Stephany Writes

Categories: Holidays

This Year’s Christmas Wish List

I love learning how other families celebrate the holiday season. Do you exchange a lot of gifts or do a Secret Santa exchange? Do you have one big experience? Are gifts not even part of the equation? In my family, we exchange gifts. (To be fair, I only exchange gifts between my mom, my stepdad, and my brother and his family. I also do a gift exchange with my girlfriends.) This requires a yearly wish list that we send to each other via our family group chat in November. I’ll be honest: I have a hard time making a list nowadays since I can essentially buy whatever I want and the things I can’t (ahem, a new mattress), are way too expensive to put on a Christmas list. But it’s still fun to peruse gift lists and think about some of the things I want but have resisted buying for myself. I also really enjoy buying gifts for other people. If you have a loved one who loves customizing watches, then you may consider giving customized seiko mods from Seiko lab. I love thinking of thoughtful gifts to give them and I often go overboard with buying gifts. What can I say? I love spoiling my family!

My list this year is really, really boring but ah, that’s life, isn’t it? Here are some of the things I asked for this Christmas:

1) 23andMe DNA test

Have you done one of these genealogy tests? I’m only vaguely familiar with my own lineage – I know my dad’s side of the family is from Germany and my mom’s side is a smattering of Irish, English, and Polish. But I don’t know much more than that! I’ve had friends do these tests and the results have been super interesting.

2) A new Crock-Pot

I know everyone is about the InstantPot these days, and I have one and I like it well enough, but it’s still not as convenient as a Crock-Pot. For me, at least, since my motivation wanes drastically in the evening when I get home from work. It’s easier for me to throw ingredients into the Crock-Pot in the morning, let it simmer throughout the day, and come home to a fully cooked meal when I get home. Plus, meat from a Crock-Pot is the best. A pressure cooker can’t tenderize it as well. So, I put a Crock-Pot on my wish list because the one I have now is old and doesn’t do that thing where it clicks over to “warm” when the food is done cooking. Since I’m out of my house for at least 11 hours every day, it’s impossible to use my Crock-Pot on work days and that’s the whole point!

3) Handheld cordless vacuum

Probably the most boring thing on my Christmas list but the thing I’ll be most excited to get! Now that I have cats, my couch needs to be vacuumed on a near-constant basis. (“So much cat hair!” I constantly say as I sweep and vacuum.) The hose attachment on my older vacuum does the trick for now but I’d prefer something more compact and easier to use, like this hand vacuum that’s literally called the “pet hair eraser.”

4) New makeup brushes

File this under “things I can get for myself but just haven’t.” My current makeup brushes are rather cheap and definitely need to be replaced. I found this simple set at Sephora and it seems perfect for my needs!

5) Book scarf

I was perusing Amazon for gift ideas and came upon this adorable infinity scarf dotted with books. How on-brand for me!

6) Makeup organizer

I’ve been on the hunt for a new makeup organizer but it’s been a futile mission because most of the organizers I find are too large for my tiny bathroom sink. And yet – I need it to be large to fit all my products! I found this makeup organizer on Amazon and it has pretty good reviews. I like that it rotates and has adjustable plates so I can decide exactly how I want to use it. (Also, I just realized I never actually put this on the list I sent to my mom and brother, haha, so I know it won’t be under the tree this year! Maybe an after-Christmas gift to myself?)

7) Vegetable chopper

Another blogger I read raved about this handy vegetable chopper that can slice, dice, chop, and spiralize vegetables, and I had to add it to my Christmas list this year because I absolutely despise chopping vegetables. I’ve tried other slicers and dicers but most haven’t been able to chop my veggies the way I want. This one has lots of different attachments so it may be the miracle kitchen tool I need to eat more veggies!

8) Coloring books

I’m a sucker for an adult coloring book. I always have a coloring book open on my kitchen island with markers in a cup nearby. (Of course, the girls love tipping over the cup and stealing the markers!) I don’t really sit down and color a full page in one sitting. Instead, I’ll continue with the page I’m coloring while watching something on Netflix, listening to a podcast, or if I have a few minutes before needing to leave for work. It always fills me with great joy when I finish a page! (For those looking for a recommendation, I adore Johanna Basford’s coloring books. Thick paper, pretty illustrations, and each page is so different from the last!)

