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Stephanie Howell

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

What I’m Reading 2014 // February 2014 Edition

One of my goals for 2014 is to be more intentional about reading. To track my books via Goodreads, to pay attention to what I read and didn’t read, to share what I’m reading here.

For the January edition of What I’m reading (including how I select books and my entire process), click HERE.

This month I want to talk about WHEN I read. I get asked this question all.the.time.

People genuinely want to know how I read so much. The answer? It’s a priority to me. Reading is like breathing. I simply have to do it.

I am a really fast reader. So fast that Jimmy swears I’ve taken a speed reading course. I haven’t. So that helps.

But I also always have a novel in my purse. Waiting in the carpool line? I read. In the waiting room at the doctor’s office? Reading. I even read when I walk. True story. Not so great considering how clumsy I am. HA!

This month I checked out a stack at the beginning of the month. I ended up taking most of them back because they just weren’t doing it for me.

Here’s what I ended up with and here’s what I will most likely read this month:

February List:

1. Joyland by Stephen King

2. The Dinner by Herman Koch

3. TransAtlantic by Colum McCann

4. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

5. Have a New Kid by Friday by Kevin Leman

6. What is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman

Books I completed last month:

1. Wild by Cheryl Strayed- LOVED this. Loved Loved LOVED. Devoured it, in fact. Just an awesome story of strength and redemption. I heard they are making it into a movie and I’m not 100 percent sure how I feel about this.

2. The Returned by Jason Mott- Blah. Had potential but I never connected or really cared about the characters. I kept waiting to like it but I never really cared one way or another. Totally fell flat for me.

3. The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker – I’m having a hard time explaining how I feel about this one. I enjoyed it but found it very depressing. I find dystopian books terrifying/intriguing and this was no exception. Walker did a beautiful job of explaining life in junior high. I found this an interesting juxtaposition with all of the crazy cosmic stuff that was going on. Super easy/quick read.

4. The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes- Moyes is one of my new favorite authors. I found this book absolutely fascinating. I have to say I found the flashback portions much more interesting than the “current day” portions, though.

5. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – WOW. Wow wow wowwwww. Still processing this book. This book tore my heart out and broke it in to a million pieces. I honestly don’t feel that any review can give it the worth it deserves. There are just no words. The horrors, the pain, the death…yep. It broke my heart. Beautifully told. I need to quickly read everything else Zusak has written. One more thing- I had tried to read this once and gave up on it. SO glad I stuck with it.

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

xoxo

S

Living With Intention : What Italy is Teaching Me {Notes from a Blue Bike Blog Tour}

This post is part of the Blue Bike Blog Tour, which I’m thrilled to be part of. To learn more and join us, head here.

Let’s talk about living with intention.Living slower and simpler.

These are things I’ve really been mindful of in the past year. But wait. Here’s what i want to talk about.

I want to talk about what Italy has taught me in the past six months.

You know what I’ve learned from living in Italy?
Truth be told, I’ve learned a lot in the past half year. I’ve learned about prosecco, bigoli, and handling produce with gloves.

I’ve learned many new words, several hand gestures, and how to drive like a maniac.

I’ve learned about the bella figura, how to own a crosswalk with authority, and the zillion different ways to say hello and goodbye.

But above all? I’ve learned to slow the heck down.

It’s been a big adjustement. I won’t lie. Moving from the land of 24/7 and go, go, go! to the land of simmer down and wait has been a work in progress.

But it’s also taught me a thing or two. Like the art of sitting still and enjoying the scenery, like the gift of savoring a good meal.

No mommy wars, no competition, no hurry up and go.

Just good wine, delicous (whole and fresh) food, and the art of being present.

When I got the email asking me to read Notes from a Blue Bike I immediately knew the topic was one I’d connect with. And I really truly loved reading this book. I connected with so much of it.

I connected with the idea of celebrating the art of slowing down.

Notes From a Blue Bike is written by Tsh Oxenreider, founder and main voice of The Art of Simple.

It doesn’t always feel like it, but we DO have the freedom to creatively change the everyday little things in our lives so that our path better aligns with our values and passions. Grab your copy here.


SO so many passages from the book resonated with me. I want to share a few of my favorites with you.

“To love the world and to drink it deeply. I couldn’t imagine not raising kids to do the same.”

“People are willing to be brave when they admit their smallness within the enormity of the world, and the best way to understand our smallness is to leave our comfort zones and start exploring, one foot in front of the other. When we go on an adventure, we’d better understand where we truly belong.”

“Once they’ve traveled, kids have permission to question the how and why of their surroundings, because they’ve tasted and seen that other people live differently. While it may not be the most comfortable way to go through life, it’s the most honest—and this honesty opens the door to making life choices that feel right in your bones.”

Yes,yes, and YES!!! I found myself nodding my head in agreement almost all the way through the book.

Thanks to Tsh for allowing me to review this book and be a part of the blog tour. Again…to read more reviews and learn more, go HERE. To grab a copy of the book, go HERE.

xoxo

S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a free review copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed (as always) are totally and completely my own.

Austria

 Before I tell you about Austria, let me tell you about this fun trip came to be.

That means I get to tell you about Dana. Dana was our nanny when we lived in Newport. Over the year she also became a good friend…hence her current title of franny (friend+ nanny).

We were all missing her terribly when we left. One day she messaged me asking if I thought she could come live with us for a few months after she graduated college and before she started her job.

Confession? I could not type YES!!!! fast enough. She is a Godsend. She is an amazing helper…but more than that she truly loves our family and our children. We never have to worry for one second when she is with them.

