Farewell, 2016 { A Year in Review }

| Allison

Wait what? Is 2016 really over?

Yeah yeah, I know everyone says that every year. But seriously! I guess we say it because it’s true. It’s hard to believe that though the days sometimes feel endless, the years race by so fast that you barely have time to welcome in one year before the next is banging at the door. Just when you’ve recovered from that New Year’s party, it’s somehow Christmas again. Of course I’m exaggerating, but doesn’t it feel that way sometimes?

Anyway, philosophical-ish discussions won’t change the facts – and besides, the facts are good! 2016 was a wonderful, really big year for me, both in real life as well as blog life. That’s why I made this post: to review some highlights of my year and also to give you something fun to read while you’re waiting for the clock to strike midnight. 😉

Shall we begin? I’ve divided the post into “Life” and “Blog” for easier reading, and I decided to put “Life” first. Heh heh, no pun intended – but actually maybe it was intended. XD

~{ Life }~

  • I started my Etsy shop, Wee Little Crafts, in January, and got 18 online sales over the year (plus a few more in person), 3,469 views, and 145 listing favorites, and 38 shop admirers! Woohoo! 😀
  • I turned 16 in May. O.o
  • And thus I got my driver’s license in October. And also a car. O.o again.
  • Oh, and I got a phone too! Yippee!
  • A less fun but still momentous milestone (wait, does that even make sense?) was getting my wisdom teeth pulled. :/
  • I’m not sure if this counts as “Life” or “Blog,” but I got to meet one of my blogger friends in real life! We had so much fun. *Happy sigh*
  • And I bought a new dSLR camera! It’s a Nikon d3400, and even though I’m not quite a pro at using it yet, I’m really enjoying it!
  • We redecorated our room, and I still love it! Ahh, it’s SO much prettier than it was.
  • I went to the theater and a concert for the first time. I know, I’m very weird. XD (Update: whoops, my sister reminded me that actually I went to that concert in 2015, not 2016.)
  • Our vacation this year took us to Niagara Falls, Macinac Island, the Great Lakes, and a bunch of other exciting places!
  • My fluffball of a bunny, Willow, had baby bunnies! SQUEEE! They were so adorable. *Sniff* We sold them all, but their legacy lives on in my jillions of pictures and blog posts. XD
  • Of the course of this year I became pen pals with three bloggers and email pals with another. 🙂 Thank you for your lovely letters and emails, guys! I’ve had such fun getting to know you better. ♥
  • We added two more pets to our collection: the adorable Holland Lop rabbit Snickers and the also adorable kitten Casey. Well actually she’s pretty much a cat now, but still adorable. 😉
  • We had an EPIC shaving cream fight that I posted about here. So. Much. Fun.

~{ Blog }~

  • Definitely the most major thing in my blog year was being featured on Discover. Oh my goodness guys: a year ago I had almost 60 followers. Now I have… 1,507. WHAT?! WHOA! EEK! And it’s all (well, mostly) because of Discover. I’m so, so thankful God gave me this incredible opportunity, and I hope I can use it for His glory. ♥
  • In other news: blog stats. This year I’ve published 198 posts, and received 7,980 comments, 6,543 likes, and 41,267 views. Just wow. *Faints* Oh my goodness, if I thought last year was a big year, look at this! Ha ha, my first year is just a teensy line. XD OH MY GOODNESS IT’S AMAZING!blog stats 1 (774x486).jpg
  • I met or got to know so many amazing people this year, like Grace, Clara, Hayley, K. A., Rebekah, Christian Homeschooler, Aria, and soooo many more. I love you guys so much! ♥♥
  • I changed my blog around a LOT, several times, but I have hopefully settled down to a theme and a header I like. I can tell you that the current design is a million times better than it was at first, at least in my opinion. XD
  • Hayley and I started The Art Lab blog, along with Megan and Anika. (And in case you’re wondering, we’re taking a little break over the holidays, but we’ll get back to it in a jif!)
  • Aaand I started WordCrafters this year! You guys have done an amazing job with the stories, although it is taking a bit longer than I thought to complete WordCrafters 2. 😉 But don’t worry, hopefully we’ll finish it soon and we can start on WordCrafters 3! 😀 If you haven’t read the stories yet, click here to read WordCrafters 1 and here to read WordCrafters 2 so far.

Alrighty. Now that we’re done with the highlight reel or whatever, let’s get down to the good ol’ post reviews. 🙂 These are some of my favorite posts from 2016:

Favorite Posts from A Farm Girl’s Life: (click on the picture to visit the post)

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These are some of my favorite snow pictures I’ve ever taken! Especially the last one. I’m still shocked I was able to get that!

