I took a moment to look through and find the top 10 posts that seemed to get some extra attention for the year 2013. I know I've gained some new readers recently so this should be a helpful post to see what was "most popular" this year.
I found myself in a valley of frustration when I realized my "quiet" time didn't look anything like it did before Little Man entered my life. The Lord spoke to me through a passage in Ezra and reminded me that I don't have to have all my ducks in a row before I'm able to worship Him.
I'm so honored that this post made it into the top 10! I had no idea our love story would get so many views. Originally written in honor of celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary, I take a walk down memory lane and tell the story of how the Mr. and I fell in love in a coffee shop (complete with a song by Landon Pigg that came out right in the middle of our love story in-the-making)!
3. Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas (+ a salsa recipe)
Since we moved to a part of the world where my favorite Tex-Mex food is nowhere to be found, I've found myself learning how to prepare a lot of Mexican dishes on my own. This is one of my favorite go-to recipes because it's so easy to prepare.
This salad was instantly a hit the first time I made it for a get-together. It has all the right combinations of flavors and the toasted pecans are an extra treat for the tastebuds! It goes great with a barbecue meal. It's always summer weather here so we enjoy this salad anytime of the year :-)
One of the best decisions I've ever made is putting Little Man's toys on a rotating schedule. We have a pretty small quaint living space, so his toys were dominating every room. I also noticed that he was only focusing on each of his toys for about 5 minutes before moving to the next. Once I adopted the "out of site, out of mind" mantra, I realized that having 10 toys out at a time, as opposed to ALL his toys, encouraged him to have a more intentional play time. Plus, it cut down on the clutter and he always feels like I'm giving him brand new toys when I bring out a new rotation.
This was a joint project between me and the Mr. After living in our house for almost a year, I still had no workspace to call my own. I usually set up camp at different places throughout the house. Thankfully, the Mr. was persistent about me getting my own little place to work and we set out to find all the pieces we needed to create it. All in all, it added up to be about $100 and it's exactly what I wanted (and it doesn't take up a lot of space in our 'quaint' house).
I love how simple this recipe is AND that it makes enough for leftovers! My favorite thing to do is add some hot sauce to it. That definitely provides some extra warmth for a cool and/or rainy day.
8. Tot School: Letter A (the beginning of the Tot School series)
Once we found out that our son had a speech delay, I decided it was time to be way more intentional at home when playing with Little Man. There's no speech therapist where we live and there's also not any playgroups that are affordable AND speak English. This meant that I was going to have to be my own child's speech therapist. I decided to use the alphabet as a foundation for our weekly theme. Most of the activities are hands-on learning with intentional play. I provide links and printables to all of my activities and all the games can be used again and again! We haven't worked our way through the whole alphabet yet but I'm banking on this series to finish up in 2014. If you'd like to start Tot School at your own house this year, "letter A" is a good place to start :-)
I hopped on the chalkboard paint wagon this year and I'm a huge fan. Fortunately, I've managed to have self-control after painting this wall by not going around this house turning everything into a chalkboard. This project was way too simple so don't think it's not something you can do in your own house! This post includes a step-by-step process of how I turned a portion of a wall in my son's room into a chalkboard wall and a recipe for making your own chalkboard paint.
10. Make Your Own Photo Booth Props (+ free printable template)
Ain't no party like a photo-booth party! This past year I was put in charge of setting up a photo booth for a friend's birthday. I immediately agreed without having any experience in setting one up. It just seemed like too much fun to pass up! I created some props and shared the printable template for all to enjoy. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure photo booths make an appearance at all parties ;-)
I decided to include a "runner up" as well because it was only 2 'views' away from making it into the top 10:
Since moving overseas, our eyes have been opened to a simpler way of living. We've been made more aware of how much the Lord has blessed us with things that most people in the world live without (and don't even make a fuss about it). That being said, moving overseas has also complicated some common, "simple" tasks. If you haven't read it already, this post sheds some humorous light on our "simpler yet more complicated life".
I hope you'll take the time to check out these posts whenever you get the chance. If you don't have time now but would like to come back later and read, you can also access these posts from my sidebar under "Favorites of 2013". Simply click the image of the post you'd like to read!
I've enjoyed getting to meet so many new people thanks to this blog and those who have taken the time to leave a sweet comment. I'm really looking forward to next year and what the Lord has in store!
Do you remember any of these posts? Which one was your favorite? Do you have a favorite post from this blog that wasn't listed?
For all you bloggers out there, I'd love for you to share a link to one of YOUR favorite posts of the year from your blog. I want to read it if I haven't already!
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteI really loved the DIY Chalkboard Wall, my kids will love it, too :)
Thanks Dima! That was a fun project to do :-) Happy New Year to you as well!
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