Happy Anniversary!!

It was our 8th Wedding Anniversary this week!!

15 years together and so much history. 

I truly believe every love story is unique, some are short, long, rollercoasters or steady straight ahead.

I love hearing others love stories, its always a favorite blog read of mine, maybe I'll ask you to post a blurb about yours on my instagram photo post. 

Anywhoo, this week we were lucky enough to spend a night at the Halifax Marriott Harbourview.

My mom babysat the kids and we headed into the city for a night away!

We were really excited to get out of the house early and we actually did pretty well.

If you know my mom, you know her and "early" do not go hand in hand lol. 

So we tossed a 1pm babysitting time out there in the hopes of getting into the city at a decent hour. 

Check in at the hotel isn't until 4 but usually you can sneak in a bit earlier and we were just hoping at the very least to get parked in the parkade, then we could take a walk around the waterfront.

Our plan worked!

We got into the city and checked into our hotel room around 2:30.

This is an absolute record for us, usually we're checking in around 4-5, rushing to get ready, supper, casino, then we're tired and want to hit the hay. 

I was kind of anticipating not haven't enough time and being rushed as per usual so I took a shower at home in the morning and let my hair air dry etc. 

This ended up saving me loads of time in the long run and although my hair isn't at its best when its a fuzzy Airdried mop, the humidity was so bad I wasn't about to have a good hair day no matter the dry method! haha

We immediately dropped our bags and headed down to walk the waterfront. 

Now, if you know me, you may know the waterfront is NOT a favourite place of mine. 

Not because I have anything against beautiful breezes, waves crashing or vendors.. no, no, love all these things but the waterfront can tend to be bustling, busy and crowded. 

I get anxiety just thinking about it.

I need to pee urgently when I can't get to a washroom. 

I'm just a laid back country roads kind of girl, I like lots of space around me, and to pee in the woods if need be. LOL

However, due to it being the middle of a weekday, the waterfront was AMAZING!

It was so quiet and calm, just enough of a crowd and people walking around leisurely. 

We had a wonderful walk, hand in hand, looking at the vendors, food trucks and local businesses. 

We bumped into Nicks aunts. 

It was too funny, we were walking and I heard his aunts voice talking, I had just turned to Nick and said "Look around I'm sure I heard XYZ.." When his other aunt popped her head out of a line up and we all laughed about what a small world. 

We went to Peace By Chocolate, grabbed an iced coffee and went back to the hotel, it was lovely. 

We got back at a weird time, had not had lunch yet so we ordered a sandwich to split and watched some tv. 

That morning shower really saved me because our 6:30pm restaurant reservation really snuck up on us, so I quickly curled my hair and threw on some makeup. 

Now, what to wear?!?

I wish I had gone shopping in advance but at the last minute I remembered this dress that I had bought back in 2018. Its a bit on the fancy side so I had only worn it a small handful of times and it actually worked perfect for this night out! I felt fancy and pretty but very comfortable.

*My dress was from Le Chateau but sadly they're no longer around.



Still full from our sandwich, we went with some appys.

The Nachos at the Marriott are my very favourite in the city! It's all about those slow carmelized onions.

Wait a minute, this sounds so familiar... did I write this before or am I having deja vu? 

*Searched the web to see if I have wrote this but I came up empty handed.. did find some super cool articles I have been mentioned in.. Thank you!!! awwww!*

I took my Nan's Vintage purse out for the night!

Its not in mint condition and its not any brand name but my oh my, its cute and it reminds me of her!

We brought this LULU wine that I absolutely love!

Its very tart but I just love the sweetness of it, and its made here in NS!

Click here to see it at the NSLC

We also brought some of the XOXO spritzers and they're amazing!

Click here to see the XOXO at the NSLC

Sorry for the awfully dark photo, but view from the room!

After Supper we headed down to the casino where we won $150 from putting in a $20.

Well, Nick turned the $20 in $200 then went down to $150 and called it a night. 