Fast forward to the day Dana arrived at the airport:

We got her in the van and I told her I finally decided where I wanted to take her first in town.

I asked the girls to tell her and their little voices said:

Austria!

Germany!

Liechtenstein!

Switzerland!

I think she was just confused at first and then when it sunk in she couldn’t believe it.

And that is how (2 hours after we picked her at the Venice airport) Dana found herself on the way to Austria.

This is our shortest leg of the trip, but we cannot WAIT to go back. I kind of fell in love with Austria.

The scenery on our drive was amazing. Goosebump inducing. Truly.

I found our rooms (more like a little apartment) on Booking.com.

We stayed in Kreith, a little town not far south of Innsbruck.

As we drove through Brenner Pass (the pass that connects Italy to Austria) we got hit pretty hard with snow. It was dark and kind of scary at times.

We found our way to the area our accomodations were in and very quickly realized that the van would NOT make it down the mountain to where we were staying.

No worries! The lovely owners had us park our van at the top and they came to get us (and all of our luggage!!) and drive us down.

We couldn’t see much when we got there (it was VERY snowy, dark, and foggy) and wondered what we would wake up to.

We spent the night drinking Italian wine and playing games. The apartment was SUPER cozy.

We woke up to this:

Honestly and truly one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in my entire life.

We made snowmen and played on the side of the mountain.

And honestly, I could have stayed there for days and days. It was peaceful and beautiful and warm and cozy inside. And the proprietors were SO NICE.

But we had to head to Garmisch.

So we drove through Innsbruck. It was rainy and gloomy and foggy and we didn’t get to see much. But it was beautiful despite the weather.

A stop for a delicious lunch and we were on to Germany.


Like I said…I honestly loved Austria. Its beautiful and everyone there is so so nice.

Next on my Austria list is Salzburg.

xoxo

s

Blog Your Heart | January 2014 Edition


Time for the January edition!

Here are the “rules” (same as always):

eta- this is NOT just for the last 2 days in January. add your link ANY TIME before the next BYH!

1. Blog whatever is authentic. Whatever is truly on your mind and in your heart.

2. It can be serious, silly, short, long. NOTE:No one said it has to be serious. But it should be authentic.

3. No judging allowed no snarky comments, no making fun, no passive agressive digs.If you are going to read the blogs linked below, don’t be mean. Nothing here is whining, though I can’t help it if you perceive it that way. It’s me honestly sharing my feelings. if you feel that it’s whining, then you don’t have to read. 🙂

4. If you BYH, link back here. I’ll add an Inlinkz tool at the end of the post. I always read and comment on every single post.

5. Feel free to use the graphic above. Just make sure to link back to me.


As per usual, I feel the need to add a completely random picture that makes me laugh.

Okay. Here goes nothing!

1. I am taking Body Pump class a few times a week. I am a DISASTER. My balance is horrible, I’m awkward (note to self: do NOT look at yourself in the mirror. OMG) and shaky and week. But it feels so good to make myself do something. Even if I’m so sore the next day I can hardly walk!

2. I’m almost done with The Book Thief. I’m certain it’s going to break my heart.

3. I’m starting to make some really great friends here. It feels so good to spend time with women who make me laugh really hard and who I can trust. So grateful that I’m slowly but surely finding strong friendships.

4. I start Italian class in a week or so. I’ll be attending twice a week and I couldn’t be more excited. I do NOT want to be an American that lives here and does not learn the language. I’ve made some Italian friends (at the coffee shop and around town) and I’m always asking them to teach me things. I think I drive them nuts, HA! But I get this crazed look when Italians start speaking in rapid fire Italian. A CRAZY huge panicked grin, teehee. Non capisco. NON CAPISCO!!!!

5. I really need to make a dentist appointment. But I had a really bad experience last time I went and I’m being a big weenie about it. SIGH. I need to do what I tell the girls and just suck it up. Yeah, they are army kids. Can you tell? 😉

6. I’ve been thinking a lot about whether or not I want to go back to teaching. And the truth is…I don’t know. There are things about it I REALLY miss (the kids, the reading, the creativity) and things I do NOT miss at all (the red tape, parent drama,etc, etc). I find what I do right now really fulfilling. I love being a part of the creative industry.

7. Lately I’ve been letting the littles go everywhere in costume. Recent favorites? A cat halloween costume (see above), a crown, a pumpkin headband, princess dresses with cowgirl boots, wings. Some people look at me like I’m nuts. But here’s the deal. They won’t ever be three again. Three is magical and whimsical and I love that. So I let them wear costumes. Let them be little.

8. I really don’t like to cook. I have gotten better at it (thanks to Gina at Skinnytaste, among others) but I still don’t enjoy it. I keep thinking that one day I will love it. But no. Hmm. I feel the same way about exercising. Sigh. Non va bene.

9. I keep meaning to blog about our big trip but every time I look at the photos and think about what I want to say…I get overwhelmed. Hence the reason I’m blogging about something else today.

10. I’m finally starting to realize that it’s not personal.I have an issue with taking silly things to heart. I have really been working on not taking things personally and I’m SO much happier now. Not going to say that certain things don’t sting…but they sting. They don’t paralyze.

I hope some of you will join in…or say hi if you are reading today!

xoxo

S

15 Minute Page

I have a layout up on the Gossamer Blue blog today and I thought I’d share it here too.

It’s a 15 minute page (like pretty much all my pages) and I broke it down into five minute chunks of time.

Head on over to the blog to see more details.

TGIF y’all! I hope your weekend is beautiful, blessed, and warm.

xoxo

S