Stephany Writes

Categories: Holidays

Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! Or happy Thursday, if you’re not in the United States. 🙂

I woke up around a little after 8 a.m. this morning with one cat curled up by my side and another one trilling at me for early morning snuggles. I was more than happy to oblige her.

Our family’s Thanksgiving dinner is scheduled for later this afternoon. On the agenda for this morning is to make deviled eggs, put away all the boxes that held my Christmas decor (my apartment has been transformed into a holiday wonderland and I can’t wait to show you all soon!), and maybe take a cat nap before the festivities. I baked my famous cookies last night and I may have a handful of them throughout the morning. We’ll see!

I know that Covid has made holidays a really weird time for so many of us, and I am really grateful that I have family nearby that I feel safe being around. There will be a big group of us (17 people in total) and my cousin is hosting. She lives just 10 minutes from me, so no crazy traveling required. We’ll miss certain members of our family—it’s always weird to have these big family get-togethers without Grandma and Pops—but I predict that it will be a really good time and I will leave with a full belly and a full heart.

Thanksgiving is truly one of my favorite holidays (it can’t displace Christmas, of course, but I do love a holiday that is just about getting together with those you love and eating really good food) and I’m so excited it’s here and the holiday season can truly kick into high gear after today. This is my favorite time of the year and I just want to enjoy every minute of it. <3

Categories: Holidays

A-Z Thankful List (Round 2)

Last year, I made a list of the things I was thankful for, using every letter of the alphabet. It gets hard when you get down to those more difficult letters (looking at you, Q, X, and Z) but it’s a really fun way to look back on the year and think of all the good things in it. Here’s my A-Z thankful list for 2021!

A – ASMR. These days, I don’t know if I could fall asleep without ASMR. I usually get in bed, read my book until I start feeling sleepy, and then I set my alarm, pop in my earbuds, and open up YouTube to watch ASMR videos for 20-30 minutes. Here are some of my favorite ASMRtists: Bluewhisper, Calliope Whispers ASMR, Madi ASMR, VedaASMR, WhispersRed ASMR, Moonlight Cottage ASMR, and Peony ASMR.

B – Baby Lucy. What a fun addition to our family! Lucy is just the sweetest little lady (but also very feisty; she can hold her own against Chip). I am so obsessed with her and I am so excited for the end of December, as my mom and stepdad are going away on vacation and I’m going to be on dogsitting duty. Yay!

C – Car. My new car is definitely something I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving! It’s been a long time coming and she is the perfect car for me. I love her so much!

D – Dr. Pepper. My obsession. Dr. Pepper is my favorite soda and I drink way too much of it.

E – Eloise. My heart and soul. Eloise is my extroverted cat (she’ll hang out with guests when they come over) and she’s also near my side throughout much of the day. Sometimes, she’ll even lie down right in front of my keyboard, which can be a bit of a hindrance to getting work done but she’s cute and soft and I don’t mind it.

F – Football Sundays. I love our Football Sundays so much. It’s great to spend so much time with my family and, of course, I love watching football!

G – Girls’ dinners with Rachel and Mia. Sometime over the summer, my mom and I started meeting up with my cousin Rachel and her 9-year-old daughter Mia for Monday night dinners every few weeks. It has been so nice to have these dinners with them! I love them both to pieces and it feels good to remain connected with them in this way.

H – Hot baths. I love bubble baths with a passion, as you all know. I take one almost every day and there is nothing better than sinking into that hot water and playing Candy Crush on my phone while I soak.

I – Inauguration. It feels like a lifetime ago, but Biden was inaugurated this year! What an incredible day that was. A day filled with hope and promise. While things haven’t exactly progressed like I’d hoped with Biden’s presidency, we are still in a much better place today than we were this time last year.

J – Job. I celebrated 8 years at my company in August. This year came with a ton of new and exciting changes, including a lot more responsibilities and a pay increase. I’m happy that I love where I work!

K – Kayaking. So I only went kayaking once this year, but I loved it so very much and I would like to try to plan more kayaking trips in 2022!

L – Lila. My sweet introverted girl. She is my little model who really knows how to pose for a picture. She’s more skittish than Ellie, but she’s just as sweet and incredibly snuggly (on her terms). I love her dearly!

