I know, I know, these words aren’t supposed to be spoken this soon and can easily hit in all the wrong places, but before I offend anyone on the topic of summer coming to an end, take a quick moment to ask yourself if you’ve accomplished everything on your summer bucket list.
No? Me neither!! And I think the reason for that is because I never made one. I looked forward to summer coming and had ideas as to what I wanted to do, however, nothing held me accountable for actually following through and completing all my summer goals. And now look at us. It’s August, I’m 32 weeks pregnant and I honestly just don’t have the energy to complete everything I wish I had done earlier in the summer. That’s why I’m taking a moment to reflect and physically write out my autumn bucket list.
It’s important when writing out a bucket list not to be too unrealistic. We all know there are many restrictions in the world right now, we need to be realistic when it comes to finances and remember that we can add to it at any time. Start with a few easy to accomplish things you’d like to do and once you’ve completed them you can add on to your list. This will ensure there is no disappointment at the end of the season when you haven’t been able to cross something off the list.
When writing out my list I had to account for the fact that autumn=baby time, which meant I had to be really practical when it came to any type of activity. No sky diving for this mama!
Here are a few ideas I’m going to start with on my personal list.
1. Read a book.
I can honestly say the last time I sat and read a book was probably in high school. I enjoy reading articles from different magazines and blogs but never found the time to sit and indulge in a good novel. This fall, I’m taking some time to turn off the tv or my phone and picking up a good book instead! Any recommendations? send them my way!
2. Learning to can.
There are certain skills that the women in my family have that they have perfected. If I needed something sewn growing up I would go to my grandma. If I needed a jar of jam my mom would spend the weekend canning 150 jars of assorted jams. Was it convenient, yes! But did I learn anything? Nope!
This year instead of asking and receiving, id love to learn for myself. We’re spoiled here in Essex county. It’s silly to think we even have to buy pre-canned food from the grocery stores when #2 produce is literally being thrown away.
3. Making my home cozy for the new season.
12 oz swan creek candle spiced orange and cinnamon 29.99 | Grapevine pumpkin 12.99
Through the summer I often like my home to be clutter-free. After taking down the Christmas tree it’s like a breath of fresh air to have all the extra space back, so all summer I tend to leave the house a bit of a blank canvas. We also spend a lot of our summer outside, so I find we don’t need a lot of Nik-naks to look at inside. However, with cooler weather upon us and all the tempting new home decor options, I love making my space feel cozy again with little touches of fall.
This can be as simple as just lighting a cinnamon spice candle and adding a few extra blankets here or there OR you can go all out and adds pumpkins and Garland to every corner of your house. Whichever you prefer, at the end of the day it’s your space, we can do whatever makes our hearts happy.
4. Learn new recipes to bake for Thanksgiving.
I’m not a baker. I have always had a hard time following directions so I enjoy cooking a lot more than baking. However, I love sweets! And I love the presentation when showing up to a family get-together with beautiful, homemade baked goods. This year I’m picking a day and maybe inviting the ladies in my family over so we can all share recipes and practice baking. I’d love to be able to fill my freezer with enough goodies to share for the next few family gatherings.
5. Get ready for baby.
This one is by far the most important for me. I’ll be saying goodbye to the beauty of pregnancy and all the “joys” that may or may not come with it and starting a new season of life with an extra special little pumpkin to spend our days with. That means one more Halloween costume, one more jack-o-lantern to sit on our front porch, and one more little addition to our life to teach us the importance of making bucket lists and sticking to them.
Both my boys have taught me so many valuable lessons. But most importantly, being their mama has taught me that time flys and without something keeping us accountable, it’s easy to let that time slip away. Whether your goals are as simple as learning to bake some bread or travelling the world, taking a quick second to make those plans and holding yourself accountable for completing them is what we all need at the end of the day to wake up and feel proud of what we’ve done.
