Get Back To The Basics + Learning to Unplug
What a great week it was! The weather was crazy around here. Sunny and 40 degrees for a few days {perfect for walking on the beach and collecting shells} and then snow {again}.
I love winter in Maine. Well, I love it when it’s not 12 degrees and windy. 😉
We went to the library for the third week in a row. Each week I’ve been selecting 1 cookbook, 1 craft type book, and 1 gardening book to bring home. I also grabbed a few back issues of Where Women Create {I LOVE that magazine!}.
I’ve been doing a little hooking in the evenings and then reading my library finds before I go to bed.
It’s been a great way to STAY OFF the internet/social media before bed so my brain can shut down before I go to bed.
In The Kitchen
I am still enjoying my $100 a month for groceries challenge.
The HH, not so much. He’s basically had to fend for himself {he’s not used to that} and although he’s done some cooking {mostly eggs and hot dogs, and a few Trader Joe’s meals from the freezer} he’s ready for the month to be over already.
I’ll try and get some more photos of what he’s eating but I can’t make any promises as I am eating next door this month.
I did put off my third trip to the grocery store an extra few days due to the weather {snow and ice} and I’m so glad I did. I can’t wait to show you what I bought for this week’s meals. 🙂 🙂 🙂
If you’ve been reading this blog from the beginning then you’ll probably have a good laugh because it’s like I’ve come full circle in a way.
More on that on Friday. I wouldn’t want to ruin the “surprise” for everyone else. Ha!
I will say though that I am REALLY looking forward to doing some serious baking once this challenge is over.
Kitchen Goals For This Year
- Master the pear frangipane tart from Standard Baking Company.
- Put my Weck jars to use.
- Use two bins of beans.
Rug Hooking
I’ve been keeping busy drawing patterns and making kits for my Etsy shop as well as creating a list of all the wool I need to start dyeing again.
Things are moving at a pretty good clip. I think I’m still on track to finish by the end of March.
The last thing I want to do once gardening season rolls around is be stuck inside so I’m trying to get 95% of all wool related stuff done before then.
Squeezing 12 months of work into 3 is really, really hard but I know it will be worth it in the end.
Rug Hooking Goals For This Year
- Finish drawing out all my patterns by January 31st.
- Finish making all my kits by February 28th.
- Finish dyeing wool by March 31st.
- Release 10 new rug hooking patterns/kits.
- Hook 27 of the patterns from the “someday I’ll hook these” bin.
Go New Places – See New Things
Thank you for all your input on Nova Scotia. It seems like fall might be the best time to go so I think the HH and I wait until then.
Jenn and I still haven’t figured out where our next adventure will be.
Driving in Italy is out.
And although it looks like there are plenty of trains to get us to all the different places we’d want to go, it honestly seems like a big headache and I don’t want to dedicate a ton of time to figuring it all out.
I told her we should just go someplace easy. Like England {my FAVORITE place} but she wants to go someplace new.
Travel Goals For This Year
- Travel someplace {internationally} that I’ve never been before.
- Travel somewhere in Maine {overnight} that I haven’t been before.
Walk And Stretch More
I finally got some walking in! And Miss Lucy got to sun herself in the backyard.
It was 40 degrees out but she didn’t care. 🙂 My new walking shoes arrived but I think I’ll just wear the old ones for as long as I can as the roads are slushy and they’ll just get ruined.
Walking/Stretching Goals For This Year
- Get into some sort of stretching routine
- Fast walk a 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon
Garden
I started my lavender seeds yesterday under growlights and I’ve also begun collecting cardboard for the bottom of the new garden boxes.
I am SO stinkin’ excited about finally being able to have a good sized garden again. Also, I think I’ve narrowed down what I want to grow this year.
A big thank you for all your suggestions on what tomatoes to grow this year. I looked all of them up and now have 12 different varieties of tomatoes on my list.
You can never have enough tomatoes, right?
Garden Goals For This Year
- Rework the driveway and garden areas
- Go crazy and plant a ridiculous amount of flowers
- Step out of my comfort zone and plant some flowers I’ve never planted before.
Paint
I finally finished all my Valentine’s Day decorations! I ordered a vinyl stencil so I could paint a sign for the front door and it turned out great.
This was my first time using a peel and stick type stencil and now I have about 10 million other things I want to make. I loved that I could choose the font and size.
I have no idea what type of machine they used {maybe a Cricut?} but I want one!! Does this look familiar? Does anyone know what kind of machine makes these stencils?
Painting Goals For This Year
- The Van Gogh wall
- The gallery wall down stairs
- The captains wall in the hall
- Trim and walls
How are YOU doing on YOUR goals so far this year? Curious minds want to know.
Have a great Monday everyone,
~Mavis
Jill A says
Why not go to Italy on a tour. They arrange everything and take you from place to place on a bus. No driving.
Mavis Butterfield says
I’m not sure I’d do well on a group tour that lasted a week or more {which is what most of them are}. I can’t stand idleness, or pretending to be interested in something I’m not or hanging out in general with a bunch of people.
I really liked the hiking adventure though {probably because it was a super small group {8?} and we were always on the move and it was physically demanding} which surprised me and we were only gone 4? 5? days.
Nancy Settel says
Oh my my granddaughter has a cricut (I think that is the spelling) and she uses it for EVERYTHING. She is very creative and works for Abacrombie and Fitch so she is always coming up with something. YOU would love it. I know nothing about it but you would figure it out in no time at all.
Katie P NC says
Mavis, you could check and see if your local library has a Cricut if they have a “Library of Things” you can check out too. I immediately checked my local branches after reading this post because I’ve been thinking about getting one for wedding decor use and had a lightbulb moment. If anyone has any tips or dupes for custom vinyl “decals” I’m all ears!
