Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, friends!  I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited to say goodbye to 2015 and start fresh in 2016.  As is customary with the new year, I have a few resolutions/goals/things I'd like to do this year to make myself happy and healthy!  They include print more pictures; read before bed; go on adventures; cook for friends; do more yoga; snack less; and take weekend walks.  Sounds simple enough, right?  I hope you have a safe and happy new year - I'll be out and about, eating, drinking, and dancing the year away! :)

Peace out, 2015!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

pic via

Go Rams!

Sorry for the silence!  I was enjoying a nice week off of work, and extending a bit into this week as well :)  But I had to give a quick shout out to my Rams who came oh so close to a bowl win last night!  I wore my CSU shirt to work yesterday {and got a lot of questions about it} and even came home a bit early to catch the game streaming online {no, it was not on tv like every other bowl game.....}, but despite a valiant effort in the last minute of the game, they fell short to Nevada.  Those boys played so good, and I vow to make it to another game in Fort Collins next season to enjoy one last game at Hughes Stadium before the new on-campus stadium is complete.  College reunion time!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas from the Knutzen's!!!  Hope you have a wonderful holiday filled with love, laughter, and lots of dancing :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy BIrthday Kami!!

Happy Birthday to one of my dearest friends from way back {we used to carpool to dance class back in elementary school!!}.  I love this lady and her sweet family, and though I don't see her as often as I'd like, I love when her gorgeous photographs pop up on my Instagram feed - and especially when the pics are of her, taken by our amazingly talented friend Jenn.  Have the happiest of birthdays, Kami - can't wait to see you soon!!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies

 

With mom hanging around this weekend, we decided to bake some Christmas cookies on Sunday morning while we watched the Seahawk game {luckily, it was an awesome game we didn't really have to pay attention to - go hawks!!}.  Along with my Christmas staples, which I absolutely love, I wanted to try a new recipe this year, and we decided on Cooking Classy's Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies.  I'm not entirely sure what happened to the shape of my cookies {you can see hers as a gorgeous example of how they should actually look} but what they lacked in prettiness they more than made up for in deliciousness.  For reals - I just had two while writing this post.  Something about the almond flavoring really steps it up a notch, and if you don't believe me, go ahead and whip up a batch this weekend - I promise you will be thankful you did :)

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies

 

Ingredients

2 cups + 2 Tblsp all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, COLD and diced into small pieces

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup raspberry jam

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp almond extract

2-4 tsp water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.  In mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt and set aside.

2. In bowl of electric stand mixer or with a hand mixer, blend together butter and sugar.  It will take awhile since the butter is cold, so be patient!  Mix in almond extract then add flour mixture and blend until it all comes together {again, patience!}

3. Shape dough into 1 inch balls, and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.  Make a small indentation with thumb in each cookie and fill each with jam {about 1/2 tsp each}.  

4. Chill in refrigerator about 20-30 minutes.  Bake in oven 14-18 minutes.

5. Cool several minutes on baking sheet then transfer to wire rack to cool.

6. For the glaze, whisk together all ingredients, adding more water as needed to reach desired consistency.  Using a zip lock bag with a tiny corner cut out, drizzle glaze over cookies.  Store in airtight container.

Makes about 3 dozen

adapted from Cooking Classy

 xoxo,

stephanie marie

The Sound of Music

Saturday afternoon, Mom and I braved the rain and the wind downtown Seattle for our holiday show at the 5th, The Sound of Music.  The show was absolutely amazing - the actors were so talented, the singing was fabulous, and once again I wanted to sing along to every song.  It was such a familiar show, which was probably why it was the perfect Christmas performance this year, and I couldn't help but be taken back to being little and watching it on video.  After the show, we headed out to UVillage, where we wandered around, crossed a lot off our Christmas To Do's, and had a yummy and cozy dinner at Elemental Pizza.  It was way past my bedtime when we headed out of there to drive through Candy Cane Lane {so fun!} and head home.  I love my weekends with Mom, but especially the ones around the holidays.  It's definitely the best time of year :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

The Nutcracker

Thursday evening, David and I set off to watch the Pacific Northwest's Ballet newest rendition of The Nutcracker.  Personally, I loved the original so much that I didn't see any need for change - I'd seen it countless times and never tired of it.  But the PNB had different plans and this year debuted George Balanchine's The Nutcracker.  It definitely was different - the sets, the costumes, how they told the story - and while it wasn't bad at all {professional ballerinas are amazing!}, it's going to take some getting used to.  We didn't shy away from our favorite activity, though, which is documenting our experience, so after many selfies and poses with characters, I was in the Christmas spirit and excited to be watching one of my favorite shows ever.  Of course, I won't be disappointed if they bring back the old version ;)

 even the seat cushions were christmas colored!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Beauty & The Beast