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Dewdrops are one of my favorite things to photograph ever. Ahh, so pretty!

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Ohhhh my goodness Casey was ADORABLE!

AWWC Challenge 2: Waiting

I think “Waiting” might be one of the best things I’ve ever written. 😀 There was no picture in the post, so you’ll just have to click here to read it. 😉

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This was the post featured on Discover before my whole blog was. And thus, heh heh, it is by FAR my most popular post, if you decide that by the likes and comments. O.o

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Aaaaaahh! I love our room so much! ♥ It’s changed a little bit from this post, but for the most part it’s still the same. 🙂

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This post is basically a collection of some of my best photos from January-August 2016. 😀 (By the way, I’m hoping you guys didn’t have the same problem as I did: the photos weren’t showing up on this post. PANIC! I hate it when that happens, so I’m just going to hope it was just a fluke that happened to me once… right?)

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Pictures from our vacation to Niagara Falls. ♥

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This is one of my favorite photoshoots because it’s so unique – and we were also on top of a barn roof. 😀 Hee hee!

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All I can say is AHHHHHH THEY’RE ADORABLEEEEEE!

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This might come close to my “Favorite. Photoshoot. Ever.” Seriously though, it might be my favorite photography post of the year, I don’t know. I can hardly believe I didn’t edit those pictures, even though I’m the one that took the pictures! Wow, Lord, you are the “Best. Artist. Ever.” Eeeee! ♥

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I love how this little black and white photography experiment turned out! October was a really good photography month for me, it appears. XD

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I’m pretty pleased with how this post turned out. And I’m so, so happy you guys found it helpful! That really makes my… um… day? Well more than a day but less than a year… Hmm… XD

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Ohhhh my goodness how can fall be so beautiful? Eeek!

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I’m honestly kind of proud of these moon pictures, especially the last one. 😛

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This sisters’ photoshoot was a lot of fun, Megan! ♥ We should really do it again sometime.

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And last but not least… THE CUTEST WITTLE FLUFFBALLS!

A Few Favorite 2016 Posts from the Blogisphere:

How to Be a Ninja by Loren – this is pretty hilarious. XD

Evening Photography Whatever #2 by Loren – and this is gorgeous!

Recent Photography: Moss Forests, Maude, and Little Brothers by Clara – so pretty!

Aaaand pretty much any photography posts by Clara. XD

A Trip to the Apple Orchard by Grace – I love this lovely life/photography post.

A Barn Full of Fluff by Hayley – SO FLUFFY PLEASE HELP ME!

And guys, that’s only a teensy bit of the goodness I read this year. But unfortunately I don’t have time to list all of the wondermous posts I read, so I guess you’ll have to check out the blogs I follow and find out yourself. 😉

Okay guys, bear with me – we’re almost done! I just need to show you some of my…

New Year’s Resolutions:

  • Meet at least one more of my blogger friends.
  • Grow my Etsy shop.
  • Start a Bible journal and keep it going throughout the year.

Well, after all that, all I can say is THANK YOU  GUYS, for the bestest blog year so far. I have loved laughing and learning with you guys so incredibly much. Blogging is such a wonderful part of my life, a part I hope to hold onto for a very, very long time. ♥

I hope you enjoyed this rather lengthy end-of-the-year post, and have a lovely New Year, okay?  I can’t wait to see what exciting things God has in store for me and for you guys this upcoming year. ♥♥♥

With all my love,

***Allison***

44 thoughts on “Farewell, 2016 { A Year in Review }”

  1. 2016 has been an amazing year! I’m so happy to meet you and Megan and become pen pals with you two. You guys are some of the dearest friends I have, and I’m so happy to have met you! ❤
    I hope your 2017 is an amazing one. ❤
    ~Grace ❤
    P.S. THAT FIRST RESOLUTION IS HAPPENING, OKAY??? IT'S HAPPENING.

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    1. Same here, Grace!
      Aww, thank you SO much! Again, same here. ♥♥♥ I’m so very glad we met you!
      I hope your new year is wondermous as well!
      P. S. OKAY. YES. YES IT IS. DEFINITELY.

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  2. I love year in review posts, and this one is certainly no exception! I LOVE how it’s organized! 2016 has been an incredible year for me and it sounds like it has for you, too! I can’t even begin to describe how excited I am for 2017. Whatever God has planned, I can’t wait to see it!

    Have the new year ever, Allison – only to be topped by every one after it!

