2016 | Year in Review

Writing this on the second to last day of 2016 and looking back on this year with a grateful heart…thankful for so many amazing opportunities and more excited than ever about taking on 2017! I’m sharing a 2016 year in review post today and we are taking a walk down memory lane…recapping all your favorite posts, instagrams and style pieces. I’m also dishing about my personal highlights (and low lights) from the past 365 days…so make sure to keep reading! This is a long post, but was so fun to put together. I hope that you enjoy!

Top 2016 Posts:

What new content was your favorite in 2016…

ONE: Gender Reveal 

Wow! You guys were as curious as we were about what this bun in the over would be! I’m still in shock an awe that two sweet girls will soon call me mommy. What a dream…

TWO: Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Post

You guys really took my advice and tuned in to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! I had a total blast covering the entire sale (nearly 3 weeks worth) and I know that you guys scored some awesome deals. I can’t wait for it to come around next July!

THREE: Top 20 Breakfast + Brunch Ideas

This post was published only a few days ago and it’s already topping the charts. I’ve actually had a few of you report back to me and send me what you tried on Christmas morning and that’s made me so happy. Make sure to pin this one in case you are ever entertaining for brunch!

FOUR: Packing Tips for Long Trips

This is a post that I published over the Summer and it continues to top the charts. I shared all of my tips and tricks when it comes to packing for long trips. If you have a vacation coming up, this is a good read. 

Five: 20 Piece Capsule Wardrobe

In this post I shared 20 of my favorite Fall pieces and also shared 175+ outfit combinations as to how you can wear them. This was a major hit with busy mamas and the good news is that most pieces are still available! 

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Most viewed old posts:

ONE: Guest Room Reveal

Our bright and bold guest room is always a hit on the blog and continues to be a Pinterest favorite!

TWO: Master Bedroom Reveal

Our calming master bedroom reveal is viewed over and over again, and thankfully, we still love it as much as you guys do!

THREE: Ikea Kids Table Hack

This one is a little surprising, but it’s really taken off on Pinterest and so many people click over to see the details on how to turn this inexpensive IKEA table into a multifunctional craft table for kiddos!

FOUR: Tea for Two Birthday Party

Landry’s second Birthday party is one of my absolute favorites! I love the little theme and how much fun we had putting it all together. 

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2016 Room Reveals:

Here are the spaces that we changed up this year!

Landry’s Big Girl Room

Her nursery is definitely a blog favorite, so it was fun to give the space a more big girl feel. 

Playroom + Office Combo

Still one of my current favorite rooms in our house…both LK and I adore our office + playroom combo space!

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Most loved items:

Here are some specific style items that you loved this year…

Reversible Cape | Similar

Low Cut Booties

Rebecca Minkoff Regan Satchel  + Leopard Tassel Keychain

Statement Necklace

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Top Style Posts:

The style posts that you liked best…

One Dress 5 Ways

I shared how to wear this basic black dress 5 different ways…dressing it up and down and everything in between. The perfect staple to keep in your closet and work into so many outfits!

Thanksgiving Outfit Ideas

Some simple outfit ideas to wear for Thanksgiving…or any Fall/Winter day, really!

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Top Instagrams:

Monogrammed Carry-on Bag

Plaid Shirt ($45!) | Cardigan ($49!) | Denim | Booties | Baseball Hat

Favorite White Tee | Boyfriend Denim | Similar Mules | Bag

Plaid Shirt | Converse | Vest

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Blog Highlights:

-Being PUBLISHED in HGTV Magazine! Our hot pink bamboo chest was featured in the July Issue of HGTV mag and I about died. See the full room HERE.

-Our Home Tour on Glitter Guide! Woah, that was amazing! See the full post HERE.

-Being named one of Vanity Fair’s #WomenWhoDo and meeting some of the most inspiring ladies on a whirlwind trip to NYC! See the full post HERE.

-Experiencing South Walton Fashion Week for the first time and enjoying a weekend on the beach with Hilton. See the full post HERE.

