My 14 Goals for 2020
Goal #1 – Take Full Advantage of Having My Husband Home 24/7
Beach clean up. It’s not nearly as fun as where Lucy and I used to go walking, but when the tide went out the other day, the HH found a few water bottles on the shore.
We can see a several lobster pots and buoys from our dock so who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky and one will come our way at some point. I think it would be cool to have a side of the garage with old buoys hanging from it like so many people around here do.
Goal #2 – Take Better Care of Myself.
I have learned that sitting around in your jammy jams all day {for several days in a row} is very calming. And being calm comes in especially handy when your husband tells you to come here… come take a look at this through his spotting scope several hundred times a day.
I thought we were just moving to the water, little did I know we moved to a nature preserve. Since we’ve been here we’ve spotted the following creatures:
- A pair of deer
- A Coyote
- A flock of 6 turkeys {where’s Mr. HB when I need him! I could have had Thanksgiving in the freezer 10 times over by now}
- 2 Bald eagles {the HH even saw 1 swoop down and grab a fish out of the water!}
- More ducks than we can count
- Harbor seals
- Seagulls
- Canada Geese
- Oodles of Blue Jays
And this crane {or is it a heron?}. He comes and sits on the dock for an hour or so everyday. I told The Girl that when she comes she needs to bring her camera so we can get some better pictures to identify the exact sort of bird it is.
Goal #3 – Get Organized
The plan is to sit on my keister and hook until Spring. So far so good. I hooked 10 {TEN!} rugs this past week {all of which I plan to turn into pillows for my November 6th Etsy shop update}. At this rate, I just hope I don’t run out of hooking projects. 🙂
But just to be on the safe side… when the HH ran errands the other day, I had him pick up a couple of gallons of paint just in case. Anyone want to guess what color I had him buy? YOU’LL NEVER GUESS! 😉
Goal #4 – Get Proper Window Coverings on All Our Windows. Done!
Goal #5 – Master Bedroom Make Over Done!
Goal #6 – Kitchen Update Done!
Goal #7 – Install Vegetable Garden Done!
Goal #8 – Explore More of Maine Done!
While I am done with BIG adventures this year… I am excited to get to know our new area and plan to keep an eye on what wildlife wanders through our backyard. Next year’s gardening season might be an interesting one as there are a lot of critters nearby.
Goal #9 – Host Some Sort of Get Together Done!
Goal #10 – Read/Listen to 12 Books {1 more to go. I’m only counting real books, not cookbooks or home decor books}
This past week I listened to Save Me the Plums on audiobook, and it was pretty good. It wasn’t the normal type of audiobook I go for {I LOVE biographies/autobiographies and historical fiction mostly} but when the pickings are slim, what are you going to do? HH if you are reading this… I think a 1 year subscription to some sort of unlimited audiobook service would make a great gift for your wife.
- The Dutch House #1
- The Adventure’s Son #4
- Olive Kitteridge #5
- Olive, Again
- Evvie Drake Starts Over #6
- Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers #7
- Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man
- Save Me the Plums
- Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites
- Natural Color: Vibrant Plant Dye Projects for Your Home and Wardrobe
- The New Bungalow Kitchen
- Container Gardening by Stephanie Donaldson
- The Nightingale #2
- A Piece of the World #3
- The War I Finally Won
- Vertical Gardening
- Front Yard Gardens
- The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook
- Beach House Style
Goal #11 – Learn A New Skill or Craft Done
I learned how to make swizzle sticks with my former neighbor and I think they turned out great for my first try {you can see the kiln pictures here}.
Goal #12 – Visit 12 Museums, Historical Homes or Botanical Gardens {and bakeries too!} Done!
Now, I’m on the hunt for a local farmstand/egg lady. I haven’t been out much since we’ve been here {shocking, I know} but I thought I saw a few different signs for eggs on our way here so I know they’ve got to be close by. Maybe I should just hop on the car one day next week and go exploring.
- Maine Maritime Museum
- Maine Mineral and Gem Museum
- The Island Market
- Cafe DiCocoa
- Hungry Hollow Country Store
- Two Fat Cats Bakery
- Portland Museum of Art
- Speckled Ax
- Atlantic Baking Company
- Rockland, St. George, Cushing and Port Clyde Maine
- Bar Harbor and Desert Island Adventures Day One, Day Two and the Summer Cottage Rental Tour.