    •Madison•

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  5. Hi, Allison! I was wondering if you could recommend a camera for me that doesn’t cost TOO much. I know that you have a camera and so does your sister, so I was hoping that you could tell me a little. Thanks so much!
    Happy New Year!!!
    ❤ Chloe ❤

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    1. Oh, sure! I don’t know what your price range is, but I would highly recommend a Nikon L830 or L840. That’s the camera I used to have, and I still think it’s a really, really good camera – kind of a cross between a dSLR and a pocket camera. I’m not exactly sure how much it was, but if you look on Ebay for a nice, used one, or get a refurbished one from Amazon, you can get it for less than $200 – I’m not sure how much less. But yeah, I would definitely recommend that!
      Happy New Year to you too, Chloe!

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  8. I LOVE the dewdrop photo, good luck with the resolutions, congrats on all the achievements, and you’re not weird!!!! I went to my first ever music concert only a year or so ago and I’m 18!

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      1. You’re welcome! Yeah concerts are OK but you can always watch them on YouTube. I’d rather support the artists by buying their music or merch.

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  11. I loved this post, and a huge congrats on how many likes and followers and comments and such you’ve had in 2016, that is so amazing! 😀

    A very Happy New Year to you, my friend! ❤ ❤ ❤

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  13. Happy New Year, Allison! Ooh, yes, Waiting was AMAZING. Still one of the best short stories I’ve ever read! ❤
    Aw, I'm so glad you enjoyed my post!! 😀 Your blog has grown a LOT in 2016! I can't wait to see your posts in 2017!

    -Clara ❤
    P.S: I really love your sidebar! It's really unique and simple. 🙂 Could I get your opinion on mine? I've been working on simplifying it. 😀

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    1. You too, Clara!
      Aww, thank you SO much! That made my day!
      Yep, I sure did! And I KNOW, RIGHT?! I’m so astonished. O.o XD Thank you so much again! 😀
      P. S. Aww, thanks! And sure, of course you can get my opinions. 🙂 First of all, I really like your sidebar! Especially your profile picture and the font you used. The Goodreads widget is a tad bit big and distracting, but it’s really interesting to see what you’ve read, so I would keep it. (Side note: I love Island of the Blue Dolphins too! I’ve read it several times, which is quite rare for me. XD ) The one thing that bothers me most is that your sidebar is on the left instead of the right. XD It’s so weird that that bothers me – I guess I’m just not used to it. XD And hmm, I just thought of this: you read from left to right, so the sidebar catches your eye first, which can be good or bad depending on what you want. 😉 So basically, I love your sidebar but because I have strange opinions, I would maybe move it to the right side – but that’s just me! I hope that helped!

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      1. *grins at the glorious sight of a nice long comment* XD
        Thank you SO much for your feedback! I’m quite glad you like my sidebar!
        And yes, Island of the Blue Dolphins is really good. I got it for Christmas and I love it! ❤
        Ooh, that's an extremely good point. I really wanna see how it looks on the right side, so I can decide which I like better. But… I can't figure out how to move it. Oh dear. 😛 Any ideas how?

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        1. Hee hee! I know, right? Any time I get a long comment I break out in smiles. 😀
          You’re entirely welcome, my friend! 😀 Ooh yes, it IS! 😀
          Oh no! Unfortunately your theme might only allow for a left sidebar. 😦 But I remember that some theme I used to have DID have a way to change the sidebar to left or right, so it’s quite possible your theme does too. You could try opening up the “Customize” menu and checking if it has a “Sidebar” or “Theme Options” menu where you can change it. Otherwise… I don’t know. 😦 *Sniff* XD

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          1. I’ve searched all through my customization settings and all the “appearance” options in my WordPress settings. I can’t seem to find a way to move it. :/ I guess I’ll just have to live with it. 😛 Thanks for helping, though!!

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  14. Happy New Year Allison! I enjoyed reading about (and remembering) your accomplishments! Congratualations on such a successful blogging year! I love your blog and am so happy for you to have done so very well!
    Here’s to a wonderful New Year! 😀
    ~Gracie
    P.S. Is there a link to the photoshoot you listed that you described it as your “Favorite Photoshoot ever”?

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    1. Thank you SOOO much, Gracie! I hope you have wonderful New Year as well!
      P. S. Oh yep! Just click on the picture above that text to go to the post. All of the pictures are linked to the posts they came from. 😀 😉

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  15. Happy New Year Allison! I can tell that 2016 was a great year for your blog! It’s so cool that you have so many followers! 😀 Over the past year I really enjoyed reading your blog, and I’m looking forward to what 2017 holds! 🙂
    ~Christian Homeschooler

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