Tomorrow, June 21, is the official first day of Summer! While some parts of the country are probably already HOT, HOT, HOT… it still feels like the late Spring here in Portland. The sun is beginning to come out and I’m sure we are well on the way to enjoying a gorgeous Summer season. I’ve been daydreaming about my Summer bucket list and wanted to share a few of my Summer To Dos for 2014.
My Summer Bucket List: For The Home
- Paint! I’ve got about 8 pieces of furniture that I’ve been meaning to paint. The thing is… we use this furniture already and can’t go several weeks without it while it cures in our garage. Thankfully, the warm days of Summer will help speed the curing process along! Look out for some “A Well Crafted Home” updates this summer.
- Clean up our yard. We rent so our yard hasn’t really been a priority other than making sure it looks reasonably maintained. We’ve decided to stay in our rental for a while longer though and want to spruce up the yard a bit. I can’t wait to share the details of our upcoming porch re-vamp!
My Summer Bucket List: Foods
- Homemade Spiked Ice Creams! Okay, so… technically I’ve already checked this one off the bucket list. I’ve really been wanting to make my own ice creams, especially some fun adult concoctions. I bought a Hamilton Beach Ice Cream Maker to test out a few recipes. This past weekend I created a few different cocktail inspired pints for my hubby’s birthday party. (See photo above! Those cute little ice cream containers came from online and Portland area party shop Fancy That!) I hope to perfect a few of the recipes and get them blog ready soon. They were super tasty and a big hit at the party!
- Grill Often. I pretty much like to grill all Summer long. I love our George Foreman Indoor/Outdoor Grill
for frequent use. But, I really want to buy a new grill this Summer that will allow for more food on the grill at one time and cooks with FIRE instead of electricity. What do you suggest…. charcoal or gas? - Enjoy more food from our garden. Last year was our first year to have a garden. This year we are seeing a LOT more of the vegetables that we love. So much so that it has been difficult to harvest and eat it all. I’m looking forward to a full Summer of garden-fresh vegetables.
My Summer Bucket List: Outings
- Coast. I must go to the Oregon coast… we try to go at least once a season. This Summer we are planning a couple of different trips out with visiting friends and family.
- Camping. Camping is one of my favorite things to do during the Summer. We haven’t had the opportunity to go camping for over two years and I’m itching to get out again. We have visitors most of this Summer… but, we are hoping to get out at least once.
My Summer Bucket List: The Blog
- Consistent Posting. I’ve been terrible at consistently posting since I’ve began working full time. I’ve been at my job for over 7 months now… it is time to get back in the swing of things. I love writing and creating for this space and want to make it a priority. I’ve got some posts lined up for the next couple of weeks that will hopefully get me back on track!
- Redesign? I’d love to freshen up the site with a redesign… but, we will see about this one!
My Summer Bucket List: Teaching
- Teach a DIY party class! This one I’ll be checking off my list next weekend. West Elm has asked me to teach a small Make & Meet class at their Portland location. I was thrilled to say yes as it is one of my goals to get out and teach more. I’ll be sharing some DIY crafts to help make a 4th of July Party that pops! Check out the West Elm Facebook for more information.
- Online courses. I’m working hard on creating some online courses. I hope to be bringing these to the website at the end of the Summer!
8 Comments
What a fun summer! We love our homemade ice cream around here. Another fun & easy way to add booze to summer treats is shaved ice! Just make some flavored syrups, add booze and crushed ice and you are good to go 😉 Also, congrats on the West Elm class! I had no idea. That looks like fun!
Yvonne King recently posted…Announcing a Birth with Minted
Man! I need to try do some shaved ice next… you might have given me an idea for a future Saturday Spirits post!
Please post the ice cream recipes!! SO excited to see those
I will for sure! I had such fun making them… and, some didn’t even require an ice cream maker! I promise to share soon!
This is such a great list! Please share your spiked ice cream recipes when you make them!
Sarah S recently posted…Summer Bucketlist!
I totally will share the ice cream recipes. They turned out really tasty… I can’t decide if my favorite was the Salty Dog Sorbet (grapefruit juice/vodka sorbet with a salty topping) or the mango sorbet with bitters and vodka. They were really fabulous. Thanks for stopping by the blog!
I want to paint a few pieces too! Let’s have a furniture painting party! And YUMM to spiked ice cream! So bummed I missed that! As for a grill… gas all the way! Charcoal grills are less expensive, but sooooo time consuming and messy. It takes FOREVER to heat up too. If you grill once in a while, charcoal is ok, but if you’re grilling a few times a week, gas all the way! I just bought one at Home Depot for $99 and I LOVE IT! I also just got a tent and am itching for a camp out… let’s plan something! And you KNOW I’m always down for the coast if you want to escape for a day trip 🙂
Haha… I love you Macey. 🙂 I’m totally down for the furniture painting party, will definitely make you some spiked ice cream, can’t wait to have dinner from your grill, anndddd… am totally down for a camp out!