One of our absolute favorite things, well at least category of favorite things, are sweet treats! We love pretty much anything with caramel, peanut butter, or chocolate. Cupcakes are definitely one of our all time favorites, but they are definitely fighting a tight battle with this week’s Friday Favorite: Ladurée Macaroons.
Friday Favorites: Sweet Treat – Ladurée Macaroons
Our obsession with these little puff like cookie pastries, started earlier this year. We were hosting a super fun wine and cheese night with some of our friends. Wine and Cheese nights are definitely a topic for another post. :) We were sampling wine and cheese to get us ready for our trip to Paris that was coming up later in the year and our AMAZING friends Lindsley and Jeff stopped by with macaroons! They explained to us that in Paris, there was the best macaroon patisserie called Ladurée.
Fast forward two months to this past May to us standing in line outside the door of Ladurée in the rain. We huddled tight under our single person umbrella and tried to dodge the sideways rain drops. Each time a person in front of us was lucky enough to make it inside, the sweet smell of freshly baked macaroons would linger outside for a fleeting moment just long enough to convince us to stay in line just a little longer. Finally, after 5 minutes, we swear it definitely felt much more like 5 hours :), we made it inside.
The display case was a Crayola Crayon box of colors. From chocolate milk, to cherry blossom, to pistachio, to Liz’s favorite, salted caramel, there was an endless variety. We bought half a dozen and by the time we had paid and made it out the door, we only had two left! We shared the last two later that evening and were instantly hooked. So the next time your in Paris, be sure to pick us up a dozen! And if they don’t make it off the plane back, we understand.
Although we can’t share Ladurée Macaroons with you, we will be giving away one dozen macaroons from the FABULOUS Patisserie Poupon, which is located right nearby us! They are definitely a very close second to Ladurée. Just be sure to like our page on Facebook, and leave us a comment below for your chance to win!
Gosh, we are so blessed to have such amazing clients! It is amazing how God works his magic and brings incredible people into your lives! As we started to get to know Jenn and Ben, we instantly fell in love with them!
Jenn owns her own crafting company! (enough said, right?! ;) ) But in addition to her love of crafting, she is also just one of the sweetest people in the world! Ben played football… kind of like Friday Night Lights style in his hometown in TX. Then he made his way up to the second best Patriot League school in PA, Lehigh (haha… second of course to Bucknell! ;) ), where he also played football. As our conversation went on during the consultation, we realized Ben and Ryan actually played football against each other in college! ;) We won’t mention who won because my ranking comment earlier just won’t make any sense!… lol. But small world right?!?
We also love when our amazing couples introduce us to fabulous new places! Jenn and Ben introduced us to Sandy Point State Park last week. Yes, yes, we have always seen the signs and admired the beaches from afar on our way to and from the Eastern Shore, but we never had the excuse to check it out! (If you are reading this and you are in the same boat… I am giving you the excuse right now… go check it out! ;) ).
Ben surprised Jenn one day by picking her up from work. He had planned a special afternoon away from the craziness of life at Sandy Point. Ben had gone over early to scout out the perfect spot. He put the blanket down and was ready to pop the question. As soon as Jenn got off work, he brought her over to the perfect spot he had picked out- only to find a family full of kids that also decided it was the perfect spot on the beach! ;) Suggesting they go for a walk, Ben didn’t skip a beat in making sure this special afternoon was everything they dreamed it to be!
We could not be more grateful to be able to capture this amazing time in Jenn and Ben’s lives! Thanks Jenn and Ben for the amazing excuse to check out Sandy Point and to be able to share the afternoon with you! You two are amazing!
For weeks we had it marked on our calendar. It read “Pool Day!” With summer quickly coming to an end we wanted to spend one more day enjoying summer while sitting at the pool, catching up on some of our favorite magazines, and holding each other tight. It was supposed to be a lazy date day before heading into a few of our busiest weeks yet this year. Well, apparently mother nature doesn’t follow our calendar and instead of sunshine and warm weather, it decided to rain. In protest, Liz put on her Sperry rain boots and went outside anyway.
