2021 Summer Bucket List – Recap!

I realize the timing of this post could be better (like, a month ago, ha), but I know you’ve just been on the edge of your seat waiting to know what we did this summer ;) This summer ended up being another strange one for us. We are in a time of what feels like a major transition in our family (more on that another time) so we didn’t do quite as many things as I had planned for this summer…and that’s ok.

So while we only got to maybe half our list, we still made the most of it! Here’s everything we checked off…

Food & Drink

  • Make cherry pie bars

Yes! I finally made these! These were on my Pinterest board for far too long without trying it. I personally still prefer classic cherry pie, but it’s fun to switch it up.

  • Make peach cobbler

No picture, sadly. I made these last month and unfortunately used a different recipe. The peach filling tasted good, but it didn’t turn out like what I’m used to. I’ll just have to make it again using the right recipe. :)

  • Have a BBQ

Yes! We bought a grill! No pictures to show on this one either, but we made burgers, salmon, ribs, and so much more. We were very happy.

  • Make a cheesecake

Yes! My husband’s birthday lands during the summer and he loves cheesecake. I used a classic cheesecake recipe and topped it with chopped Ferrero Rocher chocolates and drizzled it with chocolate sauce. It was delicious! Again, no picture. I am really not very good at food photography and the picture didn’t look appetizing, so I’m sparing you. I promise it tasted good!

Out & About

  • Go to a farmers market

Yes! I honestly didn’t think we were going to make it to one again this year, but we did! It was a small market, but it was fun to get out and buy local, fresh fruit and goodies. This is where I bought the peaches to make the cobbler. It was pretty fun!

  • Visit a new park

Yes! There is small park a short drive from where we live that we had never been before. We went back a couple times since it was so close. :)

  • Try a new restaurant

Yes! I mentioned in my last post that we were introduced to a modern French bakery close by. We love it!

  • Go to a splash pad

Yes! We actually went to a couple different splash pads. I was so relieved they were open this year! It was fun to run around, dry off, and then head out for ice cream after. Pretty much the perfect way to spend any summer afternoon.

Fun in the Sun

  • Have a water balloon fight

Yes! No picture to show for it, but we had a big family get together and all the cousins got to have a big water balloon fight. Super fun!

  • Plant flowers

Yes! Thank you to my sweet neighbor friend, she had given me her extra flowers that she didn’t have room enough to plant. I ended up filling a few planters I had laying around and put them on my deck to enjoy. They lasted through most of the summer. Sadly, it got so hot outside that they scorched toward the end of summer. Poor flowers. I definitely plan to plant more next year.

While it’s too late to take a picture of them now, you can see a tiny glimpse of one little flower pot in the background (plus who doesn’t want to see a picture our sweet Kahlua : ).

Rain or Shine

  • Pajama movie night

Yes! This is an easy given, because every Friday is technically pajama movie night for us :)

  • Play a new board game

Yes! Ok, well, it’s a card game, but we got Gryffin the “Eye Found it” Disney game.

He’s really good at it and beats us half the time!

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That wraps up what we did this summer! Some of the things on the list that didn’t get done were out of sheer laziness, while others didn’t because, quite honestly, I became really sick at the end of summer and just couldn’t get to everything I had hoped for. There’s always next year, right?!

I do plan to do a Fall Bucket List, so stay tuned for that!

I hope you all are having a wonderful Fall so far!

Much Love,

Cami

Currently – August/September 2021

Oh for goodness sakes, this month has been intense! Obviously there is a lot going on in the world. There is also a lot going on in our personal life that is really hard right now too, not necessarily bad (at the moment), but we have definitely been praying A LOT the past couple weeks about something and waiting for answers. Vague. I know. I’m sorry. I will eventually be able to share in detail about exactly what is going on later, but for now, vague I will be.

I knew when I chose my “word of the year” to be “embrace” that it might be a challenge. I also went as far to say “embrace with joy”. Well, I can’t say I’m embracing more than I am bracing myself from unknown of things looming ahead.

