Stay Healthy!
I made an appointment to get my eyes checked! For the past few months I have felt like I’ve been taking my glasses off to work and putting them back on again for all the other stuff. Clearly this is a sign of getting old and I am fearing bifocals!!! Gaaa. I just hope I can find a new pair of glasses I like {and not look like an old lady}.
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
It was an incredibly productive week for my man servant. He changed the outlets out in the dining room {from beige to white}, installed a new thermostat in the hallway, removed that giant hedge in the back, cut wool for me and word on the street is he is going to wash the car today.
Also, he finally installed the shower head in the guest bathroom! {I’ll post before and after pictures soon}
LUCKY ME!
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 6garden boxes for his little lady - Build a boatload of birdhouses for the {soon to be} bird sanctuary
- Remodel the bathroom in the hallway {DONE!}
- 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 {I think we might go the picnic table route instead}
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.
This past week I watched Big Fish for the first time. Have you seen it? IT WAS FANTASTIC!
- 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}
* Hulu 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 but all that does is play old movies and tv shows {with ads}.
Try 24 New Recipes {and remember to link them here}
This past week I shared a recipe for roasted apples and brussels sprouts {which was totally delicious!}.
New recipes I’ve made this year:
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Apples
- 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 about 80% through the The 3,000 Mile Garden and next up is A Countryman’s Journal: Views of Life and Nature from a Maine Coastal Farm by Roy Barrette.
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
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 2098! Wahooo. {I snapped this picture of a baby chick this week. Isn’t it cute? I was tempted to go home with a few but I know we have waaaaay to many other projects we need to get done this year before I try and convince the HH he needs to build another coop}.
Clean Out My Closet
I turned all the hangers around in my closet on January 1st and so far 70% of them are still backwards.
My House Projects For This Year
Yesterday I painted the trim on 2 of the 4 windows in the family room and I plan on painting the other two today. Then, I’ll work on the trim in the dining room.
- 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
We are still waiting for the ground to thaw but with the weather so nice and warm, we’ve been spending a little more time outside each day. Yesterday while the HH was outside clearing brush, 10 turkeys sauntered by. 🙂 Gobble Gobble!
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 6601 sales on Etsy}.
Only 3,399 to go!
This past week I added a bunch of new bundles of wool to my Etsy shop.
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 didn’t work on any new ornaments this past week {I plan on making some soon} but I did FINALLY figure out how I am going to finish that big whale/ship rug I started last year and will be picking it back up again this week. {I am showing you the back of the rug because I don’t want to ruin the surprise.
I’m usually pretty good about finishing rugs that I start, but sometimes, I get stuck on what colors to use and have to set something aside until it comes to me.
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
Carol says
Mavis what paint do u use for trim? Brand , color, finish? Thanks!
Mavis Butterfield says
Benjamin Moore – Chantilly Lace – Eggshell on the walls, satin for the trim. Best white paint on the planet earth. And, no fumes!
Carol says
Thanks Mavis!
Kim says
Your HH, he’s a keeper!!!
Mel says
They make seamless bifocals now, so you can’t tell by looking at them that they are bifocals. I actually had them in college to alternate between looking at my notes and the chalkboard.
I mostly continued working on my goal of restoring our herb garden. I got my second vaccine dose and was down for the count for a day or two, so I passed the time by ordering more herb seedlings. Most of them are annuals in our zone (7B), so this is not something I’ll likely sustain year to year, but while I am redoing the whole bed I thought it would be fun to try out a little of everything to see if there are any new favorites. If there’s anything we really love, I’ll buy those or start them from seed each year. For this year though, it will maybe be a little excessive.
Another goal was to redo my tomato trellis system, so I’ve been thinking about that, but the seedlings are only an inch tall right now.
christina says
I love BM paint. I ( We ) just painted our kitchen BM Simply white in semi gloss. I’ve used high gloss for some shelving. I havent tried Satin for trim but I might pick up a quart. I’ll check out Chantilly but I absolutely love the Simply White!! BTW, I sked before but it looks like those floors are a 12″ pine( heart maybe). We have pine floors we put in our kitchen when re did it 25 yrs ago. They need to be resanded but love how they age. Most people n the west coast coast wouldt use pine for flooring but I grew up on the east coast so I know it’s common.
Rosemary Calhoun says
If you find yourself putting on/taking off your glasses all day, you may want to consider getting progressive lenses. They are strong in the areas where you need it and weaker in the areas you don’t. For me, I needed the lenses to be stronger for reading, crocheting (bottom portion of lens), computer work (middle portion of lens), but I don’t need them for distances (top portion). There are no lines on the lenses (that you can see) – they just gradually get weaker/stronger. You would need to wear them all the time but it saves looking for glasses every time you need them. LOL
Jen says
If you do end up needing bifocals try progressive lenses. No lines!
Carole says
I agree on progressive lenses. I have had them for years, just make sure that middle portion is correct. Mine is off now so I have to go back. You get a distortion if that is off, you can still see but it should be correct. And hey just an idea, check out eyebobs.com, really cool frames out there now, just to get some ideas. I guess with age I have gotten wacky, I got some really cool purple frames this year. I love them.
