Tag: this and that

A Look Back at 2016, According to the Stats

A Look Back at 2016, According to the Stats

Posted on by Mama

It’s always fun to revisit the past year and see how it all shaped up, because I’m always so surprised to see which posts were popular according to the stats that be. I can definitely say that most of the posts that are my favorite rarely rank high in terms of traffic, but those simple surprises make year-end tracking so interesting.

So as the year comes to an end, I’m taking a look back at 2016 and Small Talk Mama’s top posts according to you, the readers. Interestingly enough, several of the posts making the list were not even written this year. I hope you enjoy the recap and I hope to see you again in the new year!

Happy 2017!

IMG_5412

#12 A Real Mom’s Kitchen — Katie D. Claims Her Calm

Today we are visiting Katie D’s kitchen. I’ve known Katie for a couple of years now, but I had never seen her gorgeous kitchen until the morning I walked in with my notepad and camera. Katie is one of those gals who seems to have so much going on in her world, but never appears dazed, nor confused (hmmm. . . I’m not liking Katie very well right now). No, seriously, she is actually just one of those relaxed moms who will pour you a cup of coffee, grab a bar stool and chat about anything from preschool to Play-Doh.

homemade seed cake

#11 Wildlife Flock to Homemade Seed Cakes

So yesterday morning I pulled out one of my homemade seed cakes I made and stored last year and hung it outside the house. After a couple of hours about town, we came home to oodles of squirrels and a variety of birds already partaking of this tasty treat. My little guy and I sat for quite some time just watching them scramble for the food (and I felt terrible that I hadn’t hung it out sooner).

garage-door-designer-door-view

#10 Test Drive Your Garage Door Design

If you don’t know where to start when it comes to your garage door design, take a look at this great site I found by Overhead Door where you can upload your house photo and basically test drive garage doors of all colors, shapes, windows and price points. You can even print your design with specifications, which makes comparison shopping so easy.

pavers

#9 Build a Weed Wackless Flower Bed Border

I don’t remember where I originally saw this idea, but I’m so glad I did. I just created a large flower bed along the front of the house using “stone” pavers, but I set them into the ground just a bit so that the wheels of the lawn mover roll right across the top, virtually eliminating the need to trim along the edge. (Yes, honey, you may thank me, again.)

Iantern

 #8 Mad for Plaid at Home for Christmas

Plaid is absolutely the bomb right now. . . wait a minute, I don’t think “the bomb” is the bomb right now, but eh, I’m going with it anyway. If you are as mad for plaid as I am, I have an easy and affordable way to add this colorful tartan to your holiday décor.

rustic wreath

#7 Industrial Whimsy Equals Spring Rustic Wreath

When I saw this old rusty thing in the antique store, I just knew it would make a cute wreath, and with a little help from Mom (she’s the most awesome bow maker I know) and a few adders from Michaels (all on sale), we came up with this super cute Easter wreath that brings a bit of whimsy to this industrial find.

This list is getting rather lengthy, so I think I’ll stop here for tonight and post the top six tomorrow. I know the suspense is unbearable. *grin*

Small Talk’s Top Posts of 2015

Small Talk’s Top Posts of 2015

Posted on by Mama

topposts2015As the year rapidly comes to an end, it’s always fun to see where the last year took us and how my blogging life was received. After the complete meltdown of Small Talk Mama the fall before, I was forced to make some decisions about the future of my little space of bloggy bliss; and after much deliberation, a false-start and returning to my first love, Small Talk Mama was reborn (slowly) and is still in the repairing process. I continually discover old posts that simply vanished forever, and I’m just so sure those were some of my best stuff.

Okay, enough wound licking. . . let’s get on to my best posts of 2015. These are not necessarily my favorite items, but now that’s why statistics exist. Here are the top five most visited posts of the year and although I find a couple of them surprising, I’m just going with it and hopefully learning a lesson or two. If you see something you missed, I hope you will give it a visit before we move on to 2016.

 

#5:  Secret Subject Swap — Mike Rowe, Come Clean My Dreamcatcher
 This was a post for Baking in a Tornado’s monthly Secret Subject Swap. You just never know what subject I will be writing about when it comes to these posts, but surprisingly it’s a lot of fun. This particular subject started out as one of my least favorites, but ended up being a lot of fun.

