Cookies, cookies, cookies. I am pretty sure that Christmas Cookies always taste better than other cookies! ;) (And that is pretty good considering you never really hear me complaining about eating other cookies! ;) ). We think everyone deserves to treat themselves to a few Christmas cookies AND what better way to spend the day than with some friends in the kitchen?!? So fun!! For this reason alone, we hope you will join us for this 10th day of the Amazing Life Holiday Advent Calendar and Bake Christmas Cookies with Friends. Cookies have always been a huge part of our holiday traditions. Both Ryan and I remember growing up helping our families make hundreds of cookies. Making sand tarts always took the most effort, but they definitely made the most memories! I remember getting up at 5:00 a.m. to start the day at Grandma’s! (Ok, maybe it wasn’t that early- but I know we started early! ;) ). Everyone would have their hand in decorating and we would always make sure we made Ornaments with everyone’s monogram made out of teaberries. Ohh and did I mention, the churches always had to have stained glass windows with different colored sugars? Ryan’s favorite memories of making sand tarts was when they made them on his birthday (coming up super soon! ;) wahoo!)! His mom would cut out tractor trailer trucks especially for him to decorate with his favorite cinnamon balls! ;)

This year our friends Lauren and John invited us over for a day of cookie baking fun! John made his family’s traditional sugar cookies and we had a blast decorating them! ;) This was our first time using icing and boy was that a site to see! ;) It took me a while to get the hang of it- but the best thing was that Lauren and John had a rule that “the only rule at their house was that there are no rules!” It was so great… they didn’t judge us for our cookies! Haha! John even made Ryan a special lobster just for him to decorate (the lobster is like Ryan’s grown up tractor trailer truck! ;) ). It definitely made his day! Haha!

Making cookies surrounded by your friends is such a perfect way to make something incredibly tasty while making new memories! ;) I think that is the real reason that Christmas Cookies taste better than others! ;)

Huge thanks to Lauren and John and Lauren’s parents for inviting us over to join in on their cookie making fun!!! We had a blast! And an extra huge thanks to John for sharing his family’s sugar cookie recipe with all of us! Enjoy!

RECIPE: John’s Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 Cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 Cup Butter, softened
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• ½ tsp Almond Extract
• 2.5 Cups Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Cream of Tartar

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix powdered sugar, butter, egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Stir in flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough 3/16 inch thick on lightly floured cloth. Cut into shapes and sprinkle with decorative sugar (or skip the sugar and add icing and decorations after the cookies have been baked!). Place on cookie sheet. Bake 7-8 minutes, until edges are light brown.

One of our all time favorite things to do is give unexpected gifts! Whether it is something we have DIY’d or a little something that we picked up just because we were thinking about someone special… big or small, giving gifts makes our hearts smile super BIG! So today, we are inviting you to join us in making your own hearts smile super BIG while bringing a smile to someone else’s face too by sending a secret Santa gift to someone special!

Have you ever seen the movie Elf? (If not, go rent it! ;) It is definitely one of our FAVORITE Christmas movies!) At the beginning of the movie they show the elves working super hard to help Santa get the gifts ready for Christmas. They work incredibly hard, but they ALWAYS have a smile on their faces. They never complain… and yes, they get to work with toys (which is super fun), but I think they are always happy because they know that those toys are going to bring a huge smile to someone’s face! There is magic in doing that!

On Friday, Ryan and I were out and about picking up a few things at the store and came across a gift that would be perfect for some special in our lives! ;) This person isn’t necessarily someone who was “on our list” for Christmas… but it was perfect and we knew it would bring a smile to her face, so that was every reason to pick it up and send it as a secret gift from Santa! We became elves for the day… wrapping the gift up all pretty and signing it with love from Secret Santa! ;)

And now our hearts are smiling even bigger in anticipation of knowing that someone we love is going to have an extra big smile super soon! ;)

Good Morning and Happy Saturday!  It’s Day 8 of our AMAZING Life Holiday Advent Calendar and we have the perfect way to start your weekend: Gingerbread Waffles for Breakfast in Bed!!!

RECIPE: Vegan Gingerbread Waffles 

I LOVE waking up early on a weekend to sneak downstairs to prepare a tasty breakfast for breakfast in bed.  There is no better way to reconnect with your significant other after a busy week of work and life than sitting together in bed while enjoying the morning and a tasty breakfast.

We were recently looking for a recipe for gingerbread and we stumbled upon the most AMAZING looking gingerbread waffles instead over at the Minimalist Baker.  And better yet, they are vegan which makes them sound super healthy! (Because for some reason in my mind anything vegan is more healthy).  :)

Ok, I know what you are thinking, how can a vegan waffle taste any good? Eggs and milk are key ingredients to this delectable breakfast time favorite, aren’t they?

Trust me, these are super easy to make and they are probably the best waffles we’ve ever had!  Just add a side of fresh fruit, place on a serving tray and you have the perfect meal for breakfast in bed.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.25 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 2.5 Tbsp water)
• 1 cup vanilla almond milk
• 2 Tbsp molasses
• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• Maple syrup and powdered sugar for topping

INSTRUCTIONS:

Start by creating a flax egg. In a large bowl, simply add 1 Tbsp of flaxseed meal to 2.5 Tbsp of water and let rest for a few minutes.  Flaxseed meal can be found in the baking isle of most grocery stores.

