Best Made Plans

The last day of my summer vacation has arrived. The worst day of the year. No, maybe that's tomorrow. The first morning I have to get up at 4:45-even though I was awake at 4:45 a lot this summer. Tomorrow I can't go back sleep-oh no!

 Cry lots of tears-ha-ha! I know, I still have the whole day today. But still, hard to believe 8 weeks of no school and those 8 weeks have blown right by like they were about 2 weeks.

So today, while I sulk about the fact that I have to get up tomorrow and start the morning commute again, I thought I'd go back to my summer wish list which I posted on May 26 to see whether it was on target or not.

Do I want to accomplish anything this summer?

Using that word accomplish sounds so much like work!!!

Let me say, here's what I hope to experience this summer while I am lounging away on the long sunny hot days with my daughter having by then moved out and my hubby at work and for the first time in over 22 years, me having a summer really to myself.

Much better.

1- I hope to sew. My sewing machine has been collecting dust and I have a new serger I have never even pulled out of the box for the last 6 months. Time to rekindle my fabric obsession.

OK, started a serger course on Craftsy and have opened the box. Who knew sergers were so complex? I never really got rolling on the sewing, although I did cut out 2 skirts and haven't written it off my list yet.

2-OK, one little chore, get my studio into tip top shape.  The thing about this job is I love cleaning my studio. Going through my things, purging, reorganizing. (as long as I can then find those things!)

Success! There's still purging to be done, because that never ends, but it looks so much better and it fairly neat and organized! YAHOO!

3-I have some furniture that is in the basement I want to pull out, refresh and find a place for in my house. Cheap redecorating! Now that the college girl is gone, time for a new environment to perk up the place-and me.

I managed to bring up one chair. But never got to my old trunk which I wanted to repaint. Somehow, it never even crossed my mind. Summer brain I guess.

4- Watch a few sun rises and a lot of pretty sunsets. On the water maybe.

Nice! I love these beautiful nature moments.

5-Pick flowers.

No, but my gardens were well maintained and look gorgeous.

6-Become a better long term veggie gardener.(I always get excited to start, and then it flounders.)

And I succeeded here. Very proud of myself.

7- Make jellies, jams, chutneys and relishes.

Haven't yet. I am planning on some pickles though. The beauty about making jams and jellies and chutneys is you don't have to make them in the summer. Right?

8-Catch up on a couple more seasons of the old soap Dark Shadows.

No. Not really interested in this, but I did watch some chick flicks and some Rick Steves and some Star Trek and Dr. Who...

9-Have adventures. Spontaneous glorious moments of exploring.

A+++++++++ adventures

10-Read! Finish up the pile of books on the floor by my bed.

No, but I did finally read Outlander and I read several other books. I did manage to keep to my goal of 2 books a week except when I went away on vacation, got involved in a couple of long books...next years goal-don't make a goal about how much reading I should do.
11-Nurture me. Things I want to do. Things I love to do! Last summer was busy and I took a 3 credit grad course that took me to Costa Rica and an excellent adventure. Not that I want complete mellow this summer, but I want less someone else organizing my time. 

I did. Nurture me that is.  Maybe too much. But is there too much when it comes to nurturing yourself?
12-Paint more.

This I did a lot of and I am very very happy with all the painting time I had.
13-Spend long lazy afternoons on my screen porch with a cold drink and a good book and a comfy nap place.

It was a beautiful summer and I certainly enjoyed both it and my screen porch.
14-A road trip or 2 would be a lot of fun!

I could have taken more, but somehow getting into my car and driving seemed like such a lot of work.
15-Hang out with family and friends.

I feel good about the time I spend with family and friends this summer, especially with my mom, and seeing Uncle Bob before he passed.
16-Dream and contrive ways to make dreams come true.

Working on that. Now if only I could remember what I thought about all of those things yesterday.
17- Write the book that is in my head right now.

This is one thing I wished I did do. Been thinking a lot about it, but never actually figured out how I wanted to organize it. 
18-Hope to travel

We had a great vacation. Now I am thinking about fall travel and travel next year. I want to be sure I go away next summer the week before school starts.
19-Do nothing-watch the clouds or hummingbirds. Take advantage of having the summer to myself.

That was the best part of summer. Filling my day with me things.
20-Be spontaneous. Do something I never think of doing or expected to do.  Or when something comes up, do it.

Yes, and I took advantage of this.  I have to remember to not let the school year work schedule stop me from being so spontaneous.

And this fall-

what I hope is in my life

1-exercise and watch my diet. try to lose some more weight.

2-keep reading. work on getting through those books I really want to read.

3-Keep  painting. 

4-try not to let the work schedule get me into a rut. work later in my play room. watch more movies. take a day off and go out and play if I need it.

5-start cooking more.

6-sew...make those skirts...do some art quilting.

7-travel. go out and have some fun weekend spontaneous adventures

8-LAUGH a lot

9-get apple picking.

10-get myself a comfy chair to put by the wood stove so I can read by the fire on cold nights.

11-maybe go out and try to identify some constellations.

12-oh my, and it is getting closer to hockey season

13-get down to see my mom more frequently than usually happens in the fall

14-knit those projects

15-plan my upcoming travels

16-leave myself open to new things, try new things, don't let a messy house or something insignificant get in my way of expanding myself.

17-have quality time with my hubby, with my daughter, with friends, the rest of family

18-hope for lots -happy and healthy time-not letting people who want to bug me get to me and don't let a list drive my time!

Oh yeah- and another little sad bit- it is the last episode (forever) of True Blood tonight. We're taking guesses what's going to happen.
It is time for that show to end but I will miss it. A great way to wind down on a summer Sunday night.

Enough of my babbling.