It was this time last year when
the blog dream really blossomed and started to become a reality. My sweet,
sweet guy gifted me with the laptop that I use today to edit photos and write
these posts. And on the other end, my mom gifted me with a brand new DSLR
camera. It’s as if they were both pushing me towards what they knew I always
wanted to do. They believed in me enough to invest in my dream and it was time
that I believed in it too.
Armed with the tools that enabled
me to chase after my dreams, I had no excuse not to try.
So here I am…almost one year
later and even though I hit a few bumps along the way, I’m still chasing after it.
I’ve come a long way but still I still have so much to learn.
Has my blog been as successful as
I want it to be? No. Do I have as many readers as I had hoped I’d have? Not
even close. But that’s OK. This blogging business is a beast. I never knew just
how intense it was or how much there is to know about growing, promoting, or
maintaining a successful blog / brand. It’s insane. But I’m eager to learn.
As 2015 comes to a close, I
wanted to take a moment to recap the past 12 months and share some of my
favorite posts and projects from 2015.
Ready for the trip down memory
lane?
January was my first foray into
the blogosphere and you saw me organize our entryway closet. It was a
#hotmess but I’m proud to say that the organizational systems I installed
almost a year ago are still going strong and this post almost a year
later is proof.
Things picked up speed in
February when I debated some entryway options to piggy back off the
recent entryway closet makeover, I showed you how I make my bed like the hotels do, and tackled another organizational project when I tackled
our coffee table drawers.
In March I shared a few quick and
simple ways to update your gallery wall frames, shared a yummy recipe
for Jamaican Jerk skewers, and turned a garden stool into a use able end table.
April had me really inspired and
you saw me share how I turned some cheap-o Ikea curtains into a pair of pom-pom trimmed beauties. I also turned some souvenir paper coasters from a Vegas
trip into a set of coasters that are hit with everyone who stops by.
Things slowed down in May after
finding out that we were pregnant and preparing for a Hawaiian vacation but I still managed to squeeze in a quick little project for dollar store vases.
After returning from Hawaii in June, I
tackled a fun and easy update for a mirror turned bar tray and let you
guys in on a few minor changes going on in the living room.
July saw Part 2 of those living room changes and then pregnancy set in and I needed some time off to adjust
to all the life changes.
Behind the scenes – August was
such a happy month. We had our gender reveal party and announced to our friends
and family that we were expecting identical twin girls! It felt so good
to let that cat out of the bag after so many months of keeping such a big
secret!
September wasn’t as happy. At 22 weeks we lost our girls and took the next little bit to recover from all
we had just been through.
In November, I re-emerged and so
did the blog. Blogging and pouring my heart and energy into creative and
positive outlets has really helped ease the pain. With Thanksgiving just around
the corner I shared 10 yummy recipes to try this year, made the easiest pillow covers ever, finally shared about our loss and how we’re
coping, and shared a few quick and super simple home hacks here and here.
With December closing out the
year the entryway finally got a re-do and this time I think I got it
right! After I showed you how to make the easiest pillows ever last
month I shared how to make the easiest console table too. You saw holiday home tour and the
perfect New Year’s cocktail for cheersing (I totally just made up a
word).
Whew! I think that about does it.
At times it doesn’t always feel like I’m accomplishing a whole lot over here
but when you compile it all in one place, it makes me feel a tad bit better.
So after all that…what can I say
about 2015?
It taught me so much. Mainly
about the depths of and the capacity to love.
And how excruciatingly painful loss is.
But I’m more resilient than I
ever knew I could be.
So many of my feelings about 2015
center solely on our loss on September 21st. It’s a day I will never
forget and one that has forever changed me. Perhaps my feelings about 2015 are
biased because of that event but so much before that day seems so insignificant
now. I loved 2015 but I hated it too.
My girls were born.
And then they died.
It’s a heavy memory to carry but
one I will always be proud to call my own. 2015 did a number on me.
Here’s to a better 2016! I’m
looking forward to the future, growing this blog, and chasing my dreams.
No
matter how much I’ve lost this past year, I’ve gained so much more because of
it.
Cheers, my friends! See
you next year!!
