My 22 Goals for 2019
Goal #1 — Spend More Time Doing What I Love
I spent most of Sunday and part of Monday looking out the window and admiring the snow…. But now it’s all gone now. It was nearly 60 degrees on Tuesday and now our road is one big soggy mess. Sniff sniff. Hopefully we’ll get another big storm soon. I’m not quite ready for it to be spring yet. Give me another month though and I think I’ll be ready.
Goal #2 — Garden, Garden, Garden
Have you started any seeds yet? Last year I didn’t get my tomato and pepper seeds started until around the first part of April which turned out to be perfect since I didn’t end up setting out my plants out until around the end of May here in New England.
This year though, there are a few things I’ll be starting from seed that will need a little more time to germinate {a full 12 weeks!} like artichoke, rosemary and lavender so I’ll be getting those seeds started this week.
Goal #3 — Plant an Orchard
I won’t be planting fruit trees until late spring… but HEY, a horse and cart! Have I told you how much I love it here? There are several horse properties nearby and for some reason, they love going up and down our street.
Goal #4 — Gussy Up the Potting Shed
The HH began clearing out the potting shed for me on Tuesday. I was originally going to do it but he was standing around looking like he needed something to do and so I asked him if he’d haul all the junk out and string up the party lights for me. And then if that wasn’t enough…. I told him I would LOVE to have a 7 foot potting table for Valentine’s Day.
He muttered something about it being too cold to work outside and I was like, oh, well you can just build the potting table inside the garage with the doors down and when it’s done I’ll help you carry it out to the potting shed. {Because you know, I like to be helpful.} 🙂 That should teach him to stand around in one place for too long.
Goal #5 — Grow Enough Extra Vegetables, Eggs and Flowers to Earn $1500 at my little roadside vegetable stand.
What do you think is a reasonable price to ask for eggs if you had a vegetable stand at the end of your driveway? I only put eggs out a few times and I can’t remember if I charged $3 or $4 dollars.
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.
This past week I finished 1 tulip rug for my next Etsy Shop update on March 1st.
I started the year off with:
- 71 rugs {now down to 65}
- 183 hooked flowers {finished 62, now down to 121}
- 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}
I am currently working on rug hooking pattern #3 and with a little luck I am hoping to have it done by next weekend. It’s a big one though so we’ll see. 2 down, 10 to go.
I also dyed a wee bit of wool this past week which is why I’m a little behind in the completed hooked rugs department. 😉 Dying wool is kind of like eating potato chips… you can’t stop at just one {bundle}.
Goal #8 — Split and Stack 2 Cords of Wood for Next Winter
Nope. Not yet. {We currently have about 4 1/2 cords of wood left. Which means we’ve gone through about 3 1/2 cords so far this winter}.
Goal #9 — Do Something with the 5,002 Photos on My Phone
Started with 5,002 photos, now down to 3,478 , 3516 , 3532, 3491 3628 3534 photos. Now, if I could just get under 3,000 by the end of the month, I might feel like I was making some progress.
Goal #10 –Lose the Muffin Top
It’s still there. I’ll do a photo update the first weekend in February. March
Goal #11 — Run, Walk or Crawl a 5k, 10k, Half Marathon and Marathon
One race down, four to go. When I challenged myself to complete a few races this year {in an effort to get rid of Muffy}, I thought for sure I’d be able to punch them out and get the races over with EARLY in the year. But holy cats people, it’s cold outside and the motivation level is pretty low right now. P R E T T Y L O W.
I am seriously considering making my own race bib and walking a half marathon around the mall just so I can get it over with. Why, oh why did I make this a goal!?
Goal #12 — Read or Listen to 26 New Books
Currently listening to : Finders Keepers. It’s not the kind of book I normally listen to but so far so good.
I am patiently waiting my turn on the library wait list for the following books:
- Carnegie’s Maid #4 on the list
- The Four Tendencies #20 on the list
- Before We Were Yours #109 on the list
- This is the Story of a Happy Marriage #4
- The Coddling of the American Mind #15
- The Alice Network #31
- Marilla of Green Gables #3
- 12 Rules for Life #24
Books I’ve Read or Listened to So Far This Year:
Goal #13 — Try 52 New Recipes.
