My Big List of Things I’m Going to Do in 2021 – Week 25 of 52

Stay Healthy! 

I spent a lot of time this past week outside… and it felt great. I LOVE that summers here aren’t too hot {the 70’s suit me just fine}. 

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

Weigh-ins are the first Sunday of each month.

• My June 6th weigh in was 129.6
• 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 

I gave my resident handyman the week off, can you believe it? Well, almost. But there were no major projects, just maintenance stuff and so he was pretty happy about that. 

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 {we did raised beds this year instead}}
• 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

No purchases this week {other than food} but that doesn’t mean I am giving up my dream of living on an island someday. Preferably and island with just one house on it {mine}. 

I spotted this ferry returning from one the the island the other day with a garbage truck on it and thought it was amusing. I bet those garbage guys must love collection day on the island. 

• 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 {He bought a Blackstone Griddle instead!}
• 2 More Kayaks

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

I’m doing a fine job of unplugging these days, instead of plugging in, I’ve painted, hooked, done the mail run via boat, gone sightseeing, kayaking and have kept my phone on silent. It’s been lovely. 

Finding your own entertainment… it’s pretty rad. 

• 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} {15 down, 9 to go!}

New recipes I’ve made this year:

• Lobster Mac and Cheese Recipe
• Rhubarb Pineapple Pie
• 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}

This past week I got caught up on the How I Built This podcasts. I love listening to them while I’m painting or working on my rug hooking projects. I don’t know about you, but I find it fascinating how entrepreneurs adapt to all the twists and turns it takes to build a business. 

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

1. Christina Olson Her World Beyond the Canvas. 
2. Finding Freedom
3. Maine’s Favorite Birds
4. At First Light: Two Centuries of Maine Artists, Their Homes and Studios
5. Bernard Langlais at the Colby College Museum of Art
6. The 3,000 Mile Garden
7. 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  ** SEE NEW GOAL BELOW **

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

I dislike this goal so much…. THAT I’M CHANGING IT! Yep, so instead of getting 24 stories off my phone and onto the blog, I’ve decided to try everything that Head Tide Oven offers this summer instead. 🙂 

Head Tide Oven is located in the small town of Damariscotta, Maine and is only open a few months out of the year… so I will have to be super diligent if I’m going to try everything before the bakery closes shop at the end of summer.

But I think I can do it! The plan is to keep a running list of all the delicious breads and pastries I’ve tried here on my weekly goal post. 

So Far I’ve tried the following items from Head Tide Oven in Damariscotta, Maine:

• Sourdough Bread 
• Ginger Cookie 
• Lemon Thyme Pie 

 

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

Currently at 2,300 photos… but I’ve got to the end of the year, right? 

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

I turned the old craft room into the master bedroom and now I am working on turning the old master bedroom into a craft room. First step: paint the formally yellow, grey walls WHITE. 

• 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 {DONE!}
• Paint the barn and add a new fixture 
• Paint the hallway bathroom {DONE!}

My List of Garden Projects For This Year I want to Accomplish

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 {decided for a row along the side of the barn instead}
• Plant 2,500 flower bulbs in the fall {Why 2,500? It seemed like a good number to start with}

My first tomato of the season. Wahooo! 

Reach 10,000 Sales on Etsy {as of this morning I’ve made 7674 sales on Etsy}. Only 2326 to go! 

I added a few wool bundles to my Etsy shop last night but with all the other mini projects I have going on right now, it will probably be another week or two until I am dyeing up oodles of batches of wool again. 

Create 12 New Rug Hooking Patterns or Kits {5 down 7 to go}

I finally finished the Cape Cod 1829 New England Whale and Sailboat Rug I was working on available as a finished piece, a kit and a pattern. I also have the whale pillow above available as a pattern as well.

New Rug Hooking Kits I’ve Created This Year:

• Cape Cod 1829 New England Whale and Sailboat
• Nantucket Whale
• 1820 Flower Basket
• Bunny Love
• Old Mr. Squirrel

Create 12 New Ornaments for 2021

Last night I added three new ornaments to my Etsy shop: A simple white cross, a set of mini candy canes and a set of mini red mittens {both great for miniature or feather trees}. 

2021 Ornaments I’ve Made So Far

• #1  Ladybug Heart 
• #2 Strawberry
• #3 Mr. Turkey
• #4 Whale Tails
• #5 Bee Skep
• #6 Loon
• #7 Simple White Cross
• #8 Miniature Candy Canes
• #9 Miniature Red Mittens

2021 Garlands I’ve Made So Far

• #1 Heart Garlands
• #2 Bunny Garlands
• #3 Strawberry Garlands
• #4 Whale Tail Garlands

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

We have recently found a local cheesemaker, lobster shack and flower farm which I am excited to share on the blog soon. 

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! 

Lighthouse adventures have been put on hold until the fall {when tourist season is over} and that’s fine by me. 🙂 

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
• Hedgerow Market in Martinsville, Maine
• 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
• McLoons Lobster Shack

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