I put in $25, lost $25 and said that's enough of that. lol

Then we decided to stroll along the boardwalk again.

It was around 10:45 and cows ice cream closed at 11 so we snuck over just in time and grabbed a cone each. 

We walked back towards the hotel and there was a beautiful breeze heavy with salt air hanging around us.. the perfect end to this night on the town for an 8th wedding anniversary. 

HAPPY AUGUST!! x0x

Scentsy & Signs

I can't believe the summer is half way over!

This has been the fastest summer to date, which is a bit crazy considering how long the days can feel over here...Days are long but the years are short, am I right?! haha

This September will bring another time of change for our family, Noelle will start school for the first time. 

She did go to preschool this last year, twice a week for 2 hour stints which was amazing and I'm really thankful we decided to send her because the school was amazing and she thoroughly enjoyed every second. 

But "big" school is a whole new ball game.

I will be sending 2 kids out the door in the am and they won't be coming home until the afternoon - 

this sounds like a dream! ha 

However, Nilah is still at home with me and honestly that makes the kids being away seem sort of lonely. 

Nilah loves having people nearby and she's a stage 2000 clinger so its nice to have some distractions around so I can get a few basic things done - like make lunch, brush my teeth.. lucky to get those 2! 

Nilah loves when I squat so she can sit on my knee. Picture a demanding 2 year old telling you to get into squat position so they can sit on your knee and throw their arms around your neck in a big bear hug.. 45 times a day lol. 

This is a part of why I decided to take on childcare, we're going to take my nephew in and babysit him! 

Its one of those things that is worth a try, he is such a happy baby, he's a little go-go-go monster which may take some adjusting to but I couldn't not try it. 

Its a win-win because we will get to spend more time with him, see him grow, make that cousin bond, while my sister can have some flexible childcare and at the very worst case if it doesn't work out well, we're out nothing and we had some special time together. 

That leaves me with some big decisions.

This year will be the busiest season of our lives and I already feel like I can't get any busier than I am!

What do I do about Scentsy, Signs, Etsy and Blogging???

This is my first personal photo of Scentsy that I took way back in 2014!

I always had some brand of wax and warmer but I started using Scentsy brand 7 years ago and I never looked back!

I love the wax scents, the warmers and all the goodies!

I've been a consultant for 2.5 years now and I love making samples and couldn't wait to get back into fairs and shows.

Then there's my signs!

I started making them back in September of last year and I've had incredible success.

I cannot thank you all enough for supporting me, it means so much.

Things were moving so quickly I couldn't even keep up!

I started talking to Nick about what I should drop off my plate and he of course, said 

signs.

He thinks the amount of mess and work I put in for what I sell them for is just not worth it and sadly, I have to agree. 

It takes over my entire life, island and kitchen table.. the whole house turns into my workstation for days at a time. 

I've been trying to hard to start a business this last year that I just completely burnt out. 

I stopped creating things for myself, my house would never have a sign of its own, I didn't have time to blog, or do makeup or do my hair or fashion tidbits that I always loved to do. 

So when I was asking Nick what I should give up, I kind of already had Scentsy and Signs both crossed off the list. 



It's heartbreaking to me and I still don't know if I'll go through with it but all I know is that I haven't been posting about Scentsy or signs all summer and I am still overwhelmed with busyness so I am not sure where I would fit them back in!

I know I won't give up my Scentsy consultant title, I believe you have to sell $200 worth of product in a single month once a year (it use to be more often but I believe they changed it for now due to covid) to continue your consultant title and I would love to hold onto that because I can see myself becoming a Scentsy consultant again once the kids are all in school or a bit older.

So for now, everyone knows what they're getting this Christmas!! Don't buy yourself any Scentsy!

hahaha

And the thing with signs is you'll always have a group of family and friends who would like one so I felt like I could never really catch up ever so taking a bigger break will allow me some rest, and in turn my creative juices will start flowing and I'll be able to enjoy making signs again and then I would LOVE to make them for friends and family. 

And as far as the blog goes, I would love to write more. 

