Stephanie Howell

The Adventure Continues…

March 14, 2017

Alaska // via Stephanie Howell

First there was upstate NY

then the PNW

then Columbus, GA

then Texas

then Columbus again

then Savannah.

Next came Newport, Rhode Island

then Italy

and Virginia.

Now we can add Alaska to the list!

Jimmy will be taking command of a battalion at Fort Wainwright in June 2018. We are SO PROUD of him and so thrilled about this journey. I cannot believe or wrap my brain around the gift we’ve been able to give our sweet girls.

The absolute best thing about the internet is the connections I’ve made. I’ve received so many encouraging, and advice-giving messages and emails the last few days. If you have ideas or thoughts or advice, I’d love to hear.

Love to all of you!

xoxo

Reading Recap // February 2017

March 2, 2017

*This post contains affiliate links and 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!

WHOOP! Y’all I’m like a reading MACHINE lately. I don’t know what’s going on but I’m on fire and I love it. I cannot get enough of reading. Suuuuure, I’m not working out as much or really being creative at all BUT I’m reading and I couldn’t be happier.

Sometimes it’s hard for me to review books. Or maybe I feel like I’m not intelligent enough to properly review them? I don’t break down the plot devices or themes or the structure of the books.

How do I know if I like a book? Simple. How it makes me feel. IF it makes me feel. Sadness, joy, hope, despair…those are the feelings that books I love have given me. I don’t go much deeper than that. I get lost in books and then I like to talk about how they made me feel.

With that said…

Here’s what I read in February.

The Children by Ann Leary- Meh. I’ve honestly already forgotten it. I can’t really explain it. The characters bugged me and I never connected and I just thought it was blah. 2 stars.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch – OH MY WORD. This book consumed me. CONSUMED ME. I read it in a matter of hours and then promptly handed it to Jimmy and then HE promptly devoured it in a matter of hours.

I was obsessed with it. I AM obsessed with it. J and I haven’t stopped talking about it. I am not one to enjoy books about physics… Let’s be honest, I don’t even understand physics. However… This book transcends any genre. It is absolutely thrilling, heart pounding, and all encompassing. Such a fun ride! 5 stars.

You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott- I was pretty into this one, and it was crazy learning about the world of competetive gymnastics. I’m a little bit glad I don’t have a competetive gymnast, holy cow. This one was creepy and unsettling to read as a mother of girls, and it kept me guessing quite a bit. 3 stars.

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney- This one has a slow and leisurely pace that is different than what I’m used to… So it took me a little bit to get into it. That said, I really enjoyed this sweet book. It turned out to be rather enchanting. 4 stars.

Results May Vary by Bethany Chase- Kind of slow and boring in parts, but also quite sad. The true topic is heavy bu the book is still pretty light and fun. Okay for me. 3 stars.

Everything,Everything by Nicola Yoon- I love love love Nicola Yoon. The Sun is Also a Star won me over and so did this one. Somewhat formulaic as in quirky-YA heroine and quirky boy fall in love- but nevertheless I ADORED it. This one is going to be a movie and I’m excited to see it. 4 1/2 stars.

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough- This one was my BOTM pick last month. I still haven’t found the words to properly describe how I feel about this one. From my Goodreads review: I honestly don’t know what to say about this one except for that it was a major mind F&$*. I’m sitting here unsure of whether I hate it or love it and I’m going back and forth and back-and-forth and back-and-forth. Let’s just say it was unexpected. 3 1/2 stars.

A List of Cages by Robin Roe- Powerful and painful and haunting and sad, but heartbreaking and hope-filled too. My favorite line from the book was “Hate richochets, but hope does too.” 4 stars.

Miss Hazel and the Rosa Parks League by Jonathan ODell- Another slow-burning read, this one took its sweet time to win me over and win me over it did. If you enjoyed The Help then you’ll love this one. Strong female characters and beautifully written. 4 stars.

Pines by Blake Crouch- After reading Dark Matter, I had to dive into Crouch’s Pines trilogy. Not nearly as good as DM, but still entertaining in its own right. This book is WEIRD. And I didn’t know what the hell was going on half the time. And at times it was downright ludicrous. But I really actually enjoyed it and read it in a couple of hours. Very Twilight Zone esque!! 3.5 stars.

The Mothers by Brit Bennett- Good Lord the prose in this book is stunning. Sadly I just didn’t connect with the characters. I wanted to so badly because they were so beautifully drawn but I think maybe it was a case of me reading this at the wrong time? I might have loved it more at another time. Bennett is a hell of a writer. 3 stars.

The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner- Wow wow wow wow wow. I’m still thinking about this one every day. Haunting doesn’t even begin to cover it. This is a memoir covering Ruth’s years in a polygamous LDS compound in Mexico. This book is tragic and heartbreaking and it made me so angry in so many ways. But I am so inspired by Ruth and what she survived and overcame. 4.5 stars.

After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid- I love me some TJR. But this one was not a fave. Things about this book bugged me. And I’m aware it’s because I have a bias. I am a military spouse and I’m often forced to spend years away from my husband, unsure if he’ll make it home alive. Because of that I think I was unable to read this book objectively. So…meh. 2.5 stars.

And as always my favorite part that makes me feel like a kid on Christmas morning… the new BOTM selections are out!!

I chose Marlena but also pre-ordered The Stranger in the Woods on Audible. And I added all the other books to my TBR list on Goodreads.

The rest of the Pines Trilogy by Blake Crouch
One Man by Andrew Gross
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

That’s my month in pages.

What about you? What did you read, love, hate, devour? What made you FEEL?

xoxo

When God Made You

February 28, 2017

Hey y’all! I wanted to pop in today and share one of our new favorite books.

