My 14 Goals For 2024 – Week 26 of 52

Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

Thanks to a trip to Maxwell’s Farm in Cape Elizabeth, we filled up on fresh, local strawberries last week. Buying in season is the way to go, that’s for sure. You just can’t beat the taste.

Visit 24 {new} Bakeries / Coffee Shops

While we didn’t get a chance to visit any new bakeries last week, I did make a trip to Trader Joe’s and found bubble waffles!!! 

I haven’t had a chance to try this yet {I still have to find the toaster} but I’ve had the real deal before so I’m pretty excited about giving these a try.

New Bakeries / Coffee Shops I’ve Been To This Year {That I liked}

• The Cookie Jar Pastry Shop
• Ritual Bakehouse and Patisserie
• Caramel Patisserie
• Standard Baking Co. 
• Saltwater Farm Cafe
• Coffee Roasters of the Kennebunks
• Farine Bakery and Cafe
• Night Moves Bread
• Cape Porpoise Kitchen

Go On An Adventure

Guess who’s going to Highclere Castle!? Umm that would be me! Wahoooooo. I am SO STINKIN’ EXCITED I can hardly stand it. 

After working for decades in the Tacoma public school system, an old friend of mine {who LOVES to travel and garden} has finally retired and now we can go on adventures together. 

We figure we’ll be able to take 2 trips a year together now that her calendar is wide open so I am pretty excited about that! She has never been to London or the Cotswolds before and since I know my way around the city pretty well, she has put me in charge of planning the ENTIRE trip!!

The theme for the trip will be gardens and tea {of course it is!!!}. So far we’ve booked our airline tickets and I’ve procured tickets to Highclere! I LOVE planning trips. And going on them too… So this will be fun.

Contribute to 12 Free Little Libraries. {6 town down, 6 to go}

I didn’t donate to any Free Little Libraries this past week but I did enjoy looking through a copy of the book portraits of a country life. I wonder if there are any free little libraries in England? I’d love to find out, but I don’t want to download the app to do so. Anyone have the app? Are there any in the Cotswolds?

Towns I’ve donated books to:

• Gardiner, Maine
• Nobleboro, Maine
• Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, Maine
• Cape Elizabeth, Maine
• Raymond, Maine
• Bellevue, Washington

Spend More Time At The Beach

It was another banner week in the heart shaped rocks department. 🙂 Who needs a truffle sniffing dog when I’ve got Lucy, the heart shaped rock finder?

Read or Listen to 24 Books {7 down, 17 to go}

Nada books this week. 

Books I’ve Read or Listened To This Year: 

• Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service by Gary Sinise. 10/10
• Elizabeth The Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith 9/10
• Wait Till Next Year by Dorris Kearns Goodwin 8/10
• George VI and Elizabet:by Sally Bedell Smith 9/10
• Steve Jobs by Walter Issacson 9/10
• These Precious Days by Ann Pachett 9.5/10
• Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

 

Paint 

Fact: If you find yourself in need of a bunch of cheap chip brushes, don’t pay $1.50 a piece for them at The Home Depot. You can get a 36 pack of them online for around $15.

I’ve got a few painting projects lined up and just bought a box. This is the THIRD box of brushes I’ve bought in the last 5 years!

So far I’ve finished:

• Portrait of Joseph Roulin 
• Red Boats at Argenteuil
• Regattas at Argenteuil
• Vase with Cornflowers and Poppies 
• Sunflowers
• Garden Path with Chickens
• Goldfish

Hook 6 “Big” Rugs.

Large Rugs I’ve Hooked This Year

• Three Roosters
• Hidden In The Garden 
• Yankee Doodle
• Double Nantucket Whale Runner with the American flag

Visit 6 Greenhouses {that I’ve never been to before}.

We visited a new greenhouse. I had been wanting to visit this particular place for a while now as I had heard they have every plant imaginable. I’ll tell you all about it and give you a proper tour soon but holy canolies man, it was pretty spectacular!

Grow Baby Grow

I spotted a plant stand alongside the road the other day and had to stop to see what they had. The plants were all $3 each which was actually cheaper than the local nurseries. 

I LOVE seeing these unmanned, honor system little pop up stands at the ends of peoples driveways around here. They make my heart happy. 

I can’t wait until I get to have one too!

Donate to 12 Different Organizations in Maine

After 2 days of seeing these little crocs sitting in the sand down at the beach I finally picked them up, brushed them off {they are basically brand new} and will be donating them to the church thrift store later this week. 

I’m always amazed at what people leave behind.

So Far This Year I’ve Donated To:

• Cleaning Up My Local Beach
• New Hope MidCoast {50 pairs of new socks}
• Humane Society {180 trays of cat food}
• Travis Mills Foundation
• Camp Sunshine
• Honor Flight Maine

So how are YOUR goals for 2024 coming along? I’d love to hear about them. 

~Mavis

Goals I’ve Already Completed This Year

In Stock and Ready to Ship by March 15th/ March 30th Now April 15th DONE!

I finally finished up all the major wool dyeing and pattern/kit making I had hoped too. All the “extra” wool is tucked away in bins so if I run out of wool in my Etsy shop I can whip up some more bundles in a jiffy. A summer off from dyeing wool… It’s going to be pretty rad.

Tidy Up / Clean Out / Purge DONE

We cleaned the whole house, inside and out. And then we sold it. Yee-Haw!

• Barn
• Garage
• Closets 
• Dresser drawers
• Kitchen 
• Sideboard
• DVD collection