Last weekend was a whirlwind of party prep and barbecuing so this weekend I’m looking forward to a laid-back weekend with friends and finishing a few hardcover books (currently reading Conflicting Webs and Where We Belong) I started earlier this summer.  While it’s a lot more convenient to read at night on my phone or tablet, I still love holding a “real” book in my hand, especially when I’m relaxing outside in the sunshine.  I’m hoping there will be a lot of that this weekend.

Attend an outdoor movie – I love watching movies outside under the stars, and we have lots of options nearby.  There’s a great drive-in that plays double features, our little town hosts movies on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and then there are tons of options across the Philadelphia parks just a hop, skip, and 5 minute train ride away.

√ Win a prize at the fair or on the boardwalk – I’m a champ at those water gun games where you shoot water at the target and the first one to the finish line wins.  That’s probably the only game I’m really only good at, but that doesn’t stop me from throwing my money away on the other ones.  I know, logically, that there are plenty of better ways to spend my money, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun.

Have a crab feast –  Fresh seafood is the perfect summertime meal, and cracking crab claws are the best part.  You have to work to get to the meat, which makes it feel like an activity just as much as a meal, making it all the more satisfying to enjoy.

Play mini golf – I’m admittedly awful at a round of putt-putt but hey, it’s all in good fun, and it’s one of those activities that screams summer to me.

Take a beach day trip – We’ve always grown up so close to the shore that it’s easy to take it for granted.  Especially because working from home you tend to feel guilty spending a weekday afternoon playing “hooky” while thinking about everything you should be doing.  I’m making it a priority to get at least one… or two… or a few, beach days on the calendar.

Get back on my bike – Our town has a bike share program that allows you to essentially rent the bike of your choice for the year.  (Mine was a beach cruiser complete with a basket, the bike I’d had my eye on buying anyway — score!)  Last summer we rode our bikes almost daily, but with my injury/surgery we haven’t even taken them out of the garage…yet.  I started physical therapy yesterday and told my doctor my big goal is to ride my bike before the end of summer.

√ (almost) Finish our backyard – Over the last few weeks we’ve started making over our backyard.  When we moved in there was a chain link fence and cement everywhere.  We’ve made having a July 4th party a tradition the last few years, so the goal is to have our backyard finished by then.  We’ve (well, okay, I’ve supervised) already swapped out our fence and added some greenery, so we’re almost done this one.

Paint the third floor – Our office resides on the third floor of our home, but there are also two little rooms up there that we haven’t done anything with yet.  We’ve talked about finally painting this area since we moved in, and this summer would be the perfect time to finally finish the area.

√ Get a second tap for the keg – For his birthday I got CK kegerator conversion kit to make use of the old fridge in our basement.  Well, it turns out having only one beer option to drink at all times gets kind of old, so he’s been wanting a second tap to make it a little easier to switch things up.  Like I said, his bucket list is mostly practical.

Play Scrabble under the stars – I love game nights, and when it’s just the two of us at home our favorite game is one that involves a little friendly competition and the biggest words we can think of.  Since we can’t head out for a night on the town just yet, an evening “in,” spent outside testing our vocabulary doesn’t sound half bad.

√  Have a yard sale – We’ve been talking about hosting a yard sale since we moved nearly two summers ago now. Somehow we still have a lot of boxes to sort through and rooms to decorate and figure out, but we have decided there are a few bigger items taking up space that we’re ready to let go of.  Like the futon from my college days and the patio set that doesn’t quite go with our outdoor decor.

Try making homemade bread – I’m a sucker for freshly baked bread, but I’ve never made my own.  Ever since I heard about no-knead recipes (I want to compare this NY Times recipe to this 4-hour version) I’ve been wanting to give it a try. Hopefully, it’s as easy as it sounds.  If all goes smoothly I might even try adding in kalamata olives and a little fresh rosemary from our windowsill herb garden — yum!

Tie-dye something to wear this summer – We’re getting our backyard ready for bbq season so a set of colorful napkins or placemats would be fun and festive.  I also have a little white dress I would love to dip dyed in indigo.

√ Send snail mail to a friend – It takes a little more time to sit down and hand write a note which makes it feel all the more special.

√  Make homemade pickles – Whenever we buy cucumbers from the local produce store or farmer’s market I never seem to find enough uses for them before they go bad so I’d love to try out a homemade pickle recipe.