The HH tried a new soup recipe this past week; cheesy cauliflower. I don’t even really like cauliflower but I thought it was pretty good and both the HH and The Girl liked it so there you go. 5 down, 47 recipes to go!
Goal #14 — Clean Up 52 Old Recipes.
I was a total slacker this week and didn’t clean up any of my old recipes. 🙁 Six recipes down, 46 to go.
Goal #15 — Fill 100 Canning Jars
No canning going on at the moment but I’m ready to go.
Goal #16 — Finish Furnishing Our House
Hey now, is that a table and chair set in the dining room? Why yes it is! Looks pretty nice don’t you think? It even matches the sideboard along the wall. It totally looks like a proper dining room now. Well, you know, except for the Vienna twig tree in the corner.
Now technically, I did steal the furniture for the dining room from the kitchen so we actually didn’t GAIN any furniture this week {unless you want to count my imaginary table} but I do like the idea of having a smaller table off the kitchen {maybe something square or a smaller tavern style table like we have in the dining room}.
I don’t know, I guess I must not be in a big hurry because I haven’t been able to find any second hand furniture I’m interested in this winter. Maybe the thrift stores and antique shops will have a better selection once the weather warms up and people are doing a bit of spring cleaning.
Furniture pieces I’d like to acquire this year:
- 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 that nobody will ever sit in.
- A wing back chair 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 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 {5 down, 47 to go}
We had a spectacular date day on Friday up in the Camden area. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.
Goal #18 — Take One Adult Education Class
Waiting for the perfect pastry class to come along. Or maybe something that isn’t even on my radar.
Goal #19 — Secret {for now} Holiday Project
I have the stuff. Now I just need to figure it out. Meanwhile, here is a picture of Lucy sleeping in my basket of wool strips.
Goal #20 — Create 12 Wowie Zowie Party Platters
I don’t know guys, what do you think? Does this platter of pickety bits we made for the Superbowl count? Personally I think the Good and Plenty’s jazz it up a bit.
Goal #21 — Visit 12 General Stores
We finally made it to our first general store of the year and whoa Nelly it was a good one! Everything from sap buckets to wedding dresses. I’ll do a proper show and tell on Wednesday.
Goal #22 — Compete with Carole….. Get on My Front Door Game On
Front Door Bling I’ve Made So Far This Year to Compete with Carole:
Late January : Valentine Heart ♥
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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.
Cathy says
I like the maple syrup picture, do you have any sugar maples on your property?
And are all in New England sugar maples?
Mavis Butterfield says
We have maple trees, but forgot to tag them in the fall and I am kicking myself! I think my husband would really like tapping trees.
Robin in WI says
Hi, Mavis! I would pay $3 to $5 for a dozen eggs at a farm stand or farmer’s market. We buy organic/small-farm/pasture-raised eggs at grocery stores (animal welfare is my first concern, so chickens getting to roam outdoors like nature intended is the top priority in choosing eggs), and the price is either $4 or $5 a dozen. There’s an egg producer a few miles from us with large pastures and I love seeing all the chickens roaming around. 🙂
Mel says
I started milkweed, cardinal flower, calendula, bee balm, and snapdragon seeds last weekend since they seem to need more time to germinate or get to transplant size. I started peppers (always extra slow for me), aster, lupine (not sure if that will transplant, so I saved some to direct sew), and blue sage yesterday. Next weekend I’ll start tomatoes (we transplant them several times under lights and move outside once they’re in half gallon pots) and more flowers. We’ve always grown veggies, but we’re trying to build a pollinator garden this year to add some flowers. (Zone 7b in MD if anyone is curious)
I haven’t made much progress on my goals yet due to some fabric issues. The waterproof fabric I wanted to sew snowpants went out of stock and then was discontinued, and I can’t find enough of another type in stock anywhere. So, I might change that goal to sewing summer pants or shorts and circle back to the snowpants if I’m able to find fabric. My Christmas tree skirt and quilt are better on track because I’ve bought most of the materials, but they’re more involved projects, so I haven’t had a chance to make much progress on actual construction yet.
