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

Goal #2 – Slow Down

Remember those desks I started refinishing 2 weeks ago? We’ll I’m almost done! I’ll share the pictures when I get them finished {hopefully in the next few days}.

Goal #3 – Shop Small

While the HH and I were at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show we picked up 3 bags loose leaf tea from Nil Organic Tea for The Girl. I love being able to hand my money over directly to the owner of the company and the person who personally blended the tea. What made this purchase even better was when I got home I looked up their website and Instagram page and noticed they just bought a home…. and used the tag #thehousethatteabought. Small business are awesome, and being able to make a living doing something you love, well, that’s pretty rad if you ask me.

Goal # 4 – Have a Designated Meal Prep Day

So really, we all know the whole designated day of meal prep won’t come into fruition until we are on the east coast but hey, a week of mozzarella sticks, corn, french fries, sun dried tomatoes and ham sounds pretty good don’t you think? 😉 I think they may also be 2 hamburger patties in there as well. Cleaning out the freezer… good times.

Goal #5 – Install a Vegetable Garden

Well, there’s nothing I can do until I’m officially in my new garden space but I can sure plan for it. If you still needs seeds, Botanical Interests is offering free shipping on any size order right now. And if you are looking for a new tomato to grow this year, try Sun Gold. It’s our favorite cherry tomato variety.

Also, check out this movable garden box from Eldergrow. Isn’t snazzy? The HH and I spotted this display at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show last week and I think it’s perfect for peeps with mobility issues.

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

I was looking for a project to keep my hands busy on for the 3,000 mile drive and well, what started out as a 26″ x 30 rug for in front of my new kitchen sink has turned into a 24″ x 60″ double chicken rug. I hooked the feet and chicken combs this past week and I think I’ll start on the outer half circle border next.

Goal #7 – Grow 500 Pounds of Vegetables

A few weeks ago I shared my plans for my 2018 vegetable garden. Now all I can do is wait until we get over there and the ground thaws to get started.

Goal #8 – Hook 100 Rugs

13 down, 87 to go. This past week I made a Hooked Rug Valentine’s Heart Pillow and just love the way it turned out. If I aim for finishing 2 rugs a week I should hit my goal of 100 rugs by the end of the year. Some weeks I have more time, others, not so much. And that’s okay, because really, some projects take more time than others.

Goal #9 – Make a Set of Dolls

I think I’m going to save the doll making goal for later this fall/winter so I have a something to work on when the weather outside is too chilly to garden.

Goal #10 – Make a Sampler, Frame it and Hang it on the Wall

Well it may not be a traditional cross stitch {clearly} but I am making some serious progress on my primitive school girl sampler. I just couldn’t handle the whole counting stitches thing {or see the teeny tiny holes in fabric} even with that hands free magnifying glass.

Goal #11 – Visit 22 Bakeries

The HH drove me all the way over to Coyle’s Bakeshop for a lemon tart and THEY DIDN’T HAVE ANY…. I was so disappointed. I guess I should have called first. I do have a list a bakeries to check out in Bozeman and Billings, Montana as well as Fargo, North Dakota for our road trip across the US though so I’m confident we will be able to add to our list of bakeries this year.

If anybody knows of a great bakery in St Cloud or Minneapolis, Minnesota or around Eau Clair or Madison, Wisconsin please let me know.

Goal #12 – Start a Collection

I been to busy packing and cleaning to make my way to an antique store to look for wooden butter molds or spoons. I’m not worried though, it will happen.

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

I have about an hour and a half left of Founding Gardeners by Andrea Wulf to listen to and let me tell you Bob, I have LOVED learning about how the gardens at Monticello, Mount Vernon and Montpelier came together. Plus, having been to all three of those places, makes the story, even better.

Goal #14 – Try 12 New Canning Recipes

Not this past week, but I am hoping to make something special in February. If not, I’m sure I’ll have no problem finding new canning recipes this summer.

Goal #15 – Secret {for now} Holiday Project

I’ve been wanting to do this for YEARS…. and this year, I’m going for it.  I am still in the research/planning stages for this project and have a found a class in Lancaster, Pennsylvania that I an hoping to take later this year to learn more about my project. 😉 But that’s all I’m going to say for now.

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

~Mavis

Read About My 2018 Goals HERE.