Make Gingerbread Waffles for Breakfast in Bed: Advent Day 8

Celebrating the Everyday  //  8th December 2012

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!

 

Love Story: Allison and Tom’s Dream Vow Renewal

Love, Stories Documented, Wedding  //  7th December 2012

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

Collect Change to donate to a Salvation Army kettle – Advent Day 7

Giving Back, Gratitude  //  7th December 2012

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!

 

Write a letter to Santa – Advent Calendar Day 6

Giving Back, Gratitude  //  6th December 2012

What is your Christmas Wish this year?! What a fun question to think about, right? For some it may be a toy, a computer, or a new pair of shoes… and for others it may be as “simple” as a new home like one of Susan’s wishes in Miracle on 34^th Street. I tend to think that Santa can handle anything AND it never hurts to ask! So, for Day 6 of the Amazing Holiday Advent Calendar, we are encouraging you to write a letter to Santa!

As we prepared for our visit with Santa, we discussed what we would say when he asked us that question, “What is your Christmas Wish this year?!” A few “simple” ideas came to mind… nothing that seemed too much to ask from such a magical person! ;) We simplified our list to this:

• An AMAZING life for EVERYONE that they live out everyday!
• Health and Happiness
• World Peace.

I mean, if Santa can bring Susan a Dad, a new home, AND a baby brother… I think he can handle the above too! ;) As we were walking through Macy’s during our visit with Santa, we came across a letter writing station where we could write a letter to Santa and they would make sure that he receives it! AWESOME! So, I had myself a little seat at the desk and wrote my letter! I was sure to offer any help that we could just in case we really were asking for too much! ;)

The very best thing about writing our letter to Santa and mailing it at Macy’s is that they will donate $1.00 for every letter that they receive to the Make A Wish Foundation!!! SO so so great!!! The next time you are at the mall (or what the heck- make a special trip!!!) go to Macy’s and mail your very own letter to Santa… or two or three! You will be making a difference in an AMAZING child’s live!

Don’t hold back on those wishes… we are believers and even if they don’t come true this year, we know the elves will be working hard to make them come true in the very near future!

 

Have your picture taken with Santa – Advent Calendar Day 5

Celebrating the Everyday  //  5th December 2012

There is something so incredibly magical about Santa! He has this special way of bringing an extra sparkle into the holiday season. It is always so much fun to walk by Santa at the Mall and see so many kids lined up to see the man in the bright red suit. Their eyes are usually bigger than ever with excitement because they believe in that magic! That raw excitement is contagious… so for Day 5 of our Amazing Holiday Advent Calendar we suggest that you go have your picture taken with Santa! ;)

I ALWAYS get super excited whenever I see Santa, anywhere… in the mall, at MeMe’s house on Christmas Eve (Yes, Santa always makes a stop at MeMe’s house on Christmas Eve and it is AMAZING! ;) ), and especially at Macy’s in NYC! Ryan and I took a little adventure to NYC earlier this week and one of the few planned activities that we had was to go see Santa at Macy’s! Ahhh! The REAL Santa!!! So exciting!!! ;) I may have even been more excited than the other kids in line! (I think part of me was super excited because I really thought that we might run into Buddy the Elf too! ;)… but no such luck!). But thats ok! Our visit with Santa was AMAZING!

You know what was SUPER fun?!? Santa LOVES Baltimore!! ;) (Actually, he told us he loves National Bohemian… lol, but that was just one of the many reasons he loved the city.) Visiting with Santa was pretty much magical! ;) We shared our Christmas wishes with him (more on those to come later! ;) ) and he said he would do the best that he could! He kind of loved them! ;)

Ahhh… so if you can’t tell by the HUGE smile on our faces… having our picture taken with Santa added even more Magic and sparkle into our holiday season! We certainly believe!