This past weekend I got my fill of Christmas shows :)  Friday night was Beauty and the Beast at The Paramount with Kelsey.  We started out the evening with dinner and drinks at Machiavelli's {yum!}, then headed down to the theater to watch one of my all time favorite Disney movies brought to life.  The music and cast were exceptional {my fave was Gaston} and it took everything in me not to get up and sing and dance along to every song they sang {I seriously could have}.  The atmosphere in the theater was full-on holiday, and even though it was a late night, we left singing our favorite songs and in the best mood.  There's nothing wrong with a little Disney sing-a-long, right?? :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Happy Birthday Gram!  I hope you spend the day with good food, good friends, and a nice glass of cognac at the end of the evening :)  I love you!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Christmas Movies

Last night, I went over to Erika's for a Christmas date I had proposed a while back.  She made a yummy dinner, then we snuggled up on the couch to watch Elf and drink hot cocoa {with extra marshmallows & whip cream, of course}.  It was such a perfect holiday evening, and it got me thinking about my favorite holiday movies that I have to watch during the season, which include The Holiday, Love Actually, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Christmas with the Krank's, It's a Wonderful Life, and of course, Elf.  It really isn't the season without those :)  How about you?  Are there movies you must watch during Christmastime??

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Chihuly Garden and Glass

Sunday afternoon, Mom & I met up with Erika & Koby to celebrate Koby's retirement.  We wanted to do something fun for her, so we decided to head down to Chihuly Garden & Glass, something we've all been wanting to do but had yet to experience.  Have you been?  It was AMAZING!!  Walking through each room and seeing the precision and beauty of the pieces was truly breathtaking - I can't believe people make this stuff!!  Our favorite room {above} had a glass ceiling that sat above a gorgeous and intricate display of red, yellow, and orange flowers woven together.  We could all imagine an awesome party there :)  Even though the day was cold and rainy, being around all the bright and vibrant colors made us happy and smiley, and we had a great time all being together.  Happy retirement, Koby!!  And, um, sorry for all the pics - I couldn't narrow them down :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Nordstrom Holiday Party {& The Icon Grill}

Last week, Mom came down to the city to meet me for the Nordstrom Holiday Party.  Though I'm not sure how, I made the cut this year for getting invited {oops!} and there was no one I'd rather take as my guest than the woman who taught me how to shop :)  Before the party, we had dinner at mom's favorite restaurant, the Icon Grill, and I must admit the food is perfect comfort food and the atmosphere is awesome at Christmastime.  After dinner, we headed over to Nordies where we perused the store with glasses of champagne and I continued my quest to become their favorite shopper, picking up a coat I've been talking about for years.  Hey - it was on sale! :)  Though it was a quick trip to the city, I'm so happy my mama could come join me for this event that always puts me in the Christmas spirit.  It really is such a fun and festive night :)

see our past holiday parties here and here

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Lazy Weekend

How was your weekend??  I spent Friday night and all day Saturday planted firmly on the couch, which after a busy week felt glorious.  There were a few glasses of wine to be had, a lot of Thai takeout, and many hours of OnDemand to catch up on, and while I felt truly lazy, I didn't feel bad about it. I guess with the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I need to enjoy these quiet moments as long as I can!  Here's to a productive, but hopefully slower week.  Also, how about those Hawks?!?!? :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Wild Friday

I saw this on Pinterest and it sums up my Fridays pretty perfectly - except maybe that mug is a wine glass.  Details.  It's been a looooong and busy week at work {yay for overtime pay!}, and I'm excited for a few days of hanging out at home, followed by a girls outing I'll have to tell you about next week!  In the meantime, is it 5 o'clock yet?!?!

Happy Friday!  And also....3 weeks til Christmas!!!  Yikes!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Trimming the Tree

It's my favorite time of year - time to put up the tree :)  As always, I didn't stray too far from the norm, but I did add a few new ornaments this year {courtesy of Nana's stash and some summertime trips} and added a few lights to the tv stand.  You can never have too many lights, right?  It's getting pretty festive up in here, and each day I can't wait to come home, sit on the couch, and stare at the lit up tree.  I definitely is my favorite time of year :)

 the necessities - cocoa and love actually

 too many lights + the closest things i have to christmas glassybaby's

xoxo,
stephanie marie