My 14 Goals for 2020
Goal #1 – Take Full Advantage of Having My Husband Home 24/7
Yesterday the HH installed all the window brackets in the master bedroom, did the post office run, made me a cake and spread grass seed in the back yard. It’s been almost 2 years {22 months to be exact} since he left his traditional 70-80 hour a week job to work part time from home. Sometimes I wonder if he misses leaving the house everyday to go to work. 🙂
Goal #2 – Take Better Care of Myself.Â
I didn’t set an alarm this past week. Waking up naturally, is pretty awesome. Except when someone walking their dog at 5:45 in the morning is talking loudly on the cell phone and wakes you up.
Goal #3 – Get Organized
The plan for May is:
- May 3-9 Paint Master Bedroom Door, Writing Desk and Clean Up and Prep Canning Room for Painting
- May 10-16 Paint Canning Room, Organize Everything on Shelves and Make a Simple Linen Curtain for Window
- May 17-23 Paint Double Dutch Door in Kitchen
- May 24-30 Paint Entry Alcove and Paint Front Door {Both sides}
Goal #4 – Get Proper Window Coverings on All Our Windows.Â
Goal #5 – Master Bedroom Make Over {almost done!}
Hey! We hung the window treatments and hardware in the bedroom, finally! Now all that’s left to do in there is to paint those shutter doors and the door to the bedroom, my writing desk and then that room is done. {Well, except finishing the hardwood floors, but we’ll do that later this summer/fall}.
I’ll do a full before and after picture thing once I get the closet and desk painted and clean up my little piggy mess of a desk. {Long live sticky notes!!}
Goal #6 – Kitchen Update
All that’s left is to paint the double dutch doors and throw some stuff up on the walls.
Goal #7 – Install Vegetable Garden Done!
The garden boxes and beds have been installed and so now we wait for the grass to grow in and the weather to warm up so we can plant the rest of the seeds. The yew trees in the back still need to be pruned to allow more light over the asparagus patch, but other than that, we are ready to get this party started!
Garden To Do List for May
- Mulch flower beds
- Do something with the leftover bricks near the garden boxes
- Map out a master plan for beds for growing vegetables
- Prune yew hedges to allow for more light near the asparagus patch
- Plant beans, sunflowers, zucchini, cucumbers and other vegetables towards the end of the month.
- Plant hydrangeas
- Figure out a border for the raspberry/asparagus patch
Goal #8 – Explore More of MaineÂ
Looking forward to my next day trip with the HH! Harpswell, Maine is on the list next, but it will have to wait a bit. Hopefully not to much longer!
On the radar for exploring Maine this next month:
Bar Harbor, MaineLincolnville Center General Store in Lincolnville, Maine- Wallace’s Market in Friendship, Maine
Alewives Fabric Store in Nobleboro, Maine- Harpswell, Maine and Bailey Island
Goal #9 – Host Some Sort of Get Together
Eh.
Goal #10 – Read/Listen to 12 Books
I listened to The Nightingale {all 17+ hours of it} and it is BY FAR the best book I have listened to this year.
So far I have read/listened to:
- Olive Kitteridge
- Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites
- Natural Color: Vibrant Plant Dye Projects for Your Home and WardrobeÂ
- The New Bungalow KitchenÂ
- Container Gardening by Stephanie DonaldsonÂ
- The Nightingale #1
- A Piece of the World #2
- 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
Not yet. Thinking seriously about buying a glass kiln though. {More on that later}
Goal #12 – Visit 12Â Museums, Historical Homes or Botanical Gardens {and bakeries too!}
Currently on hold.
January
- Maine Maritime Museum
- Maine Mineral and Gem Museum
- The Island MarketÂ
- Cafe DiCocoa
- Hungry Hollow Country Store
February
- Two Fat Cats Bakery
- Portland Museum of Art
- Speckled AxÂ
- Atlantic Baking Company
- Rockland, St. George, Cushing and Port Clyde Maine
March
- Bar Harbor and Desert Island Adventures Day One, Day Two and the Summer Cottage Rental Tour.
