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12 Goals for the New Year

My Big List of Things I’m Going to Do in 2021 – Week 51 of 52

By Mavis Butterfield on - 22 Comments

Stay Healthy! 

I think sometimes you just need to S L O W DOWN and have a pajama day {or two!} and sit in bed and watch movies all day. And that’s what The Girl and I did yesterday. And you know what? I think we’ll do it again today. 

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

Weigh-ins are the first Sunday of each month.

  • My December 5th weigh in was 129.9
  • 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 

Well, the leg lamp is finally up. Only this year instead of having it glowing in the back window to guide all the lobstermen home, he put it directly across from my “hooking” chair so now it’s directly in my line of vision. 

We should all be so lucky.

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. 
  • Pull up floating dock and ramp {Done!}
  • 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 {Done!}
  • 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

It’s been a busy {and productive} year for not only the HH, but finding the right things for our {I hope this is forever} home. No full size washer and dryer set or an archery set though… maybe Santa will bring them? 

  • 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}

It was a pretty quite week around here… just the way we like it. 🙂 Highlights were watching the amaryllis bulb grow, keeping the woodstove going and opening doors on the advent calendar every morning. 🙂  

  • 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’ve shared 36 new recipes this year, including this one for a creamy cranberry dip with candied walnuts. 

New recipes I’ve made this year:

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

We received a copy of Yankee Magazine in the mail and haven’t stopped talking about homemade chowder since we spied a pot of it on the cover of the magazine. Doesn’t that sound good right about now?

I only have about 12 days to go before I can go grocery shopping again and milk and fresh fruit and veggies are HIGH on my list. 

Books I’ve Enjoyed This Year:

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
  12. Christina’s World

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} DONE!

Down to 960!!! 

This dog! I think at least half the photos on my phone are of her. Maybe I should make one of those photo books. Have you made on before? Do you have a favorite company you’ve used? 

Clean Out My Closet

It’s getting close to the final closet purge of the year, but I keep telling myself that maybe I should keep a couple of the {nicer} shirts that I never wear for a quilt. My friend ZoĂ« has a fancy quilting machine so all I’d need to do is sew the top pieces together and she can do the rest.

My House Projects For This Year

I STILL haven’t decided what to do about the back window… but I’m nearly there on the kitchen plans. 

  • 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

The HH made me 2 birdhouses this past week {I was hoping for more but I’ll take what I can get} and The Girl and I have plans to paint them later today during our movie marathon lunch break. 

I was going to paint them a solid color like I always do, but my daughter has some serious painting skills so who knows… they could end up much more on the bedazzled side. We’ll see. 

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 9307 sales on Etsy}.

Only 693 to go.

Sooo close! 

I highly doubt there will be a lot of last minute shoppers wanting wool, ornaments and garden markers but hey, I’m actually enjoying the slow down of the past few days so I don’t mind because it’s given me more time to work on my next stack of rug hooking listings I have planned for January 1st. 

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:

Create 12 New Ornaments for 2021 Done!

The ornament section of my Etsy shop is fully stocked and ready for the holiday rush. I just added a new batch of Valentine hearts {in pink, red, blue and green} last night. 

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

Made in Maine Products I’ve Discovered in 2021:

Visit 6 Lighthouses in Maine

4 down, 2 to go! DONE!

I still need to tell you about the 2 new lighthouses we visited! 

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. Kathy says

    I’ve used Walgreens for custom photo book. My niece has used Shutterfly. Both have enjoyable, long lasting results. The process of creating your own custom book is fun as you can have a layout that YOU want, not how someone else wants to place your photos. Give it a shot…you’ll be happy you did!

    Reply

  2. Rosemary Calhoun says

    For photo books, I have used Mixbook, Shutterfly and Snapfish. I have been happy with all three companies. I wait until one of them has a super sale (such as adding unlimited pages for free) and then I will order. I have scrapbooks for every year of my life and they have taken over the house. So, lately I have been scanning in my scrapbooks and creating photo books. I remove the mementoes that are special to me and store them in a plastic container and then I get rid of the scrapbook. Each scrapbook is about 4-5 inches thick (and heavy) and the photo book is only about a half inch thick. A real space saver and a lot easier to pull off the shelf to look at!

    Reply

    • Kim says

      Hi Rosemary, Can you tell me your process for scanning in your scrapbooks? All of mine are 12 x12 and the last time I looked, I couldn’t find a scanner to handle pages that size

      Reply

      • Rosemary Calhoun says

        There is an app called Photo Stitch – you scan in the page in 2 sections and then it “stitches” it together to make one photo. A friend of mine used that to scan in her 12×12 scrapbooks.

        Reply

  3. Lisa R says

    I use Shutterfly every year. I make a Year in Review book for a Christmas present for my husband. Each Christmas we take out all the past years and look at them before we look at the new book. I have made them for the past 11 years and counting. I am never disappointed and creating them is a lot of fun.

