Get Back To The Basics + Learning to Unplug
I’ve been doing a really good job at staying off the internet lately. The nice weather probably helps.
Today though it’s supposed to rain most of the day which means I might just hang out in my pj’s all day.
Only time will tell.
In The Kitchen
We’ve been eating zucchini practically every day for the past two weeks. Fresh fruits and vegetables… They come in waves.
The HH gave a zucchini to one of our neighbors who happened to be walking by. He didn’t even ask if they wanted it, he just sort of handed it to them. It was hilarious.
Ahhh zucchini season… It has arrived.
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 {working on it}
Rug Hooking
I haven’t worked on any rug hooking projects lately but I did list some new wool bundles in my Etsy shop. It’s been so nice lately that pretty much all my free time has been spent outside. That’s a good thing though, right?
Pretty soon it will be too cold to be outside all day so I might as well be out there while I can.
Rug Hooking Goals For This Year
Finish drawing out all my patterns, making kits, dyeing wool by March 31st.- Release 10 new rug hooking patterns/kits. {4 down 6 to go}
- Hook 27 of the patterns from the “someday I’ll hook these” bin. {6 down 21 to go}
Go New Places – See New Things
We went to the John Mellencamp Concert, Orchard House, Petit Four Bakery, Chesterwood, The Norman Rockwell Museum and I pet a cow at a dairy!
The end of July was pretty eventful, that’s for sure.
Who knows what we’ll be doing or where we’re going in August. I’m pretty much up for anything.
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.
Places I’ve Been So Far This Year
- Boston {Birthday getaway}
- NYC {Girls getaway}
Walk And Stretch More
I’ve been doing a lot of walking and {electric} biking lately. I spotted this wonky reddish pink {and tall} flower and snapped a photo to remind myself I need a few of these plants in the garden.
Does anyone know what it is? Is it bee balm? I refuse to get a flower app. But maybe you know? Does it grow easily from seed? Have you tried?
Walking/Stretching Goals For This Year
- Get into some sort of stretching routine
- Fast walk a 5K, 10K, and
Half Marathon
Garden
My limelight hydrangeas are in bloom!!!
I LOVE this hydrangea variety. First they’re a light lime color, then pink, then a GORGEOUS dusty pinkish lavender color.
I dried a bouquet of them last year and they still look amazing. I have to remember to cut a few more bouquets this fall.
Garden Goals For This Year
Rework the driveway and garden areas{DONE!}- Go crazy and plant a ridiculous amount of flowers {DONE!}
Step out of my comfort zone and plant some flowers I’ve never planted before{DONE!}
Paint
And last but not least, buoys. That’s what I’m painting these days.
I need to get a couple more books painted for the back to school display though. Harry Potter is on my list, but I’m not sure what else to paint. I need a few ideas. What were some of your favorite childhood books?
Happy Monday everyone. I hope you have a great week.
~Mavis
Painting Goals For This Year
- The Van Gogh wall
- The gallery wall down stairs
- The captains wall in the hall
- Trim and walls
Pat from WNY says
The flowers are Scarlet Beebalm.
Lynda says
There is an app called “google lens”. You point your phone camera at anything and it tells you what it is. And it’s free! Try it and you will be amazed!
Wendy C says
You could paint a Little House book or The Hobbit.
SueD says
It is Bee Balm, easy to grow from seed I’ve always found. Bees love it. This is scarlet; I grow lavender.
Nancy T says
The Secret Garden was my favorite!
Katie says
If you have an iPhone there’s a built-in plant (and animal, and vehicle) identifier in the photo app, very handy.
BarbH says
This is the best thing I’ve learned in a looooong time!!! I’m so excited to know this! I just snapped a picture of a plant the other day but had no idea how I would be able to identify it: now I know! Thank you so much!
Marie says
My favorite childs book is Little Red Hen it reminds me of Mavis so much the girl never slows down her and HH hours of labor shows in her home and life. Ecclesiastes 3:1
Dawn says
The Very Hungry Caterpillar would look cute on a buoy. Also, maybe The Cat in the Hat?
suzanne says
Goosebumps, babysitters club, Ann of green gables maybe Calvin and Hobbs.
