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

There are so many places for Lucy to explore and critters to hunt that I think country life is agreeing with her. She snores like an old man when she comes in to take her afternoon nap, and then she’s ready to get out there and do it all over again. Things just seem to move at a slower pace these days… and I am soaking it up.

Goal #3 – Shop Small

This week at the recycle center I snagged a sturdy basket to hold some of my wool strips. Given the choice I would have preferred not to have a pink basket, but the price was right and the basket is of good quality so really, what more do I need?

Goal # 4 – Have a Designated Meal Prep Day -FAIL

I threw in the towel early on this one. Meal prep, and cooking in mass quantities is just not for my family at this stage in our lives. For the first time in a long time, I don’t feel rushed to get dinner on the table. Gone are the days of eating at 7:30 – 8 pm at night and the feelings of exhaustion at the end of the day. Well, I take that back. I am exhausted by the end of the day, but it’s because I am physically exhausted and not mentally. 😉 These days dinner is served around 5 or 5:30 and you know what? I think it suits us just fine. Although if I start serving dinner at 4 pm {like my parents} I may need to reevaluate.

Goal #5 – Install a Vegetable Garden

So this is my next big project {if I had to guess I’d say the area is about 100′ x 5′-20′}. The previous homeowners mentioned they had a garden patch towards the end of the lawn many years ago and that the spot was filled with raspberry canes. Well, I found it and after finally getting the small vegetable area, the potato patch and the pumpkin patch areas all cleared, this is what I’ll be working on next.

The goal is to have the overgrown area cleared by June 1st so I can plant corn {and popping corn, decorative corn and broom corn} in the spot. And maybe a few winter squash plants with rambling vines. The raspberry canes here are {insanely} thorny and while I’m happy to leave a long row of the along the fence to see what variety they are, I do plan on installing a nice long raspberry patch {throneless of course} next spring somewhere else on the property.

This garden has been A LOT of work so far, and at times I feel like I am just the full-time head groundskeeper here. But as I was telling the HH last night, this year there is a huge learning curve, and I’m sure that once I am able to get the existing plants identified and mapped out, next year everything will come a bit easier.

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

Do you recognize this 4 week old chick? This little bird was labeled as a black Australorp, but clearly, it is not. It’s the largest bird in our flock by far and I seriously hope it is not a roo.

These days the chicks are getting about 6 – 8 hours of outside playtime a day {depending on weather} and they are living it up I tell you, taking dirt baths and pecking for their crumbles to their hearts content. Part of me wishes I would have doubled my chick order, but at this point, 7 birds is probably just the right number since the HH won’t be able to get a coop built until early July. I suppose I can always order more next year.

Goal #7 – Grow 500 Pounds of Vegetables

Swiss chard {for the chickens of course!} went in this past week and I ordered a row cover so tomatoes and cucumbers aren’t far behind. My goal for this year is to grow at least 500 pounds of vegetables and enough winter squash and potatoes to get us through the winter months PLUS grow a bit extra to put out on the pop up veggie stand at the end of my driveway this summer.

Those pepper plants {at the bottom of the photo} are looking so GOOD! I only wish Mrs. HB were here so I could share some of them with her. Note to self: Start more basil. You can never have enough basil.

Goal #8 – Hook 100 Rugs

Last night I added a bunch of new goodies to my Etsy shop and now I only have 57 rugs to hook until I can check this goal off my list!

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 DONE

Goal #11 – Visit 22 Bakeries

A trip to King Arthur Flour is on the calendar for this week to stock up on specialty flours and baking supplies and to do some investigative reporting on their bake shop. 😉

Goal #12 – Start a Collection

The collection of wood furniture continues! We were able to pick up our {new to us} dining room table, chairs and hutch and you know what? I think it’s the perfect fit for this house. Used furniture is the way to go and we were able to save a ton of money!

The only problem is, I don’t have anything to display on the shelves of the hutch. Ha!

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

This past week I downloaded Angela’s Ashes and ‘Tis from overdrive to listen to as I work on my hooked rugs in the evenings. I have read both these books before {several times actually} but really like author Frank McCourt’s voice and the rhythm of how he tells a story. I LOVE autobiographies, read by the author especially, and could seriously listen to them all day long.

I totally don’t even understand why anyone would pay for cable tv anymore. I can’t relate to the people on the screen, the news, the gazillion commercials, or just how polished and fake and loud or even the {overly} neutral attitudes of the people on the screen these days. I’ll stick to books, and look for the programs where I can actually learn something or that bring joy into my life. I’m not sure if that even makes sense, but it’s how I’m feeling these days.

Goal #14 – Try 12 New Canning Recipes

I just discovered lilac bushes on the property and am looking forward to trying out Susan’s Lilac Jelly recipe.

Goal #15 – Secret {for now} Holiday Project

I only have 5 weeks to go before my “big ticket” item arrives so I can get started {practicing} on my big winter holiday project. I am so EXCITED about this!!!

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

~Mavis

Read About My 2018 Goals HERE.