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12 Goals for the New Year

My 22 Goals for 2019 – Week 20 of 52

By Mavis Butterfield on - 42 Comments

My 22 Goals for 2019


Goal #1 — Spend More Time Doing What I Love

Last week seemed to zip on by and I am so glad I took a bunch of photos to help me remember everything! 😉

Goal #2 — Garden, Garden, Garden

A few days ago I planted all my squash seeds {pumpkins, gourds, and summer squash} in those thin little breathable fabric pots I like so much and hopefully this year, I’ll get a bumper crop. Have you every grown birdhouse gourds before? Look at those seeds! They’re so funky.

Goal #3 — Plant an Orchard

Yesterday the HH moved Lemon outside for the summer. The peeps at Snug Harbor Farm said that once the evening temps hit 50 degrees, it was safe to keep her outside until the early fall when the temps begin to drop again. I’ll overwinter her in the heated morning room but for now, it’s fresh air and sunny skies for my potted Meyer lemon tree.

Goal #4 — Gussy Up the Potting Shed Done!

Goal #5 — Grow Enough Extra Vegetables, Eggs and Flowers to Earn $1500 at my little roadside vegetable stand.

I’ve decided to grow my wall of spinner gourds along the garden fence and on the potting shed roof this year. Apparently the vines can grow up to 35 feet long so they are going to need some room to spread out. The gourds won’t dry in time to sell this year at the little farm stand, but by next summer they should have dried out and I’ll be able to sell a little gourd craft at the stand. I’m excited!

Goal #6 — Finish Every Single Unfinished Rug Hooking Project in My Pattern Bin + 10 Things from back Issues of Magazines/Books I’ve Been Meaning to Make. 

WHAT DO YOU SEE in the dye pot above? I was totally freaked out after I sprinkled some dye in the pot and saw this. My next Etsy Shop update will be on Friday, May 31st at 6pm EST and while I didn’t get much hooking done this past week, I did dye a few pots of wool. 😉

I only finished one rug from my pattern bin.

I started the year off with:

  • 73 rugs in my pattern bin {now down to 50}
  • 183 hooked flowers {finished 90, now down to 93}
  • 10 “things” from back issues of magazines {finished 0}

Goal #7 — Create 12 New Rug Hooking Patterns {with at least half of them being large ones}

10 down, 2 to go! This past month I added 4 new patterns to my Etsy shop.

I am looking forward to continuing to hook up new patterns and in June, I am going to work exclusively on ONE GIANT rug so although it will be a bit of a challenge to get it hooked in 30 days {it really is huge} working on just one rug, will be a nice change of pace.

New rug hooking patterns I’ve created and added to My Etsy Shop this year:

Goal #8 — Split and Stack 2 Cords of Wood for Next Winter 

Nothing to report. But hey, this winter’s wood is looking pretty good.

Goal #9 — Do Something with the 5,002 Photos on My Phone

Nothing to report. This goal makes me a little crazy. If only for the fact that I know if I had to pay to get 5,000+ photos developed at the photo mat, I wouldn’t have taken so many. Why do we feel the need to hang on to photo’s we will never use?

Goal #10 –Lose the Muffin Top

Working theory: Muffy will just fall off during gardening season. And Manny is my new workout buddy. 😉 So far I don’t think it’s working. Maybe I need to spend more time outside?

Goal #11 — Run, Walk or Crawl a 5k, 10k, Half Marathon and Marathon

Nothing new to report.

Goal #12 — Read or Listen to 26 New Books {11 down, 15 to go}

I started listening to The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin a few days ago and well, I am 42 minutes into the audiobook and not sure if I am going to continue. I don’t think I can handle listening to {pretty much} the same thing over and over again for another 5 hours. Some books, you can get the gist of it within the first 15 minutes. And others, they hook you in to the end.

Also, I need to add some more books to my reading list. Do you have any suggestions? Historical fiction and autobiographies seem to be winners for me this year.

I am waiting my turn on the library wait list for the following audio books:

Books I’ve Read or Listened to So Far This Year:

Goal #13 — Try 52 New Recipes.

I have a new recipe I want to try. I just need to make the time to make it. Maybe next we’ll stay put and not go on any mini adventures and cook instead.

Goal #14 — Clean Up 52 Old Recipes on the Blog

Seven recipes down, 45 to go. I need to get going on this goal. Big time. I keep telling myself that fall will be the best time to do this {now that we are spending so much time outside these days}.

