Happenstance

Soooooo.....of course I thought I would force all of my sisters to help me bake Christmas gifts. It seemed like a win-win scenario for me: more help means less time baking and less work. Plus, I decided to cut down on the recipes this year.  We started with Gluten Free Gingerbread Bars . INGREDIENTS : 1 3/4 cups brown sugar 2/3 cup butter 1/4 cup molasses 2 teaspoons ground ginger 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt DIRECTIONS : 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. 2. Mash the brown sugar, butter, and molasses together in a bowl with a spoon until the mixture is creamy and thoroughly combined. Mix in the ginger, eggs, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir 1/4 of flour mixture into the butter mi...

Looking back on the day of the wedding, there is almost nothing I would change. I was more stressed out (wanting everything to be perfect) than I would like to admit, but once the ceremony started I felt more relaxed. The video projector that was supposed to run a loop of pre-selected pictures did not work as intended... but I need to let that go.  Honestly, we heard from SEVERAL of the coordinators that we worked with at the hotel and zoo that our party was one of the easiest and most fun they had worked with. I'm sure they say that to everyone, but I'm not going to lie - I liked hearing it! Be forewarned, this is a long post! We were able to get ready and take pictures at the zoo before the ceremony, which worked out really well for us. People around the zoo were very accommodating of the bridal party and one little girl said I looked like a princess - so,  I'm free to adopt her at any time! The animal masks worked out spectacularly and were great bridal party gifts! T...