Dreaming of reading...

We have been day dreaming of spending hours at the cottage reading. Spending all afternoon in an adriondack by the lake with a good book.   : ) Yes it is a few months until summer pleasure reading, and we are definately daydreaming of pleasure reading. With all the excitment of babies we don't have plenty of reading hours these days, but are looking forward to our cottage break in July.
Here are a few books we have added to our daydreaming of summer list:

The Sweetness of a Simple Life by Diana Beresford-Kroeger



We saw this book on our friend Leigh's blog here and after seeing it in lovely photos and searching it Amazon, knew that this is a book we want to read next.

Inside Out Girl by Tish Cohen





We read her novel the Search Angel last summer and loved it! Her writing, her characters, the story!
Cannot wait to read her other novels.

Next..

The Amazing Thing About the Way it Goes: Stories of Tidiness, Self-Esteem and other things I gave up on.. by Stephanie Pearl McPhee





Stephanie is the writer on the blog the Yarn Harol which you can find here. Her writing is smart, funny and relatable. Even if you aren't a knitter, it's worth checking out. We can't wait to read her new novel which is a collection of short stories.

and

Our brother John is furiously reading the Percy Jackson series.




He is currently awaiting the arrival of book two, but says if you like mythology you will love this series!
What about you? Any books on your wish list? Share with us : )

To sweat or not to sweat..

A few years ago an email went out about how bad antiperspirant is for us, and how it would probably lead to Breast cancer or Alzheimer's. It circled the web, was the topic of conversation and then kind of disappeared.
Is antiperspirant bad for you? Does it lead to cancer?

After searching awhile on the Internet, the answer is no. According to the Web MD site, there is no proven study that directly links antiperspirant to any disease. It does explain that antiperspirant does contain aluminum, which does temporarily plug the sweat ducts and prevents you from sweating. As of today there isn't any proven facts to say that antiperspirant is horrible, but still makes us wonder: Should we really be putting aluminum under our arms?

I (Renee) decided last year to try out aluminum free deodorant, to see if it makes a difference and if it would prevent any smelling. I also thought that if I could do one thing to 'maybe' prevent cancer, then isn't it worth a shot?

but I was worried that I might end up looking like this:

 

After searching and spending a few dollars, here are the deodorants I tried out:

Kiss My Face

Tom's of Maine

Adidas Aluminium Deodorant


and my favourite so far: Tom's of Maine! I love the scent, it's fresh and it does last all day. You do have to get used to feeling slightly sweaty, but Tom's really does the trick. It was expensive-close to nine dollars, but has the nicest scent and is the softest to use.





















































The runner up is definitely the Adidas deodorant. It leaves you dry all day and works well even in the summer. I wasn't a huge fan of the scents, but this one is cheaper than Tom's, only around five dollars.

Which one I liked the least:

The Kiss My Face : ( It gave me a rash and irritated my skin. The scent also barely lasted and didn't leave you feeling fresh at all. It was around six dollars.

What about you? Do you use deodorant? Have a favourite? Let us know!

Gratitude Monday

It's Monday, a new week and this time we aren't moaning and groaning about it at all..because we are thrilled. Over the moon. So happy. Why?

We are grateful for:

We are now AUNTIES! : ) Our brother and sister in law gave birth to a handsome little boy yesterday. We cannot wait to meet him.

We are grateful for:

Spying the first robin fly across the melting snow. Spring!! Finally YOU are here!

We are grateful for:

Leah and Charlotte who surprised us with full breakfast! They made pancakes, hash browns and bacon..mmm love you girls!

We are grateful for:

Surprise visit from Mister G bringing flowers, thoughtful card and Glamour magazine. Perfect remedy for fighting a cold!

We are grateful for:

The board game Clue. We have been playing it weekly with our brother John and have had so many laughs!

We are grateful for:

Being able to walk to mass. It is a special treat to live by a Church and is a nice switch up from commuting in to the city.

We are grateful for:

The Curious Shop here in Ottawa now is the home of a few of Truly Charlotte's friends! If you are in the city, check them out here

What about you? What are you grateful for today? Share with us!

A Friday Ritual

One photo without explanation. A moment captured- a time to be still, to breathe and remember.

