Summer Bucket List | 2019
Every summer I make a list of fun things and productive things I want to do before summer "kicks the bucket". I post updates every few weeks to let you guys know how I'm doing (and to hold me accountable!)
Productive Goals
I have a LOT of painting I want to do.
Is this list too ambitious? Maybe.
1. Paint Sonia and Zoe's beds white.
We unstacked their bunkbeds when Joshua moved out, and both of their rooms really would look better with a white bed.
2. Paint Zoe's room.
She's tired of the aqua that she and Sonia picked out some years ago (remember how we struggled with picking that color??)
Currently, she's leaning toward a neutral gray, which is just fine with me. That should be nice and easy to pick out!
3. Paint Sonia's dresser and (maybe) the bookshelf.
The Goodwill dresser doesn't match anything in her room, so I'm definitely painting that.
It's getting new hardware too because this is not Sonia's style.
The Pottery Barn bookshelf that I got on craigslist might be ok as-is. I'll see how it looks next to the other freshly painted furniture and go from there.
4. Paint my bedroom.
Mr. FG and I are tired of the burgundy (which is rather dated by now), so I think we will paint over it with a lighter color. I wanted to do this last summer but didn't get around to it.
2019 is the year, I say.
5. Paint the replaced board on the deck.
My dad kindly installed a new board for us, but since it was pressure-treated, it needed time to dry before I painted it. It's definitely dry now so it's time for a coat of deck paint.
6. Sand and paint under the bumpout in front of our house.
I did the back one a few years ago but didn't make it around to the front.
7. Do a top-to-bottom declutter of my house.
I do this every year, because despite my best efforts, things do pile up over time.
8. Make three photo books.
One per month is reasonable, right?
Non-Productive (Fun!) Items
1. Make a random donut run.
2. Go see a movie in the theater.
3. Go visit our friends in Ohio.
4. Swim at least once a week.
5. Eat a meal at a park.
6. Eat a meal at the pool.
7. Go camping so Sonia can star-gaze.
8. Buy slushies.
9. Bike to the snow cone shop.
10. Roast marshmallows.
11. Go night swimming.
12. Go mini-golfing.
13. Host lots of sleepovers.
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As always, if this turns out to be not enough to get us through the summer, I can always add more to the list.
That's a lot of painting! Maybe you should prioritize your list, just in case. I think you're very sympathetic, to be considering repainting the teal room after the trouble your girls put you through with it. Maybe it's time for them to learn to prep and paint walls?
I had a bucket list - I was going to get the house projects done. Not just done, but in an organized, efficient fashion so that, for example, all the drywall work gets done at once instead of project-by-project. Well, best laid plans and all of that. House projects is now next year's bucket list.
Don't forget to add a frosty from Wendy's. They are 50 cents again! We are doing tons of painting right now. At least paint is relatively expensive and can completely change the look of things. I just now removed my storm doors, taped of the windows, then spray painted them to freshen them up. All for only $1 per can per door. It seems as if it will never end. We are also planning to build new decks around our house so that is the only big chore on my bucket list. I know it will take us awhile. We have to tear down the old ones first. It does seem like you have several paint projects on your list. I think it's good to be ambitious. Can I suggest you move your bedroom to the top of the list of paint projects? That way if you get sick of painting, all the others seem easier to chip away at, just a suggestion. I have noticed you have put your bedroom off for awhile and I can understand why. Probably red is harder to cover meaning more coats which takes more time, also the inconvenience of moving things around in the bedroom, and it's just easiet to put off the bedroom. Mine is the only room in my house that hasn't be painted. ever. I think it will be so worth it when you get it done..good luck!
Echoing: That's a lot of painting!
We just touched up the white in the kitchen after the countertops were replaced leaving some spots a bit scraped up.
Our summer goal is to get the kitchen finished... so we have to shorten a drawer that is now too long because the gas regulator is in the way of it closing. We need to change out the hardware (we will have 30 green gingham knobs to replace with something that is not green gingham!) and replace the green gingham shelf liner with something that is not green gingham. (We painted over the green gingham wallpaper a few years back. The previous homeowners went all-in with the theme.)
Love a fresh list and an “endless”!summer ahead .
