2014: A Year in Review

Jumping on the “everyone else is doing this” bandwagon and yapping about the year here at Casa Whitaker. I celebrated lucky SEVEN years of blogging on December 26. How is that even possible? I wish I could convey just how much I love this space, and all of you, for sharing it with me.

It’s always fun to look back, to see what folks enjoyed reading, what I enjoyed writing and what to look forward to in 2015. Let’s dive in, shall we?

What Y’all Loved
Here’s a glimpse into life at our house. A bit of preemie, a little teenager, a dash of organizing, a hefty serving of faith and a whole lotta party. My kind of people.

1. Dear NICU Momma {while technically a 2013 post, this one was by far my most popular}
2. A Brilliant Harry Potter Birthday {thanks to St. Pinterest, this party lives on as my most popular party, EVER}
3. A Mom’s Letter to Her Teenage Son {writing this letter to my teenage son still makes me laugh, and tear up}
4. Make Lent 40 Days of Awesome {Lent and awesome, it can be done}
5. Baby Names: So Many Choices, So Little Time {my first ever link up was a wild success and y’all really delivered on the names, such awesome inspiration}
6. Why You Should Hire a Birth Photographer {I never thought I’d do this, but MAN would I do it 1,000 times over}
7. Birth Story #6: The One I Learn to Let it All Go {the birth of sweet Gianna Therese changed me, yes it did}
8. What People Say vs. What I Hear: 10 Crazy Questions {these just may become a t-shirt}
9. {Before & After} The Laundry Room, Again {there’s nothing more riveting than talking lights and darks, is there?}
10. Catholic Schools: 10 Questions Every Parent Must Ask {this was part of a five-part series in honor of Catholic Schools Week, this post got the most traction, but be sure to check out the others!}

As a bonus, here’s two posts that may not have been as popular on analytics, but I sure did love writing them: The Power of NO, Finding Balance in the Chaos and A Letter to my Unborn Baby.

Who Sent You Here
If not for Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and BlogLovin’, there would’ve been significantly less partying going on at Team Whitaker. For those that arrived via the social, thank you. I would be remiss if I didn’t send some love to Jen Fulwiler from Conversion Diary who graciously allowed me to host 7 Quick Takes before handing it over to Kelly, and to Bonnie Engstrom at A Knotted Life for her fall decorating blog hop. That was fun.

It’s Nice to be Loved
There were some lovely features of Team Whitaker in 2014. Jen from iHeartOrganizing shared some laundry love. I do so love a color-coordinated room, so to get the shout out from her about our recent reno was beyond flattering. Over at the Rhodes Log I participated in the “Before I Had a 7-Year-Old” series. Y’all, that is one fantastic series. Your Merry Mailbox shared my love of all things Christmas cards and it was so nice to meet a kindred spirit in them. And, to have Deme showcase our living room on her blog, House for Five, was icing on the cake. Meeting her in real life during the Edel conference was such a treat. I’m totally stalking her Instagram feed for baby news!

They Googled What?!
For kicks and grins, I pulled up the search terms for how people landed at Team Whitaker. HEElarious. Aside from the usual team whitaker and harry potter party, there was sweet tea martini (clearly, they came to the right place) and cute toes (why, thank you!). I can’t forget the question, how to make a pinanta stache. The answer? Don’t. Is Johnny Manziel Catholic – heck if I know, but the boy can stir up a controversy. What is mothers day out – oh honey, grab a margarita. Blessed to be an aggie – um, YES. Team Whitaker atheist – I’m pretty sure you’re at the wrong blog. And, finally, dr pepper ice cream. It’s good to end on a high note.

Pinned It
Pinterest is such a guilty pleasure. My boards are finally in order and I have a few secret ones that will go live in another month or so. These pins were tops in 2014.

Before & After: The Guest Bath
PIN IT! http://www.pinterest.com/pin/144326363032539431/

 The Edible Animal Cell
PIN IT! http://www.pinterest.com/pin/266838346644230211/

 HDYDI: Lead Vacation Bible School (or any Church Ministry)
PIN IT! http://www.pinterest.com/pin/266838346644517960/

What 2015 Will Bring

1. Hooray for the HDYDI‘s (how do you do it’s). Those are, by far, my most popular posts. I certainly don’t have all the answers, but sharing how we do things sure is a blast to document and share. I’m just so grateful y’all love that series! Consider it a keeper for 2015.
2. Hosting Week in My Life this year was a total blast. Total. Exhausting, but fabulous. Consider it a done deal for 2015.
3. You’ll still get a heaping, honest dose of motherhood. This fall, I didn’t blog nearly as much as I wanted but a non-sleeping baby and lots of kids’ needs necessitated a lighter schedule. I’m hopeful with some new things in place, I’ll be back at my usual gig of sass on a more regular basis. I’m sure you won’t want to miss baby food making, room shuffling and keeping up with an infant AND a high schooler.
4. There will still be a few giveaways throughout the year. Those are always lots of fun to host and I consider it an honor to introduce you to shops, and people, I love.
5. It’s a sacramental year – hooray! – so I have some fun things planned for that goodness, too.
6. And, with SIX birthdays to celebrate this year, count on some serious partying.

I’ve said it a million times, but let’s go for just one more. Y’all really make blogging such a joy. The comments, the shares, the love. Thank you. 1,000,001 thank you’s. Raise a glass to 2015!

Oh, if I missed YOUR favorite post, I’d love to know what it was. Post it below in the comments!