One Hundred Dollars a Month

“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

What a view! And in about 10 days from now, this will be the view from my new office space {if the snow has not melted yet}. I am BEYOND excited. No HOA, no lookyloo’s, no landscape trucks whizzing by every 5 minutes… Just, peace and quite. It’s going to be WONDERFUL. And inspiring.

Goal #2 – Slow Down

Yesterday the HH and I took Lucy on a nice hike. I think that counts, don’t you?

Goal #3 – Shop Small

This past week I spent $45 at a local independent shop picking up supplies for goal #15 and it was so nice to talk to someone with some actual knowledge about a product. As expected, they were able to answer every question I had and make suggestions and steer me to the right items I needed.

Often times when I am at a big box store and have multiple questions, the people there are not able to answer them. And as a buyer, no matter how much I am spending, it’s frustrating. A lot of times I feel like it just so much easier to do the research myself and then buy the product online instead of stepping into a big store.

Small, locally owned stores, will knowledgeable salespeople who actually have an interest in the products they sell, rule. And no matter how hard big companies try to duplicate that with their loyalty programs and constant promotions, and I have to ask the customer 5 meaningless questions, will never be able to duplicate that real, down home, small store experience. Ever.

Goal # 4 – Have a Designated Meal Prep Day

This goal is on hold until early April! 🙂

Goal #5 – Install a Vegetable Garden

Does anyone out there use a rototiller in their garden? I have never used one before and since my garden space will be so large, and because I won’t be building raised beds at the new place, I am seriously considering investing in a Mantis 4-Cycle Tiller Cultivator. The way I see it, I could rent one for $50 or just take the plunge and buy one and be able to use it when ever I wanted to. And with my history, chances are once I get one bed dug…. I’ll want another. Plus, I have a feeling my back will thank me for it in the long run.

Goal #6 – Clear Land for a Chicken Coop and Future Raised Garden Bed Area  

Lucy’s babies are set to arrive April 11th!

Goal #7 – Grow 500 Pounds of Vegetables

I had all my seeds shipped to the new house and I’m looking forward to getting started!

Goal #8 – Hook 100 Rugs

32 down, 68 to go. This past week I hooked 6 small penny circle rugs and a few sunflower heads for my Etsy shop. I need my favorite serger to trim and finish off the edges so I’ll have to take care of that once we get settled. As far as hooking projects go, I am down to a batch of mini crow rugs and my big chicken rug to work on. I’m hoping to get the mini crow rugs finished before we take off, and then work on the giant chicken rug as we travel across the US {I plan to snap some pictures along the way so you can follow along with the progress}. I thought for sure I was going to run out of projects to work on, but I think I’ll be okay.

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

I’m halfway there. I finished my sampler a few weeks ago and plan to make a frame for it later this fall when I get some down time.

Goal #11 – Visit 22 Bakeries

We didn’t hit up any new bakeries this week and won’t until our road trip but let me tell you Bob, I am totally looking forward to stuffing  my face with some sweets.

Goal #12 – Start a Collection

A friend and I checked out a few antique stores in Sumner, Washington yesterday and we came across several nice yellowware bowls. Sadly, I didn’t find any with a green glaze {what I’m trying to hunt down} but I know I’ll find what I’m looking for eventually. I think what I’m looking for is a set of 3 or 5 yellowware bowls {with a green glaze} in graduated sizes to display on some open shelving in my new kitchen.

Does anyone know if there is a way {or like a special pen or something that I can take along to antique stores with me} to detect if there is any lead in the pottery glaze on the bowls?  I read online that the general dates for yellowware in the United States are 1828 to c. 1930.

Goal #13 – Read {or listen to} 26 Books

I am currently #10 on the wait list for Sister’s First and #1 for Lab Girl and I have downloaded Furiously Happy and Life Itself for our road trip to the east Coast next weekend thanks to overdrive. I haven’t been listening to books the past few weeks but instead have been catching up on tv time {movies and mini-series} instead.

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

Canning is going to be a little different for me this summer as I will be doing all of my canning outside. My friend Heather in Massachusetts does this and since our new place doesn’t have A/C I am trying to figure out the best set up to do this. At first I thought I’d get a dedicated BBQ with enough room for 2 large {hot water bath} canning pots but now I’m thinking a “fish fry” type of set up might be a better idea.

Do YOU do your canning outside? If so, I’d love to hear your suggestions and what supplies you use, and what time of day you are typically canning {early morning, midday, evening?}.

Goal #15 – Secret {for now} Holiday Project

I took the first step towards this project on Friday and bought a few starter supplies to experiment with. My plan once we get settled on the East Coast is to get everything unpacked, then all my seedlings started, and then while I am waiting for the soil to warm up start playing around with my secret holiday project a little bit. I don’t want to give it away yet… but I’ll be sharing more about this project in the near future. 😉

How about YOU? Did you set any goals for 2018? How are they coming along?

~Mavis

Read About My 2018 Goals HERE.