How many more recaps like this will I write? I have no idea, but welcome to year 16 in my blogging journey. I’ve written recaps sharing my blog story all the way back to the beginning in 2007, so if you missed those, it might be worth a read. Blogging has been part of my life for so long that I can’t imagine not doing it anymore. This year has some changes coming, however, and I’m excited to share those with you all!
I have to say that this is the year I start pulling back a bit and not posting as much. I’m not planning to quit in the foreseeable future, I will probably leave my blog up until the internet is no more (I doubt that will happen) or I get too old to type on here, whichever comes first. Ha! But, I no longer have the burning desire to keep climbing higher on the internet or social media. That feeling has been with me for a few years and is even more pronounced now. I want to settle into a semi-retirement I guess you could call it, posting when I feel like it and still sharing some old content as I have been doing for several years too.
I’ve written around 4,000 posts on this blog over those 16 years and that’s a lot of talking! It’s been so fun for me and I can’t imagine stopping it, so I will not. But…and there’s always a but, I want to be free to slow it down even more than I have and not worry at all if I don’t post. I’ve watched others stop blogging and just cold turkey quit. I don’t plan to do that either, but slow blogging is a term I’m going to embrace.
Mark and I have been in our house for 5 years now and we are almost at the end of our project journey in this house. No, we aren’t moving either as many I’ve seen do, to buy another house or build a house to then showcase on their blog or social media. We’re not about to do that. We love our house and are staying here for the long haul, but that means we don’t have a lot more projects to do and that might get a little boring since I do write this blog and DIY and home improvement are a big part of what I write about.
My goal for this year is to travel more. I’ve been saying that for awhile and we are finally going to do it. The last couple of years have been weird travel years anyway, with the pandemic things have been not so normal, but hopefully that’s all opening up more now. Thank goodness for that!
{This Daisy dog gives me joy!}
On that note, let me just say that as I said for the last couple of years on my yearly recap that I’m still extremely concerned about our country and the world in general. Our entire country seems to have lost its mind all at one time, on every front and it’s very disconcerting to say the least. I’ve never been very political on this blog, but the last few years have caused me to do more research and reading than I ever have in my life and what I’ve found is not a pretty picture. Many of you know exactly what I mean. I won’t get any deeper into the state of our country on here (you don’t come here for politics), but life has been very hard and is likely to get harder this year for so many. It breaks my heart to see where our country is at this time. If you have been reading my blog for long, you know I’m a conservative girl and that’s where I lean politically. That hasn’t changed a bit but my eyes have surely been opened even more the last few years. God is our only hope, our refuge in time of trouble and I know that His will and truth will prevail. That gives me much comfort in what we are all facing in the future. The outlook looks so dismal, but my faith is strong that God will see us through, no matter what comes our way. We cannot give up hope.
I loved the December 31st devotional from my Streams in the Desert:
Thus far has the Lord helped us. (1 Samuel 7:12)
Yes, He sure has and I know he will continue to help us.
{Charleston}
So back to the blog. We really want to travel more this year…go to new places we haven’t been before, in the US and out of the country. I don’t know yet what all that will be, but I’m going to start planning more trips. I have to find places we can visit that don’t require the vax, you know the one. We did not, nor will we ever get the shots, so that could be a deterrent for where we travel depending on policies in the future. That’s not a political statement, nor do I wish to argue, but that’s our position and we are united on that front. For instance, Viking requires all passengers to be vaxxed, so it looks like we will never go on another Viking cruise unless their policy changes. I’m reading up on those policies to find out which cruise lines don’t have the mandate. So far, from what I’ve read, NCL and Royal Caribbean do not. I’d like to do a European cruise this spring/summer and then we plan to go back to New England in the fall. So I can see us doing way more travel and weekend trips and of course, I’ll share all those here on the blog. You might not see a lot of brand new things going on house wise, but I’ll keep the blog going at a pace I’m happy with. Now is the time for us to travel before we get any older.
I can’t believe that the time has come for me to draw SS payments, but it’s here. My full retirement age is 66 and 4 months and if you’re close to my age, you know what that means. April here I come! I’m looking forward to a little more travel money to play with. There are so many places I’d like to see and visit and that will be a clear focus for us as we move into this year, so be prepared for me to take longer breaks between posts. I’m just not sure yet what all I’ll be posting, but I do think it will be less. My plan is for my blog to be part of my retirement income and I’ll keep it going even if one day I stop posting much of anything new.
