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Stephanie Howell

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

Reading Recap // June 2017

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June Reading Recap // via Stephanie Howell

I slowed down a bit in my reading this month. Which should come as a shock to absolutely none of you! The girls had their last weeks of school, which are always total CHAOS. Jimmy was officially back from school which means more time hanging out with him and being together and less reading time (NOT complaining- it’s’ my favorite reason to not read.)!  Then the girls got out at the end of June…and there went the last of my reading, HA!

It’s all good. I’ll find my new groove soon.

With that said, I read some GEMS this month- here’s what I did get around to reading in June.

 

June Reading Recap // via Stephanie Howell

 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo // Taylor Jenkins Reid. 

This was one of my BOTM books from last month.

Y’all know I love me some TJR. This was a departure from the usual TJR read and I mean that in a really good way. It was excellent. My obsession with old Hollywood means I fell in love with this novel from page one. There was also a wonderful dose of social justice and activism which made me like it even more. That said, my super conservative friends would probably not enjoy this one. I ADORED it. 4.5 stars

 

June Reading Recap // via Stephanie Howell

The Sisters Chase // Sarah Healy

This was another BOTM selection. I enjoyed this one although I figured it out way before the end of the book. I didn’t really connect to any of the characters though… which keeps me from giving it a higher rating. 3 stars.

 

June Reading Recap // via Stephanie Howell

The Fall of Lisa Bellow // Susan Perabo

Nope nope nopety nope. This one is a NOPE for me. But I kept up with it because I’d heard so many others rave about it. So anticlimactic. I kept waiting for something to happen or some twist or resolution…but there was just…nothing. And my LORD I’m so tired of reading about bratty teenagers who treat their mothers like crap. 1.5 stars

 

June Reading Recap // via Stephanie Howell

 

A Million Junes // Emily Henry

This was yet another one of my BOTM reads. I haven’t stopped thinking about this one since I read it. Haunting, beautiful, magical, and thoroughly enchanting. The setting completely sucked me in and captured my attention. The last couple of chapters got a little too weird and convoluted for me, but the tear-inducing ending more than made up for it. Swoonworthy. 5 stars.

 

June Reading Recap // via Stephanie Howell

 

Bear Town // Fredrick Backman

Before I start this review, I need to disclose that I love Fredrick Backman. A Man Called Ove is one of my all time favorites. That said, his writing style takes a little getting used to. He is Swedish and I’m not sure if that has something to do with the different cadence and at times dry and abrupt structure of his sentences. But listen to me here- STICK WITH IT.

Ostensibly this book is about hockey. Which I know zero about. Zero. In reality it is about so much more. Love, fear, loyalty, loss, desire, family, good, and evil. It is about whether “boys will be boys” is an excuse and if “locker room banter” is acceptable. It’s about standing up for what you believe in…and so much more. Some of it is quite dark and some of it probably needs a trigger warning.

Listen to me here…Backman’s books are a slow burn. He wants you to KNOW his characters inside and out before you get to the action. He wants you to work for it and think about it. Always read carefully because there are gems scattered along the way. 5 stars.

 

June Reading Recap // via Stephanie Howell

 

Rabbit Cake // Anni Hartnett

Weird and quirky and memorable. And also deeply sad- but you don’t notice at first because it’s so offbeat. Enjoyable and unique for sure. One of my favorite narrators in recent memory. Some of you might find it too strange…I thought it was so lovable and endearing. 4 stars.

 

July #BookoftheMonth Selections // via Stephanie Howell

Now let’s talk about my July selections for Book of the Month.

  1. Goodbye, Vitamin– Guys I really loved this one. It is not my usual type of book at all but I fell in love with it and haven’t stopped thinking about it.
  2. Final Girls– A nice twisty escape read which wasn’t my all time fave, but still quite enjoyable.
  3. American Fire– Haven’t gotten to this one yet but I have high hopes. The story is so intriguing! I’m trying to read more non-fiction too.

BOTM DEALS FOR JULY:

 

Overall this month was SUCH a good month. So many excellent books that I’ll remember forever.

How about you? Anything you loved? Hated? Felt mehhh about?

Happy Monday y’all!

xoxo

S

Wordless (ish?!?) Wednesday

Summer // via Stephanie Howell

Last Friday was their last day of school and we are in full SUMMMERRRRR mode around here. Water balloon fights, homeade bubbles, squirtguns, science experiments, staying up late and movies galore.

This week is Vacation Bible School- I’m the teacher for the 4 year olds. They are SO SO CUTE but man am I exhausted when I get home.

Promise I’m not disappearing again..just adjusting to the madness.

Be on the lookout for a June reading post soon. I have so much goodness to share with you!

 

Happy Wednesday-

xoxo

Recent Recipe Faves

 

 

Happy Friday sweet friends!

I have a really quick post for y’all today..I thought I’d share my family’s most recent favorite recipes!

I am a recipe collector on Pinterest and these are the recipes we make over and over.

