Stephanie Howell

What I Miss About Living in Italy

December 12, 2017

EVERTHING.

End of post.

Just kidding, but barely. There are a COUPLE of things that I don’t miss about living in Italy- the dial up speed internet and the fact that it was almost impossible to get anything done quickly but that’s it. I would put up with those two things for the rest of my life if I could just live in Italy forever.

By the end of our nearly three year adventure I’d mastered the art of

allora – so, then, well

aspetta- wait

domani – tomorrow

Mastered them so well that my two issues above didn’t really bother me anymore.

Moving on.

Here are the things I desperately miss about living in Italy.

The fact that Italians cherish children and family. I could not walk anywhere without receiving back pats and hearing Bella! Complimenti! Cara!

The produce. OH THE PRODUCE. Fresh, straight from the earth, and affordable.

The wine. DUH. The wine was cheaper than water and pure. I miss ordering a half liter or quarter liter of house wine. I miss going to the sfuzi/wine gas station.

The history. Everything here seems SO clean and sterile to me. I miss the beauty of the rooftops and the cobblestones and the ruins. I miss the brightly colored doors and shutters and the laundry flapping in the breeze.

I miss the smell. A combination of coffee, cigarette smoke (although, file the smoke under things I don’t miss),Italian being spoken, meats and cheeses, and chesnuts roasting (in the winter).

I miss the sound of church bells.

The rotaries and the sanctity of the lefthand lane on the Autostrada.

I miss the 4 hour dinners.

The fact that we could drive 6 hours and be in the south of France.

I miss Christmas markets and vin brulé.

The feeling of euro coins in my hand.

The beautiful women in their furs and sky high heels.

The nuns riding bikes.

I miss the fact that no one is in a rush or in a competition as to who is busiest. I miss la bella vita.

I miss the marble floors, wood beam ceilings, and shutters that could keep zombies out.

I miss $1 cappuccinos that blew anything I’d ever tasted at Starbucks out of the water. I miss the sound of espresso cups clinking on saucers.

The taste of gelato melting on my tongue and running all over my hands.

The sight of people just walking in their beautiful clothing during passeggiata. Watching them stop and chat and acknowledge one another. Observing their leisurely pace.

I miss the asilo that Cate and Lucy attended. I miss the nuns and the staff and the fact that every day the nuns would just sit with the girls and color and cut. I miss the fact that they were just allowed to be little.

I miss riposo and the quiet when everyone just went home and ate and slept.

Drinking an aperol spritz and watching the girls play in the piazza.

I miss being able to speak and listen to Italian, even though I butchered it daily. I miss the fact that every Italian is a teacher and will help you if you ask for help with their language.

I miss the rocky beaches.

I miss putting on gloves to buy produce.

The absence of skyscrapers.

The walking and the climbing and the fact that you could go days without having to use your car.

I miss how much affordable lodging and air travel was. And how easy it was just to GO GO GO every weekend.

I miss the sandwiches in Autostrada gas stations.

I miss the markets and the little old man that loved my girls in the local flower shop- he tucked fresh flowers in their hair every time we walked by.

I miss sagras.

I miss Florence. I miss Florence so much I’m irrational about it. Like if someone I follow on IG is in Florence I literally cannot even look at the photos.

I miss Carnevale in Venice and the castle in Sirmione and the market in Bolzano and the cheese in Asiago and spending the day in Verona. I miss Bologna and Padova and Puglia. I miss the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre. I miss Lake Como and Lake Garda.

I miss Vicenza and feel like it’s still home. I miss my Italian friends.

miss

EVERYTHING.

And it’s not just a thought. It’s a feeling. An ache in my heart and a constant longing. It’s tears in my eyes. Over a year and a half later. It’s in my heart. Constantly.

I miss everything.

xoxo

My Weekly Game Plan // Week Three

December 11, 2017

So last week went pretty well overall but…being transparent here…

EXERCISE

WAS

HARD

LAST

WEEK.

