“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.” ~ Oprah Winfrey
My goals for 2018
Goal #1 – Write Like No One is Reading.
“Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer.” ~ Barbara Kingsolver
Goal #2 – Slow Down
So apparently we have a pond on our property. Who knew? I told the HH about it and how I was looking forward to the sound of frogs as background music and he was like…. Great. Just wait ’til black fly season. I just rolled my eyes at him.
Goal #3 – Shop Small
We placed an order for 3 yards of seasoned firewood to be delivered later this spring from a guy in town. While there are trees out back, we have so many other projects to work on this summer we felt it was better just to go ahead and order the wood now so we know we’ll have wood that is ready to burn this winter.
Goal # 4 – Have a Designated Meal Prep Day
Since we only moved in a few days ago, I don’t think I’ll be doing any meal prep days until the first week or two in April. Right now my focus is on getting the house unpacked and the garden up and running.
Goal #5 – Install a Vegetable Garden
Here it is! My new 45 x 15 foot garden space. Ain’t she pretty? As soon as the snow melts {it snowed here again last night!} and I’m able to start digging, I’ll get started with mapping out the space and seeing about getting the sod turned over.
Goal #6 – Clear Land for a Chicken Coop and Future Raised Garden Bed Area
Lucy’s baby chicks should arrive around April 9th! I need to figure out where the local feed store is and make a trip to stock up on a heat lamp and other supplies.
Goal #7 – Grow 500 Pounds of Vegetables
On the agenda for this week…. Clean out my new potting shed and get seeds started. Luckily I have all my seed starting supplies on hand so maybe I can even get started tonight. We’ll see.
Goal #8 – Hook 100 Rugs
38 down, 62 to go. This past week I worked on my GIANT double trouble chicken rug as we drove across the United States. My new goal for this rug is to have it finished by the end of June. I was originally thinking I’d place it on the kitchen floor but now I might hang it on the wall above the couch when I’m all done.
Goal #9 – Make a Set of Dolls
I plan to make a set {or two} of primitive dolls later this year after the garden has been put to bed.
Goal #10 – Make a Sampler, Frame it and Hang it on the Wall
This is the spot at the bottom of our stairs where I’ll be hanging 2 primitive samplers this fall. I plan to make a second sampler this year and either make 2 shaker style wooden frames or buy them second hand. I asked the previous owners of our home to leave all the nails in the walls when they left instead of pulling them out and patching up the holes. They did such a wonderful job of minimally decorating the home, that I figured if they had found the perfect spot to hang something, well, we will find something to hang in it’s place.
Goal #11 – Visit 22 Bakeries
After all that planning, and writing down a bunch of different bakeries to seek out on our road trip, we only stopped at one. It was disappointing, but we were making such good time and stopping didn’t always line up with meal times or the time of day we were passing through a city. Which of course means, we will need to find 40 weeks to visit 21 bakeries if I am going to know this goal off my list this year.
Goal #12 – Start a Collection
I picked up a wooden spoon at the thrift store for $0.25! I thought it was an old hand carved spoon until I got home and realized there was a Martha Stewart stamp on the bottom of the handle. Oh well, at least it’s really good quality.
Goal #13 – Read {or listen to} 26 Books
Podcasts we enjoyed on our road trip:
- How I built This {I LOVE this podcast and find myself listening to it daily now to get caught up}
- The Art of Manliness
- Fresh Air
- Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast
- Stuff I Should Know
- Stuff You Missed in History Class
- The Dave Ramsey Show
- The Minimalists
- The Way I Heard It
- This American Life
- Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me
Books I’ve read or listened to so far this year:
- A Secret Gift
- Bad Days in History
- New England Farmgirl
- Founding Gardeners
- The Bookshop Around the Corner
- The Bassoon King
Goal #14 – Try 12 New Canning Recipes
This summer!
Goal #15 – Secret {for now} Holiday Project
I still need a few more things before I can get started. The goal is to practice over the spring and summer months and then start working on my big holiday project this fall. 🙂
How about YOU? Did you set any goals for 2018? How are they coming along?
~Mavis
Read About My 2018 Goals HERE.
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coleen says
Good morning, Mavis! I like the look of your new home. Just an FYI (and you may already know this) but the deer are going to love your garden….with the woods behind your property and the low fence. Can’t wait to see all that you do with your new house…….enjoy
Cheryl says
I was thinking the exact same thing Coleen
Linda says
Your new forever home looks amazing Mavis and I wish you and your family many happy years there. Welcome to the Northeast.
I’d love to have the energy (and your young age) to look at a piece of property and envision an enormous garden to be created by the work of your hands. My raised beds serve me well at this stage in my life but I’d be right there with you if I could subtract 20 years.
Can’t wait to see Lucy’s babies and watch her enjoy and nurture them. What did happen to the chickens you had in Washington? HOA made you get rid of them?
Emily E. says
Hi there Mavis, thank you for including some nice pics of your home in this post! We are all anxious (ok, nosey) and eager to see your new abode. It looks BEAUTIFUL! I love all the original details and I think your sampler would be perfect by the steps. What a great idea to ask the previous owners to leave the nails for you. I’m excited to see how your garden progresses as you break ground! I would definitely hang the double chicken run on the wall vs using as a rug.
Kathy Mieloch says
Hi Mavis
Wow that garden shed has so much space. I would never get anything else done if I had this much space. I look forward to seeing all you progress and the pictures. Good luck. and welcome home!
