Category: Bucket List

Two Bucket List-Bucket Events in One Week: Cooking Class and Dragon Con

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Making a bucket list is pretty much an annual thing. Some adventures are added on a whim and fulfilled quickly, while other items seem to linger on the list for quite a while.

Adventure #1: Chef Darin’s Kitchen Table Cooking Class in Savannah, Ga

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My friends Meri has seen this bucket list item go unfulfilled year after year and gave me one of my favorite birthday gifts ever—-the gift of adventure! I am not much of a cook, but I love to pretend and I love anything novel and new. The class was called, “Flavor Dynamics.” We learned about how different flavors hit our tastebuds and how to create balanced flavor profiles. At the end of our lesson we got to try out our new skills with an Indian or Mexican-inspired dish. The the best part of the night was taste testing.

Thank you Mer and Justin for an awesome experience!

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Adventure #2: DragonCon in Atlanta, Ga

Mariah and I both had a milestone birthday this year (gulp…). She is into (almost) all things nerdy, and I wanted to do something memorable to celebrate her….so nine long months after we birthday we were able to celebrate by attending our first ever DragonCon. We only went for Saturday to get our feet wet and get a taste of the experience. I am so glad we went! Mariah, AJ, and took a whirl wind trip to Atlanta and back in 24 hours. We saw amazing Cosplay, got confused WAAAAY more than once about the intricacies of D-con, and were just generally in awe at the massiveness of it all. It was awesome to see so much nerdy-ness and inclusiveness in one place!

Pictures of this coming soon….

2017 Bucket List: Completion Report

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While the temperature outside may still denote Summer, my school calendar does not. A new Happy Planner has been purchased and pre-pre-planning is underway. I have to go back to work a little bit earlier these days…however it is easy to get back into the school year swing when you absolutely love your job AND when the one who helps with Addie during the day is the same woman who raised you (thanks MOM)!

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We had another epic Summer in the Harvey household complete with trips to Disney World, a cruise to Mexico, time spent at the Lake and Beach. It’s a wonder that we were able to complete anything on our Summer Bucket List with all that extra fun…but Addie and I are pros at this bucket list thing. Check out of progress this Summer!

Here is the list for this year:

  1. Make a stepping stone- Bought the supplies, but not yet completed. I will post picks with the finished product!
  2. Collect and paint rocks- CHECK!
  3. Visit the Trampoline Park- CHECK!
  4. Paint Pottery- CHECK! Addie did such a great job. The lady who works there noted how much patience she had painting all of her pieces.
  5. Create a spa night at home- CHECK! Aunt Mer took us to a neat place that allows you to customize and create your own bath scrubs and oils. We used these and some samples of spa lotions and nail polish that we got for free the same day.
  6. Go to a summer matinee- CHECK! We saw Cars III….not my favorite Disney movie, but a Disney movie is better than almost anything else out so I call it a win.
  7. Have a Random Acts of Kindness Day- I really like doing this, but it is so much more fun as a group. I will add it to the Fall Bucket List to redeem ourselves!
  8. Tie dye- CHECK!
  9. Have a picnic/tea party- CHECK! This was Addie’s first-official-non-pretend Tea Party. She LOVED it!
  10. Go sea shelling in St. Augustine- CHECK (sort of). We went to Fernandina instead and there were VERY FEW shells.
  11. Make homemade pizza- NOPE.
  12. Make jewelry- CHECK! Addie made a necklace and bracelet with her name on it and all.
  13. Go to the beach with friends- CHECK!
  14. Have a lazy day around the house- CHECK! We actually had several of these….until I decide I can’t stand being cooped up and we go head to town or anywhere.
  15. Go to a U-pick farm- CHECK! This year we actually picked tomatoes. YUM!
  16. Go to the open studio hours at a local kids art studio (Henny Penny or Scribble Art Studio)- NOPE. Maybe sometime soon?

All in all it was a great Summer. I can’t wait for many more with this little chick!

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Summer Bucket List: Addie’s First Tea Party

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We have played “tea party” in the bath tub, playroom, at Mimi’s house, and just about everywhere. Addie has made raspberry, peach, blueberry, chocolate, and even the occasional broccoli and carrot tea. This week Addie, Mimi, and I had a chance to have our very own real tea party. Look at the pictures below. I think it is safe to say that it was a great experience, and I am sure will become at the very least an annual tradition!

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Addie’s First Tea
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Yum, raspberry tea!
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Three lumps is better than two!
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Gotta have the pinky out!

Summer 2017 Bucket List

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Another glorious summer is here! As an educator, Summer is the season of life in which we can stay up late, pretend for a little while that we are stay at home moms, finally get to that overdue spring cleaning, READ, be the fun mom that you wanted to be all year, cook actual meals that aren’t from a box, can, or freezer, and reconnect with family and friends. Yes, summer sabbaticals are amazing. They recharge our batteries and allow us to hit the ground running at 110% come August!

