“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.” ~ Oprah Winfrey
My goals for 2018
Goal #1 – Write Like No One is Reading.
“Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer.” ~ Barbara Kingsolver
Goal #2 – Slow Down
The past few days the temps have been in the 90’s and so Miss Lucy and I have been hunkering down inside and organizing the art studio in our spare time. It’s getting there. Ideally, I’d like to find a long table to put in the center of the room and add maybe one more bookcase to store my bundles of wool. I have a feeling I’ll be spending a lot of time in this room during the winter months.
Goal #3 – Shop Small
I didn’t buy anything exciting this past week, but I did spot a sign for a u-pick strawberry farm down the road so I think maybe later this week we’ll go picking and support our local farmers.
Goal # 4 – Have a Designated Meal Prep Day It’s Not for Us
I threw in the towel early on this one. Meal prep, and cooking in mass quantities is just not for my family at this stage in our lives. Although with the addition of a new freezer, I may have to whip up some new freezer meals. We’ll see.
Goal #5 – Install a Vegetable Garden
The vegetable garden is in place {and will be expanded in the fall} and this week I hung my first bouquet of herbs up in the kitchen to dry. I can’t wait until the onions are ready to harvest so I can braid and hang those up too. Who knows, maybe I’ll even string up some peppers if we have an abundance of them.
Goal #6 – Clear Land for a Chicken Coop and Future Raised Garden Bed Area
This month the HH will be building the ladies their full sized chicken coop. He has never built a coop from scratch so it should be interesting. For those of you who live in an area with winters in the freezing temps…. I’d love to know what you do to keep your chickens warm at night.
Goal #7 – Grow 500 Pounds of Vegetables
We just passed the 30 pound mark thanks to all the turnips, beans and chard we harvested this past week {I’ll do a weigh in post soon}. It’s the cucumbers and tomatoes I’m most excited about though. I was planning on growing my own dill for pickling cucumbers this summer but I’m afraid I’ve missed the boat because the back of the seed packet says 60 days, and I have still yet to get the seeds in the ground. Maybe I can just plant another packet of cucumber seeds and have this first batch be for sweet pickles and eating fresh. Yep. I think that’s what I am going to do.
Goal #8 – Hook 100 Rugs
I officially have only 39 rugs left to hook until I can check this goal off my list for the year! Saaaweet! With a little luck, I should be able to knock this goal off my list by the end of October. Yesterday I finished my last American Flag piece and listed this months collection in my Etsy shop.
This was the third month in a row I waited to list a group of items all at once {as opposed to sporadically as I finish them} and I really think I like the whole once a month system better, it’s such a time saver. For the month of July I’ll be working on hooking up various animals, including finishing that massive chicken rug I started back in March.
Goal #9 – Make a Set of Dolls
I plan to make a set {or two} of primitive dolls later this year after the garden has been put to bed.
Goal #10 – Make a Sampler, Frame it and Hang it on the Wall Done!
Goal #11 – Visit 22 Bakeries
The Girl and I have plans to checkout a new bakery as well as an ice cream shop this week. Stay tuned!
Goal #12 – Start a Collection
The wooden butter mold collection still stands at one, but the jams and jellies are starting to appear in the hutch so that’s a good sign. Honestly, I just haven’t had the time to go hunting for treasures lately, there’s just so much work to be done around here. I’m beginning to think winter must be a good time to go hunts for antiques.
Goal #13 – Read {or listen to} 26 Books
This past week I listened to The Light Between Oceans on audiobook and man was it good. Gut wrenching, but good. Also, I think I would totally live as an lighthouse innkeepers wife. The isolation, would be amazingly peaceful.
Goal #14 – Try 12 New Canning Recipes
This past week I made Cherry Almond Jam and although it can be a wee bit expensive to make, it’s well worth the price. Jams I’ve made so far this year:
Goal #15 – Secret {for now} Holiday Project
This past week I was able to spend a few hours on my “secret” holiday project and I’m hoping that by the end of July The Girl and I will have worked out all the kinks. 😉
How about YOU? Did you set any goals for 2018? How are they coming along?
~Mavis
Read About My 2018 Goals HERE.
Lissa says
How do the chickens do when it’s really hot? Love your kitchen? How tall are the ceilings?
Mavis Butterfield says
They seem to be holding up okay, the coop is under a tree so they are in the shade and taking dirt baths to keep cool.
