Thanksgiving

How was your Thanksgiving?  Mine was super relaxing, with lots of family time and great food.  I love heading up to the valley for a long weekend - there's something about spending time at home with my parents that's incredibly refreshing and rejuvenating.  While the long weekend went by way too fast, it makes me even that more excited for the holiday season I am fully embracing now :)

 yum

 kels and me

 holding baby hayden

frozen leaf

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Thankful

I can't believe it's already Thanksgiving - which means it's almost Christmas!!  This year I want to soak up everything as much as I can, as I feel like time is just flying by {right?!?}.  I have a lot to be thankful for in my life, even though it doesn't always feel like it, so in no particular order, here are a few things that I'm extra thankful for this holiday season :)

• a family that drops anything to help me, no matter what
• new friends and old
• snuggly, healthy babies
• candles
• warm socks
• weekend trips
• a career change that has gone surprisingly well
• a community of supportive and amazing women {and a few men}
• sunshine on cold days
• friends that encourage me to try new things
• new pinterest recipes
• football!
• whiskey & wine
• early bedtimes
• a home of my own

I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Tumbles

Have you heard of Tumbles?  He's a six week old puppy that was born without his two front legs, and designers at Ohio University created this little wheelchair to help him get around {see the video here}.  I've watched this video at least a dozen times in the last few days, and every time I watch it and see him get so excited that he flips himself over, I get a little misty-eyed and feel the need to bring Tumbles home with me.  Luckily he's already been adopted, or else I'd have to start fitting this house with wheelchair ramps real soon :)  Also, how cute is the name Tumbles?!?! 

xoxo,
stephanie marie

The Weekend {In Pictures}

 {friday night happy hour}

 {morning light}

 {getting ready for christmas!}

 {thanks dad!}

{saturday night play time with ms. linnea}

 {overflowing yard waste}

 {pretty sure my yard wins the "most leaves ever" award}

 {sunday chili + a seahawks win!}

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy Friday!

I saw this on Pinterest and couldn't help but share :)  It's been a pretty good week, getting together with friends and making plans for the holidays and beyond, but I'm so happy it's Friday and the weekend, and that next week is a short one!  This weekend I plan on organizing for the holidays, watching lots of football, and spending time with the fam - with wine, of course.  Now what's better than that?? :)

Happy Friday!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Bramling Cross & Spectre {Movie Night}

A few weeks back, David and I decided to do one of our once or twice a year movie nights, where we head out to dinner and a night at the theater.  We started out at Bramling Cross, Ethan Stowell's newest venture in Ballard.  While we typically share plates at a place like this, we were both so intrigued by the burgers that we each had to get one {they were delicious}.  The space was cool, the food great, and the music was classic Ethan {his restaurants have the best playlists ever}.  After dinner, we walked down to The Majestic Bay {my favorite theater in town} to see Spectre, the newest James Bond movie.  To our surprise, the owner of the theater was in attendance that evening, so gave a little spiel before the movie about the history of the theater and how much it means to them to be a small neighborhood theater that people love.  He even threw out souvenir tshirts!  The whole experience made me love it there even more:)  The movie was great - what you'd expect of Bond - and I loved spending the evening with some of my favorites - burgers, movies, and David :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Goodbye Tree

Last Friday I did a very homeowner-y thing and had a dead tree removed from my yard.  Exciting, eh?  {Ok, I actually was pretty excited :)}.  The mimosa tree by my front porch {you'll recall brother climbing it two summers ago} did not produce any flowers/leaves this year and the bark has slowly been peeling off, so I decided it needed to go before the wind toppled it onto my house {pretty good timing with the storms we've been having this week!}.  I hired a company to come out bright and early, and in about an hour the tree was gone!  It was fascinating to watch them bring in the truck and slowly take the tree down branch by branch with a chainsaw until there was just a hint of a stump that will soon rot away.  I also had the guys do a little pruning on a few trees that are beyond my reach {aka taller than the house} and by noon, my yard looked vastly different {ok, maybe not vastly, but it looks good}.  It feels weird without the mimosa there - the yard definitely feels a lot more open!  I've already gotten used to it and love it :)  Though I've already been contemplating what to plant there next, I'm also taking the man who cut down the tree's advice in that I do have a lot planted in the yard, and to maybe just hold off a bit......or not :)

 before.....

 .......after!

 spying through the window

 a better view!!  well, of the neighbors house.....

xoxo,

stephanie marie

White Chicken Chili

I've had this recipe on my Pinterest board for way too long, and now that I've tried it, I'm mad I didn't try it sooner!  Kelsey came over to watch the game on Sunday, and I knew I had wanted to make something easy to eat at anytime during they game, and something warm since it's gotten so cold outside.  I decided it was finally time to make Cooking Classy's White Chicken Chili, and now I want to eat it every day of the week.  The flavors are so delicious paired together, and dinner was ready in about half an hour {though I let it simmer longer which I think made it even better}.  Do yourself a favor and make this ASAP - don't wait like I did.  You need this dinner in your life :)

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into cubes
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 tblsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 {14.5oz} cans chicken broth
1 {4 oz} can diced green chilies
1 1/2 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper
1 {8 oz} package Neufchatel cheese {light cream cheese}
1 1/4 cup corn {frozen or fresh}
2 {15 oz} cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tblsp fresh lime juice
Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese, Tortilla chips, chopped fresh cilantro, lime wedges, etc for serving

Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in large dutch oven over medium high heat.  Once hot, add chicken and diced onion and saute until chicken is no longer pink, about 10 minutes.  
2. Add garlic and saute about 1 minute more.  Add chicken broth, green chilies, cumin, paprika, oregano, coriander, cayenne, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Bring mixture to a boil, the reduce and simmer 15 minutes.
4. Add Neufchatel cheese and stir until nearly melted.  Stir in corn and one can of beans.
5. In food processor, puree remaining can of beans along with 1/4 cup broth from the soup, then add to soup {this thickens the soup and makes it more creamy - not necessary but worth it!}.
6. Simmer 15 more minutes.
7. Mix in fresh lime juice and serve with garnishes.

