My Big List of Things I’m Going to Do in 2021 – Week 33 of 52

Stay Healthy! 

Exercise this past week has been kayaking Lucy around the cove, walking back and forth across the field adding layers to my lasagna garden {seaweed, wood chips and grass clippings} and cleaning out the garage. Seriously, why pay for a gym membership when you can hang out at home and get a boatload of work done? 

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

Weigh-ins are the first Sunday of each month.

• My August 1st weight in was 131.4
• 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 

The man loves his wood chipper! It was too hot to chip anything yesterday but I’m sure he’ll be back at it again tomorrow. 

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

Instead of ordering a new washer and dryer set {because my husband wants to wait until our current set dies} I decided to invest in a clothesline. 🙂 Which will be AWESOME if you ask me. If the power goes out, if the old dryer keels over, or hey, if I just want the smell of crisp line dried sheets… we’ll be set. Plus, I’m excited about the savings potential too. 

• 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}

This past week was pretty low tech. Even movie wise. I think I only watched two DVD’s. It’s amazing how much you can get done when cut out all the noise. 

Unplugging is cool…. 

• Goodbye Facebook {Done!}
• 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} {21 down, 3 to go!}

Last week I made a pan of chicken enchiladas using Costco canned chicken. Canned chicken is a great pantry stock up item! 

New recipes I’ve made this year:

• Chicken Enchiladas with Costco Canned Chicken
• Easy Zucchini Puff Pastry Tart
• Meatballs and Brown Gravy
• Savory Bacon Cheese and Onion Scones
• Banoffee Pie
• Chicken Salad with Costco Canned Chicken
• 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

 

Read {or Listen to} 12 New Books about Maine {or written by Maine Authors}

I listened to 2 audiobooks last week {that I’d rate 7 out of 10} but I’m not going to recommend them here. Simply because I’m tired of getting really into a book and then there being 5 minutes of totally unnecessary graphic content that it totally puts a damper on the rest of the story. 

Seriously, that’s what people have imaginations for. I don’t need to hear/read about it. 

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

1. Christina Olson Her World Beyond the Canvas
2. Andrew Wyeth: A Secret Life
3. Finding Freedom
4. Maine’s Favorite Birds
5. At First Light: Two Centuries of Maine Artists, Their Homes and Studios
6. Bernard Langlais at the Colby College Museum of Art
7. The 3,000 Mile Garden
8. Becoming Teddy Roosevelt 
9. Here On The Island
10. The Lobster Coast 

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. 

*** We didn’t make a trip to Head Tide Oven this past week, instead I baked a loaf of our favorite No Knead Sun-Dried Tomato, Olive and Feta Bread to go with the tomato soup the HH made. I also made another puff pastry recipe and so really, we were good on bread and treats. 

I plan on going next week though for a pie. 

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

Breads

• Dark Rye Sourdough Bread
• Light Rye Sourdough Bread
• Sourdough Kalamata Olive Bread
• Sourdough Bread 
• Flat Sourdough Bread
• Baguette 
• Walnut Raisin Sourdough Bread
• Vollkornbrot Sourdough Bread

Cookies/Bars

• Raspberry Jam Bar
• Ginger Cookie x2
• Swedish Cookie
• Almond Bar 
• Anise Sesame Biscotti
• Pan Forte x2

Pies and Cakes

• Chocolate Cake with a chocolate ganache 
• Peach Pie
• Lemon Thyme Pie x2
• Blueberry Pie
• Cherry Pie
• Cherry Rhubarb Pie

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

*I am down to 1311 photos! That’s the lowest its ever been!!

Also, Kit Kat bars at the Home Depot are now $1.94 {outrageous!!}.

Clean Out My Closet

Working on it.

My House Projects For This Year

Since I still haven’t figured out the window situation or what we’re going to do in the kitchen yet, still on my list are: painting the exterior of the house and coming up with a list of how projects I want to tackle {or have the HH tackle} this winter. 

With the weather being so cold here during the winter months and working outside not really an option, we are learning that winter is the best time to get all the indoor stuff done. 

• 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

Currently I’m working on my bulb order from Van Engelen. I’m having a hard time deciding what kind of daffodils to get though. It’s a toss up between all white ones, or white with an orange or yellow center. 

Also, the tomatoes have gone made. We are getting a colander full of cherry tomatoes about every two days now. Perhaps I planted too many. Ha!

Still left on the list:

• Install a simple flower bed border in front of the house {Done}
• Star a lasagna garden
• 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 {fall project}
• Clean up and prune the area that faces the road {working on it}
• 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 8069 sales on Etsy}. Only 1931 to go! 

My kitchen table is currently stacked with wool! Hopefully by the end of the day I’ll have it listed on Etsy. 🙂

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

While not a new design, I did hook another turkey rug for my fall listings update {hopefully next weekend}. It’s weird. Somedays I’m outside all day working in the yard, and other days I spend the whole day hooking. I love this time of year. Everyday is so different. 

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 Done!

I didn’t create any new ornaments last week but I did pull a bunch of bee ornaments out of the kiln. I just have a few more kiln firings to go and then I’ll be ready for the holidays. 🙂 

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
• #11 Penguin 
• #12 Pear

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:

• Lil’s Cafe
• The Farnsworth Art Museum 
• Beth’s Farm Market
• Owl’s Head Transportation Museum 
• 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