My 22 Goals for 2019
Goal #1 — Spend More Time Doing What I Love
Winter in New England…. I could get used to this. I know it sounds totally crazy, and maybe it’s because it’s our first winter here, but I’ve ABSOLUTELY loved the pace of things around our home here this past winter. Working from home, not having to go anywhere {unless we really want to} waking up everyday and looking out the window to bright blue skies and snow on the ground.
The warmth of the wood stove, soup simmering in the Crock Pot and watching the HH walk out to the chicken coop every morning to let the ladies out. The pace of life is so different these days and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
That feeling of finally feeling at home… it’s a good one.
Goal #2 — Garden, Garden, Garden
I need to get out to the mini greenhouse, clean things up a bit. But I know that once I do get out there and set things up, it will mean winter vacation is over. 🙁
Goal #3 — Plant an Orchard
Maybe in late April?
Goal #4 — Gussy Up the Potting Shed
No gussying up this week…. The doors on the potting shed are still frozen shut. The back woods though… aren’t they dreamy?
Goal #5 — Grow Enough Extra Vegetables, Eggs and Flowers to Earn $1500 at my little roadside vegetable stand.
Goal for this week… line all my seed packets up in planting order according to the week I need to sow the seeds.
Seeds I planted so far this year:
And with a little luck, I’ll be selling some of those starts at my little stand in late spring.
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.
Ain’t she a beauty!? I updated my Etsy Shop on Friday with my latest creations including this good sized bee skep rug. I was originally going to hook the background in a muted black {which seems to be my go to color for backgrounds} but at the last minute decided to use my favorite robin’s egg blue wool combination instead. It’s bright and punchy and HAPPY. And I just love how it turned out.
I started the year off with:
- 73 rugs {now down to 63}
- 183 hooked flowers {finished 68, now down to 115}
- 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 started off the year wanting to create 12 new rug hooking patterns and so far I’ve create 4 new patterns {well, actually 5 but I don’t count a pattern as done until I have the model hooked up and the pattern ready to sell}. I’ve also added a few rug hooking kits to my Etsy shop due to people asking if I could make a kit for them. I wasn’t planning on making kits to sell, but I’ve made a few and so we’ll see how it goes.
New Rug Hooking Patterns I’ve Created This Year:
Goal #8 — Split and Stack 2 Cords of Wood for Next Winter
We have officially gone though 4 1/2 cords of wood this winter and even though it’s been a pretty mild year {at least that’s what people have been saying} it looks like we will need at least 5 cords of wood {maybe even 6} to keep the house warm if we plan to heat with wood {instead of oil} during the winter months.
Goal #9 — Do Something with the 5,002 Photos on My Phone
Ehhhh.
Goal #10 –Lose the Muffin Top
The good news is, the treadmill arrived early. The bad news is…. someone needs to put it together {not me!} before we can use it. Hopefully The Girl and the HH can get it put together soon.
Goal #11 — Run, Walk or Crawl a 5k, 10k, Half Marathon and Marathon
I’m thinking about doing the North Face Endurance Challenge for my marathon. It would be more scenic than a road race and if I’m going to torture myself, I might as well have a little fun with it… right? The question is, would I be able to finish in the time allotted {9 hours on mountain terrain}.
Goal #12 — Read or Listen to 26 New Books
I was able to download Marilla of Green Gables on Monday and L O V E D the book!!!!!! So many questions were answered {John Blythe!} and oh my goodness it was good. If you are an Anne of Green Gables fan, it is a must read.
Carnegie’s Maid is up next. 🙂
Also, Peg sent me the latest issue of Early American Life Magazine so I’ll be reading that as well this week.
I am STILL patiently waiting my turn on the library wait list for the following books:
- The Four Tendencies
- Before We Were Yours
- This is the Story of a Happy Marriage
- The Coddling of the American Mind
- The Alice Network
- 12 Rules for Life
Books I’ve Read or Listened to So Far This Year:
Goal #13 — Try 52 New Recipes.
6 down, 46 recipes to go. The HH made me a chocolate cheesecake for my birthday. 🙂 We were to full after dinner last night to slice into it so we will get our chance to try it today.
Goal #14 — Clean Up 52 Old Recipes on the Blog
Seven recipes down, 45 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
We didn’t check out any furniture stores this past week but I did pick up a few treasures at the recycle center. A nice basket, some jingle bells, a zester and a cool rooster vase to add a bouquet of flowers in this summer at the vegetable stand.
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 {7 down, 45 to go}
Goal #18 — Take One Adult Education Class
I’ll know it when I see it.
Goal #19 — Secret {for now} Holiday Project
Frustrated, I’ve decided to take a break from working on my holiday project for now. Maybe I’ll start it up again in April, or move on to something else.
Goal #20 — Create 12 Wowie Zowie Party Platters
2 down 10 to go.
I think this one qualifies as WOWIE ZOWIE. 😉 Yum Yum Yum.
