No wonder I haven’t had time to blog! It’s been a busy summer. Some of you might remember that, in an effort to be mindful about doing things I want to do instead of just talking about things I want to do, I started a summer bucket list at the end of the school year.

If I was being my typical self, I’d look at the list and see everything that’s still left. But today, because Patti Digh reminded me that I get to choose what I focus on and what I don’t, I choose to look at what we’ve already accomplished in this blur of a month.

I wogged my way through the Kansas City Color Run and can unequivocally say it absolutely IS the happiest 5K on the planet. I remarked to my friend and fellow runner Sandra that I don’t think I would have been able to enjoy the after-run when I was younger. I’ve always been too self-conscious, too worried about what others would think, too concerned with how I looked as I danced and sang. Not this time. Maybe it was the endorphins, or maybe it was just that I was another anonymous blob of color that blended into the technicolor crowd; whatever the reason, I danced, sang, conga-ed and had a blast.

Erin and I started her fairy garden, made a date and watched Brave together, and tested a top secret chocolate cupcake recipe (more on all this soon). Nicholas and I went to a Royals game, where we cheered, sang and ate dirt and worms concretes for dinner. He loved the game and I loved the excitement he didn’t even try to contain. There’s nothing quite like watching a baseball game with someone who doesn’t know—and could care less about—the politics and the business beyond the dugout. He just loves seeing them PLAY, and that was refreshing.

I transformed one barn window into a shelf and another into a hanging peg-board of sorts for kitchen aprons, planted an herb garden on my back deck, cleared my backyard of more than 10 bags of ground cover, perfected this crepe recipe and have been experimenting with filling recipes (favorite so far: a simple combination of cream cheese, lemon curd and lemon zest drizzled over fruit) and found Biscoff butter and ate too much of it straight from the jar and in this no-bake cheesecake recipe.

We camped out under the night sky to watch 4th of July fireworks and gaze at the stars, and grilled dinner (though it wasn’t pizza or dessert). This week we’re painting ceramics, holding our breath while Adam sits behind the wheel for the first time and making melted bead suncatchers for the garden.

And I’m still working, and planning, enjoying this time while we’re all still together, and giddy with excitement thinking about what July will bring.

 

Running List: 

Complete the Color Run

Take the kids out of town once (St. Louis maybe?)

Learn how to can

Learn how to sew

Make aprons for Erin and I

Do something with a barn window (like this or this or this)

Go to a wine tasting

Cook my way through this book

Go to First Friday downtown and Third Thursday in OP

Perfect the crepe

Makes lots of homemade ice cream

Go to the Drive In

Read at least 6 books

Make Sharpie tshirts

Go stargazing with the kids

Pool party at local hotel

Outdoor movie night

Picnic lunches

Berry/fruit picking

Create a Fairy Garden

Grill pizza & dessert

Dance under the stars

Happy Days & Laverne & Shirley marathons with the kids

Teach Adam how to drive

Reading contest

Yoga with Erin

Complete ribbon wreath for front door (actually done!)

Watch 4th of July Fireworks

Take kids to ceramic place to make new mugs

Clean out basement

Transform downstairs bathroom into ‘art gallery’

Eat dinner often on the deck

Make a summer fun cookbook

Royals Game w/Nicholas

See Brave with Erin

Royals game as a family