What’s something you asked for this year (if you exchange gifts!)?

Categories: Holidays

Thankful (v. 2)

Happy Wednesday, friends! I’m back for round two of my gratitude worksheet. Enjoy!

11) The best song I heard today was nothing? Eeks! I don’t really listen to music! I listened to podcasts while I was getting ready for work, an audiobook while I was driving, and more podcasts while I was working. Yesterday, though, I did turn on my Christmas playlist on Spotify and one of my favorite songs came on first: O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Ugh, I love that song. So pretty!

12) When I look inside my closet, I’m grateful for the clothes that remind me of people and places and events. The rain jacket that reminds me of my trip to Ireland. The red dress that reminds me of my friend’s baby shower. The bookish tee that reminds me of my friend every time I wear it since she bought it for me. Clothes can evoke so many memories, and I’m grateful for all of them.

13) I’m lucky that I’m smart enough to figure out how to write just about anything. I have to write a lot of different things for my day job and there are many times when the topic is something I know nothing about, like bioengineering or roof insulation. But I love it. I love learning about something totally new and trying to figure out how to take my research and turn it into a concise article. And I love that I can be counted on at my job to write out-of-the-box content, stuff that might not fit into our normal constraints and needs a more creative hand.

14) In this moment, the things I love most about my friends are their kindness, silliness, and love. I adore my friends so very much, mostly because they just let me be me. It took me a long time to accept myself for who I am and an even longer time to find friends who did the same. But they’re my people and I love them so!

15) I’m grateful that my hands can hold my sweet little kitties and my fur-brother, Chip. Pets are such a blessing, aren’t they? My kitties are just so much fun and make me laugh all the time. They also make me feel super-duper loved, especially how they are constantly pawing at me for attention. Chip also makes me feel so loved in the way he always greets me – his whole body trembling with excitement. It’s the sweetest thing.

16) The prettiest thing I saw today was the beautiful view of Tampa Bay! The weather has been GLORIOUS lately (today was a high of 71!) and I went on a beautiful, sunshine-y bike ride with two coworkers during my lunch break. (We have one of those bike-share locations in our parking garage where we can rent bikes for free.) The views were gorgeous – we rode along the water for much of our journey – and the weather was amazing. It definitely gave me the energy boost I needed!

17) When I look into the mirror, I’m grateful for the girl who looks back at me. I’m grateful that, most days, I don’t cringe at the girl who looks back at me because I wish she was skinnier or prettier. I’m grateful that I’ve grown to appreciate my body and what it does for me, and genuinely like the girl that stares back at me. She’s pretty great, you know?!

18) Three of my most prized possessions are Eloise, Lila, and my bed? Ha. The kitties are definitely my top favorites and they bring such immense joy to my life, as I’ve already mentioned. And my bed is something I greatly love and appreciate. It’s comfy and cozy and warm and so nice to sink into at the end of the day.

19) I’m grateful my eyes let me see all the nature I want! Is there anything more beautiful and awe-inspiring and healing than being surrounded by nature? For me, there is not. Whenever I’m feeling low, I know getting outside and being in nature helps me so much. I’m so grateful there are so many beautiful nature trails near me where I can do just that!

20) The things I would never change about myself include my sense of humor, my empathy, and my introversion. All three of these things are a huge part of what makes me me and I wouldn’t change them for anything.

Categories: Holidays

Thankful (v.1)

Six years ago, I did a series about gratitude, following these prompts. And I thought – hey, maybe it’s time to revisit those prompts! My life has changed a lot since 2013, so it might be fun to see where I was at then – and grateful for – and where I’m at now. Plus, I was looking for something semi-easy to blog about in November since a lot of my creative energy and time is being spent on NaNoWriMo.

Let’s dive into the prompts (and totally feel free to do this on your own blog! I’d love to see it!):

1) I’m most thankful for my ability to empathize. I think this is one of the strongest things about me – my ability to listen and empathize with other people. Someone I love is going through a really rough time right now and I love that this person feels comfortable coming to me to talk about it, knowing I will be the sounding board they need. Of course, this can often backfire as I tend to take in other people’s emotions but, through lots of therapy, I’m learning to let it go and understand I can listen and offer advice without needing to burden myself with their emotions.

