My goals for 2017
Get 7- 8 Hours of Sleep Each Night
It was an excellent week for sleep. Especially since it gets dark at what, like, 4:30 pm these days? How can that not make you want to go to bed early?
Make Saving a Priority, Not an Idea
Some people wear their coats OUTSIDE… But The Girl and I like to bundle up when we are INSIDE. Imagine that. 😉 Ha! When Monkey Boy moved out he left behind a few clothing items {flannel pj bottoms, a couple of sweatshirts, a jacket} and so The Girl snatched them up. When the HH came home the other night and we were bundled up in a bunch of layers he went a little crazy.
Ya know, cause he gets up and goes to work everyday so he can provide things like electricity and heat for his family or something like that. Whateva. #PuffyCoatsAreAwesome
Live a littleÂ
Seriously. I think maybe I should bring in all my wood patio furniture and store it in the garage for the rest of the winter before it washes away. Rain. It gets old, especially when it hangs around for oh I don’t know…. FOREVER.
Visit 52 REAL Bakeries
No new bakeries this week but here’s a picture of a Brussels sprouts plant instead.
Have 1 “no spend” week each month {So far I’m 9 for 10}
I was planning on doing a no spend week but I ran out of toothpaste and ended up going to Target when the doors opened on Saturday. Am I the only one who finds the prices on everyday items insane? Seriously. $11.19 for big bottle of lotion? Are you kidding me? The same size bottle of the Target brand was $3.59. And I thought $3.59 was high. Either I’m getting old or prices are seriously getting out of control. I’m not sure which.
Start a Line of Rug Hooking Patterns Mission Accomplished
Any hookers out there? I’ve got 13 of my patterns listed on Etsy.
Turn My Wool Stash into $2,500. Mission Accomplished
This week I sold $99.95 worth of goodness in my Etsy shop. Things usually start to slow down this time of year for me and then start to pick back up again after the holidays so I’m totally not worried one bit. So far this year I’ve sold $11,864.62. I’m kind of hoping I get to $12,000 now. That would be an average of $1,000 a month. Which, when you stop and think about it, even after expenses, that amount would have covered all our food, utilities and gas for the year. Wild. It’s just wild if you ask me.
Purge 250 Items Mission Accomplished
We didn’t purge anything this week, but we are getting close to the 400 item mark!
Learn to Crochet Mission Accomplished
I tried to love it but it’s not for me. I’m a hooker at heart.
Dote on My Husband Even More Than I Do Now.
The poor HH. He’s sick. Last week I was the sicky but its his turn now and I think he needs to spend the day in bed. Well, hopefully he will be feeling better this afternoon because I need him to drop off a truckload of leaves to the landfill. 😉
Lose the Muffin Top. {again}
So far so good. What’s up with that? The true test though will be in the upcoming weeks.
Wear out {most of} the clothing I already own.
The $6 Ugg Boots I bought at the thrift store 5 years ago are finally starting to fall apart. I keep applying shoe glue to the little bits on the bottom but they keep falling off. Lucy must think the little cutouts are beef jerky or something because she waits patiently by my side each time I try to repair the boots hoping a piece will fall to the ground.
Try 52 New Recipes
Mrs. HB and I got together last week and tried out a new biscotti recipe. They turned out lovely and I’ll post the recipe soon because YOU SHOULD TOTALLY MAKE THEM!
Read 52 Books Mission Accomplished
I didn’t listen to any new books this week but I did go through all my back issues of Rug Hooking Magazine looking for some inspiration. It’s not so much the finished rugs I like looking at, but more the people’s wool stashes.
Give Back to 12 Different Organizations in My Community
January – Donated to Quilts from the Heart in Memory of my brother.
February – Donated to Empty Bowls Fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club.
March – Donated to my daughter’s mentor who was in a horrible car accident.
April – Donated again to my daughter’s mentor who was in a horrible car accident.
May – $100 Tip to a waitress on Mother’s day.
June – Started collecting men’s shirts to donate this winter.
July – Donated to the Chew Dog Rescue
August – Donated to the Houston Flood Relief Fund
September – $100 Tip to our amazing server at The Grey House and bought a tin of caramel corn from a Boy Scout
October – I still need to do something.
And then, there’s those top secret goals we’re not talking about yet.