M – Mom. My mom is truly my best friend and my favorite person. We have such a special bond and it’s one I don’t take for granted. As I’ve gotten older, our relationship has been less mom/daughter and more friendship, which means we both lean on each other when we’re feeling low. I don’t know what I would do without her!

N – Nephews. My two nephews are such a joy! Jovy is 13 and Dominic is 6 and they are such fun little dudes. Jovy is obsessed with sports and his whole wardrobe is basically jerseys at this point. Dominic is hysterical and I do believe he has a future in stand-up comedy. Get ready, world!

O – Olive beating cancer. What a whirlwind year my friend Mikaela and her family have had with Olive’s cancer diagnosis at the end of 2020 and learning that it was a rare, aggressive form of cancer that only a handful of people ever in the history of our world have had. Olive being so young (13 months when she was diagnosed) meant a lot of surgeons weren’t willing to do surgery to remove the tumor. I am so thankful that Mikaela found a surgeon who was confident he could do the surgery, that Olive made it through surgery with flying colors, and that she got through all her rounds of intense chemo. It’s been four months since her last round of chemo and she’s had clear scans ever since. Her hair is growing back, her energy levels are normal, and she gets to just be a kid after 8 months of doctors and hospitals and imaging scans. This is what I am most thankful for this year.

P – Peloton. I am so glad I hopped on the Peloton train! I don’t have a Peloton bike because, woof, those are pricey. Instead, I bought a $400 bike off Amazon that is lodged into a corner of my bedroom and I prop my laptop on my bed to stream the workouts. It’s working out for me just fine!

Q – Quaint home. This year, I’ve been able to invest some time and money into my home to make it the cozy place I want it to be. From new wall hangings and more bookcases to a comfy sectional and a new TV, it’s been a year of figuring out what I want different areas of my home to look like and then making that happen.

R – Reading dates with Amber. Amber and I love having reading dates! We typically meet in a park and chat for around 20-30 minutes and then we set a timer (45 minutes, usually) and read silently next to each other. It’s a really lovely way to spend time with a friend and get some reading time in!

S – Sectional. I bought my sectional in January of this year and it is one of my most prized possessions! It is so comfortable and cozy, and I have taken many a power nap on that couch during my workdays.

T – Traveling again. I didn’t do a lot of traveling in 2021, just a four-day trip to Chicago in August, but it was so lovely to be able to travel safely again! Mom and I are even considering a cruise for 2022 (as long as they uphold their “vaccinated guests only” policies), which is super exciting to think about. I haven’t been on a cruise since 2019 and I miss them so much.

U – Ubereats. You all know that my biggest budget kryptonite is restaurants. I order takeout at least 3-5 times a week, even though I know I would save so much money if I just a) went to the restaurant and picked up the food myself or b) stopped ordering takeout so often. Alas, I don’t see either of those things happening anytime soon! I love the convenience of Ubereats and I really don’t enjoy cooking (especially for just one person). Ubereats has been a lifesaver for me.

V – Vaccinated. I got vaccinated this year! It was such a thrill to get my COVID vaccine and know I was protected from the virus.

W – Wedding. Celebrating Sara and Natalie’s wedding was such a beautiful thing. I love both of those women oh-so-very much. I cried throughout the ceremony, danced my heart out with my family, and enjoyed every minute of the wedding.

X – eXcellent shows. From Bridgerton, which put me in a TV slump for weeks, to Brooklyn 99, which helped me through some really tough days, to The Crown, which had me going down so many royalty rabbit holes on the Internet, TV has been good to me this year.

Y – YOU GUYS. I am so thankful to the people who read this blog. I am thankful for the people who comment regularly, those who comment every once in a while, and those who prefer to stay anonymous. I am thankful for the blog readers who email me to let me know that they’re there and those who check in on me when more than a few weeks have passed since my last post. This blog truly feels like a community and knowing that my words are making a difference in people’s lives is nothing short of amazing.

Z – Zzz’s. Naps are my happy place and I usually plan my weekends around my nap schedule. 🙂 This year, I’ve gotten into taking shorter naps (it used to be very normal for me to take a 3-4 hour nap) and I think that’s a very good thing. A one-hour power nap on the couch usually gives me more energy than a four-hour nap in my bed!

What’s something you’re thankful for this year that starts with the letter “S”?

