Stephanie Howell

I’m long overdue for a BYH post, so today I decided to go for it.

Here are the rules, in case you are new:

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. 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.

Here goes.

I still wear a maternity sweater. True story. It is the most comfortable and warm thing I’ve ever worn in my entire life. I use it like a robe and put it on over my pajamas until I’ve gotten dressed for the day. Embarassing. Heidi Klum…maybe you could make a sweater that’s the same, just not for Motherhood Maternity? Or I can just cut the tag out. I’ll go with that. Ignorance is bliss. 🙂

There is a really big chance that we are moving to another country this summer. Word won’t be official until April or so, but we are almost certain. But, to be honest,certainty is never certain with the Army. We are so nervous and excited. Tempo per una grande avventura. Hopefully.

I was on the “healthy eating bandwagon” for about a month and a half. And I felt so good. And then I fell off. And I’ve been beating myself up about it. But what I need to do is just start again. Why is it so easy to quit? Ugh.

I am so happy creatively right now. I love making pages again…it has really become a joy to me. For a long time it was a chore. And that’s no good. Right now…when I make something I am grinning the entire time. I love that and I don’t want it to ever go away.

I’ve spent a long time thinking about reintroducing sponsors. When I talked about it a few weeks ago, I caught some flak. Some of you said that I was compromising my integrity. I want to take a moment to explain that that will never ever happen.

Content will not change. I will continue to spotlight small businesses that I believe in and use regularly (with or without sponsoring me).Think of it as an extension of my “small business spotlight” series.

You know what happened when I put up the call for advertisers? I got a handful of emails from companies I love  and have consistently talked about here for years.

For those of you who really know me…you know I would never change the authenticity of this blog. This blog is my  happiness, my joy, and my therapy and will never become a flashing ad.

If that was going to happen, it probably would have already happened at some point in the past six years.

I just have to find a way to balance hobby and job.

There. Just had to get that off my chest. 🙂

As I type this post, the snow is swirling out side. Looks like we are getting our first true blizzard. We are well-stocked and prepared (water,wine,sleds,food) and actually very excited. Wish us luck! And Nemo?? Really? That conjures up images of a clown fish and Ellen DeGeneres. So weird.

Made the decision to start Project Life 2013. This time I am using a smaller format and going for easy and affordable.

I’m using the Simple Stories Sn@p page protectors and binders, and the cards are a mix of Paislee Press kits that I’ve purchased, cards I’ve accumulated in the past, and free downloads I’ve found online.

I simply could not do a 12×12 format anymore. Too cumbersome and we move too often to take all of those albums.

Here is my PL Pinterest board.

When Liz Tamanaha’s project life kit comes out this spring, I plan on purchasing it. But until then, I’m on my own. 🙂

When Harper was a baby she was always dressed flawlessly. Hair accessories down to her shoes and socks…she was the best dressed baby/toddler ever.

Sadie was similar. A fair amount of Hanna Andersson and Boden.

The babies? Uhhhh…not so much. They stay in their footsies most days. Why? Well, first of all, they have a propensity for taking off their close and hiding them or throwing them away.

Second…it’s just easier. True story.

Until the next size up (in the hand-me-down bins) comes out of the basement. Then it’s like Christmas morning. Right now Cate is in cute Garnet Hill pants and a CrewCuts top. HA!

Okay, that’s it for this month.

Hope lots of you will join in. And make sure to say hey in the comments! It’s always nice to connect via comments when you put yourself out there!

Happy Friday!

xoxo