Here’s my big list of things I want to accomplish in 2022:
Remodel The Kitchen
Things are moving along in the kitchen… A few days ago the HH removed all the upper cabinets and baseboards on the bottom cabinets. Today, I think he’s going to move the refrigerator and possibly the oven {?} to the garage to prepare for sanding the floors.
We plan on sanding and repainting 3 of the upper shelves to use in the basement and the rest will be headed to the Habitat ReUse Store for someone else to enjoy.
As for the lower cabinets, I think our old neighbor Kiln Guy might be interested in them {he took our old pantry} and if not, we’ll take those to the Re-Use store as well.
Sell Enough Rugs to Buy an AGA Stove {$11,442.90 of $22,000 earned so far}
Wahoooo! I’m halfway there!!! Last night I listed some new pieces on Etsy and sold a few of them right away which is always exciting.
Fill the Canning Cupboard
I’m still waiting for deals on fresh produce {the only things on sale this coming week are avocados and English cucumbers… not exactly canning material}.
Jams I’ve made to fill my canning cupboard so far: Ginger Pear Jam and Spiced Christmas Jam.
Earn Enough Money Selling {?????} To Pay For Our 2022 Grocery Tab By The End Of The Year.
I filled a few boxes full of driftwood yesterday but forgot to list them. I’ll do that today. More than anything, I’m excited to see if they sell, and what part of the country the people buying them will be from.
Eat More Fruits and Vegetables.
Lots of good stuff this week!
Keep The Crafts… In The Craft Room.
I finally got the ceiling painting in the kitchen and dining room! My neck is a little stiff today but hey, it’s done and now I can move on to the next thing {pestering my husband to HURRY UP and get the floors done}.
Tap Our 2 Maple Trees and Make Maple Syrup
The well has run dry. 🙁 Now we just have to wait for The Girl to come for a visit so we can boil down the sap.
Make a Quilt Top
I made absoultly zero progress on my quilt top this past week. 🙁
Be More Intentional With My Time
I rocked it this past week. The biggest thing I accomplished was getting all my wool dyed for the summer season {so I can spend time out on the water and in the garden instead of inside with the dye pots}.
1 Craft / Blog Free Day So far I’m 9 for 12 this year.
If I wasn’t dyeing wool, I was rug hooking. And if I wasn’t rug hooking I was painting, writing, cleaning, plotting away I was making little whale pin cushions. It was a busy week, and I got a lot done so no complaints here.
Keep My Husband Busy
Now that the electrical problem has been solved, his current project is making sure that none of the 10,000+ nails in the flooring are popping up on top of the floorboards before he starts sanding. Fun Stuff!!! 🙂
The HH’s Honey Do List {so far} for 2022
- Take over cooking {I’ll still do the baking and canning}
- Cut down the cluster of trees in the backyard
- Build a new set of stairs down to the water.
- Fill the field {with soil}
- Remodel 1 bathroom
Replace fireplace tile- Build window boxes for the front of the house
- Build an arbor for the wisteria
- Order 4 cords of firewood by the end of May and stack them in an artful way {like they did in the book Norwegian Wood}.
- Sand the floors in the entire house {new addition}
- Install new garage door openers {new addition}
- Build a wood shed {new addition}
My House Projects For This Year {so far}
- Finish painting the outside of the house
- Finish painting the inside of the house
- Make something to hang above our new console table
- Make it look like people actually live here HA HA HA
- New window treatment for the kitchen window
Try 24 New Recipes {8 down, 16 to go}
I didn’t make any new recipes this past week. 🙁
So far this year I have shared the following recipes:
- Hash Brown Waffles with Bacon and Cheese
- Bacon Cheddar Jalapeno Biscuits
- Apple Cinnamon Granola
- Mrs. C’s Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Ginger Pear Jam
- Lentils with Carrots and Thyme
- Dutch Oven Cinnamon Raisin Bread
- Dutch Oven Olive and Rosemary Bread
Listen to 12 Audiobooks
I am currently on the wait list for Taste by Stanley Tucci and The Boys by Ron and Clint Howard.
Audiobooks I’ve listened to this year:
- Dolly Parton, Songteller by Dolly Parton 10/10
- Salt to the Sea by Ruth Sepetys 10/10.
- No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality by Michael J. Fox 10/10
- Night Road by Kristen Hannah on Audiobook. 9/10.
