Hello Fall... and rain...

 I am thinking about packing up all the kiddies and my summer clothes.
I think it is safe to say that summer is done and fall is come to stay.
Truth be told I am actually really a bit happy about it. I love fall, and the heat wave we had was really hard on the kid's and I.
What do I love about fall so much?

Well I love ...

 ....wearing sweater's...

.... All the colors of the tree's and the smell of woodsmoke in the air...

....Going for nature walks and collecting think to put on our nature table.....

.... Sitting on the couch with a nice cup of warm tea and a blanket....

.... knitting project's for Christmas present's...

... Baking more as it not too hot to bake anymore....

.... Back to school for the kiddies and back to dance for me. I am so excited to find a great new dance studio.... 

....My 6th wedding anniversary was on the Labor day weekend. Six years of being married to my best friend and to a wonderful father. My, what great things we have done in 6 year's Hubby

           

       When we were dating, looking like we were 12 years old...

....Rainy day puddle jumping like this a couple of days ago....

..... The last farmer's market of the season with my most favorite flower, Dahlia's!

I hope you are all enjoying a good start to your fall. I know this sounds just ridiculously crazy but I can't wait for Christmas this year. Decorating my new house, having people come up here to visit, maybe even a white Christmas?! I know, sorry, it is only September...
xoxo Lexylou

Hot Tubs are dreamy...

My wonderful hubby finally got our hot tub up and running, and man alive..... I love my hot tub something fierce. I have been it 5 times in the past 2 days. As we now have a huge property and we are not looking on to anyone or really anything but tree's, it is so dreamy. In the morning with the sun coming through the tree's, hearing nothing but bird's and some frog's  we saw a deer family walk past us as we sat in it. It is like a dream, I am finally living MY dream....

I remember last summer sitting in the hot tub with the hubby, late at night over a bottle of Presecco we talked about our dream's for us as a family. Where we wanted to live, what we wanted in our life, what was important to us and how we wanted to raise this beautiful family that we were blessed with....

We are now living it, with lot's of land, living in the quiet country, with my sister next door. In a smaller town,  yet we are still close to family and friends. I am so thankful for this life and all that we have, and I am so excited for what adventures we have in store. I wake up every morning so full of happiness and hope for the future.
This is a journey, a path to learn and become a better person, mother, wife,  and friend. I know with all my heart that this is the perfect path for our family. It just feel's so right.
I know I am getting all mushy, but it is just so beautiful this morning, the sun is so bright and beautiful. I just had my coffee on the deck while watching the kids play in the yard, my heart is SINGING... I am feeling very "sound of music" like...Can you hear it all the way over there?!

So to share in the warm fuzzy's, I want to hear what makes you all happy and grateful.
Head on over to Keely's blog and link up for her Thursday5, and share 5 things that make you happy this week. I have way more than 5 this week, or maybe it is just one...... The HOT TUB!
xoxo Lexylou

When Hubby is away...

I have been a single mother for the past couple of days. Hubby has been working on a job site that is up island from where we live, so he is sleeping over, probably having a gay old time going to a pub, having beer's with all the boys from the job site.... While I have been slaving away being the best mother I can be while taking care of all the kidlet's with the "worlds worst migraine". Awesomeness....
Anyone have any tip's for curing it?! I am all ear's.
Thankfully the kidlet's have been angel's, they are a little quieter and more subdued when Daddy is gone. We had a nice candlelit dinner of chili, they had a bath  and then read book's on the couch with their new heart hot water bottles as I knit their Daddy a scarf. They kissed me on the head, wished me to feel better soon and climbed into their bed's. Well, not London, I did carry her to her crib ;)

Here is a snip of our night...