- Tinder Hearth Bakery in Brooksville, Maine
- Puzzle Mountain Bakery Pie Stand in Newry, Maine
- Red’s Eats in Wiscasset, Maine
- The Bees Knees Honey Stand in Kennebunkport, Maine
- Rococo Ice Cream Kennebunkport, Maine
- Beech Hill Farm Hopkinton, NH
- Wallingford Farm in Kennebunk, Maine
- Marshall Point Lighthouse in Port Clyde, Maine
- The Gnome Lady, Thomaston, Maine
Goal # 13 – Reach 5,000 Etsy Sales by the End of The Year DONE!
As of this morning, I have made 5195 sales on Etsy. That’s up from 2804 on January 1st. I LOVE SETTING GOALS… and then knocking them off my list EARLY!
This past week I restocked the ornament section of my Etsy shop {whales, fish and lobster mostly} and now I intend to park myself on the couch all winter and HOOK HOOK HOOK. Life, the simpler the better if you ask me. 🙂
Goal #14 – Once a Month Menu Planning {for 2}
- The HH’s meal plan for the month: Asking “what’s for dinner?”
- My meal plan for the month: Crock Pot soups and pot pies. YUM.
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Have YOU made any goals for this year? If so, DO TELL! We all want to hear about them.
Have a great Sunday everyone, enjoy the view.
~Mavis
Mel says
I think cranes are rare in Maine, so I think that is likely a Great Blue Heron. You may get egrets as well, but they’ve probably migrated south by this point.
I spent the past three days catching up on housework and laundry, which was one of my goals. You would think it would be easier to stay on top of that wile teleworking, but having the house in use 9 extra hours a day really does not lend itself to that. Our semester ends in 4 weeks, so I am hoping to maintain the clean until then.
I’ve finally hit a lull in mask-making, so I’m working on custom painted and polymer clay ornaments of friends’ houses for Christmas.
Mel says
Oh, and I guess Hopsack for the paint.
Christine says
Ummm…..white.
Sue says
I’ll guess gray.
I love gray, but I know many other folks either think “boring” or “so three years ago”.
All I know is I love looking at it. To me it’s the color of river rocks and storm clouds.
Martine says
Is your new area free of ticks and bitey things that bugged you in your first New England home? I do hope so! Is there any way to know these things when you consider moving?
Mavis Butterfield says
We asked about the ticks and although the previous homeowners didn’t have a problem, they still had someone spray some sort of organic repellent at the beginning and late summer just in case. Luckily where we’ll be gardening/hanging out seems to be a bug free zone. If there were a ton of bugs… it would have been a deal breaker, that’s for sure.
Teri says
Glad to hear this! Love that you have a dock; can only imagine how beautiful the area is.
Kim says
Would the HH ever want one of those night time cameras that reveals whatever animals are coming through? To see if there are additional ones……………….my sis has one of those and they find it fascinating…………..
Does Lucy eventually need a fenced in area?
Wonder what winter storms will be like so close to the water? Such lovely entertainment for you. Sooo cozy! Wondering what the temps are for you of late. (In TX, we are FINALLY having lovely weather.)
Have a great week!
Tamara says
We have a good bit of wildlife pass through as we are adjacent to a nature preserve. Our Suzy runs around off leash with us during the day on our property but at dusk, night and dawn she is always on leash because of the coyotes. We have heard and read of coyotes grabbing small dogs, they are that brazen. Your HH would really enjoy a trail camera. Looks like you have a beautiful piece of property!
Rita says
Yes yes yes do go exploring for eggs and bakeries! Love your place so far!
Annette says
Goal for the week is to shovel snow, and survive cabin fever. Our first snowstorm of the season moves in tonight. Very early for us. That’s what they say about the weather here in Kansas . . . If you don’t like it, just wait a day, because it will change.
Jude DeWitt says
That’s what they say about Cincinnati, OH weather too!
