Stay Healthy!
I found a new dentist! Not only did I have probably the best teeth cleaning experience I’ve ever had {they were super gentle} I really liked the staff and the Dentist. And, as an added bonus, I only had 1 tiny cavity {the first in 4 years} so I was pretty happy about that.
Weigh What I Weighed When We Got Married {128 pounds}
Weigh-ins are the first Sunday of each month.
- My March 7th weigh in was 135.6
- My February 7th weigh in was 137.3
- My January 3rd weigh in was 140.7
Keep My Husband Busy
On the honey do list for today: Install shelving in the craft room closet for the little woman. {I painted the walls and trim late last night so it’s all ready to go}.
Also, FINISH up the bathroom remodel today!
The HH’s Honey Do List {so far} for 2021 🙂
- Build a new set of stairs down to the water. The old set… it’s not exactly useable.
- Build a firepit near the edge of the property. {He’s handy, he’ll figure it out}
- Build a picnic table near the birch trees for summer lunches {NEXT on the list!}
- Build 4 or 6 garden boxes for his little lady
- Build a boatload of birdhouses for the {soon to be} bird sanctuary
- Remodel the bathroom in the hallway {In Progress!}
- Install some sort of driveway border
- Install a workspace for me in the basement for dying wool.
Things We’d Like to Buy
- A dinghy {ordered}
- Archery Set {every camp should have archery!}
- Kitchen table and chairs
- Sideboard
Bench for the entryway- A full size washer and dryer set {the house came with a small stackable w/d set}
- Deck chairs and a patio table set
A set of 4 Adirondack chairs for the fire pit area- BBQ {Sayonara smoker?}
Unplug As Much As Possible {but still keep the blog, FB and Instagram}
My phone is still on silent mode. 🙂 Not having to be interrupted by the noise of a ringing phone or text messages is really pretty awesome.
I finished up the Mad Men series last week and now I have Something’s Gotta Give and The Englishmen Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain from the library ready to watch.
Letting go of services we don’t need… what a money saver!
- Goodbye Amazon Prime {Done!} $119 a year
- Goodbye Hulu {Done!} $54.99 a month
- Goodbye Netflix {Done!} $7.99 a month
- Goodbye PicMonkey {Done!} $50 a year
- Goodbye keeping my cell phone in my back pocket and checking it constantly {so far so good}
- Limit time online to 3 hours a day {for writing, working, and Etsy} {so far so good}
Try 24 New Recipes {and remember to link them here}
We didn’t try any new recipes last week but I plan on going through the Irish Food and Cooking Cookbook the HH brought home from the library to see if there is anything in the cookbook I want to add to our St. Patrick’s Day feast on Wednesday.
New recipes I’ve made this year:
- White Beans and Ham
- Colcannon
- Tuna Wiggle
- Grilled Steak Tips with Garlic Butter
- Seville Orange Marmalade
- Jalapeno Cheddar No Knead Dutch Oven Bread
- Hearty Cheeseburger Soup
- Meatballs and Brown Gravy
Read {or Listen to} 12 New Books about Maine {or written by Maine Authors}
I am currently reading the The 3,000 Mile Garden {and loving it}.
I am also still waiting my turn in queue for The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah.
Books about Maine {or written by Maine authors} I’ve read this year:
- Christina Olson Her World Beyond the Canvas.
- At First Light: Two Centuries of Maine Artists, Their Homes and Studios
- Bernard Langlais at the Colby College Museum of Art
- The 3,000 Mile Garden
Audiobooks I’ve listened to {or attempted to listen to} this year:
- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig {I’d give it a 7/10}
- Wintering by Katherine May {Hit the return button after 7 minutes}
Get 24 Stories Off My Phone and onto the Blog
I finally told you about our stay at the Ale House Inn – Portsmouth, New Hampshire! And talked about the chicken foot in the pot pie {gross!}.
Stories I’ve Taken Off My Phone and onto The Blog:
- Ale House Inn – Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Chicken Foot in the Pot Pie
- Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine
Get the Photos on My Phone Down to Less Than 1,000 {started the year with 2863 photos}
Currently at 2199! Wahooo.
