Here’s my big list of things I want to accomplish in 2022:
Remodel The Kitchen
I’m currently on the hunt for the perfect corner shelving idea. I think I want a set of 2 or 3 floating shelves, but then I see something else and I’m back to square one again.
Sell Enough Rugs to Buy an AGA Stove {$12,137.85 of $22,000 earned so far}
The AGA has been ordered {we put 1/2 down when we placed the order} and it should be here later this summer. So far I have about 55% of the stove paid for and at this rate if I continue to hook like a mad woman, I should have the AGA paid for by the time it gets here. 🙂
Fill the Canning Cupboard
We haven’t been able to move the canning cupboard into place yet because the router is hooked up there right now while we work in the other room. But hopefully by this time next week I’ll be able to put what we’ve canned so far this year on the shelves. 🙂
So far this year I have canned:
Earn Enough Money Selling {?????} To Pay For Our 2022 Grocery Tab By The End Of The Year.
With the house a total mess, I think I’ll just have to wait until things calm down again because I don’t even know where my boxes of driftwood is now.
Eat More Fruits and Vegetables.
I don’t even care what I eat right now.
Keep The Crafts… In The Craft Room.
The crafts may be out of the dining room but now the couch is there. 🙂
Tap Our 2 Maple Trees and Make Maple Syrup
We just have to wait for The Girl to come for a visit so we can boil down the sap. Hopefully soon!
Make a Quilt Top
I made zero progress on my quilt top this past week. Shocking, I know.
Be More Intentional With My Time
Watching the tide come in and out {and it being warm enough to sit outside and enjoy it} is one of my favorite things about living here. I think as soon as the floors are done and everything is moved back into place, I’ll start pestering the HH to get the dock and dinghy in the water.
1 Craft / Blog Free Day So far I’m 11 for 16 this year.
Keep My Husband Busy
We put our first coat of sealer on the floors last night {and will put the second and third ones on today}. Then once that cures, we’ll be able to put the house back together {well, everything but the kitchen} and we can start focusing on outside projects.
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 houseDONE- Install new garage door openers {new addition}
- Build a wood shed {new addition}
My House Projects For This Year {so far}
My house projects are currently on hold as I play the role of assistant to the HH. 🙂
I was on an errand for the HH though when I spotted blueberry bushes at the hardware store for $9.99 each. They were on my list of plants to buy this year so I picked up 9 bushes. That should be enough for pies in a few years, don’t you think?
- 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 {9 down, 15 to go}
So far this year I have shared the following recipes:
- Pickled Asparagus
- 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 just picked up On Writing by Stephen King. I’ve listened to the audiobook before, but since I’m still on the waitlist for Taste by Stanley Tucci and The Boys by Ron and Clint Howard it will be a treat to listen to it again.
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
My List of Garden Projects For This Year I want to Accomplish
The asparagus has been planted but I still need to get a load of garden soil delivered before I can plant the raspberry canes {and blueberries} in the field so for right now, the raspberry canes are sitting in one of my garden beds.
The rhubarb crowns I ordered are sitting in a bucket of dirt and hopefully those will get planted in a few days {along the outside of the fence?}.
The tomato, pepper, onion, artichoke, celery, cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprout seeds have been started indoors as well.
Gardening season starts a little later here in Maine, and that’s just fine with me.
- Map out this year’s garden by April 1st – done
- Plant apple or pear trees
- Plant raspberry and blueberry bushes – raspberry canes arrived
- Plant asparagus and rhubarb – arrived
- 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 earlier this month. 🙂
I’m currently working on 3 new designs for May.
- 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 and I won’t be making anymore again until next winter. Yee-Haw!
52 Walks {We’ve gone on 7 of 52 so far}
I plan on taking Miss Lucy for a long walk this morning to get some of her wiggles out before we apply another coat of sealer on the pine floors. At almost 10 years old, I’m amazed at how much energy she has.
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
Kim says
Very excited for your house to be put back together soon. That will be so good for your mental health.