 

#4:  My Saltine Packin’ Sister’s Spicy Ranch Crackers
My sister arrived for a visit one day toting these highly addictive and super delicious homemade crackers. While she was here, we made two more batches and a family favorite was quickly born.

crackers

 

#3:  Cozy Lodge Christmas Cards
I created a couple of cards using some new Cozy Lodge Christmas paper and submitted them to Cards In Envy’s weekly challenge. To my joy, I won the top “First-Class” award for that week’s theme, which was a first for me.

adirondackcard1

 

#2:  DASANI Drops — Delicious Anywhere, Anytime
Talk about a surprise! This was a sponsored post for DASANI Infusions that flavor basic bland water into something more enjoyable. It was a lot of fun trying out the different flavored drops; and in fact, I have several cans of DASANI sparkling water in my fridge right now. So I guess my little trial worked. . . for at least one person in the world.

DASANI 

Top Post of 2015: Mad for Plaid at Home for Christmas
This was a fun little post for a blog hop hosted by Country Living and Hometalk. It showcased just a few of the ways I used plaid fabric throughout my home for Christmas. Next year, I promise to start decorating early so that I can take some better photos, but first I have to take down all of the current holly and jolly. *sigh*

Iantern

 

photo credit: Sparkler / Wunderkerze II via photopin (license)

Secret Subject Swap — Dear Me at Fourteen

Secret Subject Swap — Dear Me at Fourteen

Posted on by Mama

SecretSwapNoBorderWelcome to a Secret Subject Swap. This week, 15 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts.

My Secret Subject is:
If you could go back and give your fourteen year old self advice, what advice would you give? Is there any advice you’d purposely not give? Would fourteen year old you listen?

It was submitted by: berghamchronicles.blogspot.com

Dear Me at Fourteen,

I know this will find you doing well, but since a little help is usually appreciated, I want to share some insight from several years on the other side of teenage us. See, you didn’t do anything too crazy that you’re not still cookin’; although, you might want to be a bit careful around fast cars, automobile sparks and Firebirds that flame. I’m kind of seeing a trend here, but the open road equals freedom through your future years; so embrace it, but be careful. By the way, the speedometer on that Firebird will peg out and keep going, so maybe you just shouldn’t go there.

Okay, pertinent stuff aside, let me just tell you that I realize you’re not a gushy, mushy sort of gal; so instead of writing from the heart (and, yes, we have one), I decided to simply compile a list of dos and a list of don’ts pertaining to your next few years (college is a whole other story, consisting of its own entirely different volume of dos, don’ts and do differents). I know you will disregard a few of my warnings and embrace several too, but hopefully this will make life a bit easier, moments more enjoyable and each day a whole lot more fun. Although I have to tell you, our teenage years were pretty great the first time through.

So from 30-plus years down the road, keep the wheel straight, the windows rolled down and enjoy every stop along the way.

Love,
Your Still Optimist, But a Bit Cynical Future You

Do This

  1. Trust your instincts. They are right on target (even if you ignore them when it comes to affairs of your own heart).
  2. Think a little harder before you give up basketball one day. You will miss it.
  3. Forgive your sister when she says she doesn’t care what you think, because she won’t even remember she said it.
  4. Definitely climb up on Melissa’s roof and throw those eggs, but don’t be surprised when you have to crawl back up the next day and clean it all off.
  5. Encourage your mom to buy that brand new Firebird the year before you start driving. You won’t be disappointed.
  6. Pay more attention in French class — you will actually have several chances to use what you learn.
  7. Take that graduation trip to Padre Island. It will have its bumps, but it will be a blast!
  8. Journal more. Lots more. You will have a full life and you should really put your thoughts on paper.
  9. Continue to think the best of people. It makes life so much more enjoyable.
  10. Do trust that the Lord is always there, and when the Holy Spirit speaks loudly you ought to listen.

Don’t Do That

  1. Don’t race a Mustang along school property; but if you do, be nice to the jerky cop that pulls you over because he doesn’t plan to give you a ticket.
  2. Don’t outsmart your sophomore science teacher.
  3. Don’t say you will never drive a mini van, over and over again. Hint: eventually you will.
  4. Don’t put so much on your platter. Enjoy some down time.
  5. Don’t be such a perfectionist. It leads to procrastination.
  6. Don’t leave your mom waiting while you tote your friend all the way home after cheer tryouts. Mom will be mad, really really mad.
  7. Don’t lose touch with your childhood friends. You will miss them.
  8. Don’t forget to tell your Mom and Dad you love them every day.
  9. Don’t wait so long to tell a certain senior to, “Shut up and kiss me.”
  10. Don’t read bad books. Life is too short to finish it just because you started.

*****

If you want to read more of the fun, here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts.  Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

 

Page 3 of 7
1 2 3 4 5 … 7