Meanwhile, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger in a separate bowl.

Next, add molasses, oil, pumpkin puree (we had some leftover in our cupboard from Thanksgiving), and brown sugar to the flax egg.  Whisk until smooth.  Add almond milk and whisk until combined.

At this point you may get out your waffle iron and begin heating it up for cooking.

Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and mix until just smooth.

Once the waffle iron is hot, pour 1/2 cup of batter onto the iron and cook until brown and crispy.

At this point, we usually stack all of our waffles on a plate but they always end up getting moist from condensation and lose their crispy texture.  Thanks to the Minimalist Baker, we learned a super simple trick to keep the waffles crisp.  Simply place each waffle on a cookie cooling rack as you remove them from the waffle iron.  Genius!

After all of the waffles have been made and cooled slightly on the drying rack, stack 2 to 3 on a plate, top with maple syrup, and sprinkle on a little powdered sugar. Return to bed with these AMAZING waffles and soak in life! Happy Saturday!

Wahooo! Today, my friends, is a day that we have been SO EXCITED about for such a long time! Ever since the day Allison asked us to be a part of her and Tom’s 10 Year Anniversary Vow Renewal, we have pretty much dreamed of being able to share their magic with you!

On a beautiful evening in September, Allison (yes, of the AMAZING Allison Barnhill Designs) and her husband Tom renewed their wedding vows surrounded by their incredible kids (Avery and Logan) and their closest family and friends. The setting was absolutely like nothing we have ever seen before and it literally had us feeling like we were living a dream! In fact, at one point I said to Allison, “I am so thankful to be a part of your dream… because you have a really beautiful way of dreaming!” ;).

Between the handmade paper flowers, the “library” with a book of stories that the guests shared about Allison and Tom, the invitations that were sculpted into real books, the ombre aisle runner made out of rose petals, the book carved with A & T (by our very own Caitlin! ;) ), (the list of AMAZINGNESS goes on and on)… One of my favorite parts of the whole evening was watching Allison and Tom dance to the final song of the night next to Avery and Logan and so many of their friends and family! There was a lot of love that went into that special day and so so so much more surrounding them on that dance floor that evening! YES, it was a dream and thankfully we have photos to share the magic with all of you!

Allison and Tom, words cannot begin to describe how grateful we are to have been there with you to celebrate your love and document this small chapter in your AMAZING love story! You are such an incredible example of love and passion and we are so grateful to call you friends! Thank you for sharing that love with us and giving us the opportunity to share that love with the world too! You are AMAZING!

Leading up to the Renewal, we joked often that Allison pulled together a “dream team” to execute the details of this special day… but it is pretty much true and we are so honored to have been a part of it! Thank you to everyone who had their hand in making Allison and Tom’s dream a reality!

The Dream ;), Stationery, Paper Flowers, Lanterns: Allison Barnhill Designs  | Photography: Liz and Ryan | Flowers, Lighting and Decor: Intrigue Design & Decor | Venue: Governor Calvert House | Hair and Make Up: Up Do’s for I Do’s | Cake and Cupcakes: Fiona’s Cakes | Music: MyDeejay | Transportation: Limousines, Inc. | Furniture: 2hands Studios | Dresses and Attire: Annapolis Formal | Officiant: Rev. Laura Cannon | Ceremony Music: Chesapeake Strings | Scrabble Boards: Oh My Chocolate | Scrabble Board Design: Stephanie Bausman | Chairs, Linens and Glassware: Party Plus Baltimore | Day of Planning: Historic Events | Carved Book Art: Caitlin Engels

How many times during the holiday season have we been in a rush to get in and out of a store?  In a rush to buy that one last gift so we can check the last person off our list. How many times have we just brushed past the volunteer standing by the red kettle ringing a bell without hesitation?  Have we ever even taken a moment to ask why they are ringing their bells?

From the Salvation Army:

“Donations provide Christmas dinners, clothing, and toys for families in need. Financial assistance also helps with basic necessities, along with seasonal aid. Families of prisoners often are included.

Volunteers distribute gifts to shut-ins in hospitals and nursing homes, and shelters are open for sit-down dinners. The Salvation Army endeavors to bring spiritual light and love to those it serves at Christmas so that the real meaning of the season is not forgotten.”

Today for Day 7 of our AMAZING Life Holiday Advent Calendar we will be collecting change from our couch to donate to a Salvation Army Kettle.  Everyone probably has $2 or $3 in loose change lying around, between the cushions, on a dresser, or in a loose change jar! (At least we are hoping we are not the only ones with change all over our house!)

Today we will be collecting all of the loose change we can possibly find and then we are going to head out, not to buy one more holiday gift, but to find the nearest bell ringer with a red kettle to donate our change.

If you really are super organized and you can’t find any loose change, but still want to donate, we have created an online Red Kettle Campaign.  You can view and donate to our campaign here or better yet, start your own. Our goal is to reach $250 before Christmas! Please help us!!

The next time you head out to the store… before you leave, collect your loose change and be sure to deposit it into a red kettle! Once you actually have gone through all of your loose change, be sure to go out of your way and thank the volunteer who is ringing that bell! It’s all about making people smile this holiday season… and you can do it to!