2017 Family Summer Bucket List

Yesterday was the last day of school for our oldest son.  Mr. K was both excited and a little sad.  He said he was going to miss his teacher and friends but was looking forward to summer and eventually becoming a 1st grader!  To get him, and the rest of the family excited for summer, we did our annual tradition of filling out our Summer Bucket List!

I'm a list person, so creating a Family Summer Bucket List the last few years (2016, 2015, 2014, 2013) has not only been fun to create with our kids, but also fun to cross off.  Our past Summer Bucket List items have not only created a lot of great memories, but several have even become family traditions.

Create your own Summer Bucket List with my FREE Printable

Every list person's fantasy - bullet notes and calendar space to put annul events and activities so you can think how to schedule everything 😉

We're excited to try some new things this summer, first of which, is visiting Omaha this summer, including going to the Henry Doorly Zoo.  Our family loves going to zoos every year and we're especially looking forward to going to the "World's Greatest Zoo".  We've been told to be sure to check out the Rainforest and the Gorilla Valley.  Have you ever been?  Where do you recommend we make sure check out?

Next on our list is to make crafts at Kelly Gau Studio in Albert Lea.  Our kids love making crafts and building things, so we're excited to get inspired with Kelly.  I have personally been up to the Kelly Gau Studio a couple times for a Girls Night Out but the kids have never been.  Kelly is offering a special Summer Kids Club that we're looking forward to participating in.

Our list wouldn't be complete without including reading.  Each year we enroll in our local library's Summer Reading Program.  The kids made a special request to do include some "fun reading" on our Summer Bucket List, and what is more fun then going on a Story Walk.  Throughout the month of June, the Hampton, Iowa Public Library is partnering with local business to create a Story Walk.  Participants will get a map at the library and then walk to the different businesses around downtown where they will read page by page of a story.

With the Franklin County Freedom Rock in place in Coulter, Iowa, our family has been excited to check out other county Freedom Rocks throughout the state of Iowa.  We hope to see the "original" Freedom Rock in Adair County on our car ride to Omaha for our family summer vacation too.

We didn't complete this item off our 2014 Summer Bucket List, so we've added checking out RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) back to this year's list.  Each summer thousands of bicyclist ride across Iowa, Missouri River to Mississippi River, through this event.  The ride rotates every three years of going through Northern, Central and Southern Iowa, and this year RAGBRAI travels across North Iowa again.  Our family would love to check out all the bicyclists and festivities as they bike through our area.

Next on the list is exploring one of our favorite places for summer fun in our area: Clear Lake, Iowa.  We love camping in the yurts, participating in the youth programs at the Surf Ballroom, swimming at City Beach and eating ice cream at the Viking Drive-Inn, but one thing we have never done is take a cruise on the Lady of the Lake boat.  Well, that is going to change this year!  We are excited to experience this Clear Lake icon.

We're excited to take a new spin on a family tradition this summer and take our Friday Night Movie and Pizza outside!  With our personal projector and a computer set up with Netflix, nothing is stopping us from watching a movie outside.  We've taken different spins on this family favorite by going on Pizza and Park Dates and participating in a Pizza Taste Off, but have never taken a new spin on the movie aspect of our tradition.  The kids are especially looking forward to this bucket list item!

Last on the list is to go to a Baseball Game.  We've been to I-Cub and Minnesota Twins games in the past, but it has never been an "official" bucket list item.  And this year, with Mr. K in T-Ball, we really want to make a trip to watch a baseball game.

Whew!  Good thing the "unofficial" start of summer begins this weekend!  We're excited to do some new things this year and make a lot of memories along the way.  What is on your Summer Bucket List?  Don't forget to download my Summer Bucket List Free Printable and start planning today.  I would love to hear your bucket list plans so be sure to Comment for a Cause!

Girls Night Out: Kelly Gau Studio

*I received a discounted rate to facilitate my review.

All views and opinions shared are my own. *

I think everyone woman knows and appreciate a night away with just the girls.  Luckily for me, I've got a great group of girlfriends found in the North Iowa Bloggers, and we got together last week when Kelly of Kelly Gau Studio did a special Mixed Media Art Class at the West Fork Wharf in Sheffield, Iowa.

I've traveled up to Kelly's studio in Albert Lea, Minnesota a few times.  It is such a fun and artistic space.  I have been up there with both friends and family and have come home with different Mixed Media creations for our home and with gifts for both family and friends.  And while it is nice to get away up there, I couldn't resist the chance to put on one of her cute aprons less than 20 miles from home!  It was so nice for Kelly to travel down south with all of her supplies and papers to do her show on the road and for the West Fork Wharf to open up on one of their closed nights to let a group of ladies come in to eat, drink and create!

Kelly of Kelly Gau Studio giving instructions
for creating Mixed Media Art

So what is Mixed Media Art?  Mixed Media Art is using a variety of materials to create a piece of art.  Kelly walks people through making their own individual canvases using paint, paper, ink, oil pastels, mod podge, etc.  Just like other painting or art classes you may have heard about or went to, she has two templates for the participants to choose from as a base.  Each month, she has two new templates.  In February the templates were birds or a tractor.  I of course chose a tractor!  Then after you've chose your base theme, you pick out pieces of craft and scrapbook paper that you like and think would go well for your canvas.  You also pick out a background paint color to paint your canvas (you also have the option of not painting the canvas and leaving it white, which I have done in the past.)  Then you start layering by mod podging, and putting torn pieces of paper on your canvas.  After you've mod podged everything on the canvas you can use water based oil pastels to outline your picture, or pencil, or ink.  I also love using the oil pastels to add shading and depth to my art pieces.  The final touch is adding a verse or a quote to your canvas.

My finished creation for our farm office
"Behind every Good Man is a Great Tractor:
And a smart wife who bought it for him."

The North Iowa Bloggers with our finished creations
Alicia of The Pork Diaries, Katy of Learning As I Go,
Laura of Life on Skyview Farms, me and Donna of DonnaHup.com 

Having a Girls Night Out with Kelly Gau Studio was so much fun!  I can't wait till the next time I get to create with Kelly.  This summer I am planning on bringing the kids up to her studio for one of her children's create sessions!  Have you ever participated in a Mixed Media Art class before?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!