2) In this moment, the thing I love most about my family is our honesty. I’m talking about my mom and my brother here, and I just love how we have really allowed ourselves to open up. The three of us have been through a LOT together and separately, and it has made us much closer as a result. We are not afraid to get real about our feelings and express our emotions. It feels so good to have a safe space where I don’t have to be anyone but myself with them, and I know they will always love me unconditionally.

3) Something that made me smile today was seeing my kitties when I came home! I just love coming home to them. I was gone for 13 hours today so it was a long time away from them! (For me, at least. I’m obsessed with my girls.) While I was at work, a maintenance guy came by to fix a few things in my apartment and I think they were hiding under my bed until I came home! Poor little ladies. But once they saw it was me, they came out for pets and love. <3

4) The best thing I smelled today was Starbucks! I stopped by to get a peppermint mocha because it’s that time of year! I’ve had three since they came back in season less than a week ago, oops.

5) One of the memories I’m most grateful for is all the moments I got with Pops when he was in the hospital. I screenshot a text my mom sent me after he’d been in the hospital for a few days where she said, “I feel like chopped liver. Pops keeps asking when you are going to get here.” And it just meant the world to me, to know that I brought him a level of peace and comfort just by being there. I tried to bring him strawberry milkshakes when he had the appetite for them and just be a person in the room. Because that’s all he really wanted, to not be alone. I had no idea we’d lose him so suddenly, and I am so immensely grateful that I was able to be there just about every day and have sweet moments with my Pops.

6) Thank goodness someone taught me how to be a cat mom! This one goes out to Kim, as she was endlessly patient with me and all my questions throughout my journey to become a cat mom. She sent me a long list of cat supplies to think about buying, calmed me down whenever I got worried about Eloise and her acclimating to my apartment, and cheered me on through every stage of cat motherhood. She’s been so supportive and helpful and made me feel so much less anxious about the prospect of owning a cat. I’ve never owned a cat or even had much familiarity with them, but Kim was the perfect person to reach out to because she never made me feel silly or dumb for my questions and is also SUCH a huge cat person that she makes me feel completely normal in my obsession with my girls. Cat people FTW!

7) The strongest part of my body in this moment is my heart. Okay, this is going to be very cheesy but I honestly can’t point to something super physical, like my legs or my arms, or even my mind right now. But my heart is strong. It beats fiercely for the people I love and has been beaten up so many times, but still, it loves. My heart is the very best part of me.

8) Even after a rough day, the things I’m most grateful for at work are supportive coworkers, a great boss, and creative work. When I originally did these prompts, I was just a few months into the job I’ve now been at for six years and in a complete honeymoon phase. I’m not in that same honeymoon phase but I still really love my job. I have autonomy and really supportive people around me, and I get to flex my creative muscles from time to time. I’m immensely grateful.

9) I’m so grateful that my legs carry me through just about any workout I want. I may need to take breaks and may need lower-intensity accommodations, but I can do the workouts. It’s easy to feel unmotivated to work out or whine about not having the time, but what an honor and joy it is to move my body the way I want to.

10) I felt a little burst of energy today when I finished a workout class. I haven’t been to BodyPump in a few weeks, but I went this morning and it was exactly what I needed. I felt strong going through the movements and proud of myself for getting up early and doing the damn thing.

What’s something that made you smile today?

2013 answers: part I, part II

Categories: Holidays

Five for Friday: My Favorite Christmas Traditions

Happy Friday! I can’t believe it’s the weekend before Christmas. Honestly, this holiday season has felt both long and short. Since Thanksgiving fell early this year, we seemingly had an extra week of the holidays but that time went by fast.

The holiday season can be exciting, but it can also be hard. And for me, it’s hard in ways that are difficult to talk about on a public blog. Suffice it to say, the holidays look so different from family to family, and there is no one right way to celebrate the season. And if you need to delete Instagram and Facebook from your phone for the next week because the barrage of family photos is too much, I totally, totally understand. (And I may end up doing the same!) I want everyone to take special care of themselves over these next few days and know you are not alone, even if it might feel like you are.