Goal #15 — Fill 100 Canning Jars 34 down, 66 to go.

So far this year I’ve I canned:

Goal #16 — Finish Furnishing Our House

No new furniture or even treasures from the recycling center to report.

Furniture pieces I’m still on the hunt for:

  • Coffee table for the family room
  • Console, cupboard or sideboard for the one and only tv in our house which is in the family room. I could totally live without a television, but my husband says the tv stays.
  • Long rectangular table for the craft room.
  • Table for the formal dining room.
  • 2 wing back chairs for the family room.
  • I’d also like to decorate the mantel in the keeping room as well as put up some sort of decoration above the other 3 2 fireplaces in the house. I’m not one for a lot of things on the walls, but it would be nice to throw up a little pilgrim bling on the plaster.

Goal #17 – 52 Dates with the HH {17 down, 35 to go}

Last week the HH and I headed to the Strawbery Banke history museum and boy was it ever worth the $18 admission price. I’ll tell you all about it on Tuesday. It was awesome.

Goal #18 — Take One Adult Education Class Done {I’ve taken 2!}

Another cool thing I did last week was take a spoon making class with my buddy Heather from Massachusetts. It was a long day, but we both went home with some pretty cool spoons. I’ll share the pictures soon.

Goal #19 — Secret {for now} Holiday Project 

It’s official, I now how 2 secret holiday projects. The good news is, BOTH of the projects, are something YOU will be easily able to re-create in plenty of time for the holidays if you want to {I’ll share the tutorials in September after I’ve had time to write up the posts, take loads of pictures and create my version of the finished product}.

Goal #20 — Create 12 Wowie Zowie Party Platters

4 down, 8 to go.

Goal #21 — Visit 12 General Stores

5 down 7 to go.

So far this year we’ve visited:

Goal #22 — Compete with Carole….. Get on My Front Door Game On

Mama Robin is still protecting her nest {located right on top of our front door lantern} but I did manage to snap a picture of the hanging basket I hung up last week. The HH is planning on painting the door {and building me a barn door to go over the front door during the winter months} so hopefully that spot will have a cool new look to it soon.

Front Door Bling I’ve Made So Far This Year to Compete with Carole:

  • Late January : Valentine Heart
  • Late February : Shamrock
  • Late March : Giant Carrot

**************

How about YOU? What are your goals for 2019? If you told us about them HERE, check in! We want to know how you are doing. Because seriously, it’s so much easier to get those goals checked off your list when you have people rooting for you! 🙂

♥ Mavis

You can read more about my 22 goals for 2019 HERE.

Have a Great Sunday!

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Comments

    • Patti says

      Kara, I bought We Took to the Woods in 2013 in paperback , but never read it. I recently donated it because I found my grandparents’ 1942 hardback copy. I just pulled it off my bookshelf and plan to finally read it. Thanks for the reminder/recommendation.

      Reply

      • Kara says

        That’s awesome! I loved it once I figured out that each chapter was answering the question in the chapter title. She’s very witty!

        Reply

  3. Beth Linquist says

    You will love the book, The Great Alone,by Kristin Hannah. You may also like The Women in the Castle, by Jessica Shattuck. Another book I found to be very interesting was Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist, by Eli Saslow. Happy listening!

    Reply

  4. Lindsey says

    Historical fiction: C.J. Sansom, set in the Tudor era, starring a hunch-backed lawyer who ends up working for Henry and later Elizabeth Tudor. It is a series and each book is lengthy but so dense and atmospheric that they fly by. He also does another series (he was an historian and then a lawyer and now a writer) but it is set in an era I have no interest in.

    Reply

  5. Rebecca in MD says

    I really enjoyed Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance – – – the audiobook is read by the author.

    I also recommend Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder.

    Reply

    • Mavis Butterfield says

      Loved Hillbilly Elegy! Just checked out Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century and it’s only available as an ebook. I might have to see if I can check it out from the library.

      Reply

  6. Martine says

    I have just put down two Gretchen Ruben books too – Better Than Before where she comes up with the Four Tendences and Happier At Home. I found I was skipping pages as she got very repetitive and I was getting bored. I’ll send them to our charity bookshelf and perhaps someone else will enjoy them. I was disappointed as I enjoyed the Happier Project. I am loving Liane Moriarty books just now. x

    Reply

    • Linda says

      I also just finished Where the Crawdads Sing, It was a beautiful read but I kept waiting on her to find happiness. It came so late in the book.