Happy Friday! :)

introducing our new friend..

Mr Whirley Pop!

He is round, has a handle and when heated produces salty goodness. He is so popular and is the number one friend here at our house.
Who is Mr Whirley Pop?
He is our new popcorn maker and we love him!

Seriously friends, if you are a popcorn fan and are looking for a way to make amazing at home popcorn, then go out and invest in a Whirley Pop.





















































Why do we love it?

• It saves you money! One batch of Whirley Popped popcorn makes double the amount of microwave popcorn! 
• It is so fast! In three minutes you will have 24 cups of popcorn! 
• There aren't any additives or fake butter 
• We can make our own flavours and combinations 
• It tastes like movie theater popcorn..
• It tastes like movie theater popcorn : ) haha we had to repeat that one because it's the truth. 

The Whirley Pop costs around $35.00 and we found ours at Lee Valley Tools but you can also find one online at Amazon





















































Having the Whirley Pop has given us so much freedom to make toppings and play around with flavours.
Lately our new favourite is Salt and Vinegar! It is so delicious and tastes like potato chips. Our dad showed us that we just have to spray the warm popcorn with malt vinegar and then toss with salt.



























Do you have a favourite homemade popcorn topping? Share with us!

A toast to April

"Sweet April! many a thought
Is wedded unto thee, as hearts are wed;
Nor shall they fail, till, to its autumn brought,
Life's golden fruit is shed." ~from An April Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Happy first week of April! We feel it is time for a toast and what better way, then with our favourite new drink: Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade? We made this drink for our lovely sister's shower and have decided that it's our new favourite spring beverage. It's light, sweet and the best part-it's pink. It was the perfect non alcoholic drink for the shower, but we were thinking afterwards how nice it would be with a bit of vodka..hmm perhaps for summer?

This Strawberry Lemonade does take longer than squeezing juice out of a can, but seriously give it a try. It's the perfect drink to sip and then start quoting spring poetry, like the excerpt from Longfellow above, with an English accent of course. : )

Here you go:

Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade 

For the syrup:

1 1/2 cups of chopped strawberries
4 tbsp of sugar or stevia
1 tsp of lemon juice
2 tbs of cold water


For the lemonade:

1 cup of very hot water
1 cup of  fine sugar
1 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 cups of sparkling water, like club soda.

How to:

Step 1: Combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and cold water in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour the mixture through a sieve to squeeze out the seeds. Press down to get out as much liquid as possible
Step 2: Combine hot water and sugar in a pitcher. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon juice and club soda. Stir in the strawberry puree.




























Voila! Finished! Isn't it a pretty spring drink?

the Promise of Spring

Today it feels like spring. It is sunny, warm and you can actually hear the snow melting! Our hearts are full of warm spring thoughts and endless gratitude. It has been a long winter friends, and our creative souls have felt exhausted by all this wet stuff.
There was a funny video that circulated Facebook a little while ago about being so excited for plus one weather. Our brother in law shared it with us this past weekend and we all had a great laugh.  If you want a chuckle check it out: here

It's hilarious and we feel exactly the same way! What are we going to do when it's plus one??
wear our spring coats
wear our spring scarves
start putting away the sweaters

Thankfully however the end is in sight, and the warm sunshine today makes us excited for spring. Here are a few wise words we have collected on this topic, they bring us such hope. Especially now that Environment Canada is calling for flurries tomorrow...


"It was one of those March days where the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade." Charles Dickens

"Is the spring coming?" he said. "What is it like?"..
"It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine." Frances Hodgson Burnett

"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood

"She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbour:
"Winter is dead." A.A. Milne

"Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world." Virgil Kraft

"Spring's greatest joy beyond a doubt is when it brings the children out." Edgar Guest

"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush." Doug Larson

"It always amazes me to look at the little, wrinkled brown seeds and think of the rainbows in 'em,"said Captain Jim. "When I ponder on them seeds I don't find it nowise hard to believe that we've got souls that'll live in other worlds. You couldn't hardly believe there was life in them tiny things, some no bigger than grains of dust, let alone colour and scent, if you hadn't seen the miracle, could you?" L.M. Montgomery



Yes, this is what Spring looks like in Canada :) hehe