My Big List of Things I’m Going to Do in 2021 – Week 21 of 52

Stay Healthy! 

Getting enough dairy, can be a bit of a challenge sometimes, but now that summer is here… it’s not a problem. 🙂 

Weigh What I Weighed When We Got Married  {128 pounds}

Weigh-ins are the first Sunday of each month.

• My May 2nd weigh in was 131.0
• My April 18th weigh in was 129.9 {after 18 days of being on the low iodine diet}
• My April 4th weigh in was 133.4 {a few days into the low iodine diet}
• 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 HH’s to-do list for today: Build picnic table #2 

We liked the picnic table down by the water so much, the HH has decided to build a second one for the deck rather than purchase a traditional patio set. A picnic table in the setting we’re in just seems like a much better, relaxed fit. 

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. {DONE!}
• Build a picnic table near the birch trees for summer lunches {Done!}
• Build 4 or 6 garden boxes for his little lady {re-thinking this one}
• Build a boatload of birdhouses for the {soon to be} bird sanctuary 
• Create a garden path/walkway for the front garden {DONE!}
• Remodel the bathroom in the hallway {DONE!}
• Install some sort of driveway border
• Install a workspace for me in the basement for dying wool
• Install a fence in the front for Lucy {DONE!}
• Build a set of 3 bookshelves in the dining room for me {DONE!}
• Install a trailer hitch on the car {DONE!}

Things We’d Like to Buy

• A dinghy 
• 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 {Going the picnic table route instead}
• A set of 4 Adirondack chairs for the fire pit area  {I LOVE these chairs!}
• BBQ {Sayonara smoker?}
• 2 More Kayaks

Unplug As Much As Possible {but still keep the blog, FB and Instagram}

Who needs TV when you have Lucy? 

• 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} 

* 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 tv shows and old movies {with ads}.

Try 24 New Recipes {and remember to link them here} {13 down, 11 to go!}

New recipes I’ve made this year:

• Creamy Scalloped Potatoes with Ham
• Chicken and Green Bean Casserole 
• Chocolate Chip Sea Salt Cookies
• Lemon Meringue Pie
• 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}

Mrs. HB brought me the book Maine’s Favorite Birds and so we’ve been going through that and I am also on the waitlist for Finding Freedom by Maine Author Erin French. 

Books about Maine {or written by Maine authors} I’ve read this year:

1. Christina Olson Her World Beyond the Canvas. 
2. At First Light: Two Centuries of Maine Artists, Their Homes and Studios
3. Bernard Langlais at the Colby College Museum of Art
4. The 3,000 Mile Garden
5. Becoming Teddy Roosevelt 

Audiobooks I’ve listened to {or attempted to listen to} this year: 

• The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah {I give it a 10/10}
• 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 now dislike this goal!}

I am working on a NEW GOAL to replace this one and will tell you all about it next week. I firmly believe if a goal isn’t working for you… GET A NEW ONE!

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
• Sheepscot General Store and Farm in Whitefield, Maine

Get the Photos on My Phone Down to Less Than 1,000 {started the year with 2863 photos}

Mrs. HB is here and so I’ve been taking A LOT more pictures than normal and I am back up to 2,401 photos. Yikes!

Clean Out My Closet

I still haven’t worn about 50% of the clothing in my closet this year and so it’s looking like I’ll be donating a bunch of stuff to the little church in town towards the end of the year. A thinned out closet… it can be very liberating. 

My House Projects For This Year

Mrs. HB and I are planning on installing some of stepping stones {from the giant pile in the woods} to the side of the house today. The side that will eventually be the entrance to my studio. 

I haven’t figured the whole space out yet, but we are also going to plant the wisteria we picked up at the garden center and at some point {this summer, next spring?} I’ll have the HH build an arbor for the wisteria to climb up. But for now, I just want to get it in the ground. 

• 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 walls and trim {DONE!}
• Paint the entryway trim and doors {DONE!}
• Paint the dining room walls and trim {DONE!}
• 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 List of Garden Projects For This Year I want to Accomplish :

On Friday we picked up a new sprinkler because Mrs. HB and I both aggreged that the hose we were using was a total pain to move around the garden. So we’ll set that up today and get the hibiscus and wisteria planted and probably some herbs too. 

The tomatoes, peppers and beans were planted a few days ago and next up is sunflowers and squash. I’m limited on space this year, so I think I’ll plant the squash {butternut and sugar pie pumpkins} along the base of the fence and train the vines up the pickets. 

It could look really cute. Or it could be a total disaster. But, I’ll never know unless I try. 🙂 

Still left on the list:

• Install a simple flower bed border in front of the house {Done}
• Install a boatload of birdhouses/feeders in the side yard {re-thinking this one}
• 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 {Done}
• Install a sunflower patch {next up on the list!}
• Plant 2,500 flower bulbs in the fall {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 7453 sales on Etsy}. Only 2,547to go! 

I re-stocked my Etsy shop with some smaller bundles and have been working on dyeing more as well as painting ornaments like a mad woman. 

Create 12 New Rug Hooking Patterns or Kits

Last week I finished the second pattern that I’ll be sharing on my next Etsy shop update on June 4th. With the addition of those two, I’ll be up to 5 new patterns for this year once I get them listed. 

New Rug Hooking Kits I’ve Created This Year:

• 1820 Flower Basket
• Bunny Love
• Old Mr. Squirrel

Create 12 New Ornaments for 2021

Last week I added a new loon ornament to my collection and I just LOVE how it turned out. I’ve been working on a new owl design and will fire it in the kiln this week. If it turns out well, I’ll share a photo next week. 

2021 Ornaments I’ve Made So Far

• #1  Ladybug Heart 
• #2 Strawberry
• #3 Mr. Turkey
• #4 Whale Tails
• #5 Bee Skep
• #6 Loon

2021 Garlands I’ve Made So Far

• #1 Heart Garlands
• #2 Bunny Garlands
• #3 Strawberry Garlands

Discover 12 Made in Maine Products and Share Them on the Blog

Have you entered my latest Made in Maine Giveaway yet? If not, Go HERE to enter. 

Made in Maine Products I’ve Discovered in 2021:

• Hearth and Harrow Tea Towels in Rockport, Maine
• Royal Rose Syrups in Newcastle, Maine
• Ash Cove Pottery in Harpswell, Maine
• Uncas Farms Pure Maple Syrup

Visit 6 Lighthouses in Maine

2 down, 4 to go! 

Yesterday Mrs. HB and I walked to the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse as well as walked the beach where we found 7 golf balls of all things. My guess is there was a golf course nearby. Because seriously, how else do you explain golf balls on the beach? 

Lighthouses We’ve Visited So Far This Year:

• West Quoddy Lighthouse in Lubec, Maine
• Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in Bristol, Maine

Lighthouses I’ve Been to in Maine Before 2021:

• Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse
• Marshall Point Lighthouse
• Portland Head Light

Other places in Maine We’ve Been to This Year Are:

• Owls Head General Store
• Longfellow’s Greenhouses and Nursery in Manchester, Maine
• Fresh Off The Farm in Rockport, Maine
• 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