Goal #21 — Visit 12 General Stores
1 down 11 to go and I have a HUGE list of stores I want to visit when we are in those particular areas.
Goal #22 — Compete with Carole….. Get on My Front Door Game On
Since it will still be too cold to put a hanging basket out in April, I think I’ll make another wooden cutout for the door. But do I make a large Easter egg or a bunny? {I think an egg might look better from the road}.} Also, I made a bunch of Easter ornaments for the {I’m going to leave it up all year long} stick tree in our dining room. The brown bunny with polka dots is my favorite.
Front Door Bling I’ve Made So Far This Year to Compete with Carole:
Late January : Valentine Heart ♥
Late February : Shamrock
**************
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.
Kim says
OH MY GOODNESS your Easter tree! Hilarious and adorable. You’re so talented!
Heidi P says
Your sweet lil Lucy makes me smile every time I see her. What a special dog. She hit the jackpot when you brought her home.
That platter looks outta this world!
Whatever you end up making for the front door will be lovely I’m certain. Make sure your egg is shaped and decorated with intention. You don’t want it looking like a blob from the street. Ha ha ha
FYI- the west coast misses you but it seems you’ve found your happy place. Thanks for taking us on your adventure.
Julie says
I have to say reading your blog I’m seeing New England through fresh eyes. I’ve lived in northern Vermont my whole life and I guess I needed a nudge to appreciate it again. Thanks mavis!
Dj_1973 says
Being able to stay home when the weather is messy makes a New England winter much more palatable. Battling snow to get to work, not so much…
Your rugs are gorgeous. I woul like to see a video on your process/technique. It seems so mysterious.
Marie says
A belated happy birthday Mavis. I love your Easter ornaments.
Pj says
Consider telling us your frustrating secret holiday project. While it won’t be secret anymore, maybe input from your loyal readers could help you work out whatever is frustrating about th project. You’re a good resource and inspiration for us and we can be for you too!
Lolly says
Yessssss!!!!
Em says
Mavis (and others from the continental U.S., they won’t ship internationally), I don’t know if you’re interested, but you can do a virtual Chuck Norris 5k. $40 registration includes “a Chuck style t-shirt, a fake beard, and an awesome belt buckle.” Proceeds go to two childrens’ charities. The link to the (sold out) race is http://www.chucknorris5k.com and from there you can find the link to register for the virtual race.
Lissa says
LOVED Marilla of the island. Everything felt so complete after hearing her story.
Bobbie says
Hey Mavis! Really not related to anything in this post, but I’m curious if you have tried any of the Amazon essentials clothing? They have some cute plain long sleeve shirts that are similar to the gap shirts you like. I was thinking about buying a couple but was hesitant, and wondered if you had tried any of the Amazon essentials clothes by any chance, and what your thoughts were…
I don’t buy clothes often and am always hesitant to try anything new!!!
Margery says
I love the light colored background on the big rug and the little chicken one is so cute. Here Kansas we are usually outside getting the garden ready and enjoying daytime temps of 40-50 but it’s below zero and snowing again, I love sharing my goals here each week it is keeping me on track and blogging more which is good as blogging for me is more like a diary and the kids love going back and reading it.
1. Read one non-fiction book per month :
Not happening unless you want to count cookbooks.
2. Monthly date with the husband :
Nothing this week.
3. Weekly Game Night :
Speed games of Guess Who this week, he had watched some you tube videos on how to play this game even faster so almost every night this week it has been a few games of Guess Who. Which is great as it doesn’t require a lot of brain power when my brain is done for the day and it gives us time to talk about his school day.
4. Try a new recipe each week –
This week it was Shepherds pie from The New Kansas Cookbook by Frank and Jayni Carey, well really Cottage Pie. Since we don’t eat lamb, mine was made with ground beef. It is a meal I have made many times before but it is always fun to try a different recipe. I will take this cookbook out again in the summer since it has a lot of recipes that are seasonal for Kansas.
I also made a dessert from One Pan and Done by Molly Gilbert, Confetti Pavlova, pavlova being a type of dessert that I have heard about on British and Australian Cooking shows. It was a recipe that did tie up my oven for most of the day but otherwise was easy to make, the picky eater even liked it which is saying a lot . I will make it again this summer when the family is around and fresh berries are at the farmers market.
5. Fall Garden- Spring Garden
Everything I have planted under thee grow lights has sprouted,but otherwise that is all that has gotten done due to unseasonable cold and snow. I have also been spending to much time on Pinterest pinning more garden ideas, so it better warm up soon so that I can stop thinking of new ideas and just get the ones I have implemented. Looking forward to a summer at home as the last 4 years have been a lot of summer travel.
6. De-clutter-
Still waiting on warmer weather to get to work on the garage, but the house is feeling like there is less stuff and a bit easier to clean.
7. Loose some weight-
Will make it to the gym this week at least once, and if it gets above freezing will take the puppy on a long walk.