1. Paint wrought iron handrails
2. Power wash the walkways
3. Reseed bare patches in yard
4. Start each day reading and drinking coffee
5. Walk and exercise a little every day
6. Reach out socially to someone at least once a week
7. Reduce food waste and hang laundry out to dry in the sun☀️
I love 4 5and 6!
I love your list. It always inspires me. Please post photos of the painting projects when you are finished. Your painted furniture always looks so nice !!! And I would love to see the bedroom wall color you choose for your room.
Yup, yup, photos will be happening, never fear. 🙂
Project wise:
Paint the upstairs bathroom
Reposition indoor clothes line as it is too low
Declutter house
Fun!
Use our pool membership as much as possible
Burn brush in fire pit and make s’mores
Tent Camp
Use our “timeshare” camper for a long weekend
Walk the dogs daily
Go fir ice cream
Go to local amusement park
BTW a nice neutral gray paint is Sherman Williams Useful Gray. Light and neutral it goes with many different accent colors.
I've been looking for a neutral, light gray paint. There are soooo many choices. I'll check out Useful Gray. Thanks!
Ugh,,
My bedroom in on the list! I just can't decide what color I want to paint it! (its a small room and the thought of moving all the stuff out gives me heart pains!
~front door/back door- again have to decide on a color
~purchase an addition cabinet for the basement/put together. (have 3 already just never bought the last one)
I was just thinking yesterday about asking the kids for a few things to put on the bucket list (fun things) Just need to get her done!
I know what you mean! The prep for painting is the WORST. I am totally not looking forward to moving stuff out of my room and Zoe's room.
Just hire a guy to do it. Outsource it I say!
That would be easy. But not very frugal. Ha.
I’m frugal all year do I can hire out stuff I hate to do. Painting and plumbing!! Expensive yes, but sometimes I have to leave it to the pros!
Oh yes, I am not doing anything beyond basic plumbing myself. I'm happy to give the professional my dollars!
Painting, I don't mind quite so much. And I also have a lot more painting skills than I do plumbing skills. 🙂
I think it sounds like painting is a perfect thing for you to hire out, though. Save on things you don't mind saving on so you can spend on stuff you really hate to do.
I painted a small bedroom a few years ago and did it in two steps. First I pushed the bed and all furniture over to one side of the room and painted two walls, 1/2 ceiling, and the trim. After everything dried, I moved all the furniture over the other side of the room and repeated.
I was worried the ceiling would have a line showing the two stages of painting, but it didn't.
Good luck!
On my list,
1. Paint! But not walls, just a couple of watercolors 🙂 Also, keep a watercolor journal on my road trip this summer.
2. Find a new therapist for my son. The old one did not work out and he was in a bad place this spring. This goal has a lot of sub-goals but e'nuf said.
3. Make my youngest two do more chores/reading etc and keep them from having too much screen time.
4. Find time to make a couple of projects each month with the kids, sewing, art or baking.
5. Adjust into a new work assignment that feels pretty daunting right now.
6. Spend some time doing fun things outside the pool where we get “stuck”, a movie, biking, kayaking etc.
I would do the three photo books over all the other projects.
And I agree, your daughters are old enough to paint this year even if they don't want to do it. I wish I'd be taught.
I do love a list. Yours, mine, I'm not picky.
Mine is as follows:
WORK
-weeding the cracked driveway and the paver walkway - walkway is done
-digging out a bed for plants in our backyard in a spot that is now full sun due to a tree removal
-moving several hostas to save them from the full sun issue
-repairing the dryer that isn't connected to the vent properly - half done
-sanding and staining our corner bench and table in the kitchen
FUN
-annual family folk dance camp. We aren't really dancers, exactly, we just do it anyway because the whole group of people are so freaking fun.
-so many art camps for one kid, theater camps for another, a sleepaway camp for one and gymnastics camp for another. An annual indulgence in their individual interests.
-our 16 year old with autism is FINALLY going to learn to ride his bike. Once he was too big for training wheels he refused for years. He probably will not ever drive so riding his bike will be freedom for him.
-We need to swim more this year. Only once so far.
Best of luck to all of us!
