Homemade Granola Bars! Yum..

It's Back to School Time for some of us, and with the backpacks, books and new school outfits comes the need for new snack/lunch ideas What to bring for a filling snack? Especially when you are pressed for time and need something quick to grab?

How about homemade granola bars? 

Charlotte made these last week and they were gone in a couple of hours. They are a perfect addition to breakfast, a great in between snack and all around just perfect to munch on. 

And they are easy to make! Yay! 

Homemade Granola Bars

Ingredients

1 cup of oats
1/4 tsp of salt
1/4 cup of rice krispies
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp of oat flour (grind oats in the food processor until fine)
1/2 tsp of vanilla
1/8 tsp of cinnamon
2 tbsp of coconut oil
1/4 cup of maple syrup
2 tbsp of apple sauce
1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup of craisins

Preheat oven to 350'F. Line a 5'7inch pan with parchment paper.
Combine oats, salt, rice krispies, flour, vanilla, chocolate chips and craisins.
In a seperate bowl combine coconut oil, maple syrup, apple sauce.
Mix dry and wet together.
With another sheet of parchment paper, press mixture down into prepared pan and squish VERY hard.
Bake for 18 min and then squish those babies down again.
Voila Granola Bars! Enjoy.

What's your go to snack? Share with us : ) 

to Run or Dye that is the question...

We were fortunate enough this weekend to take part in a very fun and colourful run: Ottawa's First Run or Dye.. It was such a great run and so much fun! We are already planning to do it next year.

What exactly is all the fuss with these colour runs?
You might have noticed ads for Colour Run, Run or Dye etc.
Basically you run or walk a 5 km and in the process get blasted with dye. Doesn't that sound like fun? ; )
And the best part is all the proceeds go to a local charity. This race was for Kids Come 1st-a charity that supports autistic children and their families in Ottawa.





























Throughout the course are dye stations where volunteers cover you in different rainbow hues. After you finish there is a huge dance party/mosh pit and a Colour the Sky Party. Everyone who finishes is given a pack of dye to colour the sky (And all your friends and family that showed up wearing white shirts to cheer you on..haha Shaun)
There is no time chip, no medal and is definitely not a race for you to train and expect to beat a personal best. This is just pure- solid- fun and a great way to get your whole family active. We saw plenty of strollers, kiddies, and grammas getting right in on all the colour action.
If you are in an area where a Run or Dye is happening, sign up! You won't regret it, and will leave with some great memories!

How to keep those coloured shirts?
We loved our t-shirts and wanted to experiment with keeping them colourful after the race.
(The dye is non toxic and is vegan, so washes off)
We found out that by spraying your shirt with plenty of vinegar and then pressing it with a hot iron, helps preserve the colour. After washing our shirts in cold water on delicate, they ended up looking a neat green colour with splotches of the dye. They are not as bright as before, but still a colourful keepsake.






























So what are you waiting for? Check out their website and sign up for a colour run near you!

Happy Labour Day!

Happy Labour Day!!

It is a day of rest, of solitude and gratefulness.
A day of no work, school or chores.

Hope you are all able to soak in this last bit of summer holiday before the busyness of life begins.
See you tomorrow!

"Art is man's expression of his joy in labour" Henry A. Kissinger

and a funny one..

"Work fascinates me, I can watch it for hours." Calvin and Hobbes

'Mother and Child' Pen and ink, by Charlotte Timinski

A Friday Ritual

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

Happy Friday!

Books we are loving right now...

Books for us are a main staple in our home. They are up there with food, art and shopping. : )
We are touched that many of you have actually followed our suggestions and are busy happily reading too. We have all heard the cheesy slogan 'Books can change your life' well in our home that is solid truth.

Need something new to read? Here are a few novel suggestions from our home to yours!

