Best of the Blog 2016 + 2017 Goals

2016 was a year for a lot of change in our world! While we changed in many aspects, we remained the same in others. I wanted to just to a quick year in review to remember the highs and lows of 2016, and set some goals for 2017.  2017 will mark 5 years for Little Lovelies, so it’s a little bittersweet to write this! I cant believe the time has gone by so quickly and I just cannot wait to see where 2017 takes us!

Our family went through some loss and some triumphs, and I’m so happy that you were here to share in that with us! So many of you were there for me when we went through our miscarriage in October and so many of you were there with us when we went full time this April. If you’ve been reading from the beginning, 5 years ago, THANK YOU…and if you’re new…we’re glad to have you!

Let’s dive right in to the Best of the Blog of 2016! The posts you loved seeing, the things I shared from my heart and the most liked photos on Instagram. All of these things really don’t matter in the big scheme of life, but it does matter that someone was encouraged and uplifted from one or more of these things and can possibly still be encouraged by seeing them even years later! That’s the thing I like most about this whole internet world out there.  Connections are made and sometimes lives are changed, just from reading some words on a screen! It’s pretty amazing if you ask me!

Best of the Blog 2016

Best Giveway
I feel like we had some great giveaways this year! The biggest hit was the Nordstrom $500 Gift Card giveaway and the Kids Auto Car giveaway!

Best Nine on Instagram


Best Feature 
Huffington Post picked up two of my articles this year, which was a huge honor for me! You can view the posts here: Why Motherhood Made Me a Better Person and How Being Selfish Actually Made Me a Better Mother.

 

Best Item Shared
You guys LOVED this Strap Front Tee and really loved this Mock Neck Shift Dress (still currently on sale)! These Stretch Moto Leggings were a hit, too (probably because I have them in three colors and love them all so much)!

Best Motherhood Post
How to Increase Milk Supply in 24 Hours

Best Fashion Post
How to Wear a Blanket Scarf

Best Post on Life
How Miscarriage Changed Me

Best Video
I got my eyebrows microbladed by ThatBrowGal last month. It was an incredible process and I’m so excited to share about it in January! Video is one of my big goals for 2017, so be sure and subscribe to my YouTube channel to stay up to date!

Best Travel
It’s too hard to choose the best on this one! We had a few trips for this blog to Austin and Dallas, but then also took some trips to Vegas, Mexico, the mountains and more! Travel is a big goal on our list for 2017, and I can’t wait to see where we get to go with our little family and friends!

Best of Facebook
Back in April, we launched Bits of Life which is an extension group for this blog.  It quickly grew from 1,000 members the first day to 10,000 in one month and now has over 1,000 women requesting to be added each day. The member count is now at 25,000+ and I am so proud because it’s an encouraging and positive place for women to find comfort and confident! #WeRiseByLiftingOthers 
There are also now 9 subgroups with over 1k members in each group. What an amazing community for women!

A quick bit on life….this April, I took this blog full time! I had no idea it could be a job and provide for my family. It has been amazing to watch it grow and watch my family support me like they do! We celebrated a 1st and 3rd birthday, 5 year anniverary, and a 30th birthday in June. Fast forward to September, we found out about our surprise baby #3! It was a rollercoaster of a month as I was not feeling well but still trying to blog consistently as well as be a mom and run a household.  September to November is probably the hardest season I’ve ever had in my life. October is always a month of change for us.  B and I started dating 10 years ago in October. He proposed 6 years ago this month.  This is also the month we found out about both of our girls’ pregnancies and lost our surprise baby.  Miscarriage was hands down the hardest thing I’ve gone through as a woman, but I know God is still creating our story and He will get the glory from it all.  I will never forget this October.  I will also never forget all of the messages, texts, phone calls, flowers and food that you guys provided for our family.  What a blessing YOU are to us.

Here we are in the last day of December! That year just flew right by. I’m incredibly blessed by everything and everyone in my life. I am thankful for my family and friends and I’m thankful for YOU. Thank you for coming here and reading; I’m still blown away that all of you care what I say or even like to come to this little space! It’s been a great year and I hope that you stick around to see what’s in store for 2017!

I want to thank all of you for reading my little blog. I still get blown away when someone says they read it and see my things floating around on Pinterest. I still get amazed that anyone cares what I think (because I’m really not that cool) but am so thankful that hearts are helped and women are encouraged. I created this space to uplift, encourage, share life and give confidence to those that need it – and like I’ve said from the beginning, if only ONE person is reading and ONE person is helped; my job is done! THANK YOU, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for following along and coming back here each day! I hope that you can grow along the way from one thing or another you took from reading!  I had no idea I could turn a hobby and passion into a full time job that provides so many things for our family that wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for this blog.  It wouldn’t be possible without my wonderful readers, so truly know that I mean what I say! 

God has built amazing relationships from this space, and for that I am so thankful.  HE is the reason this blog runs and HE is the reason it’s helped my family so much.  I hope that you know I share ideas from my heart and experiences as well as things that God pushes me to share.  He has done amazing things through this social space and I pray you are blessed and encouraged!  Did you know that I pray for my readers and members of my group daily? It’s always comforting to know that someone is praying for you.  

So what’s on our Blog Goal List 2017?
-Videos (YouTube and Facebook Live)
-Travel
-Engaging with Readers (I’d love to know how you’d like me to do this)
-Sharing More REAL LIFE/Behind the Scenes

What do you want to see more of? What do you love coming here for? Do you like motherhood posts or fashion? Want to see more travel? I would love to know what YOU want! Would you take a quick second to take this survey and let me know (anonymously) what you’d like to see this year? BIG things are in store, so I hope you keep coming by here to our little space! 

TAKE THE ANONYMOUS SURVEY

 Happy New Year!!
May you be blessed & lovely!