Summer Bucket List - Final Review

At the beginning of summer, me and some other blogger friends did a link up to share our summer bucket lists.  This Thursday, September 21 we will be doing another link up to talk Fall Bucket Lists.  I hope you join us and link up what you're hoping to do this Fall.

In the meantime, I thought I'd give you a little rundown of how I did with my Summer Bucket List.  The first reply under the item is one month in and the italic one is my current status.

Make donations to a summer lunch program

Last week I blogged about a summer lunch program we are having at our church.  If you missed it, you can catch it HERE.  We would like to drop off a donation each Sunday we attend church.

I haven't made a donation every single time I've gone to church, but I have a few times.  What a great program!  Hope we do this again in future years.  

I heard from several of you that similar programs like this one exist.  What a wonderful way to help needy children in your areas.   

Get emails under control

Holy cow -- guess how many messages I have accumulated between my work and personal email accounts - 19,475.  Not kidding.  That's about 19,000 too many!  I'm going to make a true effort to knock that number down significantly.

Currently I'm sitting at 16,431.  I wouldn't say that is under control, but I'm heading in the right direction.  

I have completely fallen back on this one.  Currently showing 19,267 emails.  That's just  crazy!  I guess I'm just an email hoarder. I think I'm just going to embrace it and let it go.

Read a few good books
Here's a few on my list ~

Click HERE to purchase

Click HERE to purchase

Click HERE to purchase

Do you have any good books you would like to suggest I add to this list?  

Okay - I'm listening to Camino Island on Audible and am loving it!  I'm also reading The Paris Apartment which I'm loving.  Definitely hoping to get in some reading time on my flight to and from Paris next month.  

I finished A Paris Apartment and LOVED it.  Also read Hillbilly Elegy and could hardly put it down.  My friend Linda let me borrow The Light of Paris - Great Book!!  Three books for the summer might not seem like a lot for some of you, but for me I'll take that as a win.

Decorate for 4th of July

Since we've moved into this house (which has been many years now), I've wanted to hang flag banners on the front porch for the 4th of July.  This year I really, REALLY am going to try to make that happen!

Click HERE to purchase

Excited to say that this one got a big check mark by it.  I ordered the above mentioned banners and adore the way they looked on my porch.

The inside of the house also got fancied up for the Fourth of July.  I bought a few pieces and mixed them in with some of my old tried and true ones.  

These USA blocks were one of the first projects I blogged about (HERE).  I cringed when I saw the pictures in this old post!   

Work on our French

Eric and I are getting pretty excited about our trip to Paris in August!  Ian and Kayla gave me some tapes to learn French for Mother's Day and we have been listening and learning a little each week.  I don't expect to be speaking fluent French by the time we leave, but I am hoping to know how to ask how much that dress is and be able to order a bottle of wine by the time we land in the city of lights.

Excusez-moi, comprenez-vous l'anglais?  = Excuse me, do you understand English?  I have some great tapes and have been practicing to and from work most days.  I'm still very hopeful that the Frenchmen will take pity on me and just speak English!

Our trip to Paris was a huge success even though we didn't do a lot of French speaking.  English was very well accepted and we had no trouble communicating.  Side note on this - the above was the one phrase I really thought I had down pat.  I tried it on a salesperson in a Paris book store and she didn't have a clue what I was saying.  So much for speaking French!

 Drop a few pounds

Wish me luck on this one!  I love food and hate exercise - not a great combo. 

Haven't lost a single ounce.  Enough said.

Add items to my Etsy page

I've had an Etsy page for quite a while now, but haven't really worked on adding any items.  Hopefully this summer will change that!  One of the items I'd like to add is fabric banners.  They are so fun to make!

Nope.  Hasn't happened yet.  I have a bucket full of ideas, just need to actually make the project and get it listed.  You'll be the first to know when this one is done!

I have a few things on my Etsy page!  Check them out HERE!

Learn more about my new camera

This new DSLR camera owner really needs to spend some time figuring out exactly how her new camera operates.  I've figured out how to aim and shoot, but that's about it. 

I've been experimenting and having lots of fun with my new camera.  I did sell my old one, so no turning back now.  Honestly I have no regrets buying it at all.  

Sadly, I've done nothing to officially learn more about my camera except take a ton of pictures and am figuring out what settings I like to use.  Really hoping to get in a class this fall or winter.  Here's the one I got (Click HERE).  Guys - I truly LOVE this camera!  My only regret is I didn't buy it sooner.

 Get together with my friends in KC

Who doesn't love a girls weekend?!? 

Check this one off the list.  Last weekend was our girls weekend in KC and although it was extremely hot, we had a blast.  As a matter of fact, we have already set the date for our next one and I get to host it at my house.  Can't wait!

Go to an outdoor concert

We have a fantastic venue for watching concerts under the stars.  It's one of my most favorite things to do in the summer.

Check this one off the list too!  We had a wonderful night to sit under the stars for the Eve 6, Sister Hazel and 3 Doors Down concert at Fair St. Louis.  We also popped a squat at the Missouri Botanical Gardens to hear Big Mike Aguirre and the Blu City All Stars.  Hopefully more outdoor concerts to come.

So that's my wrap up of my Summer Bucket List.  How did you fare on your summer plans?

Now it's on to think about my Fall list.  Don't forget to pop back in on Thursday to see what that looks like and add your list to the link up.