Palm Springs {Day 3}

Our last day in Palm Springs was spent with good food and lots of sunshine.  We woke up earlier and headed over to the Ace Hotel for brunch in their diner {with Rachelle!}.  After taking advantage of their photo booth {I can never say no to a photo booth}, we headed back to the house to float around in the pool before packing up and heading to the airport.  This was such an awesome trip and I was so sad to say goodbye, but I guarantee we'll be back again - this is definitely going to be an annual thing :)  

 the mountains are so pretty!

love these girls!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Palm Springs {Day 2}

Our mission on Day 2 in Palm Springs was simple - sleep in.  After checking that off our To Do list, we headed into town for a late brunch by the pool at the Avalon Hotel, where Autumn and I had the most delicious Bloody Mary's.  After brunch, we headed down to El Paseo, the Rodeo Drive of Palm Springs, where we stumbled upon a golf cart parade and spent an ample amount of time in Sephora trying on products.  We then headed back home for an afternoon floating in the pool {and attempting group selfies} before making a yummy pasta dinner, drinking more wine than intended, putting on girly face masks, and watching the most gorgeous pink sunset.  It was my favorite day of the trip - can we please go back?!?!

 my chilaquiles with vegetable chips and soy-rizo - so california

 koi pond at the avalon

 shopping

 part of the golf cart parade

 floating with lizzie {I swear I have a swimsuit on}

 we need a selfie stick

 sunset in a gorgeous setting

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Palm Springs {Day 1}

What can I say about Palm Springs, except that it was so perfect.  Me, Autumn, Maddie, and Lizzie had the most wonderful time staying at The Doherty place in Palm Desert - it was relaxing, girly, and incredibly fun.  Our first day was absolutely perfect - after arriving in the afternoon, we immediately headed out for mexican food and margaritas {above}, then quickly headed home for naps before dinner at Mr. Parkers, where we ran into the most amazing wedding that included an elephant {new bucket list item}. 

 birkenstock vacay

 the vibe at mr. parkers, and maddie :)

 gene autry's place at the parker

autumn, lizzie, maddie, and me

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Two

I cannot believe that this weekend marks two years since I popped open the bubbly in this sweet little cottage in Magnolia.  Time sure flies, eh?  I've come to love this place so so much - sometimes I'll be sitting on the couch watching tv, or lying in bed reading a magazine, or heating up some soup on the stove and look around and think "this is all mine" and giddily smile.  While it's not nearly as "done" as I thought it would be by now, I've made some pretty good progress on making it my own {which makes me think I should probably give you a proper tour at some point}.  I'm crazy happy in my tiny yellow corner of this world, and at the end of the day, I love calling this place home.  It really feels like it :)

I'm off for a long weekend with the girls, so see you sometime later next week, friends!  Happy Friday!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Blue Thursday

It's Blue Thursday!  Time to rally and cheer our Seahawks on to a WIN against the 49er's!!  Who's with me?!?!?  GO HAWKS!!!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

pic from playoff fever in 2014

Skinny Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

Sometimes you just need comfort food, right?  Well after Sunday's Seahawk game {oh man} I really needed some comfort.  Luckily, that morning I had purchased the fixin's for Skinny Cauliflower Mac & Cheese, a yummy looking recipe I found on Pinterest that combined my love of mac & cheese with my {often annoying} quest to be just a little bit more healthy {don't be fooled though - I've already plowed through half of the Halloween candy I bought for the neighbor kids}.  This recipe was so quick and easy to put together {especially if you do a little pre-chopping} and in no time I was drowning my Seahawk sorrows in a warm and gooey bowl of "healthy" mac & cheese.  And honestly?  I think the cauliflower is even better than the noodles alone.  Oh fall food - I love you :)

Skinny Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

Ingredients
1 tblsp olive oil
1 cup elbow macaroni
2 cups chopped cauliflower
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1/4 cup 2% milk
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese {I used a mix of sharp and white cheddar - the original calls for sharp cheddar & gruyere}
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Salt & Pepper

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375.  Lightly oil a small baking pan.
2. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta as directed.  In the last 3 minutes, add cauliflower.  Drain and set aside.
3. Heat olive oil in pot over medium heat.  Add garlic and onion, stirring, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in pasta, cauliflower, milk, sour cream, and cheese {a handful at a time} until smooth and combined.  Season with salt & pepper.  Add more milk if needed.
4. Spread mixture into prepared baking dish.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes {I like to bake longer for a crunchier top}.

Serves 4

adapted from Damn Delicious

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Party at Gold Comb

Last week, Rachelle & Gold Comb Salon hosted a party with Laura Mercier.  It was a total girly evening - drinking champagne, getting our make up done, and chatting with friends I haven't seen in way too long.  While Zara & I only intended to stay for about an hour, we ended up staying out way past our bedtimes showing off our new lipsticks,taking selfies, and playing with Lucy, the dog.  It was such a fun night hanging out with the Bar babes, and I can't wait to see them again very soon :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Rams at The Dock

Let's talk about a winning team this morning, shall we?  This weekend, Mom came down to hang out on Saturday and accompany me to watch Colorado State take on Air Force at The Dock.  We got there at the end of the 1st quarter to find just the diehard fans {2 of them} watching the game.  We joined them, along with tons of WSU and Michigan State fans to watch the 20+ tv's around the bar playing every college football game you could imagine.  Mom and I shared beers and nachos {so good} while watching the Rams beat the Falcons 38-23 in an awesome win {the Cougs also won, making it a great day!}.  This place is definitely a winner to watch football at - so many tv's and good bar food - that I'm planning on going back several times this fall to get my football on.  Who's with me??

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Fall Sunrise

One of the things I love most about fall are the sunrises and sunsets.  I love getting ready to leave the house with the sun coming up over the city in the most gorgeous shades of pink, yellow, and orange {above, from yesterday - this picture doesn't begin to capture it}.  It makes waking up in the pitch black not quite so bad.  And the sunset yesterday?  A gorgeous cotton candy sky.  What is it about fall skies?

Have a great weekend!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Pumpkin Patch

Sunday afternoon, I met up with Erika, Merith, and families to do one of my favorite fall activities - the Pumpkin Patch.  This year we went to Bob's and it while it was insanely crowded {we did go on a sunny day right after the Seahawk game}, we still had a lot of fun wandering the fields picking out the perfect pumpkins - and taking pictures, of course :)  After filling up on fresh apple cider and caramel corn, I came home with two pretty perfect pumpkins to set out on the front porch and the cozy feeling of fall.  This has to be one of the best times of the year :)

 linnea photo bomb

xoxo,
stephanie marie