I’ve been feeling a bit like this lately…

I know God has a plan and we just need to be patient. But waiting is so, so, so hard sometimes. I’m thankful we’re in good hands and that God can absolutely be trusted. I promise, I will spill the beans on everything going on eventually.

Anyway….here’s what we’ve been up to.

Currently Watching

“The Great British Bake Off” on Netflix!

We have been hooked on this! I haven’t been feeling too great lately and find myself on the couch more than I would like. But, I have my husband hooked now, so I have good company!

Currently Reading

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

I don’t typically buy books unless I know I’m going to love it, but I was in a book buying mood and it was my birthday, so I went ahead and splurged after hearing good things about this book. I’m only a few chapters in, but so far it’s good.

Currently Making/Baking

I haven’t made anything post worthy that I haven’t shared before, so unfortunately, I don’t have anything exciting to share in this department. I did buy some peaches to make peach cobbler, but I haven’t been feeling well enough to make it. I’m hoping the peaches don’t go bad before I get a chance!

I’ve also been playing with the idea of maybe once a month sharing a weekly meal plan and what we made for dinner during the week (I feel like I’ve mentioned this before?). I’ve been having a hard time posting with everything going on, but it’s definitely something I would like to do!

Current Favorite

We found a new favorite bakery! Mi Flavour

Lavender late` and a scone

I was introduced to this French bakery by my sister (who is from out of town oddly enough), and I loved it! Mikey and I have gone back a couple times so we can have a mini date here and there. It’s very modern and unique. We definitely recommend!

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So there we have it! I plan to do a Summer Bucket List recap soon! I will admit, I’m not sure we accomplished even half of what was on our list, but we did manage to check a couple things off!

I hope you all had a wonderful Summer and are staying well! Here’s to a happy Fall!

Much love to you all,

Cami

Currently June/July 2021

Hello and happy July! I skipped last month’s currently post and just barely making July’s in time!

June was very eventful! My family, including my parents, sister, nieces and nephews came to visit and stayed with us at our place. There were 10 people in my house for 10 days! It was chaos at times, but we had such a great time!

We kept things pretty low key the first couple days, but then Tuesday came and we packed up and spent the day at Silverwood! Mikey and I went a couple years ago, but going with family was so much fun! Plus Gryffin is older now so he was able to enjoy it too!

I got to take him on his very first roller coaster ride! He loved it!

Excuse the no makeup look

And we stayed and played all day!

Goodbye Silverwood!

The rest of the time we enjoyed each other’s company with BBQ’s, water balloon fights, movies, and late evening chats out on our deck. It was hard to say goodbye at the end!

And now we’re in July!

4th of July we spent with friends for a couple hours after church and then spent a quiet evening watching fireworks. Ok, so they were actually illegal, but we definitely weren’t the ones lighting them off and they just so happened to be seen from our back deck, so we took full advantage and enjoyed the show anyway.

Since then we have been checking off items on our summer bucket list here and there and soaking in as much of the season as we can. Speaking of summer – this summer is a HOT one. We have been averaging high 90-100 degree days for weeks on end! I feel like we typically average in the 80’s range. The highest hit 115 (at least that’s what our car registered when driving). We are very thankful pools and splash pads are open this year!

Ok, so here’s what else we’ve been up to!

Currently Watching

Dr. Oakley Yukon Vet on Disney +!

My sister introduced me to this show. I wasn’t expecting to get so hooked on it, but here I am!-

Currently Reading

You Learn by Living by Eleanor Roosevelt

Ok, sooo I’m still listening to this on the audiobook. It’s a good read but not super exciting to me either, so it’s taking me longer to get through

The Little Book of Hyyge by Meik Wiking

I read a different book on hygge a couple years ago, but that one was difficult to get through. This one, however, I’m adoring! My favorite way to read this book is sitting on our deck, with the breeze gently rustling through the trees, and birds singing in the background. Pretty much the perfect setting for any book though. :)

Currently Making/Baking

Cherry Pie Bars! by Mom Spark

Finally! This has been on my Pinterest board for about 2 years and I just now tried it! They were pretty yummy and perfect topped with whipped cream.

