How We Did on our Summer Bucket List

I made a very short summer bucket list this year knowing our summer was going to fly by!  We had a fabulous time but are so sad that summer went so very quickly. 

1.  Large family vacation to the Smoky mountains-- Check! We had a great time with my sister, nephews, and mother in law exploring Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and the national park. 








2.  Use our Disney/ Universal tickets from 2020 -- Check!! It was hot and more crowded than we are used to since we always visit Disney/Universal in the off season but we had a great time and managed to see and ride everything we wanted to. 





3.  Go kayaking!  Check! 




4.  Celebrate my birthday! Check! My mom and I enjoyed a fun day at the mall and lunch at the nearby Olive Garden. 


I bought this cute capri's

This whole outfit at JcPenney

These shorts-- and a few other pieces too. 

5. Read and enjoy mornings out on the patio eating breakfast. Check! Sometimes I spent all day outside reading!



6. Take a few day trips with the younger boys-- Not really; unless you count a few hiking trips with our friends. 

7. Spend time with friends and family-- Check!






8. Go hiking! Check!

Both at home... 



and in Tennessee! 





9.  Eat lots of yummy treats and fresh fruits/ veggies. Check! 











10.  Watch some fireworks. Check! 






It was such a fabulous summer!  

Linking up with: On the Edge,









Comments

  1. Maria RineerSeptember 14, 2022 at 6:09 AM

    You had an amazing summer! So many trips, activities and time spent with your loved ones. I'll bet it was fun to compile your pictures and document your memories from the summer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 14, 2022 at 1:16 PM

      It was a lot of fun. I had to hold myself back from adding even more photos.

      Delete
  2. SusanneSeptember 14, 2022 at 7:32 AM

    Oh, your hiking photos!! Fantastic walking areas there!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousSeptember 14, 2022 at 7:39 AM

    What a wonderful summer. Regine
    www.rsrue.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dara @ Not In JerseySeptember 14, 2022 at 8:59 AM

    It definitely looks like a good summer!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 14, 2022 at 1:16 PM

      Oh for sure! I am trying to soak them all in since I can already see a time when the boys will be off doing their own thing...

      Delete
  5. Holly Breton @ Pink LadySeptember 14, 2022 at 9:08 AM

    What a great summer- nice job!

    ReplyDelete
  6. JoesetteSeptember 14, 2022 at 9:36 AM

    What a great summer! I love the birthday outfits, they are so flattering! You look great!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Heather{Our Life In a Click}September 14, 2022 at 10:38 AM

    What a fun summer!! I'm getting hungry now! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 14, 2022 at 1:17 PM

      I know; looking through these photos made me want to stop and get some ice cream somewhere!

      Delete
  8. LyshaSeptember 14, 2022 at 11:52 AM

    Good job on your summer bucket list! So much fun.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Lindsay's Sweet WorldSeptember 14, 2022 at 12:23 PM

    Look at y'all checking off almost every single thing on the list! Y'all truly did have a great summer.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Rebecca JoSeptember 14, 2022 at 12:38 PM

    I mean... I think you did summer just perfectly!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Jodie's Touch of StyleSeptember 14, 2022 at 2:55 PM

    I love how you snuck in those ice cream treats in the same part as veggies and fruit, haha. You always amaze me how much hiking you get it, that's so impressive.
    XOXO
    Jodie
    www.jtouchofstyle.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Kim CarberrySeptember 14, 2022 at 3:17 PM

    It sounds like you had a wonderful summer. Your trips sound like fantastic fun and the view while you eat your breakfast is stunning!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Kari September 14, 2022 at 4:37 PM

    What a fun summer!
    Side note- was that Mickey ear treat the cake pop or ice cream? I remember those cake pops....SO GOOD.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 15, 2022 at 12:54 PM

      Ice cream! It was in the mid-90's most days so I was always looking for something cold.

      Delete
  14. Tamar SBSeptember 14, 2022 at 8:36 PM

    You had a great summer!

    ReplyDelete
  15. MarshaSeptember 14, 2022 at 11:35 PM

    I love how you make fruits and veggies look so yummy! Do you have recipes or a special place on your blog where you share them because I definitely need to up that part of our diets!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 15, 2022 at 12:58 PM

      I should share more recipes about just veggies! I have shared a few and all three of the recipes shown above- the peach salad, the corn salad, and the pasta with rainbow veggies are all ones I found on other blogs this summer (which I have a whole post coming next week on recipes we've been trying with links to where I found the recipes!).

      Delete
  16. LovelySeptember 15, 2022 at 3:00 AM

    What a wonderful summer you had! Your trip looks fantastic, and I enjoyed seeing these pictures.
    xoxo
    Lovely
    www.mynameislovely.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Veronica LeeSeptember 15, 2022 at 3:34 AM

    Looks like lots of fun, Joanne.
    So glad you had such a wonderful summer.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Denyse WhelanSeptember 15, 2022 at 5:22 AM

    What a great summer. So many fabulous memories. I always love seeing your pics from the deck too!! Thank you for joining in this new weekly link up of mine. Looking forward to catching up with you when you next do so, for Wednesday’s Words & Pics. Warm wishes,
    Denyse.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 15, 2022 at 1:00 PM

      I get so bummed that once our cool mornings hit in fall the deck furniture is so wet with dew that I can't sit out there for breakfast anymore. I love starting my day with that peaceful view!

      Delete
  19. Deb's WorldSeptember 15, 2022 at 6:04 AM

    It looks like a great summer Joanne, love all the photos and it's satisfying ticking things off a list isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 15, 2022 at 1:00 PM

      It really is! I love ticking items off a list.