Mrs. C. says
The most important thing for a coop is VENTILATION. With proper ventilation, even in winter, they should do just fine. I highly recomment a blog that is such a wealth of sound information that it is my go-to whenever I have a chicken issue. She even has he coop plans there. She lives in Massachussetts. Here is some great info:
https://hencam.com/henblog/2014/05/coop-ventilation/
Mrs. C. says
The epsom salt bath that she desceibes on her blog has saved the lives of two of my chickens.
Mavis Butterfield says
I LOVE the hen cam!
Emily E. says
Oh Mavis, I just love seeing the shots of your home and how it’s coming together! Your art room is looking fabulous! How wonderful to have all that space! Your jellies look so beautiful in those jars too!
Lisa Millar says
Hi – All looking pretty marvellous at your place!
Did you realise that part of that film, Light Between the Oceans was filmed down the road from us (Stanley, Tasmania)? That little town is gorgeous! Its always on my list of where I take my visitors. I actually haven’t gotten around to either reading the book or seeing the movie 🙂 (Its on the list)
I love having bundles of drying herbs in the house! The rosemary was particularly fragrant!
Stay cool! (Says me bundled up by my fire!)
Mavis Butterfield says
How cool is that! I will trade you my heat for your fire.
Vivian says
See, you are really a northwesterner at heart! It is 63 here today in western WA.
Mim says
Chickens are covered with down and like most birds, they puff up their feathers and insulate themselves. However, their feet and combs are susceptible to frostbite. It’s important that their roost be Not metal! IE, no repurposed metal ladders. And if possible, flat enough that they can hunker down and cover up their toes. I used 3 x 8’s to build mine.
Having said all that, when it gets colder than 10 below zero, I put a heat lamp in the corner, shining on the roost, so they can get some warmth that way. Have no idea if it makes a difference to them, but it makes the human sleep better! So far, I have only had one case of frost bitten comb, and the black parts just fell off once spring rolled around, and strange as it seems, it looks like his comb grew back, as it’s now as red and full as ever.
You may want to have HH install lights on a timer, as it gets dark early. This helps with egglaying in the dark winter months. Also, you will need a heated watered.
Hope that helps. My 30 birds are now 4 years old and thriving despite occasional temps of 30 below.
Mim says
That was heated waterer. Darn auto replace!
Mel says
One of my goals was to paint our house, and it took far longer than I expected, but I should be done today. Then I need to focus on gardening, cleaning the house, and getting some freezer meals together for fall.
I also really need to can some pickles for winter, so I may try to do that next week. Our cucumbers haven’t done anything yet, so I may just buy them from the farmers market.
Mavis Butterfield says
I love fresh paint.
Mama Cook says
Oh! I love your art studio! (I just switched from viewing on my phone to computer to get a good look!) For keeping chickens warm in the winter, I agree with Mim…they are created to keep themselves warm. That being said, in New England, I would put a heat lamp in the coop just to give myself piece of mind. We have a light in our coop to increase daylight hours, but no need for extra warmth here in the PNW. And of course you know we put a de-icer in our waterer.
I think I’m gonna’ try that Cherry Almond Jam today! If you are making a bunch of jams, how will you use them all? One year I had blackberry jam coming out my ears, and ended up donating to the church sandwich project…now I tend to shy away from making jam. Your Cherry Almond Jam just looks so beautiful and tempting!
Mavis Butterfield says
This year I’ll be gifting my parents and in-laws 12 different jars of jam {the mini ones you see} so that takes care of 24 jars. Then, I’m bartering with someone for another 12 jars of jam {the medium Weck jars}. So, 36 of the jars will be given away as gifts. I’ll also ship Monkey box a box of jams {not sure how many yet} at the end of the season. I may sell a few at the vegetable stand, and then the rest is for us. We like to enjoy jam on toast, in sandwiches, on top of vanilla ice cream, mixed in to baked whole grain bars, between the layers of cakes and mixed into coffee cakes or muffins as well.
So really, I should up production or I’m going to run out! 🙂
Mrs. C. says
Also, for basting hams and poultry!
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes!
Cherri says
I make a salad dressing: 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar, 1/4 cup Olive Oil and 2 Tablespoons of your favorite jam or jelly. Sky is the limit with the flavors.
Mable says
Also instead of sugar in tea.
Gigi says
Ooh never thought of that!
Mama Cook says
Oh!!! Fabulous ideas!!!! Almost like a jam of the month club! And Jam in tea!!!! Oh! I have a house full of young tea drinkers…we’re gonna’ try this! Now to find a good resource for weck jars!
Lacy says
We are in Kansas and we installed a window (that can be opened during the summer months, closed during the winter) and also insulated the house portion of the coop, where they roost and lay. No heat lamp, no extra lights, and we haven’t had any issues!
