Online Things
I had planned on hooking my new turkey pattern this past week but got distracted and ended up hooking something else.
I now have a good sized stack of rugs I need to turn into pillows but that always seems like it takes more energy than I have at the end of the day so instead I pick up my rug hook and begin on another rug. đ
As of this morning my Etsy count is at 19,888. Only 112 more to go to hit my goal of 20,000 sales by the end of the year.
Instead of popping on Instagram or Pinterest this past week, I listened to audiobooks until I drifted off to sleep.
It seems like there are so many fake images online these days⊠And itâs really getting annoying. Is it supposed to draw us in? Because it has the complete opposite effect for me. How about you?
Online Goals for 2025
- Reach 20,000 sales in Etsy shop MavisButterfield {Iâm currently at 19,888}
In Stock and Ready to Ship by March 31st{DONE!}Create 4 new patterns/kits- Take all new pictures + videos for Etsy shop {in progress}
Get as much as humanly possible done online January – March of this year.- Stop picking up my phone so much
- Spend less than 3 hours a day online
- Tidy up the back end of the blog
House Things
Our big house project this past week was taking down all the Halloween decorations. There were so many bats and buoys I thought weâd never be done. đ
The HH put the lobsters back up and as soon as Costco gets in their garland and wreaths weâll head over and pick some up.
Last year I thought it would be nice to have fresh garland in the house. Well, it only took doing that one time to realize WHAT A MESS it makes and that I wonât be doing that ever again.
Iâm on the hunt for some vintage looking Christmas tree lights though⊠Does anyone know where I can find those big fat colored bulbs we had when we were growing up?
Iâd love to put some on our tree this year.
House Goals
- Paint The Inside Of The House – Making progress!
- Paint The Interior Window Trim – Making progress!
Remodel Bathroom #1Done!Freshen up Bathroom #2Done!- Put Stuff On The Walls {working on it}
- Work on “new” Kitchen Game Plan
Garden Things
I found a few more tulip bulbs that needed to be planted and stuck them in a wooden crate, an old galvanized bucket with a hole in the bottom and some large plastic pots.
Iâm especially excited for the tulips I planted in the wooden crate. I think theyâll look really nice next to the birdâs egg blue colonial pine door the HH made for me.
Itâs hard to imagine we wonât have any flowers blooming in the yard for another 6 months.
Garden Goals
- Grow 365 pounds of food * Nope. Didn’t happen. Maybe next year?
Install a side yard {flower} garden{DONE!}Make a Potting Bench{decided I didn’t need one} Now I do. đMakeFIND a Garden Cart to sell flowers/veggies out front{DONE}
Kitchen Things
I was in the kitchen more this past week than Iâve been in a long, long time. Lucy was at my side the whole time too. đ
That sweet little dog. She sure does love to guard the food. That and napping. I think those are her two favorite things.
Kitchen Goals
- Try 12 new recipes {3 down, 9 to go}
- Fill the canning cupboard
New Recipes I’ve Shared This Year
- Double Chocolate Rye Cookies
- Velveeta Zesty Chili Dip
- Haddock and Corn Chowder
- The Best Way To Freeze Avocados
- Freezing Refried Beans
- Burrata and Prosciutto Salad With Pesto And Cantaloupe
Travel Things
Although Iâm done traveling for the year {at least I think I am} Iâm slowly working on carving out a block of time to have a staycation painting holiday.
Unplugging and hanging out in my pajamas and painting seems like a pretty fine way to spend a few days, donât you think?
I ordered Van Gogh’s âthree sunflowersâ paint by number kit and it should be here in a couple of days.
This will be my third Van Gogh sunflower painting and when I finish I plan on hanging them on the wall together.
- Explore more of the great state of Maine
- Go on a painting holiday
Québec CityDone!Travel OverseasDone!Send the HH on a vacationDone!Hiking in Zion National ParkDone!
Marriage Things
Check out this picture I took of the lobster boats yesterday on our walk. Sometimes I forget just how cool it is to live where we do.
The weather has been a bit of a mixed bag lately.
Sunny one minute, rain or hail the next. I like that itâs constantly changing though, and I hope we get a lot of snow this year.