I’m looking for:

  1. Ease
  2. Popularity among all members of my family
  3. Healthiness (Not all the time though, y’all. Let’s be honest)

Here are a few of the recipes that have passed the test.

 

  • The Best BBQ Chicken Kebabs– AMAZING. I think the bacon paste is the secret ingredient. They were easy to prep (me) and easy to grill (J). Zero leftovers.

Photo via The Primal Desire

 

  • Paleo Pressure Cooker Butter Chicken -Tastes exactly like the real deal from my favorite Indian restaurant. The only down side is that there were several somewhat expensive specialty ingredients I had to purchase. Not really a downside as now I’ll be able to make more Indian cuisine (our fave) and they were spices I should have had anyway!

 

 

  • Shredded Chicken Street Tacos– Y’all. Y’ALL. You should have seen J’s face the first time I made this. Taco Tuesday will never be the same!!

 

Spicy Southern Kitchen Easy Chicken Pot Pie // via Stephanie Howell

photo via Spicy Southern Kitchen

 

  • Easy Chicken Pot Pie– EASY being the operative word. Harper and Jimmy loved this one. Sadie picked around the veggies but whatev.

 

  • Copycat Panera Baked Potato Soup– Sadie’s favorite meal is baked potato soup and this is probably her favorite version. I’ve even (somehow) totally screwed this recipe up and it still tasted good. Another yummy and easy potato soup is this Ham and Potato Soup.

 

 

Health Starts in the Kitchen Buffalo Chicken Soup // via Stephanie Howell

Photo via Health Starts in the Kitchen

 

  • Pressure Cooker Buffalo Chicken Soup– This is absolutely incredible. Gets the buffalo chicken flavors exactly right. My only tip is to dial down the heat if you have little ones. It’s really spicy.

 

  • Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice– This is one of those easy staples if you don’t have anything in the pantry. I love that it uses dry beans and you don’t have to soak them first. I like to add a bit of kick for J and me with Cholula (the best hot sauce of all time).

 

Recipe Tin Eats Pork Tenderloin// via Stephanie Howell

Photo via Recipe Tin Eats

 

 

Skinnytaste Spicy California Shrimp Stack // via Stephanie Howell

Photo via Skinnytaste

 

  • Skinnytaste Spicy California Shrimp Stack–  First off, I’m obsessed with Gina at Skinnytaste. I’ve been making her recipes for years and years and have never ever tried one I didn’t love. That said…JUST MAKE THIS. My mouth is literally watering just thinking about it.

Okay, that’s it for today!! Please share what you are loving lately!

xoxo

S

 

Wordless(ish?!?!) Wednesday

Warning: I never do a truly “wordless” Wednesday. If you have been following my blog for a while you know that’s not my bag. I like to talk a lot. So I started “wordless (ish?!?) ” posts where I talk about the photos but less (ish) that I usually do. Y’all knowwwww I love me some talking.

So anyway, today’s post is one that I specifically waited until a Wednesday to do.

Because there are no words.

Well, there are no words that can properly do this justice.

A couple of weeks ago Jimmy was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. And I got to see my amazing (and painfully humble!) husband  get some of the recognition his biggest fan (me) know he deserves.

I cried a lot. A LOT. And I am too tired to cry today, so I’m not really going to. I’m just going to let the photos talk. I’m not going to go on and on and on because I’d never stop.

Suffice it to say: JIMMY HOWELL WE ARE SO DAMN PROUD OF YOU.

The coolest part is the connection and love you will see in these photos.

We were joined by:

  • family- his parents, my parents, his brother and my brother and his family

 

  • old friends – Dan, Jimmy’s West Point buddy and husband and dad extraordinaire

 

  • even older friends-  David, my friend since high school- side brag…he just happens to be a Pulitzer Prize winner, rock star reporter, and all-around nice guy with a family I adore (that’s his cutie daughter with him)

 

  • new friends- Cannon came to represent for her husband (another West Point friend) but stayed because she’s one of my absolute favorite new friends…fearless,quick-witted, and fierce. Our beloved friends from across the street were also there but HOW DID WE NOT GET ANY PICTURES TOGETHER??

 

 

  • previously internet only friends- We’ve known Koko and Quincy online only for years. There has been some mentoring, lots of encouraging and commiserating, and endless inspiration (K is an amazing chef and fashionista). We had NEVER met in person until this day and as Jimmy said… ” I really like them, Steph! Good thing they aren’t creepy internet stalkers.” HAHAHA! Felt like we had been friends for years. Because we have! And my girls are now obsessed with Koko.

 

We were missing some of our nearest and dearest friends and family, but that’s one of the bad things about this life. We are so far from so many people we love.

To all of you (those who were there and those who weren’t) we love you all so much and we couldn’t have done ANY of this without you.

xoxo

S

That #FifthBaby Magic

God gave me something I never could have imagined or dreamed of for myself. Something I did not think was in the cards and something I didn’t think I needed to have a complete heart and something I frankly would have snorted at ten years ago…my fifth child.

