Gingerbread cake & Luminaries

Hi there. Hope you had a great weekend!

Saturday night Jeff and I had the chance to go out and celebrate our 10 year anniversary from October. It was so great to be able to just reconnect after these last two months of having a newborn. Sunday was just the kind of day I love. My day started off with the Hubby bringing me a cup of coffee with just the perfect amount of creamer (frankly, he “makes” my coffee better than I do) while I was cuddling with Luc after feeding him. Once I made it downstairs, I decided to make a Gingerbread cake with frosting. I was only somewhat ambitious since it was a box mix from Trader Joe’s. I typically like to make things from scratch, but if I don’t, I always make sure it’s a good mix without the chemicals! To make it more special, I did make a non-dairy cream cheese frosting to go with it, though. So it was semi-homemade. :)

While that was baking, the 4 of us (Luc included) played a good old fashion game of hide and seek. Jeff really is a creative “hider”! He cracks me up where thinks of to hide! He is such a fun Dad! Reed loves it. While Luc napped,  the boys played cars and I whipped up the frosting .  I use this {recipe} and just substitute non-dairy cream cheese and earth balance non-dairy margarine. I made the whole recipe so there would be leftovers for icing sugar cookies with Reed later in the week.

Do you use a really good vanilla extract? It really makes a difference in your baked goods. I have been buying Nielsen-Massey Vanilla from Williams-Sonoma for years, but have noticed it being carried in some grocery stores, now too.

While the boys had their afternoon naps, I was able to finish up a little Christmas decorating project and get it photographed. I will be sharing it with you on Tuesday! I think it turned out pretty darn cute. :)

Last night was the luminaries in our neighborhood at 6pm, so I made a quick & easy dinner of burgers seared in a cast iron skillet and finished them off in the oven to cook through with the roasted sweet potatoes, cauliflower and zucchini. YUM!

We went for a walk after dinner to enjoy all the streets lit up by the luminaries and the homes decorated for the Holidays. So many people were out strolling the neighborhood and wishing each other Merry Christmas. It was so enjoyable. It was about 64 degrees, so perfect for an evening walk. I just love living here!!!

Just look at those luminaries winding down the road! So charming! :)

Here are some of the homes that caught my eye.

Maybe a bit much in the lawn ornament dept, but fairly tastefully done. Aside from that, I just love this home’s curb appeal!

 

Simple, classic decor! Love the wood door!

I love classic cape cod style homes!

It appears wreaths on windows is a pretty common thing around here…

Here is our front door lit up at night

So, that was how we spent our Sunday. Enjoyable!

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