Sweet quarantine queens, it’s time for my summer 2020 bucket list update 08.2020. A second look at the progress I’ve made on this summer’s activities. Hadn’t been feelin’ much like even looking at this list until the last few days. Not these bucket list activities, nor my wellness goals. But this week I have begun to feel better. Hope it continues.
When I put together this list, we were well into the first wave of Covid. But that wave soon turned into a tsunami of cases here in the Sun City. However, today hospitalizations, patients in ICU, patients on ventilators and deaths are all on the decrease. I am praying we have turned the corner.
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Let’s check out the details.
Update 08.2020
Tried to keep my summer 2020 bucket list Covid-friendly in case things got worse and more limitations were put into place. Which has, unfortunately, been the case in El Paso and across the state of Texas. Always the pessimist. Or, I like to think, the realist.
GOOD FOR THE BODY
- Concentrate on improving arms and abs to earn midriff top and workout pants – oh, please!! PC wants me to buy a midriff top/active wear pants outfit but I want to tone up more before I do. And I have hardly moved in the past month. I should probably give this the big red ❌ right now but maybe a miracle will happen. 🟨 Pending
- Return to working out at the gym – nope. Still letting the germs settle. 🟨 Pending
- Ride scooters or trolley to explore downtown – not yet. This would be such fun but it has just been too darn hot to investigate. The trolley has suspended service, I just discovered. 🟨 Pending
- Run 5 times a week – work on consistency rather than distance. My Prince C. is really struggling again with his back and hips. Some of it I blame on us being very sedentary right now. I am going to have to run without him. And did today. Now to run 5 times a week. 🟨 Pending
GOOD FOR THE HEART
- Dress up date night once a month – we visited 2 restaurants in June but with our increasing Covid numbers, we returned to playing it safe and eating at home. For now, there is no dressing up for date night. 🟨 Pending
- Kiss goodnight after gratitude journal – we are good about completing the gratitude journal every night but the kissing goodnight, not so much. Have begun doing better about this. And have received my new gratitude journal. ✔️
- Patio chats over smoothies – boy howdy, we have really embraced this activity. Been too hot most mornings lately to do this but we are still drinking smoothies over here. Still up to our eyeballs in peaches. Check out some recipe ideas here. Hope to return to time on the patio soon. ✔️
- Start A Year of Us – started completing this book on our anniversary. The first question was “What would be a perfect date with our spouse?” ✔️
GOOD FOR THE MIND
- Complete courses – those on blogging and morning and evening routines, want to investigate becoming a notary. Finished the “Make Over Your Mornings” course with Crystal Paine. Shared my thoughts on it here, for Lauren’s Keeping It Together series. Have purchases the “Make Over Your Evenings” course so will try it, And need to complete the “Genius (?) Bloggers Tool Kit” course. But have been bummed about blogging lately. Should probably write a post about that. Looked into becoming a notary, here. But while I am helping as much as I am with Lucia and Camila, it would be hard to do any other kind of job. Check mark it is. ✔️
- Follow Dave Ramsey’s podcasts – have been listening to these podcasts but most of the folks Ramsey counsels are way over the heads in debt. Thankfully, I am not, we are not. So I am continuing to set money aside, trying to stay off Amazon.com away from Loft, Target and Old Navy. Going to mark this as complete. ✔️
- Mosaic class – registered in the spring, then Covid – Terry was gracious enough to put kits together for me. And Lauren and I are making cactus mosaics together. Terry also showed me her home studio and own art. Swoon!! The top photo are the cactus tiles Lauren and I are working on. We spent time this week working on them together. The other images are pieces Terry has created. Visit her on Etsy at Terry Wright Studio. ✔️
- Summer crafts – banner for the patio, patriotic projects, scrapping, water color and mosaic, of course. I did make a few patriotic crafts for my 4th of July decor. The various blue fabrics are what I am using for my patio banner. Also linked up for Erlene’s July Pinterest Challenge Blog Hop with this seafood salad recipe. Try it on a croissant. So good. ✔️
GOOD FOR THE SOUL
