Update Autumn 2024 Bucket List and Fall Goals

 

Morning glories, happy to share this first update to my Autumn 2024 Bucket List and Fall Goals post from earlier this season.  Happy to share it because we have actually done some of the things on my list.  Forward progress has been made!!  And now that I am a little more mobile with this foot, we are able to do more again.  Hallelujah!!

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Update Autumn 2024 Bucket List

 

You may remember that I use this key to indicate my progress on each activity whenever I do an update bucket list and goals post.  When I indicate that work on a goal or activity is underway, it means we have truly started doing something toward realizing it.  Let’s see how things look.

Key to my Progress:

• ⏱️ = work on goal underway
• ✔️ = goal met
• ❌ = goal not met

• Bread baking:  using the sourdough starter from Brennyn and my 100-year-old yeast, and maybe try my hand at making this green chili cheese bread.  Check out my bread baking Pinterest board, here.  I have kind of met this goal.  Did make a loaf of sourdough but it wasn’t the best.  We ate it like it was, though!!  Just fed my yeast this week.  Need then try again.  Really want to make the green chili cheese bread.  Stay tuned.  ⏱️

• Care package for Bren and family:  because Lauren and her family live here in El Paso, I have more opportunities to do little things for Lucia and Camila and to help Lauren and Francisco now and then.  Want to put together a care package for my Ft. Worth lovies.  Working on this now.  Sent Declan some new clothes a week ago, and then ordered books for him today.  Bought Brennyn a thankful tee in a heathered deep teal on Etsy.  And a mini fleece hoodie and striped long sleeve tee from Hollister for my Cady Coo.  Now to get a few more things together and get a care package in the mail.  ⏱️

• Complete my “Hay There” fall door round:  started working on it when I broke my foot.  Want to finish it up and get it hanging on our front door. This was such a fun project.  So much fun that I have signed up for Over the Artsy Moon’s “Snow Happy” door round.  ✔️

• Dinner theater date at UTEP:  the Department of Theater and Dance is performing “Beauty and the Beast.”  I cannot believe that this presentation is sold out for all shows.  Will try to sub in something similar.  Maybe “The Illusionists” at our pretty Plaza Theater.  I’ll get back to you on this.  ⏱️

• Fall decorations and Dia de los Muertos altar:  this might be the hardest order to fill.  PC really doesn’t get very excited about my seasonal decorations.  Or my annual Dia de los Muertos altar, for that matter.  And my bins for both are on shelves in the garage where I can’t get to them on my own.  At least not yet.  Have to figure out a way to bribe PC into bringing in my bins.  Once the doctor cleared me to start standing on my boot, PC agreed to get my decorations down.  I didn’t put up my Dia de los Muertos altar which hurt my heart.  But there’s always next year.  I went through my fall decorations, purged about a third and put the rest around the house.  Here are a few pictures.  Made this button pumpkin with my sister a few weeks ago. Painted the pumpkin in the black frame and the green floral pumpkin last year.  And made the pumpkin collage 2 years ago.  The little Halloween houses are PopTart boxes.  ✔️

And then…

• Figure out a Halloween costume:  this is kind of iffy, depending on my foot.  Originally wanted to wear something Renaissance-ish looking.  One of these 2 dresses on Amazon.  But may still be in a wheelchair for trick-or-treat, so thinking Lauren and I will be Dia de los Muertos Katrinas.  I had my last ortho appointment for my foot on Halloween.  The doctor said I am ready to take off the boot and start walking on my foot, gingerly, in thick-soled shoes (my hiking boots) outside the house and Birkenstock-like (Lauren gave me some similar this summer) sandals around the house.  Decided not to dress up in any of the costumes I originally hoped to wear.  My clever sister suggested I go as a hiker in my boots, with PC’s walking/hiking sticks, and a pack on my back.  And that was what I did.  ✔️

 

• Finish my puffy kitty art project:  another craft activity I started when I broke my foot.  Modeling my kitty after my sweet Purrsimmony who died 07.2023.  Now to get her finished.  The image below is an example of one of the kitties made by someone else in the online group.  For now, I have put her away.  I did get the face and body stuffed and painted and I began working on the clothes for my kitty but I really needed to clean up some of the craft stuff I had all over the house.  So I’ve packed my Purrsimmony away for now.  ⏱️