I’d love to hear from all of you too.
What do you like the most? Please feel free to chime in here and let me know what you think on what I post here on the blog.
I know my posts about my parents are always popular and you love them, so of course I’ll continue to share our family. That’s a given. We don’t know how long we will have mom and dad with us, so I will do recaps all along about them and their health.
I’ll continue to do the weekly series Home Style Saturdays and Style Showcase with my friends. You’ve probably figured out by now that those posts are recycled posts that we share with each other, so chances are you might not have seen them all and it gives us a great opportunity to share content with each other’s audience and yes, helps us keep traffic flowing on our blogs. Thanks for supporting those weekly features! We all have some really great content and sometimes it gets buried so it’s nice to show it off again.
I’m not sure if I’ll continue the Friday Favorites series on a regular basis. I might do once a month or so, we will see how it goes.
Life feels so short at times, the days fly by and we want to make the most of it, so thank you for joining my journey and reading along. I will probably continue some fashion posts during the year, but that’s not going to be a huge focus for me either. I may do a couple shares a month. If anything, trying to share fashion when I started that a few years ago has gotten even more challenging since I don’t plan to buy new clothes all the time just so I can share them and make commissions. That’s the thing about being a fashion blogger, you have to constantly share new clothes to make a living. I’m so glad I didn’t choose that solely as my topic. Once those clothes can’t be affiliate linked, they are useless to share. So that’s not what I want to depend on to make a living, nor do I want to spend my time on that. There are a ton of fashion bloggers to follow if that’s your thing. I love clothes, but I can’t do it all the time.
I’d like to get more involved in my community, so that’s going to be a focus too. I am a member of our local Acworth Business Association and I’ve enjoyed getting to know other women in my community. I’m trying to join the tourism board as a volunteer and I’m hoping a spot opens up for me this year on that. So those are a few things I’d like to get more involved in. I’d like to help make my own community a better place.
How can you support me and my blog?
God has blessed my blog more than I could have ever dreamed 16 years ago when I started it. I make a very nice living off my blog. My ad network revenue is the main way I make this blog work. So let me mention this to you all.
The best way you can support me and my blog is to continue to come here, LIVE on my blog when I post and open my emails when I send them out and read the posts here. That’s the VERY BEST way to support me.
That’s the main way I make an income and blog pageviews is how I get paid from my ad network. I’m so grateful that I have the opportunity to make a business of this blog and it’s supported me well for over 10 years of making money. God has truly restored everything I lost when I moved from Birmingham to Atlanta all those years ago (2011). He is faithful and has never let me down and I’m eternally grateful!
I know that ads are annoying and I still get comments about that sometimes. I think reading on a phone is probably the most annoying way to read a blog and that’s where most of the ad intrusion comes in. I read on my laptop for most everything I read these days and I don’t see the popups like some of you have said. But, again thank you for looking past the ads and for your support all these years. I couldn’t do it without your continued support.
Amazon Shop and Home Decor links
The other ways you can support me is to buy through my affiliate links on Amazon and Like to Know It. I don’t share links constantly, but if you can please help me out there too. I make commissions when you use my links and that adds to my income.
You can find all my links under Shop my Home on the home page of my blog on the menu bar.
I have an Amazon shop with lots of good products that I use and some that I love and recommend as well. The shop has categories you can look at with lots of products. Anytime you buy from Amazon and use my link, I earn a small commission without it costing you anything extra. Thank you for buying through my links!
I also have many items linked in my Home Decor page here on the blog that I update along the way. Some of the links are things in my house and they might not be available anymore, but I link all I can that are active.
Another Fact of Blogging for So Long
My email list has declined over the years instead of growing. People unsubscribe and remove themselves and so that’s also disheartening, but a real part of blogging that I have to deal with. My pageviews here continue to decline year after year, so I don’t know what things will look like in 5 more years. Five years ago, my pageviews were double what they are now. That’s the truth of running a website and I face all the challenges with a BIG dose of reality. There’s so much competition for pageviews and even though there is room for all, people only have so much time to go around and reading blogs might not be at the top of the list all the time. I totally get that. That’s why I want to step back and just do this at my own slower pace. I can still make a nice income, but I don’t feel the pressure to try to grow anymore. I still see the hustle going on out there and I don’t want to be a part of that. I’ve done very well over these years and have had much success at blogging way past any of my expectations and I’m so grateful for the blessings that blogging has meant to me.
