Have you ever felt regret at the end of summer for all the things you didn’t do? I have. It’s all too easy to let the summer days slip by in a haze of heat and humidity. But I’m determined to not let that happen this year. I started making a list of the fun things I want to do this summer. I’m still working on it but I thought I’d share 10 things on my summer fun list with you today.
Dee’s Summer Fun List
1. Make homemade peach ice cream once a week throughout peach season.
There are peach orchards in a nearby town and I absolutely adore fresh peaches from the farmers market. Sadly, I didn’t make peach ice cream even once last summer. That’s not going to happen this year!
2. Go to an afternoon movie by myself at least once.
I’ll skip lunch and indulge in buttery popcorn and Raisinets while watching a movie all by myself.
3. Have fresh flowers in the house at all times.
Even if it’s a single carnation from the florist or something I cut from my own yard, I’m going to enjoy flowers every day.
4. Schedule lunch with my cousin in the city once a month then go to the museum afterwards.
I bought myself a season pass to the OKC museum a couple of months ago. They are hosting a Matisse exhibit this summer which I can’t wait to see.
5. Spend an afternoon simply driving the backroads and exploring.
The countryside is beautiful here in southeastern Oklahoma, especially right now before it gets too hot. This is one I need to do soon while all the wildflowers are still in bloom.
6. Stargaze with David in our backyard at least two or three times a week.
This is one of our favorite things to do together. We have zero gravity chairs so we can lean way back and enjoy the night sky. We also have a telescope. Last night we spent about 20 minutes stargazing while David had Sinatra playing quietly on his phone. We saw a shooting star and the lightning bugs were out. Sheer bliss.
7. Schedule at least three massages.
I always feel amazing after a massage but don’t get around to scheduling them very often. I’m going to schedule one right after our annual backyard music festival (I’ll need it!) and then while I’m there, go ahead and schedule one for July and another for August.
8. Buy myself some really good felt tip pens or colored pencils and spend some time every week with my coloring book.
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9. Plan at least one day where I do nothing but read.
It’s been way too long since I’m allowed myself time to get totally immersed in a book for more than an hour or so. I’ll prepare for this day by cleaning house the day before and putting something in the crockpot for dinner. I may turn off the phone, too!
10. Go to the beach.
David and I are going to California for our 35th anniversary in June and I cannot wait! Sometimes my longing for the sea becomes intense. I’m about at that point so I’m grateful for this opportunity.
So there you go – the first 10 items on my summer fun to-do list. Do you make a list like this? If it’s coming up on summer in your part of the world, do you have any special plans? I’d love to hear about them. Leave me a comment and tell me how you have fun in the summer.
I don’t make a list like that, and there’s only one thing I want to make sure to do this Summer… Go to the “Hastings Pirate Day” celebrations in July.
There’s an anual pirate day here towards the end of July, and I’ve been trying to get to go to it since we moved here, but things keep stopping me. One year it was way too hot for us to take the dogs out, and since Kero couldn’t be left alone leaving them behind wasn’t an option (that year, Kelly went by himself, and brought me home a pirate goblet). Another year we thought it was nowhere near the air show we wanted to see, and since that didn’t happen every year, we went to that instead (only to discover afterwards – when it was too late – that we could have gone to both, since they were being done very close to one another, and the pirate day celebrations were scheduled to stop right before the air show… We arrived in the area just in time for the last few minutes of pirate day, so did at least get photos of random pirates). Last year we had family visiting (officially to come with us to pirate day) but it was raining so they didn’t want to go. You get the idea. So I’m really hoping this year we’ll actually get to go to it.
I hope you get to go to the pirate day celebration! If you do, I look forward to hearing about it. 🙂
I love these summer ideas (even though we are heading into winter here!) and what I love most is that they are all great expressions of self care.
I’ve not been in the habit of focusing on self-care in the past but I’m trying to change that.
I need to make a list like this! I’ve thought about going to a movie by myself. I have to pass our movie theaters when I got the grocery store and I often think I should just take in a move…yet I never do. I do have the habit of picking wild flower and making bouquets for the house – free and beautiful! I’ve been coloring for years and highly recommend getting a good set of colored pencils – so much better than the inexpensive ones. One day of nothing but reading? Bliss! One of my favorite bloggers/business leaders is Kimberly Wilson and she takes a regular “bed day.” I’ve wanted to to that for quite some time so maybe that should go at the top of my list…
I love Kimberly Wilson’s podcasts! I just recently heard about the “bed day” thing and it sounds amazing. I think I may even try to plan for one at a hotel one of these days. As for the colored pencils, do you have a particular brand to recommend?
The ones I have are from Germany and are called “Staedtler Karat” – they’re watercolor pencils. although I don’t usually use them with water. I bought a different brand on clearance sale at Hobby Lobby and I didn’t like the “feel” of the color going onto the paper; the colors weren’t as vibrant either.
Thanks for the recommendation. I will look for them.