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Stephanie Howell

reading, organizing, shopping, momming too close to the sun. Home is wherever the Army sends us.

scrapbooking set free

is it ironic that i had a HUGE burst of creativity yesterday? when all of my supplies were neatly arranged in those cute boxes i shared the other day?

well i did. i had to make something. HAD TO.

it has been so dang long since i felt that way. but you know what i realized? i can make whatever i want to. i’m not being looked at to sell product or be innovative any more. i am not trying to come up with something new,reinvent the wheel. i am not trying to fit in with a certain mold. I CAN MAKE WHATEVER I WANT!

it’s okay if it looks like all my other pages. it’s okay if i mix brands and use something old.it’s okay if i use doilies AGAIN it.is.okay.

so i sat down and played. and used whatever i wanted to. yes, granted…most of it is new MME. but i love it. and i wanted to use it. so i did.

i also used some jenni bowlin, and my new KP stamp. i mixed in a martha stewart envelope i’ve been holding on to for a long time…and of course a twogirlzstuff label.

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and? i love it. welcome to the new me. the me that thinks scallops and doilies and flowers and labels and sequins are just fine. even if i use them on every single blasted layout. i didn’t try to make myself use mist,but randomly i really wanted to use a stamp.WHAT? who cares? not this girl!!!

the one that really is going to start finally practicing what she preaches. that NO ONE CARES if my albums are trendy or “in”. that NO ONE CARES if all my layouts look the same.NO ONE is going to be scrutinizing my layouts in this family and saying doilies AGAIN? butterflies AGAIN? that’s not what it’s about. sigh.

i feel so freeeeee!

hahaha!

recently…

this is what play time looks like right now:

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who knew j was such a skilled makeup artist? IMG_8427

“the howell gulls” as harper used to call us pre twinsies:

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GNO:

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On our way to a Hail and Farewell (we were farewelled-i may or may not have shed a tear):

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i almost died when i peeked in our bathroom and saw this…sweet cate. i knew it would make a beautiful image:

IMG_2695visiting one of our most favorite sav restaurants (circa 1875) with our most favorite people:

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when did the babies get so big:

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impromptu trip to tybee:

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dinner at sting ray’s

IMG_2732cate loves her daddy:

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and what in the JOSE? please explain this one to me? best caption wins one billion dollars. hahaha:

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wow.

life is so full when j is home. and so much funnier. and louder. and more crazy.and MESSIER. but i am so so happy to have him home. every now and then i get a little “what next” feeling. it’s the normal army wife feeling. you see, they leave so often that even when you are welcoming them home you are thinking of the next time they leave. it’s SO nice not to have to do that. and such a foreign feeling.

love to you all! hope you have a beautiful monday.

xo

 

packy packy

that’s pretty much my life right now. sort,purge,organize,pack…lather,rinse,and repeat.

i thought i’d share a few photos of how i organize everything for moves!

my favorite “packing essentials”=

a WIDE variety of sterilite boxes from target

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Here is how my scrap room looks right now:

IMG_2597 Chevronbox -1 Heartbox IMG_2596 IMG_2595 Ziploc IMG_2598i can not stress how crucial large ziplocs are. i put everything in them. thickers,tools,stamps,punches…you name it. it makes it super easy for the packers to just put the bags in boxes.

i also am pretty ruthless with my purging. i filled up several 12x12x12 boxes with goodies and i’m having my friends come over and pick what they want.

so there you have it…how i pack my scrap room!

if you have any questions, just ask in the comments and i’ll answer them there!!

xoxo

 

wordless wednesday

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so, i've never done a wordless wednesday post.because…well if you know me at ALL, you know that "wordless" and "stephanie" are not synonymous.

but come on…i mean really. does this photo need any words? no. it's pure awesomeness.

and only i would have a wordless wednesday post with 50+words.

good times.

xo

savannah staycation

Saturday night we spent the night out in downtown Savannah. We stayed somewhere I’ve always wanted to stay…the Bohemian. Um, it was amazing.

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Yes. The bathtub opens out onto the bedroom. Awkward. HA!

IMG_2508I loved the robes…and our room looked out on River Street. Perfect.

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This is random, but the Bohemian also has my favorite elevators in Savannah:

IMG_2555The first thing we did was have a glass of champagne. Can you tell we were like kids in a candy store. NO KIDS? WHEEEEEEE!

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We walked over to Jen’s and Friends so I could get my favorite cocktail, a Basil Lemonade.

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One of my favorite things about Savannah is that you can walk and drink. Sigh. I love it here. We did some shopping and talked, talked talked. It was wonderful. 🙂

Then we headed back to the room and got ready for dinner.Without little fists knocking on the bathroom door. Teehee.

I finally got to wear my new Banana Republic dress.Note…it is on MASSIVE SALE right now. Wow, just noticed that. Why don’t I ever find things when they are on sale? I just get too excited!

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I let J choose dinner (it’s tradition that he chooses his last dinner before he goes and our first dinner date when he comes home) and he picked Elizabeth on 37th.

It was insanely delicious. I am pretty sure I’m still full. Uhhhhhhhh. So good but so much food.

The chef sent us out a plate of mac and cheese. OMG right? Y’all…I’m pretty sure this was about 2000 calories a bite, but it was the best thing I’ve ever tasted.

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Pecan and Almond Pie for Dessert:

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Yeah, we had big plans for after our 2 hour long dinner. HUGE. But they didn’t happen. We fell asleep. We fell asleep earlier in a hotel than we did at home. HAHAHAH. So lame. But I kind of loved it. And all I want when J comes home is for him to feel safe,relaxed,and happy. Check!

I also had big plans to sleep in the next morning, but alas…up at seven like clockwork. DANG IT!

I sat on the river and drank coffee while J slept in. It was a beautiful morning, and I said a little prayer of gratitude. A prayer of pure happiness and joy…a prayer of total relief:

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When sleepyhead woke up it was time for breakfast at Huey’s on the River.

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And then back to our sweet babies. 🙂

It was a wonderful “vacation”.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend,too!

xoxo

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