8. Learn a new skill –
I watched a few more you tube video’s and have placed an order for the items to make some soap in the coming weeks.
9. Reduce trash-
Bit by Bit
10. A Financial goal-
Getting there dollar by dollar
Mel says
I’m glad we’re not the only ones with an Easter tree! I need to buy summer and fall ornaments for it, but I keep forgetting. We also have a village we decorate by season and cartoon countdown calendars for all major holidays (we pin the cartoons to a bulletin board and turn over one cartoon each day until the holiday).
I didn’t work much on my goals this week, but I did order fabric to make more summer-weight pants and shorts. I probably won’t get to do much this week either, but I have next week off, so I might be able to knock out another pair or two.
Ann says
Happiest of birthdays to you, Mavis, and thanks for sharing your adventures. Can’t wait to follow your gardening activities this year.
Blues and purples in your latest honeybee rug would look lovely in a Butterfield version of van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” I suspect it would also be popular as a kit.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Van_Gogh_-_Starry_Night_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg/970px-Van_Gogh_-_Starry_Night_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
lynne says
it was my birthday yesterday, too, and we celebrated by making a trip to our local bakery! the best frosted sugar cookie on the planet! hope your cheesecake was delish – it looks it! lynneinMN
Torry says
Lynne, Happy belated birthday! Aren’t you luck to be a birthday twin with Mavis?!
Lolly says
Happy Birthday!!! Mmmm, that cheesecake looks amazing!! Enjoy it!!
I loooooove the easter ornaments! And all the ornaments, they are adorable!!!
I made time to sew this week, and it made my little heart so happy!! I mostly sewed just for me, lol, though I DID make 4 cloth napkins for a friend for a surprise pkg I want to send her. I need to work on a couple things this week for her, too. I really need to get started on making xmas presents! Maybe this week…. 😉
Even though it wasn’t a goal of mine, it seems to be what I’m working on most weeks…..and that’s to make and take a meal to someone. So I made an extra meal on wed, and took it on thurs. And in making extra meals, I’ve also been trying to freeze a few extra meals, too. This week I froze 3 extra meals for our family: pintos, chicken and dumplins, and black bean soup. These come in handy on those busy days, or….when mama is wore out and cooking is just not happening. Lol.
This coming week I want to finish sewing for my friend + get a couple of gift cards to places she and her daughters love to eat at….and actually SEND the pkg (I hate sending pkgs….and yes, I even print postage at home, so there should be zero excuses, lol). And I want to think (and pray) thru an idea of teaching the teens/tweens a fun sewing class at our homeschool co-op next yr….making some cute things for them. I had the idea this am….so I’ll need to figure out what we could make and the costs involved for supplies….and pray if this is something I should do. And then, if needed, prepare and take meals to whomever. It’s funny, cause I think we’ve delivered meals the past 3 weeks….and prolly more before that, too. I told one sweet girl that that is what I know to do when someone is hurting….I pray for them, and then I shove food at them. Lol! (I also told another friend, who had just had surgery, that my mama heart could only kiss her forehead and hope it made everything all better.) 🙂
Lolly says
I’m gonna add a goal I’ve been keeping for about 2wks now….I want to fold my laundry the same day it comes out of the dryer, so I don’t build up a mountain of clean clothes that takes forever to fold. It takes me not even 5 min to quickly fold one load, so I’ve been working on that. (It started when our dryer was kaput, and I had to hang loads on my wooden clothes rack in the kitchen. I had to remove/fold the dry load in order to put all the new clothes on it….and I’ve been keeping up with the folding even after dh fixed the dryer! Yah!)
Holley says
Happy Birthday, Mavis! Hope it was a good one! That wowie zowie platter looked very festive! And, that cheesecake, OMG!!! Enjoy!
Donna says
Happy, Happy Birthday Mavis! Enjoy that cheesecake- HH did a great job! Also, that platter looks fabulous!! I made your Naan for my family and they absolutely Loved it!
Jennifer says
Platter is def wowie zowie. Egg is the way to go. Cheesecake looks great! Love the blue background. Would love to know your holiday project, as another also said.
Gina Seaton says
Happy Birthday Mavis! Hope you had a good one. I love your finished bee hive rug! Also your party platter, WOWIE is right!
Torry says
Happy birthday Mavis! I also have a March birthday and I always have to remind myself that it is NOT Spring yet! I’m not a fan of winter, so I’m trying to be patient.
Goals:
1 &2 Sew and use up my stash: I have started making fabric corner bookmarks for Christmas and it is going well.
3. Find and finish half done projects: they are now in one place and will be worked on after the Christmas gifts are done.
4. Walk each day. After injuring my knee, I’m doing well to do what I absolutely have to do.
5. Made a new recipe. Neither of us liked it.
6. Clean more often: did this again this week.
7. Husband date night: last night was pizza night. Easily his favorite date night!
8. Read more. Did this again this week.