So instead of our planned date night, we decided to embrace fall and the rainy weather, enjoy Pumpkin Spice Lattes, and cuddle up close while reading in bed. Normally, we would walk down to Starbucks to get 2 grande Pumpkin Spice Lattes (we are pretty much BFFs with the staff now), but this time we decided to skip the walk and make our own. The $10 we saved we donated to Thirst Relief International as part of our Liz and Ryan Mission Fundraiser. Check out our post from earlier this morning to learn more!
So you may be thinking making your own Pumpkin Spice Latte is CRAZY!!! But in fact, it is really quite simple. Because it is almost the fall and we love anything pumpkin we actually had a left over can of pumpkin in our cabinet. Everything else needed were simple ingredients you probably already have at home too. So enjoy the instructions below on how to create your very own Pumpkin Spice Lattes to drink while cuddling in bed with a good read!
INGREDIENTS:
2 C Milk (We used whole, but 2%, skim, soy or almond should also work)
1 C extra strong coffee (or espresso if you have it)
3 or 4 tbsp canned or fresh pumpkin
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon plus extra to sprinkle on top
1/2 tsp nutmeg plus extra to sprinkle on top
Whip Cream
If you happen to have Pumpkin Spice seasoning, you may substitute it for the cinnamon and nutmeg.
INSTRUCTIONS: Step 1: Measure out two cups of milk and pour into a small sauce pan.
Step 2: Add pumpkin, and sugar to milk and heat over medium high heat. Whisk thoroughly to combine ingredients.
Step 3: Prepare your coffee/espresso.
Step 4: Once the pumpkin milk mixture begins to steam, reduce heat to low, add vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir with whisk over low heat for 15 – 30 seconds.
Step 5: Pour pumpkin milk mixture into two coffee cups. We transferred the mixture to a glass measuring cup with spout for easy pouring first.
Step 6: Add coffee/espresso, approximately 1/2 C each.
Step 7: Top with whip cream and sprinkle on cinnamon and nutmeg
That’s it! Super simple! We just so happened to have some left over pumpkin bread from our AMAZING friends Lauren and John to pair with our lattes. It definitely made for a super tasty treat.
Liz grabbed one of her favorite magazines, Real Simple, and I grabbed our iPad. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing in bed, reading, listening to the rain outside, and pausing to soak in this AMAZING life! Happy Date Night!!
Water is one of the most basic needs that we all share. It is likely that each and everyday we wake up and take for granted that we will have clean water to shower in, to brush our teeth with, and to drink. But, what if we didn’t have clean water? What if the water we drank to quench our thirst just made us sick? For many, that is the reality of each day…
Since a very young age, both Liz and I have had a strong passion to give back to and to make an impact on the lives of others. We have been so fortunate and blessed to have the opportunities we have had in life and we believe everyone should have the same opportunities as us. So, when we attended our first WPPI conference three years ago, one of the things we were the most excited to see was a talk on photography and philanthropy. Photographer Jim Davis Hicks and a small group were speaking about a recent trip to Tanzania. It just so happens that Jim was also the founder of Thirst Relief International. While in Tanzania, Jim and the group helped install Bio Sand Filters that would provide clean drinking water for a lifetime. Jim spoke further about Thirst Relief International and their mission and instantly we were hooked. With just $5 we could save a life and provide clean drinking water for a lifetime to someone in need.
This past year as we began thinking about our new brand and website, Liz and I talked a lot about what we could do to give back. How could we run our business with authentic gratitude and passionate hearts to give back and make a difference in the lives of others? It was as simple as “$5 saves a life.” So, to go along with this week’s Amazing Life Manifesto theme of “Pay It Forward”, we are excited to announce that with each new amazing wedding couple we book we will be paying it forward and 10% of their photography collection costs will be donated to Thirst Relief International.
We have setup a fundraiser on the Thirst Relief International website titled “The Liz and Ryan Mission” fundraiser. You may view the fundraiser here and we would love it if you donated to Thirst Relief. Take a moment to think about it, $5 can save a life. What can you do today to save $5 and to save a life? This afternoon we will share where the first $10.00 donation in our fundraiser came from.