However, I want to talk about the holiday season a bit! I don’t have a ton of holiday traditions myself, but there are a few of them that mean the world to me, things I’ve cultivated over the past few years to make this season as meaningful as it can be. Let’s take a look!

1) Decorating Christmas cookies with my family.

This is always one of my favorite holiday traditions, and it’s something that my family has been doing for years and years. I have pictures of my brother and me sitting around our scuffed-up kitchen table, smiles on our faces as we hold up our horribly decorated Christmas cookies. (Please note: that the above photo is not of any cookies we’ve ever decorated… or will ever decorate.)

Nowadays, my brother, my nephews, and I come to my mom’s for cookie decorating. We cut out Christmas cookies using all of the cookie cutters my mom has collected through the years. The cookies are baked (and it never fails that at least one pan of cookies has to be thrown out because we placed them too close together and they’ve congealed into one massive cookie) and cooled, and then we get to work decorating. We’re all terrible decorators, so there’s a lot of trash-talking involved as we laugh at some of our “masterpieces.” And then, my mom sends us home with our own baggie full of cookies, which I munch on little by little throughout the next week.

We’re planning our cookie decorating day for Sunday, and I am oh-so-excited.

2) Going all out with decorating.

Oh, how I love decorating my little apartment for Christmas. I have a fake tree because I cannot deal with the setup process of a real tree anymore, but I make sure to have a fir-scented candle going as often as possible to get a semblance of the Christmas tree scent in my home. I have colored lights and white lights, garland, a tree full of ornaments, Christmas knick-knacks, a countdown snowman, and even a tiny tree that I bought from Trader Joe’s at the end of November. My home is usually pretty minimalist in terms of decor eleven months out of the year, but come the holiday season, I go all out.

I even decorate my desk at work! I have more lights, more garland, and more Christmas knick-knacks to make my desk as festive as possible for the holiday season. (One year, I put up Christmas gel clings on the glass partition between my cubicle and the person next to me, but the residue took forever to remove, ha, so I haven’t done that again.)

I just love decorating for Christmas because reading by the light of my Christmas tree or seeing my home so cozy makes me so damn happy. (Although, I’m usually equally happy to take everything down and restore my home to order by the end of December.)

3) Celebrating on Christmas Day.

I’m always so intrigued about how people celebrate the actual holiday, as I know a number of families celebrate on Christmas Eve. We’ve never been a Christmas Eve-celebrating family. For a while, my extended family got together on Christmas Eve night to exchange small gifts and just be together. In fact, I think the last Christmas my grandma was alive, we all got together on Christmas Eve and that’s a memory I cherish so much. We watched a Carrie Underwood performance together and I told her about a new guy I was seeing. It was really special. But that was the last time we did one of those gatherings. Now, I usually go out to dinner with my mom and stepdad.

Instead, we celebrate on Christmas Day. This year, my mom is hosting a small gathering at her place for my brother, his family, and me. We’ll eat ham and turkey, open presents, and just hang out. We usually meet later in the afternoon, although I usually head to my mom’s a bit earlier just to spend a little extra time with her and my stepdad. It’s Christmas, after all. Who wants to spend it alone?

4) Annual Secret Santa gift exchange.

For the past few years, my girlfriends and I have done a Secret Santa gift exchange. We go to a delicious fondue restaurant, get all dressed up, and exchange gifts. It’s honestly something I look forward to every year. I love how personal we can get with the gifts because we’re only buying for one person and we can focus all of our energy on finding the perfect gifts for her. We also use this dinner to talk about all the fun times we’ve had throughout the year and plan events for the new year. Some of the things we want to do in 2019: take a girls’ trip to Boston, go to a hibachi restaurant, volunteer, have some game nights, and go shuffleboarding.

5) Watching my favorite Christmas movies.

We all have our favorite Christmas movies, don’t we? Every year, I try to watch my standards which include The Santa Clause, Elf, Love Actually, and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. I also try to throw in a “classic” Christmas movie I’ve never seen. I’ve still yet to watch A Christmas Story, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Miracle on 34th Street! I need to watch one of those this year. But I just love watching a Christmas movie while wrapping presents or baking cookies. It’s something that fills me with so much joy and happiness!

What are some of your current Christmas traditions?

