Fall Bucket List 2017

This year, I made a Spring Bucket List and an ABC of Summer Fun list. I was able to do quite a few things I wanted to do on the Spring Bucket List and all but two on the ABC of Summer Fun. It's good to set goals so we can make the most out of each day and season.

Below are some things that I would like to do this Fall (both fun and practical things):

- Go to an apple farm and get apples. (Done - September 18, 2017.)

- Seek help from Senator Amy Klobuchar to see why there is a delay with getting Sophia's Certificate of Citizenship (even though she is legal, U.S. citizen) (In progress - letter granting permission for Senator Klobuchar/her staff to work on this issue sent on September 19, 2017. Sent second permission form from Sophia on October 3, 2017.)

- Go to Olivia's oath ceremony so she can get her Certificate of Citizenship.  (Done - September 21, 2017.)

- Make apple pie. (Done - September 25th.)

- Help Sophia with getting the frames off the beehives. Harvest the honey and put it in jars. (Done - September 30th.)

- Take two jewelry classes. (Done - October 19th Sophia, Olivia, and I took a metal-stamping jewelry class; and on October 21st, Sophia and I took a mandala necklace class.)

Olivia's bracelet.

Sophia's necklace.

Sophia making the mandala necklace with beads.

Sophia wearing her mandala necklace on the day of her oath ceremony.

- Participate in the Well Together program and track progress (and hopefully see positive results at the end of the 12-week program). (In progress - Started on September 16th. Have been doing Pilates two times per week, walking the dogs more, doing the Whole30 program, met with a doctor, did blood tests, and met with a nutritionist.)

- Go to Sophia's oath ceremony so she can get her Certificate of Citizenship. (Done - October 26th.)

Sophia taking the oath.

Olivia and Sophia with their certificates of citizenship.

Olivia's ceremony was in September and Sophia's was in October.

- Take photos of the girls in raked-up leaves.

- Go on a fall picnic.

- Go to at least one Fall festival.

- Do a bonfire in the backyard. Get the big pile of wood burned before winter. (Done - on Thanksgiving.)

- Open all the windows, sit under a blanket, and read a book.

- Take a drive to look at fall foliage. (Done - did this weekly from September through October when the bridge between Minnesota and Wisconsin was closed for repairs.)

- Enter an item in the art show at the local center for the arts. (Done - Olivia entered a photo of beach plants that she took. I wanted to enter a photo from Arizona, but couldn't find the disk to print the image. Olivia's photograph is in the "Black & White Art Show" during October and November.)

Olivia's photo that's in the art show. 

The photo I took that I wanted to entered.

It's the roof and bells at a mission church

on a reservation in Arizona.

- Make hot apple cider. (Done - did this many times throughout October while on the Whole30 program. It was my alternative to hot chocolate in the morning.)

- Take a walk with the dogs and enjoy the changing leaves. (Done - did this many times throughout September and October.)

- Go to a pumpkin patch.

- Carve pumpkins.

- Toast pumpkin seeds.

- Bake pumpkin bread.

- Make pumpkin pie.

- Make and can applesauce.

- Try a new soup or stew.

- Make chili using the tomatoes I canned.

- Bake cookies. (Done - made two different types of cookies for Thanksgiving. One was a chocolate cookie with a mint cream filling and the other was a molasses cookie recipe from my Grandma Oliva.)

- Roast marshmallows around the fire. (The fire that we had on Thanksgiving was too large and hot to roast marshmallows.)

- Try rosemaling. (Done - Sophia, Olivia, and I took a class in October. None of us enjoyed doing rosemaling, so we didn't go back for the second class.)

- Do Christmas Prep Days in November and December.

- Celebrate Olivia's Adoption Day. (Done - celebrated it on November 17th.)

- Celebrate Sophia's Adoption Day. (Done - celebrated it on November 26th.)

- Try two new healthy recipes around Thanksgiving.

- Host Thanksgiving dinner. (Done. Enjoyed having here at the farm for Thanksgiving.)

- Make Christmas gifts. (In progress - working on six quilts that my mom started, but never finished.)

- Celebrate St. Nicholas Day. (Done - St. Nick visited during the night of December 5th. We saw what he brought us on December 6th.)

- Read a Christmas book. 

- Watch Christmas movies.

- Listen to Christmas music. (Done - we listen to Christmas music each time we are in the car driving somewhere.)

- Do two sessions per week on the Pilates Reformer machine from September until December. (In progress. Did two sessions per week from the beginning of September through the end of October so far.)

- Attend at least 90% of the Living Well classes that run from October through December. (In progress. Attended 2 out of 3 classes so far.)

- Go to at least one Winter/Christmas festival.

- Write a Winter Bucket List for 2017-2018 by December 21st when Winter begins.