For your 16-year-old with autism - we just heard about a nonprofit group that teaches kids with disabilities (inc autism) to ride bikes - the group is iCan Shine; if you want help teaching your child you might want to look them up! (They also offer swimming and dancing programs.)
Yup, that is a big bunch of painting on that list!
My list:
Sew cushion covers for upholstered glider chair -- I got sidetracked there and I have them barely, barely started.
Sew some Christmas presents I have in mind.
Repair drywall corners in our niche that have been ruined by a rocker hitting them. I've done this before; this time, I'm putting corner molding over them.
Get two old lamps rewired. These are ones my parents bought when they were first married, in 1939. I still can't believe the glass bases have survived the time and the generations of children. I tried rewiring them myself, but the new works didn't line up with the old, so I am taking them to a professional.
Get some new planters filled and planted.
For fun, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can go to my high school reunion this July.
Take a mini-vacation or two and take the grandkids somewhere close.
READ.
My bucket list:
-make a baby quilt from start to finish
-organize craft bins, kids room, office area
-go to the dentist (have neglected this for 2+ years due to multiple factors, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need another implant due to idiopathic resorbtion 🙁 )
-take kids to playground
-go camping
-take kids to the pool--Kids are 3, 4 and 5 and I'm terrified of one of them drowning so this hasn't been done, but kids have to learn water safety and how to swim to reduce the risk of drowning.
-finish photobook
-take kids to the zoo or on other fun outings at least 3x
The fun stuff is the hard stuff for me. I feel like I was just getting the hang of incorporating fun into our life during the school year and now I'm back to the drawing board.
Not fun stuff:
We are moving in July. So there will be lots of packing and unpacking this summer. The new house needs quite a bit of work. So, my husband (and some professional help) will be taking out the kitchen and putting in a new one, tearing off and putting on a new roof, refinishing the hardwood floors, painting the whole inside of the house, and putting new carpet in the basement. A new entry door, hallway in the basement, and front walkway also need to be done. But, probably not this summer. There is also lots of gardening to be done at the new house. We got a great price on this house, which is in an amazing school district and a very competitive housing market. So, even though it needs lots of work, it was a frugal choice.
Fun Stuff:
-bike rides
-hoping to go camping at least once
-swimming at the YMCA's outdoor pool
-helping my aunt with her vegetable garden
-hiking
-fruit picking
Yes, each summer I create a Summer Manifesto of fun things I want to do/try. I usually get about 75% of it done, but this year I'm hoping for more. I've done the ones with * at the end!
Farmer's Market* Pedicure Sulphur National Park
Zoo Peach Festival Camping
Rodeo Lake Fishing
Art Museum Float the River Surprise a Friend with Flowers
Watermelon Festival Bike Ride Downtown Day of Disconnect
Bake a Cake From Scratch Buy Myself Flowers* Breakfast for Dinner
Concert in the Park Turner Falls 5k Run/Walk
Movie in the Park Drive in Movie Monthly Photo Challenge
County Fair Massage Flea Market*
Dinner on the Patio Scrapbook Art Festival
Hiking Snow Cones Fly a Kite
Baseball Game* Bowling Putt Putt
Bocce Ball Kayaking Reading Challenge
Archery Lesson Yoga in the Park Apple Farm
Carriage Ride Homemade Bread Homemade Ice Cream
Plant a Garden* Martin Nature Park Train Ride
Route 66 Drive Fireworks Host a BBQ
Science Museum* Volunteer Macrame Class*
I got excited for summer just reading this! I don't have a summer bucket list, but you've inspired me to write one. 🙂
Off the top of my head I want to:
1. Redo the counters (already in motion so that's good!)
2. Hang out with my sister and my dad (they live 8+ hours away so that's no small feat)
3. Try the snack cart at the end of the road. They make tasty-looking Mexican treats like corn cups and paletas. I've been meaning to try them for some time.
4. Get our passports situated. We want to travel a lot more next year. I need to get my butt in gear! (I want to do Costa Rica for my 28th birthday. So excited!)
5. Take a day off. I'm so grateful that my freelance business has grown so much, but right about now I could use a day off.
We have some fun stuff and some other work stuff as well for this summer.
