Blue Friday

In honor of Playoff Blue Friday, I wanted to share with you Kalee Buetow, the Seahawks #1 Fan.  This 3 year old is the cutest thing I've ever seen - and her knowledge of the Hawks is beyond impressive.  I know Kalee will be rooting on the Seahawks this weekend against the yucky Saints just like me :)

Check out her ESPN interview here

Go Hawks!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Christmas Kitties

You get the sense that they just love having us all under one roof - especially when they become the constant subjects of photos :)

They even have their own stocking :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Sausage Kale Breakfast Strata

Right before Christmas, Leslie was in town for the Seahawks game so I invited her over for a pre-game breakfast and mimosas.  Since I knew it was going to be early, I wanted to make something easy that could be prepped ahead of time and thrown in the oven in the morning.  What better than breakfast casserole?!?!  I went with The Pioneer Woman's recipe, and in less than half an hour the night before, it was all ready to go.  It's better if it sits overnight, so in the morning I just popped it in the oven when I woke up, and by the time the girls came over, breakfast was served!  If you're planning any early morning meals for the playoffs this weekend, I'd suggest making this {easily customizable to whatever veggies fit your tastes}.  Yum!

Sausage Kale Breakfast Strata

Ingredients
6 eggs
1 1/4 cup half & half
Salt and Pepper
2 tblsp oregano
1/2 loaf crusty french bread, cut into cubes
1 lb breakfast sausage patties, cooked and cut into cubes
1/2 bunch kale, torn into pieces
Olive Oil
8oz white mushrooms, halved
1 1/2 to 2 cups Pepper Jack cheese, shredded

Instructions
1. Whisk together eggs, half & half, salt, pepper, and oregano.  Set aside.
2.  Drizzle mushrooms with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast in 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove and set aside.
3.  In skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and throw in kale.  Cook about 2 minutes, or until slightly wilted.  Remove from heat and set aside.
4.  In buttered lasagna pan, layer half the bread, half the kale, half the mushrooms, and half the cheese.  Repeat with other half of ingredients.  Slowly pour egg mixture over top.
5.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight if possible.
6.  Remove from fridge 20-30 minutes before baking. Replace plastic wrap with foil and bake in 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes.  Remove foil and bake until top is golden brown and slightly crisp.

Serves about 6

adapted from The Pioneer Woman

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Christmas Day

christmas morning sunrise

Just like Christmas Eve, Christmas Day this year was just as I had hoped.  We spent the morning at home opening gifts and drinking coffee, then headed to Grandma and Grandpa's for breakfast casserole and family time.  Later in the day, after coming home for naps, we hosted dinner for Nana and the uncles {including Uncle Randy} while drinking wine and savoring the end of the holiday.  Don't you just love Christmas time?? :)

 shaun's job is to hand out presents in the morning {and he still wakes me up at 6am christmas morning}

 a field of snow geese

 skyping with kelsey in norway

 mom's version of a camo table

 shaun and uncle randy

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Christmas Eve 2013

This Christmas Eve was exactly how it always is - which is exactly how I like it.  We slept in and had a lazy morning at home, then headed off to Marsha and Ed's for dinner #1 before ending the evening at Nana's for dinner #2 {lasagna - mmmmm.....}.  While things are usually the same for us each year, I really embrace the familiarity of our traditions {rice pudding at Marsha's, watching Christmas Vacation at Nana's, taking silly pictures throughout the evening} and plan on cherishing them for many years to come.

 i wanted to take this little guy home

 such a sweetheart

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Snow Day

On my last day before Christmas vacation, I woke up to a dusting of white snow covering everything.  I decided to wait a few hours to go to work, but instead of going back to bed, I decided to snuggle up on the couch with a big cup of coffee, turn on the Christmas tree, and sleepily watch the news while looking out at the pretty snow.  While it only lasted until about lunchtime, I snapped a few pics around the yard before I left for work that day to remember the first snow in my home.  There's nothing like snow around Christmas time to really get you in the holiday spirit :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

New Beginnings

2013 wasn't my favorite of years.  While there were some pretty amazing happenings {going to Paris with my mama and buying my first house come to mind}, there were also some real low points {losing Grams was a big one}.  I am so ready for a new year and a fresh start and I'm determined to make this year even better than the last.  While I don't have huge resolutions/goals for 2014 {let's be honest, it's so much easier to keep these on the simple side}, there are a few things I want to work on - apply myself more at work {and finish some of those To Do lists I've had on my desk for years}; get to know my new neighborhood; explore new friendships; get outside more; find new, creative ways to save money; be more spontaneous; decorate the house; and be happy with where I'm at in life.

After taking so much time off of work and the blog, I have so much to share with you in the upcoming weeks of what I've been up to!  First up, since we're talking about New Year's anyway, here's a little peak at what I did to say au revoir to 2013.

Nick and I drove down to Tacoma to our boss Tara's party to surprise her just for an hour before we had to head back to the city.  She was shocked {and I got to cross off "be more spontaneous" from my list!}

 her party had an ice luge.  need I say more?  We're definitely going back next year

 in the words of the photobooth, "Cheers, Bitches"

Happy New Year everyone!

xoxo,
stephanie marie