End of Summer Love

Oh HI! Remember me? Hope you all have had a fabulous summer! It's not over yet but I think we can all feel that it's starting to wind down with the mentions of "back to school". Gasp!

I typically take most of the summer off at Keep It Beautiful Designs. To me, summer is a time of unplugging from the routine of the year, playing, taking random adventures and enjoying the long summer days.

We've had a wonderful summer. Mr. Fix-It and I kicked off our holidays in Prince Edward County with another bestie couple. We drank, ate and relaxed. I love this crew and we all love wine. 

We even rented a limo that most definitely was designed in the 90s to drive us around :)

I've shared my love of Prince Edward County here before. This time we stayed at The Angeline's Inn. We stayed in The Walter where they have recently renovated and the rooms are adorable and right on trend. The owner's couldn't be nicer and it's right in the heart of Bloomfield. Some of our fav wineries are Norman Hardie (don't miss their delish lunch: pizza!), Hinterland (delicious bubbles and a fab new brewery). We found two new places that all round were our favs. Trail Estate Winery - super tiny but the wine is delicious and the County Cider Company - I don't even like cider but the lunch and the view is spectacular!

We then piled the kids in the SUV and made the two-day drive to Nova Scotia. GULP! With a binder of activities, iPads and surprise bags, the kids were awesome. Thank God! In the early days of this blog, I shared a few tips on road tripping with kiddies. I most definitely used the binder again! We spent about 10 days down there, swimming, beaching and seeing family and friends. Good times.

I literally met Mr. Fix-It when we were 12 years old in this very spot. We both swam for the same summer swim team and I'll never forget seeing him walk through the gate onto the pool deck. He was a lanky 12 year-old wearing a Michigan jersey. This girl was most definitely not into the home-boy look but I couldn't resist his gorgeous smile and wildness. We were instant friends and through teenage romances, break-ups and teenage drama, the rest is history :)

Mr. Fix-It's brother got married so here we are. Our clean clothes lasted enough for the wedding ceremony. Super fun wedding! 

We spent the last week of our vacation at the cottage with friends. I love how kids feel so free and wild in the summer. The dirtier at the end of the day the better. A sign of a good one.

We've done zero renos or DIYs this summer. Not so good as a home design blogger, BUT I can't remember the last time we did any in the summer. Even though we reno'd our basement last summer, we hired someone to do it so that's different ;) Have you been busy? Would love to hear!

With the fall around the corner, I've got some ideas and plans up my sleeve. First, I need to get on the meal planning and back-to-school shopping. I'm trying out a delish menu plan this week that I'll be sharing with you soon. Activities start up for the kids and as two working parents, it's tough trying to balance it. But balance we need. That most definitely includes getting back to the gym! This mama is feeling the beer slug ;) 

For the house, this fall, we need to finish the stairs to the basement, the counter tops in the basement, the basement desk and we really need to re-paint the inside of our house. After 6 years, there are rooms that need a fresh coat of paint. Fun :) Ooh, and it's time make our baby girl's room into a big girl bedroom. She's not so baby anymore. Pass me the tissue!

----------------------------------------------BREAKING NEWS-------------------------------------------------

SOOOO I wrote this post Sunday morning to post for you all on Monday but just as I was about to close it, I noticed water coming down from the boys ceiling. Ugh, a leak!! You've got to be kidding me! So my happy end-of-summer post turned into holy-crap-do-we-need-a-new-roof?

This is Mr. Fix-It taking out part of the ceiling. The picture is so grainy bc it was pouring rain outside...all day. 

Love these old homes, but man they can be a pain in the a!@. Three caulking canisters (up on the roof around the chimney) we're hoping we have stopped the leak. We're not really sure where the leak is from but have a feeling it might be from the chimney flashing. Fingers crossed. We need another rainstorm to test it out! I'll keep you posted. For now, we're having family sleepovers in our bedroom while the boys' room is airing out! Ugh!

So here we go my lovelies. Enjoy the rest of the summer days and warm nights. Life is going to get busier in a few weeks but let's try to hold on to the calm and zen for as long as we can. K? 

Keep it Beautiful.