Here’s my big list of things I want to accomplish in 2022:
Remodel The Kitchen
Everything is going as planned with the kitchen remodel {well, except for the whole AGA Saga}. The new refrigerator and dishwasher is in place and ready to have the panels put on by the cabinet guys tomorrow, so that’s pretty exciting.
My new spice rack will be added to the pantry too. I share pictures just as soon as everything is done.
Sell Enough Rugs to Buy an AGA Stove DONE!!!
I hit my goal of selling enough of my 2022 hooked rugs and pillows in my Etsy shop to pay for my new Duck Egg Blue AGA cooker. But since the stove was damaged… We now have to wait another 6-9 months for the new one to arrive. 🙁
Fill the Canning Cupboard DONE
Well I did it! I finally filled my canning cupboard. 🙂 How cool is that!? It’s all almost too pretty to eat.
So far this year I have canned:
- Apple Pie Filling
- Canned Carrots
- Green Tomato Piccalilli
- Sweet and Spicy Hot Sauce
- Costco Like Salsa
- Basil and Garlic Tomato Sauce
- Tomato Ketchup
- Tomato Bruchetta
- Raspberry Blueberry Jam
- Carrot Cake Jam
- Strawberry Lemon Jam
- Blueberry Lime Jam
- Strawberry Jam
- Cinnamon Rhubarb Jam
- Pickled Asparagus
- Ginger Pear Jam
- Spiced Christmas Jam
- Cranberry Sauce
- Split Pea and Ham Soup
- Beef Stew
- Zucchini Relish
- Heirloom Tomato Salsa
Not canned, but in jars:
Earn Enough Money Selling {?????} To Pay For Our 2022 Grocery Tab By The End Of The Year.
I may have to reach this goal in 2023. With everything that’s been going on this year, I haven’t been able to make it a priority and with it getting so close to the end of the year, I’m not sure how much of a dent I’d make. We’ll see.
Eat More Fruits and Vegetables.
Roasted potatoes will be on the menu for the foreseeable future.
Keep The Crafts… In The Craft Room.
It only took me about 20 minutes to pack for my trip. So why does it take 2 weeks to unpack?
Tap Our 2 Maple Trees and Make Maple Syrup {DONE}
It was a good experience, and we’re going to do it again next year {although I would like to find a few more trees to tap so our yield is a bit higher}.
Make a Quilt Top
I just need to cut squares out of the white fabric. And then I think I’ll be shipping all my cut pieces and backing to Camp Zoë to finish it for me. 🙂 Sometimes you just have to know you’re limits. FACT: The fabric is still sitting on the couch.
1 Craft / Blog Free Day a Week {I’ve had 40 craft/blog free days this year so far.}
It may not look like it, but I think I’ve done a pretty good job keeping up with this goal this year. This is a picture of the “hall closet” at the Doc Martin Cottage we stayed at in Port Isaac on our trip.
Be More Intentional With My Time
And this is what’s behind those doors. Talk about a great use of space! Definitely not a loo for someone who’s claustrophobic though. 🙂 And check out the teeny tiny sink. It made me smile, that’s for sure.
Keep My Husband Busy
The HH was busy this past week dealing with all the contractors, working in the yard and doing all sorts of unexciting things like spray painting the inside of the vents and installing new floor registers.
I’m hoping to get him to install the new light fixture and the Roman shade in the kitchen this week. His projects, they never seem to end.
The HH’s Honey Do List {so far} for 2022
- Take over cooking {I’ll still do the baking and canning}
Cut down the cluster of trees in the backyardDONE- Build a new set of stairs down to the water.
Fill the field {with soil}- Remodel 1 bathroom
Replace fireplace tile- Build window boxes for the front of the house
Build an arbor for the wisteria{We decided to move the wisteria to another location instead}Order 4 cords of firewood by the end of May and stack themDONESand the floors in the entire houseDONEInstall new garage door openersDONE {new addition}
My House Projects For This Year {so far}
I’m still unpacking.
Things I need to get done this year:
- Finish painting the outside of the house
Finish painting the inside of the house- Make something to hang above our new console table
- Make it look like people actually live here {working on it!}
New window treatment for the kitchen window{Have it, just waiting for the HH to install it}
Try 24 New Recipes {20 down, 4 to go}
This past week I shared a recipe for How to Can Carrots. I plan on using them in carrot cake bars and pot pies this winter.
