A very happy new year dear readers!!! I hope the holidays were restful, meaningful, and full of joy. As I sit down to write this blog post, I am surrounded by boxes as we prepare to move our family into our brand new home!

2017 was a year of adventure and change, and today I thought it might be fun to look back at some key moments from the last year that had a huge impact on me and my family- so I invite you take this somewhat sentimental trip down memory lane.

1. I launched and grew my YouTube Channel

I had been dabbling in YouTube in previous years, but last year was the year I really committed to my channel. What I have loved about YouTube is the conversations I have started with other moms who are seeking balance and beauty in their lives- particularly, I have loved the conversations on my videos on Should a Mom Work and Should You Cruise With Kids. And I loved collaborating with Rachhloves on her kids’ rooms, and my reveal of my Tale of Two Houses project. Video is just so much fun and I look forward to more of it in 2018.

2. We sold our house

We always knew when we moved into this house our family would eventually outgrow it. And since we have expanded fairly rapidly since we have moved in (6 children in 8 years!!!) the time just felt right to move forward and sell. I will miss this house so much, and grateful I got to leave my mark on it in a meaningful way with all our renovations! Literally every single square inch was tackled. Here’s my living room and kitchen, my master bedroom and bathroom, my basement, my home gym, my laundry room, and my backyard. I think I am going to miss that backyard most of all!!!

3. I started coaching moms

As I shared in this blog post, it has always been on my heart to one day help moms beyond interior design. A quick background on this: when I started my career, when I would go to a cocktail party or even of any kind, people would find me and pick my brain about their kitchen remodel, or ask where to buy a good sofa. But as the years went on and I had 6 children in 8 years, the conversations at parties and industry events would always turn to how in the heck I managed to balance things. So I knew eventually I would do more on this but it was always a little foggy to me how.

I have just launched my first 6-week coaching program, and am excited to grow this new arm of my business. Stay tuned for more info in 2018!

4. I spoke to 1000 students at a major conference

This one will go in the books as a huge breakthrough for me both personally and professionally. I was invited to give the opening night keynote at Catholic Christian Outreach’s annual conference between Christmas and New Year’s called Rise Up. I spoke to 1000 Catholic University students from across Canada, and spilled quite a few things about myself I wouldn’t exactly voluntarily tell you if you know what I mean. But I did- and “all my secrets” as my 8 year old called them, are forever recorded here if you are interested in watching my talk on involving God in your plans.

5. I completed some really fun sponsored makeovers

I had the pleasure of working with a few brands this year on some amazing room makeovers, for some amazing homeowners. This bathroom, this laundry room, this kitchen, this kitchen, and more! So grateful for the partnerships I have made over the year, and how interior design can really transform a family’s life!

5. We celebrated 10 years of marriage

For our tenth wedding anniversary we decided to really do it up and celebrate. We renewed our vows, and gathered some friends together, and partied. My husband asked if I could live our wedding over again, or our anniversary party over again, which one would I want to do? And honestly, I would do our anniversary party over again! Because when you marry someone, you’re celebrating the promise, and the hope, and the joy in a new commitment. But in an anniversary, you are celebrating survival, you are celebrating commitment, and we got to do it with all our children present which was honestly just the best. Take a peek at the festivities here.

6. We are having another baby!

When we sold our house, we just felt so sure that it was the right time. Lots of people told us we were crazy for selling in the winter, right before Christmas, and that we would get so much more money if we waited until the Spring. But something kept telling me to keep on course- I had such a strong conviction that selling at the time was right. Well, God of course has the best plans, and His timing is pretty amazing. We found out we were pregnant with baby #7 the night before we signed the papers on our house sale- i.e. we had no idea we were pregnant when we listed the house for sale. Finding out we are growing our family again is probably my favourite gift of 2017.

It was a year of wild adventure, and I am so grateful to you for coming along for our journey. Here’s to a year of hope and more adventure for us all in 2018!!!!