• Fix prayer bracelet:  my prayer bracelet goes hand-in-hand with my WOTY – lighten (up).  I have used it to remind myself to pray when things are worrisome.  And to give thanks when things are peaceful.  It broke right after I broke my foot, and I want to have it restrung using the same beads.  I have purchased 2 replacement prayer bracelets but still like my original one better.  Still hoping to get it restrung.⏱️
• Holiday plans:  need to iron out our plans for Thanksgiving, Declan’s birthday and Christmas.  Not sure this is a bucket list activity but putting it here anyway.  Talked with Brennyn earlier this week and we have decided to drive to Ft. Worth on 12.18.2024 to be there for Dec’s bday on the 20th.  We will have an early Christmas with the kids and then drive home on 12.22.2024.  ✔️
• Movie with the grands:  have read good things about “Wild Robot.”  The El Paso grands are out of school for fall break this week.  Hoping we can snatch them up to go to the movies.  Also want to see “Here” with PC for a date day.  Check, check.  Enjoyed both movies.  Both have good, wholesome messages.  And the popcorn was yummy, too.  Bonus, both movies are based on books.  The Wild Robot, here, and Here, well, here.  ✔️

Also…

• New restaurant, coffee shop or pub:  we are creatures of habit and so often go to the same old places because they are familiar, comfortable.  Time to explore some new spots in town.  We have visited several new coffee shops and restaurants, both at home and while visiting Pinos Altos and Silver City.  Going to share the first new place we visited in today’s post, Margin Notes.  Hope to explore some new places at home before November is gone.  ⏱️

• Pumpkin things:  ’tis the season… need to taste all the pumpkin things.  Or at least a pumpkin spice latte, a pumpkin sweet treat of some sort and something savory and pumpkiny.  Maybe try some new recipes?  Just purchased all the ingredients to make Shay’s pumpkin and sausage pasta and plan to make it next week.  In the meantime, I have had 2 pumpkin coffees – one being a pumpkin Frappuccino (my first ever Frappuccino) and one a Chai pumpkin spice latte.  And have eaten my way happily through several plates of pumpkin spice pancakes.  Going to say this activity is well underway.  ⏱️

• Writing weekend getaway:  looking for a place fairly close to home where we can go to really relax and write on our stories.  We are mid-getaway in Pinos Altos, New Mexico as I type this.  Details to come in a post all their own.  ✔️

Now, let’s look at the projects for house and home I’ve dished up on our plate!!

Fall 2024 Goals

 

You might remember that I like to divide my goals into 2 categories.  Things that are external I categorize under House.  Goals specifically revolving around me directly I categorize under Home.  And here’s a key to my the emojis I use for determining my status on each one.

By sharing them here, I am not only accountable to myself but to you, as well.  Once I share them here with you, I try to get my goals scribbled onto the goal blackboard that sits on the floor of my bedroom.  It puts my goals front and center where I see them as I begin my day.

Key to my Progress:

• ⏱️ = work on goal underway
• ✔️ = goal met
• ❌ = goal not met

With all my fingers and toes crossed for luck, I give you my fall goals.

House

• clean garage:  oh, girls, this is overdue.  Like all my cleaning projects.  But now that PC is retired and I am on the mend, we need to get busy.  I would like to see us take everything out of the garage, evaluate it – trash, giveaway, keep – and put the garage back together again. Included in this, purging my decorations.  A couple of weeks ago, PC suggested we rejoin Planet Fitness gym.  We had been members for a number of years until Covid hit.  Then we gave up our membership and bought a mini-gym’s worth of equipment in order to workout in our garage.  Now, we are back to the gym and selling our stationary bike (sold), rowing machine, elliptical machine and inverse table.  Have begun going through my bins of decorations, too.  Purged about a third of my fall things.  Will get Christmas bins down soon.  Underway.  ⏱️
• fall ‘spring’ cleaning room to room:  got started doing spring cleaning 6 months ago but didn’t get far.  Will have to start all over again but that’s okay.  We want to clean closets, cabinets, drawers, and nooks and crannies.  Haven’t been able to do much toward realizing this goal.  We have gone through the clothes in our drawers and closet, sold clothes to Uptown Cheapskate and gave clothes to Goodwill.  Next week, we will tackle the rest of the master bedroom.  On our way with this goal.  ⏱️

And Then…

• figure out what to do to in the yard on the west side of the house:  (carried over from summer) we have decided we definitely want to build a walk that goes from the pool deck in the back yard across the west side yard and to the gate that leads to the front yard.  Hopefully that will resolve some of the patchy grass issues we have on the side yard, and eliminate the path we have created walking through the grass in the back yard.  PC was game to do this himself but this past weekend, we decided to hire someone.  Paul has planted grass seed on this side of the house and built a very nice raised bed to plant veggies next spring.  I think the walk is a sure thing but just not yet.  ❌
• paint baseboards:  (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.  Nope, nada.  But hopeful. ❌