Diana says
I have to tell you about a visit I had with a new friend. She and her husband own a Williamsburg Colonial style house (built in 1785) that is currently located just north of Atlanta (yes, it was moved, but from eastern GA where it was originally built). It was FABulous! The random width wood flooring was to die for! BUT, what I wanted to tell you about, really, was the kitchen garden directly behind the house. When I saw it, I thought of your garden out front and your new garden boxes.
OK, so imagine four boxes in a square with walking paths about 3′ between (so the walking path creates a + between the boxes). The inside corner of each box is cut off so that the center walking area is really a hexagon. The boxes are 10×10. There is a, for lack of a better word, railing around each box, just a simple 1×2 or 2×2 construction. The top of the rail is about 2′ off the ground. At the cut off corner of each box is a fruit tree planted just inside the box, espaliered along that top rail. Just 2 main branches running along the rail with smaller branches raising from it. The tops of the tree limbs are no more than 5′ from the ground. It was GORGEOUS! I took pictures, so if it sounds like something you’d like to see, let me know where I can send them.
I’ve been espaliering trees for years and this was the look I’d been going for all along, and didn’t know it. I’m going to create this garden this year in my own yard.
Cynthia says
Diana, I would love to see the pictures.
sarah says
I am curios, by any chance was this house in Dunwoody? I know there is a Williamsburg section of the city with some older houses.
Kirsten G. says
$54.99 a month for Hulu? I hope that’s a typo!
I’m so far behind on projects for
this year. I really need to buckle down and figure out a real game plan.
Mavis Butterfield says
Not a typo.
Lynn Williams says
Hulu $54.99 month? Are you sure? I pay $12.99 month. Plus getting rid of Netflix and Hulu do you not watch tv?
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}.
Lana says
I also recommend progressive lenses but give yourself a couple of days to get used to them. The first pair needs patience! Once you have the first ones then you will adjust to subsequent pairs easily. And just use you current frames if you like them. I’ve reused the same frames for five years because they feel good and don’t slip around.
Christine O says
I Love my progressive lenses. Even splurged and had a pair of sunglasses made!
Diane says
I’ve not seen the movie, “Big Fish”. They have made a musical version, that is amazingly moving, just wonderful. When theater comes back, I highly recommend seeing a production if you get a chance. Happy Weekend, everyone.
Catherine says
Wait until you keep taking your glasses off and trying to clean the lenses. This is when I found out I had a cataract. I’ve worn progressive lenses for years. It takes a couple of days for your brain to adjust and then they’re great. Don’t be surprised if you get a little dizzy at first if you move your head suddenly.
Carolina Cooper says
I also have had progressive lens for years and I love them . But, at age 76, I am also thinking that the lenses need to be cleaned. I need to get my eyes checked. So glad I saw your comment—it’s probably been 3 years since i had a change of lenses.
Lea Stormhammer says
Oh my goodness, Mavis! That view out your windows is amazing!
I’m loving following along with your projects – you’re inspiring me.
Lea
Ramona says
I may be the only one that didn’t like progressive lenses. I liked the idea of no lines but I am a big reader of books. It was hard for me to find the small area on my glasses for reading. Also you have to get used to turning your head instead of moving your eyes when looking at things. I had the glasses for over a year so it isn’t like I didn’t give my eyes a chance to adjust. Next pair of glasses I went with regular bifocals. Now I have trifocals. Mavis I like your new rug of the ship and whale you are working on.
Holly R Chidsey-Gardner says
I tried progressive lenses too and also didn’t like them. The “sweet spot” for reading was much too small – I kept moving my line of site out of the focal area and moving my head while reading was uncomfortable. I was a high school librarian so I needed to do a lot of reading. I finally settled on one pair of lined bifocals for distance/computer and a second pair for computer/reading.
Virginia says
That was my exact experience with progressives. I’ve tried them two separate times but couldn’t get comfortable with them. I use bifocals as well — a primary pair and another for computer work. An optician told me if you don’t start off with progressives early when you first begin wearing glasses, it’s more difficult to acclimate. I wore them for weeks trying to get them to work for me, but finally gave up. Won’t be trying them again.
Lindsey says
Pray for cataracts. I got them in my 30s, due to a medicine I was taking. BEST BLESSING EVER!! Easy surgery. One eye sees far and one sees close but together the brain gives you prefect vision. I have never worn bifocals and I am in my 60s now. The only time I wear anything on my eyes is when it is very sunny because you see things so clearly that your eyes hurt. Went from almost being legally blind to 20/20 vision.
Colleen says
I agree with the comments about the progressive lenses if you need them. Be sure and get good quality ones and have an accurate measurement for their placement in the frames you will be using. There can be an adjustment period as you get used to them. Also, when you have your exam mention about your thyroid surgery– that could be having an impact on your vision too.
sue edwards says
it still plays shows next day and has newer movies and original movies for 13.99/ month.
Allison says
I loved moving on to progressive lenses because I must have had a dozen pair of drug store readers and could never find them! Now they only leave my face to sit on my nightstand when I sleep so i always know where they are. Check out Costco when you get a prescription: their optical dept highly rated, I got darling frames for which I get compliments all the time, and at a third the price at my eye doctor and much less than Sam’s.. As for readers, I just got a another pair that are perfecty for reading in bed. I can’t even take a couple of steps in them without feeling dizzy, but they are perfect for being still and reading, and they cost almost nothing.
Kirsten says
That’s ridiculous! I can see why you cancelled it.