Serves 5-6

adapted from cooking classy

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Rainy Weekend

Sad about last night's game and all the rain that keeps coming our way {Seriously?? I guess we're making up for that gorgeous summer we had!} so I thought I'd share a pretty pic I took a few weeks back of my pretty fall driveway {aren't those leaves gorgeous?!?}.  Sadly they're all on the ground now, but on the plus side, that climbing rose on top of the shed got a major overhaul last week that I'll share soon!!

Stay warm this week!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy Birthday Lila!

I can't believe that this weekend is Lila's 3rd birthday - where does the time go!?!?  I still remember finding out when she was born, and I absolutely love watching her grow up into the cutest little girl.  Though I don't get to see her nearly as often as I'd like, I keep up with her via Kami's Facebook page {where I snagged this adorable picture} and KamriellWelty.com, where I love to check out what this amazingly talented photographer has been up to.  Kami takes the most gorgeous pictures of friends, family, and nature, but I think her absolute greatest subject is this little munchkin:)  Happiest of birthdays, Miss Lila!

And have a great {stormy} weekend, everyone!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Soup

Please excuse the terrible picture - I was in a hurry :)  But this soup/pasta was really good!  I invited the girls over for dinner the other night and with the cold slowly settling in on Seattle, I knew it was time to pull out the ol' crockpot.  I'd had this recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Soup on my Pinterest board for awhile and it seemed the perfect recipe for guests :)  The pasta and veggies really soaked up the liquid, so leftovers were more like a pasta than a soup - but they still tasted great, so I can't complain :)  If I make this again, I'll throw an extra can of tomatoes in to add more liquid, but other than that, it was pretty tasty as is.

Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Soup

Ingredients
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tblsp chopped fresh basil
2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
4 oz pasta {penne or rotini}
Basil & Parmesan for garnish

Instructions
1.  In slow cooker, mix garlic, bell pepper, tomatoes, chicken, broth, onion, cheese, basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes.  Cook on low 7 hours.
2. Remove chicken, shred, and return to slow cooker.  Add pasta and cook on high about 30-45 minutes, or until pasta is done.
3. Serve, garnished with basil and Parmesan.

Serves 5-6

adapted from foxes love lemons

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Veteran's Day

Happy Veteran's Day!  Thankful for all of our Veteran's!!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Omega Ouzeri

Last week, I took Erika out to dinner at a restaurant of her choice to celebrate her birthday {traditions!}  I sent her a list of some possibilities, and she picked the one I had been hoping she would - Omega Ouzeri on Capitol Hill.  I've heard good things from several different people, and since we both love Greek food, we figured we couldn't go wrong.  The building is gorgeous - huge two story ceilings with bright white walls and blue accents - you really feel like you're in Greece.  Even though it was cold out, we opted for a bottle of white wine to share {it just felt like a white wine kind of place} and since the menu is full of plates meant to be shared, it was right up our alley.  We started with the yummiest grilled bread, then shared a fabulous Greek salad {with huge chunks of feta - yum!}, the zucchini fritters, and keftedakia {delicious Greek meatballs}.  The place was virtually empty except for a few other diners, so it felt like we had the restaurant all to ourselves for a leisurely and relaxing dinner.  I love these little date nights of ours - not only because I get to spend time with one of my favorite ladies, but because we always find some delicious places that I love to go back to :)  Happy late birthday Erika!!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Brokedown Weekend

This weekend was quite the doozy.  I'd been noticing a noise in my car engine for the past week or so, but figured it wasn't too important {after all, my car is 18 years old} but Friday night while driving up the hill, it finally decided to die.  I pulled over, and after a crying phone call to my brother, we determined that the serpentine belt {which basically runs the entire car} had fallen off and that he would probably be able to replace it.  The only problem?  He was 3 hours away in Wenatchee.  I walked back home, where I promptly ordered pizza and opened a bottle of wine, and the next morning my brother showed up at my house {with Addie dog!} ready to fix the problem.  After a little elbow grease and a trip to the auto part store, my car was as good as new it was before it died, and I took brother out to lunch before he headed off to spend the weekend with his sweetie.  I don't know what I'd do without this guy - he's saved me more than a few times, and I always feel completely inadequate to repay him.  Someday I hope I think of something.  Until then, thanks a million little bro - you truly are the absolute best :)

 my cure

 addie admiring my new guestroom

success!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Baby Selfies

Happy Friday!  I had the girls over the other night {and now that happily includes our littlest girl :)} for dinner and wine and we couldn't resist snapping a few selfies to send to Susannah to let her know how much we missed her :)  Linnea definitely is loved by her aunties!

Have a great weekend!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Just Married {Ashley & Sam}

Today, in honor of Ashley's birthday {yay!} I want to share some pictures from her wedding a few weeks ago to Sam.  I've known Ashley since I was 2 years old and moved into the house two doors down from her.  Ash was my best friend all through childhood - every memory I have of being young involves her.  To watch her meet Sam, fall in love, and have the wedding of her dreams was such a surreal experience and one that I'm so happy to be a part of.  It was such a beautiful and fun night {I literally had to take off my shoes to walk to the car due to so much dancing} and I didn't want it to end.  I'm so happy these two found each other - they make such a lovely couple - and I'm so happy that after all these years, Ashley is still such a dear part of my life.  Congrats you two!!

 me and sarah - another friend from the neighborhood!

 brother and sister dance was epic

Congrats to the beautiful bride!

xoxo,
stephanie marie