      Reply

  8. Diana says

    Hi there! I’m kinda into historical biographies – especially of queens, lol. Here are a few I thought interesting:
    1) Founding Mothers – The Women Who Raised our Nation by Cokie Roberts
    2) The Last of the Duchess by Caroline Blackwood – this one’s about Wallace Simpson
    3) Matriarch by Anne Edwards – about Queen Mary and the House of Windsor
    4) Great Catherine, The Life of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia by Carolly Erickson

    Enjoy!

    Reply

  9. Laura T. says

    Yep, caught my eye right away! It looks like a lizardy type critter in your pot! Very cool! I can’t wait to get in the garden! The weather by me has been so chilly & tons of rain & storms! When it’s clear, we run out & do what we can. We are way behind! I feel bad for the farmers who are behind as well! It’s supposed to finally warm up but still lots of rain in the forecast. What’s funny is the weeds are fine with any conditions! They are growing just fine!

    Reply

  11. Beth says

    Mavis not a book but have you watched the Bromwell series on Amazon Prime? I binged it. Love the clothing, sets etc., as well as the historical prospective for women. Takes place in London 1895.

    For books I love the Maisie Dobbs series, historical with interesting plot lines.

    Reply

    • Kristina says

      I second the Maisie Dobbs series, which I have really enjoyed. I just finished “A Thread of Grace” by Mary Doria Russell. It was so good (in an emotionally challenging way) and I’m glad I read it. It’s a story about Northern Italy during the last years of WWII.

      Reply

  12. Jennifer Parsons says

    A Discovery of Witches is written by Deborah Harkness who teaches at the University of Southern California. The trilogy is well researched. Worth reading for the historical aspect alone

    Reply

  14. Tanya says

    I suggest Lilac Girls and then Lost Roses both by Martha Hall Kelly. Also, The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff. All great historical reads!

    Reply

  16. Kristina says

    I enjoyed reading “Woman 99” by Greer Macallister & the Flavia de Luce mysteries by Alan Bradley.

    Reply

  17. Lolly says

    Can you just download the photos from your phone to your computer and save them? (Also save them to an external hard drive, as a backup.) I kinda like the pics I’ve taken….they were taken for a reason….even if I don’t want to print them all.

    So yearly goals….I found something out a few weeks ago. We were traveling and I’d had 3 wks of insomnia + sickness and so during our trip I took a pm medicine (basically benadryl) every night. When we got home, I kept taking the med every pm….for two weeks….till dh noticed I was still taking them….and yeah, sleep meds can be bad for one over the long haul. Sigh. But for three weeks….I slept thru the night every night. If I woke, due to a thunder storm or our dogs barking or whatever, I fell RIGHT back to sleep. And guess what keen observation I had with THREE WEEKS of GOOD sleep….I had energy. I made lists, and did them…..and then did some more! I wanted to go. I wanted to do. I felt like a real person. Who would’ve thought?! So last week, nada on the pm meds….and guess what. I slept thru the night 2 out of 7 nights. And I got very little done. I didn’t want to go, I didn’t want to do. Sigh. I bought a bottle of melatonin on Friday, and I’ve slept through the night the past two nights, and I hope to get into a good routine once my sleep is caught back up! A friend made the comment that getting outside and doing some exercise helps with sleeping better. Yes. But if one only sleeps 3hrs a night….one will NOT be getting outside for exercise. When I was sleeping deeply and fully, I was outside most days, and active, and it was amazing! So getting my sleep dealt with is going to be a game changer for ALL the goals I made!!

    I can say that two of my goals that I added have been working well….I am better scheduling my time so that I don’t put my makeup on while driving anymore! And I’ve been working on my cranky driver issues A TON, and have become more patient and laid back….and not as anxious….when I am stuck behind people. With those goals came the unintended consequence of being late everywhere because I now took 8 min to add makeup at home….and I was driving more slowly….oops. So that issue has been mostly corrected now. Lol.

    It’s been a good while since I’ve sewn. My insomnia was long and hard + I was sick a week+ with bronchitis, then we traveled. When we got home….I’ve been busy with other things. I picked dewberries (an early blackberry) for several days. Made a pie from them….yum! Froze the rest. I’ve been busy with cleaning and visiting people, and just life. So no sewing….but I haven’t missed it too much. I do hope to spend a day each week of the summer working on Christmas gifts….the kids helping, too.