Fun Stuff:
1. Go to at least 1 GhibliFest film this year. I'll be doing this when my wife and I go to see Whisper of the Heart. It's my favorite of all the Ghibli films because, as she says about me, I enjoy quiet movies where nothing actually happens.
2. Take a trip to see friends of my wife. They are having their second child (the first is almost 10) so this was a bit of a surprise for them.
3. Take at least one overnight trip whilst the kid is staying with family. I worry that my wife and I don't get enough couples time to unwind together and while we love parenting, it's good to be able to devote a day or so to just us.
Working stuff:
1. Paint my flagpole and outdoor light pole (I need some saw horses for this)
2. Paint my wheelbarrow. I've been saying this for a couple years now.
3. Declutter my house and do a purge. We all have too much stuff so we need to get rid of it all.
I’m totally picturing Sonia’s room in an art deco style with silver and glass knobs to go with her vintage vibe.
Aw man... As I was reading your list yesterday, I realized I could probably benefit from having one of my own. I'm SO overwhelmed with some of the tasks we have, that I think I need to dust off my britches, grow some whiskers of my own, and get a few of the lingering things done. I mean, if I start projects and they turn out terrible, that will just make my SO fix it, right? 😉
Here's what I'm rooting for:
1) Paint our stepdaughter's room (it also doubles as a guest bedroom). Includes walls & trim.
2) Paint our stepson's room (again, also a guest bedroom). Includes walls & trim.
3) Paint the new nursery (I'm feeling a pretty nice gray in there).
4) Install new fans in the two guest bedrooms.
5) Paint new doors for upstairs, which then SO will hang with new hardware (out with the brass! in with the oil-rubbed bronze!)
6) Edge the front yard with new edger
7) Fill planter boxes with dirt and maybe PLANT SOMETHING FOR CRYING OUT LOUD
8) Test skills with patio rock by adding a small pathway on side of garage to back yard
9) Paint grout in kitchen
10) Buy grout pen to paint...
11) Rip up carpeting in bedroom, including tack strips, and paint floor with KILZ.
12) Touch-Up paint as needed throughout the house
13) Put up and finish drywall, then repaint bathroom in basement (we're missing a part of our ceiling and wall from when we installed a gas line last year).
I want to add something fun...because I'm already overwhelmed with the stuff listed here...
-See 1 matinee movie a month on Sunday (I really want to see Aladdin!)
-Take a trip to Glendo, WY for a beach day (it's a 3-hour trip up there from where we are... but ITS DOABLE).
-Take dogs to dog park
-Get pregnancy massage <3
-Bake a new, exciting recipe that challenges me
You have a lot of painting on your plate too! Hopefully the nesting urge will kick in and help you.
About your #4: how do get that done? My bathroom needs a fan and vent, and I'm stumped about who to hire. It's too small for a contractor or remodeler. It seems like it needs an electrician, a construction guy (brick walls), and a dry waller.
Around here we have "handymen" who can do all of the stuff on a small basis, which would be perfect for you. Of course you have to ask them about their skills. My husband and I are handy at other stuff, but sometimes don't have time. Do you have Angie's List or something like that? Examples: small painting jobs, fix cracked siding, fix threshold of door, hang curtain rods, fix a wood thing in camper, misc caulking, check roof and gutters, lube garage door, ceiling fan, install new screen door and fix an old one- This is 2019 list for my guy. Every few years I accumulate enough little stuff that needs doing to make it worthwhile for him and me.
We needed a fan installed in our upstairs bathroom, and our electric guy actually did the whole job himself! He cut the hole in the ceiling, routed the exhaust through the attic and out the house, and wired it all up.
So maybe you just need one person to do the job after all.
"3 hours to Glendo", that is our old neck of the woods, heading to Cheyenne in 2.5 weeks!
I had never heard of Glendo, but looked it up, and now that might be on a future summer bucket list for me!
Home Depot has a color called Silver Charm that is magic. It changes color from violet and lavender through grey to pale blue depending on the light in the room and the time of day. My local store no longer has chips out of it but they can still mix it.
ooh. I am intrigued by this description!
1. I also have tons of painting to do.
2. I will be doing my first vendor show this summer so I have lots to make forit.
3. I want to complete the flower beds this year.
4. I have several books I would like to read.
5. I need to complete the sewing projects on my to do list.