Carrie says
Life is so much more enjoyable when it is kept simple. This year has definitely reinforced that for. While we were never crazy busy (no sports and only 1 kids activity that met twice a month), the changes that we have made this year has effected us all. We are now homeschooling and I am no longer substitute teaching/volunteering at school. My kids have hours to play outside. They begavior has improved, I’m not as tired. The house is tidier. I have even found myself bored in the afternoons! There is no rush in the mornings, no tired kids getting home in the afternoons, no rush to make dinner, no rush to get ready for bed. While Carona of course has had devastating impacts on our world, I am so thankful for the peace and simple life it has brought to our family.
Lana says
Isn’t it weird and creepy how a coyote can pass through your property without making a sound?
Tamara says
We enjoy hearing them, especially when there are two groups calling back and forth, though it makes the hair on the back of your neck go up! Once my husband had the dog out (on her leash) for her morning trip at early dawn and when he checked the camera a coyote had passed through 10 minutes before they had been in the same spot.
Lana says
Yes on the hair on the back of my neck when we hear them! We hear the pups yipping early in the morning in summer when we eat breakfast in our screen porch.
Joyce says
Here in Indiana we have a a lot of issues with coyotes. Dogs, cats, chickens and caged rabbits are all at risk.
They will try to get the caged rabbits and ruin the cage while doing so…lots of times the rabbits then die of fright.
Be very careful with Lucy….
We have lots of the same wildlife…it’s wonderful to be able to see them.
Happy Hooking in your new home….I predict that paint will be going on walls sooner rather than later
I hope you post house pictures soon.
JCKitty
Paula says
We live in the western North Carolina mountains. We love watching the wildlife. My husband brought me motion sensory cameras for the yard. We have the Blink system (sold on Amazon). We have 6 cameras. We bought them in sets of three. You think you know how many animals are about-not until you have cameras. It tapes both day and night and sends the videos to your phone. We have 5 black bears (mom and 3 cubs and 2 single bears), coyotes, foxes, bobcats, squirrels, rabbits, deer, 5 raccoons, and 1 opossum.
JoAnn says
We bought a ranch last year and purchased the Blink system too. Love it! Sometimes the notificatons wake me up in the middle of the night to see a beautiful deer crossing the driveway or wild hogs tearing up my back pasture.
NCJill Hamilton says
I’ve subscribed to Scribd for a couple years and enjoy their book and audiobook selection. I believe it’s $9/month for unlimited books of any type.
Katie says
Was just scrolling through previous comments to see if anyone else suggested this. Mavis, you really need to check this one out!
Brenda says
Eggshell Ha!!!
Have a great day!
debbie in alaska says
Look like a great blue heron. We get them in our front yard (we are also on the water) daily. One actually landed on our roof and stared down at us through one of our skylight … and then he started tapping his beak on the glass. I think he thought we were under water and he wanted in. Up close they look wildly prehistoric.
Pat Korzym says
I like using “Libby” for free audiobooks to listen to from the library. I believe most libraries have it! I can always find lots to listen to.
Katie says
I’m thinking you really took a left turn and chose white 😉
Check out Scribd! It’s a monthly subscription (their site says $9.99 a mo) and you have unlimited access to audiobooks, ebooks, and magazines. They also have a 30 day free trial. So you could check it out and decide if their library is broad enough for you. I’ve done the free trial and would definitely sign up for the subscription if I had the funds right now. I like it better than other options that give you just one credit a month for the same price, usually more.
dj_1973 says
I’d say Great Blue Heron – they hang out quite late in Maine now – but most migrate south for the winter. And look at all the cormorants in the water – I bet you have some good fishing off that dock!
dj_1973 says
Oh and you might want to grab a field guide to the birds. Sibley’s or Peterson’s are both excellent. You are going to see a lot of birds!!
Colleen says
Wait until the spring when the Ospreys return and you see one crash into the water on the hunt for fish! I went to Audubon’s Hog Island 2 summers ago to bird watch, specifically, Ospreys.
There are so many birds in Maine! You might find yourself in search of a birdwatching book by spring.
OregonGuest says
Yep, agree with other readers: coyote + puggle = no bueno.
We seem to have a lot of coyotes around our property and in the summertime with the windows open, it sounds like a bunch of screaming high school girls at a 1982 Loverboy concert. They’re probably further away than they sound, but still…kind of creeps me out!