Clean Out My Closet
I turned all the hangers around in my closet on January 1st and so far 80% of them are still backwards.
My House Projects For This Year
This past week I painted all the walls in the dining room white. Next on my list is to get all the trim painted {but first, the HH has to take down the blinds for me}.
Even though we are hoping to knock out the wall with the fireplace next year when we get to the kitchen remodel, I still gave that wall and the fireplace a coat of white paint too. No sense in staring at a creamy beige wall for a year while the others are white, right?
The wood floors need to be refinished throughout the house as well, but we are saving that for when we do the kitchen remodel since they’ll be tearing out cabinets and walls and the brick flooring. A game plan. It’s always good to have a game plan. Even if you know all the pieces won’t fit together until the end.
- Figure out new window treatments for the back of the house
- Come up with a game plan for the kitchen remodel {for 2022}
- Paint the family room
wallsand trim - Paint the entryway
trimand doors {halfway there} - Paint the
dining room wallsand trim - Paint the master bedroom walls and trim
- Paint the barn and add a new fixture {okay, so the HH will be adding the fixture}
Paint the hallway bathroom{Done!}
My Garden Projects For This Year
While we’re waiting for the ground to thaw, we’ve been working on clearing out the monster of a hedge along the back deck. So far I think we’ve removed about 60% of it. After we finish there, we’ll head out front and start working on thinning the overgrown mess out by the end of the driveway.
If all goes as planned, we should have that finished and be able to start on the fence and front garden area in early April. Yee-Haw!
My List of Garden Projects For This Year I want to Accomplish :
- Install a simple flower bed border in front of the house
- Install a boatload of birdhouses/feeders in the side yard
- Transplant evergreen saplings to the side of property for a privacy border
- Clean up and prune the area that faces the road
- Install a vegetable garden
- Install a sunflower patch
- Plant 2,500 flower bulbs {Why 2,500? It seemed like a good number to start with}
Reach 10,000 Sales on Etsy {as of this morning I’ve made 6520 sales on Etsy}
Only 3,480 to go!
This past week I added a few new bundles of wool and some new rug hooks to my Etsy shop. Also my assistant Lucy helped me cut wool. 🙂
Create 12 New Rug Hooking Patterns or Kits
This week I’ll start hooking pattern/kit #4. It’s HUGE… so it might take a while.
New Rug Hooking Kits I’ve Created This Year:
Create 12 New Ornaments for 2021
I have a bunch of new ornaments in the works, but haven’t had the time to sit down and get them painted yet. Time. I need more time in the day!
2021 Ornaments I’ve Made So Far
- #1 ♥ Ladybug Heart ♥
2021 Garlands I’ve Made So Far
- #1 Heart Garlands
- #2 Bunny Garlands
Discover 12 Made in Maine Products and Share Them on the Blog
Made in Maine Products I’ve Discovered in 2021:
Visit 6 Lighthouses in Maine
2 down, 4 to go!
Lighthouses We’ve Visited So Far This Year:
Lighthouses I’ve Been to in Maine Before 2021:
Other places in Maine We’ve Been to This Year Are:
- Owls Head General Store
- Wasses Hot Dogs in Rockland, Maine
- Langlais Sculpture Preserve – Cushing, Maine
So that’s it. That’s my progress report for this past week. How about YOU? Did you make any goals for 2021? Have you checked any of them off your list yet?
Have a great one,
~Mavis
Caitlin says
Inquiring minds need to know, are you removing the fireplace as well? Either way I look forward to watching that remodel as it unfolds as ours is likely 2 years away.
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes. Hopefully the whole wall {fireplace included}. We will be keeping the woodstove in the other room though so we’ll have a backup heat source.
Caitlin says
I hope you leave the chimney in the attic, should there be one, to confound future residents of the house. That is a favorite past time in my small town, trying to figure out why on earth the chimney was in that particular location. I think I know of at least 15 attic chimneys here that no one can figure out.
christina says
That’s a lovely room. I’m curious though, it looks like your floors are pine, not oak? Is that correct.? I personally wouldnt take out the fireplace wall but I cant see the whole picture so maybe it’s more room?
