Well, friends, it has been a blue moon since I last wrote a bucket list post. In fact, it has been exactly a year. I published this bucket list for summer 2023 and some seasonal goals and then pretty much quit blogging for a year, give or take a few scattered posts. In reviewing that list and those goals, I could pretty much just copy and paste and use the same lists for this year. But I won’t do that!! That would be the easy way out!!
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Summer 2024 Goals
Several years ago, I realized making seasonal goals works better for me than New Year’s resolutions that I lose track of before the second week of the new year. I try to get my goals scribbled onto my goal blackboard that sits front and center on the floor of my bedroom. It puts my goals out where I see them as I begin my day. Going to get that done as soon as I publish this post. And when I share them here with you, I am not only accountable to myself but to you, as well.
You might remember that I divide my goals into 2 categories. Things that are external I categorize under House. Goals specifically affecting me, my body, my personality I categorize under Home. And here’s a key to my the emojis I use for determining my status on each one.
Key to my Progress:
- ⏱️ = work on goal underway
- ✔️ = goal met
- ❌ = goal not met
So, with all that housekeeping out of the way, here are my summer 2024 goals.
House
- figure out what to do to the yard on the west side of the house: this area features 3 trees, a peach, oleander, and Texas ash, so it is shadier than any other part of our yard. But as a result, the sun-loving Bermuda grass we have elsewhere, doesn’t grow well here. Last fall, we put down ‘blankets’ of grass seed and it came up pretty well once the temperatures dropped some. We have tried clover seed here, too, and it came up but has now died because ‘someone’ sprayed it with weed killer. Lauren’s whole backyard is clover and looks so green and lush. Ours never looked that good, though. We (I) are contemplating putting in a walk from the pool deck around to the side of the house past the pool equipment and out to the gate that leads to the front yard. PC mentioned filling in most of the area with gravel which would work for me, if it was in the shape of a walk!! Stay tuned.
- hang the TV on the back porch: we have had an electrician come out to evaluate and prepare an estimate for this project but we haven’t received his estimate yet. The TV we want to mount is one that was in our bedroom until we bought a new one for the den, moved the old den TV to our room, and the master bedroom TV onto the floor in PC’s study where it has been sitting for close to a year. I want to do this for PC’s July retirement present.
- *maybe put in a walkway: the grass on the westside of the house is very sparse. We have tried growing different types of grass and clover but with little luck. Thinking if we put a walk between the pool in the backyard, across the yard on the west side of the house and to the gate that leads to the front yard that will solve the problem. I am thinking something like this.
- touch up baseboards: a summer 2023 goal. When we had the carpeting removed on the stairs, in the hall and my loft the fall of 2022, the baseboards were removed and then reattached. They look pretty banged up. Would like to freshen them up with a coat of paint and maybe do the rest of the baseboards, too. Thinking the first method demonstrated in this video looks easy enough.
- touch up wall paint inside the house and paint the pullouts on the front porch: this is another goal carried over from last summer. Still hasn’t happened!! For a 16-year-old house, our walls are in very good shape but there are knicks here and there that could be touched up. Also, I have moved art around on the walls, leaving behind nail holes. Would like to get some touch up paint as close to our wall color as possible and fix those spots. We had cracks repaired on the stucco pullouts on our patio, balcony and front porch when the work was being done on the pool last year but not all of the pullouts were painted the right color. We have the paint for that, just need to use it. Going to use the method below to try to match our wall paint as closely as possible.
- update our comforter in our room: this is going to sound crazy, but I purchased a new quilt, pillow shams, and curtains a year ago…and then LIFE. Got the curtains hung and stopped there. The linens have been sitting in our closet since. Want to refresh our room by finally getting these pieces in place.
Home
- stick to Weight Watchers throughout the summer: we have a beach trip planned for late July, read more here. Of course, that means spending most of a week in a bathing suit in front of my family and all of South Padre Island. Yikes. ‘Nuff said. Started this (again) today.
- faithfully use Revitalash and Retinol and Musely all summer: good grief, I have been using the same tube of RoC Retinol Correxion, deep wrinkle, anti-aging night cream since 2020!! No wonder I am not seeing drastic results!! Just started using it again when I discovered it as I cleaned the drawers in our bathroom. Using a Musely dark spot treatment and it has made a significant difference toward lightning my sunspots and damage. Brennyn got me started with this and I need to finish using the bottles I have. And finally, Revitalash. Brennyn gave me this for my birthday. And it has made a great difference in the length of my pretty pitiful eyelashes. Need to keep it up.
- beach pedicure: meant to get a pedi before my brother’s wedding but I just hate spending money on that. I have purchased some Sally Hansen gel polish but maybe I will splurge and afford myself just one pedi this summer.
Bucket Lists
I have said it before and will probably say it again, these bucket lists really encourage us to enjoy new experiences. New places and activities. If you haven’t tried making one, I would suggest you give it a go. I don’t think of these activities as things to do before I die. Instead, they are things to do to help me live my best life.
And look what I found!! A place where you can create your bucket list online and find support from other bucket list makers AKA buckaroos. And folks who accompany or support buckaroos in fulfilling the items on their lists are apparently called buckers. Check out Bucket List, here. Thinking I will create an account and add this list there. If you do the same, we can cheer each other on!!
Look at the top 5 bucket list ideas as reported on Bucket List.
How many of these 5 activities would make your list? How many have you already checked off?
Summer 2024 Bucket List
Isn’t that a cute bucket list my Lucia created one of the last days of school? Had to share it with you. Have to confess…some of these activities are almost underway in that tickets have been purchased, arrangements made. But that’s okay, right? Just good planning!! As a reminder, I use the same key to indicate my progress on each activity.
