The year 2000 was such an EVENT in so many of our lives that it seems to have happened just yesterday, and yet, here we are…two thousand and SEVENTEEN!
Time keeps shocking me each and every time the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve. With the rolling of another year, I’ve much to look forward to and back on…as life is pretty amazing. My work continues to thrive, my children keep me busy, I’ve a pup at my feet, family I adore and friends that keep me smiling every day.
While I feel I’m blogging constantly, I’ve discovered that for the first year since I began, I was UNDER 100 blog posts. I resolve to fix that as I’m not sure what kept me from writing. I’ve posts in draft that are JUST about finished that I never got around to finessing…and the time to post them seems to have come and gone. I need to work smarter this year, focus more. It’s tough to work in social media when the very thing you’re trying to work on distracts you and hauls you down a rabbit hole taking away what precious time you had to begin with! Another reason for not writing so much is that part of what I do now is on social media in general…there’s more on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook…but really, writing for me is where I’m happiest…so I plan on doing a little bit more this year. PROMISE! (And if you aren’t following me on social media, click on the links and let’s be friends!)
As I’ve posted for the last few years, here are the Top 5 Posts for 2016…
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Hockey Mom
2016 started with a HUGE boost to my blog as the Hockey Mom post took on a life of its own. The funny thing about it, I didn’t spend a lot of time on it. It was straight from the heart, pounded out on my phone’s notepad in a rink parking lot on the last day of regular season play.
While I was incredibly emotional and thought my hockey mom days were coming to a swift end…the Halifax West Warriors continued their way through playoffs and earned a spot in Provincials where they found themselves (two months after I wrote the post) with silver medals around their necks. And THEN it was over. Or, so again, I thought.
With the provincial medal and a smile on his face, my son “retired” from hockey and vowed to find a beer league when he headed off to university but the night before the Junior draft in Newfoundland, I received a very serious phone call from him explaining that he simply HAD to play…and he’d put his name in for the draft!
We’re a few months in and while I don’t like the half visors or the fighting, I’ve been happy to be able to catch a few of the games that have been live streamed and Noah is incredibly happy with his decision to play with the Mount Pearl Blades. If all works out in the next while, I hope to even get down to watch a game in person.
Ironically, while I really wasn’t keen on Noah playing hockey away from home while attending university…I think it’s actually helped him to stay on track with his scheduling and school work. He has a coach he quite admires, he’s enjoying his teammates, he’s having a great bit of fun and he’s getting to see a bit more of the province than he’d otherwise see. It’s a win-win…and I’m still a #hockeymom for another while.
Read the post here: Hockey Mom
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70 Things We Love About You
For the past two years, the 70 Things We Love About You post hasn’t let up! If you recall, I designed a piece with “70 Things We Love About You” for my Dad’s 70th birthday…a collection of lovely stories and comments from family members that’s now framed and treasured by my dad.
A year ago, I started selling the piece on Etsy and it’s a main staple of my daily graphic design work. I’ve sold pieces all over the world…in multiple languages…and have “met” some pretty remarkable people! It’s pretty amazing to see how alike we all are…and blows me away how this one little birthday idea blew up into a full-fledged business!
Read the post here: 70 Things we love about you
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Story of the Boy I Fell in Love With
What is it with momma’s and their boys?
This was a big year for Noah as he graduated from High School, headed to Prom, spent and amazing summer with friends and then left for University.
I couldn’t breathe the changes were happening so quickly.
So, right in the middle of everything happening and me trying to get a grip on all of the changes…I thought I’d put into words, a little bit about the boy who stole my heart.
Read the post here: This is the story of the boy I fell in love with
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Invisalign Smile
I never completely realized how much my daughter disliked her smile, until I saw her smile for the very first time on her Instagram feed! I guess I was used to seeing the closed mouth grin…but when I saw the big toothy grin as she showed off her beautiful new smile…I was completely taken back.
Megan was born missing teeth…as baby teeth fell out and adult teeth came in, two of her teeth just didn’t exist. So, we’re tied up in braces for another while longer and eventually, will need implants. We chose to get Invisalign rather than standard braces so that we could “fake” the look of teeth until such time that she has her surgery.
While Megan jokes that only the posts I write about Noah go viral…it’s not true! The post I wrote about her continues to be one of the most read posts as folks search for information on this fantastic product…that I highly recommend!
Read the post here: Invisalign Smile
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Therefore be it Resolved
It’s pretty cool getting recognized for something I love to do…recognized in the Nova Scotia Legislature was just too much for my little brain to handle!!!
On reviewing this post, I realize I’ve not quite done what I said I would do as the certificate does NOT in fact hang in my bathroom…so I’ll get that fixed right away!
Read the post here: Therefore be it resolved
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A Life Filled with Music
AND…since the 70 things we love about you post has been on this list for two years, I’m throwing in a 6th post!
I’ve been very lucky to introduce the readers of Curtains are Open to some AMAZING, INSPIRING, AWESOME women through the #KIAWorkingMom series of posts.
All of the posts are super popular…and this one on Louise MacDonald was one of the most read posts for the year.
If you know of an awesome woman in our community doing amazing things, let me know…I’d love to meet her!
Read the post here: A Life Filled with Music
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So, there you have it! The top posts of 2016. Thanks for continuing to like and share so more and more people read what I have to say! I’m truly doing something I love…and will, for sure in 2017, do even more!
xo
Queen