Books we have been reading, perusing, speed reading, re-reading and loving:

Tumbleweed by Eddie Doherty..Leah just finished reading this gem of a novel about the life of Servant of God Catherine Doherty. It is by her beloved husband Eddie, and tells of her journey from life in Russia to the founding of Friendship House and Madonna House. It is a beautiful novel and Leah says that Eddie hooks you in, right from the first page.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple is a story told through letters, emails, faxes and journal entries. It is hilarious funny and I (renee) laughed out loud a bunch of times. It is a novel about many things: a  mother-daughter relationship, being an artist, family, and our creative individuality in today's crazy world. A great lighthearted summer read, one you won't regret getting from Costco for only a few dollars!

Be Still My Soul  by Joanne Bischof. Our mama read this one first and recommended it to us ladies. It is a coming of age story of a young girl, and her discovery of self and her relationship with God through an unwanted marriage. Set in the 1900's in the hills of Virginia, this story of love and second chances will will keep you reading until the wee hours of the night.

The Light Between Oceans  by M.L. Stedman This novel is a sad one friends, but written oh so pretty it is worth the read. It made us cry, but the careful thoughtfulness and the depth of emotion make you want to keep reading. It is the story of a Lighthouse keeper and her barren wife. After a series of miscarriages, a miracle of a baby girl washes up on shore, and changes their life forever.


Going Home  by Father Denis Lemieux. Don't let the little size of this book fool you, it is full of wisdom and reflection. The author Fr. Denis is a friend of ours from Madonna House, the lay apostolate in Combermere Ont. Going Home is a reflection of the prodigal son, through the writings of Catherine Doherty. Fr. Denis leads the reader slowly through the parable, through humour and meditations of Catherine, to the journey home, which is ultimately the journey to the Father. Definitely worth reading!

Still Alice  by Lisa Genova. We are sure most of you all have probably heard of this bestseller, but just in case you never got around to read it, we encourage you to pick it up. It is a one of a kind novel, set in the voice of Alice-a Harvard neuroscience professor diagnosed with early on set Alzheimers. If you know of anyone with this disease or with dementia, then this book is a must read. It reminds us to not define those because of their illnesses, but to remember the person inside. Our aunty recommended it to us years ago, but it is worth the re-read.

What are you reading with us? Anything grand and exciting? Share with us! Happy Thursday.

Hummus love

In our home hummus is and has been a family staple forever. We love our dips, and at any given meal you will see 5 or 6 different dips or toppings to compliment our dinner. Perhaps it's our French Canadian heritage and our great love for ketchup..;) All we know is that delicious dips such as this hummus, is a necessity for our eating pleasure. Our mama's favourite go to snack is hummus and cherry tomatoes. After our garlic was harvested we were all very excited to get back into the hummus making groove. It's cheaper and not full of all those secret ingredients, and always tastes wayyy better. : )

Charlotte's Roasted Garlic Hummus

2 cans of chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
2 Tbsp of sesame oil (or 3 Tbsp of tahini)
1 bulb of roasted garlic*
1 tsp of onion powder
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbs of olive oil

Blend all ingredients in a food processor, including the entire bulb of roasted garlic. Process until smooth. If hummus is too thick, add a tbsp of water at a time until desired consistency.
Enjoy! Yum!





























*to roast a bulb of garlic:
Preheat oven to 375'F
First place your pealed garlic cloves in the middle of a square piece of tinfoil and drizzle with olive oil. Place your finger in the center of the square, and wrap the foil around the garlic. You should a have a foil pouch with a little spout. Roast in oven for 30-40 min.

Leah's SUPER Easy Side Twist

If you are like us and straighten your hair and then not wash it for awhile, you are always on the lookout for new ways to wear it. We noticed a lot of celebs were pinning up one side of their straight hair, and it just looked so classy!

Lucky for us all Leah put together this super easy side do, which takes minutes and helps jazz up our straight and slightly dirty locks.

Leah's Super Easy Side Twist

How to do it:

Step 1: Split hair into a deep part.

Step 2: On the side with less hair, separate the hair into three pieces.

Step 3: Twist each section individually and pin into place an inch or so beyond your ear with bobby pins.

Step 4: Place a barrette in the middle of all three twists.































Voila~ How easy is that? Have fun!