Karen says
Dr Seuss
Cat in the Hat
Nancy Drew
Good Night Moon
Lynn says
Since you’re in Maine…Blueberries for Sal would be a nice one 🙂
Tina Hintz says
My kids loved Goosebumps
Anna Garza says
Anne Of Green Gables
Julie says
My cousin daughter was just in the anne of green gables ballet in London. She was Anne, it was amazing
Linda Sand says
Dr Suess
Berenstein Bears
Nancy D says
My bee balm likes to take over and I have to keep digging it out here in the PNW. (Mint family member?) Love the smell of the crushed leaves.
Christy Rose says
Sharing a super easy, super yummy zucchini “recipe” I invented. Just wing it, I didn’t measure anything. Put some diced zucchini, diced tomatoes, diced onion (I used red) and a few shakes of oregano in a microwave safe pot. Stir to combine and heat it up, do NOT COOK, just bring it to a nice hot eating temperature. I did enough for two servings and hubby was impressed.
Pat Marino says
“A Flower Pot is not a Hat” was my daughter’s favorite book.
Kiln Guy says
I think you should do one of “ The Lobster Lady”. (Virginia Oliver lobstered until she was 103 years old). A fitting buoy for the Lobster House
Annette says
You don’t need a flower app. Just use Google Lens.
Books . . . I am a Bunny, Harry the Dirty Dog, Little Engine That Could, 3 Little Pigs, any Peanuts characters, Brown Bear Brown Bear
Michelle says
Charlotte’s Web, Little House on the Prairie, Little Women
Richelle says
Also Black Beauty
A. Weiland says
Books: The boxcar children, Where are the Wild Things Are, The Happy Lion, The wonderful things you will be, Pretzel (from the creator of curious george), Homer Price (the doughnut machine mishap).
Mavis Butterfield says
I LOVED the Boxcar Children!!!
Laura Gindek says
There is Boxcar Museum in Putnam, CT if you are up for a road trip! Looks interesting online- never been to it. Also a book suggestion – Miss Rumphius? By a Maine author Barbara Cooney – I think that’s the author.
Lori says
Hi Mavis, yes it’s bee balm. Very easy to grow. Self seeds. I have the light purple, red and the pink. Not only do the bees love it but the butterflies love it too.
Rebeka says
Very Hungry Caterpillar. How to train your dragon
Rj says
Have you ever made zucchini pickles? Slice them like chips and use your favorite pickling recipe!
Sue says
I’m trying to think of books that have a visual element to them. I ADORED The Boxcar Children, but I’m not sure how to easily represent that on a buoy…
Corduroy. Charlotte’s Web, Green Eggs & Ham, Hop on Pop, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Blueberries for Sal. One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Make way for Ducklings.
Mrs. M says
Little House on the Prairie, The Secret Garden, Misty of Chincoteague, Winnie the Pooh (the actual book, not so much the little readers, although they’re cute, too), Go Dogs Go, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Randi says
Former elementary teacher here. Lots of fun illustrations from children’s books:
– Whinne the Pooh
– Anything Dr. Seuss, The Lorax in particular
– Very hungry caterpillar (you could paint a sequence of buoys)
– Where the wild things are
– Knufflebunny
– any illustrations by Richard Scarry “Blooming Busytown” has lots of garden art
Also for another season you could paint a sequence of buoys in morse code. See who figures it out!
Sherry in Sumner says
Goodnight Moon.
Grace says
Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher in 1916
Harriett the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh in 1963
Simple Spigott by Mary Francis Shura in 1962
Molly says
Miss Rumphius would be fun to paint.
Maxine says
Judy Bloom books? Little Women? Little Golden books?
Bee balm. Went to an Herbs for flavor class and those cute little tubular flower petals are edible! The light purple taste like oregano but the red are sweeter and the instructor used them on wedding cakes. Will spread but not hard to keep in check. The light purple are native here in Maryland.
Pamela A says
Best overall children’s book – The Secret Garden