As I read about your artichokes, I am trying to recall if you have recipes………..hmmmm
Mavis Butterfield says
I don’t think I have any artichoke recipes on the blog. Hopefully this summer. 🙂
Mel says
I made a lot of nursery progress this week, partly because I gave up on IKEA ever restocking (they keep saying they’ll restock on specific days, but the item I originally picked has remained out of stock on pretty much the entire East Coast) and bought a different dresser. The switch changed the layout of the room, won’t work as well, and costs substantially more, but I’m done waiting. Choosing a different dresser meant that I could at least move forward on other things, so I was finally able to order more wall decor and curtains. I also ordered more end tables (only necessary now because the new dresser has less surface area) and labeled all the storage bins in the closet. And yesterday we hung 6 shelves and some other stuff on the walls. I also reordered a bunch of stuff that got lost in shipping. So, other than new flooring, all we have left to finish the room is assembling the dresser, re-doing a pillow cover, hanging curtains, and putting the rest of the stuff on the walls.
Mavis Butterfield says
You’re coming down the home stretch!!
Mel says
Yes! I can’t wait for it to come together.
Jamie says
Reading about the progress on your kitchen remodel is helping me frame-out ours for next year. As far as the to-do list we built our compost site this week, finished filling all the garden beds with soil, I planted my herb garden at the front of the house, our spicebushes were delivered (an awesome native bush, that produces berries that are a cross between black pepper and all spice), and I am starting to harden off my warm weather plants (zone 7b). I also got the lawn mower serviced and the lawn mowed for the 1st time this year, and I started listening to a new audiobook (a brewer’s tale). Finally, we found out that the tile for our bathroom remodel is in and scheduled Monday for the start of installation! We are so looking forward to having more than one working bathroom.
Mavis Butterfield says
Hopefully everything goes smoothly! Yes, having more than one bathroom is always nice.
Stephanie Z says
Mavis please research using spagnum peat moss for blueberry plants as just using soil will doom them. I speak from experience!
Mavis Butterfield says
We plan on picking some up. 🙂
Carole says
My husband is a writer, his office is similar as the King cover, but a newer computer!!
Here in south Texas my garden is in full swing, tomatoes are setting, I have peas already and potatoes are blooming. On my second planting of lettuce, everything else is planted and up. Waiting on rain now
Sweet Jayne says
Regarding your corner cupboard, we had the same issue with a Reno several years ago. Our contractor took a normal folding closet door, separated it into two single doors and placed them on each side of the door frame so that it opened in the middle.
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Pam F. says
Not that you need another project but I can’t stop thinking about that mirror in the Doc Martin house. A smaller version, placed horizontally, above your console table might be an answer to what to put there. I know you wanted to try and sell your driftwood but…just an idea.
And curious, were you going to tile under the washer and dryer? I know that it lead to a blow out of your electrical but I can’t remember if you were tiling it or sanding it.
Gardening here in S. Oregon is off to a slow start as we’re still waking to temps in the 30’s. Did sow a few cool season seeds. At my age (70’s) I’m fine with that. Main crop in our garden is our fruit trees.
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes, adding tile under the washer/dryer is still the plan. After the electrical episode, I think he just wanted to get started on the floor.
Nancy says
Agree with the sphagnum moss for blueberry plants. Soil will need this amendment for the blueberry or some acidifier. They need acidic soil. Their soil ph is lower at 4.5 to 5.5.
Sandy says
I can’t believe Lucy is almost ten! It feels like she just joined your family! (Since the pandemic lockdown time means nothing anymore…)
Linda Sand says
Regarding your kitchen shelves: one of the things I finally learned is that when you find something that will work, STOP LOOKING! 🙂
Conni says
Love your blog, Mavis! Just checking but your (lovely) canning cupboard being glass-fronted- isn’t light an enemy of ‘put by’ goods? I’d not want all of your hard work diminished in any way (but I surely understand wanting it in full view where I could BASK in all the hard work and deliciousness!)
LindaT says
I suspect that you may find the soil in Maine is more acidic than you are accustomed to- blueberries thrive in lots of places all over the state. Even wild. I’m sure you’ll test.
Gigi says
My plan this week is to pick up 100 Norway spruce trees that are about 1’-2’ tall. The DNR here has a reforestry program and I only paid about $40. They have a whole bunch of fruit producing trees and bushes and I’m hoping to get those next year. The other to do is to set up 2 beehives. They’re coming next Sunday and I’m excited.
Our new kitchen is installed and it’s the normal lazy Susan. Not crazy about it, but it was the best option. I am excited for the vertical pantry. We had extra space on the side of the fridge and we’re able to put in a 9” deep pantry.