Although the photos are pretty, my biggest blog accomplishments happened behind the scenes in 2016! Right at the end of 2015, I decided to leave my part-time work from home job behind and run this blog full time. To say that was the best decision that I’ve ever made is an understatement. In 2016, I’ve taken a deep dive into the numbers (and since I can’t get to know all of you personally over coffee) really used the analytics to look at more of what you like to see here. I’ve taken those findings and put them back into the blog through richer content, and posts that are laid back and relatable when it comes to style and home decor. I’ve tried to really stay true to an affordable price point and to myself…sharing a little of the good the bad and the ugly when it comes to my life behind the screen. I feel like throughout this process, I’ve gotten to know so many of you better and can say that there have been genuine friendships formed via this blog over the last year and for that I’m forever grateful. I hope that you continue sharing feedback and reaching out whenever you have questions or comments…connecting with people is honestly one of my favorite parts of this platform!

2016 Let Downs: Instagram

I don’t think that I would be doing a recap post justice if I just shared all of the good and acted like there were no set-backs in the entire year…because obviously there were! My biggest let down in regards to the blog in 2016 was definitely Instagram. I know that it’s a platform that many of you guys use to follow this blog and unfortunately, it’s been a total bummer on my end for many months now. After many many algorithm changes and a 180 degree change in how users view their feed, Instagram has changed the game for those of us who publish content on a regular basis and, in the end, made itself a very dishonest platform in the process.

I’ve felt really icky writing about this for a while now, but it’s come to a point where I’ve even considered ditching Insta all together…so I thought that I’d clue you in here. The short story is that Instagram’s algorithm buries posts from publishers until those posts are deemed “worthy” enough to show up in users feeds. The “worthiness” of posts usually involves the number of likes and or comments that take place within certain time frames. So, essentially, if a photo gets X number of likes in under one minute then it is then sent to more feeds and so on. That seems fine in theory, right? If you guys don’t like a photo of an outfit, etc I can usually tell through the engagement and use that as feedback when posting in the future. Well, what others are choosing to do is trick the system by using third party apps to “buy” likes and comments (yep, that can be done) and make Instagram’s algorithm “think” that their photos is worthy of being shared to more followers….when in reality they are just paying for a bunch of offshore robots or people working for pennies to like their photos. ((It’s always real funny to check out who’s “liking” a photo…you can usually tell when people are tricking you that way)) The whole business of buying followers and likes is creating a false sense of engagement and giving our business as a whole a really bad rap. Putting yourself out there in front of people every single day already comes with enough pressure, but the popularity contest is getting a little out of control and I want nothing to do with it. Although I could write a full and lengthy post about this topic…I’m going to end my rant here and on a positive note letting you guys know that I will always strive to be “real” on all forms of social media and if you like what you see AWESOME and, if not, THAT’S OKAY too…I will use it as feedback. I always love to engage with you guys in any and all ways, so continue to use Instagram to chat with me and you should always see my posts show up on your feed…and that’s good enough for me 🙂

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2016-17 Personal:

2016 was a pretty big year for our little family…we traveled a lot (see Mountains, Asheville, La Jolla, Louisiana, Dallas, and Seaside). We’ve really really enjoyed watching Landry excel in her little pre-school and grow daily in her faith. We also hit our knees all year and prayed hard for God to continue to unfold His plan for our family. We’ve been tested in our faith and patience as one prayer in particular continues to come unanswered, but we have subsequently grown in our understanding that His timing is always perfect and we will continue to wait obediently to see what He has in store for us. In the meantime, we were blessed with the biggest surprise and brightest highlight of 2016, which was the news that we were expecting Baby #2! The anticipation of adding a baby to our family has us all kinds of giddy and excited (and nervous, if we’re being honest) and we are counting down the days until April 28th, when we get to meet this sweet baby girl! See THIS POST for more on that news!

As we look forward to 2017 we are sure that it will be one for the books. We will kick things off with a trip to Disney in early February to celebrate a pretty cute little girl turning 4! I can’t wait to see how the dynamic of our family changes with a sweet new baby and I’m excited to grow as a mama as I watch my heart double in size and also learn how to balance and adjust to a whole new schedule and life.

I’m so incredibly thankful to have you here and on this journey with us. As I look back at all of the amazing opportunities that 2016 brought, I sit here in awe of how special this place is for me. I wake up eager to come here and chat with you guys each day and am so passionate about using this platform to help women feel good. Thank you for your fierce support…it means the world to me.

See you in 2017, friends! Cheers!

p.s. drink some champs for me…