Summer Fun

We have been soaking up summer - like we are in the business of summer time.  It has been fabulous, and our little pool have been one of the best little investments ever.

We spent lots of leisurely hours outside, under the mulberry tree, soaking up sun rays, reading and eating popsicles.

The frustrations of living in this part of the United States have been creeping up on me again, and I have been trying to fight it once more without getting my hopes to high for a possible change - this coming and going of very raw feelings have been so challenging to fight and master over the last three years - it is a work in progress I guess.

Some things we have been up to lately.

Gardening.
Our garden is surprisingly thriving - I honestly don't have much experience in gardening and have tried the seedling thing (it was an epic failure) so as a last resort before missing the window, I just dump all my seeds into the ground, covered them, watered them, and hoped for the best.  It seems to be the way to go - surprise surprise - or not -ha!

We have been loving going out there first thing in the morning to see if any new veggies have popped up over night.  If you are on our Facebook, make sure to check out Facebook stories every once in a while.

  Flowers.
Our flower game is still going strong, and we are even able to gather a few from the garden.  Hayleigh's love for flowers, makes me so incredibly happy - I don't even know why - but it is one of my favorite things we share together.

 Art.
We love art in this house, not just any art but kids art.  I love that my kids love to draw and create.  So my sweet friend from Freebird Co-Op created this beautiful piece of art with the kids drawing on it.  I am so in love with it, and I would highly recommend her services.

   Renovations.
After a two year hiatus from renovating - our game is strong again - we are finally finishing up all the unfinished parts of the house, as well as the back patio, and it has actually been pretty fun.  It will probably be a long process, but that is ok.

  My newest love.
I have been trying to change our home fragrance systems from candles, and Scentsy wax to diffusing essential oils.  The candles and wax have actually been playing a role in some of my migraines with the help of other scented household items, so we have been diligently working in eliminating the culprits,  This diffuser is both pretty and practical - my kind of thing - simple yet pretty! I am head over heels.

 Afternoon cat naps.
Millie is still such a sweet joy to all of us, since the first day that we got her.  She is seriously one of the coolest cats ever.  You can find her making rounds on all the beds in the afternoon to take a quick cat-nap in preparation for her nightly activities - which consist of exploring and hunting - and sharing her catch - mostly in the middle of the night.  Nevertheless, I so can't imagine our life without her.

  Meet Marshall.
Mable have been joined by Marshall.  These tortoises are seriously so much fun, they aren't as shy anymore, and the come right up to the back door now, they will even come inside when the door is open.  Local friends, if you find any rogue tortoises bring the over.

Tortoise but, is seriously one of the cutest things.

 Kitchen time.
My kids have been on this food kick, and it makes this mama so happy.  We have been cooking together almost daily (join us on Facebook stories) and it has been so much fun.  It is one of my favorite things to do - it took me a while to ease into sharing my space, but I love it now.

  Swing time.
So Hayleigh wanted a swing, so she made one herself.  I am kind of impressed with her creativity - she is has given up on the flower shop in order to become and inventor.  To be a kid - I love it.

  Golden raspberries.
Our obsessions with these golden beauties continues.  They are seriously amazing.

   Walnut, Pecan, Hempseed, and Chia Seed Energy Balls.
Also a new obsession for the perfect snack.  Recipe to come soon.  They taste amazing.

  Cookbook junkie status.
Hello, my name is Chantal, and I am addicted to cookbooks, food magazines, and really anything that contains recipes.

Here is my latest finds.

  Also one of my favoutite spots in the house.

  ***

We are busy planning and working on birthday parties - the kids and Nate have convinced me, even though it is somewhat stressful, I am kind of having fun putting it all together.

Stay tune for the last of summer, and birthday celebrations!

Happy Monday!

Our Fourth Of July

We had a fabulous and lazy fourth of July, that actually stretched over two days.  It was so nice to just be home, the four of us (Nate actually had some time off) and to just hang out, do a few things around the house, and to simply be together.

We pretty much spend ninety-nine percent of both days outside, and it was absolutely awesome.

We had a bunch of snacky food set out in the kitchen and we just munched on that through out the day.  My kids love this eating set up so much.

 

The kids spend pretty much all day in the pool (I am so happy we decided to test out a little one this summer - we will probably upgrade to a bigger one) - they love it so much.  Nate got them some goggles the other day, and well those babies stay on their faces most of them time.  It is hilarious.

They were literally in the water all day long.

  Nate and I did a little bit of work outside while sipping on some beverages, and while watching the kids play.  Side note - after a two year hiatus we are in fully swing renovation made once again, finishing up all the undone projects.

  Even this sweet kitty joined in all our outside festivities.  I love her so much!

Watermelon breaks were a happy welcome.

  Cheesecake for a little afternoon treat - yes please.

In good American style we had burgers for dinner, and they were amazing!

One of our favourite things to do on the Fourth is to get in the truck, and aimlessly driving around our small town, in search of a flag set up for pictures.  Sadly we have only been able to find and awesome huge flag one year, but we still like driving around.

We don't love crowds that much so we generally slow drive by the events to see if something peaks our interest and if it doesn't we keep rolling by - this year we rolled by.

We randomly found a horny toad lizard, and we have never seen one in real life so hat was kind of neat.

We did find this sign - super random, but hey it works, right?

   I just seriously love these three so so so much!

  Here are my handsome fellas - can we just take a moment to marvel at how grown up Ian looks, uhm when did that happen?

  So Hayleigh was totally amazed that we were matching again - this girl - that is all she worries about daily.  I guess it is time to find one of those mommy and me shops and get a few things - she will be so happy.

She is so such a cute little girl, and even thought she tests me daily I can't image life without her.

  I really am so glad that these two are all mine - man I would so bored without them.

   I am so loving all our little and simple holiday traditions.

One thing I don't just love is all the fireworks, maybe because my kids can't stay awake for them to save their lives, and I always freak out that they will wake up with all the loud noises.  Leading to.......

Confession: my kids passed out early last night and since it gets dark so late, we saved our sparklers for this morning.

It worked out perfect!

Happy fourth of July!