So far this year I have shared the following recipes:
- Tomato Bruschetta
- Apple Pie Filling
- Canned Carrots
- Strawberry Lemon Jam
- Costco Salsa
- Raspberry Blueberry Jam
- Pickled Asparagus
- Split Pea Soup
- Beef Stew
- Pressure Canned Split Pea and Ham Soup
- Hash Brown Waffles with Bacon and Cheese
- Bacon Cheddar Jalapeno Biscuits
- Apple Cinnamon Granola
- Mrs. C’s Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Ginger Pear Jam
- Blueberry Lime Jam
- Lentils with Carrots and Thyme
- Dutch Oven Cinnamon Raisin Bread
- Dutch Oven Olive and Rosemary Bread
- Air Fryer Bread
- Peach Lavender Jam
Listen to 12 Audiobooks {12/12 so far} DONE
Audiobooks I’ve listened to this year:
- The Boys by Ron and Clint Howard 10/10
- Wilding: The Return of Nature to a British Farm by Isabella Tree 9/10
- Seven at Sea by Erik and Emily Orton 9/10
- The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin 10/10
- Dolly Parton, Songteller by Dolly Parton 10/10
- Salt to the Sea by Ruth Sepetys 10/10
- No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality by Michael J. Fox 10/10
- Night Road by Kristen Hannah on Audiobook. 9/10
- Mill Town by Kerri Arsenault. Interesting. 8/10
- The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan 10/10
- On Writing Stephen King 10/10
- Taste by Stanley Tucci 8/10
- Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty by Anderson Cooper 10/10
Get a Fishing License and Catch a Fish
Still no fish.
My List of Garden Projects For This Year I want to Accomplish
The only thing left to harvest is parsnips, a few carrots, some bok choy and possibly a bit of broccoli rabe. It’s been a good year.
So far this year we’ve harvested: 848 pounds and 8 oz of fresh garden goodness.
- Cabbage 36 pounds 9 ounces
- Radishes 3 pounds 14 ounces
- Broccoli 3.5 ounces
- Lettuce 1 pound 4 ounces
- Chives 1 pound 2 ounces
- Tomatoes 453 pounds 12 ounces
- Blueberries .75 ounces
- Shelling Peas 7 pounds 4 ounces
- Green beans 25 pounds 11 ounces
- Zucchini 45 pounds 9 ounces
- Cucumbers 28 pounds 1 ounces
- Carrots 31 pounds 14 ounces
- Eggplant 4 pounds 2 ounces
- Cauliflower 2 pounds 13 ounces
- Peppers 17 pounds 4 ounces
- Garlic 9 ounces
- Onions 13 pounds 2 ounces
- Leeks 3 pounds 14 ounces
- Beets 24 pounds 1 ounces
- Potatoes 38 pounds 4 ounces
- Sweet Potatoes 1 pound 2 ounces
- Corn 32 ears
- Various Winter Squash {pumpkins, butternuts, delicata} 94 pounds 1 ounces
My garden projects for this year:
Map out this year’s garden by April 1st– DonePlant apple or pear trees– DonePlant raspberry and blueberry bushesDonePlant asparagus and rhubarb– DoneGrow 500 pounds of foodDoneExpand the lasagna gardenWe created a new garden plot instead Done- Finish clearing the front of the property
Get some garden pots for the front an back patio/porchesDone
Create 12 New Rug Hooking Patterns and/or Kits Done! {28 out of 12 finished so far}
New {Doreen Frost} patterns are in the works! 🙂 I should have them ready for my next Etsy update on Saturday, October 22nd at 8pm EST.
New Rug Hooking Patterns/Kits For 2022
- Tom and Tilly Turkey
- Fraktur Turkey
- The Willard Inn Pumpkin Patch
- Olde Sturbridge Pumpkin
- Autumn in the Garden
- Olde Salem Cat # 2
- Fat Black Cat with Pumpkins
- Small American Flag
- Small Flower Basket
- Fat Black Cat
- Busy Little Bee – Brown
- Simple Red Heart
- Patriotic Tulips
- God Bless America
- American Chicken.
- American Kitty
- USA Flag
- Olde Blue
- Chicks and Flowers
- Scrappy Chicken
- Easter Egger Chicken
- Spring Arrives on Widsbee Farm
- Folk Art Chicken
- Valentine Kisses
- 1736 Tulips
- Large Valentine Heart Runner
- Antique Flower Basket
- Love Grows Fraktur Bird
Have All My 2022 Ornaments Finished by April 1st. Done!