Pauline in Upstate NY says
Hi Mavis — A few thoughts on chickens & winter… Yes, a heated waterer is essential; I use a plug-in metal base heater that my (metal!) waterer sits on. It has a thermostat so only turns on if water temp drops below 32. Deep bedding helps to insulate a coop, too, and means that the clean-out is NOT a regular chore. As long as you keep it dry by adding layers of straw or shredded dry leaves or dried (untreated) gas clippings, all is good. Top ventilation is critical because otherwise the moisture that the birds generate just breathing and pooping can cause health issues in an enclosed space. Our coop has small vents at ceiling level and also two tilt-in removable windows with hardware cloth on the outsides; I adjust these on a daily basis in the winter depending on the expected low for the night and which direction the wind is coming from. For a roosting bar, I attempted to duplicate what they would do in the wild, i.e. I use a long round fairly straight branch a couple inches thick. And, yes, when the temp drops below 0 at night, I turn on a heat lamp just aimed at the floor (like in their brooder but higher up) and it was sufficient. On at bedtime, off in the AM. Unlike the PNW, you may find that you need to clear the snow from a small space outside for them, otherwise they don’t much want to go out. Depending on what kind of an outside run the coop has, you might want to factor that in to whatever human access you make for that space.
Mrs. C. says
We have three windows and a cupola to keep the coop well-ventilated.
As for the heat, in addition to topping off waterers, I put out bowls of ice water for the hens and float some frozen peas in them to encourage them to drink. They love bobbing for the peas!
Cass says
Love, love love the progress you are showing us. I am an old slug, I have a to do list 4 pages long and I am reading your blog. LOL
Chickens and winter get along fine. Chickens and heat? Not so much; they are wearing a down coat after all. Everyone has told you about keeping water liquid and making sure the roosts are not metal and are wide enough for their toes to spread out on it, not curl around it, so I would just add that 2×4 laid with the 4 inch side flat make great roosts….once the chicken is on the roost they can hunker down and cover their feet with their down coat.
Heat lamps are only for the comfort of humans….chickens don’t need them….and the extra heat can cause the ammonia in the dropping to evaporate and cause lung problems, in the long run. I use supplemental light all winter, to increase egg production. Until this past winter it was an incandescent bulb so it gave off a little heat, but this past winter I got tired of it burning out and switched to LED, so there is very little additional heat given off. It was COLD (like -30 air temp) and they did fine….even came outside when I shoveled a place for them to walk on the brown grass.
Have you visited local chicken coops? Seen what works and doesn’t work in your area? Stop and talk to the person who you bought the eggs from the other day….My neighbor built a coop late last fall and she came over, asked me what I would change in my coop and did her coop with the changes…the biggest one being my open rafters that are higher than my arms can reach, so I have no way to reach the chickens if I need to dose them with anything. She enclosed her rafters so they can’t roost there. (Smart woman. LOL)
Heathet from MA says
^^Excellent advice from Cass.
I would only add that frozen water is a HUGE PIA – and there is no surfire solution. I used a bucket with the nipples and then put a birdbath heater in it. The nipples still froze on really cold days.
Summet treats for chickens: scraps frozen in ice cube trays floating in a bowl.
Winter treats: warm oatmeal with mealworms or suet blocks with seeds and mealworms (protien helps their body create heat).
Angela D. says
Our experience with warm oatmeal was a difficult: one of the chickens stepped in it, and being so cold here in Wisconsin, her toes/foot was frostbitten! All of the toes on one foot rotted and fell off–we nursed her back to health in our house. She is now five years old and still lays regularly, about 5x a week, and just has a stump on the one foot. When she walks, it’s sort of like a Peg Leg Pirate.
However, we learned our lesson to never offer “wet” food in temperatures are below freezing.
Robin says
Your art studio, gardens and old house are magical. I could see you someday publishing a book about them, with beautiful photos and anecdotes, recipes, tips, etc. 🙂
Mim says
Mavis, one other note about sub freezing temps: make sure to collect eggs more often, as they will freeze if out there long enough.
And yes, windows are crucial. Mine are open even in the coldest weather.
KC says
RE: drying herbs. The best place to dry herbs is cool, dry, and dark. (heat and light disturb/destroy the compounds responsible for scent, flavor, and color)
Also, watch out for sources of moisture (like, ahem, them being directly over a kitchen range which may have pots of boiling water on it occasionally for pasta and such – but also keep them away from windows which might condense water out of the air).
