Summer is over, and I am feeling like a wilted flower. It was a good one, for sure.  But cooler temperatures would be nice.  I’m actually tired of blinding sun.  I’m over the pool.  I’m definitely ready to sit on my porch again without sweltering heat and humidity. Here in Georgia, we are starting to get a *little* break from it, but the real thing is a few weeks off.

I can’t wait for long sleeves, and apple cider, homemade soup, and the hum of football on the television, and I’m counting down the days to my favorite season.  Way back on June first, I posted my goals for the summer. Even though it’s still summer-like outside, Labor Day is the unofficial end to the season around here, so my time has run out.  As I look back at the past few months, I see it truly was a great summer, and I actually accomplished quite a bit.

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Things that were on my list and were completed:

• Cooked better food when the husband was out of town
• Successfully baked bread with the help of a bread machine (Is that cheating?)
• Mastered ten new recipes
• Made tofu for the first time (more than once!)
• Relearned how to sew (I’ve been meaning to post on this and haven’t.  Post and photos coming soon.)
• Completed 40 pages in Jude’s first year scrapbook. We are almost done!
• Took more photos, hopefully better photos
• Returned to my yoga practice after a 7 month hiatus
• Walked to get my daily exercise (usually anyway)
• Took 5 bags of clothing and clutter to Goodwill
• Packed up infant gear we have outgrown (**sniff**)
• Cleaned and re-organized Jude’s closet and drawers
• Somewhat established a housecleaning routine that works for me and gets the job done – more on that later
• Updated my blog more often
• Visited the local farmer’s market
• Found 2 tutoring clients (currently keeping me very busy 3 days a week!)

Things that were not on the list, but I like to write them down anyway because I did them and I like feeling accomplished:

• Made A TON of food and stocked my freezer for delicious fall dishes
• Cleaned and organized the drawers in my bathroom vanity one day when the urge struck me
• Started making tons of cute things for Jude’s birthday celebration in October!
• Researched potential care providers for baby #2 (not anytime soon) and found awesome midwifery practice that is truly fully supportive of VBACs.  I interviewed them in July, and I am so so so happy I found them and already feel at home and cared for.
• Cleaned out my freezers and basement last month
• Read 2 parenting books and almost 2 (currently in progress) novels.  [Yes, this is laughable compared to my former reading habits, but tutoring, cleaning, and other tasks seem to ALWAYS take up my “free” time these days.  What little there is.]
• Went on an awesome trip to Seattle and explored the city with my little family!
• Found a moms’ group – although I am so-so about it these days.  Still looking around on that one…..

Before I get too proud, I have to remind myself that there are a few things I said I would do this summer, but they never happened:

• I wanted to sew 3 fleece diaper covers, and I never did.  In my defense though, I purchased one and it really just didn’t work well for us.  I need to make other sewing goals.
• I intended to sell remnants from my diaper stash that did not work for us.  Hasn’t happened.
• I still haven’t finished my jewelry organizer even though I have the materials to do so.
• I said I would drink more water and drink kefir everyday.  Nope.
• We really, really need to clean out our home office.  It is scary and intimidating.  I didn’t touch it all summer.
• I never learned to can vegetables with my grandmother this summer.  This one actually makes me sad because I really want to learn.  She had out of town company, so canning was hurried this summer.  I am making this a priority for fall though.  Their fall garden is not as large as their summer one, but there’s still a need to can a little.
• While I have come close, I have not technically kept the grocery bill at $75 every week.  I need to start carrying a calculator in the store.

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I’ve been thinking about fall goals and want to keep it simple while catching up on neglected summer tasks.  This “ta-da” list feels great though.  Doesn’t it feel nice to take a look at what you’ve really accomplished?  So that’s mine, what did you do this summer?