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Stephanie Howell

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

Layout Share- Wow.

I can’t even tell you how good it felt to make this page yesterday.

I didn’t have a functioning printer…and although I have an order in to Persnickety Prints, I just couldn’t wait. I wanted to make something right away. So badly- that in fact I ended up buying a brand new printer.

I know. A little bit over the top. But I figured that after not really making anything for a year, if there was an occasion to buy a new printer- this was it.

And yes- it was ridiculously hot in my craft room. But I didn’t even care. Actually…all four chickies were so excited I was in the room, they came in too and scrapbooked. It was really fun.

And good for the soul!

It’s funny. I’m so out of the loop these days, I have no idea what is “in”. Thank goodness for my Gossamer Blue kits, I pulled all of these pieces from past kits that I had in my stash.

I notice that even after a year away from creativity, this page is still 100 percent me. My pages have always looked the same, no matter the current trends. Sometimes I wish I could adapt, but truth is- I don’t really need to! It works, and I stick with it.

Here’s what I came up with:

Wow // #layout by Stephanie Howell

 

And a closeup:

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I’ll share the supply links below. Like I said, most of these things are from Gossamer Blue kits that are now sold out. So I’ll link the items individually.

And of course, I added some “Stephanie staples”. Doilies, Martha Stewart doily die cuts, and TwoGirlzStuff labels.

The more things change, the more they stay the same…and all that. Haha!

As per usual- no tutorial or any steps to make. My layouts aren’t hard, they don’t use techniques, they are just fun and easy. And quick.

It feels REALLY good to share something creative today. Hope you enjoyed stopping by!

Supplies // Seven Paper Gold Puffy Stickers, Crate Paper Confetti Tiny Word/Phrase stickers, Maggie Holmes acetate letters , Crate Paper tags, Maggie Holmes floral ephemera (gold leaves), Dear Lizzy washi tape sticker book, Twogirlzstuff labels, doilies from stash, Martha Stewart doily tags

 

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Exploring Croatia : Dalmatian Coast

A week ago we took a little family trip to Croatia. It’s super easy to get to from Italy (in the car)…parts of Croatia are only a couple of hours away.

The part we went to was about 7 hours away but honestly – it still blows my mind that I can drive out of one country, through another, and to another in 7 hours. I grew up in a state where if you drive for 7 hours…you are still in the same state!

We decided to rent a house in the Trogir/Marina area- about an hour from Split.

As we got close to our destination, I was super interested in the terrain. All rock + olive trees. I’d never seen anything like it, and Jimmy said it really reminded him of the time he spent in Israel.

#Croatia // via Stephanie Howell

#Croatia // via Stephanie Howell

#Croatia // via Stephanie Howell

We stayed in a little apartment (pretty much all Croatia rentals are apartments) about 100 meters above a little cove. This is what it looked like walking down to the cove:

#Croatia // via Stephanie Howell

And then…BAM. Turquoise ombré waters and not another soul around. I couldn’t believe it.

We LOVE the beach but we are not an elbow-to-elbow Italian beach kind of family. So this was absolutely perfect.

#Croatia // via Stephanie Howell

The water was super COLD the first night but we went swimming anyway!

http://www.step#Croatia // via Stephanie Howellhaniehowell.com/.a/6a00e551ef15fe883401bb0850f59d970d-popup

The next morning we headed down to the beach again and we couldn’t believe that the water was even more beautiful.

Note: Most Croatian beaches are ROCKY. Water shoes are a must. Sadie stepped on a sea urchin the first night (her shoe fell off) and it was a disaster. Jimmy had to tweeze forever and she spent most of the night and next morning vomiting and having an upset tummy. 🙁 So if you head to Croatia good water shoes are a must.

#Croatia // via Stephanie Howell

These are the super steep stairs that led down to our little dream beach. You can’t really tell how steep they are from the photo, but trust me. 🙂 They were really fun to go down – especially with beach anticipation aiding us – but not so much fun to go UP. But my little European troupers didn’t complain.

#Croatia // via Stephanie Howell

#Croatia // via Stephanie Howell

The next morning the owner of our apartment (such a lovely family) took us out on his boat. He drove us to Old Trogir and a small SANDY beach!

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It was wonderful. Lots of snorkeling and skinny dipping.

Not really, but funny story. A LOT has changed since I moved to Europe. One of the many changes is that I no longer make my girls wear one pieces. I no longer wear a once piece. It’s just not done here. And it’s NOT a big deal. It is not sexualized. Just like breastfeeding isn’t a big deal and isn’t sexualized.

You really won’t see a little girl five or under (or ten or under!) wearing a top at all. Their mentality is…they don’t have anything to cover, why would they wear a top?

At first I found this shocking. Now I don’t. It’s the way of life over here. And the girls took to it like a fish to water. Three of the four (the littles and the maniac Sadie) love it. Harper, not so much. She’s my modest girl and I love her.

Cate and Lucy asked my why my top wasn’t off. Ummmm?

#Croatia // via Stephanie Howell

#Croatia // via Stephanie Howell

Two nights of three we went into Trogir for dinner. Some of the best meals we’ve had in Europe. Truly. And y’all…Croatia is SO CHEAP. It’s perfect for a family vacation.