Categories: Holidays

What’s On My Christmas Wish List

Can you believe it? There are six days left until Christmas! All of my holiday shopping is done, the presents are wrapped, and the holiday parties are over. All that’s left is to decorate Christmas cookies with my family, watch all of the Christmas movies, and enjoy reading in front of my twinkling Christmas tree every evening. Yay!

Every year, I like to make a Christmas wish list post. In my family, we’re big about gifts because there’s just something sweet about finding the perfect gifts for your family members and anticipating what they will get you. Christmas is about togetherness, of course, but there’s nothing wrong with writing out wish lists and wondering what will be waiting for you under the tree this year. We make it easy, sending out lists in mid to late November so that there are no stressful guessing games. I wasn’t even sure what I was going to ask for this year because, honestly, I’m at a stage of my life where I can buy most of the things I want. But, alas, I managed to come up with a list for my family, and here are some of the things I included:

1. TOMS ($60). I love my TOMS. I have very weird feet and can’t wear flip-flops or sandals if I’m planning on walking or standing a lot. They just don’t give my feet the structure they need, so my arches start aching and the balls of my feet start burning. TOMS are different. They perfectly support my feet, and if I know I’m going somewhere where there will be a lot of walking or standing around, I wear my TOMS. I’ve had my current pair for a few years now, so it’s time for an upgrade. I put a regular black pair and a pink sparkly pair on my wish list this year.

2. A quilt ($70). I don’t think you want to know how long I’ve had my current quilt, but I’m going to tell you anyway: five years. I love this quilt. I actually bought a comforter when I moved in 2015 and within just a few weeks, I was back to using my quilt. I don’t know what it is about it, but it is just so comfy and I love wrapping myself up in it right before falling asleep. I keep my apartment cold (I can’t fall asleep unless it’s 73 degrees or colder in my apartment), so I need a cozy quilt to keep me warm. Anyway, it’s time to upgrade my quilt and this one is so colorful and fun!

3. Echo Dot ($50). Do I need an Echo Dot? Should I be concerned about Alexa listening to all of my conversations?  I don’t know, but I added this to my Christmas list because I wanted to find out what all the fuss is about.

4. Spa bath pillow ($22). I take a bubble bath on a near-nightly basis, but it’s usually as low-key as possible. I just use body wash as my “bubbles,” there are no candles or glasses of wine nearby. And I think it’s time to upgrade my bubble bath experience. I put this bath pillow on my list because I’d really love a more comfortable way to lean back in the tub. I bought a pillow a year or so ago, but it didn’t suction to my tub at all and I was so disappointed that I gave up on bath pillows altogether. Maybe second time’s the charm?

5. Waterpik water flosser ($60). This is probably the most boring item on my Christmas wish list and younger Stephany is appalled. But I really want a water flosser! Sure, I can handle the whole manual flossing routine, but using a water flosser is way more effective. And with that, I’ll see myself out.

6. INFINITIPRO by Conair hair dryer ($35). I’ve had my current hair dryer for a few years now, and it’s nearing the time when it needs to be replaced. I’m lucky in that I don’t need anything super fancy when it comes to drying my hair, although I typically need to swipe my straightener through my hair after drying it to smooth it out. This option seems like a nice upgrade from what I’m using now.

7. The complete set of Anne of Green Gables ($85). One of my goals in 2019 is to reread the Anne of Green Gables series. I read it when I was in high school and loved it, and have grown interested in rereading it lately. (It’s so beloved by Bookstagram, which makes me want to revisit the series!) This boxed set is pricey, for sure, but includes all eight books with beautiful covers.

8. Bathtub caddy tray ($50). As I mentioned earlier, it’s time to upgrade my bubble bath situation. First, with a bath pillow and second with a tray so I can have a place to prop up my book, keep my phone handy, and even enjoy a beverage while I’m relaxing.

9. Bomber jacket ($55). I have been on the hunt for a lightweight jacket for a while now, and I can never find anything that fits well or makes me feel good. I found this one from Old Navy when I was putting together my Christmas wish list for my family and I kinda love it. It looks like the perfect jacket to pull on for those days when the temps dip below 60 degrees. (OK, fine, 65. I’m a baby when it comes to winter, okay?!)

What’s on your wish list this year?