I thought I was done with garden markers and ornaments for the year but decided to make a few batches of mini ornaments {for feather trees and package toppers}.
52 Walks {We’ve gone on 43 of 52 so far}
Visit 12 Towns in Maine That I Haven’t Been to Before
So far we’ve visited:
How about YOU? How did you do with working towards your goals for 2022?
~Mavis
Linda says
I love that you weigh your garden harvest Mavis. I’ve never considered doing it but think I would be totally amazed at the garden’s bounty. What type of scale do you use?
Sorry about your AGA stove. I’m curious, do you have to crate that one up and send it back? You have more patience than anyone I have ever known.
Mel says
My only goal for this year was to set up a nursery because we had a baby, so that’s been done for a while, but I actually managed to move forward on a goal from last year. Our cat passed away last year but befriended two strays first, so I had hoped to trap and vaccinate those cats. We trapped one, but the other was untrappable (despite $800 worth of state of the art traps), and we eventually gave up when we realized her ear was tipped, so someone somewhere had already trapped her and gotten her to a vet. That cat got injured last week and was limping, so we were finally able to just grab her and toss her in a cat carrier to go to the vet. $1200 later, and her injury is cured, and she’s up to speed on her vaccines.
I also thought I was making headway with the cat we were able to trap last year because she finally let me pet her. But then an identical cat walked by, so I don’t know who I was petting.
Cats are hard.
tia in boise says
“But then an identical cat walked by” Oh, Mel! HA HA HA HAAAAAA….cats!
Mel says
Yeah, it’s not like our neighborhood is crawling with stray cats or anything either. This would, however, explain why the black cat eats so much if it is actually two cats!
Mavis Butterfield says
Oh Mel. I don’t even know what to say. You and your cat stories.
Mel says
Yes, they’re really giving me a run for my money. Although they are currently lower maintenance than our elderly dog. She stopped being able to do stairs around the time the baby arrived, so we’ve all (baby included) been sleeping in the living room since then. He’s about to outgrow his bassinet though, and I already don’t fit on the loveseat I’ve been sleeping on, so the two of us are going to have to move upstairs soon and leave my husband and the dog downstairs.
Susie says
Mel, when the identical cat walked by, you know that was just a glitch in the matrix, right? 😉
Mel says
And just like that, the new cat is named Neo! Thanks, Susie!
Debbie says
Wow! youve been so busy! Enjoyed you sharing your trip to England! I’m a fan of Doc Martin & Escape to the Country
I see your book reading list included a book about the Vanderbilts – if you haven’t been I suggest a visit to the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina its so beautiful. I ve visted in Spring & Winter. There are so many flowers & gardens on the estate. December the house is decorated for Christmas. I recommend the behind the scenes tour.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks says
I was totally unfamiliar with Doc Martin but became intrigued by your postings from Port Isaac. (Thanks for taking us along on your trip) Since many people raved about it, I figured I should see what I was missing. I found the series and have been binge watching. I’m on the 5th season and love it! Thank you for alerting me to it. The famed “Lost Colony” from my area (Roanoke Island in the Outer Banks of NC) left from Devon in 1587 to come to the New World. Thanks to this series and a map, I now know where Cornwall and Devon are located. It also is interesting as I’d read of the Duchy of Cornwall so now know more about it as well. Working on my geography AND history these days. Lynn from NC Outer Banks
PS And again, so very sorry about the AGA debacle.
Lori K says
Your canning carrots reminds me of my Grandmother’s Copper Pennies. Old Yankee recipe of picking carrots. I am assuming she had to go through the canning process since they were in mason jars in the stone cellar.
Elizabeth says
Mavis, Where did you get your registers??? I must have missed that if you mentioned it. I’m sorry about the AGA!! I can not wait to see all that you cook in it, I’ve actually become somewhat obsessed with them now that you’ve introduced them to me. You are set for winter!!!
Sue says
And the shelves aren’t even sagging in the canning cupboard – love it. Must be an oldie with heavy sturdy shelves. Question Mavis: what type of curtains do you use for your casement windows. I have 3 that need something, but the handles are in the way. Sue
Torry says
The size of the sink isn’t what I was looking at; I was looking at where it was! Behind the the loo! How does one wash up?
Emily E. says
Hi Mavis, it’s so inspiring to see what you accomplish through the year! I’m in love with your canning cupboard. It’s so fulfilling to see all of your hard work so beautifully preserved to enjoy in the upcoming months.
Mavis Butterfield says
Thank you Emily. 🙂