Here are some shots I took while walking around Trogir:

Trogir, #Croatia // via Stephanie Howell

Trogir, #Croatia // via Stephanie Howell

Trogir, #Croatia // via Stephanie Howell

Guys- this is NOT what I expected when I ordered fried fish!!!

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Sponges and Lavender everywhere:
Trogir, #Croatia // via Stephanie Howell

Trogir, #Croatia // via Stephanie Howell
Trogir, #Croatia // via Stephanie Howell

This was a wonderful trip. I recommend Croatia wholeheartedly. It was family friendly, inexpensive, and everyone was so NICE. Mostly everyone speaks English too, which was weird! But easy.

I had big plans for day trips. Split, Dubrovnik, maybe even an overnight trip to Montenegro. But nope. It was so nice where we were…we just stayed. And chilled. That’s hard for me sometimes and I need a reminder to just be at times. It was perfect.

One more story…we drove through Slovenia to and from Croatia and ate lunch there both times.

Every restaurant in Slovenia either has a pig on a spit or a billboard of a pig on a spit. I had to record how the girls felt about this. Please look at Harper vs. Sadie. BAHAHAH!

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Looking back at the past 2 years and looking ahead here’s a little list of the travel we’ve done.

Places We’ve Been

1. Italy (obviously)

2. Germany

3. Austria

4. Switzerland

5. Liechtenstein

6. France

7. Monaco

8. Spain

9. Slovenia

10. Croatia

 

And the other places we haven’t made it to:

Places We Still Want To See:

1. Hungary

2. Czech Republic

3. Malta

4. San Marino

5. Vatican City

6. Poland

7. Belgium

8. Ireland

9. Scotland

10. England

11. Greece

12. Montenegro

13. Netherlands

14. Portugal

 

Hmmm. Don’t think we can make it to all of those in the next 9 months to a year, but don’t think we won’t try!

Thanks so much for stopping by today and reading my ramblings. I hope you have a beautiful Monday!

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Randomness.

1. It’s been in the upper 90’s all week. Which would normally be no biggie, considering I’m from Texas. But I’m 28 weeks pregnant and Italy doesn’t have central air. And I.Am.A.DISASTER.  I have zero energy and I’m not being very nice to be honest. I’m working on patience and grace but I’m not good at being pregnant when I’m hot. I’ve been known to walk in the door, take off all my clothes, and throw myself on my bed. The children are not impressed.

 

2. Read this. Now. Trust me…just do it. (photo from my @whatstephreads Instagram account)

A Man Called Ove // via Stephanie Howell

3. We went to Croatia last weekend and it was wonderful. I’ll share some thoughts soon.

#Croatia // via Stephanie Howell

4. I really really really want to make something. But my printer is broken and it’s about 100 degrees in my scrap room. So I just keep thinking about making something but never do anything about it.

 

5. We are having a family night out tonight to see Minions. And I am unnaturally excited. I think I love the Despicable Me franchise as much (more?!?!) as my kids do.

 

6. Someone pointed at my belly the other day and said “Was that on purpose???” Uhhhh. Wow. And let’s discuss the questions that Harper and Sadie asked after they overheard the comment. Mommy- how would you have a baby NOT on purpose? What does that mean???? Grrrr.

 

Well, there you have it. A blog post about NOTHING. That’s what preggers brain gets you, hahaha!

 

Happy Friday y’all!

 

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What I’m Reading | Summer Edition

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Whew! I haven’t done one of these in a looooong time have I? I have been doing all of my book recs and “what I’m reading” photos through my reading only Instagram account (@whatstephreads) and through my Goodreads page.

But I thought I’d do an update here, too. It’s been so long I’m not going to share alllll the books I’ve read, I’m just going to share some favorites from the past few months as well as what I’m up to now.

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1. Finding Jake by Bryan Reardon –really good but also very sad. Similar to We Need to talk About Kevin but with a twist.

 

2. The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan – a couple’s love story told in an innovative way…through dictionary entries. I devoured it in one short sitting. It was nice to read something different.

 

3. Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight – Not an all-time fave but a good twisty summer read.

 

4. Whiskey & Charlie  by Annabel Smith- Lovely, touching, and so clever with the title of each chapter. Realistic portrayal of the complicated relationships we have.

 

5. Inside the O’Briens by Lisa Genova–  Beautiful, heartbreaking, and gut wrenching. Huntington’s disease is a cruel monster but reading about the way that this big, love filled, loud family dealt with it was a joy. Must read.

 

6. We Are Called To Riseby Laura McBride – This one sucked me in and stole my heart. The military connection is probably a big reason for that but I just thought it was wonderful.

 

Currently Reading:

1. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

2. The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christoper Scotton

3. A Paris Apartment by Michelle Gable

4. The Animals by Christian Kiefer

5. Silver Girl by Elin Hildebrand

 

 

UpNext

1. A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman

2. The Royal We by Heather Cocks

3. Why Not Me by Mindy Kaling

4. Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

5. The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett

 

 

There you go! The summer version of what I’m reading. As always, I’d love to hear what you are reading, fellow bookworms!!

 

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Wordless(ish!?!?!) Wednesday

Here’s a shot of the girls that stopped my heart. They look like teenagers here and I realized how quickly they are growing up.

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Let’s not even get into J’s reaction when I texted him this photo. I think pure panic would adequately describe the situation?

 

xoxo

S