Categories: Holidays

Stephany’s Christmas Wonderland

While I still need to do a home tour of my apartment, hopefully, this little sneak peek will satisfy you guys for now. With such a bigger space, I was able to fully lean into my Christmas obsession this year. I bought a bigger tree and more ornaments and more decorations to place around my home. It truly feels like a Christmas wonderland in here!

I put up outside Christmas lights for the first time in yeeeeears. I hung some lights around my windows and wrapped my balcony railing with lights. So festive!

The huge stocking I put up above my TV is a family relic. We’ve had it since I was a kid, and it’s one of my most favorite things to bring out every year. It reminds me of my dad in a happy way, and I cherish memories like those.

I love the little Christmas scene in my bedroom—I love waking up in the middle of the night to the glow of Christmas lights. I bought the monogrammed stockings this year at Target. I needed a new stocking, and had to get tiny stockings for the girls! Perfect. Also, I took that photo before Eloise realized how easy it is to bat down the “merry” banner, sigh. Every time I re-hang it, it’s batted down within half a day. Stinker!

Do you see the rock in the middle of my dining room table? (Here’s a better picture.) My friend Kim painted it for me! Isn’t it amazing? She is so damn talented.

It’s weird—usually, I get to a point in December where I’m ready to take down the decorations and restore my apartment to its normal state (usually the day after Christmas, I’m sad to say!), but this year, I think I’ll leave up the decorations for a while. Maybe it’s because I need the extra cheer. Maybe it’s because I have a bigger apartment and it doesn’t feel as suffocating to have so many extra things around.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas. If you are the praying type, please keep Mikaela, Nick, and baby Olive in your prayers. While they were hoping a surgeon in Miami would take her case, the surgeon ultimately declined because it was too risky. Her entire liver needs to be removed and there have been no successful cases of a liver transplant for this type of cancer. Instead, she started chemo yesterday and, while Olive’s oncologist doesn’t believe chemo responds to this type of tumor, I am going to believe with my whole heart and soul that it will. I will believe in a miracle. <3

Categories: Holidays

My Christmas Wish List

There are less than 10 days until Christmas, and even though this holiday season is going to be a heavy one (2020 keeps being the worst, ya know?), I am going to try to be as merry as I can. Every year, I like to give you guys a peek into the Christmas wish list I send to my family. It’s always fun to put this list together and anticipate what might be under the tree for me this year. (And yesssss… Christmas isn’t about the gifts. We all know that! Gifts are still fun to receive, though!)

So, without further ado, here’s what’s on my Christmas wish list this year:

1) Pots and pans set ($150) – It’s time for me to have a grown-up pots-and-pans set. Right now, all of my pots and pans are mismatched items that I bought when I moved into my apartment four years ago and consist of a frying pan and two small-ish saucepans. This pots-and-pans set gets fantastic reviews, is in my favorite color, and includes all of the kitchen stuff I need!

2) Bullet journal kit ($28) – I have grand plans of starting a bookish bullet journal in 2021, after seeing Rachel at All the RAD Reads talk about hers a few months ago. So I asked for this adorable bullet journal kit (that comes with stencils and stickers and fun pens!) for Christmas.

3) Popcorn machine ($50) – Popcorn popped in a popcorn popper (say that five times fast) is the best popcorn, don’t you think? When I lived with my mom, we used to have one of these popcorn poppers and it always made the most delicious popcorn, and I really want one for my own place!

4) Lighted makeup mirror ($35) – I used to have a floor-length mirror on the back of my bedroom door that was super useful when applying makeup. But that mirror got damaged in the move and I really need something that allows me to get up close when putting on makeup (especially when I’m not wearing contacts, which is often). I did a quick search on Amazon and found this lighted mirror that I immediately loved and added to my Christmas list.

5) Cat coasters ($15) – How adorable are these coasters? I really need some new coasters, and of course, they should be cat-themed! Amazon currently states this style is unavailable, but I’m crossing fingers and toes that Santa got the memo before they sold out. 🙂

6) Fuzzy socks ($19) – It’s been cold in Florida recently (cold enough that I’ve been able to turn off my air conditioner!) and it made me realize that I do not have a proper collection of fuzzy socks to wear when it’s cold in the mornings, especially now that I’m working from home. And if I’m going to get fuzzy socks, shouldn’t they be cat-themed? (The answer is always yes.)