I have been trying to put out these thought dumps, even though my wrist is MESSED up. 

Seriously I can hardly use my wrist for anything. eeek, it worries me. 

I would love to focus on fashion, beauty and trash Monday over on instagram. 

Getting a bit away from family and fired up segments. 

2019-2021 saw so many tragedies and it felt like I had to take them all on, plus my own personal charges - which is everything by the way lol. I feel passionate about everything!

But, I am tired, I feel burnt out and exhausted.

I imagine if I'm feeling this then others are too and so I would really like to add to something easy and lighthearted. Being lighthearted doesn't mean I am not taking charge behind the scenes, I just need a space to enjoy my time and be my creative outlet.

So I'm still struggling with what to do, I would love to continue my Etsy shop, not taking any customs just make and list! So stay tuned for that, I'm figuring it out, still a hot mess really.. but I think I can finally say it out-loud - Signs and Scensty have to go. ... .... ?  right?? gah! hahahah 

How it started vs How it's going

I just came across these photos from our last day in Newfoundland, funny enough it was while looking for a photo of something else I had just started way back when (2015) but is something I am considering giving up now.. more on that in another blogpost!

 I thought you might like to see some throwbacks and talk about some fun facts from back in the day! 

We left Newfoundland in the fall of 2015, Elliott was our only child at that point and he was about a year, 3 months old. 

I believe our transfer conversations started with the RCMP in January of 2015, I think I can remember Nick getting his tonsils removed and being in a motel in Grand Falls -Windsor when Nick was on the phone with some staffing people and things sort of started to roll.

I was hesitant, I'm still hesitant... 

I did not want to move, still hold this as a point of resentment. 

I had the dream job as a P04 (postal clerk) at the tiniest post office two seconds away from our house, I had waited 5 years in Newfoundland for this job to become available and it was a miracle it opened up at all! Postal Workers wait 40 years for a position like this to arrive. 

Well, if you want to hear my. resentment story that's a tale for another time, let's get back to the photos!

We had the tiniest little house in NL. 

We were shocked at the housing prices when we moved to the Rock, fresh out of RCMP Depot, on a probation Mountie Pay, I was on a leave of absence from Canada Post.

We drove into town at 2 am, during Come Home week (the town was swamped with people!), with no where to live, no idea what we were doing - just livin' on love!

Again, the housing prices had just taken a leap. 

I had a mortgage on a house in Nova Scotia. (we were renting it out) 

and Nick was a brand new Mountie, in Community college/University before that and basically only having McDonalds as a work reference. 

We could not get a big mortgage, the houses were priced high!

We looked at a few places, there was a Mountie leaving - his house was available. 

But so many of the houses needed work and with no family, no friends yet, nothing - we needed a place that was A-OK or we were going to have to learn DIY real quick. 

That's when we stumbled upon this place.

It was tiny!!

2 bedroom, 1.5 bath and I feel like 1300 sq. feet? 

But it had been renovated, it was fresh and clean - it was just in our price range. 

I think we ended up paying something like $141,000??

I think it was listed for $145,000.

I'll have to ask Nick because maybe I'm crazy but that sounds right, give or take a smidge.

And this is where we made home for 5 years. 

Elliotts 1st bedroom.



Our primary bedroom







Our goodbye photos.

Our basement rec room/guest room/blog room/DIY room/ everything extra!



Basement 



Laundry. 

Our very last ride on Marine Atlantic. 

Oh I took that ferry back and fourth 100 times over 5 years, even got stuck at sea on a bumpy ride home after Christmas one year and I was alone! Nick was already back in NL for work. 

We moved home into our dream house!

This home wasn't the one we thought we would be getting, the homes we were looking at were brand new builds but they had been flooded right before we were going to move back to NS. 

I had been eyeing this home and brought it up to Nick, it was above our budget that we wanted to spend but it had so many little upgrades and a garage etc. It felt worth it to make the leap - plus I am stubborn and made sure we kept offering only what we could afford. I got us an extra $5000 savings in the long run! Doesn't seem like much but every little bit helps!

