July Joy List

First off let me share what did and what did not happen in June

 1. Volunteer at Independence Place made Father's Day Gifts with them
 2. Do something with a homeless mission
 3. Have houseguests Jack and Audrey
 4. Have guests at the lake place Jack and Audrey
 5. Find and enjoy some free music The music came to me this time. Son's guests were musicians
 6. Paint picture for the lake place  *Sketched but no paint yet
 7. Find a couple of nearby towns to explore  I can drive 45 minutes in any direction and find a                                                                                 small town.  There is no excuse for me not doing this!
 8. Go to a movie matinee by myself and eat popcorn  I have my wonderful discount coupons, but                                                                                        there has not been a movie playing that I                                                                                               want to see.
 9. Make homemade ice cream   Just bought beautiful peaches so I am moving this to July's list
10. Have a small dinner party  Lovely dinner for 7
11. Read 4 books  "Our Crime Was Being Jewish" (Every person should read this just to see the                                     brutality humans can unleash on other humans) "The Auschwitz Escape" "The                                Good Goodbye"  "Wrecked" (Don't bother with this one. It was free as a kindle                                  download and is a total waste of an afternoon )
12. Make a Christmas gift
13. Randomly talk with someone I have never talked with before Lovely conversation with a                                                                                                                     stranger
14. Reconnect with an old friend  Sandy
15. Take food to someone having a hard time Food for a cousin going through difficult treatments
16. Try a new food (at least new to me) Laap  The Blue Paradise (local Thai restaurant)
17. Try a new beverage Pineapple/coconut infused rum
18. Swim laps at least 5 times each week *Laughs at this one!
19. Have a picnic lunch or dinner on the boat * Just didn't happen
20. Go to a restaurant in a totally different part of the city (expand my horizon)
21. Learn another jazz piano piece Black Orpheus
22. Try playing the violin again   *Can't find it. Wondering if I gave it away
23. Work on the family cookbook
24. Learn a little more Spanish
25. Mend at least 2 squares of the quilt   I am almost finished mending this!
26. Spend at least 4 consecutive nights at the lake place * Maybe in August
27. Try a different hair color (For the record I am strawberry blonde this week) Copper!  I love it!
28. Watch an opera  Watched half of one on Youtube
29. Star gaze on a clear night (bonus points if it is at the lake with little ambient light)
30. Learn to do something new *Nope
31. Paint those dang corner cabinets in the dining room *Calling Eduardo
32. Have Mom up for dinner each week (or take it to her house and eat with her there)
33. Keep a gratitude journal documenting every good thing
34. Be kind, especially when I don't want to be
35. Pray for the entire world
36. Buy something needed for someone who has lost everything * Did not get an SOS this month
37. Take peanut butter, cereal and canned meats to the food pantry (really needed during the                 summer when there are no reduced cost school lunches)
38. Take flowers to someone Picked wildflowers from behind the auto shop.  Took them to Mom

July Joy List
 1.Go to Portland to babysit the most beautiful girl in the world Got to enjoy mass quantities of Pip                                                                                                             time!
 2.Volunteer at Independence Place  Made snowmen for their November fundraiser   
 3. Do something with a homeless mission
 4. Pray for the entire world
 5. Be kind, even when I don't want to be.
 6. Mend at least 2 squares in the quilt
 7. Work on the family cookbook
 8. Learn another jazz tune on the piano Caravan, but I am not very good at it yet
 9. Take flowers to someone
10. Take food to someone having a hard time My Beloved Sister needed some help this week
11. Find and enjoy some free music This is kind of cheating but Son2 has just begun playing the banjo (he is amazingly good at it already) and I have heard a ton of banjo music this month
12. Have Mom here for dinner at least 1 time per week.
13. Have a small dinner party
14. Take peanut butter, cereal, and canned meats to the food pantry
15. Work on the family cookbook
16. Begin a lake cookbook (Quick, tasty, easy to make recipes using limited ingredients)
17. Paint that blooming picture for the lake place
18. Find something to be thankful for in every circumstance This becomes very difficult but I am being very mindful of it.
19. Try a new food Pescado Con Coco from Pambiche, a Cuban restaurant in Portland
20. Try a new beverage Forget the name of the cocktail, but it was made with rum, apricot liquor                                           pureed mangos and haberno. It was delicious
21. Make ice cream
22. Visit a small town near me
23. Go to lunch with friends I haven't seen in a while  Went to eat with my Curves friends
24. Be welcoming to the new neighbors. Have not even met them yet
25. Invite the neighbor's kids  (with parents) for hot dogs and a swim
26. Have guests at the lake place
27. Use the horrible machine  daily (Yes the dusty elliptical one in the laundry room)  Hahahahaha!
28. Swim laps an average of 5 times a week Hahahahaha
29  Sit on the screened porch at least 3 times a week at night and listen to crickets
30. Visit with extended family. SIL and BIL had a double birthday bash
31. Send at least 2 congratulations cards or notes . (Good things happen to people and I need to                                                                                         be more intentional about recognizing them.)
32. Try to see the world through less judgmental eyes  Trying daily
31. Vote in the upcoming local election I thought it was July but it is August.  Oops
32. Go to a movie by myself, eat popcorn
33. Find some local lecture that is interesting and actually go.
34. Make a Christmas gift
35. Organize Christmas gifts that are already bought/made
36. Start a master Christmas list
37. Donate 10 items per week to Goodwill
38. Revamp wardrobe (if it hasn't been worn yet this summer get rid of it) Done mostly, but I am having a hard time letting go of some shoes
39. See some fireworks Thank you people who live across the lake
40.  See a play or opera (bonus points for both)
41. Try to limit food waste to peels and trimmings only.  The operative word here is "try".  Some                                                                                                things were not eaten while I was away                                                                                                and had to be tossed.  Bummer
42. Meet someone new Nice conversations with Jessica and Stefan's guests
43. Renew contact with someone I have been out of contact with for a while.
44. Cook something I have never tried to make before. Southern fried corn (it's not my favorite so I                                                                                         never cooked it before. I did it like the guy                                                                                           who grew the corn suggested and it was                                                                                               pretty tasty.)
45. Take Mom out 3 nights this month  Took her out to eat 3 dinner, making sure we stayed out till                                                                 dark)
46. Practice patience (This is not my strong suit)  
47. Read at least 3 books "Beat, Slay, Love " (not literature but a fun read) "Good Kings, Bad                                                      Kings", "Sia" (free book, waste of time but I was on the plane and doing                                            nothing else) "Sinful Cinderella" (again not literature but a fun beach                                                  read)  "The Secret Daughter "