A Look Back: 2018 Favorites

Happy New Year! I’ve been off the grid a bit since Christmas, taking time to work on some projects, get our minds clear, start the year fresh, and start reclaiming our post-holiday lives. The biggest beast we decided to slay… our basement. I get questions all the time about where I store excess, storage, holiday, etc. Well, we are super fortunate to have an unfinished basement that spans the entire width of our home but embarrassingly, here’s a little sample of what it was looking like on December 26.

before basement organization

Like, what is this even?! Pathetic. Now, imagine this space x5 and that will give you an idea of the shape of our basement. Before I even put away the Christmas decor, I decided to call and schedule and dumpster delivery and a local nonprofit donation pickup. Maybe that lineup combination should be called the “New Year cocktail”? 😉 I’ll be sharing our progress soon but thought I’d give you an idea of some of what we’ve been up to over the past week. Before we move forward though, it’s time to take our annual look back at some of the highlights and favorites from 2018.

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We talked about a lot of different things this past year from entertaining and decorating to organizing and shopping. Here are some of the favorite things from the past year.

Some Things We Organized

I took on my office closet and dedicated it to wrapping and pillow organization; it was random and yet one of the most satisfying spaces I’ve tackled.

Organized Gift Wrap Closet Connected to Home Office

See the full organized office closet post HERE

One of the first organization projects I tackled in 2018 was our wire-shelved pantry. Believe it or not, this has been one of the easiest systems to maintain and it looks almost identical to this photo today, a year later.

Organized pantry before and after for tiny closets with wire shelving

See the full organized pantry HERE

Speaking of pantry organization, I actually worked my way through the entire kitchen, organizing every space from cabinets to drawers and the refrigerator.

Ideas for storing and organizing cutting boards in a vertical rack

See the entire kitchen organized HERE

Some Things We Cooked

Admittedly, I didn’t share as many recipes this past year as I’d have liked; I’m hoping to change that in 2019 😉 One of your favorites was my two-layer lasagna that’s become an annual Christmas dinner tradition…

Favorite easy two-layer lasagna recipe with ground beef- a simple Italian favorite!

See the lasagna recipe HERE

And one of my favorites was when I shared seven different meals that can be prepared from one single batch of crock pot chicken bbq.

Easy Weeknight Dinner Ideas from One Batch of Crock Pot Chicken Barbecue

See all seven easy chicken bbq dishes HERE

But the recipe that I’ve loved ever since we met was Dave’s famous guacamole.

Spicy, Authentic Guacamole Recipe

See the guacamole recipe HERE

Some Things We Made Over

The biggest and most unexpected project we took on in 2018 was the kitchen. This is where we started (you can read about why we took it on HERE)…

Cream Cabinet Kitchen Makeover Reveal

And this is how it turned out when all was said and done.

Styling a kitchen island and other modern kitchen updates

We carried some minor cosmetic updates over to the adjoining breakfast nook too…

breakfast nook makeover reveal

And love how it looks today.

Transitional Breakfast Nook with Large Oversized Round Mirror


Scroll & Tap to Shop the Kitchen 


See the full kitchen and breakfast nook reveal HERE

Before we started on the kitchen, we had actually started to make a few updates in the great room. Nothing structural – mostly furnishings – but after working our way through the space slowly over the course of the year, the space has become so much more bright and efficient.

two story great room before makeover

I actually haven’t done an “after” since it’s been such a slow process but here’s a look of how the center of our home has evolved over the past 12 months.

Ideas for Christmas living room decorations


Scroll & Tap to Shop the Living Room


You can see the sofa comparison that started it all HERE

Some Other Things

In the midst of our organization and room projects, we stayed busy in other ways. I hosted a baby shower for twins…

Baby Shower Drink Ideas with Mimosa or Momosa Bar

See the full shower with party ideas HERE

And I created a lot of flower arrangements using both fruit and florals.

How to create an easy citrus fruit and flower arrangement centerpiece

See a few of the arrangement ideas HERE

Dave experienced NYC for the first time…

Top of the Rock view of NYC

See our full trip and itinerary HERE

And Dave took over the blog and shared what it’s like being married to me.

See Dave’s takeover HERE

Some Things That Were Favorite Finds

THIS LIGHT quickly turned into not only my favorite home lighting fixture, but many of yours also. I have now collected five of THESE inexpensive throws because they are the softest things ever. (they’re also on sale for $29 right now and come in like 20 colors 😉 ). I also bought up four colors of THIS dress (under$30) and deemed it my comfortable, versatile summer uniform. It’s also on sale and under $30 in a TON of colors. THIS quilt continues to be our favorite and a lot of us are now rocking THIS nightstand in our bedrooms and THIS coffee table in our living rooms. I think a lot of you are like me and are 100% believers in THIS plant now and a lot of you have added THIS expandable can riser to help organize your pantry. (Seriously, if you don’t have it, you need it!) A lot of you fell in love with THESE favorite sheets – now on sale! – and now have THESE matching pulls in your kitchen.

2018 Favorite Things
*scroll & tap to shop*

And even though I just got it two days ago, I LOVE my new planter (HERE) for my faux olive tree 😉 I’d been eyeing it ever since I got the tree and finally pulled the trigger last week.

2018 was good to us but I have a feeling 2019 is going to be even better – I can’t wait to do all the things alongside you all; thank you for choosing to visit with me and for allowing me to be a part of your world in some way. Here’s to making the coming year our best yet. If you aren’t already, I’d love for you to be the first to hear updates and news by subscribing to my email at the bottom of the post. Cheers!

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7 Comments

  1. 1.3.19
    Haneen said:

    Love you, friend! Can’t wait for what’s to come in 2019! It better include seeing each other!

  2. 1.3.19
    Gretchen Thomas said:

    My goodness…what a great “year in review”. You were quite the busy bee and completed some massive projects. I adore all of your changes! I can’t wait to see what 2019 brings! ❤️

  3. 1.3.19
    Lisa said:

    It’s been such a pleasure following you for the past year! Thank you so much for sharing and inspiring. I’m looking forward to what is to come in the new year!

  4. 1.3.19
    Jackie said:

    What an awesome 2018 you shared and I’m looking forward to all you have planned in 2019!!

    Question…would you be able to share the direct link for the quilt you have listed. I can’t find it.

  5. 1.4.19
    Julie said:

    Where can I find the off white buffet?

  6. 1.4.19
    Marissa said:

    I’ve loved every single one of your posts in 2018. So much fun. Happy New Year to you and Dave!