Until we meet again...

"Your time may come. Do not be too sad, Sam. You cannot be always torn in two. You will have to be one and whole, for many years. You have so much to enjoy and to be, and to do." J.R.R Tolkien

Hello Friends!
It's been a few weeks since any action here on the blog, and we are sorry to have left you hanging without any explanation. A lot has happened in the last month in our lives and we owe you a little update.

What's New with Miss Charlotte:  It's Softie Season!

Truly Charlotte has taken off for the summer season with the New Art Festival this past weekend. Her softies are all one of a kind and take hours of work to finish. This summer she has a few new friends to add to her growing collection: A woodsman, an owl, a cute pink pig, and a bulldog. If you are looking for a handmade gift check out her etsy shop: here
Truly Charlotte is going to be at a few more festivals in the fall and winter, so be sure to like her facebook page:  here to keep up with all the dates!

What's new with Mademoiselle Leah: She's almost a hair stylist!




























Leah has been working all year to get her certification for hair styling. She has one more semester to go, plus a placement and then she's finished!  Way to go Leah!! We are so excited for you!!

What's new with almost Mrs Renee: Engaged!: )




























After helping with my brother's wedding, being Maid of Honour for my sister, I can now look forward to being a bride. My heart is so full with all the love that went into the proposal and with the gorgeous sparkly new ring bling on my left hand. God is so good. We are planning a winter woolly wedding just after Christmas and are going to make it the biggest DIY project we have ever done.

With all that being said, we are going to take a mini break from the blog and re evaluate in the fall. We want to live these special moments with our friends and families, not living behind a lens or computer screen. Thank you dear friends for all the supportive words, ideas and of course all the love.
Until we meet again!






























"Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends." Richard Bach

A Friday Ritual

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

Happy Friday! :)

A Photograph...

You don't make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.” 
 
- Ansel Adams






























“For me, the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity.”  
― Henri Cartier Bresson 


Happy Thursday!

Gratitude

It has been a whirlwind of a week and so today we thought we would take a break and be grateful.
Our next few weekends are full of an ordination, wedding and baptisms, not to mention plenty of family socials : ) In the midst of the busyness however, there is a quiet joy, a spirit of gratefulness that we want to keep with us. Here are a few wise words to carry us all through our eventful June:

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy. They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom"  Marcel Proust

"Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lost without regret, how to acquire without meanness." George Sand

"Even in the most peaceful surroundings, an angry heart finds quarrel. Even in the most quarrelsome surroundings, the grateful heart finds peace." Doe Zantamanta

 "Nothing can make our life, or the lives of people around us, more beautiful than perpetual kindness" Leo Tolstoy

"Kindness sometimes means not doing something, not making that comment, not noticing that flaw, not assuming the worst about something else" Heather McMillian

"Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude." A.A. Milne

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others." Cicero

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless" Mother Teresa

Our Favourite Lemon Cake with a Twist : )

If you are a regular reader of our blog, you will know that we love lemons: Lemonade, lemon pie, lemon cake mmmm we love using lemons! One of our favourites is a lemon cake which you can find: here  when we posted about homemade buntings.

Leah made the lemon cake the other day, but did so with an added twist:

She added raspberries!




























It was brilliant, and the cake was delicious! If you are looking for an easy and tasty cake, this is the one. You could also use blueberries and make it a lemon blueberry cake.

Give it a try and let us know how it works! Enjoy!



























Leah's Lemon Cake
adapted from Lighthearted Everyday Cooking
*wheat and dairy free*

You will need:

2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of vegan margarine
2 eggs
1 cup of soya milk
3 cups of spelt flour or flour of choice
2 tsp of baking powder
Grated rind of two lemons
1 cup of raspberries, fresh or frozen

Glaze

Juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup of sugar

How to make it:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350'F and grease a Bundt pan.
Step 2: In a large bowl, sift flour and baking powder together.
Step 3: Mix together sugar and margarine in a large bowl. Beat in eggs and soya milk.
Step 4: Add the flour mixture and mix until combine. Stir in lemon rind and raspberries
Step 5: Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean
Step 6: Prepare glaze while cake is baking, by mixing lemon juice and sugar together.
Step 7: After the cake has come out of the oven, pour the glaze over top of the cake, let is cool and flip.
Step 8: decorate with icing sugar or make your fave icing if you prefer!































Enjoy!

Bye-Bye Bugs! DIY Homemade Bug Spray!

If you were to come visit us this weekend in our backyard, you would first notice the gorgeous lilacs and then secondly the large scenic pond. A few years ago our dad painstakingly made a decorative pond in the backyard, and it's just stunning. We look forward to the first day of warmer weather when the pond gets cleaned. It's so lovely to be able to sit outside by the fire and listen to running water. It is one of our favourite  summer pastimes.

There is only one downfall however for having such a lovely pond-mosquitoes. Every year they are a pain and every year we try to fight the battle with citronella candles, lavender essence and lots of layers. This year however Charlotte decided to be proactive and found a recipe to make your own bug spray. It's so easy and is chemical free! Plus it smells great AND keeps those pesky mosquitoes away. The lavender and citronella scents are soft and also perfect for babies.






























Give it a try and let us know if it works for you!





































Homemade Bug Spray 

You will need:

Citronella and Lavender essential oils
1/2 c. Natural Witch Hazel
1/2 c. Distilled or boiled Water
1/2 tsp.Vegetable glycerin


How to Make It:

Step 1: Fill spray bottle with the distilled or boiled water and add witch hazel
Step 2: Add 1/2 tsp vegetable glycerin
Step 3: Add 40 drops of each essential oils to desired scent. The more oils you use, the stronger the spray will be.






























Voila! How easy is that?