Thanksgiving

How was your Thanksgiving?  Once again ours was pretty lowkey, though we added a few more people than we celebrated with last year to make it even more cozy.  We headed up north Wednesday afternoon and once we found out Cardinal Brewing was open, we headed over to pick up a few crowlers for the night to help with the Thanksgiving dinner prep.  Thursday morning we woke up bright and early to lots of rain and more cooking {I made my cranberries & stuffing from last year, along with a pumpkin pie I'll tell you about later this week}, then spent the afternoon watching Thanksgiving episodes of Friends and waiting on our guests.  Once Miriam, Michael, and Mark arrived it was time to carve the turkey and eat!  Everything was delicious with old and new favorites sprinkled in, and though we stuffed ourselves silly with all the food we still managed to find a little bit of room for dessert.  After the guests left we snuggled up on the couch with champagne and The Holiday, a perfect way to end a great day.  Though we didn't get to see the entire extended family, I'm grateful we were able to spend the holiday with a few special peeps to really celebrate the start of the holiday season.

xoxo,

stephanie marie

The Weekend {In Pictures}

{a very flooded but sunny skagit valley}

{one of our favorite little bars just got an upgraded menu}

{lower queen anne friday night dinner & drinks}

{pretty view for the uphill walk home}

{the calm before yet another storm}

{avocado toast}

{cozy sunday night dinner}

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Thankful

It has been another crazy year {to say the least} but with all the chaos and uncertainty, there is still a lot to be thankful for.  This year, I'm giving thanks for vaccines {!}, my quarantine buddy/soon to be roommate, hugs, no commute, texts from girlfriends, online workouts, Facetime Friday, takeout, vacations, red wine, morning zoom dates with awesome coworkers, sunny days, an amazing family, early Christmas lights, donuts, and snuggles, but most of all I'm thankful for the health and happiness of my family and friends.  We are so very lucky, and I'm grateful everyday for that.  Cheers to being thankful for the little {and big} things in our lives!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Mean Girls {Back to Broadway}

Sunday afternoon Mom and I headed out to do something we hadn't done in almost 2 whole years - see a Broadway show!  We had some family tickets to see Mean Girls at the Paramount {thanks Gram & Gramps!} and since there is a vaccine and mask requirement, we decided to go for it.  It felt so great to see actual performers right in front of us singing, dancing, and entertaining, and I didn't realize how much I had missed it until we were right there.  I appreciated how strict the mask guidelines were {I saw ushers coming up to people who's masks had slipped below their nose asking them to pull them up} so we were able to sit back, relax, and enjoy an amazing show {dare I say it's even funnier than the movie?}.  I laughed the entire 2.5 hours and the standing ovation was incredibly deserved, not only for a stellar performance but for getting back into the world and enjoying something that had been such a huge part of our lives.  Afterwards we headed down to one of our faves, Nordstrom Grill, for a late lunch/early dinner of French Dips {they really are the absolute best} and toasted with a glass of wine to things slowly but surely getting back to "before" times.  

xoxo,

stephanie marie

The Weekend {In Pictures}

{these were making Costco smell real good}

{i don't miss working in the office, but i miss work happy hours}

{facetime friday}

{friday night walk}

{costco dinner to the rescue}

{frittata made by my honey}

{made a lot of progress on organizing and donating - thanks mom!}

{sunshine downtown}

{i love the lights of the city}

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!  It's been quite the week and I don't know about you but I am so ready for the weekend.  Luckily the sun came out a few times in between crazy rain storms this week and I'm hoping we have another few sunny days up ahead.  Have a great one!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Netflix & Chill {Part IV}

It's been awhile since I've shared the shows we've been watching {here is part 1, part 2, and part 3}, but now that it's getting colder and the days are much shorter we've been hunkering down and catching up on lots of new shows.  Luckily, there is a plethora to choose from and our biggest decision most nights is which one to watch!  Here are a few of my faves recently - snuggle up and enjoy :)

Downton Abbey - I was super late to this one but it has become one of my most favorites {I was so sad when it ended} and I cannot wait for the newest movie to come out!  It's fun, beautiful, and shockingly tragic, and Maggie Smith is an absolute gem.

Mare of Easttown - a whodunnit miniseries that keeps you guessing until the end

 

The Queen's Gambit - a beautifully visual story about a female chess star breaking all the glass ceilings

The Chair - race, gender, and equity on college campuses are all addressed with humor and grace in this quick watch

Winter House - you know I love a good reality show and this is my newest fave combining the casts of Summer House & Southern Charm.  Winter in Vermont, anyone?

Nine Perfect Strangers - a quirky, wild ride with an awesome cast and beautiful scenery

Queen of the South - fast, a little unbelievable, and completely addictive, we're totally hooked on this one {yeah Pote!} and can't wait for the final season to be released on Netflix.  

Stanley Tucci Searching for Italy - the most delightful show on your tv, we've been watching this one sparingly as we don't want it to end {though luckily a second season is being filmed right now!}.  Don't watch if you're not ready to pack up everything and move to Italy :)

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Birthday Weekend in the Valley

We spent the rest of the weekend in the valley being very lowkey {and not taking a ton of pictures}.  Friday night we grabbed dinner in Edison at Terramar, a "brewstillery" that we've been wanting to try.  The pizza was alright, but the real standouts were the beer {we brought home a few cans of the Samish Bay IPA} and the kale and beet salad - yum!  Afterwards we headed back to the farm where we caught up on Succession {have you been watching?  so good!} before calling it a night.  Saturday we headed out to downtown Mount Vernon where we walked along the extremely high river {which flooded just about 48 hours later!}, trying to shield ourselves from the rain and wind.  We stopped into some cute shops and checked out the Festival of Trees in all of the windows before heading over to Farmstrong brewery for some afternoon beers.  After a quick trip out to the island to bring G&G dinner, we grabbed some burritos to go at Tacos Tecalitlan {their burrito wrapping left much to be desired, but Simba didn't seem to mind} and opened a nice bottle of wine to enjoy with some more Succession and Yellowstone.  Sunday morning I made breakfast burritos for the birthday boy, then we slowly made our way back to the city, stopping at a few stores and ultimately grabbing one of his favorite dinners, Delfino's Deep Dish Spinach Pie, to bring home.  It was a nice a relaxing birthday weekend for my honey and always feels good to get out of the city for a bit.  Cheers to Christian!

{watching succession with shadow}

{i loved the aesthetic of this shop}

{kami and jessie's tree!}

{simba eyeing my burrito}

{someone took my spot}

{a nice walk to get the newspaper quickly turned into a downpour and we had to run for it}

xoxo,

stephanie marie