Summer Bucket List, 2013

I can't believe it is June already! Summer is officially here and I have a sneaking suspicion that it is going to fly by! thus the other night I began musing with the husband about what our summer bucket list should entail.  We are already booked to go camping with our friends back in Maine at the end of August... but what are some of the other to-dos on our list that will speak back to the more care free days when summer was a time of possibility, change, and potential...? Instead of what it appears to be today- the husband works long and crazy hours, while I man the home front in all of its domestic glory.  I feel like I need to make myself an upbeat summer-esque soundtrack to blast on the rare occasion I'm in the car without the kids!

So here's what I have on my list so far. (and after drafting it I'm realizing this list is not as carefree as it should be, it's more project oriented...!)

1) Get the vw bus family friendly: We've had the bus for almost a year and although she needs some bigger things done to her, there are a few basics that we can accomplish right now that will allow us to use it as a family. IE: install the bench seat we made last summer and the seat belts etc that will allow us to put two car seats in there! And then poof we can all pile in and drive around on adventures to go play in the river. (Last week we sold the original bench that came with our bus so now we can buy new chrome mirrors and headlights to replace the rusted ones!)

2) Redoing our hand-me-down dining room chairs.  They are chipping and could use a little facelift so my plan is to make them a bit rustic by getting them down to their original wood and applying a furniture wax to finish them off. Then I will cover the seat cushions with waxed canvas in either a dark navy or a teal/aqua- as seen in the above picture of the hints of color on top of the dresser. My hope is that the canvas will act as a contrast to the rustic finish of the chairs. I have 6 chairs in total- so wish me luck! (I figure if I work on them a little each day I can make progress quickly.)

3) Repainting our side table: I'm going to sand it, paint it black and add these new knobs from Anthropologie. I already have the paint, so the cost of the makeover will only be $12 for both knobs!

4) Add fresh Merchandise to my etsy shop.  It feels incredibly daunting to find time to shower let alone to make new art, but I'm strategizing how to do this. Mostly by working a little bit each day and then scheduling a big chunk of time when the husband is home- for me to accomplish a bigger task like screen printing an edition of bags, etc. It's exciting and I can't wait to share my new pieces with you!

now for the more carefree portion of the list.

5) Berry picking
6) camping in the backyard (maybe...?)
7) Installing a hammock in the backyard
8) Bike rides with the kids at the shore
9) Cherry pie- baking it, consuming it
10) taking time to be quiet in nature (silence and quiet is highly sought after at the moment)
11) continuing to fine tune our home- organizing, purging, editing
12) find a fair or festival to go to...


Let me know what's on your bucket list in the comments!?