- Begin new Bible study – Completed Grace Changes Everything by Bonnie Hunter with my sister. Started my sweet friend Mary Clewley’s “Cultivate” series from her blog Hope Filled Living. But I have to print the PDFs for “Cultivate” and my printer is on the fritz. So today I ordered The 12 Week Journal for Women’s Prayer & Devotional Bible Study by Shalana Frisby. Have done some of her workbooks in the past and enjoyed them. ✔️
- Find a new gratitude journal – have been using the Choose Gratitude: Blessings Journal by Crystal Paine, who also wrote the morning and evening routine courses above. This is gonna sound crazy but consider the source…I don’t like this journal because I don’t like the cover. True I could see the cover on Amazon when I ordered it. But figured if the inside of the journal was fabulous I could live with the cover. Well, the inside isn’t anything special and I still dislike the cover. Using it anyway but gagging when I reach for it each night. What do you think? ✔️
- Help with food bank or other philanthropy – dropped off Walmart bags at the food bank, donated blood at Ft. Bliss for the soldiers in different theaters around the world. Bought baby things for a grandma who is suddenly caring for her 7 month-old grandson while his mother receives treatment for a brain tumor. The woman’s neighbor asked the northeast El Paso community to help and I am so proud of the response from my NE neighbors. ✔️
- Incorporate Calm.com back into quiet time – have been listening to this app on my way over the mountain in the mornings. Had hoped to incorporate it into my quiet time but I am just trying to do too much then! Would have to start getting up at 4:30 am to squeeze it all in. So going to call this one done. ✔️
JUST PLAIN GOOD
- Birthday celebrations – we have 4 summer birthdays to celebrate in July. Had hoped Brennyn, Mustafa and Cady would be able to come to El Paso for birthday. But with the cases of Covid on the increase here and there, we have had to postpone our plans. So, sadly, this didn’t going to happen. ❌
- Make a new dessert – hello, German sweet chocolate cream pie. Baked up this treat on Tuesday. The house smelled heavenly the rest of the day. ✔️
- Try new grilling recipes – have tried a number of shish kabob recipes and they’ve been a hit! First these steak kabobs with sirloin steak, then these shrimp and sausage kabobs. And a couple of weeks ago, we had smoked sausage, chicken and potato kabobs and Hawaiian chicken and pineapple kabobs. PC is about kabobbed out for the time being. So I am waiting a few days before grilling up some grilled coconut and pineapple sweet chili shrimp kebabs. But I can hardly wait!! ✔️
- Wear maxis at least twice a month – needed to get over feeling like all maxis are formals! And I have done that. Have worn a maxi twice lately. Just for fun. Have recently received this new maxi from Dress Barn. Can’t wait to wear it. ✔️
While there’s still some yellow, there are a number of green check marks sprinkled in. By my count, I have completed 14 out of 20 activities. Not too shabby with a month left in the season to wind things up.
YOUR TURN
How are you faring on your summer fun list activities? Is life returning to normal in your community? Everyone still wearing a face mask where you live? Would love to hear about your summer accomplishments so far. And your plans for the last month of the season.
As I conclude this summer bucket list update 08.2020, not only am I thinking about finishing the season strong, but I am also looking forward to creating my list for fall. Please accept this invitation to join me for the reveal of our autumn bucket lists on 09.21.2020. It will keep you growing and moving forward during this difficult time when it is easy to become stagnant. When human nature has us just wanting to crawl under the covers until this virus passes.
If you have a summer bucket list update 08.2020 post, please link up with me. We can cheer each other on toward a grand finale!
Enjoy a perfect summer weekend, friends.
Big hugs and kisses,
Deb
I think you should score yourself double points for everything you tick off in these very strange times! Love, love, love all those maxi dresses.
So good that you were able to tick off the philanthropic bits, I try hard to remember to donate food to the local food bank when I go to the supermarket, so many extra people needing those services at the moment. I really admire you for giving blood, I wish I wasn’t so squeamish, I don’t really like blood tests and they are over in the blink of an eye so I’m not sure I’d be any good at donating a pint. My husband does though, and he has one of the less common blood groups – he tells me the time flies past while you are lying there relaxing but I’m not convinced!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I really don’t mind giving blood either. For a long time that wouldn’t allow me to donate because I had Lyme disease but things have changed apparently.