Mel says
One of my goals was to restore our herb garden. It had become kind of a hodgepodge from things like leaving huge clumps of parsley in to bolt for the bees and then planting new annuals just wherever I could fit them after that. We also planted garlic chives, which ended up being inedible (at least for us) and invasive. So, last fall we ripped out everything except green onions, rosemary, lavender, and a potted sage plant so we could start fresh this year.
This past week I pruned all the dead branches off the rosemary, lavender, and sage. I ordered new lavender and sage starts just in case they croak (pretty sure the existing rosemary will make it), and I can just give the new ones away if the old ones pull through. I also planted onion chive seeds outside and started Cameo basil and Cinnamon basil inside. I also ordered starts for tarragon, chervil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, parsley, dill, and papalo, and I ordered seeds for anise hyssop and more green onions. I normally painstakingly paint rocks to act as plant markers, but I don’t have the time or the inclination (or the rocks) this year, so I ordered hanging chalkboard markers instead.
Another one of my goals was to share garden stuff when possible, so I started extra herb and veggie seedlings for friends this week as well.
Brianna says
I didn’t know you are suppose to prune the dead branches from lavender. I transplanted a bunch of mature lavender bushes two years ago from my front to back yard. Most of plants survived but didn’t bud out with lavender at all last year. Perhaps I need the prune them? I was thinking the transplant put them in a dormant state, but they were green, just not budding with lavender.
Mel says
I believe you’re supposed to prune the dead branches in spring, cutting just above where you see new growth, and then again in August. But, it’s worth noting that I have killed MANY a perennial herb, so you might want to double check that with a more reliable source. I typically don’t keep up with pruning and in this case, I’m pretty sure this plant is dead, so I’m not risking much by pruning it. I had already reordered replacements because I assumed mine is dead, but I saw a teeny tiny shoot of new growth, so I decided to try pruning it while I was out doing the others.
Suzanne says
Why have I never heard of papalo? I had to google it. Does it really taste similar to cilantro? Now I need to find some seeds.
Mel says
I’d never heard of it either! This is my first year trying it, so I’m not sure about the taste, but my cilantro always bolts instantly because our herb bed is full sun, so I’m giving it a try. The place where I ordered my herb starts had it and says they started using it in place of cilantro, so I’m hopeful.
Dee says
Oh “The Englishmen Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain” is brilliant. You’re going to love it. It has brilliant actors. And it is so lovable and quirky
Grace says
Does Hulu really cost $54.99 a month or is that a typo?
Mavis Butterfield says
It is actually now $64.99 a month for the live tv version {live sports, live news}. You can get it for $5.99 a month and all that does is play old movies and tv shows {with ads}.
debbie in alaska says
Yeah, if you’re not into the original content that Netflix is producing then the $5.99 might not be worth it. I have had no issue finding content in the $5.99 feature I really enjoy. They also have great nature shows etc. Either way, sounds like you found a system that works great for you guys.
Loriann says
Can u recommend ba beginners hooking kit and instructions? I think I’d like to give it a try, as your patterns are beautiful.
Mavis Butterfield says
I think the heart, the whale, cat or crow would be great for a starter kits and there is a ton of information in the Etsy listing as to how to get started. 🙂 https://www.etsy.com/shop/mavisbutterfield?section_id=20916560
Terena says
I’m with you, Mavis, I need a game plan. I have a small (845sq foot) home built in 1903. I am gradually getting projects done, but on my schedule and within my budget. I can live with things happening gradually, as long as I keep the goal in sight:)
Love following your renovation journey. And like you, interior projects stop once the ground thaws! (Which, here in Saskatchewan, will be another month or so…)
Linda Sand says
Five pounds in two months is excellent! Loosing at that rate makes it easier to keep it off than trying to do too much too fast.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks says
Oh I love “Something’s Got to Give”! Every time I watch it, it makes me laugh. Enjoy!
Katy Bowman says
Mavis — How do you cut your wool into such perfect strips without the edges fraying?
Mavis Butterfield says
I use a rotary cutter, mat and ruler. 🙂 It’s super easy.