{Summer 2018}

| Allison

Hello, dears!

Oh my, it was VERY hard to restrain myself from starting this post with the overused “I can’t believe summer went by so quickly!” (Wait, but what did I just do…? XD) Instead… let me think. Oh! I saw a marquee sign the other day that said “Summer should get a speeding ticket.” Much more original, right? AND TRUE.

ANYWAY. I seriously am having a hard time believing it’s September already, especially since this is the first year after graduating when I don’t have school! :O It feels strange, but it’s exciting. Even though it’s not technically fall yet, it doesn’t quite feel like summer anymore. Maybe it’s… fummer. NOPE, THAT SOUNDS TERRIBLE. Maybe it’s just September. Let’s go with that.

Ahem, what I was TRYING to say was that this post will be about 20+ things I did this summer, in no particular order. Not an exhaustive list, but a good summary. (Or rather, summery. SORRY I COULDN’T RESIST.)

Wow, I really better start using pictures instead of words, now. This is getting out of control. O.o Heh, let’s begin.

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  1. Moved into the big house. This was one of THE highlights of the summer, and of the year, actually! Formerly we were living in a small tenant house on our new farm while we fixed up the big farmhouse, and at the beginning of June, we finally moved in! SO EXCITING. It really helped us feel settled, I think. (By the way, this picture illustrates the moving part, not the big house, in case you were confused.) summer 2018 13
  2. Also fixed up + decorated the big house. This part was really fun and exciting! We got a lot of new furniture (and went through QUITE a few couches and refrigerators to find the right one), replaced some of the windows which now look INCREDIBLE, hung up lots of pictures, and generally got rid of most of those unpleasant cardboard boxes. Or at least put them in the basement. 😉 (Also yes, this is a picture of the actual big house. The Great Room, to be exact.)summer 2018 5
  3. Learned how to barn dance. Right as we were moving in, one of our friends from church (in the picture below) had a barn dance party – in our machine shop! It was a lot to prepare for, but it was SUPER SUPER FUN, and we are now converted to barn dancing. 😛 I really want to do it again… (Photo by Megan; edited by me.)summer 2018 12
  4. Read 14 books (+2 books of the Bible). I know, that is a PUNY amount of books. What can I say? We had a lot going on this summer (and year, ha). At least I read 8 books in August, four of which were read/finished in three days! 😀 Besides the books in the picture, I read or reread Watership Down, Blue Willow, Echo, The Hobbit, and justshowup. My favorite book was Watership Down. It’s such an amazing, complex book! My least favorite was The Daughter of Time. That was one of the most boring books I have ever read. -_- summer 2018 15
  5. Hosted The Summer Bored Games. My sister Megan, blogger friends K. A. and Clara, and I had been planning a boredom buster challenge for months, and we had a blast hosting it this July! We’re planning to do it again next year, with new challenges. 😀  summer 2018
  6. Went to the county fair. I don’t need to say much about this one since I recently made a whole post about it. If you haven’t read it, click the link up there. 🙂summer 2018 4
  7. Had a small garden. What with selling our old farm and fixing up our two new ones (as well as the farmhouse), growing crops, homeschooling, making many four hour round trips back and forth to our old farm, and generally getting settled at our new place, Mom didn’t want to pile a lot of garden and canning work on top of it all this year. So we had a very modest garden. It still gave us some tasty produce, such as tomatoes and okra! summer 2018 11
  8. Made lots of food. This summer, Megan and I took turns cooking supper every night or keeping the household in baked goods. It’s a lot of work, but I enjoy it! Mostly. XD It’s satisfying to cook a whole meal from scratch by yourself, and it’s something I’m very glad Mom could teach me. I’ve also learned that I don’t mind housework. I’d rather take care of the house than the farm, which works out well since that’s mostly what happens: we get to enjoy the guy’s work of healthy crops and a beautiful, mowed-up farm, and they get to enjoy the girls’ work of a clean house and good food. 😀 And we help each other out when we need to, of course.summer 2018 7
  9. Met a blogger friend. Another big highlight! I got to meet my best friend, Aria, for the first time, and we had SO MUCH FUN together! And so did our siblings. 🙂 Now we both really really want to meet each other again, but we live so far awaaaaaay. (Not really, but far enough.) Still, I’LL COME SEE YOU SOON, DEAR. I HOPE. ❤ summer 2018 9
  10. Set up my studio. With the help of my family, I turned a walk-in closet into a space for me to make art, work on my computer, and just generally create stuff. I am still absolutely THRILLED to have this amazing space all to myself. It’s my favorite room in the house, and definitely the one in which I spend the most time. 🙂 summer 2018