I had a weird mental block going on and so much negative self talk. However, I talked myself through it and even though it was horrible and I hated it…I exercised every single day.

Most of my meals were a hit for the entire family, check the last paragraph for the best ones.

I’m worried about the next few weeks. Cold + snowy + holidays is not a great combo for me being healthy. I have GOT to get my head straight. I don’t know why I’m psyching myself out.

Here is my plan for this week.

Monday

Workout- Body Sculpt at the YMCA

Lunch- chicken and arugula salad

Dinner- Pressure Cooker Mexican Beef

Tuesday

Workout- BBG Monday, Week 3 OR 30 minutes run/walk/cycle

Lunch- sliced chicken sausage with peppers, fruit

Dinner- Chipotle Lime Carnitas Salad

Wednesday

Workout- BBG Wednesday, Week 3

Lunch- leftover salad

Dinner- Orange Sriracha Chicken // Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

Thursday

Workout- Spin Class at YMCA

Lunch- Avocado/Egg Salad

Dinner- Asian Cauliflower Fried Rice

Friday

Workout- BBG Friday, Week 3

Lunch- leftovers

Dinner- DATE NIGHT! WHOOP! I will order what I please. I will say yes to the bread basket and wine!

Saturday

Workout- Family Brisk Walk, 30 minutes at least

Lunch- Whatever we find in the frig!

Dinner- Lemon Garlic Herb Crusted Paleo Baked Salmon + Asparagus

Sunday

Rest Day

Lunch- Salad using leftovers

Dinner- One Pan Tuscan Pork Chops + Garlic Parmesan Zoodles

A few things I want to share from last week-

Chicken Sausage– I LOVE buying various chicken sausages from Trader Joe’s (their brand). They are already cooked and I can simply slice and eat.

Sweet Potato Sun Chips- DELICOUS. I have a couple with lunch and they satisfy my crunch craving.

LaCroix – so grateful for these when I get tired of regular water.

Writing everything down from diet to exercise to weekly weigh ins has REALLY helped. I use a Large Hardcover Moleskine notebook. Seeing everything in black and white has been very helpful.

Best Recipes from last week-

These are the recipes that EVERYONE loved, finished, and asked for seconds of.

Beef, Cabbage, and Tomato Soup– you could easily swap out the cabbage for kale or spinach!

Chicken and Black Bean Taco Salad – we ate it on salad, the girls ate it in tortillas!

Pepper Beef Stir Fry – this would be excellent with more veggies in it than just peppers and onions- snow peas, carrots, broccoli- yum!

So now it’s y’all’s turn. Fill ill me in on where you are this week- what were your successes and failures last week? Sending virtual fist bumps to you all!

xoxo

Making the Switch to Organic/Natural Beauty Products

December 6, 2017

Happy Wednesday, y’all!

I am about to head to the gym and do a workout I’m DREADING (Jesus, give me strength) but I wanted to get up this post first.

Now, before I begin…let me tell you that I have been making the change to natural beauty products for a year now. SLOWLY. For one thing, the information out there is so overwhelming to me. And also, this is not a cheap change to make. So slowly but surely I’ve been adding in natural products and I hope that in a year or so I’ll be completely switched over.

I also want to point out that I don’t have a complicated beauty routine nor do I wear makeup often. I want to say I put on full makeup (which is still very minimal) maybe five times a month. 4x for church and one date night or so. Other days I either go completely bare faced OR wear Bare Minerals Powder Foundation.

So here is my daily skincare routine. MOST of these items are Beautycounter, which I LOVE LOVE LOVE but cannot afford to buy allll of. Hence the slow part. HA! My sweet friend Jessica Turner is a consultant if you need one to shop with! Her website is HERE.