Mavis Butterfield says
Thanks Katie, I am going to ask.
Christa H. says
Love the local library. I’m interested in what the surprise will be! I remember you eating MRE meals for a month one time. LOL
Mavis Butterfield says
Not MRE. {Thank goodness.}
Kath says
I’m intrigued by the Van Gogh wall. Can’t wait to see what you do there!
Mavis Butterfield says
I have 2 more to finish painting!! I’d also love to see one of his sunflower paintings in person.
Ann says
Have you ever been to Amsterdam? Maybe you could go there for your next adventure? It’s a beautiful city – so much history and so much to do including the Van Gogh museum. If you go in the spring, you could also visit the Keukenhof Gardens and see all the amazing tulips and have the best ham sandwich of your life. 🙂
Mavis Butterfield says
Jenn and I have both been there before. The Van Gogh museum!!! I wonder where his sunflower paintings are.
Tracey says
why not go north for those hot hot hot summer days – those Scandi countries are fab! Think of the Fika!
Jamie says
Yes! Might I suggest Uppsala in Sweden? It’s a fantastic town with a beautiful old town and lots of historical sites to visit. The commuter train from Stockholm’s main airport to Uppsala only takes 20 min. Oh, and they drive on the same side of the road as Americans. If you want gardens… go to Holland – specifically Leiden.
Mavis Butterfield says
I’m going to look that up!! Thanks Jamie.
Mavis Butterfield says
Fika is on my travel list. Probably best as a girls trip… All those pastries!!
heatherruark says
I would be really interested in seeing what ends up working best for your stretching routine, my back needs help!
Becky-TN says
Love the boots you’re wearing in the library pic…
Brand?
Mavis Butterfield says
Duck feet. They do a 20% off sale every November. The shoes last a really long time too.
suzanne says
I vote Scotland by train. There are tons of established Itinerary’s from Edinburgh to the Highlands for convenience. That may be to similar to England for your friend though. I wonder if your husband will lose weight with this challenge. Looking forward to reading about your shopping trip.
Mavis Butterfield says
He always drops a few pounds when I’m not making meals. Husbands are strange that way.
Peg says
Years ago an acquaintance and her mom went to the Netherlands and helped with a family’s tulip crop! Don’t remember the specifics because it was YEARS ago. She said it was incredible, and she’d never been so tired in her life. This sounds like something you might enjoy!
SueD says
Look into Silhouette for a cutting machine. Maybe it’s me, but when I purchase something, like a design, I want to own it. Also I love being able to use their software and not need to be connected to the internet to do so. Their basic program is free; upgrades go on sale a couple time a year. It’s a more robust program than the other brand.
Elizabeth says
I enjoy hearing of all your many activities but wow, it makes my old head swim…cannot imagine ever having that much energy and motivation to get so much done!! Thanks for the encouragement in that dept!!
Cecile says
Have you ever thought of going to any of the Balkan countries? My daughter went to Latvia for eight months and absolutely loved it. They have an 8-1 woman to man ratio so most things are geared for women. If you go to Riga it isn’t far from the coast of the Baltic sea. They have a massive market, if I remember correctly it’s in an old airport hanger. Definitely walkable, lots of creative shops (she brought me home a beautiful skein of yarn), lots of bakeries. She was there for her birthday so I contacted the hotel she was at and ordered a birthday desert, flowers and a bottle of sparkling wine! They took care of everything! Incredible architecture too!
Silke says
But not at this time!
Keep in mind, there is a war between Russia and Ukraine.
Molly says
I vote for Japan – we have gone now 2 years in a row and we want to go back again in 2027! You get at least 20k steps in daily, the trains are your perfect mode of transportation, and you can be with as many or as few people as you want!
Lita B. says
Driving in Italy, or at least from place to place, is not hard. I wouldn’t recommend driving in Rome, but the Italian autostradas are clean and easy to understand. We also drove through a good part of the south of France last summer, and again, not difficult with GPS.
Gayle says
I just read about your stale donuts. My mom would slice them in half and fry them in butter. Yummy. A good way to use so lard! A “natural “ way to fry donuts. Heheh
Randini says
I recommend Norway or Australia. In Norway Take the Hutigruten boat up the coast, You can hop on and off and it is a great way to see costal Norway at your pace. Otherwise I love Australia. They have all the lovely elements of England (tea!) but also Koala’s and my very favorite animal in the world Quokka on the island of Rottnest (off the coast of Perth).
Gigi says
I vote for Amsterdam. It was incredibly easy and everyone spoke English and credit cards were encouraged. We went to a small town towards Germany (for work) and it was only debit or cash.
Joanna says
Austria. And the Black Forest ! The best pastries and dark chocolate you ever had!
Austria is known for its Alpine landscapes, rich classical music heritage (Mozart, Beethoven), imperial history (Habsburgs, palaces)gardens, coffeehouse culture, world-class ski resorts, and traditions like Christmas markets and pastries (Strudel), alongside artisanal goods like Swarovski crystal.
Karin says
Why don’t you want to drive in Italy? Only the big cities are hectic, but there are always parking places outside the city with transportation into the centre. The country side is beautiful to drive through and they have the best food in the world
Deltha says
The stencil material looks like the cricut brand. I’ve used it several times on my cricut. But you can also just cut vinyl and not have to paint.
Archie says
I’ve heard that the Hutigruten boat is really fun. My mother took a cruise via cruise shio(not my thing) along the West coast of Norway to Nordkapp. She said it was beautiful.
How about Ireland or New Zealand?
Mavis Butterfield says
I love Ireland! The flight time to New Zealand would be 20-25 hours. A wee bit too long for me. 🙂
Mavis Butterfield says
Cruise ships aren’t my thing either, but I would love to go to Norway.