  11. Re-baled hay. We run a hay re-baling business, which is basically where people bring us their big round bales and we make them into smaller, more manageable square bales. I am SO happy the Dad got an accumulator, which is a machine that does most of the stacking for you (that used to be my job), but he still occasionally needs help. I didn’t do hay often, which is fine with me, heh heh, but I did some. I also learned how to run the booth that controls the machines, and helped deliver hay for the first time. summer 2018 10
  12. Swam in the pond. FUN TIMES. The heat finally drove us into the scummy, muddy pond we have on our farm, and it was actually pretty fun! Again, I don’t have to explain much since I did a post about it, linked previously. summer 2018 6
  13. Memorized a chapter of the Bible with a friend. I guess this doesn’t quite count since we’re still finishing it up, but I think I’d basically finished memorizing by the end of August… Anyway, Aria and I memorized Psalm 27 together, which has been a lovely experience! Not to mention I’ve found some new favorite verses. ❤ summer 2018 8
  14. Did some housesitting. One of my friends at church wondered if I could take care of her horses and pets and look after her co-worker who was recovering from surgery while Bethany (my friend) was gone on a trip. I’d never really done anything like that before, so I was pretty nervous, but it was a lot easier than I expected, and it was a really good opportunity for me to learn from. More pictures from this adventure will make it into a blog post later, I’m sure. 😉summer 2018 3
  15. Went on many Mule rides (and one amazing truck ride). (Note: I mean Mule as in a UTV, not an animal. 😉 ) My family and I had a TON of fun driving around the farm in the Mule or truck, usually while showing our friends around. There’s nothing like a ride on a sunny day, with the wind whipping through your hair… and bugs and grass seeds flying in your face. XD Seriously, though, it’s so much fun. summer 2018
  16. Lost a bunny and gained a donkey. Poor Snickers, our only buck (male rabbit), died recently, which was sad because now we have no way of having baby bunnies. 😦 We’re hoping to get another Holland Lop buck, though – I’ll keep you posted! 😉 BUT, we also gained a pet: one Megan’s been hoping for for years. A donkey! Eeyore has become quite tame (but still immensely stubborn), and she’s a pretty cute pet to have. Her brays sound TERRIBLE, though. XD More pictures to come in the future!summer 2018 2
  17. Wrote many letters and decorated many envelopes. I don’t know how many letters I wrote to pen pals this summer, but it felt like a LOT. I now have a total of nine pen pals, which is crazy but SUPER fun. Here’s a sampling of the envelopes I decorated, but more will be coming in a future post (with an exciting envelope-art-related announcement! 😀 ).summer 2018
  18. Lived in the dark. Our power goes off a lot. Once it was three times in ten days. It’s kind of complicated to explain why, but the power lines are messed up here, so the power can go out when there’s not a cloud in the sky. It’s rather annoying, but also kind of fun. 😛 I’ve done a lot of things by candlelight now, including writing letters and playing Yahtzee. 😀 summer 2018
  19. Graduated + had a party. I still can’t believe I graduated from high school. O.o HOW AM I OLD ENOUGH FOR THAT TO HAPPEN ALREADY?? After much deliberation, I decided to have a graduation party. A lot of our friends from our old and new churches came to our house and had a great time together! We had a delicious lunch, nice ceremony, cake and ice cream, and then the kids had fun playing games together and the adults talked. 🙂 I’m really glad I celebrated my graduation that way – it made it feel more “official.” 🙂 summer 2018 9
  20. Wrote 16 blog posts. Between our agonizingly slow internet and rather busy life at our new farm, I haven’t been posting quite as often as I used to, and I think it may have to stay that way as I grow up and find more things to do and more helpful ways to fill my time. I’m definitely not going to stop blogging, but I’m guessing the posts are going to come a bit more infrequently, as they have been for a while. :/ Anyway, I’m pretty happy with the posts I did make, so that’s always good! summer 2018 1
  21. Worked on my art Etsy shop. This has been both super exciting and rather confusing. I started The Color Box Studio last year, put it on hold while we were moving, and now that I’ve graduated, I’m putting more work into it and making it my job. I’ve realized that there’s a LOT I don’t know when it comes to selling your art, but I’m learning! I’m looking forward to adding more products, adding better pictures (similar to the one below), and making my shop a successful one in the coming months and years. 🙂 summer 2018 13
  22. Went to book club. Some friends from church started a book club and invited us to join! We did, and it’s been a lot of fun so far. Annnd yet again, you can read more about at the link above.summer 2018 6
  23. Had many movie + pizza nights. This seems like a fitting last entry (even though I said they’re in no particular order… 😛 ) because I was going to make this post yesterday, but I didn’t finish because of movie night. Heh. Eating homemade pizza while watching a movie is one of our favorite family traditions. ❤ We basically never watch TV, but we do love a good movie (or episode of Fixer Upper from Amazon 😉 ). I’m really going to miss making garden pizza with fresh tomatoes and basil. *sigh* Oh well, we’ll get to have it til frost at least!summer 2018 1