Images used in this post are courtesy of Thirst Relief International, www.thirstrelief.org
Ohh Pinterest, sometimes you just make my heart sing! ;) While browsing through Pinterest, I came across a few herb gardens that just jumped out at me. You all know our love for cooking… so having fresh ingredients in our home is something we have been trying to accomplish for awhile now, but we aren’t the best at keeping plants alive! This herb garden seemed to make it look easy…. So I figured why not try it!?! At least it would be cute even if it ended up not being functional! ;) We could always buy new plants right?! ;)
Our fabulous Intern Caitlin joined us on this project! And I must say- it was definitely a team effort! ;) As much as I would like to say we did this all on my own (I probably could have, because it is honestly not that hard) but we enjoyed having Ryan around! I must give him credit for troubleshooting when we couldn’t get the screw through the metal, keeping us on track when we found ourselves just chatting and watching him do the work, and of course taking all of these beautiful photos to document the process! Gotta love him! ;)
We had an old barn floorboard in our basement that was left over from a previous project (we might just have to share photos of that too, because we are pretty pumped with that project too). It just so happens that the floorboard was cracked anyway- so it just made sense to split it down the natural crack to create two bases.
We purchased the herbs from one of our favorite local nurseries (Valley View Farms). The rest of the supplies we picked up at our local ACE Hardware store.
SUPPLIES WE USED:
Barn Floor Board (any piece of old rustic wood will work)
Herbs (Cilantro, Basil, Parsley, and Oregano)
12 oz. Mason Jars
Metal Pipe Clamps (large enough to fit the width of the Mason Jars
1 Small bag of Small Rocks
Organic Soil
Key Hole Fasteners
Wood Screws
TOOLS WE USED:
Drill
Flathead Screw Driver
Sharpie
Tape Measure
Hammer and Nail
Once we had everything together, we were ready to rock n’ roll!
PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS: Step 1: First We split the wood.
Step 2: Next we started off with the power tools and screwed the keyhole fasteners to the back of the wood for easy hanging when we were done. (Special Tips: Make sure the drill battery is charged. ;) And make sure the drill is not set in reverse when you are trying to drill into the wood. ;) Yes, after about 2 minutes of thinking I was just super weak and didn’t know how to use a power tool, we figured it out! ;) ).
Step 3: Once the hanger was secured, we turned the board over so it was right side up and we could begin spacing everything out. At this point, we had tightened the metal pipe clamps around the mason jars so we knew where we needed to drill them. After just guessing on where to place the jars for mine, Caitlin was smart enough to get a tape measure out and space the jars 7 inches apart. The tape measure also served as a straight line to make sure everything lined up perfectly!
Step 4: Once we knew where we wanted to place the jars, we used a sharpie to make a mark on the wood where we needed to secure the pipe clamp. It was easier for us to drill into the clamp with the clamp unfastened. Since the slits in the clamp are so slim, the drill struggled to get the screw through the metal. Thanks to Ryan, we decided to use a hammer and nail to make a hole in the clamp that we could screw into.
Step 5: When the holes were all made, we were ready to screw them into the floorboard where we had already made our marks. The drill made it easy and within minutes the clamps were all in place.
We tightened the clamps around the mason jars making them just tight enough to slide the jar in and out.
Step 6: Now it was time to plant! I had read a post about indoor herb gardens in Mason Jars not working because of mold growing on the roots because there is nowhere for the Mason Jar to drain. They recommended adding rocks to the bottom of the jar to give the roots some room to breathe. So that is what we did. We started with about 1 inch of rocks in the jars. Then we added about 2 inches of fresh Organic dirt. The last step was placing the herbs right into the Mason Jars. And- they are adorable! ;)
Step 7: Once all of the Mason Jars were planted, we placed them back into the tightened pipe clamps and tightened them just a bit more.
Viola… we made ourselves a pretty awesome looking Rustic Chic Herb Garden! So much fun!
What a fun project! Power tools (once you figure out why they aren’t working) make any DIY project more fun! ;)
We actually completed this project a few months ago and sadly I was not very good about giving the plants the sunlight that they needed and we have since lost our herbs! Lol. However, as promised earlier, it still makes a super cute decoration for our wall! ;) We have plans to plant new plants and try this again for the fall! We will keep you posted on my plant care progress! ;) It is certainly a work in progress! ;)
Let me know if you have any questions or want more info on the project! Or, if you decide to make one yourself… please share pics! We love to see your projects too!
