My Big List of Things I’m Going to Do in 2021 – Week 27 of 52

Stay Healthy! 

Hey look at that! One pound to go. I guess a diet of fruit pies and hamburgers really is a winning combination. 🙂 

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

Weigh-ins are the first Sunday of each month.

• My July 4th weigh in was 129.0
• 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 
• 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 

There were no major projects for the HH this past week. At the beginning of the week it was too hot to work outside, and the last few days it’s been raining on and off…. but fear not, I have a enormous amount of sticky notes up on the fridge so here’s hoping next week will be a productive one. 🙂 

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

• 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 have been off of Facebook for about 10 days now, and in that time {with 45,000+} likes on my page, I’ve had a whopping 4 emails from people wanting to know where I went. FOUR. 

Unplugging is cool…. 

• Goodbye Facebook
• 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} {16 down, 8 to go!}

Only 8 more new recipes to go for this year, that’s really good. I think I’ll probably make more than that because there are a bunch of new fall and winter recipes I still want to try, but it’s nice to know that I and more than half way done with this goal. Especially since we’re at the halfway mark for the year. 

New recipes I’ve made this year:

• Classic Strawberry Jam Recipe
• 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}

I am currently reading Here On The Island by Charles Pratt and I LOVE the fact that the “island” is not mentioned by it’s name. 

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 **

Try Everything That Head Tide Oven Offers This Summer

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. 🙂

This week we picked up a cherry rhubarb pie {crazy good, and gone in 30 hours, I had 5 slices, the HH had 2} a loaf of sourdough Kalamata olive bread {excellent!}, a bag of anise sesame biscotti {they were okay} and a slice of pan forte {which was probably the tastiest new to me food I’ve tried in a VERY long time}.

 Items I’ve Tried From Head Tide Oven in Damariscotta, Maine this summer:

• Sourdough Kalamata Olive Bread
• Sourdough Bread 
• Flat Sourdough Bread
• Baguette 
• Ginger Cookie x2
• Swedish Cookie
• Anise Sesame Biscotti
• Pan Forte
• Lemon Thyme Pie 
• Blueberry Pie
• Cherry Rhubarb Pie

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

Currently at 2,096 photos. 

Clean Out My Closet

I am currently working on a box of items to donate. Apparently I pretty much wear the same clothes everyday, who knew? 

My House Projects For This Year

My next big project, is to paint the outside of the house. It’s gotten off to a slow start though because first it was too hot to be painting outside, and then it started rain. But as long as I get it done before the end of July, I’ll be happy. 

• 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

I’m already thinking ahead to fall! I started a few Brussels Sprouts, cabbage and broccoli seeds in a leftover clear food container. I might be a little too early with the cabbage and broccoli, but we’ll see. 

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}

Reach 10,000 Sales on Etsy {as of this morning I’ve made 7800 sales on Etsy}. Only 2200 to go! 

Things have slowed down a little on Etsy in the last few weeks, probably because everyone is outside playing instead of being cooped in inside and it’s been a great chance for me to play catch up. This week I plan on drawing out patterns and dyeing a few more bundles of wool. 

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

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

Inspired by my friend Sue Tirrell’s gorgeous mugs and plates, I created a new sgraffito owl ornament to add to my collection. Each owl was hand carved and they have been a blast to make. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll work my way up to mugs and plates too. 

Create 12 New Ornaments for 2021

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
• #10 Sgraffito Owl

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

Part of me feels like I am slacking a little with this goal, but the other part of me knows I’m holding back a wee bit because I plan on doing a few “Maine” giveaways later this year and don’t want to spoil the surprise. 

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