      Delete
  20. Soma @ InkTorrents.comSeptember 15, 2022 at 7:21 PM

    You had such a gorgeous and fun summer vacation. Even got to see little bear cubs. Fantastic hiking photos and such decadent ice creams! Wishing you a fabulous autumn ahead.

    -Soma

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 16, 2022 at 1:05 PM

      Those bear cubs were so cute (and mama bear was HUGE!).

      Delete
  21. Lydia C. LeeSeptember 16, 2022 at 4:36 PM

    How fab! #Wordsandpictures

    ReplyDelete
  22. Dee | GrammysGrid.comSeptember 16, 2022 at 5:41 PM

    The Smokies is a great place to visit, we always enjoy it. Kayaking looks fun, my daughter enjoys it but I'd tip if over if I tried it :) Happy belated Birthday! Thanks so much for linking up at the Unlimited Link Party 82. Shared.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 17, 2022 at 1:54 PM

      My top water kayak is pretty impossible to tip over it's very wide and heavy and probably meant for sea kayaking. I find they can be tricky to get in and out of but once you're in them they aren't as tippy as you would think.

      Delete
  23. YvonneSeptember 16, 2022 at 5:49 PM

    I'm glad you got to check off so many things on your bucket list this summer. All those yummies look delicious.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Favorite TV Shows Growing Up in the 80's and early 90's

Image
Do you remember the TGIF lineups on Friday nights? I can remember planning sleepovers and time with friends around TV Show lineups of our favorite shows... or else trying to set the VCR to record our favorite shows if we weren't going to be home. And through the years I had SO MANY favorites! Growing pains aired in 1985 which put me around age 8 and it stayed on the air until I was 15 or so; I'm pretty sure most people in my age group watched mostly for Kirk Cameron and all his antics.  I still have a soft spot for family sit-coms!  The Facts of Life aired when I was just 2  and stayed on the air until I was 11 so I'm sure the episodes I remember so fondly were either some of the later ones and then reruns shown later on when I was old enough to watch from the beginning. I think everyone would have loved an Edna Garret in their lives.   Benson another sitcom that began airing when I was just 2 and was done by the time I was 9 (another one I must have watched mai...
Read more

Things That Make Me Laugh

Image
I loved the challenge of this week's list for our 26 lists link up.  I don't know about you but I really need to laugh more lately.  It's such a great stress reliever. 1.  Books-- I love a good funny book that makes me laugh out loud.  I haven't read one in a while but if you have any recommendations I'm all ears.  The last book I can remember making me laugh was the Un-Honeymooners. 2  The boys being silly. 3.  Watching shows like America's Funniest Videos or Family Feud. 4. My husband.  Most people don't realize it but he's actually pretty funny and often makes me laugh. 5.  Whenever my sisters/ family get together and we get to reminiscing (particularly if my Aunt Elaine is around) we end up laughing so hard at all the old family stories that we are all in tears by the end of the night.  It's fabulous. 6. Movies like Mom's Night Out, Christmas Vacation, and Grown Ups make me laugh out loud. 7.  When my ...
Read more

Making Gift Card and Money Holders Using Scrapbooking and Cardmaking Supples

Image
I don't tend to keep a lot of crafting supplies on hand so when I saw this month's de-stash challenge I wasn't sure what I was going to make.  I finally realized that with so many of my Christmas gifts being cash and gift cards this year that I needed to make up some fun paper crafting/ creative ways to gift them.   I still want my nieces and nephews to have something to open so I pulled out my papers and stamps and made up some cute little money/gift card holders. They were much easier to make than I thought.  The first one I worked on was to hold some oversized Nintendo gift cards.  I made a standard sized card and folded down one corner of the card front.  Then I ran my double sided tape along the bottom an 1/2 way up the side creating a cute little pocket.  Finally I added some cute embellishments and ribbons.   Voila! A simple and easy gift card holder for those larger sized gift cards.  The bulk of the tweens and teens on my list j...
Read more

Making a Sugar Cookie "Gingerbread" House

Image
 Alec really wanted to try making his own gingerbread house this year without using a premade kit.  We talked about how we never really eat the house since they don't taste very good.  Years ago we gave up on the frosting that comes in the kit and began making our own so we thought perhaps we should try making our our house too. Only problem is that no one in the house likes gingerbread.  We talked about trying to make the house using a sugar cookie recipe.  Alec was so excited at that idea since he just LOVES sugar cookies.   He found a recipe online for a simple sugar cookie recipe and mixed up the dough.  He rolled it out an cut it to the size of our cookie sheets-- we had read that it's easiest to cut the house pieces out after the dough has been baked and is still warm and soft because then you don't have to worry about any of the pieces losing their shape while baking. I had picked out a simple cookie cutter set on Amazon and as soon as the ...
Read more

52 Book Challenge of 2024; How I Did and What I Read

Image
 I finished up the 52 Book challenge by mid-July this year despite reading lots of other books along the way.  1. Locked Room Mystery--  Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney-  2. Bibliosmia: A Smelly Book-- Heidi by Johanna Spyri  3. More than 40 chapters -- Betting on You by Lynn Painter 4. Lowercase Letters on the Spine-- The Book Proposal by KJ Micciche (read in Jan) 5. Magical Realism--   The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer 6. Women in STEM-- The Women by Kristin Hannah 7. At Least 4 Different POV-- A Fatal Affair by A. R Torre 8. Features the Ocean-- Blue Hawaiian by Carla Luna 9. A Character-Driven Novel--  Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close 10. Told in Non-Chronological Order-- The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins  11. Title Starts with the Letter "K" -- Key Lime Garden Inn by Annie Cabot-  12. Title Starts with the Letter "L" -- The Last Love Note by Emma Gray 13. An Academic Thriller -- One of Us Is Next by Karen McManus (read in Jan) 14. ...
Read more