Rebecca's Hearth and Home: September 2023

Usually I dread the coming of summer but, this year, I've been in such a whirlwind of activity that the season came and went with me hardly noticing it at all.

Ladybug on Coneflower

In fact, in looking back, the last post that I made on this blog was nearly two months ago (July 31st). I'm not sure that anyone even noticed that I was gone...including me! 😆 But that's okay! My goal is to get back on track and, if I can, fill in some of the blanks.

I thought I'd start by posting an update on my Summer Bucket List 2023. Pictures and comments (in bold type and parenthesis) have been added where applicable.

~~Write my summer bucket list~~
Plan my summer menus (these will be posted weekly in my 'Master List and Menu Plan Monday' posts)

(Over the past couple of years, I've discovered that menu planning when cooking for one is kind of pointless. Things have gone much better for me since stopping the menu planning. I'm eating healthier and I don't think about food all the time. Well, maybe I do, but in a whole different light.)

~~Celebrate summer birthdays with the grandlittles (there are a bunch of them!)~~

~~Celebrate Independence Day~~

~~Eat watermelon~~
~~Welcome a new granddaughter into the family~~

Miss Sophia Zira Capri

Born August 25, 2023 @ 5:17 p.m.

7 lbs. 11 oz. and 20" long

~~Observe a full moon (July 3 - Buck Moon, August 1 - Sturgeon Moon, August 30 - Blue Moon)~~

Super Blue Moon - August 30, 2023

Catch lightening bugs
~~Enjoy the Perseid meteor shower~~

(It was too cloudy to catch it on my

birthday, like I usually do, but I did catch sight of a few shooting stars before the shower was over.)

~~Celebrate my 62nd birthday~~

(I had an absolutely lovely birthday this

year! Not only did several of the kids

and grands get together to have a lovely

birthday tea for me, Amber and I spent

the day before in Joplin taking a painting class together! My 62nd birthday was absolutely one of the best birthday EVER!)

Amber and I With Our Own

Renditions of a Claude Monet

Birthday Cheesecake and Tea

~~Find a cicada shell~~
Grill burgers on the grill
~~Enjoy fresh produce and herbs from my garden~~

~~Enjoy a banana split~~

(Granddaughter, Lizzy and I enjoyed

birthday our annual banana splits while

on an outing between our two birthdays

which are very close together. We had

a great time!)

Granddaughter, Lizzy, on our Birthday Outing

~~Cut fresh flowers from the garden and make a bouquet~~

~~Work on some new photography ideas~~
~~Paint, hide, and find rocks with the grands~~

Rocks That We Painted and Hid

~~Take a day trip to northwest Arkansas~~

(Got in a quick visit with our friend,

Roxanne, while there. Then, later in the summer, Roxanne came up here and I had the privledge of giving her a tour of my park and she had the privledge of helping to round up the bison! Later we met Amber and the girls for lunch and visiting before Roxanne headed home.)