And there you have it, my dears – an illustrated summary of my summer (I resisted making the pun this time!). I hope you enjoyed the post, and enjoyed your summer too!

What was your favorite picture? What was the best part about your summer? Also, I nearly forgot – this post was partly inspired by Clara’s amazing summer wrap-up post! Have you read it? If not, check it out here!

Thanks so much for reading, dears, and have yourself a lovely fum… September day! XD

***Allison***

63 thoughts on “{Summer 2018}”

  4. Awesome!
    And that’s no small garden! All I grew was one measly bell pepper, which we ate. XD Sounds like a great summer. I’d love to try barn dancing one day, AND YOUR HOUSE IS SO PRETTY!!
    Ahem. 😛 *goes to check your Esty shop*

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    1. Ha ha, OH DEAR. That IS a rather small garden. XD But yeah, it WAS a great summer! I hope you get to try barn dancing, and AHHH THANK YOU WE LOVE IT TOO!
      Heh heh, THANKS MUCHLY. This week I’m going to update the pictures and hopefully add a new listing, so… 😉

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  5. Sounds like you had an awesome summer! Also, Is that letter that says Laura another Laura? ( I am always trying to meet other Laura’s ) XD Awesome post!!

    -Laura ❤ 😉

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    1. I sure did! Hee hee, it IS! Megan was like, “Uh-oh, this is going to get confusing to have two Laura pen-pals). XD I would give you her link, but she doesn’t have a blog, so. Thanks so much, dear!

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  7. Ooh, it looks like you had a great summer!! I love the picture of The Great Room! 😉 My family has a sectional similar to that one, except different also. XD

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  9. This was so much fun to read, thank you for sharing! Ah yes movie nights are so fun, our family loves them too. 🙂 Wait… somehow I didn’t know you had an Etsy shop. I’m going to check it out right now!

    Oh my word… you house is so beautiful!! I would love to see more pictures in the future. 😉 And wow, your studio is amazing, I adore it!! So nice and clean and… inspiring. <33

    Great post, Allison! I enjoyed it so much.

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    2. I’m so glad you liked it, dear! Ahhh yes, they’re great. ❤ Ooh, really? Well thanks for checking it out!
      AHHH THANK YOU! We love it too. ❤ Yeah, I'd like to show more pictures of it later, hopefully! Aww, thanks! That's just what I was going for. 😀

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  10. Yay! I was so excited to see that you posted this! xD I was super excited to read this post! 🙂 It sounds like you had a very adventurous and fun summer! 😉 The Great Room is so pretty, the barn dance sounds like it was a blast, and the summer bored games were a blast! 😀 Your envelope art is awesome! I cannot wait until the post about the exciting announcement!! 😀 🙂 I loved the envelope you sent me last with the diamonds/water color. How do you do that without it bleeding through???!