Summer is great, but it doesn’t last! In order to make the most of each summer day with Addie I find it helpful to create a bucket list (of course….). In years to come I think it will be even more fun as she will get to come up with unique and crazy adventures to add to our list each year as well.

Here is the list for this year:

  1. Make a stepping stone (We did this last year, so I would like to make it a yearly tradition).
  2. Collect and paint rocks
  3. Visit the Trampoline Park
  4. Paint Pottery
  5. Create a spa night at home
  6. Go to a summer matinee
  7. Have a Random Acts of Kindness Day
  8. Tie dye
  9. Have a picnic/tea party
  10. Go sea shelling in St. Augustine
  11. Make homemade pizza
  12. Make jewelry
  13. Go to the beach with friends
  14. Have a lazy day around the house
  15. Go to a U-pick farm
  16. Go to the open studio hours at a local kids art studio (Henny Penny or Scribble Art Studio)

We still have a little bit  more time before I go back to school. I will be sure to post our accomplishments then! What’s on your list this summer?

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Bucket List: 2017 Edition

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Happy 2017, everyone! This past year will certainly be hard to top. In 2017 I want to make the most of time this year by spending it with family and friends and soaking up each moment together. In addition to selecting a list of fun, must-do items, I have also chosen a word to serve as a focal point and core value.

After mulling over several choices one just seemed to stick. Embrace. Yes, I want to embrace all aspects of life this year, the happy, the sad, the routine, the mundane. I would normally learn towards stronger, more intense, more direct and forward terms, (i.e. strive, intention, drive) which is why I purposefully chose a softer, more compassionate gentle term to balance out my type-A, driven, obsessive bent. I want to embrace life, embrace others, embrace gritty, raw, real life. Only God knows what is in store for us, and only He can can prepare us for 2017. Here we go!

Here’s the List:

  1. Write my own manifesto (from Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project)
  2. Write a letter to my future self
  3. Celebrate my last day of my 20’s
  4. Plan (and have) a spa day
  5. Do Adult Disney
  6. See the Rocky Mountains
  7. Fly fish
  8. Sand surf
  9. Stay in a Deluxe Disney Resort
  10. Hang Glide
  11. Sleep in a tree house
  12. Learn about floral arts
  13. Take a cooking class
  14. Master the art of the sugar cookie
  15. Plant bougainvillea
  16. Reach goal weight (finally)
  17. Pay off student loans
  18. Develop a “big girl” skin care routine
  19. Visit a new state
  20. Visit a new country
  21. Explore Universal’s Harry Potter World
  22. Complete a Reading Challenge
  23. Learn Spanish (again…)
  24. Prepare for an emergency (so we won’t get totally caught off guard by something like Hurricane Matthew again.)
  25. Attend Dragon Con
  26. Plan and implement seasonal bucket lists/monthly challenges

 

What’s on your list? Remember, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail!

 

Addie is Three Years Old!

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In her own words, Addie’s birthday was the “Best Day Ever!” Waring’s cousin, Katrina, always does such a fabulous job with the themed food, decoration, and festivities! This has been the year of princesses for Addie (could be due to those Disney Annual Passes), so Addie was Rapunzel for Halloween and had the same theme for her birthday. Addie’s birthday was truly a blast, and I grateful to everyone who came to join us in the celebration!

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I thank God each day for this sassy little girl with her big personality.

Saturdays With Addie & Friends: Drive-in Movie Edition

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Recently, Addie and her cousins shared another “first” together as they watched a movie outside at the Highway 21 Drive-in. We arrived early in time to play on the playground in front of the big screen, order dinner, and comfy before the movie started. We borrowed my father’s truck, which turned out to be perfect for the trip. Three kids and two adults were able to get cozy and watch the movie under the stars together.

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The kids had a blast, experienced something new, and just couldn’t hang in there with us for the ride home! I think that this Fall Bucket-List item will be a keeper for years and years to come!

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Fall Bucket List Buster: Weekend Adventures in Blue Ridge

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I know. I know. Technically we are not quite into the “Fall season,” but I am not going to semantics and silly dates get in the way of an opportunity to check off some pretty awesome bucket list adventures off of our list! Due to inclement weather school closures and an already scheduled 3 day weekend Waring, Addie, and I took the liberty to invite ourselves (sorry, not sorry) on a camping trip with my parents to Blue Ridge, GA.

We stayed in my grandparent’s camper on some family/friend property near Blairsville that has been outfitted for camping (complete with full hook-up and bath house!!). The pictures below pretty much speak for themselves. We had a blast!

Here are just a few bucket list items that have been checked off:

-Camping

-Apple Picking (September Wonder apples are the best….but we all prefer the Apple Cider Donuts!)

-S’mores

-Go to a Fall Festival (Blairsville Heritage Days Festival)

-Go to the Mountains (this was Addie’s first trip. Her first comment was “Mountains aren’t purple?—> The girl reads too many books!!

-Making a fire (okay, so technically someone else made it…but we enjoyed it!)

