So. It’s been a year in blogland for this lady and her more-or-less willing guest stars (Lookin’ at you, Lou). Overall, I give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Want to hear all about it? Good. Prepare thyself for a long post.

I started writing this blog for a bunch of reasons. One was that I was doing all this stuff to my home/family anyway, and I’ve done enough of it for long enough that it seemed like sharing would be fun. Then, since I left my job in communications when Lou and I packed up to go to China with Bret a couple years ago, I haven’t worked (for money). It’s hard to step out of the labor market -though I feel incredibly, incredibly lucky that I have the luxury of doing so (this is all a whole ‘nother post) – and I like to write. I also was really intrigued by the challenges blogging offered: Steep learning curves on everything from taking pictures to setting up a website to even using Facebook. You’ve presumably noticed that I’m a total noob at the social network thing. I still barely understand FB, and after a year, I  haven’t ventured into Instagram or Twitter. Which was one of my goals when I started. Along with becoming a better photographer and creating a website more in tune with my vision.

Alas, none of those came to pass. In a whole YEAR. I’d be sad, but I’m too happy that I’m still doing the blog, that you’re still reading it, and that I have so much in store for going forward. And, frankly, that I think I’m striking a pretty good balance right now for a gig that’s not paying very well (because I’ve also taken no steps toward making it do so). Meaning, I think about the blog a LOT, and I work on it a fair amount, though less lately (more on that in a sec) and I make it a priority. I suffer a lot of guilt when I miss a post, because I feel like you, dear reader, are depending on me! (My enormously supportive in-law family excepted, because I know you guys are reading out of a sense of familial duty, and that’s incredible in its own right).

But still, when it’s come to decide between maybe almost napping, or snuggling with Wes, or being silly with Lou, or taking some time in the sun or cleaning my house, and working on the blog, I have occasionally chosen one of the former, and I think that’s the right call. It’s not everyone who gets to be their own boss, and I gotta say: it’s freaking awesome. Being able to be flexible while still feeling creatively fulfilled? Who gets that? So I feel almost obligated to make the most of it. Does this sound like a bunch of crap? I actually mean it.

So I sound like a total slacker. But I have accomplished some goals. These include attracting real live clients! I flew to Nashville, offered advice for friends in California and practically ice skated my way through Brooklyn to help friends with organizing and decorating projects. Having the blog opened all those doors.

Then there’s how the blog pushed me to take on projects or risks I might not have (and occasionally provided an excuse for a purchase I would have skipped before) if I didn’t have people with whom to share the results. I’m looking at you, brick wallpaper. That’s been awesome.

And finally, it’s just been a big deal to actually get it done. When I started the blog, I had three awesome months of planning and posting and going full-steam. But the ensuing months – of morning sickness, late pregnancy exhaustion and now full-time sleep-deprived baby snuggling – definitely impacted the blog. I am much more likely to write – and even create, shoot and write – a post day-of now than I was last summer, and I’ve scaled back my posting schedule. Buuuut, I’m still here. I’m going to go ahead and call it a win.

I’d love to  know what your favorite and least favorite aspects of the blog are. No, really. As a birthday present to Once and Future Home, consider shouting out your favorite post or feature in the comments or on Facebook. But in the meantime, I’ll show you mine.

My top five favorite posts are:

• The entire master bedroom makeover series. That’s how I launched this blog, and because I love playing around, it was super, super fun. And I really liked a lot of the results! The irony was that, by the time we moved out of that apartment it looked like a veritable hodgepodge of disparate design takes (aka like a hot mess) and rolled up rugs and spare pillows and forgotten tchotchkes were shoved all over the place. It was sort of hilarious. Now that I’ve moved onto more “investment” pieces, I lack the freedom to just start from scratch every 7 days, and I gotta say, I miss it. Maybe we should revive? For at least some small space? You’re right guys, we should.

• The coffee table post. I guess there’s a theme here: I like to see how a space/thing can transform, especially under time and money constraints.

The brick wallpaper. Because what a killer transformation, and I wouldn’t have done it if not for the blog.

The meal planning post was a huge hit. I plan to do more of stuff like that, and share more meal ideas with you.

The nursery reveal. I love that room, and I loved sharing it with you!

So, those were my favs. But there's a lot of room for improvement and room for growth and room for more stuff. Here are my goals for Once and Future Home in its second year:

1.       Most importantly, I want to continue this in my own voice, and do my own thing (which is not to say I don’t want your feedback – I do). Recently, my friend left such a sweet note that she could hear my voice in my writing – and I want that. I have read over some of my own posts that just seem so…blog generic, if that’s a thing, where I seemed to be adopting the tone and style I thought I should be, rather than the one that feels authentic to me. There are a few blogs out there that are truly inspirational in terms of just Doing You, blog-wise, and my favorite is Manhattan-Nest. Every time I read it, I remind myself to just be real. I won’t please everyone that way but, to go back to what I was saying earlier: This is a pretty awesome gig. I really love it. I want to keep loving it, not subsume my thoughts or groove to some online Pinterest style manual that doesn’t even exist.

2.       Expand the What’s for Dinner section. I’ve gone back and forth on the eating parts of the blog. I’m not a fantastic cook and maybe my recipes aren’t that great, and my photos aren’t exactly food porn quality, but luckily that’s on its way out. But the basic reason I started the WFD section stands: It’s still a huge mental burden to figure out what to EAT. I mean, why is that? So I want to actually expand this a bit, and keep sharing recipes, maybe once a week, as I have been, but also throw in a list of the rest of our meal plan for the week, to spark inspiration.

3.       To try out more systems/projects/recipes. Right now, I’m trying on the cleaning schedule for size, and I find it eye-opening to really embrace a whole new system on a trial basis (can’t wait to try on the pay-someone-else-to-do-it system!). I am really looking forward to sharing the results with you. And I think that’s a fun thing to continue doing. What works, what doesn’t – this was actually an original idea for the blog, too, and I, for one, find it interesting. What say you?

4.       Just Do It. So many projects in my head. Seriously. So many ideas, so little time. I am stoked to just do them and try to take good pictures and tell you all about them.

5.       Feature more spaces by my super talented friends/readers. Some talented someones with amazing and changing digs in Wisconsin, Baltimore, Montana, DC, California and Denver are on the list…I’ll be in touch. Or show up on your step with a camera. One of those.

6.       Do a bit more blog maintenance. Er, a lot more. Like, maybe a home tour from a place I actually currently live in?

7.       And last year’s goals all apply: Think about monetizing in some way, become better acquainted with my camera, share on more platforms to reach a broader audience.

So, truly: Do you have any hopes and dreams for Once and Future Home? I’d love to hear them. I know I said it’s all about me, but I really want to know what you’d like to see more of. There feels like an infinite supply of thoughts in my head about pretty much all of it, so I welcome the direction. And most importantly – thanks for reading. It makes my day, every day, when someone reads the blog, and it’s the best icing ever when they comment on it or let me know they dig it or are inspired by it somehow. So, keep up the good work!

Lots of love. Let’s get Year 2 started!