excitement.

We will be going home to TX to see family for a couple of weeks before we move, and we are really looking forward to that.

I have not a doubt in my mind that God has amazing things planned for us.

Adventures we never could have imagined. Challenges that will help us grow as individuals and as a family.

Countless blessings and lessons to be learned.

And a really long plane ride to get through.

We can do this. Right? RIGHT? Okay, there might be a teeeeensy bit of panic too.

Ha!

Love you all!

xo

S

Stitch Fix Review!

*note- this post is not sponsored by stitch fix and i am not affiliated with them in any way. i just really love this company and this idea.**

Hey y'all! I have a new Stitch Fix Review today!

So I was supposed to wait until April...but I had some credits thanks to y'all signing up via my link (THANK YOU!) and I decided to get one this week.

I really need to up the "chic factor" before I move to Italy.

Disclaimer: The self pics in this post are BAD. Bad lighting, background distractions, ocean themed shower curtain, and 2 cute babies.

But that's real life here. No perfection. :)

Okey dokey. In cased you missed it, here is a summary/overview of what Stitch Fix is about.

And here is another Stitch Fix post I did.

I'm feeling lazy today so I'm not going to go into an in depth review of how it works.

You can click on those links to find out! :)

I asked for pieces that would be good for my brother's wedding next weekend.

And I have to say that this was the best fix yet.

 

✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩

A few tips

1. be specific when you review each piece you were sent. WHY you liked it, WHY you didn't like it.

2. if you love a stylist request them, and they will be your permanent stylist. jen is the BEST in my opinion. :)

3. start a pinterest board for your stylist. i pin color combos to mine, outfits i like on the stitch fix blog, and outfits i like on stitch fix review posts i find on blogs. I also pin things i like on the stitch fix instagram feed.

** that's why I have decided to keep blogging my fixes. i hope to take clear photos of each item every month and label them clearly.that way you can pin them if you want them in your fix!

✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩

 

Okay. here goes. I LOVED my fix the moment I opened the box. I had a really good feeling.

The colors and patterns were fresh and chic and that's what I wanted to see.

Item One- Poplar Pintuck Blouse.

Lucy liked this one. BAHAH! But seriously- i LOVE it. Loved it in the box, loved it on the hanger, loved it on me.

Jimmy loves it too, so it's a winner. Kept it.

 

Item Two- Ivy Tulip Print Tab Sleeve Blouse

ADORE. Love navy. Love the tulip print. No brainer. Kept it.

Item 3- Jakai Water Color Floral Print Dress

I wasn't sure about this one before I tried it on. But oh do I love it. The subtle peplum is fantastically flattering.

It needs to be taken in a bit in the chest (hence my awkward pose/pinching the fabric behind my back) but it's adorable.

And something I never would have chosen. A keeper.

 

Item 4- Batik Dot Scarf

Great spring scarf. Soft, love the batik with the dots.Kept it.

 

Item 5- Rocco Faux Wrap Tank Dress

I knew I was in trouble the moment I saw this one. Favorite color, Favorite silhouette. Had to add a tank b/c it's a bit low cut.

The material is very clingy so it needs smoothing shapewear underneath.

Kept it.

So...yeah. A Stitch Fix holy grail. I kept the entire box. The 25 percent discount is amazing.

There you go! If you have any questions, as always, ask in the comment section and I'll answer there.

Oh, and if you need a referral, here's my link.

Please feel free to leave your referral link in the comments if you'd like someone to use it!!!

And yeah...since I'm keeping it real, here's a photo of what it's like trying to take selfies in my house.

BAHAHAHAH!

Happy Tuesday, y'all!

xoxo

S