It is so crazy looking at these photos now!

We had no idea what our lives had in store for us.

Elliotts new room!

I recently came across my pro/con list for moving from this house (this spring we really considered moving due to the hot market and the School bus issue we were having), the pros for living here had over 86 items and the cons for living here had 3 points. 

3 points! isn't that crazy!

I really do feel like we've found our dream house/location and I think it was meant to be. 

I mean, what if those other houses didn't flood????!

What if the people who lived here before we did weren't already moved out and didn't accept my lower offer?? I think them being moved out already helped our offer get accepted plus we could move right in!! yayyyy meant to be or what??!?!

Crazy how much has changed but only 5-6 short years have passed!

What will the future hold for our little dream house?

And if you would like to hear more about our story, you should totally motivate me to write that book I've been putting off! hahaha 

Mountie Life - Our Experience

XOXO - chat soon!

WhitePoint Beach Resort 2021

We traded in our annual PEI vacation for WhitePoint Beach Resort the last 2 years and we have no regrets! We LOVE PEI and will most definitely be returning at some point but for this time in our lives WhitePoint has been such a great pairing.

Last year we decided to make the switch based on the Covid situation and we had such a ball we decided to do it again this year and make it 4 nights stay vs last years 3! (we had tried to extend our trip to 4 nights last year too but they were all booked up)

The first great thing about WP is how close it is to home but the far away feel. 

Elliott is great in the car but can sometimes feel car sick (nothing gravol can't handle but still not fun for him) the girls can be hit or miss depending on how tired they are (and won't fall asleep!) etc. 

A tiny 1.5 hours to our destination is perfection!

We like to stay in Cavendish when we go to PEI, because it has everything!! SO fun!!

but with the kids ranging from 1.5-7 it can be tougher to find something that we all like doing all day. 

Ex: Elliott will go to the amusement parks in Cavendish from dawn to dusk but that same plan won't fly with Nilah.

Another thing we love about WP: the Beach is fun for all ages, all day long! (if you're us! hahaha WE LOVE THE BEACH)

Our first day at WhitePoint, we were in a giant heat wave, like, 40+ degrees!!

We arrived to our destination right around the 3pm check in time and immediately hit the waves.

We left everything at the cabin, dropped our phones, pulled on our swim suits and I can honestly say that first day is some of my most favourite memories from my entire time of being a mom.

The smiles on the kids faces are something I don't ever want to forget.

Sandy everywhere, frizzy haired, sunscreen smelling, smiles exposed from ear to ear and laughter barreling down the length of the beach.

We all went in the ocean, the water was clear blue and the waves were the perfect size.

Nick and I took turns being in the ocean with the older 2 and Nilah frolicked in the sand, building hills and digging holes for hours upon hours.

I remember it was shortly after 3 when we hit the sand and at 5pm I started looking at my Fitbit. 

We didn't take our phones to the beach, a good choice but man, I hope I can remember those smiles and laughs. I have a horrible memory, its dull and weak and I truly feel like I have something wrong with me because its so hazy.

 My sisters have the exact same thing so I don't know if that makes me lucky because we are all in this together and its 'normal' for our family or if that makes it worse because it means I will forever be forgetting all this magical moments and there's no real reason why other than bad genes. 

I remember looking at my watch then but we didn't go home to our cabin until well after 6pm.

We all slept well that night; and every night! 

I couldn't keep my eyes open past 10:30 every night of vacation, which is so strange for us!

Nick and I are night owls and when at home rarely climb in bed before midnight.

The next day was a similar experience, we ordered breakfast to our room, I did yoga by the ocean with Whitepoints yoga instructor. 

 

We went to the big cabin where they hosted a paint class for the kids to paint with sponges. 

Then we hit the beach!

Between all the fun we would feed the bunnies.

We saw many more bunnies this year than last!

They were always outside our cabin and we were in the cabin next door last year so they must have had a bunny spike in 2021!

