My Big List of Things I’m Going to Do in 2021 – Week 9 of 52

Last week the HH and I went to Port Clyde and the Marshall Point Lighthouse for date day and boy was it windy! And cold too. But the view… it was totally worth it. I can’t imagine being a lobsterman in Maine, in February. Talk about needing some serious layers to stay warm.

If you’ve ever wanted a behind the scenes look at what happens to lobsters once they hit the dock and before they get to your door, Leroy has a new video up {or you can just click play above}. 

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

Weigh ins will be on the first Sunday of the month.

• My February 7th weigh in was 137.3
• My January 3rd weigh in was 140.7

Keep My Husband Busy 

Progress is being made with our little bathroom remodel. The tile has been laid and hopefully by the end of today the HH will have the vanity installed {he tried to do it last night but needs another part for the sink}.

The tile is actually a little lighter than if appears in the photo {we haven’t installed the lighting yet} but so far the whole light and beachy look we were going for is coming along. 

I’ll post before and after pictures when we’re done, 

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. {He’s handy, he’ll figure it out}
• Build a picnic table near the birch trees for summer lunches {NEXT on the list!}
• Build 4 or 6 garden boxes for his little lady
• Build a boatload of birdhouses for the {soon to be} bird sanctuary 
• Remodel the bathroom in the hallway {In Progress!}
• Install some sort of driveway border
• Install a workspace for me in the basement for dying wool. 

Things We’d Like to Buy

• A dinghy for zipping around the nearby islands and for summer ice cream runs
• 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 
• A set of 4 Adirondack chairs for the fire pit area 
• BBQ {Sayonara smoker?}

Unplug As Much As Possible {but still keep the blog, FB and Instagram}

My phone is still on silent mode. 🙂 Not having to be interrupted by the noise of a ringing phone or text messages is really pretty awesome. 

Last night I finished up Mad Men Season 5 and next on my list is Waking Ned Devine. Have you seen it before? I think I’ll make a tray of pickety bits for dinner tonight and watch it with the HH. 

• Goodbye Amazon Prime {Done!} 
• Goodbye Hulu {Done!}
• Goodbye Netflix {Done!}
• 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} {so far so good}

Try 24 New Recipes {and remember to link them here}

This past week I shared a recipe for colcannon. 

New recipes I’ve made this year:

• 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 didn’t borrow any new books from the library this past week and I’m still waiting my turn in queue for The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. 

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

1. Christina Olson Her World Beyond the Canvas. 
2. At First Light: Two Centuries of Maine Artists, Their Homes and Studios
3. Bernard Langlais at the Colby College Museum of Art

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

• 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

When I set this goal, I had originally meant to get 24 stories {pictures I had taken to tell you about something, but never got around to} and so far, I am totally slacking. If only I had no new stories to share with you. If only we had totally bought a house on an island, this goal would have been SO MUCH easier to check off my list. 

The photo above? It has been sitting on my phone since 2017!

Stories I’ve Taken Off My Phone and onto The Blog:

• Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine

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

If I could only stop taking photos of all gorgeous sunrises I could probably whittle down the amount of photos that are on my phone. 😉 This is one I took this morning. Waking up to a sky of pink puts me in such a good mood!

Clean Out My Closet

I turned all the hangers around in my closet on January 1st and so far 85% of them are still backwards. 

My House Projects For This Year

So far I’ve painted trim and walls in the hall bathroom {I’ll do the touch ups once the HH is done in there} and basically the goal is to get all the painting done in family room, entry and dining room before Mrs. HB comes for her visit in late May. So, at least I have a  deadline. Which is a good thing. 

• 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
• Paint the entryway trim and doors {halfway there}
• Paint the dining room walls and trim
• Paint the master bedroom walls and trim
• Paint the barn and add a new fixture {okay, so the HH will be adding the fixture}
• Paint the hallway bathroom {Done!}

My Garden Projects For This Year

It’s still too cold to play outside yet but I think I’m going to have the HH build the same garden boxes he built for me at our last place again for my garden out front. I liked the height and thickness of the garden boxes and they were easy to maintain. This time around though I’ll snap some photos in case you want to make them too. 

My List of Garden Projects For This Year I want to Accomplish :

• Install a simple flower bed border in front of the house 
• Install a boatload of birdhouses/feeders in the side yard
• 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
• Install a sunflower patch
• Plant 2,500 flower bulbs {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 6389 sales on Etsy}

Only 3,611 to go! 

Last week I added a bunch of new rug hooks to my Etsy shop and this week I added a few more bundles of hand dyed wool. Next Friday I’ll be adding the new pillows rugs I’ve been working on the past 6 weeks. 

Create 12 New Rug Hooking Patterns or Kits

I just started hooking a new pattern with a sweet little heart border last night and I’m hoping I’ll have it ready by my Friday update.  If I can do that, I’ll be right on schedule with this goal {3 new patterns in 3 months}. Yee-Haw!

Create 12 New Ornaments for 2021

This past week I’ve been experimenting with a new white clay. I have a specific project in mind, so I’m especially excited to see how it all turns out. 🙂

I first got into using the redware clay because I had planned on making a set of ornaments for one of our previous houses {the red colonial} but now that we’ve moved to the coast of Maine, I feel like I’m being drawn in a different direction. And that’s always exciting. Who knows if my idea will work out… but I’ve got to give it a go. 

2021 Ornaments I’ve Made So Far

• #1 ♥ Ladybug Heart ♥

2021 Garlands I’ve Made So Far

• #1 Heart Garlands

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

I’m so excited about this goal!! This past week I found another 2 made in Maine products that I’ll be sharing on the soon. Plus, I already have another one my list I want to check out. 

Made in Maine Products I’ve Discovered in 2021:

• Ash Cove Pottery in Harpswell, Maine

Visit 6 Lighthouses in Maine

We finally visited another lighthouse! Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in Bristol, Maine. It was lovely! 1 down, 5 to go!

Lighthouses We’ve Visited So Far This Year:

• 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
• Wasses Hot Dogs in Rockland, Maine
• Langlais Sculpture Preserve – Cushing, Maine

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