My 14 Goals for 2020
Goal #1 – Take Full Advantage of Having My Husband Home 24/7
It was a great week for finding treasures on the beach. Heart shaped rocks, RED sea glass, mussel shells, cool pieces of driftwood, a really nice beach towel and MONEY.
Miss Puggle Love and I found a dollar bill buried under a bunch of seaweed. I was so excited! If this was 1985 I would have been able to buy 4 Big Hunks with that.
Goal #2 – Take Better Care of Myself.
Bought myself a new bottle of Repel 40. The bugs don’t come anywhere near me when I have this stuff on. Now, if there was a magic heat shield potion… I’d buy stock in that.
Also, someone asked last week how the bug situation here vs our last place… UMMM DOESN’T EVEN COMPARE. Remember me trying to garden in a puffy coat? Well, let’s just say I can walk around in shorts and a tank top here. 🙂 Life is good.
Goal #3 – Get Organized
I need to get cracking on my fall planting so we’ll have something to harvest in late September and early October. I had planned on getting broccoli and bean seeds in the ground last week but totally forgot about it.
Our snap peas are long gone so I need to clear those off and plant either some more peas or green beans. IT’S BEEN SO WARM HERE lately though… and I am zapped {outdoor project wise} by 9 am. Gaaa! If only there was sunlight at 3 am… I’d be out there.
Goal #4 – Get Proper Window Coverings on All Our Windows.
All that’s left is window coverings for the sunroom. Which I’ll probably finish this fall because right now, because Lucy likes to sun herself on the couch or floor in that room.
Goal #5 – Master Bedroom Make Over {almost done!}
Yesterday I removed all the wallpaper from the 2nd closet in the master bedroom and let me tell you Bob, it was SO MUCH easier than the linen closet. I think I only had to use the spray bottle like three times. The wall paper peeled off beautifully I tell you! It was a nice surprise.
Next I’ll putty the holes, paint, and then we’ll see about adding some sort of shelf of hanging thingamajig. It’s kind of an awkward space due to where the window is positioned, so I’m not exactly sure what I want to do in there yet storage wise.
Still left to do:
Paint Writing Desk a Glossy Black- Finish the 2nd closet
- Paint the Creamy Closet Doors White
- Refinish the Floors
Goal #6 – Kitchen Update
All that’s left to do is paint the kitchen cabinets which we’ll do as soon as the temps drop and there is a nice breeze. Spraying cabinets in 80 degree heat just does not appeal to us.
Goal #7 – Install Vegetable Garden Done!
On the agenda for today {before it gets too hot}:
- Pick green beans, tomatoes, and zucchini
- Make General Tso’s chicken stir fry this morning and serve it later for dinner
- Pull weeds in front
- Water hanging baskets
Goal #8 – Explore More of Maine
I must get out of the house this week. But where to go?
Goal #9 – Host Some Sort of Get Together
Does having a yard sale count? Yes, I think it does. 😉
Goal #10 – Read/Listen to 12 Books
I didn’t listen to any books on audiobook this week but I did order a new music CD and I am currently waiting for The Dutch House {thanks to someone’s recommendation}. Have you read it? Was it good?
So far this year I have read/listened to:
- Olive Kitteridge #3
- Olive, Again
- Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers
- Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man
- 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 #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
My neighbor just bought a glass kiln so this year I’ll be learning the art of fusing glass… and I’m excited!! The kiln should be here in about 2 weeks.