Beautycounter Nourishing Cream Cleanser– I love this and I wish they offered a bigger size. I go through it so quickly even though I’m only using a small amount.
Rosewater&Glycerin– I spray this on and use it like a toner even though it is not really a toner. It’s soothing and makes my skin dewy.
Trader Joes Facial Cleansing Oil– I LOVE LOVE LOVE this. The scent is light and fresh and it makes my skin look gorgeous.
Beautycounter Lip Conditioner in Peppermint – every morning and afternoon. I have the driest lips in the winter and this has helped so much. I’ve bought so many of these because the girls always end up stealing them.
Beautycounter Nourishing Day Cream and Facial Oil – I blend a couple of drops into the moisturizer and use them together.
Beautycounter Sheer Lipsticks and Color Pinch Cream Blusher – fresh and natural, just the way I like my makeup.
PiperWai deodorant – I tried Native and it gave me a horrible rash. I’ve heard great things about Schmidt’s but haven’t tried it yet. PiperWai is my go to it works well and lasts forever- you only use a tiny amount.

Up next I’ll be researching eyeshadows and mascara. I do NOT like the Beautycounter mascara I got at all so I need a replacement. Any suggestions? I’m also super curious about YoungLiving’s new makeup line but it’s just not in the budget right now.

I’d love to hear YOUR favorites, drop me a comment below!

xoxo

My Weekly Game Plan // Week Two

December 4, 2017

Hi y’all and happy Monday! So I thought that I’d start doing a fitness and meal planning update every Monday. I’ll talk about what I have planned and also any thoughts I have based on the previous week. It might be boring, so I apologize in advance, BUT talking about it is an important piece in holding myself accountable.

This is technically Week 3 of my new self challenge to get healthy BUT I didn’t do great last week. We did really great with our eating (see the update at the bottom of this post) BUT I only worked out Monday and Tuesday. I could blame it on a bunch of stuff, but I won’t. Bottom line is this week will be better!

Here are my exercise and meal plans for the week. A couple of notes:

I’m OBVIOUSLY not a dietician, nutritionist, or personal trainer. As I said the other day, my goal isn’t perfection. It’s progress. It’s doing better every day. I’m not counting calories or weighing portions. I’m just eating better and trying harder.
I am a boring breakfast gal. I eat the same things in rotation. Fruit, Hard Boiled Eggs, Lara Bars, Eggs with veggies, etc.
I am really having a hard time drinking enough water. That’s one of my major goals this week. I snack on nuts, fruits, and veggies. I’m working HARD to up my fruits and veg, that’s something I’ve struggled with my entire life!

Monday

Workout- Body Sculpt at the YMCA

Lunch- quinoa, veggies, and steak

Dinner- Beef, Cabbage, and Tomato Soup

Tuesday

Workout- BBG Monday, Week Two

Lunch- Tuna Lettuce Wraps / Apple with Almond Butter

Dinner- Chicken and Black Bean Taco Salad with Zesty Avocado Cilantro Dressing

Wednesday

Workout- BBG Wednesday, Week Two

Lunch- Lemon Chicken and Veggies

Dinner- Pepper Steak and Brown Rice // Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

Thursday

Workout- Spin Class at YMCA

Lunch- Chicken Salad

Dinner- Cajun Shrimp in Foil

Friday

Workout- BBG Friday, Week 2. Sculpt class at the YMCA (either/or/both- not sure yet)

Lunch- leftovers

Dinner- Chicken Artichoke Pesto Naan Pizza

Saturday and Sunday are girls weekend days as J will be at the Army/Navy game with his brothers and dad. I will most likely just cook a big batch of chicken in the Instant Pot and eat it with salads, brown rice, quinoa, with pico de Gallo, etc. all weekend. I will most likely ride the bike for a half hour or so at the gym one day and take a family walk the next.

A few things I want to share from last week-

Body Measurement Chart – I printed this off and I’m updating it every month. I also took before photos in just a sports bra. Yeah, I was mortified and I immediately hid them in Dropbox, but I think it’s important.

I used to drink a LOT of espresso with whipped whole milk and sugar. I now have my one morning espresso with frothed 1% milk- I also have a substitute I’m slowly moving to, see below- and no sugar. I just sprinkle cinnamon on top. I also drink a big cup of ice water first thing. Sounds silly but it’s made a BIG difference.