Then There’s…

• replace carpeting in the bedrooms:  the carpeting was never the best even when our house was new. Now with going on 17 years of wear and tear, the traffic created by us and 3 dogs, 3 kitties, 4 grandbabies over the years, it really looks bad.  Haven’t mentioned this (in awhile) to PC but sure would like to see this happen.  No progress.  I have hinted that it would be nice to replace the carpeting after we paint.  But we haven’t painted either!!  ❌
• scrub balconies and patio:  clean the furniture, wash the rugs, organize the outside storage.  PC has started on this.  The next sunny, warm afternoon I hope to finish up this project.  ⏱️

Also…

• touch up wall paint inside the house and paint the pullouts on the front porch:  (another goal carried over from last summer)  our walls are in very good shape but there are knicks here and there that could be touched up but would like to get some touch up paint as close to our wall color as possible and fix those spots.  We also need to repaint the stucco pullouts in the front and back of the house where cracks in the stucco were repaired and primered. Need to determine the closest color choice for the interior and get started.  We have the paint for that, just need to use it.  ❌
• update linens in our room:  (from last summer) 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.  Nothing to share.  Want to get the bedroom purged and cleaned first.  And we have had 3 different mattresses in the last 3 months.  I hope we are keeping the current one.  But PC hasn’t made the final decision.  ❌

Home

• faithfully use Revitalash and RoC Retinol and Musely:  need to get back to a self-care routine again using these products and my teeth whitening, too.  Finally, something I am doing!!  Even brought all the stuff on our getaway to New Mexico this weekend.  Going to give myself that coveted check mark on this one.  ✔️

• get back to walking, exercising regularly, 4x a week:  PC and I were daydreaming about what we want to get back to doing in a couple of weeks.  Walking, hiking, using our little garage gym now going to Planet Fitness,  lifting weights, doing Supernatural and senior workouts again.  Cannot wait.  Well, dad gum it, I am still limping along.  Wearing real shoes on both feet these days but certainly not up to hiking.  I have been doing Supernatural workouts (from a chair) and using upper body and abs weight training machines at the gym.  ⏱️

• manis/pedis 2x a month:  at home.  Hate spending the money on this.  And with all the cleaning I am hoping to do, my nails will take a beating.  Have purchased new Sally Hansen gel polish in fall colors.  Hope to make this a habit.  Have given myself 2 pedis (one of those with Cami and Lucia’s help) and have been caring better for my nails on a regular basis.  Even brought my manicure kit to New Mexico – actually, PC packed it for me.  A hint?  Check out my tootsies!!  ✔️

Plus…

• participate in NaNoWriMo: on 11.01.2024, the National Novel Writing Challenge begins.  Participants agree to write everyday of the month.  They can sign up to meet the challenge goal of 50,000 words or create their own word count goal.  I need to decide what I am going to write and then figure out if I think I can wing the official goal.  We are almost 1 week in.  I have set a goal of 733 words a day or 22,000 words in the month of November.  In progress.  ⏱️

• track my Weight Watchers points:  carry-over from summer and spring, and winter, and last fall.  Scared to see how much I weigh when I can weigh myself again.  Going to have to get serious about eating less, making smarter food choices, cooking more.  Was back to doing this until the second day of our getaway.  Finally weighed myself last weekend and was pleasantly surprised.  Have gained about 2 pounds with this foot.  We will be home Thursday and I will get back to eating better on Friday.  Ongoing, so far. ⏱️

I like having goals and activities to guide my days.  You know that about me already.  And I get a big charge out of making daily/weekly to-do lists and checking things off.  Plan to update this list one final time mid-December.  Hope you will come back again then.

Your Turn

 

These bucket lists really encourage us to enjoy new experiences.  I say US because PC is here in the middle of all of these things, right beside me.  If you haven’t tried making one, I would suggest you give it a go.  Some years, I have done a bucket list just for the holiday season.  Haven’t decide whether to try that this year.  Maybe a little one?  And then go into a winter bucket list right after?

What activities have you enjoyed this autumn?  What goals are you attacking this season?  Inspire me in a comment below.

Off to bed.  We are watching a winter storm moving across New Mexico.  A little concerned we may have trouble going home tomorrow.  But sure wouldn’t mind seeing a few snowflakes.

Hugs and kisses,