Karin Carson says
Deer = 6’-8’ fencing we have them in our yard and they eat everything from our fruit trees to cedars but I love having them here. We now have a pellet stove and burn about 1 1/2 tons which is roughly 75 bags w buy 2 tons ever year, when we burned wood w would have 8 cords min and during cold winters burn up to 10 cords .
Cant wait to see the progress and Springtime at your forever home .
Our massive piles of snow was melting very nicely then Mother Nature let us know she wasn’t done yet and we got another dump of 4’ . Love the Interior Of BC and it’s 4 seasons .
Andrea says
Big genuine smiles beaming from your pics – SO happy for you and your family.
Jennifer says
Just wondering, are you going to reveal where you moved to? I mean, I don’t expect the street address or even the town as I imagine you are in a pretty rural area, but maybe a Western Mass or Central NH or Coastal Maine. For someone in the South, having that perspective helps me appreciate your blog even more.
Deborah Herman says
I love your new house. Glad you had a safe trip. I can’t wait to see what kind of garden you will be putting in. I have a feeling that baby chicks are in Lucy’s future. It looks like you might finally be home.
KC says
Having the former owners leave the nails is *brilliant* – just the right spots, and fewer places you can’t hang something due to the patching (says someone who has lived in 60+ year old student housing and had to find the rare spaces on the wall that didn’t have a chunk of mud pr plaster in it from patching…) and smoother walls!
And yes, as a Washington export myself, I was unpleasantly surprised at the quantity of carnivorous bugs available in various places elsewhere. Good screens without holes (stitch them up if they rip) are a must. I also would recommend having flyswatters in multiple rooms – we put them on top of bookcases so they weren’t obvious, but were right there to kill the bugs with.
Congratulations on making the move successfully! I hope things go smoothly, and that you can both be “on the same team” about all the things that don’t quite go smoothly. 🙂
joely says
Hi Mavis,
Can I just say I am jumping up and down with excitement for you. Seeing you in your new office is just plain magical after all of your hard work, sacrifice, planning and execution. Well done!!!
Practical Parsimony says
I met a former forest ranger at a craft show. His name is Doug. I have so many of his spoons he hand crafted. Try him at
http://handmadespoons.com/
He may remember me from Birmingham, AL where I had a booth with Cabbage Patch Clothes.
Practical Parsimony says
No, he may not remember me for the Cabbage Patch Clothes. I was with my friend in her booth with baby bead bracelets.
Rynda Gregory says
Yay Mavis!!!! So this next chapter begins. Write, write, write!!! You have a marvelous view at which to gaze as you write. Congratulations to you for holding on to your dream and making it happen! Cheers to you and yours.
Julie says
wow…you sure make quick work unpacking….so excited for you! Looking forward to watching your dream unfold.
Congratulations!
Barbara says
Your new home looks perfect for all your interests. I could sit at your desk and look out that nice big window for hours! I hope you have beaver dams, geese and ducks in your pond. I hope that you will fence your garden area so you can enjoy both your harvest and the wildlife. So lucky to have a spacious potting shed with shelves already there. It looks like you have a room for your projects. What kind of wood trim is that in your home? It gives such a cozy feel. It is so nice to see all these new pictures. Welcome home!
Kim says
Will you hire someone with a big tractor to break up this garden area, since it is the first time? Or, will you or HH till it yourself?
Will you purchase and add compost before you plant? Or, was this a previous garden site that has good soil?
SandyF says
You must visit the Brimfield Antique Market in May, July and Sept. ( I think) you can find anything you ever dreamed of there. It is so much fun. I don’t know where you are-but anywhere in New England is close enough. Google Broomfield if you don’t already know about it. It is a great adventure. So excited to see more of you house and adventures.
RebekahU says
So many smies!!! awesome! I am super happy for you!
Ame says
Regarding number five…your space is lovely! But I don’t see any deer fencing. We learned the hard way that it only takes one deer to stumble upon one’s sweet peas to invite the whole neighborhood to lunch.
As for the pond…possibly you have fish and they will eat the flies?
I’m sorry I thought you were moving to Missoula, Montana. That’s what I get for coming late to the party.
Emily says
That is funny you thought to ask them to leave the nails. The only reason we have pictures on our walls is because the prior owners left their nails. We though we would quick put our pictures in the nails so we could enjoy them until we picked our own spots. Guess where our pictures still are one year later?
Marybeth says
The view from you desk is beautiful. I am so happy for you that you are “Home”. Your garden is going to be amazing. The shed is huge. I would love a bigger shed but we have the biggest one allowed in our area. Enjoy your first week in your new home.
Kathy says
Love that picture of you at your desk. I look forward to all your future writing inspired by that view.
Alli Aplet says
We are so excited for you and your family as well Mavis, what a joy to have so many of us cheering for you as you see your dreams realized! And there is no HOA to boss you!! Can’t wait for each update as you share your exciting adventure with all of us!
L.D. says
For some reason I’m assuming you’re in Massachusetts…. Anyway Tractor Supply would be good for your chicken feed and supplies and of course Market Basket for a grocery store and Aldi… If there’s one near you. All good wishes to you and your family as you make many memories in your new residence and your new state!
joely says
I was going to guess New Hampshire after the black fly comment 🙂
UpstateNYer says
Fyi – Black flies are all over. Upstate NY has them too.
Katie says
Check out the Choose FI podcast, I think it is your style.
Rynda Gregory says
My husband and I listen to Choose FI also. One more of my favorites is Optimal Daily Living. Enjoy!
Mavis Butterfield says
Thanks Katie!
Nancy says
You look so happy in these pictures! I’m so delighted for you that yo have found your forever home!
Lisa Millar says
Your new space looks amazing! Very excited for you. Love your potting shed!