Rebecca in MD says
Hi Mel,
You are off to a great start in your garden! I also grow milkweed and bee balm. I grew my milkweed from seed and now it is well established in my garden. I bought a transplant of bee balm (purple rooster) a couple of years ago and just love it.
I started my onion seeds last week: Cortland, Talon F1, Rosa di Milano, and New York Early. I am in MD zone 7a. I grew Cortland last year, which was my first attempt at onions, and they stored very well. I still have some left.
I grow the annual Cosmos Bright Lights, that I started from seed, and the bees love them. Once you plant them they will happily re-seed from year to year, and you can move them where you want them in the spring. The plants get to 4 – 5 foot in my Maryland garden, and the flowers are a beautiful orange.
I think I will start my pepper plants from seed this week. I saved some jalapeno seeds from last year, and I am going to try Iko Iko sweet pepper (purple, yellow, red, orange).
No progress yet on the sewing front, but I am making progress on my cross-stitch pillow cases……..
Mel says
That’s all super helpful since I’m new to growing flowers! We’re very excited about milkweed for Monarchs, and I think I got lemon bee balm. I have Cosmos seeds to start soon (Indonesian Kennikura), so it’s great those will re-seed. For early spring forage, we usually just let overwintered brassicas go to seed, and the bumblebees and honeybees go crazy for them. They flower profusely and before anything else really gets going.
I haven’t had great luck with onions from seed, so it’s great that yours turned out. Perennial spring onions did better for me, and I tried planting onion and shallot bulbs in the fall to over-winter since garlic usually works well for us. They seem to be doing well. We also have an over-wintered variety of broccoli (purple sprouting) that should start producing soon.
For peppers, we have early jalapeno (Craig’s came in too late for us last year), Oda purple, Roumanian Red, Emerald Giant, Canary Bell, Tobasco, and cayenne. The bells don’t always turn out for us, but the hot peppers usually do.
If you’re looking for tomato varieties, we love Summer Cider. It has great texture and flavor but also tolerates bad weather, soil, and bugs. We’ve grown it for 3 years and add more space for it each year.
Cross-stitching is impressive! Pillow cases are pretty easy to sew (for bed pillows or throw), so you might be able to try cross-stitching cases you sew at some point. I seem to be very all or nothing with sewing, so I hope to get going again soon. Best of luck to you as well!
Rebecca in MD says
Thanks so very much for the tomato tips! I grew gardener’s delight cherry tomatoes last year and highly recommend them. We are also growing San Marzanso, Mortgage Lifter, and Amish Paste. I will look for Summer Cider.
In terms of hot peppers, we also love pepperoncini. We pickle pepperoncini and jalapeno and enjoy them all year in salads, quesadillas, chili, and all kinds of dishes. I’ll look into some of the other varieties you are growing. So nice to meet someone who is also in zone 7!
Mel says
I got Summer Cider, the jalapeno, and Rhoumanian Red from Diane’s Flower Seeds, but the rest are Baker Creek. Pepperoncini is a great idea! I may have to try it.
And yes, zone 7 is crazy. Our daffodils have been blooming for a week!
Jennifer Meyer says
Another 7b’er here and crazy is right! Everyone talks about having to give zucchini away and I’ve only ever been able to grow zucchini once. The first year i grew 3, literally 3 zucchini! Since then I haven’t grown a single one. Gorgeous plants, but no fruit and they eventually succumb to one disease or another. But I just keep punishing myself every year trying again. I also can’t grow full size tomatoes of any variety, but I last year I grew 130 grape tomatoes off one plant lol!
Mel says
YES! I grew zucchini exactly once and pumpkins exactly once. Ours are always taken out one way or the other before they fruit, though cucumbers and mini watermelon have done okay. This is the first year I’m not even trying squash.