Snow makes the cold winter months so much more enjoyable in my opinion. If itâs going to be cold, I want to see snow on the ground.
Well thatâs it for today.
Have a good one,
~Mavis
Marriage Goals
- Keep my husband busy
- Date days
- Walk more
Karen says
I also do not like the fake AI reelsâŠ..used to like watching the real reactions and now I really donât even lookâŠ..AI totally spoiled that enjoyment for me.
Ranae says
Where do you order your paint by number kits from?
Mavis Butterfield says
Etsy. They have tons of them. I’ve used Canvas by Numbers and Rarton and the quality has been great.
Jill A says
I agree, snow makes the cold winter month bearable.
Mel says
Our outdoor Christmas decorations consist of a Grinch cutout pulling a single strand of those old chunky lights off the house. We get them off Amazon, but they’re called C9 bulbs and are widely available.
One of my goals was to celebrate holidays more, and I finished the first diy wooden puzzle for my 3 year old for St. Nicholas Day and started the next one. I’m hoping to get 3-4 done.
Mavis Butterfield says
That’s awesome Mel! Thanks for the lighting info.
Andrea says
The fake images have made their way into so many online recipes, too. It’s maddening. Also, Hobby Lobby has the C9 light strands and the replacement bulbs, too. Their price is pretty good.
Mavis Butterfield says
I love those big bulbs!!
Brianna says
The Vermont Country Store has the Classic C7 Ceramic Christmas Light String, which are similar to the ones I grew up with. They also have other types of decorative Christmas lights.
Mavis Butterfield says
Thanks Brianna! They have a lot of choices.
Sue S. says
I was going to suggest VCS as well.
Mona R McGinnis says
I’m like Lucy – guarding the food & napping! AI doesn’t impress me. When I look out the window at the hill behind the house, the deer wandering by, the snow on the ground – I know that’s real. That’s what I tune into.
Annette says
Tru-Tone is a company that makes vintage style LED Christmas lights. Their bulbs come in different sizes too: C7, C9 and S14. I’ve bought several strands from them over the years, and they’ve lasted well and give that vintage look to Christmas trees and wherever else they’re hung.
Lisa in Maine says
Lucy is my spirit animal. I love being in the kitchen and napping too!
Dianne says
Check Vintage Stores and E-bay for the old lights. I found a string last year. All in working condition. Those would be so nice on your fence this year.
Tracey says
I’ve been doing this for years to stockpile the old bulbs and this would be my suggestion too – but with one caveat: they will not be energy efficient. The light they cast is better than LED, which I can’t abide by – too bright. I have C-9’s outside and we limit how many days/hours they are lit. Its my gift to myself to walk down that nostalgic road.
MEM says
Tru-Tone is the place to get âvintage styleâ Christmas lights. C-9s are 2 inches tall and C-7s are 1.5 inches tall.
Dot says
I grew up with the bubble lights. I was excited when a few years agothey brought them back.
Julie says
I too abhor AI pictures⊠They even have an AI videos and thatâs just over the top distressing!
Sounds like an old lady now, but you do wonder what this is coming to! I think AI makes it way easier for the scammers to scam us also!!! Aaaccckkk!
Sue says
Mavis, when you put soil and plants in wooden boxes like the one you showed, do you put soil all the way down? or line the bottom with small rocks to help with drainage and/or to slow the rotting of the wood? I’m never sure if I should be hiding a regular pot inside the cool non-drained wooden or metal containers I find.
Mavis Butterfield says
This particular wooden crate has holes in the bottom. You need drainage.
Lily says
I don’t know about Instagram because I don’t use it, but there’s a way to at least lessen the amount of AI stuff Pinterest shows you: go to Settings&Support -> Refine your recommendations -> GenAI interests -> then deactivate all the sliders there. It won’t filter them out completely but I’ve been shown significantly less AI stuff since changing this setting.
Mavis Butterfield says
Thanks Lily!!
RobininSoCal says
Thanks Lily
Esther says
I was invested in the bathroom (#2) update. Did I miss it? Did you cover the drain pipe? What vanity did you go with?