Stephanie Howell

that’s my family.

January 30, 2012

as this week began,we said goodbye to j, he had a short business trip to make.

it never ceases to amaze me that whether he’s gone a year or a week, the girls miss him so much.

saying goodbye (she asked him if he was going to afghanistan with this look on her face…it broke my heart):

and it never ceases to amaze me how much j loves his girls. here’s a text he sent for bedtime:

and most of all, it never ceases to amaze me how EXCITED the girls get to welcome him home. they had MAJOR ants in their pants at the airport:

we haven’t gotten to spend much time together lately at all…and we are starting to feel the effects. so friday afternoon we met up at forsyth park for some quality time.

and if you’ve ever wondered how to spot us as a family, just look for this (note the humor and slight?? panic on my face):

or this:

or look for sadie, who is just a little bit crazy:

and look for jimmy rolling his eyes as harper,sadie, and i do things like this:

can you tell we are all REALLY good at amusing ourselves???

all lucy wanted to do was swing…

you know what i love about my family? how much we laugh and how much fun we have together. we aren’t perfect, but we laugh a LOT and really HARD. it’s the best.

and one more shot i caught…if you ever happen to see this parade of girls with a handsome man caught in the middle(and loving every moment of it)? yep.

that’s my family.

happy, happy monday.

hope it’s beautiful and blessed.

xxo

daydream believer

January 27, 2012

the february kit is here!

and it’s the first time in a long time that it has felt 100% “me”.

it was a joy to work with.

my shopping list:

dear lizzy chipboard shapes (all dear lizzy is sold out at sc i think 🙁 )

dear lizzy sticker book

jenni bowlin jester punch

teal damask chalk ink

coltfoot stemens chalk ink

mister huey’s in sunshine

mister huey’s in cameo

mister huey’s in dewey

(the three mists above match the dear lizzy neapolitan line PERFECTLY)

always pink

this one took me like six hours. HA!

i painted the jillibean cardboard alphabet with teal paint. the size and font is great, but i didn’t like the brown color.

these alphas are very easy to paint!

yes, that’s stitching. crooked, but stitching no less. pretty proud of myself!

i added a few of the dear lizzy chipboard shapes and stickers here…this layout is almost all pleasant valley.

life is sweet

(8 1/2x 11)

this one was made using the main kit only. i’m in love with the exclusives in this kit. and also? i’m obsessed with the butterflies. i need MORE MORE MORE!!

i used the jbs jester punch a bunch this month. you can see it here under the butterfly.

the large scallop punch along the bottom is by ek success.

not so much

i am loving the alpha set from stepping stone. the title was stamped using teal damask and coltfoot stemens.

i used the jbs jester punch again on the bottom of the yellow/white striped paper.

and as you’ll see, i really enjoyed using the MME kraft garland from Lady Lane. such a sweet accent.

pure magic

mist overload alert! i used cameo,sunshine,and dewey on the pink paislee mistable trim.

i’m also mildly obsessed with the pebbles sequins in clarksville. and MAJORLY obsessed with all things dear lizzy neapolitan. especially the mason jars.

used the chipboard accents here, too.

she

more dear lizzy, sequins, mason jars, tulle trim and more of the kraft garland…gosh this month was just perfect for me. and VERY easy to create with! SO happy to see elle’s studio in the main kit, too.

the epoxy (exclusive) dear lizzy accents from daydream believer are all gone. i used every last one of them. 🙂

i stamped the title with teal damask chalk.

yes, i sewed, misted, AND stamped this month. i’m taking my resolution (to be more thoughtful in my scrapbooking) VERY seriously. 🙂

if you have any questions, please ask in the comments and i will answer them right away!

xoxo

rainbow

January 27, 2012

i'm in the midst of planning a rainbow birthday party for miss sadie. a party that she's shown more interest and excitement about than i could have ever imagined.