Joanne
You are doing great on your bucket list!!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you!!
Juhli
You have done great! I’m always impressed with how ambitious you lists are.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you!! My lists are ambitious but I am struggling to find my ambition!!
Dara
You’re doing great! I’m running again now, but only about 4x a week. I’m not going to the gym anymore, sadly. But it’s safer outside, I think! I love your mosaics!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
So proud of you to be running again. I had started and then went to see mom and just ran to the refrigerator and pantry and back. Ha! Need to get busy again. We gave away our treadmill right before Covid. Silly us. Because we were going to the gym. But I am truly scared to return to the gym now. In fact, priced elliptical machines and tread mills today.
Dennis Yannakos
It’s ok! You finished a lot of tasks! Just keep moving!
Kitchen Utensils Review
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you!! Need to remind myself…any forward progress is progress!!
Amy Johnson
I absolutely love your mosaics! They are gorgeous. My friend is really into mosaics now and is mosai-ing everything that doesn’t move. ha ha!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Ha!! I am so slow at this mosaic business. Hoping to finish one this week and move on toward finishing the big project I started when I first retired. Thank you!!
Christie Hawkes
Hello Leslie! Nice work on your summer list so far. That pie looks delicious, and the maxis are beautiful on you. As for the journal cover, it’s not my favorite, but I don’t hate it. You definitely need one that doesn’t make you gag though! COVID infections are going down in my area, but school is just starting, so I’ll be watching that closely to see what happens. I have some grandchildren going to class, some doing the combination in-class and online, and others going strictly online. I have my fingers crossed–and my mask on! Enjoy the rest of your summer. Thank you so much for setting up the bucket list linkup.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I don’t know what it is about that gratitude journal cover that I don’t like. But it doesn’t inspire me to want to pick it up and write in it!! Will be hoping and praying your babies, my babies and all the babies stay healthy as school begins. My granddaughter will b doing virtual school for a few weeks. I really worry because I think she probably didn’t get much out of all of her virtual schooling last spring. My younger grands are back in daycare and PK and so far, so good.
Donna Connolly
Congratulations on your many bucket list accomplishments. Very inspiring!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Gracias, amiga mia!!
Kellyann Rohr
I think it is so wonderful that your PC wants you to wear a cute workout outfit – my husband could not care less! That German chocolate pie looks soooooo good – German chocolate was my dad’s favorite. I made one for his last birthday and I’ll make another this year. I still cannot believe he’s gone, dang I miss him!
xo,
Kellyann
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I remember that your dad loved German chocolate. Try this pie on his birthday. I am thinking it is coming up before long. So good.
ShootingStarsMag
I think you’re doing an awesome job on your bucket list. Love all the summer crafts. I’ve been doing some here and there – I need to do a post or two about those actually, so good reminder there. LOL
-Lauren
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Has your library reopened with their craft days? I always thought they did such special things. I have a book on hold at our library that is ready for pick up but I have no idea how to do it since the library is not open yet.
Bri
Love the goals you have knocked out with your hubby! It looks like you are doing a really awesome job, Leslie!!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, dear one!!
Bojana
You get sooooooo much done!!!! Wow! That chocolate pie looks amazing and your generosity to the community really strikes me. I love and appreciate that you step in to care for others in your community, we certainly need more of that in our world. I am sorry to hear that things are not settling much in your part of the world and that you weren’t able to celebrate those birthdays all together. Here our numbers are keeping relatively low, except here and there we will have some hot spots, but now with school ready to return it’ll be interesting to watch and see how it all rolls out. Either way, I feel ready to return and give it a try. Oh, and I added the Giver of Stars to my list, so thanks for the recommendation. Have a great week.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I hope you enjoy Giver of Stars like I have. Hope to finish it up this weekend. If you like chocolate and coconut that pie is delicious. We enjoyed every morsel.
Our Covid cases have finally begun going down. I am so relieved. Now if we can keep it that way.