Monday, September 25, 2023

Summer 2023 Bucket List Update

Usually I dread the coming of summer but, this year, I've been in such a whirlwind of activity that the season came and went with me hardly noticing it at all. 

Ladybug on Coneflower

In fact, in looking back, the last post that I made on this blog was nearly two months ago (July 31st). I'm not sure that anyone even noticed that I was gone...including me! 😆 But that's okay! My goal is to get back on track and, if I can, fill in some of the blanks. 

I thought I'd start by posting an update on my Summer Bucket List 2023. Pictures and comments (in bold type and parenthesis) have been added where applicable. 

  • Write my summer bucket list
  • Plan my summer menus (these will be posted weekly in my 'Master List and Menu Plan Monday' posts)

(Over the past couple of years, I've discovered that menu planning when cooking for one is kind of pointless. Things have gone much better for me since stopping the menu planning. I'm eating healthier and I don't think about food all the time. Well, maybe I do, but in a whole different light.)

  • Celebrate summer birthdays with the grandlittles (there are a bunch of them!)
  • Celebrate Independence Day 




  • Eat watermelon 
  • Welcome a new granddaughter into the family 
Miss Sophia Zira Capri
Born August 25, 2023 @ 5:17 p.m.
7 lbs. 11 oz. and 20" long

  • Observe a full moon (July 3 - Buck Moon, August 1 - Sturgeon Moon, August 30 - Blue Moon) 

Super Blue Moon - August 30, 2023

  • Catch lightening bugs
  • Enjoy the Perseid meteor shower 

    (It was too cloudy to catch it on my 
    birthday, like I usually do, but I did catch     sight of a few shooting stars before the shower was over.)

  • Celebrate my 62nd birthday 

    (I had an absolutely lovely birthday this
    year! Not only did several of the kids
    and grands get together to have a lovely
    birthday tea for me, Amber and I spent
    the day before in Joplin taking a painting class together! My 62nd birthday was absolutely one of the best birthday EVER!)

Amber and I With Our Own
Renditions of a Claude Monet

Birthday Cheesecake and Tea

  • Find a cicada shell
  • Grill burgers on the grill 
  • Enjoy fresh produce and herbs from my garden 

  • Enjoy a banana split 

    (Granddaughter, Lizzy and I enjoyed
    birthday our annual banana splits while
    on an outing between our two birthdays
    which are very close together. We had
    a great time!)

Granddaughter, Lizzy, on our Birthday Outing

  • Cut fresh flowers from the garden and make a bouquet 
  • Work on some new photography ideas 
  • Paint, hide, and find rocks with the grands 

Rocks That We Painted and Hid



  • Take a day trip to northwest Arkansas

    (Got in a quick visit with our friend,
    Roxanne, while there. Then, later in the summer, Roxanne came up here and I had the privledge of giving her a tour of my park and she had the privledge of helping to round up the bison! Later we met Amber and the girls for lunch and visiting before Roxanne headed home.)

Roxanne

  • Complete the following programs at work...
    - Wild Cats of Missouri 






    - 'Little Moss, Big Tree' Library Program 




    - Civil War on the Border Day Camp   






    - Sunflowers a la Petite Prairie 





  • Attend a family reunion

Me, Charlene (the last of the older generations left),
and One of Charlene's Grandsons

Cousin David and I

Cousins Jeff, Teresa, and I

Cousin Larry and I


Second Cousin Tara and I

Third Cousins Karsyn and Kyrei, and I

  • Enjoy a Kansas City Royals game at 'The K' (Kauffman Stadium) 
Patrick and Amber and the Kids and I
Royals v. White Sox
September 4, 2023

Granddaughter, Esther, Caught A Ball...


...and Isaiah Made a New Friend

  • Attend a baby shower for my first great-grandbaby 

Heather and Corey Opening Baby Gifts

  • Go camping
  • Enjoy time around a fire 
  • Finish cleaning out the shed on Pedro

Well, that's what was on my summer bucket list! Feel free to post a link to what was on yours! 

Until next time...
~Rebecca

Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...



Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels: , ,

Monday, July 31, 2023

Monday Musings - July 31, 2023

It's Monday morning and, after bad storms last night, the internet and phone lines are down. I won't be able to post this until everything is back up and running, but, while everything is quiet, I thought I'd work on it.



How was your week and weekend? My week here fairly flew by! I didn't accomplish much on the homefront, but I did spend a lot of good quality time with family and friends, which was very enjoyable and I feel so spoiled, at times, that I could almost burst. God is so good to me and all I do is whine. I should be (and am) ashamed of myself.



I rode to and from Arkansas twice this week with Patrick and Amber and the children as they transported Audrey and Silas to and from a discipleship summit near Fayetteville. While I was there I got to get in a short visit with my friend, Roxanne, and she says that she is coming up in August to visit and see the park where I work! I am super excited and it will be fun to spend time and give her the grand tour!

Someone in our small town has started an online rock group (the kind you paint, hide, and find), so, while the older children were out of town, I got together with the younger ones and we painted and hid rocks all over town. 



While we were out, Esther found a rock that someone else had hidden!



Yesterday was Brendon's Celebration of Life. It was great getting together with the cousins and visiting with old friends that were there, as well. Everything was really nice and Bren was well-honored. Please continue to remember his family in your prayers.

Right before I left to go to the Celebration of Life I discovered that the battery in the van was dead (in that moment I was sure regretting that I had sold my car...if I hadn't sold it I would have had a back-up!), but I called a friend that was headed to the Celebration of Life, too, so she came by and gave me a ride; Patrick and Amber brought me home and gave me a jump start. I let the van run for a while, then made it to Dollar General and back without incident. I'm hoping that the van with start this morning (which...it didn't). If it does, I'm going to run up town to see if Scott (the guy at Tires and Auto) can put a new battery in (which...after another jump start, I did) and, hopefully, he's got the one I need in stock (which...he did). In fact, I'm going to take a break from this post and do that right now (which...I did...had to get a ride home, but he's working on it now...will have it done in an hour or so).



So...here I am. I just got a new tea in the mail to try...cardamom spiced...recommended by a friend. I'm also doing something I never do...making a gallon of iced tea. I'm trying to break the soda (Diet Coke, Coke Zero) cycle...at least cut down on it...I've been drinking way too much of it again lately and my body feels it.



We're still in the triple-digit temps, but, a few more days and we should be back to highs in the 90's with lows in the 60's. I am certainly looking forward to that! I'm just thankful that we finally got some rain and hope that it was enough to do some good somewhere. These drought conditions are hard on area farmers for sure.

Well, I've probably mused long enough. It will be time to pick up my van up soon, so I will close for now and post this as soon as the internet is back up and running.


Update...it's 9:30 p.m. Monday night. The new battery is installed on my van, but I am still without internet and phone service. I am using my son's internet long enough to get this post out, then I'm going to bed.


I hope your Monday is going well and that your week is off to a great start!

Until next time...
~Rebecca



Recent and related posts that you might be interested in reading...











Posted by at No comments:
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)