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    1. Aww, that made me so happy to hear! Yep, we sure did! Thank you SO much for this amazing comment, dear! ❤ I'm so glad you liked the envelope! Well I just did it like normal, but if you're having trouble with bleeding, I suggest putting a piece of cardstock inside the envelope so it won't come through. 🙂

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  13. AAHHHH I LOVED THIS POST! Oh goodness, you definitely had a wonderful, full summer. YESSSS MEETING YOU WAS BASICALLY THE HIGHEST POINT OF MY LIFE EEEP. (And fummer. *rocks with laughter*) Also I absolutely LOOOVEEE that picture of your mandala! You styled it SO WELL. It looks so professional! I can’t WAIT for you to upload the pictures to your Etsy page! You’re just amazing, okay? And graduating…OH GOODNESS. EEEEP BUT ALSO O.o Also your envelopes! Ahh, they’re all so pretty – I especially like the one you did for Laura. Though I’m biased; I like all of mine the best. XD And EYEORE! That’s a great picture, by the way. And I loved memorizing Psalm 27 with you! I loved all your pictures and your post, and IT WAS LOVELY, DEAR! ♥ ♥ ♥

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    1. DAAAAAHHH I’M SO GLAD. Heh, I sure did. AWWWW YOU ARE SO SWEET AND YES IT WAS AMAZING. (Heheheheh.) Oh my goodness, really? WELL THANK YOU! I’m so glad you think it looks professional, because you should know about such things. 😉 Hee hee, me either! I hope to do that tomorrow. 🙂 AWWWW. *melts* YEAH THAT’S HOW I FELT. Ahhh, thank you! I like that one too, and heh, yours are always a ton of fun to make. ❤ Why thank you! YES, I hope we can keep memorizing together because it's really been wonderful. 🙂 THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for the (not surprisingly) amazing comment, my dear. ❤ ❤ ❤

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  14. Eeeek! 😀 My envelope is there among all the others! It’s so cool to see on here and to get a letter from you! I put it up on a cork board on my wall so it’s proudly displayed along with some other random stuff I have on there. 😛
    And WOW homemade pizza sounds amazing!!! 😛 Now I’m hungry.

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    1. Hee hee, it IS! Aww, well I’m glad to hear that. 😀 (By the way, I got your letter THANK YOU SO MUCH and I cannot WAIT to reply! 😀 I’m so excited to be pen pals with you!) Mmmm, it’s pretty delicious, heh heh. 😀 Thanks for the comment, dear!

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    1. Thanks so much! OH, I just remembered that my sister actually took that picture of our friend, and then I edited it. Whoops, better update that, ha haa! XD Anyway, thanks – I love my studio too! I use a Nikon D3400. 🙂

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  19. Great post Allison! As I began to write out this comment, I realized that I actually did many similar things: I read 27 books, went to a county fair, helped with our small garden, made dinners, swam (in a pool), and started on Etsy shop! Of course, I didn’t move into a new house, nor did I have the opportunity to rebale any hay. 😉 I really like the photos in this post, but I think my favorite is the one of your living room in your new house. 🙂

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  25. Wow, it seems like you had a pretty incredible summer! I loved reading about all of your various adventures. 😀 All of the pictures were so pretty! I can’t wait for the exciting envelope-art related announcement. 😉 Also, thank you SO much for linking to my post, I really appreciate it!

    -Clara ❤
    P.S: I sent you an email!

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    1. I sure did! Yay, I’m so glad you liked it! Hee hee, ME EITHER. XD And aww, no problem! I really did enjoy it. 🙂
      P. S. Ha, I was like, “wait, you did? Oh yeah, three days ago…” XD I think I need to check the comments more often! XD

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  26. Love this! Y’all had an awesome summer!
    Eeyore is so cute!
    I love all of your letter art. (The girl on the back of the envelope playing guitar is AMAZING)
    Happy fall!
    ~Audrey Kate/ theJunebugblog

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  28. I can’t believe I never read this! O_o But I SO enjoyed it, seeing all your pretty photography and reading about your summer was so fun! Thanks for writing this post, I bet it took awhile to combine everything! 🙂 You’re such an interesting writer, you engage the audience so well! 😀

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