As I draw this to a close, thank you all again for ALL your support and love over the years. I’m not going anywhere, but again, I do plan to slow it down and that means less posts and more breaks over the year. Posts may be more sporadic and slower to come. If we go on vacation, I’ll no longer feel the need to do a lot of posts to share when I’m gone. I just don’t have it all figured out yet, but I feel the need to take any pressure off and just be me, living life at the pace I feel like going. That includes social media. I still have a presence on all the social media sites, but I don’t feel the pressure to perform there at all anymore. I will share when I want to and I do not care if I grow on those at all either.
This recap might be a bit different from the others, but it’s where my heart is headed for now. Thank you all again, I could have never made this blog successful without a core audience to share with and you all make that possible! With that being said, bring on 2023! I’m ready for it! And I’m ready to travel and see more of the beautiful world that God created for us!
Melissa Tennery says
Rhoda,
I am so happy for you! It has been such a blessing to watch you share so many aspects of your life while being true to who the Lord created you to be. I have read your blog almost the entire journey and it has been amazing every step of the way. I look forward to seeing what 2023 brings for you, Mark and your family. Stay encouraged and may the Lord continue to bless you in all your endeavors.
SouthSideGirl in Chicago says
I thoroughly enjoy your blog posts. I’m glad to hear you’re looking at spending more time traveling, volunteering and being with your family. I especially love your parents journey and getting them settled in a new environment. However you choose to post your blogs, I’ll be ready to read them. Be well and God bless.
Lee Lindsay says
Hi Rhoda,
Congratulations on your semi-retirement! I have enjoyed your blog for years and was awestruck at your ability to transform your builder grade home into such a beautiful updated home! Your home tours are fun too, since I am not in the area to visit many of those tours. I”m happy that you have decided to travel and become involved in your community. Terrific goals! I applaud you for sharing your faith consistently. God called us to go out into all nations and be a witness. May God bless you to continue to share that light.
Lee
Di Quarles says
I have been reading your blog almost from it’s infancy and it’s so been heartwarming to see what goodness has come into your life. I think it’s great that you will be doing more of the things that many of us strive for as we hit the golden years, like traveling, more time with family and enjoying all that we have created along the way. I read a lot of decorating blogs and I don’t there is is anyone who has been more true to themselves than you. You don’t get trapped into the newest trends and what everybody else is writing about and I believe it’s one of the traits that makes your posts the most genuine and refreshing. Lastly let me say that I agree with EVERY SINGLE WORD you spoke about in todays blog…congratulations, good luck and please keep up posted on what is happening in your beautiful life!
P.S. I especially loved your early blogs when you and your dad were working so hard on your house, very endearing and inspiring!
Renee says
Ditto on everything you said!!
Ruth says
Hi Rhoda, we are so happy for you and admire your decision to pull-back a bit. Thank you for all the valuable content you’ve shared with us over these 16 years. I’ve always enjoyed the showcased homes – you take many lovely photos and it’s almost like being there. I’ve also enjoyed your stories about your parents and hope you can continue letting us know how they’re doing. God bless you all…you’re right…He’s always there for us. xo
Vicki Davis says
I remember where I was when you asked me if I knew what a blog was! I did, sorta, know what a blog was but had no idea you would achieve such dramatic success with yours! It’s been amazing to watch you flourish being your beautiful self, inspiring and encouraging others to follow their hearts and pursue their passions. Your posts about moving your parents to an assisted living facility surely has helped others who find themselves making such difficult decisions. As for the very few discontented readers, bless their hearts! Maybe they should take time to read all of the very positive comments posted! You make growing older not so daunting as you set a great example for us all. I’m blessed we are doing another decade together! Love you! Vic
Susan Jones says
Rhoda, I have followed your blog ever since you first came back from Birmingham to live with your parents and have loved it all. But my favorite posts are the ones regarding your family. Love those! You just blog whenever you have the chance and don’t worry about having to keep up. I’m just a year or so behind you in age and totally get the “slowing down.” And I also agree with what you said about the state of our country – very worried. However, like you said, God is in control and will take care of us.
RL says
Rhoda,
Congratulations on semi- retirement! I was able to retire two years ago and highly recommend the retirement lifestyle. I wish you and Mark many safe and happy trips. Please keep us updated on your precious parents when you can.