    It’s a great way to have memories without taking up a lot of space with actual photos. They are easy to store on bookshelf. Shutterfly also always has coupons this time of year where you can save 50% on everything so the price is great. I recommend them.

    Reply

  4. Peg says

    It’s been “our forever home” until this morning. This morning it’s “I hope it’s our forever home”. I get that things can change, but that caught my attention!

    Reply

  5. Mel says

    One of my goals (added this summer) was to trap the two stray cats in our yard (friends of our cat who passed away) to get them spayed, vaccinated, etc. The one cat was relatively easy to trap, so she’s all set vet-wise and stops by our yard every few days to visit and be fed.

    The other cat was just untrappable. All told, we spent $800 on different types of traps and bait, and she was just too smart to go in. We eventually gave up on trapping her, and she became much friendlier for it. She now lives on our porch, napping in a cat bed, playing with toys we give her, and being fed twice a day. Our new plan was to tame her to the point we could just toss her in a cat carrier and take her to the vet. She lets us get fairly close now, and just yesterday I got a good look at her ears for the first time, and…one of them is tipped! Tipped ears are a sign a cat has been TNRed (trapped, neutered, released), so that means someone likely already trapped her, got her some vet care, and released her back into the wild, which was why she was so wary of traps.

    So, the upside is she’s unlikely to show up with kittens in the Spring. The downside is we paid $800 to trap a cat who had already been trapped!

    Reply

  7. Diana says

    Oh my goodness, where do I begin?

    LOL! I love the sense of humor the HH has. To put the leg lamp in your line of vision was GENIOUS! Kudos! LOLOL!

    For Lucy’s pictures, instead of creating a book, why not download them to your computer (that’s where I keep all of my pics – never know when a phone will be lost, stolen or broken) then create a slideshow of your favs for your screensaver? That way you get to see them all the time. You can also create several screen savers and switch them out from time to time so you can then see ALL of the photos you’ve saved.

    Finally, maybe you should have been more specific with your Etsy sales goal. Was the goal for the number of sales or the number of items sold? I think you’ve indicated that Etsy only counts the number of sales (which is what I thought your goal was), whereas it seems your goal was really for the number of items sold. If that’s the case, you can always get that from your invoices from Etsy. It would be a pain, but you could go through each invoice, tally the items sold, then total it up. You’ve probably already reached your goal…

    Looking forward to seeing what your 2022 goals are. Have a Merry Christmas!!!

    Reply

  8. christy says

    Most recently I’ve used shutterfly and have been pleased with them. If the book is not time sensitive, wait to see if you get a code for a free book. I used to get them all the time but didn’t this year so had to pay more with their 50% off sale.

    Reply

  9. Donna Braun says

    Maybe all your beloved photos can live on a digital photo frame. We have one that our girls gave us that they add new photos to occasionally. It’s fun to spot a new one running through.

    Reply

  11. Tammy says

    How apropos that the leg lamp is in sight of your hooking chair. Bwhaha

    How can this be week 51 of 52 already? I love these posts of yours! It inspires me to set loftier goals!

    Reply

  12. Judy says

    Hi Mavis, Every time I see pictures of your dog, I can hear the theme music from I Love Lucy. I love your blog and look forward to it every day. The only problem is I don’t recieve it untill around 4:45. It is worth waiting for. Have a great day.

    Reply

  14. Cindy Miller says

    I have used Shutterfly several times to make books. I love them. I titled one Madelyn’s First Year. (our first purebred lab puppy). It is so fun to look back on. We watched Home Alone this weekend too! Enjoy daughter time!

    Reply

  15. Kim says

    I use Costco’s photo center for all my books. Great quality and the price is comparable to Shutterflys price (after coupons).

    Reply

  16. Tiffany Faw says

    Snapfish is the only company I have used to make photo books and have loved the quality of the ones I’ve made.
    The digital photo frame is a good idea also. We bought one for my mother in law this year. It has an email address linked to it alone. Her kids can send pics of the grandkids… Always fun to send new pics from park days or field trips, … She can set limits and approve the pics that pop up in the picture frame.

    Reply

  17. Lyra says

    Been using Shutterfly for -years- and I’ve never had an issue. Just got a recent batch of address labels for Christmas cards, in fact! They have deals all the time, and after a calendar, designing my own notepad and several of the picture books, I can safely say they’re a solid choice to consider.

    P.S. My husband is threatening to get the leg lamp again, as we saw one driving around Mukilteo the other day. I’m so, so, so sorry for your pain. xD

    Reply

  18. LaToya says

    Photo Books:
    Chatbooks and Persnickety Prints – use them both, love them both – (I choose based on whatever promo I can find at the time). All the “famous” crafty folks out here in ID and UT use them.

    Reply

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