Happy Saturday! Grab a cup of coffee and snuggle up in your favorite seat of the house as we chat about all things home, life, and randomness.
How are we halfway through July already? I had all these plans to do fun summer projects, take a mini-trip, work on my yard, and get some deep cleaning done around the house, and all of a sudden it’s July 16 and school starts in less than a month. They say time flies when you’re having fun, but it also flies when you’re just busy.
Every summer I make a “bucket list” of things I want to do between the school semesters with my family, but this year things just got away from us. Instead of trying to cram all my list into the next few weeks and making us even more busy, I’m gratefully letting those things go and saving them for next year.
I’ve learned that you don’t have to stick with every plan you make. And you don’t have to put so much pressure on yourself to follow a list you made months ago. Things change, projects come up, and sometimes you just want to spend a weekend under blankets watching movies and eating sour gummy worms.
At the end of this summer, I don’t think I’ll feel unproductive or unfulfilled, even though we did absolutely nothing on our summer bucket list. We have built memories, enjoyed slow days with no agenda, and had the best time being in the moment.
Will I make a summer bucket list again next year? Probably so. But the point of a summer bucket list isn’t to cross everything off; it’s really just an idea list of things to do when you don’t know what to do. I have shifted my mindset to realize that this entire summer, we never had a day when we didn’t know what to do. And that’s something to be grateful for in my opinion.

What’s On My Mind This Saturday Morning
Who else shopped on Amazon Prime Day this week? Let me see those hands in the air! My biggest score was a second robot vacuum that I got for $100 off. It’s a little nicer than my current one so ol’ Jarvis will move downstairs while the new vac lives upstairs in our main living area.
Love board games but wish they were pretty enough to display? Storing board games can get get difficult if you’re short on space, but that all changed when I found these vintage bookshelf edition games. They look great on display and it feels like you’re taking a trip in a time machine when you play them.
We recently swapped the rug in our living room for this more muted rug. Same size, same brand, but very different color palette and material texture. I seriously can’t believe how different this room looks just from changing out the rug.
The old rug will move down to the Studio, and I’m having a bit of a If You Give A Mouse A Cookie moment. I moved the rug in there, but then I thought it needed a new desk to sit on it. Which made me want to paint the cabinet behind it. Which means I’ll need to reorganize the cabinet. This is why I’ll never run out of blog content. Ever.
If you ever come to my house, do not bring a level with you. And don’t look at shelving or TVs or artwork too long. 95% of things hung on my walls are just the slightest bit unlevel. Am I willing to remove them, fill the holes, and rehang them? No. I just walk around with my head ever-so-slightly tilted and it’s all fine.
Wondering how the garage is looking after our big cleanup session? Well…it’s full of stuff again. Things to donate from the guest room makeover, packaging from a whole pallet of laundry shelving, boxes from furniture, and things I may or may not sell. But don’t worry, we have a dumpster coming in two weeks. 😉

One Last Thought
I was talking with someone on Instagram yesterday about their washer and dryer being in the kitchen, which reminded me that mine was that way when I lived in an apartment as a single chick. I hated it then, but looking back now, it was actually really functional.
I did some research after that conversation and found out that most homes in the UK and Germany have their laundry machines in the kitchen, and they think it’s weird that us Americans and Canadians devote a separate room for them.
What do you think? Is it functional or strange to have your laundry in the kitchen? Are we wasting space in our houses by having laundry rooms? Let’s talk it out in the comments below.
Dianne says
Our 1st little house had the washer & dryer in the kitchen. In fact, they took up 1/3 of it! It was so much more convenient, though, than having them in the basement laundry room like we do now. With 2 little ones, you KNOW how much time you spend in there anyway. You’re right there to hear the dryer buzzer or when the washer’s finished. I folded everything right there on the kitchen table, so no need for even a laundry basket. Now I have to fly down the stairs IF I hear the buzzer & guesstimate when the washer will finish. And I just turned 65, so who knows how much longer I’ll be able to navigate the stairs, much less fly down them! LOL Plus, my car is in the basement garage down there.
My solution… I’m trying to convince the hubs to add a (3rd!) garage on to the kitchen side of house, so we could put a laundry/mud room in there! Genius, huh?!?! Hey, if he says no, then I’ll let HIM do the laundry! LOL 😁
Lela Burris says
That would be such a great solution for you! And you’re so right, you never miss the buzzer or have to go far to get laundry. My childhood home had the washer and dryer in the garage by the basement and I was always so scared to go down there to get towels or clothes because there were always crickets around. Haha!! I fully support your suggestion to add a new place onto your house. Tell your husband I agree. 😁