I am a fairly new follower of your blog but have learned so much. Thanks to your blog, I now have the confidence and knowledge to tackle a few DIY projects.
Best wishes and looking forward to reading your travel tips.
janeinbama says
Congratulations Rhoda!
Retirement is wonderful (10 mos here). Your blog was one of the first I found and followed. Good luck to you and Mark in the future!
Judy says
As they say “didn’t see this coming” LOL. But proud of you for knowing when the time is right and happy that you are in this place in life to have options. I have enjoyed all your posts about family, your home remodeling and trips and vacations. But so glad you have remained true to your faith and values. I, too, agree with all your comments about our country and the turns it has taken. But know also that God is still in control. So do what is right for you and your family but keep us informed along the way!
Judy says
I have followed you for so many years!! I loved when your Dad helped you do things at your house! You are a genuine Southern lady with awesome taste and conservative values STILL!! Travel all you can because there is so much to see! Many blessings Rhoda! You are loved’❤️
Suzi says
Thank you Rhoda for authentically sharing your heart, knowing you would have to duck a few arrows! Having lived in a communist country, I know experientially how thankful we all need to be for our freedom to speak. I also see a rapid deterioration of freedoms in this country that we have enjoyed for so very long and that have been fought for and died for. God is our very present help in trouble!
As a fellow Pastor’s daughter, I feel a special kind of kinship and wherever God leads you in the coming year and beyond, I will be here for it until you decide to stop blogging. Grace and peace
Linda Hickey says
I’m happy for you both to want to slow down and enjoy life more. It will be a wonderful glorious adventure to do so. Mike and I had stared traveling and seeing other places, after we retired We loved and immensely enjoyed it. But it was to short, God took Mike home earlier than we could had imagined. But I Praise God for that short time we did get to. We did have a wonderful 49 years of marriage. So yes go ahead and both of you do the things together now. I pray God bless you both on your new adventures and journey. Sending love to you and your family.
Jane Nunn says
You’re a girl after my own heart! I seem to like everything you post and really enjoy picking up ideas from your decorating style. That said, there is nothing wrong with slowing down a little and stopping to smell the daisies, or is it roses? Yes, you and your husband should travel as much as you can for as long as you can, because as we all know, we are only promised today. Best of luck to you and may God continue to bless you.
Terri Driggers says
I love this post….. I’ve followed your blog since your Alabama days… I actually stumbled on it through The Lettered Cottage way back when… 🙂 Some of my all time fav posts were when you and your Dad remodeled the home you purchased in Ga. Wow! Amazing … (gave me so many ideas for my own home projects) and also your posts with your Mom & Dad always blessed me!! Your Dad’s garden .. and your Mom cooking those delicious looking meals !!! Thank you for sharing thru the years and being such an encourager !!
Anita says
I’ve so enjoyed your blog as well but semi-retirement sounds like a good thing for you and Mark. Yes you need to travel while you’re young and in good health. Thanks for sharing it all with us and may God bless you both as you seek His will for your life ahead.
Lucy says
congratulations! wishing you the best. I’ve been around for sooo many years reading your blog. Much happiness for you and Mark and health for mom and dad. Hugs and blessings sent your way ❤️
brendalynne1 says
well it sounds like there will be a lot of new adventures for you to share with us. Traveling vicariously and all those civic projects to let us know about WOW !!!!
diane in northern wis says
Hi Rhoda,
Well I have followed your blog for many years, like I am hearing so many other say in their comments. I love checking in with you daily and all your super posts and love, love, love your family and your updates with them too. That being said, I understand that you must do what you must do. Whatever will be best for you Rhoda, I go along with. I will continue to check in and read your blogs whenever you post them. I hope you will have some wonderful travel opportunities with Mark and really have a super 2023. I know what you mean about our country and how it has been sliding down to a place where we can barely recognize it any more. but I too have great trust in God and know that he will act to straighten us out when His time is right. Regarding the fake vax….we hear you and agree with you. May all be well with you in this New Year. God bless you and Mark and your families. I’ll be checking in on you and thank you for 16 awesome years!
Kathy Olson says
This sounds like a good plan. I always enjoy your posts. They are well written and informative. I very much support and agree with your views. Even if I didn’t, I think I would still enjoy reading about you and your family.
Would you ever want to do videos and/ or posts where you make one of your mom’s recipes?
It’s good to know that nothing takes God by surprise. He is a very present help in time of trouble.
Blessings!