I NEVER in a million years would have told you that we were missing someone. Although Harper routinely said that she felt like our family wasn’t complete (true story) , I thought it was.

And then came Cora Jane.

And y’all. She.Is.GLORIOUS.

There’s a little joke in our family. When Cora is sitting on the kitchen counter eating raw sugar, or finding something on the ground and getting it in her mouth before I can stop her, or when she wanders away from us and joins the kindergarten end of year music presentation…we say hashtagfifthchild.

For real.

Let me count the ways that I’ve changed in the ten years between my first and fifth children.

Harper at 20 months: OMG YOU PUT AN OLD FRENCH FRY IN YOUR MOUTH DO I NEED TO TAKE YOU TO THE DOCTOR???

Cora at 20 months: Well at least she got a snack.

Harper at 20 months: Perfectly curated and monogrammed Nordstrom outfits.

Cora at 20 months: Hand me down Christmas outfits in June.

Harper at 20 months: She can say 293423 words and she knows all of her shapes and letters!

Cora at 20 months: She just ate a worm. Hmmm.

Harper at 20 months: No television screen shall ever touch upon her innocent eyeballs.

Cora at 20 months : (after snapping out of an unblinking zone I was in) OH CRAP. DID SHE JUST WATCH A 27 MINUTE ELMO LOOP ON YOUTUBE? Oh well…she seems okay.

But.
BUT.

It is the best. The BEST. You know why? I’m enjoying and loving every.single.moment.

With age (I turn 40 this summer) comes wisdom.

And here’s my wisdom. NONE OF THAT SH*& matters.

I’ve let go of the fears, the germaphobic behaviors, and the self-doubt. My shoulders are down instead of up around my ears. I’m enjoying her and loving her and letting her be a baby. I’ve let go of the worrying what others think, the obsessive reading of parenting articles and books, and I’ve stopped listening to what other moms dictate (you know, the type that think what THEY do is the ONLY way to do things) and instead just started listening to my heart.

That #FifthBaby Magic // via Stephanie Howell

Harper was my first and I was in my twenties. So there was a lot of panicking and AM I DOING THIS RIGHT? I was always worried. Always. And that was pre-Internet sanctimommy days. I can’t even imagine now.

Sadie was born when Harper was only 21 months old. And Jimmy was in Afghanistan from when she was 5 months to 17 months. So that was a blur. To say the least. It was hold on tight/survival mode. By the skin of my teeth.

When Cate and Lucy were born…well…they were twins. And Jimmy was gone all the time. And I had a 3 and 4 year old. I do not remember the first few years of their lives. And I’m not saying that to be funny. I’m saying that with tears in my eyes.

Thank God for blogging and Instagram and photos. That’s my memory.

 

That #FifthBaby Magic // via Stephanie Howell

But Cora? Oh I can enjoy it.  I can just love on her and enjoy her and witness her glory. And conversely, when she’s throwing a massive fit I can just nonchalantly step over her and continue on my merry way. BECAUSE I KNOW THAT IT ALWAYS GETS BETTER.

I have the gift of knowing that this is just a fleeting stage. That one day she will be a somewhat prickly tween and all of this will be in my rearview mirror.

Gone will be the scent of baby shampoo in that sweet crease of her neck. Instead she’ll smell like Bath and Body works spray and shampoo that she chose and she’ll do her own hair and have a ton of friends and I’ll still see my baby in her face but she won’t need me like she needs me now. She won’t be yelling NO NO NO MAMA! at me…she’ll be asking for the zillionth time why she can’t have an iPhone and I’ll say I DON’T CARE WHAT ALL YOUR FRIENDS HAVE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD and I’ll be searching her eyes for that toddler.

So I hold her (if she lets me- she’s SO independent and squirmy).  I burrow into her neck and hold her chubby hands.

I have lunch with her every day. I delight in every new word and new tooth and new benchmark.

That #FifthBaby Magic // via Stephanie Howell

I thank God for this unexpected gift. I thank God that her daddy has seen her for almost EVERY SINGLE WEEK of her nearly two years on this planet. And that he puts her to bed at night and changes her diapers and gets to hear her chirp HIIII DADDY!!! in her little lispy voice in the morning.

She is so treasured. Not only by her parents, but by her sisters. Who still fight every day over who gets to hold her and play with her. They do her hair and change her and laugh at everything she does and they yell MOMMY DID YOU SEE THAT? And we all clap and cheer for everything she does. Like it’s the first time we’ve ever seen it.

That #FifthBaby Magic // via Stephanie Howell

And if she gets to kindergarten and wonders why every single person in the room isn’t swooning over every single thing she does? I’m okay with that.

She’ll always have us.

She is our magic.

And don’t you dare try to side-eye me if she’s dressed in two different shoes, a tiara, and a Santa onesie and eating a giant cookie while standing on top of a giant slide all by herself. Yes. I know all of the other moms are right there. I know that I’m cheering from the bench. This ain’t my first rodeo. She’s got this.

#fifthbaby

xoxo

S