Secret Goal #1 Sell East Coast House Mission AccomplishedSecret Goal #2 Chickens! Mission Accomplished- Secret Goal #3 Totally working on it!Â
- Secret Goal #4 Plotting away
How about YOU? Did you set any goals for 2017? How are they coming along?
~Mavis
Read About My 2017 Goals HERE.
Pauline says
Hey Mavis, This posting is always one of my favorites in your weekly cycle; I love the way you hold yourself accountable for your goals. Just a few quick comments I can’t resist… (1) You totally got your $6 worth out of those Ugg boots! (2) You so need to move. Leaves to the landfill? That’s just not right… In the NE you would be composting them! Or drying/shredding them for chicken bedding! (3) Your rug hooking designs are gorgeous. How about a tutorial for the I-might-be-interested-in trying-this newbies among us?? (4) Prices now? Ridiculous! It’s not just you. Happy Thanksgiving!
Mavis Butterfield says
1. I think so too.
2. Seriously!
3. I need to do one.
4. It’s a struggle not to shout ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? when I see the prices on the shelves these days. I’m glad I’m not the only one. Imagine what the people who paid $0.05 for a loaf of bread are thinking.
Cheryl says
I just noticed grocery prices recently went up again. $5 for a bag of organic corn chips???? Seriously? I cannot eat the run of the mill chips anymore, it truly messes up my innards! I buy a large bag of beef/pork/chicken meatballs for a dog with few teeth that usually lasts close to a month, they are usually $12.99 and I usually have a $1 off coupon. Bag last week was $14.19. Back to Walmart again, Kroger prices are getting ridiculous!
I no longer rake said leaves, just leave them to compost into the ground. Now that I have a house, need all the help I can get with the yard!
Mel says
I’m still chipping away at my goal of more handmade Christmas gifts. I somehow did not fully anticipate the time they would all take, and I feel like I’ve been “almost done” for weeks now. This weekend I made lotion bars (in push-tube containers) for stocking stuffers, and I started painting neighbors’ houses on ornaments for their gifts. I have a long weekend for Thanksgiving, so I’m hoping to be completely done with gift-making by about this time next week. Then I can fill in any gaps with store-bought gifts.
Mavis Butterfield says
I LOVE the ornament idea Mel!!
Mel says
Thanks! They are turning out very cute. One friend recently bought a home, and a neighbor recently built a front porch, so it’s fun to be able to give them gifts that capture those accomplishments. The one tricky part is sneakily taking photos of other people’s houses to use for reference. Zillow can be helpful for recently sold homes, but it doesn’t have recent updates, like the porch. 😉
Heather says
Can ya resole the boots? I have a pair of boots I just resole. All broke in and better than new.
Mavis Butterfield says
I think so, I just don’t know where.
Karen says
The small shoe shop in Lakewood- Ardessons, does great work!
Gigi says
We’re headed into freezing temps in the Midwest and you’re in the 40s. How cold do you keep the house? (Just to see what lengths you’ll go to not spend husband’s money 🙂 )We hover around 62-65. This summer we insulated our walkout basement walls. We had multiple leaks through the masonry and the builder has installed the batt insulation backwards = mold. So we went for a whole winter without an insulation!
Mavis Butterfield says
I’m trying to keep at 63 this winter. 🙂
Alison says
I’m trying for 62 this year, but only because I bought a space heater for me (that way I heat me instead of the enormous house). I have thyroid issues that make me freeze even with the house at 67-68, so I’m hoping this is a good compromise. I’m also gifting a heated throw blanket to my child that runs cold.
Jennifer Grimwood says
Love your donation ideas!!
Barbara says
Why would you have to move to the northeast to compost your leaves? Composting is huge here in the northwest. I have a big pile of leaves and yard debris behind our shed, and a composting bin in my vegetable garden. All cooking away :)!
Holly says
Why are you having your husband take your leaves to a landfill? I wish I had those leaves for my compost! Is the HOA the reason you don’t compost them?
Mavis Butterfield says
We have already composted a bunch of leaves this fall and decided to take the last big leaf drop to the landfill {which turns all the yard waste they collect into compost and then sells it back to the peeps}.
Martha says
Just heard about a book that sounds like it would be right up your alley. A thousand gifts by Ann Voskamp. It’s about gratitude. I can’t comment personally because I haven’t had a chance to read it myself yet, but I’ll be picking it up at my library very soon (and they have it in e-form as well).
Love your blog. I totally agree with your comments about prices.