48/52: It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

The holidays are in full swing.

Celebrations and decorations!

I went to Brew Lights at the Oregon Zoo last Wednesday and had a blast!  Beautiful lights and a dry evening made sipping wine/ciders and brews in the zoo a memorable evening.  A must do Christmas activity for anyone who loves lights!  The highlight of the evening was my 8 minutes zoo train ride.  The last time I was on the zoo train I was three year's old.

Brian and I started off welcoming December officially, last Friday night at 13 coins.  We had a lot to be thankful for as we reached a milestone in our business that deserved a cheers and a nice glass of sparkling wine.

Saturday we picked out our Christmas tree, but I struggled with a neck and back issue which kept me immobile and in some pain most of the rest of the weekend.

We managed to find the most perfect Fraiser Fir at Home Depot and decorate most of the house on Saturday evening.  

Luckily, I flew home from Seattle on Sunday afternoon which cut my normal travel time in half.  I treated myself to a 10 minute chair massage which made my neck/back feel 100 times better.

We flew over a sun capped Mt. St. Helens on route to Portland, which was stunning.

Our weather turns clear and cold this week.  More holiday happens on the way!

Enjoy!
Stacy

41/52: Getting Ready for Halloween

We decorated the house last weekend for Halloween. Next to Christmas, I think we have almost as much stuff to put outside.  This year, Brian added a graveyard out front where he built the planter for the summer geraniums and lighthouse.  At night, it's spooky!

We took a wonderful chilly walk through Lincoln Park, before heading into the city to find a place to watch the Ducks/Huskies and eat an amazing fish burger. The Ducks won so I was happy.

We also had the pleasure of meeting Zaid Abdul Aziz (formerly known as Don Smith) a former Iowa State University and NBA basketball player.  Amazing man with an incredible gift not only in basketball, but a much greater gift with words (he is a talented author).  He was quite taken with Brian's love of sports and incredible knowledge of sports history.

Enjoy!
Stacy

19/52: Mother's Day Weekend

So many good things packed into a longer weekend.

It was my first Friday working remotely from Seattle.  A bit hit and miss.  I missed my second computer screen and slower connections speeds.  I loved an extra long lunch and taking a fresh air break to read my book on the front porch.  

Saturday was filled with walks and shopping...then some time pulling weeds and laying bark the Secret Garden...followed by a yummy curry and some gelato in Wallingford with friends.

Sunday was a beautiful Mother's Day brunch cooked by Brian.  My table setting honored some of the women in our lives, china from a great-great Aunt, Ann Lee's Silver (Brian's mom) and water glasses given to me by Grandma Phyllis (Rosemary's Mother).  Mom and Kenny brought their dog, Bella and we had a great day!

Enjoy!
Stacy

Blogmas 2017 - 25 Days of Christmas/Day Nine

Welcome to BLOGMAS 2017 an added bonus to the weekly VLOGMAS on my YouTube channel!

These December posts are going to be all about Christmas.  I'll answer a questions, post a picture and discuss something "Christmasy".   Please feel free to leave your answer in the comments below.

Today is day nine and today's question/topic is:

Christmas Gift Wrapping Ideas this year!

One of my favorite Christmas songs is "My Favorite Things" which actually is not really a Christmas song at all, right.

So this year, my Christmas wrapping theme is brown paper packages tied up with string.

I bought $1 ornaments from the Dollar Store to embellish each package for an added Christmas touch.

Enjoy!

Stacy

48/52: Time to Decorate our West Seattle Tree

And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care.....

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

All things are Merry and Bright in West Seattle.

Enjoy!
Stacy

47/52: A Long Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving is a time for family and our family sure does know how to have a good time!

Wednesday night is kinda like Christmas Eve to me.  Family gathers together to cook, celebrate, listen to music and give thanks.  Brian prepared a wonderful Italian dinner and we all had a wonderful evening together.

Our Thanksgiving Day is typically laid back with the parade and football on TV, everyone devouring the Black Friday ads in the newspaper and preparing to feast.  We were treated to an Oregon Ducks Men's basketball game in the evening which was a perfect way to wrap up a great day. 

Friday was spent out in Oregon Wine Country and a visit to 4 wonderful wineries for some unique tastings.  This year the weather was amazing and we all enjoyed a wonderful drive through Yamhill County under white puffy clouds and sunshine.

I can't believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone.  The weekend flew by.  The parents are gone.  Brian went home Saturday and Uncle Steve leaves Thursday.  Our house is full of Christmas now...lights and trees and a different kind of holiday feeling.

Enjoy!
Stacy

4/52: Foodie Weekend

Another quiet January weekend.  Brian worked from home on Saturday and I made myself a wonderful vegetable hash with a poached egg.

We had a fun adventure to the casino for a few hours on Saturday.  It's always a treat to splurge on sushi for dinner after playing craps and roulette!

I finished up the weekend getting the house decorated for Valentine's Day!

Enjoy!
Stacy

49/52: Welcoming Christmas

We've had a whirl wind of activities the past few weeks.....but this year, Christmas arrived the day after Halloween.  

For me, the loss of Sammy pushed me full on into Holiday mode.  I needed the music, the lights, shopping, wrapping and decorating to get me back into the living mode.

Our Rebecca Lane house was decorated the weekend after Thanksgiving and I really enjoyed spending time this past week being surrounded by Christmas again.

This past Saturday, we unleashed the Christmas closet in West Seattle, trimmed the tree and decked the halls.

Brian and I hung our Sammy ornaments with heavy hearts.  His loss is still encompassing, but it's a bit easier to breath when you are surrounded by such an abundance of Christmas joy.

Enjoy!
Stacy

1/52: Happy 2016!

Welcome 2016!

I hope this year is filled with happiness, laughter, peace and hope.

How did you celebrate New Years Eve?

I caught the late train from Portland back to Seattle on Wednesday night for the long weekend.

We spent a few hours at the Casino on New Years Eve before having a wonderful prime rib dinner with friends at Lake Morton!

The rest of the weekend was spent dismantling Christmas and decorating the house for January.

New Years Day offered brilliant blue skies and spectacular views of the Olympic mountains. An amazing way to ring in 2016.

Enjoy!
Stacy

49/52: Decorating for Christmas in West Seattle!

Brian and I unleashed the Christmas closet on Saturday morning.  I hit the ground running before the sun came up!  Aside from getting our "live" tree, getting it in the house, in the tree stand and prepared for decorating...we have several tubs of wreaths, Santas, lights, a Christmas village, linens and two table top trees to put out for display.  It's safe to say that almost every inch of our house is decorated for the next 4 weeks.

We finished decorating in the early evening, just in time for a glass of wine, a hearty bowl of homemade minestrone soup (thank you Brian) and a loaf of homemade bread...with plenty of time to admire our work!

Enjoy!
Stacy