and so the layout below was born. 🙂

are you guys going to be around this weekend and the beginning part of next week??? i sure am…no CHA for me. boooo!

if you are missing out as well- stop by studio calico where we will be hosting a series of challenges and chats!

the layout below was created for my challenge. can you guess what it might be? HINT: it will NOT be surprising that i chose this challenge. it is very me. 🙂

note: on the layout i used the amy tangerine remarks sticker book (no longer available) and the new dear lizzy sticker book (not available this morning, but will be available at NOON EST HERE!!!!).

hope your day is beautiful and bright. i'll be back at midnight with my daydream believer layouts.

xoxo

p.s. i know i owe you guys a winner for may flaum's BPC class. i'll be back soon with that info!

InLinkz.com

sometimes i can’t believe that they are MINE.

January 25, 2012

don’t get me wrong, sometimes i pretend they are NOT mine. like when we are at the store and the babies are screeching and trying to pull things off of the shelves, and sadie and harper are fighting about thestupidestthingever like…oh, i don’t know…WHO LOOKS MORE LIKE A DISNEY PRINCESS????

oh yes, at moments like that in the produce section at publix-i stare off into the distance and make a face like who ARE these children and who do they belong to?

or when we are home and they have annihilated the entire house? despite the fact that i worked on it for six hours that day? and the babies have gotten into an entire box of yogurt cheerios, dumped it over on the floor, and are shoveling handfuls in their mouths while yelling UH OHHHHHH. and i have ONLY gone to the restroom for 10 seconds and HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE???? AND WHY IS SADIE JUMPING IN THE CHEERIO PILE????

at moments like that i can’t believe they are mine. and i verrrrry slowly creep back into the bathroom, close the door with a quiet click, and scream ““who aaaaaaaaaaare these CHILDREN????”!

and while i’m in the bathroom i look in the mirror. i look at my frizzy hair and the circles under my eyes. and i think…what happened to the put together witty girl? the one that could make anyone laugh? the one that wore makeup and could talk about things other than her children? what happened to her? and IS THAT A CHEERIO IN MY HAIR? WHO ARE YOU?

yes, there are plenty of moments like those. plenty of moments where i want to RESIGN from this job. i do NOT want to be the resident cook, booger wiper, diaper changer, tear dryer, fear slayer, toy picker upper, laundry and dish washer for ONE MORE MOMENT. no one ever notices the work i do, everyone only thinks about themselves,i never get taken care of,i am TIRED.

see that? that’s how i feel some days. yes, i just typed that out. yes, i just admitted that.

sorry…i ain’t perfect.

especially when jimmy has been gone for days and days and days…and when he IS here-he’s not really,you see. up before dawn and home after bedtime for the girls.

sometimes i think i can’t (WON’T?) take it for

one

moment.

and usually i have to pray. and sometimes i have to cry. and more than likely these moments involve a glass of wine.

and before i know it it’s better. and of course I DO IT. and i don’t QUIT. because that just isn’t an option is it?

and then there’s THESE moments…looking at these photos makes me feel like my heart is going to explode. looking at these photos fills me with awe that they belong to ME. us. how are we so blessed?

i love these girls so much. i love their tiny hands and feet, their crocodile tears. i love who they are becoming, the plans the Lord has for them.

i love their defiance (SADIE), their sensitivity (HARPER), their snuggliness (LUCY) and their independence (CATE).

i love them even when they have driven me to the brink of insanity. i love them even when they disappoint me. i love them every moment of every day…even in the absolute WORST moments.

even when i am thinking WHO ARE THESE MANIACS? i love them.

i mean, just look at them! thank you carrie for capturing them (and who they are ) so beautifully!

and so today begins. wishing YOUR day is full of happiness,hugs,and laughter. and if it’s more of a screaming,fighting,I’MLOSINGMYMINDDAY…think of me when you’re hiding in the bathroom, won’t you? we’ll share a virtual “cheers”.

xoxo