Tofino Dreamin'

What can I say about Tofino except that it was perfectly idyllic.  We didn't have amazing weather and our cabin was teeny tiny {yet so sweet!}, but it didn't matter because we had the most gorgeous views, adventurous walks, delicious food, great long chats, and an amazing travel partner.  I'll show you more soon, but for now here's a picture of our super sweet patio where we spent evenings drinking wine and mornings drinking coffee, staring out at the water and enjoying each other's company.  It made an awesome home base for a fabulous weekend!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy {Memorial Day} Weekend

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!  I'm so excited for the long weekend and to head out of town to the cutest cabins {above} in Canada.  It's definitely time to get away, and an extra long weekend road trip is exactly what I need.  I hope you have a great weekend wherever you are - and Happy Friday!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Spring Bloomin'

Spring is in full bloom at the cottage!  I'm loving walking around the yard and seeing all the beautiful flowers everywhere - but it's also a ton of work to maintain.  When I get a little overwhelmed with it all, I like to just look around at all the pretty colors and be thankful that I get to call this yard my own :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Trader Joe's Pasta Dinner

I have a new favorite, super easy weeknight meal that has become a staple at my house.  While perusing the aisles at Trader Joe's {my favorite place to shop} I realized that I ended up with all of the above items in my cart with no real plan.  Making it up as I go, I ended up with this delicious, super easy recipe that I've whipped up more nights than I can count as a filling and quick dinner.  The veggies can be customized to what you have, and you can use regular pasta if you'd like {although I'll go out on a limb and say this brown rice pasta is one of the best I've had} but however you put it together you won't be disappointed.  Now, I always make sure to have these key ingredients in my kitchen for those nights when I need something quick and delish.  Enjoy!

Trader Joe's Chicken Sausage and Veggie Pasta

Ingredients
2 cups Brown Rice Pasta Fusilli
2 links Garlic Herb Chicken Sausage, Sliced
Grape/Cherry Tomatoes, handful
Broccoli Florets, handful or two
White Mushrooms, about 4-6 sliced
Wild Arugula, handful
Parmesan, Romano, & Asiago Cheese
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Instructions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add sausage and cook until browned on each side.
3. Add tomatoes, broccoli, and mushrooms to sausage skillet and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until vegetables are softened.  Add more oil if needed.
4. When pasta is finished, drain then add to skillet with sausage and veggies.  Add handful or two of arugula and handful of cheese and stir until arugula is wilted and cheese melts.
5. To serve, top with more salt, pepper, and cheese {if desired}.

Serves 2

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Afternoon at Alki

Saturday afternoon, after spending all morning working in the yard and trying to stay awake after a night of watching the Royal Wedding, we decided to head out to Alki Beach with Christian's sister and brother in law for a late lunch and a stroll in the sand.  When we got out there, the sun finally came out from behind the clouds as we walked along the beach, taking in the warmth of the sunshine along with everyone else out on Alki.  We had a leisurely late lunch at Duke's {so yummy} before exploring West Seattle a bit into the evening.  It was a fun day in the sun that made it feel like summer is almost here!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

A Royal Wedding

Call me crazy, but Friday night I set an alarm for 2am to wake up bright and early for the royal wedding {this isn't the first time}.  I dragged myself {and Nina} out to the couch to watch all the coverage of Meghan Markle marrying Prince Harry.  The dress was gorgeous, the venue breathtaking, but the best part was the love you could feel between the two of them.  Since specials and coverage were on all day long, I definitely caught the wedding several times throughout the day, and every time it kept getting better and better {my favorite part of the ceremony was the gospel rendition of Stand By Me}.  Here are a few of my fave pics of the day by Vogue - it truly looked like a dream.

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy Anniversary {Shaun & Sara}

Happy Anniversary to Shaun & Sara!  I can't believe it's been 1 full year {on Sunday} since my little bro tied the knot with his bride on the Best Day Ever - where does the time go?  Looking through the gorgeous pics by the crazy talented Kamriell reminds me just how fun and magical that weekend was - can we go back and do it again?  I hope you guys are having a great time celebrating this weekend and I can't wait to celebrate again when I see you in just a few short weeks!  Love you guys!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Nina Time

I've had Nina at my house since Saturday afternoon while Christian is away at a work conference, and I absolutely love having her here for snuggles {even though she takes up 3/4 of the bed} and long evening walks.  Seeing her tail wagging like crazy when I come home from work in the afternoon is the best feeling ever :)  Here's a few pics of our week together.

 cruisin'

 such a good garden helper

 spring walkies

 her not so subtle way to tell me it's time for bed

bedtime

love this old lady

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Roaming the Garden {Japanese Maple}

One of the first things you notice when you walk up to my house is the huge Japanese Maple next to my walkway.  This time of year it's full of beautiful dark purple leaves and seems to overtake the garden with it's fullness.  It's provided shade for a kitty or two when the sun is just too hot and even houses a memorial for someone's long lost pet, Vincenzo {RIP}.  I can't imagine how long it took someone to grow this into the gorgeous cascading maple it is today, but when checking out price tags the other day on other maples at the nursery, you can bet I'm up to the task of keeping this guy in tip top shape for as long as I can :)

photobomb

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Blue Apron

I feel like I've been in a rut lately when deciding what to cook, so when David offered us a free week of Blue Apron meals, I immediately said yes.  You sign up on their website and pick how many meals per week you want {and for how many people}, and then you get to choose from about 8-10 different options of meals that you want to come that week.  When the meals arrive, each ingredient is pre-packaged with just the amount you need for that particular recipe as to not be wasteful.  A few weeks back we chose White Cheddar Cheeseburgers {with Balsamic Glazed Onions and Roasted Potatoes} and General Tso's Chicken {with Bok Choy and Jasmine Rice}.  Both meals were really tasty - we chose to bbq our burgers instead of pan fry them since it was such a nice evening, and the balsamic glazed onions were delish - and though as we pulled each ingredient out of the bag it looked like a tiny portion of food, both meals actually filled us up quite nicely.  I haven't ordered again - I really miss having leftovers and while the food was good, I'm pretty sure I could grocery shop for those ingredients for a lot less than what the actual boxes cost - but it was fun to try something new for a week and not have to think about what we were going to make for dinner.  If you get a chance to try it out for free, I'd highly recommend it!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Mother's Day Weekend

Hope you had a great Mother's Day weekend!  Mom and Dad came down to spend the day with me {and Nina} Inthe Seattle sunshine and it was lovely.  Our first stop was the Ballard Farmer's Market {along with everyone else in Seattle} where we picked up a snack and some flowers, then we headed back to my house to chill with the dog and cook dinner - meatloaf and mashed potatoes, specifically requested by Mom.  We had dinner out on the back patio {my first meal out there of the year!} and I snuck in some dessert of angel food cake and strawberries with homemade whipped cream to round out the day {important holidays must have dessert!}.  It was a great and low key Mother's Day with the ones I love - and Happy Mother's Day to all the mama's out there!

xoxo,
stephanie marie