My 22 Goals for 2019
Goal #1 — Spend More Time Doing What I Love
Have I told you how much I enjoy my back patio? All the pots lined up, the little herb garden we planted under the kitchen window, the mini pumpkin vines that are beginning to climb the fence.
I love it all, the simplicity of the space. I can see how people could be totally content with a tiny patio space filled with potted plants and climbers.
Goal #2 — Garden, Garden, Garden
It’s been too hot to get any actual gardening done the past few days but man oh man, everything is in bloom and growing like mad. A few weeks ago the orange day lilies were in bloom, now the yellow ones are busting open. It’s like a dream come true I tell you. A dream come true.
Goal #3 — Plant an Orchard {Calling it Quits on this one for this year.}
Miss Lemon has a few more babies clinging to her.
Goal #4 — Gussy Up the Potting Shed Done!
Goal #5 — Grow Enough Extra Vegetables, Eggs and Flowers to Earn $1500 at my little roadside vegetable stand.
I’ll be lucky to hit $500 this year and that’s okay with me. We haven’t actually set out the little red farm stand the HH built for me last year yet as I’d rather have a full stand than just one with fresh basil and eggs right now. It’s been more fun this year to just give away our extras this season rather than sell them.
Pumpkin season though… that’s a whole different ball of wax.
Goal #6 — Finish Every Single Unfinished Rug Hooking Project in My Pattern Bin + 10 Things from back Issues of Magazines/Books I’ve Been Meaning to Make.
I finished 1 pattern from my pattern bin this past week and 3 flowers {it’s too hot to hook I keep telling myself} but I better get crackin’ if I’m going to update my Etsy shop on Friday.
I started the year off with:
- 73 rugs in my pattern bin {now down to 40}
- 183 hooked flowers {finished 129, now down to 54}
- 10 “things” from back issues of magazines {finished 0}
Goal #7 — Create 12 New Rug Hooking Patterns {with at least half of them being large ones}
So far this year I’ve added 12 new rug hooking patterns and 13 beginner rug hooking kits to my Etsy shop and I’m hoping to add a two more on Friday.
New rug hooking patterns I’ve created and added to My Etsy Shop this year:
- Tullia and Thomas Turkey
- Double Nantucket Whale Runner
- Miss Henny and Penny
- Miss Penny
- Simple Kitty
- Primitive Flowers
- 2 Fat Cats
- Annabell’s Big Day
- Old Fashioned Double Tulip
- Fat Brown Hen
- Busy Little Bee
- Queen Bee
Rug Hooking Kits
- Busy Little Bee {in 2 different colors}
- Folk Art Heart
- Small Nantucket Whale
- Primitive Crow
- Miss Robin {in 2 different colors}
- Simple Kitty
- Primitive Flowers
- Sunflowers
- A Basket of Spring Posies
- Fat Brown Hen
- Chicky’s Garden
Goal #8 — Split and Stack 2 Cords of Wood for Next Winter
Nothing yet.
Goal #9 — Do Something with the 5,002 Photos on My Phone
Down to 3641 photos. Finally making some progress!
Goal #10 –Lose the Muffin Top
Working on it. Turns out sweating off a muffin top is much, much more enjoyable than exercising.
Goal #11 — Run, Walk or Crawl a 5k, 10k, Half Marathon and Marathon
We are at day 33 on the turtle baby watch. According to the Google, hatching could occur anytime between 45-90 days. So you know, I can’t leave my post to go run a 5k or a half marathon because what if we have preemies? Better not chance it.
Goal #12 — Read or Listen to 26 New Books {15 down, 11 to go}
I wasn’t able to get The Gown on audiobook but I was able to get borrow a hard copy from the library the other day. I am only 4 chapters in and I am enjoying it so far. 🙂
Also, this past week I bought a Katie Daisy 2019 – 2020 On-the-Go Weekly Planner and I love it so much, I just had to tell you about it. It’s bright and colorful and has a little strappy do thing on the back that you can pull around to the front it to keep the calendar secure if you need to pack it up and take it somewhere {or throw it in a purse if you’re the big purse type}.
I am waiting my turn on the library wait list for the following audio book{s}:
Books I’ve Read or Listened to So Far This Year:
- Marilla of Green Gables #1 Favorite
- The Great Alone #2
- The Aviator’s Wife #3
- Before We Were Yours #4
- Secrets of a Charmed Life #5
- Where’d You Go, Bernadette #6
- Carnegie’s Maid #7
- The Alice Network #8
- The Shape of Mercy #9
- Will’s Red Coat #10
- Big Little Lies #11
- Bunny Mellon {Doesn’t count because it was my second time}
- Walden
- Finder’s Keepers
- Delicious!
- Following Atticus
Goal #13 — Try 52 New Recipes.
18 down, 34 recipes to go.
Goal #14 — Clean Up 52 Old Recipes on the Blog
9 down, 44 to go. I’ll get crackin’ once fall {and cooler temps} come around.
Goal #15 — Fill 100 Canning Jars 41 down, 59 to go.
Still waiting for figs and peaches to hit my local farm stand. Hopefully we only have a bout another week or two to go!
So far this year I’ve I canned:
- 7 jars of Strawberry Jam
- 15 jars of Carrot Cake Jam
- 15 jars of Spiced Pear Jam
- 4 jars of Almond Pears.