- Mill Town by Kerri Arsenault. Interesting. 8/10.
- The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan 10/10.
Get a Fishing License and Catch a Fish
The HH is in charge of procuring all the fishing gear. So you know, there’s lot’s of research to be done first. 😉
I’m starting to get a little concerned. The daffodils we planted beneath the trees are popping through the soil, but not a single daffodil bulb that I planted {over 200} along the front walkway is poking through the soil yet.
I hope they didn’t rot! Gaaa. That would be awful.
My List of Garden Projects For This Year I want to Accomplish
- Map out this year’s garden by April 1st
- Plant apple or pear trees
- Plant raspberry and blueberry bushes – raspberry canes have been ordered–
- Plant asparagus and rhubarb – ordered –
- Grow 500 pounds of food
- Expand the lasagna garden
- Finish clearing the front of the property
- Get some garden pots for the front an back patio/porches
Create 12 New Rug Hooking Patterns and/or Kits Done! {14 out of 12 finished so far}
I added 4 new designs to my rug hooking kits/pattern collection last night. Patriotic Tulips was the largest one. 🙂
- Patriotic Tulips
- American Kitty
- USA Flag
- Olde Blue
- Chicks and Flowers
- Scrappy Chicken
- Easter Egger Chicken
- Spring Arrives on Widsbee Farm
- Folk Art Chicken
- Valentine Kisses
- 1736 Tulips
- Large Valentine Heart Runner
- Antique Flower Basket
- Love Grows Fraktur Bird
Have All My 2022 Ornaments Finished by April 1st. Done!
I finished my last batch of garden markers and ornaments around mid week and once they sell out, I won’t be making anymore again until next winter.
52 Walks {We’ve gone on 5 of 52 so far}
The HH and I took Lucy on a nice walk yesterday and although we didn’t find any Fireball, we did find an old graveyard {late 1800’s} and we recognized some of the names from local landmarks.
Visit 12 Towns in Maine That I Haven’t Been to Before
So far we have visited the town of Hope, Maine and checked out the General Store there. 🙂
How about YOU? How did you do with working towards your goals for 2022?
~Mavis
Brianna says
Not really a goal, but I did get a 2nd opinion in my Marathoner’s knees and I am very hopeful. I’ve been down for two years, unable to exercise other than light walking, and the first opinion was dismal and very discouraging. I just turned 40 and I hope everything works accordingly so I can get back to being active. I understand things will never be 100%, but it is much better than the first opinion I got and worth the risks. So now, committing to the next six months and being patient and continuing to take it easy and praying for improvement. I did give up on messing with my insurance for an authorization for second opinion (I have a love-hate relationship with insurance), so paying out of pocket sucks, but with such a novel procedure it would not be covered anyways.
Mavis Butterfield says
New knees at 40 does not sound like fun. 🙁
Mel says
Nice work!
It’s been hard for me to make progress this week due to a number of setbacks.
What I Did Get Done:
-Finished one baby blanket
-Assembled the floor lamps for the nursery
-Acquired organizing bins for the nursery (probably assembling today)
-Set up a file box for the baby to hold important documents
-Hung the last of the stuff in the baby’s bathroom
-Ordered a wood toy and wood blocks from Ukraine
What Did Not Work Out:
-I based the nursery layout on a dresser fitting under a window. The only dresser I found that is the right dimensions is made by IKEA, and it has consistently been in stock. Since I finally finished painting and got rid of the bed in that room, we went to order the dresser. Suddenly out of stock everywhere. Called IKEA. They said it would be in stock in Norfolk the following day. They lied–my husband drove 9 hours round trip to pick up a dresser that was apparently never in stock but that they still listed as being in stock for days after. I’m really hoping it eventually comes into stock for real, or I will have to disassemble and return all the other furniture and figure out another layout.
-I tried to make the second baby blanket and realized the fabric that shipped is the wrong color.
-We tried assembling a cube organizer. Due to a design flaw, it cracked during assembly and the listed dimensions ended up being wrong anyway, so I had to pick out something else but can’t order until we know about the dresser.
-I tried to install the wall shelves and realize they are too deep by 1/8 inch, so the door would crash into them. I think I can just get a longer door stop, but I can’t tell yet.