I have better luck with tomatoes, but it’s a lot of work. We have to grow them from seed, and we have to plant with a ton of amendments. Some varieties have done better than others, so we try to only invite back the ones that do well.
Delores says
I am taking a basic home repair class for homeowners; it’s offered through our local community college. I am really enjoying it! I didn’t really need the part about how to patch a hole in the drywall (I have 6 kids…), but I was so excited to learn how to change out an electric receptacle (sp?)! I went home and replaced one of our old ones the next day!
Nora says
Go ahead and geht that bib on your shirt!
I walked a half-marathon 8 months post birth of my first child, because I could not compete in the cross country skiing half marathon like the years before. I made a plan, choose a track, packed food and drink, put the baby in the push chair and did it.
Only downside: no cheering and no medal ( would have been my 5th – so special medal/appreciation would have been usual).
MelindaW says
I only have 4 large chickens and only occasionally sell to my mom’s neighbors and a few coworkers, but I charge $5/dozen. All the eggs are blue or green so they think they are fancy, and the local expensive grocery store sells blue eggs by the 6 pack at $4 each so it’s a “steal.” I think the local farmer’s market has brown and white eggs for $3-4/dozen. Not that blue tastes any different, they’re just unusual around here.
Tanya says
Morning Mavis! You should sign up for a virtual race online! You sign up and pay a registration fee, clock your steps or distance, and when you’ve finished they send you a shirt and a metal! A bunch of my coworkers do this every year but they do a walk/run the number of miles that total the year. Last year they did 2018 miles (which they finished in October!)
tia in boise says
I was going to comment about virtual races, but Tanya beat me to it! You can choose where and when you will run/walk—as you have in the past.
LaToya says
I’ve know a guy at work who sells eggs for EIGHT dollars a dozen. EIGHT. And people buy them! Like, no. So $3-$4 sounds good to me.
I’ve got nothing new to report on my big weight goal. I was a snacky snacky girl this week.
However, I did get some more cash saved, so I am officially over 10% to that goal. Progress is progress …
Mavis Butterfield says
$8 is insane.
Richelle Krienke says
So many people have chickens and are selling eggs these days that anything more than $3/dozen seems like too much.
Teri says
$3 is a bargain! $4 seems fair.
Karen says
Here in New Jersey eggs go for $4.00 if on the small size and $5.00 for a more normal size.
Kari says
I currently pay $4 a dozen to my local farmer for eggs. I think that’s about the max I would pay.
Pj says
When you redo the potting shed, you might want to keep the peg board, or if not, donate it at the recycle center. Peg board is expensive and hard to find these days and a wonderful organizational tool.
Eggs, no more than $5 a dozen. In WV, they run $2-3 doz, but I’ve seen them for $6 doz and sold out in Ohio — city folk, not as much access.
Mavis Butterfield says
We ended up keeping part of it to hang tools on.
Erin says
I sell my eggs for $3 dozen (blue, white and brown) at a local small market. We tried upping the price once to 3.50 and they didn’t sell,so $3 is the sweet spot here. I would stick with $3 and see how that goes.
KC says
Lavender is reputed to have weird germination requirements, so it may be worth looking that up online. I don’t know about artichokes.
Mavis Butterfield says
The key to lavender is starting the seeds in the fridge. https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/how-to-grow-lavender-start-to-finish/
Laura T. says
Holy guacamole! That’s a lot of wool! I love the horse & cart, very cool! I am a huge Anne of Green Gables fan so I’ll have to look into getting that Marilla of Green Gables book!
Julie says
If you have the right kinds of trees on your property, you must try maple sugaring. I got a starter kit for my stir-crazy, can’t-wait-to-get-in-the-garden husband a few years ago. We have only three maple trees in our yard. It’s become one of his favorite hobbies.
Lori says
I think $4-$5 a dozen for home laid organic eggs seem to be the going rate in the PNW. Not sure if prices are higher or lower back east. Mavis we have your missing snow and would gladly return it!