That said, if it’s more for aesthetics than use (there’s no way the average person would be able to use up all the dry herbs the average herb garden outputs in a year), then have fun, hang them wherever you like as decoration, and just watch out for mold!
Alison says
Chickens do much better in the cold than they do in the heat. They will be fine as long as you have good ventilation and they are well fed. Beware that if you heat the coop and then have a power outage they will suffer because they won’t be acclimated. A heated waterer is almost a must-have though. I trudge out 4x per day to change the water for mine on the cold days, and I’m zone 7a.
CSirca says
I completely agree with the heated watered. We also do the deep litter method, adding shavings when we see it’s needed. As long as it’s managed properly the deep litter method in the winter saves you time, adds warmth, and it’s great compost come spring time!
Mary3M says
I hope you are planning to copy/modify the hooking rugs that I saw when you visited the SPNA (sorry can’t get used to the name change) in Essex. And the hutch is very similar to yours so I see a redware collection as a possibility as you antique your way thru NE. Love your kitchen (from what you showed) and love love love the farmhouse sink! There is something about NE that is captivating! Love that you are back to your happy cheerful house. I was afraid that the HOA house did you in! Did the HH finally decide on his tractor or is he still researching?
Mavis Butterfield says
Tractor is ordered and due to arrive in the next few weeks! 🙂
Nanci Fitschen says
Your hutch is gorgeous as is the rest of your home.
Tracy says
Hi Mavis,
Like others, I strongly urge you to consult Terry Golson’s blog, http://www.hencam.com for advice on how to construct a real live New England-proof chicken coop. I’ve seen hers’ in person and it’s not fancy, but very carefully designed and constructed. She has lots of info on her siteabout it. She strongly discouraged heat lamps or space heaters, but does use a specific heat retentive bedding, has numerous large (insulated) windows, carefully located ventilation and heated water eras. The ventilation has to be sited carefully to avoid drafts.
I would also suggest you keep your braided onions and garlic somewhere much cooler than the interior of your home. More humidity, too.
Nancy W says
I agree with all the previous comments about chicken coops1 We live in Vermont and my husband built a wonderful coop, well insulated with three windows. Stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Our girls enjoy going outside in the winter if the snow is now too deep! (https://nancyonthehomefront.com/how-to-insulate-a-chicken-coop/) Your house is beautiful and I love the jams and jellies on the hutch!
Kerri Adams says
Drying herbs in New England is tough because of our humidity. Most people I know use a dehydrator.
brenda says
I learned a valuable lesson, do not dry herbs in the microwave UNATTENDED or at all. The oil content in basil caused the paper towel to ignite. Air dry or use dheydrator!
Patti says
I had my first flock in Norfolk, MA, not far from Gillette Stadium, just like wild birds, they fluff their feathers and roost closely. Make sure the coop is dry and secure. We did buy plexiglass panels at Lowe’s to put up on the outside run so when a Nor’easter blew through they could still get a little outside time.
Karen Frazier says
That book! All the feels The movie was really good too. Both Actors really delivered. ❤️ watching your place grow and change. Thanks!
Gloria says
Beautiful studio space! Love that hutch as well.
Chickens need nothing in the winter except a draft free space. They huddle up and use their down feathers for warmth. Heat bulbs are a fire risk. We have windows we open in summer and close in winter for ventilation. But do yourself a favor and get a heated waterer or two waterers so you can bring the frozen one in to thaw and take out the thawed one.
Jamie says
All the chicken comments and I’m here to ask if your countertops are soapstone like mine? I loved your kitchen picture!
Torry says
My goal for this year is to sew each week. This past week I made four bibs: a set for my grandson and a set for gifting in the future. A set is 2 bibs. Each set has 1 birthday celebration bib and 1 Fourth of July bib.
Also worked on making some hair scrunchies for gifts. And finished a pair of lounging pants for a very good friend. It was a good week!
On Monday I went to my mother’s and she gave me a “how to use your machine” lesson. My husband bought me a new sewing machine last year at Costco. But I was battling breast cancer at the time and couldn’t make my brain hold onto new information very well. I finally decided that it was time, and since my mother had bought the same machine and loves it, so I had her teach me. The lesson went well. I’m going to be working on a recycled jeans quilt for my granddaughter to take to college, so I’ll leave my 1960’s Singer set up for that and use the new Brother machine for everything else.
I am very close to becoming a sewing machine collector! (2 sewing machines and 2 sergers, although one doesn’t leave its case.)
Carrie says
I can’t wait to see what your husband builds! I am wanting to build a larger coop for my 6 girls so they have more space and I can get more chicks!