Goal #16 — Finish Furnishing Our House
Instead of hunting for treasures at our local recycle center this past week, we actually dropped a few things off there and to our local town clothes closet. Our town has a little clothing swap shop that is open to all the residents in town where you can not only drop off your unwanted clothing, but bring home any clothing you want. And it’s all free. How cool is that?
Also, at the church puts up a free veggie stand in their side yard every summer to give away their extra garden produce. So not only could you totally furnish a house here for free, you can get free clothing and garden fresh veggies too. Neighbors helping neighbors. I love it.
Furniture pieces I’m still on the hunt for:
Coffee table for the family roomConsole, cupboard or sideboard for the one and only tv in our house which is in the family room. I could totally live without a television, but my husband says the tv stays.Long rectangular table for the craft room.- Table for the formal dining room.
- 2 wing back chairs for the family room.
I’d also like to decorate the mantel in the keeping roomas well as put up some sort of decoration above the other321 fireplaces in the house. I’m not one for a lot of things on the walls, but it would be nice to throw up a little pilgrim bling on the plaster.
Goal #17 – 52 Dates with the HH {24 down, 28 to go}
The HH and I were in the lovely town of Castine, Maine the other day checking out the waterfront area and getting an ice cream cone. I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love coastal towns. There is just something so calm and relaxing about them. And New England, has about 20 million of them so it’s been fun to go exploring.
Goal #18 — Take One Adult Education Class Done {I’ve taken 2!}
- I’m keeping the first class I took with my neighbor top secret for now
- Spoon Carving Class with Heather.
Goal #19 — Secret {for now} Holiday Project
The big reveal… Friday, September 13th, 2019.
Goal #20 — Create 12 Wowie Zowie Party Platters
4 down, 8 to go.
Goal #21 — Visit 12 General Stores
8 down 4 to go.
This past week we stopped by a cafe turned veggie market in the summertime that sells lettuce for $14 a pound and I’ll tell you all about it this week.
So far this year we’ve visited:
- Squam Lake Marketplace
- Harrisville General Store
- Dodge’s Store in New Boston, New Hampshire
- Zeb’s General Store in North Conway, New Hampshire
- Dan and Whit’s in Norwich, Vermont
- Hussey’s General Store in Windsor, Maine
Goal #22 — Compete with Carole….. Get on My Front Door Game On
The bunting is still up.
Front Door Bling I’ve Made So Far This Year to Compete with Carole:
- Late January : Valentine Heart
- Late February : Shamrock
- Late March : Giant Carrot
- May: White wave petunia hanging basket
- June/July: Tin Star and Flag Bunting
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How about YOU? What are your goals for 2019? If you told us about them HERE, check in! We want to know how you are doing. Because seriously, it’s so much easier to get those goals checked off your list when you have people rooting for you! 🙂
♥ Mavis
You can read more about my 22 goals for 2019 HERE.
Mel says
I used to love paper calendar planners, and I still like how pretty they can be, but I’ve found Google calendar to work better. I dislike most electronic planners, but I find Google to be more flexible and portable than the paper kind. I sometimes use it as my to-do list as well, but I’ve started sort of tuning out the reminders on my phone since there are so many, so I need to find a new way to do that.
Last week, my goals were to
1) Deal with the garlic and cayennes from last week (I got all 100ish heads of garlic cleaned and trimmed for storage, but it’s still too humid to dry the cayennes)
2) Dust ceilings and walls. (Almost done–just one room left!).
3) Wash the larger area rugs. (Almost–I did some but I have a couple left)
4) Maintain or increase time on the treadmill. (Done–I increased)
5) Make 25 more freezer meals. (Almost–I made 21 due to some ingredient shortages)
6) Make 8-10 more freezer breakfasts. (Done–I made 10)
7) Make graham crackers for smores and bread for BLTs and bruschetta (Done)
8) Set up the guest bathroom with new towels, shower curtain, etc. (Started–I need to hang the shower curtain rod.)
9) Start back-to-school shopping. (Done!)
This is my last full week of summer before I go back to work, so I need to finish getting the house in order, stocking the freezer, etc. My goals are to
1) Dry our cayenne peppers if the humidity finally drops. I may just have to try it and hope for the best.
2) Finish dusting the last room, wash the last two area rugs, and finish putting the guest bathroom together.
3) Get back to my school year routine. I always switch back about when school starts, so I want to try a gradual switch this year. I found an app that might help with this.
4) Wash the curtains.
5) Wash the couch covers.
6) Clean the tops of the kitchen cabinets.
7) Maintain or increase time on the treadmill.
8) Make 5-10 more freezer breakfasts.
9) Make 30 more freezer meals.
Kari says
We host minor league baseball players each summer, and one of my kids this year is from the Cape. He swears that the clam chowder at Captain Parker’s in West Yarmouth is the best on the planet. Have you had it? If not, maybe make that one of your dates with the HH.
CSirca says
Its like the universe is trying its best to make you fall in love with orange and yellow day lilies…I think it’s working 😉
Debi says
You are making great progress on your goals… good for you! I love your little patio.
Rebeka says
Book recommendation: On Whale Island By Daniel Hays. He wrote it from the same North Main area.
Christie says
Hi Mavis, I just finished a book called Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance. Eye opening and thought provoking are an understatement. Something to add to your summer reading for sure.
Mavis Butterfield says
A wonderful book! I read it last year and highly recommend it.