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2018 Summer Bucket List

Every year, I publish a list of the things I want to do before summer “kicks the bucket”.   My list is a mix of practical and fun things because I want my summer to be a mix of those two.
Kristen, Sonia, and Zoe at the beach

Register Lisey and Sonia for fall classes.

Lisey needs to be registered for college classes, and Sonia’s going to take two classes at a tutorial, which meets one day a week.

Declutter my house.

Always on my list each year!

decluttered linen closet

Get out to a park with friends every other week.

Our most frequent park-going friends moved halfway across the country, so this is going to be a little bit more of a challenge.   Which is why it’s going on the bucket list.

Install the bike rack on my van and take Sonia and Zoe biking.

I have the rack! I have the trailer hitch on my van! I just need to install the darn thing and get out there.

Obviously, we could just bike somewhere from our driveway, but the bike rack will allow us to get our bikes over to the biking trail or out to parks that have bike trails.

A rear bike wheel.

Paint my bedroom.

I’m typing this one hesitantly.   But I think I want to do it.

Our bedroom is currently a dark red, which was very popular 12 years ago when I initially painted it.

tallboy dresser painted black

But it feels too dark to me now, and a little bit outdated as well.

I know maroon is going to be a terrible bear to paint over, so summer seems like a good time to tackle that.

I think I want to go with something neutral, like a light greige.

Paint the soffit in front of the house.

A dirty soffit in need of paint.

I did the back soffit last summer, but the front soffit also really needs a fresh coat.

A freshly-painted white soffit.

The old paint is peeling, so this involves sanding, then priming, then painting two coats.

Have a picnic once a month.

Breakfast, lunch or dinner…it doesn’t matter.   But I’d like to eat outside more.

Go camping on a clear night.

Sonia saved up and bought a pretty fancy telescope, but we have so many trees here, it’s hard to see much of the sky.

So, we need to take a camping trip somewhere with a nice empty field.

Make new chore lists.

Zoe keeps asking me when I’m going to do this, because she’s eager to hand off the “unload the dishwasher” chore to someone else. 😉

kids chores

Make a photo book.

I wanted to do two last summer and I did none at all! So I’m setting the bar low and just seeing if I can get one done.

adorama pix spread

Read on the hammock every possible day.

Some days it will rain. Some days, it will be unbearably hot and humid. But when the weather is good, I want to get out there and read.

Make my deck more habitable.

Our deck is nothing amazing, but we’d spend more time on it if it was more user-friendly.   It needs some lounging/reading-friendly furniture!

A deck partially stained with Behr taupe paint.

(photo from when I initially painted the deck)

I want to:

-paint the board my dad replaced last year (it’s dry enough now for painting)
-clean the deck floorboards
-buy some seating
-buy an umbrella (the sun sets over there, so it gets very bright in the afternoon/evening)
-install the twinkle lights I already bought

This is a project that meshes my be productive/do something fun goals. Because if I produce a more welcoming deck, that will encourage us to have fun out there.

Do something random and fun each week.

I’m not really sure what these things will be, but hopefully inspiration will strike me each week. I’ll keep you posted!

______________

If I finish this list before summer ends, I can always add more things.   But based on past experience, that’s unlikely to happen!   My initial list always ends up being ambitious enough. 😉

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Becca

Wednesday 27th of June 2018

I finally made my own bucket list this year, and gave you credit for my inspiration! :)

kim walker

Thursday 21st of June 2018

What brand of photo book do you use?

Kristen

Thursday 21st of June 2018

I usually use AdoramaPix these days.

WilliamB

Monday 18th of June 2018

I have a 2018 goals list which is sadly similar to last year's goal lists: 1. Update my will. Made good progress, need to make one change. PROTIP: if you're stuck about what you want in your will, do a starter that just writes down what would happen if you died without a will (aka "intestate"). It'll be quick and inexpensive, and save your heirs a couple of years' work.

2. Test for black belt. My sensei told me not to test last year. This really took the wind out of my sails for practicing, because it was about dojo politics/personalities, and not my actual skill level.

3. Medium-sized house maintenance. There's a long list of small-to-medium problems (for example, kitchen drawers sag because supports weren't properly installed) that roommate and I have never gotten around to fixing. Time to hire someone to do them for us.

4. New overhead light fixture & maybe wiring for rec room. The existing fixure has never been problem-free, and in fact hasn't worked for years. There's something wrong with the design. I'm no good at interior decorating so a friend has promised to help select. HOWEVER. First my roommate needs to deal with the infamous "paper project" that has taken over that room for several years.

5. New item: deal with my bathroom. Problem #1: the caulk never stays in good shape. I need to recaulk every 2-3 years; even when the pro did it, it degraded. Problem #2: the ceiling over the shower has gotten moldy/mucky. Overall, I'm a little afraid to investigate the problem(s) for fear I need to redo the bathroom.

Luann

Saturday 16th of June 2018

I love this post so much. This is my 3rd summer to make a list, and I would not of thought to do it had I not read about it here on this blog.

SUMMER BUCKET LIST 2018

1. Read on porch in the evenings. 2. Walk in the evening 8:30-9:00 3. Try 3 new summer salads. Eat summer foods. 4. Try 3 new burger recipes. 5. Go to 2 new Ohio State Parks: Shawnee and Burr Oak. 6. Improve menu planning and minimalist grocery buying. 7. Go swimming. 8. Go to the beach. 9. Go to a Columbus Metro Parks. Take a walk and a picnic. 10. Follow summer cleaning/chore schedule.

Barbara

Thursday 14th of June 2018

Re: painting your bedroom. A super awesome griege is Ben Moore’s Edgecomb Grey. Not too dark or light, goes with every thing. Or color match it with Behr paint.

Amy

Thursday 28th of June 2018

My whole townhouse is in Edgecomb Grey. Love it. Hat tip to the folks at Young House Love for the recommendation.

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