In non-goal-related news, I had to order cat food and dog food online this week (each from a different site) because it hasn’t been in stock in the five places we’ve looked locally. The dog food arrived, but they sent EIGHT cases; I had ordered ONE. The cat food never arrived, so I contacted the company. They told me my package would arrive to my home in IDAHO the following day and wished my pet gecko the best; I live in MARYLAND and have never had a pet gecko.
Here’s hoping this week is a little smoother.
Mavis Butterfield says
Oh Mel! What a week.
Mary says
Mel, have you checked Walmart online for a small dresser. My graddaughter’s room is tiny and it was the only place I found one of the right dimensions and they delivered it.
Mel says
Yup. I checked Walmart, Target, etc. initially and then again this week after the IKEA one fell through. Unfortunately, no one else has anything in dimensions that will fit under the window (unless I get a series of bedside tables with drawers and line them up or a system with fabric drawers, which I do not want). The issue isn’t so much that the room is small but long and narrow with an awkwardly placed window. So, that allows for a decent-sized dresser length-wise, but it has to be super short to avoid blocking the window. The room is so narrow that we had to remove the closet door because we would not be able to open it with a crib in there.
Margo says
Mel, have you checked some thrift stores? Furniture there usually needs refinishing, but that’s something that can be done later. Years ago my husband found a small dresser for one of the kids rooms that couldn’t be found elsewhere. Or maybe a free cycle or buy nothing list?
Mel says
We don’t have many options for thrift stores or free cycle in this area (I’m not sure why exactly). Refinishing is definitely not an option though–we don’t have a garage or basement or any space where we could do a project like that.
Christie says
Mel – I live less than 30 minutes from the IKEA in Norfolk, VA . I would be happy to check for you if they say it comes back into stock there versus making that drive just to be disappointed again.
Marie says
Wow. You are a very kind person.
Mel says
That’s such a generous offer! We happen to have a friend working in that area temporarily for the next few weeks, so he’s going to keep an eye out for us. Since the item never actually came in stock there, we’re hoping it will come in stock for real to the College Park location since that’s closer. But I really appreciate the offer!
Christie says
Hopefully it will be back in stock in your area but just in case I’m more than happy to help.
Stephanie Z says
Love the progress!
We finally finished our staircase installation. Gorgeous maple in silver fox grey colour to match the newly installed engineered maple 6 inch plank flooring on the second story. Goodby builders grade carpetting 800 ft. And repainted 3 upstairs bedrooms, hallways, closets and doors. Project creep is real. All DIY, saved a bundle.
Elle says
The Boys is AWESOME! I finished reading it last night before bed (I’m the paper in hand reading girl). Book #29 so far this year.
500 pounds of food. Hmmmmm……maybe I will weight everything I harvest this year just out of curiosity. I better get busy and start seeds (can’t put out most plants until late May!)
Happy Sunday 🙂
Margo says
Biggest goal this year was expanding the food garden. Sub-goal is now to get it on an automatic watering system which is going to be tough as it’s 7 raised beds (18”) and containers around the yard and hill. Love a good challenge, right? Next big goal is to go see my grandkids and to take a river cruise. I’ll start working on arranging those goals next week. Gonna be an exciting and busy summer! Thanks for the book recommendations. I’ll add a few of those to my reading list.
Linda Sand says
Go to the grocery store and buy some Wholly Avocado from the company that makes Wholly Guacamole. These are tiny cups of just avocado. If they can do it, so can you.
Mrs. Mills says
Hi Mavis, I just finished Stanley Tucci’s book and really enjoyed it. I took pictures of all his recipes before I returned the book. The first one I tried was the one he has for meatballs. They were fantastic!
Gigi says
I planted some bulbs in pots just like past years and so far, none have come up. The ones in the ground are peaking through. I’m guessing some microclimate is working against me.
Angelia JOhnson says
I stopped getting your emails, I finally found you again so things are looking up!. This year we are in the process of upgrading our front yard. We installed 2 planters in our front yard. They are big totalling 40 feet long. It is for herbs and rhubard. We bought matching circle planters and they will arrive next week. So I am pulling out the old grasses and getting site ready for planters. We are putting Lingonberries in them. I love that they are evergreens and fruit 2 times a year. I tried to look at your facebook page but it is no longer up? Are you only on Instagram? Anyway I glad I found you again. Looking forward to seeing your garden and projects.