 

Now that we have a head start on Fall, we may be able to check off some bucket list items two and three times this season! Happy Fall Y’all!

 

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Visiting Mother Cabbage
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Note to self: remember this always.

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Glad we DIDN’T do this…

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Addie loves searching for “treasures” AKA rocks!
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YUM

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Being a farmer is hard work!
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Searching for gold!

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Candle making at the Blairsville Heritage Days Festival.
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Searching for purple mountains!
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Looking at those mountains again…
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Waring working at the campsite.
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Camp Hughes-Saxon

Mommy Milestone: I Love You.

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From the moment she was born I said it. I whispered it, prayed it, sang it, and repeated it over and over and over again. Even though those three little words couldn’t possibly describe my emotions bottled up inside, I said them anyway. “I love you.” From the moment she was born and for no reason at all I loved her. (It is in these moments that I feel I can see a glimpse of our Heavenly Father’s agape love towards man. We are nothing and could not possibly earn his favor, yet he so richly lavishes his love upon us.)

God has blessed our family with a sweet, sassy, silly, social butterfly named Addie. She has turned our world upside down, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Since she was born we make sure to tell her we love her each and every day so that it will be one of those undeniable truths that she can hold fast to when she becomes a teenager and thinks she knows it all, or her world is rocked by some unforeseen future or lingering doubt.

Most of our professions of love have been monologues spoken over her as she lie asleep, during late night rocking chair sessions, or fleeting and hurried moments throughout our time together. One day something different happened. She said it. Not “I love you too” as in a reply, but just out of the blue.  “Mommy, I’ll always love you.” And at that moment my heart grew three sizes and burst into a million tiny pieces all over the floor.

Now don’t forget, she is two…so shortly after this heartfelt moment she can usually be heard demanding another snack, drink, or negotiating five more minutes of playtime before her bath. But, in this moment I realize that another milestone of motherhood has come and I love her more with each passing day.

 

Painting pet rocks from the stones she collected at Granny Layne and Papa’s house.

 

Addie and April Take Over Summer 2016

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Well, week two of Addie & April Take Over Summer is almost in the books. I think that I can speak for us both by saying that we are having a blast. Last Summer was complicated for many reasons and I didn’t get to spend as much time with her as I would have liked, but oh we are making up for it this year in true list-making, adventure-seeking, task-oriented, action item crossing-off fashion! When I look back on this Summer I don’t want to say…we sat around and watched TV. I want to make memories and grow closer together this Summer. Not trying to brag, but you should be jealous because…we are on a roll! 🙂 In all honestly, my prayers each night seem to be summed up in two simple words (Thank you.) Thank you Jesus for the blessing of this sweet time. Thank you Jesus for this crazy little girl that you have entrusted to us. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Check out our progress below!

Summer Bucket List—2016 Edition

-Go see a $1 movie

-Make homemade ice cream

-Go camping

-See Sesame Street Live- check! Addie is in love with ELMO!


-Tiedye t-shirts– check! When the Tori and Mariah came down for the weekend we snagged a quick opportunity to tie-die a few shirts! This was so much fun, and the best part is that Addie and I still have some left over!!


-Pick black berries- check! Okay, so it was a little warm today when we finally got out to the farm today, but it was still fun. Addie is fighting a little Summer cold and doesn’t like to be sweaty, so she told us that she was “really, really thirsty and ready to go to Addie’s house” about 15 minutes after we got there. She DID love eating the fruits of our labor at lunch though!


-Make jam & can tomatoes

-Host a yard sale- check! We didn’t make a ton of cash, but we had a lot of fun trying! It was nice to spend a Saturday morning together with the family and get rid of some clutter in the process. 

-Get play make-up and have a makeover night- check! There really is no limit to the fun that $1 makeup from the corner Dollar General can provide!

-Paint Pet Rocks/Character Rocks

-Go to the Library– check! Addie absolutely LOVED Story Time at the library. I can’t say that I am not a little bit proud that she took a seat in the front row and tried to be Miss Star Student, even if she did tell some of the other kids to “shh….because this is a library.” 


-Finish Thanksgiving table cloth

-Make flash cards

-Homemade pizza night

-Oatland Island nature walk

-Throw a Tea-Party

-Make a Pillow Fort & hold a Disney Movie Marathon- check (sort-of). We haven’t had a full-on Disney Movie Marathon, but Hubby and I have been binge watching Black List while Addie watches a plethora of different DVDs in the evening time. By the end of the day the Summer heat has gotten to everyone and nothing is better than some lounge time in bed with the whole family!

-Make a Stepping Stone- check! The stepping stone turned out to be the cutest thing ever, thanks to the help of my Papa, Granny Layne, and Aunt Jenny. I can’t wait to make this a Summer traditions and get to see these precious pavers in the yard for years to come!

-Take swim lessons- check! Addie had a blast swimming with Mrs. Loren. She talked and talked about her each day until we finally arrived for her lessons!