2nd Year Blogiversary

Wow! This second year in blog world has flown past. Like last year, I will do a quick recap of the year, but I want to spend some time contemplating the next year as well –by getting some input from you!

(You can find all the details about B4 and Afters’ first year HERE.)

The Best of the Weekend

So, what has my second year of blogging been like, you ask? Well, Hosting a Link Party (The Best of the Weekend) took a LOT of my time. It required a detailed post each week. I also spent a ton of time choosing features. Perhaps I was being too hard on myself, by being too picky when choosing features.

But I recently found a solution when I found three other bloggers willing to choose features for me once a month (I could possibly use one more). I appreciate their help so much! Thank you so much Amy from My Recipe Treasures, Debbie from Debbie-Dabble Blog, and Amy from Amy’s Creative Pursuits!

“You’re the Star” Blog Hop

I also joined “You’re the Star” Blog Hop as a co-host. This link party is a lot different from The Best of the Weekend in several ways. For one thing, it is a month long party. Also, the host (Angie at God’s Growing Garden) sends me the majority of the post-to-be each week. I simply add an introduction and then what she gave me. So it does not take as much time as The Best of the Weekend.

Local Magazines

In February, a local magazine published B4 and After’s blog article about Crocheted Heart Bookmarks. Later in the year, another local magazine published about my Painted Stair Runner. It was so fun to see those articles in print!

Other Bloggers

I got to meet in person with another blogger– Lori of The Stoneybrook House. That was fun and encouraging. I would really like to meet with other bloggers more often– but of course we are all very busy. There were a lot of bloggers who joined me for the #CoffeeBlogTour and giveaway. (You can find it here.) Because of the giveaway, I got to speak on the phone with Kippi from Kippi at Home and that was a blast.

Arabah Joy Blog

Some exciting collaboration happened when I discovered Arabah Joy’s Blog. I don’t remember how I first found out about it, but I loved her Free Printable Tea Tags. I printed them to use when I have tea with friends. Then I found out about someone diagnosed with cancer, so I made some for a gift to encourage them. I posted about how I did that HERE. The exciting thing was when Arabah Joy (AJ) shared on her blog all about it! You can read about that at her blog HERE. (I have continued to use more of the tea tags to encourage others– for another lady with cancer, and for a friend whose father passed away.)

Then, I noticed that AJ offered a Bible Study for Kids. This time I asked if she would like photographs of my kids doing the Bible study and she said she would like that. I have not posted about that here on B4 and Afters, but you can see it on Arabah Joy’s blog HERE. Arabah Joy offers a ton of great resources– some are free, and some have a small fee.

First E-book

You’ve probably already seen that I’ve published my first E-book. It is available HERE. You can download it for free TODAY (October 22)!!! So please enjoy my gift to you. I would like to ask that if you do read it, would you mind leaving me a review on Amazon? I would appreciate it so much! (It should be available as an audio book soon and I am looking forward to telling you all about that.)

Top Five Posts

Perhaps you would like to see a recap of the top five posts? Last year, Painting My Kitchen Cabinets Gray was the number one post. But it has moved to Number 5. Here are the other Four:

• Number 4: Easiest Way to Hang Wreaths on Exterior Doors
• Number 3: Three Tips for Medicine Cabinet Organization
• Number 2: Sew a Custom Bible Cover with Handles and a Zipper
• And…. the Number 1 post….. Why I Will Not Be Thanking My Socks

Next Year

Okay, now I would like to talk about Next Year. I have a few ideas for next year, but I would really like to hear from you. I would like to know:

• What do you like about B4 and Afters blog? What is/are your favorite things?
• What do you not like about it? Is there anything about the layout or format or anything at all that you think should be changed?
• What do you think could improve this blog?
• What types of projects would you like to see more of?

This blog is for you, the readers. I hope to inspire you with ideas for your own projects. Am I doing that? How can I do it better? When you see the posts, do you like them so much that it makes you want to share them with someone? Would you like to see more videos? Would you like to see more giveaways?

I have spent a lot less time posting on Instagram the past few months. Would you like to see more on Instagram? Or do you never go on Instagram? If I do a new project, I can quickly post a picture on Instagram without taking the time for an entire blog post. So if you follow me on Instagram you are more likely to be the first to see things there. And then, what I post on Instagram also goes to the B4 and Afters Facebook page.

Your Comments are Appreciated!

I LOVE seeing your comments and answering them. The bits of feedback that I get there are very encouraging, so thank you! I LOVE sharing my projects with you. I would love to share them with you in person, but the the next best thing is putting them here.

If you only knew how many projects I have, that I have not yet posted about!! Did you know that I have crocheted many blankets? That some of them even have words crocheted into them?! Who would like to see them, anyone?

If you have a lot of feedback for me and would rather email me instead of comment– I understand– just email me here via the Contact Page.

Thank you for all of your support! I appreciate each of you very much.