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12 Goals for the New Year

My Big List of Things I’m Going to Do in 2021 – Week 41 of 52

By Mavis Butterfield on - 12 Comments

 

Stay Healthy! 

With temperatures like this I should be out walking a few miles everyday! But there is still so much left to do in the garden before the big chill happens, that I haven’t left the property in a week. How crazy is that?

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

Weigh-ins are the first Sunday of each month.

  • My October 3rd weigh in was 131.5
  • My September 5th weigh in was 131.4
  • 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 

Well the two trees that were creeping towards the kitchen garden area have finally been removed and now all that’s left to do in that area is to rake all the pine needles and fluff away, get rid of any big roots with the hackzall, lay a little lime down, some fresh soil and then plant a bit of grass seed.

Luckily the HH was able to cut the tree trunks down to ground level so we don’t have to worry about those. 

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

I splurged and bought a 3 quart Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Oval Baker for winter casseroles. I think it’s been at least 5 years {probably more} since I’ve bought any sort of new cookware.

But with 90+ pounds of potatoes and nearly 20 pounds of sweet potatoes, I plan to make a lot of casseroles this winter. šŸ™‚ 

  • A dinghy 
  • Clothesline
  • 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}

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} DONE!

This week I posted a recipe for my Smooth and Creamy Peanut Butter Cookies. These are great to make in bulk and stash away in the freezer!

I have shared 28 new recipes this year! Wahoo. 

New recipes I’ve made this year:

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

I didn’t pick up any new books at the library last week and probably won’t this week either but I did start 2 fires in the woodstove and read 2 magazines I picked up from the library’s free magazine pile. 

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 
  11. A Small Farm in Maine

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

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 closed for the season but my adventures there were fun while they lasted. 

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 Green 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
  • Blueberry Hand Pie
  • Lemon Hand Pie

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

The leaves are finally starting to change! I need to get out there and put ribbons around the maple trees this week though so I don’t forget where they are come sugaring season. 

*I currently have 1321 photos on my phone. 

Clean Out My Closet

 Even though there are still 21 items in my closet I haven’t worn this year, I did pull 2 items out and added them to my donate bag for the thrift store. A nubby sweater and a brown turtleneck. 

My House Projects For This Year

I am currently in love with this built in blue hutch I found on a.cotswold.lifestyle on Instagram. 

  • 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 still need to get my garlic planted! Have you planted yours yet? Also, I’m still waiting on my spring bulb order. 

Still left on the list:

  • Install a simple flower bed border in front of the house {Done}
  • Start 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 {Done}
  • 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

Reach 10,000 Sales on Etsy {as of this morning I’ve made 8512 sales on Etsy}. Only 1488 to go.

That means I’ll have to sell 20.38 items a day until the end of the year to hit my goal. I don’t know about you, but I believe in miracles. šŸ™‚ 

Create 12 New Rug Hooking Patterns or Kits {8 down 4 to go}

I have finished hooking pattern/kit #9, #10 and #11 and will be finishing up #12 today! They all have a fall/Halloween theme to them so I wanted to offer them all at once. I am hoping to get them listed on Esty later today. Once I do that, I’ll be able to mark this goal off my list! 

New Rug Hooking Kits or Patterns I’ve Created This Year:

Create 12 New Ornaments for 2021 Done!

The ornament section of my Etsy shop is fully stocked and ready for the holiday rush. 

2021 Ornaments I’ve Made So Far

2021 Garlands I’ve Made So Far

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

I have discovered several more Maine products this year but since I plan on doing a few “Maine” giveaways later this year I don’t want to spoil the surprise so I’ll wait and share them then.

Made in Maine Products I’ve Discovered in 2021:

Visit 6 Lighthouses in Maine

4 down, 2 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:

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

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Comments

  1. Mel says

    This has been a very rough year, so I haven’t worked on the goals I originally had planned for this year in quite some time, but I’m starting to get back to some of them:

    1. Health
    I had to take a 6-month break from running (too much going on, broken bones, various other catastrophes), but I managed to run once this week. I’m hoping I can get back to this 2-3 times a week. Hydration has been a real challenge since I’m masked 9 hours a day (had to upgrade to disposable masks that don’t have a hydration port).

    2. Savings
    I had sort of decided to shelve this one, but we actually ended up doing really well on this just because our finances changed.

    3. Continue some of the positive things that came out of 2020, like sharing garden produce, eating local meat, etc..
    I froze 60 lbs of tomatoes, which I will eventually share. We’ve eaten about 50% local meat, so not bad on that.

    4. Break some of the negative habits that came out of 2020, like eating fewer veggies.
    Not so much, but now I finally have the freezer stocked, it’s easier to up the veggie intake. I haven’t had a full freezer since Fall 2019, and we do much better with veggie consumption when we have freezer meals since I have time and energy left to prep side dishes. It’s still hard at work though since I have to go outside to eat instead of being able to snack on veggies.

    5. Fun Stuff
    Not happening. It has not been a fun year.

    6. House Stuff
    I did most of the cleaning and organizing tasks and have had good luck with a flexible cleaning schedule (considering how chaotic this year has been).

    7. Painting.
    Nope. Never got the supplies we loaned out back, and we saved enough that I think we’ll eventually pay for this instead (no time now to schedule).

    8. Garden Goals
    I did great with a new tomato trellising system and redoing our herb garden and adding flowers, but army worms took out my chives.

    9. Change Goals as Needed
    Yeah, tell me about it.

    10. Bonus Goals
    I did one of these (got vaccinated this spring) and am working on the other, but it depends on many variables outside my control.

    Other Stuff I’ve Done:
    -I sewed 100 pencil bags for students.
    -I switched out our kitchen table and chairs.
    -I added outdoor storage to our porch.
    -I am still working on trapping/taming the two stray cats in our yard, but we’ve still only been able to trap one. Oddly, the untrappable one is currently the friendliest.

    Reply

  2. Suzanne says

    You should check out Devolkitchens on insta or their web site. It’s full of nothing but English kitchen/pantry inspiration.

    Reply

  4. Kim says

    What is the purpose of putting down lime?
    You can get your weight lifting in using that gorgeous new casserole dish. 6 lbs. 8 ounces!
    I nearly wept when I saw your forecast and photo of fire in your stove. Still had highs in 90ā€™s last week.

    Reply

  5. Nancy Settel says

    exercise when you have your new pans!! I have several of this kind and oh my some days. This morning I made home made mac and cheese in the 5 qt one and it was filled to the top and had to be put in smaller casseroles for the freezer. Oh my goodness it was heavy. I did give my 9 1/2 qt. to my son who has 2 restaurants couldn’t handle it anymore. I do love them so much but they are a work out for sure.

    Reply

  6. Allison Kitfield says

    As usual most impressed by what you have accomplished this year, Mavis. You are clearly in a very good place, so maybe your body is telling you that 131 is a good set weight, and you can mark that goal met as well. And Mel, you are amazing and inspiring too. You’ve done so much, this year and others, and so generously shared it with all of us. I hope that you can look only at the salvageable goals met, and give yourself well -deserved congratulations for the resilience and grit with which you’ve faced a really hard year.

    Reply

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