I ' ve always been a die-hard " summer " person , but let me tell you , Mandy is an absolute fall fanatic . Her sheer delight in everything autumn is so infectious that it doesn ' t take long for me to catch the fall fever too . Plus , it doesn ' t hurt that the kids will be back to their school routines , and life ' s settling into a nice , predictable groove after the summer whirlwind of fun and adventures .
This past year has been quite the rollercoaster ride for our little family . We kicked off the year with a monumental decision — to build a brand new family home . And guess what ? You ' ll get to witness all the excitement when our new TV series airs this coming spring !
Embarking on a project of this scale tests every single aspect of your life . Your finances , your marriage , your parenting skills , your work — nothing is spared from the stress ! But , you know what ? We made it through , and we learned a whole lot about each other along the way .
Building our family home turned out to be an incredibly rewarding experience . We learned to go with the flow , roll with the punches , and adapt to the ever-changing challenges that building a home from scratch presents . We were very hands-on throughout the entire process . I pitched in with laying the foundation and framing the walls , while Mandy helped hoist up the trusses . Even the kids got in on the action , getting their hands dirty with the landscaping .
As we step into this exciting new chapter in our lives , we can ' t help but feel grateful for the journey and the lessons we ' ve learned along the way . Cheers to embracing change as we gradually shape our house into a cozy and inviting place , one step at a time !
MARC ATIYOLIL Editor-in-Chief marc @ CanadianHomeTrends . com