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Stephanie Howell

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

the day after

happy monday!!

i love the day after christmas…i always have! it’s still lazy,we are all still together, and there’s just a peaceful feel about it don’t you think? well except for the TORNADO that apparently swept through my house yesterday! i keep telling myself it’s a sign of a happy day and that it shouldn’t stress me out. it seems to be working (kind of?).

 

christmas was wonderful.

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h wrote santa a note all by herself:

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dear santa- these are your milk and cookies.merry christmas! we love you.

p.s. be safe!!

 

santa brought harper an american girl (molly):

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and sadie got a “big girl bike”:

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we played, laughed, and napped:

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watched the wizard of oz together for the first time ever (j and i teared up at the exact same part- when dorothy wakes up and sees everyone she loves…what IS it about the end of that movie??).

and then had a delicous dinner. we all stayed in our pjs all day long. and i don’t think it escaped any of us that we were TOGETHER. such a delicious (and sometimes foreign) feeling.

the only gift i really ever want. and that’s the honest truth. all the other stuff is secondary.

today we are wearing pjs again. eating lots of left over snickerdoodles and rib roast.

and i am working on this:

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i’ve decided to do project life this year. and i could NOT possibly be more excited. it’s actually a little bit out of control how excited i am!

jimmy and i were talking about how when he’s deployed (8th deployment coming this year) he never has access to the “day to day”. ever. we have limited time to speak and when we do i’m not telling him the little things.

our conversations are dominated by the big things. news from family, car problems, financial issues, sick kids,pressing issues, etc.

this is going to be a game changer. jimmy will be able to see all the things he misses.

he misses them even when he’s not “gone”…he leaves before dawn every day and often comes back after sunset.

he’s just as excited as i am about this project.

can i get started NOW??? 🙂
happy day after christmas y’all!

xoxo

have yourself a merry little christmas

 

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oh, i hope it's full of magic.

and happiness and health

love.

that it's joyful and triumphant.

i hope it's full of peace.

whether it's white or silent…

i hope that it is beautiful.

i love and appreciate you all so so very much.

thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything. for every word, every comment, every prayer.

i hope it's merry.

oh night divine

oh night when christ was born

oh night divine

oh night divine.

led by the light of faith serenely beaming

with glowing hearts by his cradle we stand…

from my family to yours…

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have a merry,blessed christmas.

xoxoxo

quick holiday share

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i threw a little party last night, a cookie swap for the wives in my FRG (family readiness group).

it was fun to eat some delicious cookies, talk to some amazing women, and listen to a little christmas music.

but here's what i really want to share with you guys…

the cookies i made were so good!

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HAHAH! no…not these. i wanted to show you guys my FIRST attempt. these.were.disgusting.

and jimmy keeps asking me what happened to the middle. I DON'T KNOW JIMMY. I DON'T KNOW. they disappeared. horrible, massive fail.

but then i found these:

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and oh my goodness gracious are they amazing. and easy. they taste like snickerdoodles but with an almond flavor. and brown butter drizzle on top. mmmm.

here you go:

almond cinnamon cookies

make them.eat them. and report back.

happy wednesday y'all!

xxo

 

visiting santa

this year was our first time to take all four girls to see santa. we have an awesome bass pro shop here and we'd heard that it was free (really?? no 25 dollar picture? YESSS!!!) so off we went.

i wasn't sure how it would go. there were several variables.

1. two babies- one of them was guaranteed to scream.

2. how to four children even fit in a photo with santa?

3. was sadie going to tell him he smelled like beef and cheese? b/c i was worried she might.

she didn't by the way, but this photo i snapped looks like she DID tell him that.

doesn't he look like he's saying…listen to me little girl. i do NOT smell like beef and cheese.

HAHAH!

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it worked out beautifully. the babies didn't scream and we got a photo of all four!

look at the look on harper's face. i can hardly stand it!

 

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hope your week has been beautiful!

sorry for my absence lately…the holidays+planning a cookie swap+a broken keyboard (what? i did NOT spill wine on it. or maybe i did. but whatever.)= missing stephanie.

have a wonderful tuesday!

P.S.- PLEASE keep giving me input on the last post…it's so helpful!

xxo

the wheels are spinning

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i've been on a creative bender this week. 🙂

wheels spinning, plans being made, ideas forming.

i've decided i want to do a special blog series for the month of february.

a month of "love lists". things i love (interpreted in all different sorts of ways).

february is, after all, my favorite month. and valentine's day is my favorite holiday.

pink,red,sparkle,lace,hearts,doilies,love…what's not to love for a girly girl like me?

so i decided i'll celebrate it in style.

with new posts all month long. projects,giveaways, favorite things, decor, style, journaling ideas,product ideas, you name it.

i asked for ideas about what you guys might like to see on my facebook page and i got some awesome ideas.

do you have anything you'd like to see? anything you don't want to see?

i'd love to hear. i'm SO excited and hope you will be too!

have a beautiful,blessed weekend.

xxo