Our friend Matthew Paul Turner (husband of my dear friend Jessica of the Mom Creative) wrote a new children’s book that releases today.

And it is a treasure.

I’m not just saying that. Honestly. If I didn’t really like it, I’d just share a pretty picture on IG. You KNOW if I’m actually taking the time to blog that it’s GOOD. Ha!!

It’s called When God Made You.

Let me tell you some of the reasons we love it and that I can tell it’s already destined to be one of our most treasured books.

1.The message. This book confirms what I’ve been telling my girls their entire lives. They are special, unique, and LOVED. They can make a difference. They matter and they are precious. It’s full of beautiful affirmations.

2.It’s not cheesy or preachy or saccharine. It rhymes, but in a simply beautiful way. It’s not condescending or preachy or overly simple, which sadly many Christian books we own are. All of the characters aren’t blonde, blue-eyed clones. I like that.

3.It rhymes. I have two Kindergarteners learning rhyming words. I love any book that rhymes.

4.It speaks the words that are in my heart but way more beautifully. My favorite words- “A you who views others as sisters and brothers and lives by three words: love one another.”

5. The illustrations are stunning. Absolutely stunning. Truly- they are a work of art.

6.It’s affordable. $8.96 as we speak!

I am all about any book that teaches my girls that God is love. That they are love. And kindess and compassion and understanding and light.

This book is good.

Order it.

And congratulations, Matthew. We are so lucky to have you as a friend!

The Spring/Summer Catalog is LIVE!

February 6, 2017

Hi sweet friends and happy Monday!

The Spring/Summer Thirty-One catalog is officially live and I’m in love with the colors and patterns this go round. Here’s a photo I took of some of my favorite bags:

Thirty- One // via Stephanie Howell

Photos from bottom of stack to top:

Zip Top Organizing Utility Tote

Organizing Shoulder Bag

Mini Zipper Pouch

All About the Benjamins

Two things:

I’m making a list of customers to mail catalogs to. If you are interested, let me know.
I’m looking for February and March co-hosts. I’ll throw a party for you on FB/Fb live and you will be my cohost. Co-hosting just basically means interacting. I run the party, you get free bags. It only takes a $200 party for you to get $25 in credit, a half price bag, and exclusives. Don’t want the bother of throwing a party? Just grab a friend or two and if your orders add up to $200 you will get free stuff. Yesssss. My precccciousssss.

Who’s ready to party?

See y’all soon!

xoxo

Reading Recap // January 2017

February 3, 2017

**This post contains affiliate links and 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!

Hi sweet friends! In 2017 one of my goals is to do a reading recap at the end of every month. I will share what I read that month, my Book of the Month selection, and what I’m looking forward to reading.

I would LOVE if you’d join in and let me know your thoughts too, that’s what makes my blog so fun!

I read none books in January, here’s a list of them.

1. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi- This book is OUTSTANDING. Absolutely outstanding. This novel takes place on two continents over 300 years and it was astoundingly moving and beautiful. And horribly sad as well. It stunned me and I won’t forget it.

2. Holding up the Universe by Jennifer Niven- I loved All the Bright Places so I knew I had to read this one too. It’s a quirky YA novel and I fell in love with the characters. I rate books based on how they make me feel and this book made me feel so good. It was a great read.

3. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah- I covered this one in my 2016 roundup, even though I didn’t finish it until January 1. Read it now. No ifs,ands, or buts. For more info, you can read my post here.

4. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey- Oh was this story haunting and magical and beautiful. The setting is a character in the book and you fall in love with Alaska too. I thought this book was so unique and moving.

5. Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance- This is NOT my typical type of book, but I’ve heard so much about it and I was very curious to read it. This book was eye opening, inspiring, and sad all at once. I learned a lot.

6. The Wonder by Emma Donoghue- This one was a little bit slow to start – but I was immersed in the surroundings,superstitions, and the time period almost immediately. Such a beautiful and haunting story told in such a vivid way. I really loved it.

7. Craft a Life You Love by Amy Tangerine- Oh I loved Amy’s book. Loved it. From my Amazon review:

An easy and intuitive read that really cemented my beliefs on self care. This book isn’t only for crafters and creators…it’s for all women who are so busy taking care of others that somehow they forgot about themselves along the way. I found myself nodding my head and saying “yes!!!” and “Amen!” throughout Amy’s book.

Part book part workbook, it’s the perfect combination of anecdote and insight. I adored it.

8. Happy Family by Tracy Barone- Ugh and blech. UGH. I grabbed this one at the library because it had great cover art and some highly favorable book jacket blurbs from authors I really respect. The ONLY reason I’m giving this book two stars is because I really enjoyed the character of Cici. Especially since I lived in Italy.

But.

I despised the rest of the characters. They were miserable, rude, self involved, and negative. I slogged through and endured until the main character remarked that she was “autistic before she had her morning coffee” and then I just stopped reading. Seriously. With only a few chapters left.

UGH.

9. The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman- This one was weird for me. It was an interesting premise and was pretty good read but I disliked miserable Rose (a main character) so much it almost ruined the entire book. I’d skip this one if I had a redo, I think.

Now on to my favorite part of every month: BOOK OF THE MONTH REVEAL DAY!!

This month was actually REALLY hard for me. For the first time I can remember, I wanted to read all five books.
But after a lot of thinking, I chose Behind Her Eyes and added the other five to my Goodreads queue.

And if you haven’t signed up for BOTM yet, I have some February promotions to share:

Okay! That’s it for this month. I look forward to hearing what’s on your list!

Happy Friday.

xoxo

< Newer
1
…
28
29
30
31
32
…
223
Older >