Goal #12 – Visit 12 Museums, Historical Homes or Botanical Gardens {and bakeries too!}
Sadly a lot of museums and botanical gardens are not open {or the effort is go is too great} that this goal has sort of fizzled. It started out great, but quickly went downhill. 🙁
January
- Maine Maritime Museum
- Maine Mineral and Gem Museum
- The Island Market
- Cafe DiCocoa
- Hungry Hollow Country Store
February
- Two Fat Cats Bakery
- Portland Museum of Art
- Speckled Ax
- 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
May
- Puzzle Mountain Bakery Pie Stand in Newry, Maine
June
- Red’s Eats in Wiscasset, Maine
- The Bees Knees Honey Stand in Kennebunkport, Maine
- Rococo Ice Cream Kennebunkport, Maine
- Beech Hill Farm Hopkinton, NH
July
- Wallingford Farm in Kennebunk, Maine
- Marshall Point Lighthouse in Port Clyde, Maine
Goal # 13 – Reach 5,000 Etsy Sales by the End of The Year
As of this morning, I have made 4528 sales on Etsy. That’s up from 2804 on January 1st! Only 472 sales to go before I hit my goal. This past week I’ve been dying wool and putting together rug hooking kits for my Etsy shop. I’ve also been busy working on re-stocking my supply of garden markers as well.
Goal #14 – Once a Month Menu Planning {for 2}
- The HH’s meal plan for the month: Snacking & BBQ
- My meal plan for the month: Ice Cream, Pie, Salads and Pickety Bits {It’s going very well}
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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 sunshine.
~Mavis
Marlene Wurtzbacher says
I read The Dutch House and really liked it. It stirred a lot of different emotions.
Have you been to Harpswell yet? Points Point is where I have vacationed.
How is your tall ship hooking going?
Mavis Butterfield says
We have not been to Harpswell yet but it’s on our list. I put the tall ship rug on hold until cooler weather arrives.
Mel says
I wonder if a freestanding clothes rack (maybe on wheels) would work for that space.
My goals are a bit of a mess since I had to go back to work 5 weeks early to frantically prepare for a very different school year (more stress for me but far less for the students, so it’s worth it!), but I am going to spend the day on a sewing project I’ve been chipping away on, so I’m excited for that.
Carolina Cooper says
Not a place to visit in Maine, but yesterday, I went to Union Lake Peach Orchard in Barrington, NH. It was $15 for a HUGE bag of freshly picked peaches—they do the picking, but you can request a bag of mixed varieties, which I did. If you decide to go, it is just a couple of miles up the road from Calef’s Country Store, a place I know you have been previously, Mavis, and have written about. If you should decide to go, check their face book page for times, as they close some days to let more varieties of peaches ripen! BTW the peaches were juicy and delicious.
Roxanne says
I just read 28 summers by e hildenbrand. Great book couldn’t put it down. It takes place in nantucket
Are u canning blueberries
Mavis Butterfield says
No, but I’ll be freezing them. 🙂
Lynn from NC Outer Banks says
Wait, wait, WAIT! RED sea glass?? So jealous. In my over 20 years of collecting have only found one piece-my greatest find.
Elle says
The Dutch House is excellent! Actually, I have enjoyed every book so far on Jenna Bush-Hager’s reading club list!
Donna says
You don’t know what hot weather is. I had to move to Arizona at the end of June and it has been over 100 every single day. I moved from Colorado. I brought 5 tomato plants that I had in pots with me and the only tomatoes on them are the ones that were on when I left Colorado ( 2 cherry tomatoes). I want to go back but this is where my husband now works.
Laura says
You might look at Elfa closets from the Container Store. They are supported by the back wall, not the sides, so it would work with a window in front of it. If you can wait until January, they are 30% off at that time. You could look at their website to get an idea of what I am talking about. We have them in our closets and love them!
tia in boise says
My goals:
1. Organize 20 areas of the house–yikes! 2 projects completed. I need to get to this if I want to have anything accomplished before school starts (WHATEVER that looks like!)