Califa Farms Almond/ Coconut Milk– It’s my eventual goal to substitute this for dairy in my coffee (the only time I really drink milk). Shoutout to my friend Portia for recommending it. I’ve tried lots of others and this is the only one I can tolerate!

Yummy things I made last week-

Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk

Breakfast Muffins

Go-To Garlic n’ Herb Shredded Chicken

Simple Cauliflower Rice

Rosemary Lemon Chicken Breasts

veggies roasted in olive oil, salt/pepper

My new substitute snack when I need the crunch-

Beanitos

I think that’s it! I’d love this weekly post to be a place you guys can share healthy recipes, tips, etc. So please join in in the comments!

Love to you all!

xoxo

Reading Recap // November 2017

December 1, 2017

*This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you.I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. Thank you so much for helping to support my little family!

So my November reading count is WAY lower than last month. Like a third of the amount of books I read last month. Want to know why? Just read my last post and that’s why. I’m pouring my energy into other things (namely taking care of myself) and that means less downtime during the day and pure exhaustion by bedtime. I’m unable to keep my eyes open to even read a chapter. And that’s okay. Any reading at all brings me joy!

I’d characterize this as a pretty meh reading month. Lots of okay but not much “knock my socks off”. But there’s always next month and the month after that. Hooray for books, they never go away!

Moving on, here’s what I read for November. As always you can keep up with my real-time reading on Goodreads and Instagram.

The Alice Network // Kate Quinn

This was a solid four maybe 4 1/2 stars for me. At times I wanted it to be a five star read but it just wasn’t quite there. I loved loved loved the story of Eve even though parts of her story were so difficult to read. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the story of Charlie as much and I felt like it kind of detracted from the storyline. I have to admit that I did love Finn though, so I guess I was hot and cold when it came to Charlie’s story.

☆☆☆☆

What Remains of Me // Allison Gaylin

I just never fully got into this one. It seemed so disjointed and had wayyyyy too many coincidences. I really dislike it when an author tries too hard to add surprise twists.

☆☆

The Dry // Jane Harper

This book was really intriguing to me although honestly it dragged a bit. Maybe dragged isn’t the right word. A slow burn? No pun intended. The setting is as much a character as Aaron is and I was completely fascinated by it. I wasn’t FULLY engaged or engrossed but I found it highly enjoyable and suspenseful (and sad!) and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

☆☆☆☆

What to Say Next // Julie Buxbaum

I LOVE Julie Buxbaum. Tell Me Three Things was one of my favorite YA reads of 2017. I suspected I’d adore this one too, and my suspicion was correct. This story was quirky and big-hearted and sweet. I felt so much empathy for both main characters and I loved learning more about them. I also adore the fact that the “mean kids” didn’t win in the end.

☆☆☆☆ 1/2

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore // Matthew Sullivan

Okay, warning. This one is a little jarring. I don’t know what I expected from the cover. A bookish mystery? Nope. The bookstore actually plays a very small role in this story. What DOES happen? I don’t want to give it away but let’s just say it starts with a suicide. And contains a scene so gruesome that I literally had trouble sleeping after reading it. And I still think about that scene every night before I go to sleep. This book was pretty dark. But I was completely sucked into Lydia’s dark world. I thought at time the characters weren’t quite developed…I can always tell this is the case when I can’t “picture” them, if that makes sense. Also, I got really annoyed at the author’s overuse of the word “comrades”.

solid ☆☆☆☆

December Book Selections

❃ Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman – I didn’t order this one because I own it on Audible but GO ORDER IT NOW. NOW. Don’t spend any time waffling, just choose this one. It’s been in my heart every single day since I read it. It was a 5 star book for me, if you’d like to see my review click HERE

❃ The English Wife by Lauren Willig – this one is on the way to me

❃ The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor

❃ The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen – this one is on the way to me

❃ The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

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