7) Cat and books shirt ($20) – My collection of bookish t-shirts keeps growing and growing, and I basically don’t wear anything else anymore. (Lounge clothes are the theme of 2020.) I found this adorable shirt when looking for gift ideas to send to my mom, and it’s basically perfect. (The amount of cat-themed gifts on this list speaks to who I am as a person now. I am a cat person, through and through.)

8) Outside area rug ($63) – I’m so excited to have a usable balcony to enjoy, but it needs some furniture first! I added this cute area rug to my Christmas wish list because it’s one of those expensive purchases I know I would put off for months and months (why are rugs so expensive???), even though it would make hanging out on my balcony a little more cozy. (Next up: chairs, a little table, twinkly lights, and maybe some plants!)

9) Exercise bands ($35) – I want to get back into a regular strength-training routine next year, as it’s my favorite form of exercise, and I added exercise bands to my Christmas wish list after seeing someone I follow on Instagram talk about how great they are for at-home workouts. This set includes extras like ankle straps and a door anchor, too!

10) Books – Of course I added a few books to my Christmas list! What do you take me for? I asked for a handful of titles, including Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld, Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi, Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad, and Millenneagram by Hannah Paasch.

What’s on your wish list this year?

Categories: Holidays

The A-Z Thankful List

Happy Thanksgiving Eve, friends! This is my absolute favorite holiday and while things will definitely be different this year, I am still optimistic that it will be a lovely day. Over the weekend, I saw someone on Instagram do this A-Z challenge for things that happened over the year and I thought it might be a fun exercise for thinking about all of the things I’m thankful for this year! I am certain I left something vitally important off this list, but here’s what I’m thankful for in this crazy, weird year:

A – Apartment. I am thankful that I was able to move into a bigger, more updated apartment and that the move went as smoothly as possible. I love my new place so much!

B – Biden winning. I am so, so, so very thankful that Biden won the election. Another four years of Trump’s nonsense would have been disastrous for our country.

C – Cats. I am so thankful for these cute cats of mine! They are so affectionate with me and make me feel so loved. It was much easier to get through those isolating early days of the pandemic with them by my side!

D – Dachshunds. Specifically, my fur-brother, Chip. 🙂 He is the sweetest little monster who always gets so excited when he sees me. I am so thankful for him and the way he makes me laugh!

E – Etsy. I am thankful for Etsy sellers, especially those who pivoted their businesses to create cloth face masks. I have found so many cute, well-made face masks through Etsy!

F – FaceTimes with Mom. Back in the early days of the pandemic, my mom and I started FaceTiming with each other every day and we’ve kept it up, even though we see each other regularly. We rarely text each other anymore, haha—now, we just FaceTime one another whenever we have something to say! I’m thankful for technology and the way it keeps us connected, and so very thankful for the relationship I have with my mom.

G – Games on my phone. I am addicted to games on my phone! There is just something so calming about playing a silly game while listening to a podcast. I am thankful to have this little outlet. (Favorites: Candy Crush, Wordscapes, 1010!, Four Plus, and Match 3D.)

H – Health. I am thankful that I have remained healthy this year. In fact, I’ve been even healthier than in previous years since I’m not working in an office anymore. (Not one single head cold—knock on wood!) I’m so thankful, though, that I haven’t been diagnosed with COVID at any point and neither has anyone in my family. That’s something I do not take for granted, considering how many families have lost loved ones this year.

I – Instagram. I love Instagram. I really do! It’s one of the few social media platforms I follow closely. I try not to scroll incessantly (I have a 30-minute daily limit) but I love being able to share my life and follow my friends’ lives. I am thankful to have such a fun escape from the everyday!

J – Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. I am so thankful for this woman who did so much to bring about change in our society. Because of her, I am able to lead an independent lifestyle without needing to be married. She left behind an amazing legacy.

K – Kindle. I am more thankful than ever for my Kindle! When the libraries closed down early on in the pandemic, I was glad to be able to use Libby to fulfill my reading needs. I was downloading e-books like crazy! I like reading a mix of physical books and e-books, but this year might be a bit heavier on the e-book side. Thank heavens for my Kindle!

L – Listening to podcasts. Where would I be without my beloved podcasts? Whether they’re keeping me informed, making me laugh, telling me a story, or introducing me to a topic I don’t know anything about, podcasts have helped me through this crazy pandemic year. I am so thankful for the content creators of podcasts who continuously push out content for us to listen to for free!