Current Favorite

Our new Keurig!

Confession – I have been without a coffee maker for about 2-3 years. I would always get coffee when I got to work and at home I would just make instant coffee (I imagine some of you are cringing right now…am I right?).

Well, I needed help to start waking up earlier in the mornings and this was my solution. We high-tailed it to Walmart one late Sunday afternoon and picked this one up. Let me tell you…it worked. I can actually motivate myself to get out of bed in the morning now without hitting the snooze a million times.

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I hope you all are doing well and enjoying your summer! I would love to know what you all are up to!

Much love to you all,

Cami

2021 Summer Bucket List

It’s amazing how much different this year feels from last year. I think the weather changed so dramatically this year that we basically jumped into summer with both feet! Winter practically started in October of last year and seemed to last a million years, so I am perfectly ok with the dramatic change.

To keep up with tradition I am sharing our summer bucket list. Some of these things might look familiar as they were on the last year’s list as well, but I look forward to it each year. :)

Also, I still want to point out that some of these things are geared toward kids as well. I put this little “FYI” out there in case you’re wondering why a grown adult would want to do some of these things, haha.

So let’s jump in here!

Food & Drink

  • Make homemade lemonade
  • Make cherry pie bars (this has been on my Pinterest page for far too long without having tried it!)
  • Make peach cobbler
  • Make sun tea
  • Buy a treat from the ice cream truck
  • Have a BBQ (we’re hopefully buying a grill this year!)
  • Make a cheesecake

Out & About

  • Feed the ducks
  • Check out books at the library
  • Go to a farmers market
  • Visit a new park
  • Try a new restaurant
  • Go on a nature walk
  • Go to a splash pad (they were all closed last year, so hopefully we are good to go this year!)

Fun in the Sun

  • Have a water balloon fight
  • Go on a picnic
  • Play outdoor field hockey
  • Make a rock garden
  • Decorate the back deck
  • Plant flowers
  • Go on a treasure hunt

Rain or Shine

  • Go puddle jumping
  • Pajama movie night
  • Hand-write a letter and mail it
  • Play a new board game
  • Make a summer scrapbook
  • 30 day photo challenge (this is a stretch, but we’ll see!)
  • Make a sensory bin (Gryffin is getting a little old for this, but I think he’ll still have fun with it!)

For those who want to make your own, you can also download a blank copy!

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I hope you all are having a wonderful start to your summer! What’s on your summer bucket list?!

Much Love,

Cami

Currently May 2021

I thoroughly enjoyed the long weekend so I decided it wouldn’t kill me if I posted this a little late.

This past month has been a huge improvement from last month! The situation that occurred has now been fully resolved and I’m feeling much better about things. In addition to that, the weather has been amazing! Gardening is in full swing (my poor front yard needs quite a bit of work done) but I’m so happy to finally be getting outdoors more!

We spent this past Memorial Day weekend shopping, getting our house clean, laundry, spending quality time with friends, and soaking in sunshine. It was a perfect weekend!

Here’s what else we’ve been up to…

Currently Watching

WandaVision on Disney+!

Just finished! Now we’re on the search for the next show.

Currently Reading

You Learn by Living by Eleanor Roosevelt

I can’t remember where I found this book, but it’s been on my to-read list for quite a while! I haven’t gotten very far, but it’s a pretty short book. It’s another one that has given me some food for thought, so I’m looking forward to getting into this one more.

Currently Making/Baking

5 Ingredient Energy Bites from Chef Savvy

These make for a great snack! It’s yummy and sweet and I appreciate this recipe includes flax seed as well.

Current Favorite

All things summer!

Seriously, nothing can beat the smell of freshly cut grass, the smell of summer rain, and cold treats on a hot day. Even reading during the summer somehow feels extra relaxing. I’m loving it and soaking it all in!

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I hope you all are doing well! I realize I’ve been slacking on posts this year, but keeping up with life is still quite a challenge sometimes. Thanks for bearing with me through it all!

Much love to you all,

Cami