My Big List of Things I’m Going to Do in 2021 – Week 47 of 52

Stay Healthy! 

I made a salad last week but I was so excited about my indoor lettuce, I forgot to take a picture of the actual salad I made. And it was a total beauty too. Oh well, maybe next time. 

Gardening has been on my mind lately, mostly because I’ve been thinking about the people who were around 200-300 years ago and how hard it must have been during the winter months food wise {among other things}. I mean really, the sheer amount of food they would’ve had to put away and preserve must have been constantly on their minds.

Especially if they had a large family!

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

Weigh-ins are the first Sunday of each month.

• My November 7th weigh in was 130.7
• 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 

The boat is in the little barn, the snow sticks are in the ground, the faucet covers are on, the snow blower has been tuned up and is ready to go…. now all we need is SNOW…. and to get the floating dock up out of the water. 😉 

C’mon husband… hop to it!

The HH’s Honey Do List {so far} for 2021 

This year’s honey do list:

• 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

The best purchase this year I think has been those white Adirondack chairs from LL Bean. Not only do I love sitting in them, but I also like looking out the window and seeing them all around the fire pit. They’re so welcoming! 

Now, if we could only get those floors refinished…. 

• 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}

Instead of paying $11 for a movie ticket or a monthly subscription to something…. we invested in a 50 pound bag of cracked corn for winter. Yep. Because seriously, that’s what you do when you live in the boonies on what is basically a wildlife preserve and you have a flock of 2 dozen turkeys that come to visit you everyday. 

• 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!

I have shared 33 new recipes this year, including this one for banoffee pie. It’s crazy good, you should try it. 

New recipes I’ve made this year:

• Steak and Potato Soup
• Cinnamon Peach Crisp
• The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Rocky Road Brownies
• Smooth and Creamy Peanut Butter Cookies
• Ham and Potato Puff Pastry Tart
• Chicken Noodle Soup made with Costco Canned Chicken
• Pickled Red Onions
• Savory Tomato Jam
• Chicken Enchiladas with Costco Canned Chicken
• Baked Potato Casserole with Bacon and Chives
• Easy Zucchini Puff Pastry Tart
• Meatballs and Brown Gravy
• Savory Bacon Cheese and Onion Scones
• Banoffee Pie
• Chicken Salad with Costco Canned Chicken
• Chicken and Roasted Butternut Casserole
• 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 
• Roasted Potatoes with Sausage
• 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 still have one more book by a Maine author to read before I can check this goal off my list. 

I started watching Foyle’s War yesterday and so far so good. I was able to watch a few episodes of the series a few years ago but never got to watch the whole thing. 

So I made a request at the library and would you believe they bought the whole dvd set {8 seasons!}? How cool is that. The episodes are pretty long {100 minutes} and there are 29 episodes so I’ll probably be watching this through the end of the year. 

Books I’ve Enjoyed This Year:

• American Country South by Mary Emmerling
• Remodelista by Julie Carlson
• The New England Colonial 
• Living the Country Life by Better Homes and Gardens

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: 

• The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah {I give it a 10/10}
• The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy {9.5/10}
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig {I’d give it a 7/10}
• Wintering by Katherine May {Hit the return button after 7 minutes}
• The King’s Speech by Mark Logue

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}

Down to 1108 photos. I’m pretty sure I can wrap this goal up here in another week or two. There are just so many cute photos of Lucy though. 

Clean Out My Closet

I didn’t get rid of anything in my closet this past week but my red Duck Feet {my favorite shoe brand} arrived a holy cow man, they are bright! 

My House Projects For This Year

I still have not come up with a good solution to the crappy blind situation at our house. Maybe I’ll have a better idea of what we want once the kitchen is done. 

• Figure out new window treatments for the back of the house
• Come up with a game plan for the kitchen remodel {for 2022} {working on it!}
• 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

It’s official, all my outdoor gardening projects are done for the year!! I did cheat a bit and sent my extra bulbs to my friend Heather though. 😉 

The HH still needs to make me my birdhouses… I think I’ll start pestering him after Thanksgiving. 

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 {Done}
• 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 {Done}

Reach 10,000 Sales on Etsy {as of this morning I’ve made 8940 sales on Etsy}.

Only 1060 to go! 

Last night I listed a few mini rugs on Etsy and should have another round to list next weekend. While I’m not sure how close to my goal I’ll get, it sure has been fun trying. 

Create 12 New Rug Hooking Patterns or Kits {15 so far this year!} DONE!

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

• The Pumpkin Ladye & Her Deare Companion
• Olde Heritage Turkey
• October Stroll
• Double Olde Salem Cats Runner
• Olde Salem Cat
• Betty’s Big Chicken
• Tulia and Thomas Turkey
• Spooky Pumpkin
• Cape Cod 1829 New England Whale and Sailboat
• Nantucket Whale
• 1820 Flower Basket
• Bunny Love
• Old Mr. Squirrel
• When Snowflakes Fall
• Winter Woodland Friends.

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

• #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
• #13 Brown Chicken
• #14 Angels
• #15 Simple White Trees

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

Seawicks Candle Company! Hand poured {soy} wax candles made in small batches right here in the great state of Maine. Their New England Winter candle smells wonderful {and the label is pretty cute too}.  

Made in Maine Products I’ve Discovered in 2021:

• Casco Bay Soap Company
• 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
• Maine Rope Mats
• Raye’s Mustard in Eastport, Maine
• Maine Grains 

Visit 6 Lighthouses in Maine

4 down, 2 to go! DONE!

Hey! We visited 2 lighthouses last week on our date day adventure. 🙂 I’ll tell you all about it soon. 

Lighthouses We’ve Visited So Far This Year:

• Southern Island Light in Tenants Harbor, Maine
• Doubling Point Lighthouse in Arrowsic, Maine
• 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:

• Moose Crossing Garden Center Waldoboro, Maine
• Lil’s Cafe
• The Farnsworth Art Museum 
• Moody’s Diner in Waldoboro, Maine
• 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