We are missing our Daddy and can't wait till he get's back home this weekend, then I can have a rest....xoxo Lexylou

Our home

Kassi's weekly "Two things I love around my home" posts on her blog BacWoods Fern.
I think it would be fun to join her, take a tour around my home that is soon to not be my home, sniff sniff...as I move to the country. It is very sad but bitter sweet. I love the house that we created into our home. There is so many things that I love about that I have no idea where to start. I love how bright and sunny the living room is, it sold me on the house when I first walked in. It felt so warm and cozy. i love the beautiful deck my husband built with his two hands, I love the gorgeous bath I have upstairs, it is my sanctuary away from chaos, I love the front porch perfect for a cup of tea and taking sunshine in the morning, I love the cherry blossom tree that I saw in full bloom from my bedroom while birthing London, I love the peach and apple tree that provided soooo much fruit that we didn't know what to do with it, I love the original 1913 wood siding we found under the metal stuff, I love the paint color we painted on the outside of the house ....
I will tell you a cute story.....
When Neal and I were about to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary we finally found a house that had "potential". It was hard NOT to find a crap shack in our price range,something that a young couple just starting out could afford. But finally this house was found and it had character...1913 old house, good bones, needed some love but did not deter us. We are handy people that love to fix up and I love a good challenge. So we put in an offer, it was excepted! We signed the papers, then that night after feeling a little feeling in the back of my head, I took a pregnancy test. It was positive(with Roman)! We became home owners and soon to be parent's in one night. I remember toasting sparkling apple juice on the floor in the empty living room of our new house right after we got the keys. Scared and excited for the new adventures about to start in this old house. We have lived here for almost 5 years, had three children with my two girl's born in this old house, celebrated many parties under it's roof, created many memories inside... It has been loved and will be missed as we now travel to our new adventure at country house. Then I can tell you about all the NEW things I love about my new home.
I will leave you with some pictures of my lovely home that we did all the work on. I have been a labour of love for Hubby and I.

 

Pre-reno's

 

                                                               After

 

Hallway

Living Room

Kitchen

Main bathroom

Esme's Room

Roman's room

Master bedroom

 

Master bath, dreamy...

  

My sweet front porch

Back deck

Back yard

Disclaimer.... Hubby is a tile setter by trade, hence the mass amount of tiling all over the house. And I am a bit obsessed with Paris...hence all the Eiffel towers....

xoxo Lexylou

I love..... Weekends

 What a lovely and full weekend it was. I found a lovely blog that is dedicating February to "I love... series" So what a great way to kick of Valentines month with what I love ...

 Friday.....

Roman's last day at his wonderful preschool was today, as we are moving out of town. It was very sad to say goodbye. It was a real community as it is a co-op preschool, I know and love all the children and parent's. So as Roman was not able to be there for Valentines Day we made yummy gluten free cupcakes and cards for each child. I was amazed by the thoughtful way he made 14 cards with great care for each special child. Drawing something that he thought about just for that child. He is such a sweet boy.
Friday night..... was a bit rough, hubby worked till 8pm. I was done as a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving so he shoo'd me out the door and told me to go to a movie. By myself... So I went and saw Avatar in 3D. I didn't feel weird seeing a movie alone, the theater was packed so I didn't look like a lone patron as I had people on either side of me. I ate popcorn, and didn't have to share my M&M's. It was amazing.... And the movie was good too. When I got home, hubby lined the hallway with candle's and love notes saying how much he loved me. Awwwww. He knew I have been having an emotional week dealing with the up in the air house stuff and was not feeling my best. Really he is amazing.
Saturday...... I woke up and decided it was best to clean up after the bomb that went off in our house. I also started to pack up stuff that would not be used till after we move. I love packing at times, I purge and get rid of stuff. It is a very free feeling to let go of "stuff" that has been just clutter around the house.
Saturday night ...... I got all packed up for a crafting night of craziness and my friend Lele's house. They thought I was crafting for a week I brought so much.

We had a lovely dinner. My first real Chinese Hot Pot!Made by Lele's hubby! It was so good! After dinner we got down to business. Her swell sister who was over for a visit was crafting too. It was a great night. Full of laughing, bubbley and of course crafting...