Nilah LOVED the cabin phone, she would not stop "talking" on it.

We had to keep it unplugged most of the stay. 

We went to supper in Elliot's Dining Hall (that's what its called, Elliot's :)) 3 times total, although the first night they lost our reservation and well, it was quite the upset, mostly me: I am a drama queen. 

It was just shocking because they had our other 2 reservations (we heard they lost a couple of reservations this night) and it was smack dab in the middle of supper time after a day on the ocean and we had got all dressed up for our big first supper out.  

We tried to sit at the bar but we weren't allowed to sit together because of our family size, and they suggested we sit on the sofas in the lounge but there's no way the kids could eat on a sofa (there were a lot of younger workers at WhitePoint this year. I think that's great!! but I don't know that any of them had kids as they were very young kids themselves and I laughed to myself, no way would a 2 year old eating on a couch be a good idea LOL).

 We were hungry and exhausted, it was Canada Day so everything was closed or booked at capacity. 

We decided to leave and take a drive, we tried a place = booked.

Then we ended up at Seaside Seafoods, a little take out spot just a few minutes passed WhitePoint.

Fantastic Food!!! SUPER busy and by the time we got home we were well into the 9 o'clock and a little sour.

I'm telling you all this because its what happened and we were sad about it but I made a choice not to talk about it on insta stories.

Partially because I was barely on my phone while on vacay lol

and also because it was no ones fault, it was just a bummer, a mistake and it was ok!

It felt sucky in the moment, it would have been easy to make an insta post about but in the scheme it was nothing.

Well lo and behold the next night at our booked supper at Elliot's restaurant we found out after we ate that our entire meal was going to be comped!

This was our first big meal and we went all out, I had wine, Nick had a beer (this is 'all out' for us LOL), we were going to get dessert. 

The waitress came over around dessert time and let us know the GM recognized us and he felt so bad about the night before he was comping the meal and sends his apologies.

We were able to chat with him afterwards and he said he was looking for us the night before and was going to order in a pizza or something but we hustled out so fast he missed us. 

This gesture meant SO MUCH!

We had been bummed out but decided not to let it ruin the vibe (I had also had a moment with an exploding kettle in our cabin, so we were kind of bad vibin' the day before. LOL a story for another time!)

In this moment I was so glad we had kept the experience to ourselves, glad we decided the good vibes were the theme and we carried on the rest of the vacay having the BEST time!

(I know I told you now but.. its a part of the story.. loll)

The next day the rain started and it was colder, no ocean on these last two days but we did book the indoor pool! The outdoor pool was too chilly so we skipped that all together but we booked the indoor pool

for at least, 3-4 sessions and the kids had a BALL.

We blew HUGE bubbles in the outdoor area, hosted by WP of course and the kids went crazy for it!! 

We stayed almost the entire hour and every one of the kids was living their best lives!

Elliott popping all the bubbles, Noelle chasing them, Nilah blowing them (the ocean wind technically blew them so it was easy haha).

We wandered down to the ocean every day, rain or shine.

We played in the sand and strolled near the crashing waves.

The final day came and we had to check out by 11am, we went for one last swim in the pool from 9:30-10:30. We packed as fast as we could and we were all so sad to leave. 

The kids were pretty much devastated to leave, Noelle said she wasn't going and Elliott asked how much it would cost to stay there every night of the year. 

Thinking of it now, only a few days later.. I have to say this was our best vacation yet.

I don't know if its because the kids are getting a bit older and they can play independently while having thoughts on what they would like to do next and they can pretty much 'go' as long as we can! 

Nap time is only an issue with Nilah these days and she's pretty flexible with it. 

Plus the pure joy they emit is contagious, the running, skipping and hopping to and from every event. 

Something as simple as the ocean and some bunnies makes them giddy; at night Nick and I watched old DVD's that WhitePoint keeps in the rec space and sipped wine while listening to the crackle of the fireplace and waves crashing off the rocks outside our door. 

Already counting down to next summer!