Summer Bucket List

IT'S AUGUST?!?

I fully admit that I have been neglecting my blog. Summer days with a house & garden to work on, and a toddler to chase just seem to fly by! And I've been spending summer nights enjoying our deck with my husband( -and the occasional "Beach Flip" or other HGTV guilty pleasure.) So excuses...excuses....I am here to blog about what I have been up to and what I call my "Summer Bucket List." 

What's been keeping me busy? This house and the garden! We started a 4'x8' vegetable garden for the first time this summer, plus tomatoes in separate containers. Now I have some extra watering and weeding to do, and also my zucchini and cucumbers have blight!  Sick plants! So I have to spray them every day with this special stuff. Look at me, the gardener! I also have my regular front garden & back garden to weed, mulch and tend to. We put in second floor window boxes...now I have 4 window boxes to try to keep alive! Plus ...bird feeders to keep filled! I think all the work is worth it and really ups the curb appeal of our home. And we have really been enjoying eating the veggies from our garden!

I started creating seasonal Bucket Lists last summer and have found it an absolutely wonderful way to enjoy the seasons with my family. For whatever reason, writing down a to-do list for the season makes it more joyful! I use Instagram (my private IG) to document each season's adventures with special hashtags. I love looking back through the photos and having the memories collected like that! My favorite bucket season so far was actually fall last year! I'll blog about it this fall!

So what's on this summer's bucket list? (I've crossed off the ones that we've done!)

• Train ride
• Boat and beach often! (last year we felt like we didn't spend enough time at the lake)
• Play in the sand
• Grow our own veggies and enjoy eating them
• Eat ice cream often
• Make homemade ice cream
• Visit the Rose Garden near our house
• Go camping
• Have s'mores in our backyard fire pit
• Outdoor backyard movie party
• Pick berries
• enjoy our new Wrangler
• Go antiquing (often)
• see lots of trucks
• enjoy the deck as much as possible!
• Make cyanotype prints (sun prints)
• Picnic in the park by our house
• Go for a hike
• Watch fireworks
• Go for a family bike ride
• Lay on a blanket in the yard and stare up at our big tree
• Go to the Farmer's Market
• Go to the Zoo often

Some of these have proven to be more difficult to accomplish than I thought. We missed the 4th of July Fireworks because the little man was too tired to stay out. I've been keeping watch for other possibilities to see some. Also, I thought cyanotype artwork was a common thing. You may have done this when you were a kid at camp...you lay out paper with things you find in nature...pieces of fern or other leaves and leave it in the sun. The paper turns blue and leaves the area white where you had your items. 

(Images via Google)

The people at Michael's craft store looked at me like I was cray-cray when I asked where the supplies for them were. The pre-made paper I found on Amazon seems expensive...and buying the chemicals separately seems a little over the top. I need to run to our local commercial art supply store and see what I can find. I am determined to do this!! I loved doing it as a kid.

The Backyard Movie Night was on the BL last year and we didn't get to it...I really want to do it this year! (Planes: Fire & Rescue, obvi) This requires special equipment and planning. I better get on that! For some reason the previous left not one but THREE giant movie screens in various places in our house...so we have that covered! 

Family Bike Ride should be an easy one, but I haven't found R a toddler helmet I like. Can someone just make and sell a plain bike helmet for children? Solid blue or white would be fine. Thanks!

Here are some images from the things we have done this summer!!

Lots and lots of zucchini!

S'mores in the fire pit

Harvest from our garden

Dinners on the deck get fancy sometimes!

Glamping #idontcampiglamp

Hike around the lake while camping

Cousin time in the sand while we were camping!

Antique Fest...this was the spot where I found an $8 antique table that I'm fixing up for an adorable play table! These kind of junky vendors are the most thrilling!

Rose Garden...smelled like Heaven!

Penguins at the Zoo!

The Truck show was a big hit. And this Jeep Truck is beyond cool.

Thomas the Train was a fun ride with the family!

Beach DAY!

What's on your list this summer? I'd love to hear! As for me...we're off to cross some more things off the ole BUCKET LIST!! Thanks for stopping by! Keep up with me daily on Instagram @lifestylesmith!

xoxo
jamie