- Tinder Hearth Bakery in Brooksville, Maine
Goal # 13 – Reach 5,000 Etsy Sales by the End of The YearÂ
As of this morning, I have made 3734 sales on Etsy. That’s up from 2804 on January 1st and it looks like I am on pace to hit 5,000 sales by the end of the year which is VERY exciting! Doing what you love from the comfort of your own home, you just can’t beat that.
This past week I dyed wool and made more garden markers for my Etsy shop {and packed quite a few orders for Mother’s Day}. I also made a set of flowers and finished a new sample for a rug hooking kit I’ll be offering later this summer.
Goal #14 – Once a Month Menu Planning {for 2}
The whole meal planning thing has pretty much gone out the window the past month or two, but the HH made a bundt cake yesterday and after soaking all night in a special juice, today we’ll flip it and give it a try. 🙂
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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 sunshine.
~Mavis
Mel says
Most of my goals have fallen by the wayside for now with everything else going on. Instead, I’ve sewn something like 75 masks in the last few weeks. The most recent batches went to a doctors office and our CSA’s workers. I’m hoping I’ll have a bit more time for some of the other things I planned for this year in a week or so when I’m done with work for the year.
My goal for today is to clear three beds of bolting brassicas (we leave them for our bees) and plant those beds with beans. I’ve grown bush beans before but never pole beans, so I just had to order some trellises. I considered teepees, but I’d have to order materials for that as well, and I think the trellises will be a bit more sturdy in our summer thunderstorms.
Kim says
Love that glimpse of the bedroom makeover and can’t wait for the reveal.
Canning room……..wondering if that is the basement…or what?
Seems like HH has made quite the successful transition from cRaZy hours to semi retirement. Not all men do that very well.
Coveting a drone……that is a fun toy!
Here in TX we are expecting highs in the 90’s for a few days before returning to more normal temps. Hope I can keep things in the garden from frying.
As always, thanks for entertaining us, Mavis!
Blair says
I also enjoyed the Nightengale. I’ve found a few other books from the same era that I’ve enjoyed: The Only Woman in the Room, Lady Clementine, and the Alice Network. All three are biographical fiction of women who were influential during WWII. I find that time fascinating. I’m also currently reading Resistance Women, another book in that subject and am enjoying it thus far.
Tanya says
Blair you would probably really enjoy Lilac Girls! Best book I’ve read in a long time about that era. Oh and The Lost Girls of Paris.
MEM says
Since you loved the Nightingale I would also recommend Kristin Hannah’s “Winter Garden”. “The Great Alone” and “Homefront” are also excellent although the best parts of “The Great Alone” are life in Alaska. It does deal with domestic violence and those parts are extremely hard to read.
Amy says
Hi Mavis,
I have a quick question – I see you’re painting your doors. I had intended to outsource this, but maybe I’ll do it myself. Do you take them off the hinges and everything or just paint them in place? Thanks!
Mavis Butterfield says
Paint in place. 🙂 Just make sure to put up signs so your peeps don’t touch them accidentally.
Diane says
Do you have a tutorial on painting? Such as what kind of prep work is involved on doors and walls? Do you paint walls or trim first? Which things need a primer or do you just paint over the previous coat? My house is overdue and we got some very expensive quotes so I might give it a go. Thanks.
PS – I think you once mentioned a product to mix with paint that helped reduce brushstroke marks. What was that? And do you use it on the walls also using rollers or only when you’re using a brush?
Mavis Butterfield says
I just use regular 1″ chip brushes and Flotrol. Flotrol is the bomb diggety! I add Flotrol every time I paint with latex or acrylic paints. It’s an additive that helps reduce the appearance of brush marks. And it works so well! It’s also pretty cheap, so I think it’s worth it. If you need a few general tips to get you started, check out my Top 10 Painting Tips for extra tricks and tidbits.
Annette says
I can tell that you are an expert painter because you are painting wearing nice clothes vs what I wear to paint in, which is one step away from becoming a rag to wash the car with.
Bonnie says
Mavis,
You do a GREAT job with your painting!
Do you recommend a particular brand you use that is good quality but not too expensive?
Sue says
Hey, Mavis Butterfield I sent my mailing address, please message again if you didn’t get it and thanks again.