“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
It’s been a tough week. First the heat, and then the poison ivy. But the past two days it has cooled down considerably {upper 60’s!} and although nothing seems to help with the poison ivy itch, are moods are better and working outside has become fun again. Have I mentioned I’m looking forward to winter? 😉
Goal #3 – Shop Small
This week I found 6 blue stoneware mugs, a little bundle of Indian corn and 2 baskets {perfect for holding potatoes at the vegetable stand!}. I LOVE our little town recycle center, you just never know what you are going to find.
Goal # 4 – Have a Designated Meal Prep Day
So far we haven’t been able to pull this one off.
Goal #5 – Install a Vegetable Garden Done!
Although things in the main garden are winding down, we have a still have a few things like basil, chard, beets, onions, and zucchini growing. I did start some cabbage and spinach seedlings under lights a few weeks ago and they should be ready to transplant out this week.
Goal #6 – Clear Land for a Chicken Coop and Future Raised Garden Bed Area
We got our first egg!!! Thanks to Miss Hilda, we found an egg in the nesting box 2 days ago. But haven’t seen another since. My bet is we are only a few more weeks away until all the girls stay laying. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Goal #7 – Grow 500 Pounds of Vegetables
At the last weigh in we were up to 309 pounds of homegrown produce. Hopefully we can get a few more pounds added to that total when we harvest the squash and potatoes this fall. Also, I have no idea what this squash is. Any ideas?
Goal #8 – Hook 100 Rugs
I only have 18 more rugs to hook before I can check this goal off my list! This week I completed a set of sunflowers and two mini crow pillows and continued to work on another flower basket rug that I will turn into a pillow when I’m finished. I haven’t been able to dedicated much time to hooking the past few weeks, but I should have a few items ready for my next Etsy Shop update on September 15th.
In the past, winter has been when I seem to get the majority of my hooking done, and I’m hoping with the long winters here in the Northeast this winter I’ll be able to get more projects completed than I have in the past. Only time will tell, but I am already on the lookout for a rocking chair to place by the wood stove so I can hook next to it.
Goal #9 – Make a Set of Dolls
I’ll work on a set this winter.
Goal #10 – Make a Sampler, Frame it and Hang it on the Wall Done!
Goal #11 – Visit 22 Bakeries
The HH and I didn’t get a chance to check out a new bakery {Harvey’s} but The Girl and I did make it to one of our favorites instead. Boulangerie Bakery in Kennebunk, Maine has delicious baked goods and their croissants are nice and flaky.
Goal #12 – Start a Collection
Since we’ve been here, Lucy has found at least a half dozen well loved toys left by the previous owner’s dog in the backyard. Last night while I was pulling weeds under the cherry tree, she found this sweet little bear. Everyday is little like a treasure hunt around here, you just never know what you are going to find.
Some finds {like dog toys, garden pots, stepping stones, flowers} are welcoming, and others {ticks, poison ivy, wild turkeys sitting on your cucumbers} not so much. But living in the woods sure does keep things interesting, that’s for sure.
Goal #13 – Read {or listen to} 26 Books
I didn’t read anything new this week. But, after seeing some late last night on Instagram about Author Susan Branch, I now I want to see if I can request the following books from our little library:
A Fine Romance, The Fairy Tale Girl and then Martha’s Vineyard, Isle of Dreams. Have you read any of these?
Goal #14 – Try 12 New Canning Recipes
My little canning cupboard…. It’s filling up! Hopefully I can get some more tomato sauce and applesauce canned this week. So far this year I’ve canned:
- Apple Cider Butter
- Tomato Sauce
- Carrot Cake Jam
- Spiced Peach {Crazy good!!!}
- Blueberry Jam {without the mint}
- Pickled Beets {without the funky spices}
- Cherry Almond Jam {freakin’ AWESOME}
- Susan’s Lilac Blossom Jelly
Goal #15 – Secret {for now} Holiday Project
I had a GREAT week working on my secret holiday project! I was able to try out a few new colors {HINT!} and finally found the PERFECT blue/grey I’ve been searching for.I’m hoping to be able to show you what I’ve been working on soon.
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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Mornings with Mavis 
Stories From this Past Week
1. A potato is about 80% water. That seems crazy for as heavy as they are but it’s true!
4. Unlike many veggies, a potato is still living when you harvest it, although it’s in a dormant state. Warmth and moisture can still cause the spuds to start sprouting, which is why you’re supposed to keep them cool and dry.
7. During the 1840’s a potato disease wiped out a majority of the crop in Ireland. Since the Irish working class lived largely on potatoes, the disease meant their main staple food disappeared. The famine that resulted left many poverty-stricken families with no choice but to struggle to survive or emigrate out of Ireland. Over the course of the famine, almost one million people died from starvation or disease. Another one million people left Ireland, mostly for Canada and the United States.
9. Did you know that a passive-aggressive chef accidentally invented the potato chip? IN 1853, chef George Crum was head of the kitchen at Cary Moon’s Lake House in Saratoga, New York, a place where railroad mogul Cornelius Vanderbilt liked to dine. Vanderbilt wasn’t a fan of the thick-cut potatoes on his plate, so one day he sent them back to the kitchen, a move that annoyed Crum. In retaliation, Crum sliced the spuds as thinly as he could, fried them in oil with some salt, and turned them into crispy potatoes, thinking he would make Vanderbilt angry. Instead, Vanderbilt loved them, and the chef’s revenge turned out to be the genesis of one of America’s most popular snack foods.
Quote of the Day “The most simple things can bring the most happiness.” ~ Izabella Scorupco
Attention Fred Meyer and Kroger Shoppers