Mavis Butterfield says
Ha! Mrs. HB says she has 8 inches right now. We have none. What are the odds?
Lori S says
Hi Mavis,
I charge $3.00 a dozen for eggs. Brown, white and greenish blue. They always sell out. There are others in my area that charge $6.00. I’m taking aadult class next week on bee keeping. It will be great having a hives near my garden to help polinate my crops and flowers. Looking forward to fresh honey too.
Barbara Chace says
Hi Mavis….Here in my neighborhood in Wiscasset, most people who sell eggs charge $3.
Barbara
Mavis Butterfield says
We were just in Wiscasset on Friday!!! I love that town and the bake shop Treat.
Terri M Lindeke says
Snow??? Snow you say? You left the wrong year.. We have over a foot and there are 2 maybe 3 more snow storms on their way.. 1st one tonight. We’ve only left the neighborhood once… went to the RV show at Century Link in Seattle and we left as soon as we saw snow…. but so did everybody else… we knew some shortcuts so our 10-15 minute commute stretched to 45 minutes. Most were not as lucky…
I have 3 different sites for bird seed… I’m sitting here taking a break watching out to my covered patio and a dozen or more birds are flying Too fun to watch the crows even, wait for a turn… but they take really long turns. My hummingbird feeders are being rotated so there is always a thawed one out there… and it is always busy… they patiently wait in the hydrangea bushes underneath.. just hoping they survive this freezing weather which has been going on for a few weeks now.
Snowmagedon…2019
Julia Park Tracey says
We have a dusting of snow on the hills but nothing down here on the ground in Sonoma County/Wine Country, California. Free-range eggs are $4-$5 a dozen in this area. Which is on a par with whatever you can find at the grocery store for organic/freerange eggs.
I have hit 2/12 bakeries, 1/12 new restaurants, and 0/12 new wineries so far (trying to visit new places that we can recommend to our AirBnB guests). I signed up for a 5K — my first ever, and just bought some running shoes today. The race is March 17, and so I start training tomorrow. I regret it already! 😀
My other goals are writing goals — sending out submissions, writing a poem per month, getting an agent, working on a different book (non fic instead of a novel). It keeps me off the streets….
Crafty projects are knitting a pair of socks — I’m at 1″ of ribbing on the first one. Finish my first wool rug, inspired by Mavis. And start thinking about the garden (enjoying bulbs popping up this week).
Nancy D says
The Pickety Bits platter and dip is definitely a piece of food art! (My hubby and I have started making them!) Also, I can just imagine you would find great satisfaction sitting with a cup of tea and admiring all that gorgeous dyed wool!
Gee says
#16 – If you really want to get furniture, skip the antique shops (priced for the city-folk, especially in summer) and find your local auctions. In upstate NY ours are listed in the want ads on Thursdays, but yours might be different.
When you get there, watch the bidding for a bit so you can figure out who the dealers are. You’re pretty safe out-bidding a dealer, ’cause he wants to make a profit. You just want furniture.
That’s how I furnished a 5-bedroom Victorian.
Torry says
1. This week I worked on sewing Barbie gown and now have 115 made. My goal was to sew every week and to make 100 Barbie gowns. So I met the goal on the gowns and I have sewn every week this year.
2. I’m using stash for the gowns, so I met that goal again this week.
3. Technically the gowns are half done projects, but I’ve made no real progress on any other half done projects.
4. We are snowed in, so no walking. I did shovel snow this week, and I’m counting that!
5. No new recipe this week.
6. I’m keeping the clean more often goal. And I’m doing a little decluttering while I’m at it.
7. No date night, but I made him cookies and he said that he appreciated that I was so thoughtful. (So sweet!)
8. Read more. This has been such an easy goal for me. Four more books, and several magazines. Pretty good since I also have spent a lot of time putting together a 1, 000 piece puzzle that I got for Christmas.
9. I’ve decided to wait another year before retiring . I still like teaching once I’m at the school. I just don’t like getting up in the morning. So not a morning person.