    My tendencies to hide + my anxiety….they went up when I was not sleeping, and mostly disappeared when I was resting well. Huh. I do know that my insomnia has been way worse since we lost our son last year, and I think it became such the norm, that I adapted and didn’t realize HOW BAD it had gotten. Until I slept for 3 wks.

    So new goal: sleep well. Then I can live life.

    Reply

  18. Jacqui Gauld says

    Totally agree about the CJSansom books, Matthew Shardlake is a fascinating character.
    Another series I love is the Eagles of the Empire by Simon Scarrow. Macro and Cato are Roman legionaries and the books cover their careers, personal lives and are set in various countries/provinces.
    My third choice would be the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. It is not just a set of “bodice rippers” as so many suggest but is set over various time periods and various countries. I would not judge this series by the Starz television series, which is really not doing justice to the complexity and depth of the books.
    Another author I always enjoy is Kate Mosse. Her Languedoc trilogy is excellent.
    My next choice would be Ken Folletts Kingsbridge Cathedral books and his Century (20th) trilogy.
    My final choice would be The Winds of War and War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk (who has recently died). Oh, nearly forgot one of my favourite books ever – Gone to Soldiers by Marge Piercy, set around WW2.

    Reply

    • Margaret Hudgins says

      I so agree about Outlander by: Dianna Gabaldon. I am an avid historical fiction reader, and unfortunately, Starz did little to tell the story accurately; They made a sex flick out of it, and shame on them for it. The series was so well don, the characters complex and believable. Ms Gabaldon takes about three years to complete one of her large books due to meticulous research. I love her books, and do be sure to read her “little” books focusing on each minor character in the main series.

      Reply

      • Margaret Hudgins says

        I forgot to mention that Ken Follett’s king’sbridge series and the 20th Century Trilogy are also excellent. I had a hard time putting any of them down to keep up with the house work. Jacqui, it sounds like we have the same (good) taste in books.

        Reply

  19. Jude DeWitt says

    Hi Mavis,
    I’m about to plant some spinner gourd seeds too, but my placement won’t be as impressive as your shed wall and roof. I am intrigued by the suggestion of a barn door over the front door for the winter. You two are so creative!

    May I suggest a small book I just finished that touched my soul? It’s a biography of a woman who lived through WWII in Poland (as a child of 11-14 yrs of age), titled: Child of the Forest by Jack Grossman. It was touching but not terribly graphic, though the events in her evasion of the Nazis were certainly depicted well enough to understand. It was her will to live that continually inspired me.

    Reply

  20. Margery says

    Well I hope to do a goal update next Sunday. But I have surived two boys graduating college in the same weekend on two separate sides of the State. Currently have 10 people in my house, plus three kids college stuff, and it’s the final week of middle school and my job.

    Reply

  21. Patty P says

    I see a t-rex -ish type of dinosaur in your wool pot! I just reserved some of the suggested books that sound interesting (love getting recommendations). Book Recommendations from me: The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton (suspense–pretty engaging book. I couldn’t put it down.) and A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. I’ve also just re-read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald with my juniors…

    Reply

    • Rebecca Walker says

      I loved the audio version of Bill Bryson’s book A Walk in the Woods. I used to listen to it in the car and my 11-year-old grandson loved it too.

      Reply

  22. Kristen says

    I love Gretchen Rubin’s podcast, “Happier” and she talks about the Four Tendencies on there a lot. I don’t really plan to read her book because I think it will be a lot of what she’s already said on the podcast. So if you’re interested in the topic, I’d definitely recommend that vs. listening to/reading the book.

    I also LOVE historical fiction – Kate Morton is my favorite! Not in the same category, but Night Circus was also an amazing book, definitely definitely recommend!

    Reply

  23. R Brumfield says

    Have you read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver? If not, I think you would really enjoy.

    Reply

      • R Brumfield says

        I totally understand. I’m reading it and listening to it both for the first time. I wish everyone would read it. Her restaurant is about 2 hours from where I live. I hope to get there soon.

        Reply

  24. Pauline in Upstate NY says

    Because of your recommendation, I read Sarah McCoy’s “Marilla of Green Gables, and I *loved * it. So then I read a couple other of her books. I *strongly* recommend “The Baker’s Daughter.” My husband also read it while I had it out of the library, and even he loved it.

    Reply

  26. Sara says

    The Gown by Jennifer Robson is a good historical fiction novel. I just finished it and really enjoyed it.

    Reply

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