It's My First Blogiversary!

Wow. That's about all I can think of at the moment to sum up how I feel today. One year ago, I launched this Naptime Decorator baby of mine into the blogosphere and had no - and I do mean NO - idea it would become what it is today. I am being 100% completely, totally serious when I say I thought this would just be a fun little thing to do; to share my passion with maybe a handful of friends who also love to decorate, oh, and my mom.

But 2,030 of you have become Naptime Decorator 'likers' on Facebook.

Huh?!

713 of you follow my blog.

Say what?!

And at the time I'm typing this, ND has had 520,293 pageviews.

I'm sorry, come again!?

And sponsors?!!! I have SPONSORS?!!!

Crazy business, I tell you.

This all started because of a friend of mine who put a bug in my ear..."Liz, you really ought to start a blog." And I thought about it. And thought about it a little more. What the heck, it'll be fun! I love to talk, I love to decorate. Why not? For the first time in 5+ years, I found myself rediscovering a part of me that's always been there, but haven't had the time to focus on since becoming a mom. Life was (and is) crazy with 3 kids, all being born in a very short time frame. But with my baby becoming a toddler, life was also getting more manageable, and as predictable as it can get with kids. We had a schedule now, we reached the point where everyone slept through the night...it was time to find the Liz part of me again, not just the Mommy one. Time to do something for me, and that concept felt good, I gotta tell ya. First came the name. I wanted something to sum me up -I figured one could pretty much guess what this blog was about with the name, Naptime Decorator- a busy mom who squeezes in some decorating during naptime! This'll be fun, I thought. Let's do it!

Not even thinking this thing would last beyond my kids' outgrowing their naps! We're getting scarily close to that stage, and now my family jokes about the name..."What will you do once the kids are big?! Can't be the Naptime Decorator if there is no naptime!" Never even occured to me that this whole bloggy thing could possibly last that long. But people actually started reading...and liking it! Beyond my wildest dreams, I tell you.


I've 'met' so many people over these past 12 months - other bloggers, and readers, and it's odd how close I feel to so many of you. Though we've never met in person, there are names that I always recognize when they pop up, and conversations we've had and I think, wow, I feel like we've been friends forever!

Those of you who have left comments and taken the time out of your crazy busy schedules, to tell me that I've inspired you or helped you look at something in a new way...you have no idea how these make my day. That you never thought you were the crafty type, but now you're creating things, and making memories for your families and homes. That my sappy posts hit home, and now you're trying to appreciate the little things more. Inspiring? Helping? Appreciating life more?! Never saw these coming when I wrote my first post one year ago today. But wow...that's enough to bring a tear (or several!) to my eye.


You all truly humble me, and to say I am grateful for your support and following me on this journey would be the understatement of the century. It's been an absolute BLAST and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for us. From the bottom of my decorating heart, a million thank yous.

In honor of my blogiversary, I thought I'd share my top ten favorite posts of the past year. Enjoy, and thanks again!
Budget Bathroom Makeover
Ruler Growth Chart
The Story of the Three Stools
THANKS Glasses
Book Nook
My Father the Fairy
Kitchen Reveal
A Letter to My Younger Self
Handprint Tree
The Day It All Began