outfit post : back to fall basics...

This is officially my "back to fall" outfit and had I been going back to school again this fall, it probably would've been my "back to school" look! Mustard, army green, a little bit of lace, an infinity scarf, and boots... really, it's my ideal fall look, and with the crisp weather these days, these wardrobe pieces are becoming essentials! And to make this fall post really awesome, I dragged Caleb into some photos to show off his "fall" outfit (which I obviously picked out for him... *wink*).
But really, who doesn't love a boy in plaid?

my outfit... mustard jacket: anthropologie // lace shirt: anthropologie // 

army green pants: garage // boots: spring // earrings: spring

his outfit... plaid shirt: joe fresh // jeans: winners

& many thanks to the lovely Kirsten Buyer for taking these photos for me! Check out her photography here and give her some love, she's so talented and wonderful :) 

Cheers!

p.s.  ♥ clara

good morning saturday

good morning, lovely saturday. 

here in Edmonton, fall is definitely here. we've got crisp, fresh mornings, cuddles under warm blankets, hot cups of tea, and pumpkin pancakes with maple syrup. mmm... now that I'm done bragging about my wonderful morning, I think I'm going to go laze around in bed again.

happy fall weekend, dears!

p.s.  ♥ clara

coconut oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

There are some days when any old cookie will satisfy my sweet craving....and then there are some days when any old cookie will definitely not cut it.  

I got hit by a craving for coconut and oatmeal, together, in a cookie, asap.  I knew I wouldn't be satisfied until I bit into a hearty oatmeal cookie, decked out with chocolate chips (duh), and toasted coconut would somehow be involved.  An hour and a half later.... (after much research and deliberation) these babies were born!

The original recipe comes from the most gorgeous food blog ever called krew!melko (which google tells me is blood and milk)...and it just happens to be in polish.  So yeah, some things don't always translate quite right, but I'm in love with it anyways.  I tweaked her recipe a bit, and am so so pleased with the end result.  And my craving was 100% satisfied!

Ugh...the toasted coconut along the edges was absolute perfection.  

Let it be known that it took a lot of restraint not to break off all the crunchy bits from other cookies and eat them... oh dear.

coconut oatmeal chocolate cookies

adapted from: krew!mleko

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter (softened)

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 cups quick cooking oatmeal

1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional....but not really)

Directions: 

1)  In a large bowl, mix together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2)  Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well.

3)  Slowly add in flour, baking powder, oatmeal and coconut, and beat until thoroughly mixed.  The dough will be super thick and delicious.  

4)  Finally, stir in chocolate chips.

5)  Place dough in balls on a cookie sheet, and lightly press them down to flatten them.

6)  Bake at 350 for 11-12 minutes.  

I loved the crunchiness of the coconut along the edges, the chewiness of the middle, and the fact that they aren't too sweet.  So for those of you who aren't super duper into sweet things, this is the cookie for you!

Next time I'll definitely be adding in some chopped pecans...I think they'd just be the cherry on top of these hearty, delicious cookies!

p.s.  ♥ kelsey

tasty tuesday: pumpkin pie yogurt parfaits!

I am absolutely in love with fall. As a girl who grew up in southern Ontario, I seriously miss the beautiful changing colours of Ontario's countless maple trees. Fall to me meant long hours raking our big backyard with my little brother then jumping off our trampoline into mountainous piles of crunchy, colourful leaves. It also meant pumpkin season. Every year, my parents took us out to the pumpkin patch where we would get to pick a pumpkin (not everyone is as blessed to have grown up on a real farm *cough* kelsey *cough*... and no, I'm not jealous... not at alllll..). I'm getting side-tracked though, so to get to the point, fall = pretty leaves = pumpkins = best season ever. 

Don't ask how that equation works, it just does. And yes, math is not my friend. 

So here's a deliciously simple breakfast or snack for all you fellow pumpkin-loving fall people!

Seriously, it's awesome. Healthy, scrump-ta-la-lump-tious, and so so simple!

Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
2 tbsp maple syrup

1 cup greek yogurt
1 cup of your favourite granola
1 tbsp hemp

Instructions

1. Mix together the first four ingredients.
2. Start with a base layer of granola.
3. Layer in your greek yogurt and pumpkin mixture.
4. Finish it off with a dollop of greek yogurt and sprinkle more granola and hemp on top.
5. If using mason jars, make extras and stick them in your fridge for an easy breakfast-to-go!

Happy pumpkin picking, dear friends!

p.s.  ♥ clara

outfit post: high-waisted pants are where it's at

pants&shirt: the garage // boots: steve madden // necklace: forever21

Let me introduce to you, my first pair of high-waisted pants (of my adult life).  I've been on the search for the perfect pair for a while now, and am so stoked that they're becoming more common in stores now.  My mom thinks it's quite funny that they're coming back in style, and likes to tease me about it.  Whatevs.  I'll probably be making fun of myself for wearing them in about 5 years!  But for now...I'm in love.

Happy first day of Autumn!

p.s.  ♥ kelsey

Rocky Rabbit in “Doctor’s Orders”

Loose and lively brushwork from animation story man Irv Spector. And what a strange rushed composition in that last panel! Sometimes, you really need someone to write, “The End” in the corner to keep you from thinking you missed something. But that’s it. That rushed weirdness is one of my favorite things about those old one-page filler comics.
Check out the official Irv Spector blog at http://irvspector.blogspot.com/ for more comic book art and animation storyboards and photos and stories about the life of this versatile and dynamic cartoonist!

jordyn's dinosaur birthday party!

So if any of you lovely readers were with us last year...you might remember Jordyn's epic moustache party!  Well, this year she decided that she wanted a dinosaur theme, and we had so much fun coming up with quirky details to make her party special. 

We really really like food.  And we really really like baking.  So naturally we may have gone a bit overboard in the food department, but we didn't hear anyone complaining. haha.  

We used chocolates and candy to represent "dino poop and dino eggs", labelled the drinks table the "watering hole", and had tons of fruits and veggies to go around. 

Jordyn made rainbow cupcakes using the same technique we used for our camo cupcakes, and they turned out fantastic!  I also decorated some fancy dino cookies for as well, and was pretty pleased with how they turned out!

We covered the picnic tables with simple kraft paper, and let people go to town drawing dinos, doodling, and writing messages to Jordyn.  There were also a few silly stations set up, including "What would a Jordynasaurus look like?", grow your own dinos, and several 3-D dino puzzles.

And of course it wouldn't be a party without bunting.  Jordyn made this by stenciling a dino on each triangle of bunting, and then she coloured them all in!  It took a lot of work, but it looked so cute.

Jordyn has the sweetest friends, and received the best presents!   All in all, it was a pretty epic night!

p.s.  ♥ kelsey & jordyn