M – Marco Polo. Early in the pandemic, my book club had a Marco Polo group chat going on but it got a little unwieldy to keep up with, ha, with six different people chatting. Nowadays, I use Marco Polo for a daily check-in with my friend M. I love the Marco Polo app because it allows me to get my thoughts out without being interrupted by others, which is the plight of the quiet person. I am thankful for this little app and for my friend M. who really kept me grounded this year.

N – Naps. OF COURSE, I AM THANKFUL FOR NAPS! Naps are my absolute favorite and are made even better when I have a snoozing cat by my side.

O – Opportunities. I’m thankful for the opportunities to grow my skills this year at work. I’ve taken on more challenging writing tasks and have asked for and received other responsibilities that I’m really enjoying.

P – Poll working. I am thankful that I was able to be a poll worker this election season! I am also thankful that I pushed through my social anxiety to do it because it was not an easy task for me! But I had a lot of fun and learned so much about the election process. It was a very long day, but was totally worth it.

Q – Quiet days. Working in an office can be hell on the senses of a highly sensitive person, and it definitely was for me. I am so thankful to be working from home now and to be able to set up my work life in a way that appeals to my HSP nature. I keep my apartment dead silent all day (no TV, no music, nada) and it’s so conducive to a productive working environment for me.

R – Reading. I am so thankful for reading and that I was able to read voraciously throughout this pandemic. I know it’s been a struggle for a lot of people! But reading has always been my source of comfort and my appetite for reading only increased when I was stuck at home for so many months.

S – Surprising friends. It was so much fun to throw these birthday surprises for my friends this year! We tried to plan them so that our friends would be super surprised like the time my friend thought she and her husband were going to walk their dogs… only to find out we were on her sidewalk! Or the time a friend thought another friend was coming by to pick up a yoga mat… but it was actually to be surprised by all of us! Eeks… these surprises were so much fun to plan! I am thankful to have such thoughtful friends!

T – Talking about my life. I am so thankful for this blog and my little corner on the Internet. I am grateful to everyone who reads, everyone who leaves a comment, and everyone who emails me. My blog is such a cathartic space for me, a place for me to talk about my life and work through my emotions, and I don’t know where I would be without it! I am also so thankful for all of the friends I have made through blogging. You all mean so very much to me!

U – Unity. We all came together this year not just to help stop the spread of this awful virus but also to elect a decent, kind, empathetic man to the White House. Not everyone came together, of course, as there is unmitigated spread of the virus right now and 70 million+ people voted for Trump, but I am thankful for the people who put their lives on hold, always wore their mask when in public, and voted for hope and change.

V – Vaccine research. Gosh, am I ever grateful to the scientists and researchers and study participants who have helped in getting a COVID vaccine to market. I can’t believe we are looking at an actual timetable for this vaccine to be ready for essential workers and high-risk people! Amazing.

W – Working from home. I am so thankful that my company moved to a fully remote workforce in mid-March when the pandemic hit. And that my company continues to monitor the case numbers as well as how its employees are feeling about remote work life, so much so that they decided to change our entire office! As mentioned previously, we’re going to be changing offices and using the new one as a coworking space, so I’ll be able to continue working from home for as long as I want. So very, very thankful for that!

X – eXtra time with the cats. Oh yes! One of the best benefits of working from home full-time is getting so much time with my girls! I’m pretty sure they love it just as much, evidenced by the way they like to sleep on my desk and meow at me for pets any time I get up from my desk. 🙂

Y – YouTube ASMR videos. I spend at least 15-20 minutes every night watching an ASMR video on YouTube. There are so many great creators out there, and I am so thankful for what they do. Their videos help to calm my mind and put me in a very relaxed state so I can fall asleep easily.

Z – Zoom writing dates. I think everyone is thankful for the magic of Zoom for some reason or another, and for me, I am so grateful that my writing partner, M., and I were able to use Zoom to continue our weekly writing dates even when everything was closed. We met every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. and I usually got to see her sweet baby (who loved smiling and laughing at the baby she saw on her mom’s computer screen, hehe!), so that was a delight.

Tell me something you’re thankful for by choosing the letter of your first name! 🙂