Stay Healthy!
It was a good week in the health department. I went for a mammogram and ultrasound and everything came back normal. So that was great news and we stopped off at Five Guys on the way home to celebrate. Their strawberry shakes, fries, and burgers are the best.
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 floating dock STILL needs to come out of the water, but the HH did get the chimney cleaned before the first dusting of snow so that’s good.
Maybe I’ll start pestering him to make my bird houses this week. 😉
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
I miss sitting out by the fire pit. Maybe the next time The Girl comes for a visit we should sit out there with blankets and drink hot cocoa.
A dinghyClothesline- Archery Set {every camp should have archery!}
Kitchen table and chairsSideboardBench 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}
We don’t have a television in our main living space, and it’s lovely. We get to watch the “Maine Nature Channel” instead through our back windows backyard.
- 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 roasted potatoes and sausage.
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 bought a copy of The Maple Sugar Book from our library for a quarter last week and I plan to read it so I can learn all about harvesting our own maple syrup in the Spring.
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:
- Christina Olson Her World Beyond the Canvas
- Andrew Wyeth: A Secret Life
- Finding Freedom
- Maine’s Favorite Birds
- At First Light: Two Centuries of Maine Artists, Their Homes and Studios
- Bernard Langlais at the Colby College Museum of Art
- The 3,000 Mile Garden
- Becoming Teddy Roosevelt
- Here On The Island
- The Lobster Coast
- 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 11012 photos. I can’t stop taking pictures of the turkeys in our backyard!!! They stop by just about every morning for breakfast and to say hello to Lucy. Last week the high count was 21 turkeys at one time. CRAZY!
Clean Out My Closet
I didn’t get rid of anything in my closet this past week but I ordered a dozen t shirts. 🙂
My House Projects For This Year
My new favorite kitchen. As much as I like the look of blue cabinets, I keep circling back to white cabinets with black {soapstone} countertops. It’s such a classic {and clean} look. And I love the giant farmhouse sink. And the build in microwave.
- 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 barnand add a new fixturePaint the hallway bathroom{DONE!}
My List of Garden Projects For This Year I want to Accomplish
I thought I was done ordering all my seed packets for next year but after some research, I decided I wanted to try the Boston pickling cucumbers this year and well, a few other packets jumped into my cart. 😉
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 9025 sales on Etsy}.
Only 975 to go!
It was a good week in the shipping department and while I’m not sure I’ll make it to 10,000 sales this year, I am inching closer to my goal every day. Who knows, maybe I’ll sell a bunch of ornaments and garden makers at the last minute. We’ll see.
I did list a few new pieces {rugs and mini pillows} last night on Etsy should have another round to list in another week or two.
Create 12 New Rug Hooking Patterns or Kits {15 so far this year!} DONE!
I finished a new rug hooking pattern {adapted from Doreen Frost} this week and now have it available as a finished piece, a kit and a pattern. He’s called Olde Winter Woodstock.
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
- Olde Winter Woodstock
- 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. These little bees have been so much fun to make!
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
Discover 12 Made in Maine Products and Share Them on the Blog
Port City Pretzels their tasty ranch dill pretzel sticks are SO GOOD!!! I ordered a few of their sampler packs for gifts this year {because seriously, who doesn’t love getting food in the mail?} and they are offering free shipping right now with code FREESHIP2021 with a $40 purchase.
Made in Maine Products I’ve Discovered in 2021:
- Casco Bay Soap Company
- Seawicks Candle 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
- Port City Pretzels
Visit 6 Lighthouses in Maine
4 down, 2 to go! DONE!
Hey! I still need to tell you about the 2 new lighthouses we visited!
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:
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
Robin in WI says
Happy to hear you had a good checkup!
Elle says
Congrats on the clean bill of health, the new wardrobe and dang I love that little mug rug!
Happy Sunday 🙂
Carrie says
Ordering 12 shirts makes sense to me. I have decided when I find something so like to stock up before they change it or dont carry it anymore.
What are those big bags you have your packages in? They look similar to 31 bags. I have one, but it has seen better days after many yeats of heavy use and it needs to be replaced. I cant stomach the $68 to replace it.
Mavis Butterfield says
Here’s the link to the bags: https://amzn.to/3p4mLEF
Pam Taylor says
In the past I was getting your posts every day. Then I stopped getting them! HELP!
Mavis Butterfield says
Hi Pam, you might want to check your spam folder.
caroline says
Would you post the link to the shirts please?
Mavis Butterfield says
The Gap Modern Crew Long sleeved t-shirts were on sale for $11.98 yesterday. Today they are $15.20 with the 20% off at checkout.
Teri says
Love that kitchen & it’s SO YOU!
Annette says
Is wood your only heat source?
Mavis Butterfield says
It’s the only thing we are using right now.
Margery says
I have those little bees and they are perfect hanging from my dark green cabinets on the door handles.
Diane says
Glad you had a packet of Jimmy Nardello pepper seeds in your photo. I wanted to grow some next year and I didn’t have it on my list. Oops!
I’ve been having fun. A friend gave me one of those Aerogardens. So I started my inaugural run this week. My geeky self is so engaged in this project and I’m already thinking of ways to hack the seed pods to grow what I want. They claimed that germination would be in 5-10 days. I had 50% germination in 3 days and 100% germination by 5 days.
I don’t know if I would have ever gotten one of these on my own because I think they’re pricey. That said, I’ll be growing fresh greens inside during the winter from now on.
Have a great week!
Kim says
Yahoo for good health reports!
Did you REALLY purchase 12 shirts????? You make me laugh.
Can’t wait to see the kitchen start up. Whatever color you choose (and I secretly vote for white) it will be spectacular. Along that line, it will be interesting to hear about supply chain in regard to appliance choices, etc. I have heard that is the very first thing to order. Wondering how long your kitchen will be “out of business” for tear out and installation, etc. I suppose I really should get a life, but you and your projects are terribly entertaining. 🙂
Marlene Wurtzbacher says
Hooking in your hospital gown? Utilizing the waiting time well! Do you hook small rug pieces without a frame or hoop Mavis?
Mavis Butterfield says
I’ve been hooking for over 20 years now and only recently {a few months ago} started using a hoop so I’m used to hooking without one. I’m still getting used to the hoop.
Marlene Wurtzbacher says
I was raised on a frame; initially being taught on a hoop. Your hooking is beautiful! I always love seeing what you are working on. Thank you.
Gigi says
I think it’s the inset cabinet door look that is the most appealing (as opposed to an overlay cabinet door). Inset cabinets costs about 15-30% more than overlay doors and you will lose a little bit of space. I love the inset look and we were looking to do something similar until we found out the less space part. We have a small kitchen and need be efficient with the use of space so inset cabinets may not work. We want to add toe kick drawers and will be adding a “pantry” in between studs, covered by a sliding accent door.
Cheryl says
So glad you got a clean bill of health. I like the white cabinets with black soapstone and I can’t wait to see what you do with the place. 🙂
Christie says
You will love the glass gem corn. It is so beautiful!
Matty says
When we did some small revamping of our kitchen a couple of years ago, I had that microwave drawer installed. I absolutely completely love it. It’s so convenient, my grands can reach it easily and it’s not taking up counter space. Highly recommend.
Tiffany Faw says
I love Boston pickling cucumbers! Those are the only cucumbers I’ve been growing for a few years now. One of my BFF’s said the same last week while we were ooh’ing and aah’ing over the Baker’s Creek catalog. We spent Wednesday evening doing that after all the Thanksgiving food was prepped. 🙂 But I digressed; our families love the Boston pickling cucumbers for both eating and pickling.