 

  

LJ was very happy with her design of her website. She was moving from just a blog to a website!

A hair prettie!

 

I was joking around telling them that the name of this nail polish(that matched the Tulle very nicely) was called Plum Seduction. How do you get seduced by a plum? Are you seduced yet by the plum prettiness? 

 

More hair pretties inspired by Mama Cakies. I made two and am in love with how easy they are to make.
 

Lele made adorable tutu's for Esme and London. Can you just hear Esme's shriek with delight?

 

Sunday.....

we went to the beach as it was a beautiful sunny day, and awesomeness...my camera's battery died. The battery was so used up from all the crafting night pictures. Boo. So I have nothing but my word to prove the sun tanning, envy inducing weather. I know you think I am lying. It's ok.

Later we decided to go get Esme bangs. Her hair has grown so much that food was always getting caked in her hair as it was always in the way.  I was in shock how much older she look's, she is not even 3 yet?! She look's so much like me it is not even funny. I think anyways. I will let you decide.

Well this is an epic photo post?! Non? I will just end with an "I love the weekend I just had".

xoxo Lexylou

New Year, new adventures!

I gotta feelin', that this year's gonna be a good, GOOD year!
We started off the New Year visiting my in-laws that live in gorgeous white Whistler! It was a great visit, with lots of sledding, over 50cm of snow falling(that is almost two feet my American friends!) walk's to the village, visiting family, great dinner's, stopping in at my fav lunch stop for THE best Lental veggie burger in the world.... Gawd, I am still drooling over it.... going on a date night with the hubby thanks to granny and saw Avatar! AMAZING! The crazy vivid dream's I had about Pandora were unreal. And some lows, Esme dislocated her elbow on a fluke accident in the snow, she was in screaming pain. So off to emerg. we went only to have it "miraciously" pop back into place by the time the doctor came around. She was a riot, and being as cute as ever to the doctor. Dancing around and singing a song, " I guess it's back in" said the Doctor, yup, it was...Then on our last day my back, which is the most fickle back in the world, went out, and I have been cripple since. You have now idea how much staring at all the Christmas decorations around my house is killing me when I can barely stand, and all I want to do is put it ALL AWAY!!!!
Well I need to just relax...ahhhhh, breathe.....

Big things my puddleduck's are happening in our family. We have been dreaming of moving to the country for a loooong time. Our city we live in, (the one I grew-up in ) is getting too "city" like for hubby and I. It is not the sweet town it was when I was little, and we want better for our three little ones. Hubby grew up in a small town, Whistler, when Whistler was a small ski town, not the hotel meca it has become today. He finds it sad that where his school once was is now a hotel, or the forrest he used to play in is a parking lot or the house he grew up in is now gone to be the "drive-way" to the mansion that the land houses.....Anyways... I was trying to be philisophical kids, paved paridise and put up a parking lot?!
Well, we have had our eye on a property for awhile, it was way out of our price range, but it was PERFECT, just over 2 acres, had two full house on it with a guest cottage that I could run my B&B, get some chickens and wear my cowboy boot's...REAL country livin'. It is located just up the island we live on and it is a great area to raise a family.
Like god sending us a message when we were at our wit's end with our city and life in general, the price dropped $100,000?! Hello SIGN!?? So we pulled up our pant's, put our house on the market, it sold in 6 days with 3 offers! Which was such a blessing, as showing a home with three small children is enough to make a person LOSE it.
Exciting but bitter sweet. Leaving friends and family that I love and know so well, but very excited for making new one's and the community we will find in this lovely new Waldorf school close to town.
Plus one of my younger sister's with her husband and three small kids(the same age as mine-give a month or two) want to rent out the other house! So I will not be completly alone.
I know in my heart, with every feeling, that this is the right move for us. And I am looking forward to this.
To the country we shall go.