2. Pay down 20% of debt on one card. (grrrrrr….this is more like 10% right now–hope to get it to 15%)
3. Cut back on sweets–doing great!
4. Soda only on pizza night–doing pretty good! (although it’s always easier in the summer…)
5. Create and implement cleaning schedule–not sure where I put the one I made–better make a new one–especially since everyone moved out of house and it’s now just DH and me–and he won’t clean a thing (other than dishes) if he’s not asked to…
6. Set up sewing machine and complete 20 projects. HA–who would have guessed back in January that I would accomplish this goal just by sewing masks! I’ve made a few other things and made face masks for DH, me, teaching partner, and immediate family members. Last week I made 27 face masks in 5 days (a feat for me!) for a gal to give out as party favors at a bridal shower—I wasn’t sure my seamstress work was professional enough to sell, but I took on the challenge. (I charged her so little that I basically paid HER to let me hone my skills.)
7. Go on 20 dates with DH. BOOOOO… We had gone on 5 dates before the pandemic. We’ve squeezed in 2 golf outings. This week marks our 25th anniversary, and I am “forcing” us to get out and do something fun/different each day this week–and since we have a bit of tax refund leftover, we are going to be ordering takeout from different restaurants each night!
8. Lose 20 pounds–yea!!! on track to complete this goal–if I am able to continue to run once school starts. I have lost 12 pounds.
9. Exercise 20 minutes every day–I run 3.11 miles everyday and occasionally push it to 4 or 5. I do take occasional days off and need to start doing some calisthenics those days…
10. Make 20 new recipes–I just made my 14th new recipe the other night–thankfully we dished up BEFORE the Pyrex pan exploded because I set it on top of the (whoops) still hot burner.
11. Get rid of (trash or donate) 20 things–hopefully this will come along as I work on house projects…
12. Never be without water–doing great with this! I have never been so hydrated in my life! I need to go through my bottles and select the easiest (flip-top?) to drink out of, with minor adjusting for back-to-school.
13. In bed by 11:00 on weeknights–I’ve been on summer time and can’t get to sleep because I’m “of that age”, but I do need to get back to trying harder…
14. Complete 20 acts of kindness–I have NOT been feeling very kind lately…I’ve completed at least 4 things…maybe doing more will put me in a kinder mood?
15. Purchase and use journal–food, exercise, gifts…–doing okay on this–need to find a more permanent “IN THE WAY” spot so I’ll see it and use it more.
16. Classroom: Stay focused and leave by 4:00 each day. Nope–summer.
17. Stop swearing. Hmmmmm….see kindness note above….
18. Complete Book Nerd Challenge–50 books. I’m currently reading my 15th book–doable but will be cutting it close.
19. Track found money and items. I’ve found $1.77 so far this year. Normally be now I would be up to at least $3 or $4–but with everyone not out and about so much…this one’s taking a hit.
20. Put stuff away once used–each day. This was meant to be a school year goal, but I could still do better at it. I stink about putting stuff away when items don’t have a “home”–and I am reluctant to dedicate places for things…
Beth says
I did read/listen to The Dutch House. I thought it was good, but didn’t like Tom Hanks as the narrator. You may want to check out The Henna Artist. Also, did you ever read Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger. I read it quite a while ago and liked it. He has a new book out that I just started listening to that I think I will really like. It’s called This Tender Land.
Be well!
Beth
Mimi says
I read the print version of The Dutch House and loved it!
You just nudged me into planting a few more rows of peas and beans…thanks, I needed that!
Nan says
I loved the Dutch House but I’m an Ann Patchett fan- in fact I am about ready to re-read Commonwealth and just finished The Good Earth by Pearl Buck. I am re-reading a lot of good books instead of going to the library these days. Next is Poisonwood Bible- a great book I’ve read twice already. I like you love picky platters- cheese and nuts are one of my favorite things to eat. Wish I could go to some of those general stores you’ve visited!
Linda T says
I “read” The Dutch House” on audiobook loan from the library and enjoyed it very much. I read a lot of books, both audio and hardcopy, usually try to read 50+ each year. Not sure why, but I haven’t read as much this year. I’ve done a lot of sewing- mostly masks for all my neighbors, a couple of local businesses, etc. I donated them, even though I know there are people making a lot of money selling masks. It just seemed like a way I could help without exposing ourselves (we are both high-risk.) I wish I could do more- so many are hurting.