Key to my Progress:
- ⏱️ = work on goal underway
- ✔️ = goal met
- ❌ = goal not met
In ABC Order
- beach house collage: have been wanting to make this collage with Jennifer Chamberlin at The Maker Beehive since I first came across it earlier this year. Have put off signing up for it because I just didn’t know when I would get around to completing it. But guess what…the answer is NOW!! And if not this summer, I will have the video to pull up whenever the stars align and the time is finally right to do it.
- birthday celebrations: The summer is a big birthday season for us with Mustafa’s birthday on 06.11, Cady’s bday on 07.28, Brennyn on 07.30, Lauren on 07.31, and Francisco on 08.15. Ka-ching!! Going to celebrate our birthday folks and have half-birthday celebrations for Lucia, Camila and Declan. We make every effort to be together every year around the end of July for this purpose.
- Chihuahuas Triple A baseball game with my Prince Charming: take in a game on seniors’ night (and I don’t mean 12th graders!!) Seniors (60 years of age and older) can receive a free hot dog meal. Fireworks spectacular to follow the game in our beautiful Southwest University stadium.
- complete the summer photo scavenger hunt hosted by Ruth at This West London Life, here: this actually kicked off in May. I am just fashionably late. I am a little late for everything it seems. Here are the prompts for the scavenger hunt. Grab your camera and join the fun.
-
- Family pet or cute animal
- Look up to the sky
- A colourful front door
- What’s on your feet
- Favourite summer food/meal
- Something with wings
- Favourite summer reading nook/space
- Something colourful in your garden/neighbourhood
- Moving water
- Something that casts a shadow
- A kitchen utensil you hardly ever use
- A place of worship
- Mark the passage of time
- Your nation’s flag
- Something you’ve repurposed
And There’s More
- family pictures: if we have been pals for any length of time, you will know this activity makes every.single.bucket.list. And never ever ever comes to fruition. But this year, by golly, it is going to happen. I have already hired the photographer for our first day at South Padre Island/birthday celebration/beach trip. Pinch me!!
- South Padre and San Antonio summer vacation: PC and I are meeting the girls and their fams at South Padre, and we are staying at the Suntide III condos. We are having aforementioned (!) family photos taken, taking a day trip to Big Sea Shell Beach, and maybe doing a little deep sea fishing. Plus a whole lot of snuggling, sunbathing, reading and relaxing, I hope. Then PC and I will drive up to San Antonio to spend a few nights alone after all the family time.
- trip home: I no longer feel like I have a ‘back home’ because my parents are gone but, the end of August, we are going to Tennessee, Kentucky and PC’s home, Ohio in August. Hope to make some memories.
- try two new restaurants: pretty straight forward. We haven’t tried any place new since my birthday in April. I have a new restaurant on my radar. Keeps popping up on Instagram, I think. And I asked PC to come up with some place he’d like to try. Stay tuned to see where we turn up.
- writing weekend: for their anniversary, our friends Dick and Denise, went on a writing holiday. They stayed at Casitas de Gila in New Mexico. We have been talking about trying to do something similar. A getaway where we can be together, write, rest and unwind. I have pinned a couple of possible locations but we don’t have concrete plans. Anxious to see if we can make this happen.
Now to see how I venture on all of these projects with the 2 months remaining in the season.
Your Turn
We had so many question marks in our lives this time last summer when I attempted to create a bucket list but never gave it a second thought after. I had forgotten but in reading that post, was reminded that I had just begun taking something for anxiety. Thankful that I am no longer taking it. I still have anxious moments in every day but nothing like before. I was reminded of having to go off my anti-depressant/OCD meds cold turkey this past fall when they were no longer available. Oh, that was such a difficult month. So grateful to be ‘stable’ on a replacement medication now.
Have you set out some goals to accomplish this summer? Do you have activities on your summer bucket list? I think this is the easiest season to create a bucket list for because almost everyone is able to enjoy a little summer down time. Hope you have big plans and accomplish and ENJOY every one.
Thank you for being my friend!! Hey, that could be a song.
Hugs and kisses,
YAY! I saw this Summer Bucket List post today and it made me so happy! Ohh, we are going on our cruise next week and I did a french pedicure at home and it turned out pretty good!! I would really love to get all of our baseboards and doors painted white eventually… altho, buying new may be easier but have no idea how much that costs. We need new carpet too and that is on our list, so def. prob should wait till after we get the carpet incase they get beat up like yours. ENJOY THE BEACH and all the birthdays, sweet friend! 🙂
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Our summer is for home improvements too. Gotta stay cool inside. And how cool there is a support group, LOL
XOXO
Jodie
A lovely list and ambitious as you always are! Wishing you lovely vacations and a relaxing summer.
We have noticed that there are a few areas in our house that need a bit of TLC and freshening up and I have started dropping hints that now may be a good time to start at least one of them 😉
Hope you have a fantastic family time away and I can’t wait to see those photos!
I have so much I need to do around the house that I can’t do because of my ankle! Ugh. Maybe in August. Top 5 bucket list items – I’d like to see the Northern Lights. I would not want to skydive or get a tattoo. I have been on a cruise and I have technically swam with dolphins but they were far away from me!
Whew! I think I wore myself out reading your summer bucket list. 😀 I made one a few weeks ago, but then decided to toss the list. I deserve to just do nothing but binge-watch Netflix and read “empty” novels. 2023-24 was EXHAUSTING! I wish you well as. you “check off” the items on your list this summer!