It’s hard to believe all the anticipation and energy of Christmas Eve was already one week ago.
If we are already friends on Facebook or if you follow me on Instagram, then you already know that our family has a tradition of making fools of ourselves every Christmas Eve with a live streamed, costume clad dance party.
In case you missed it…you can see it here.
![](https://heatherkrout.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/heather-krout-family-christmas-costume-dance-party-768x1024.jpg)
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The ridiculousness pictured above makes my heart SO happy.
I hope you and your family had a chance to make some silly memories together that will help keep your heart light as it prepares to carry you through the New Year ahead.
If this last week after the Christmas holiday has left you feeling a little out of sorts…you’re not alone.
I’m finding more and more that the string of days that links Christmas to the new year ahead can leave us feeling…
Confused.
Exhausted.
Pulled in two directions.
Caught in the tension of wanting to let this Christmas magic linger.
And?
Slipping into the social trap of pressures to already be jotting down BIG ideas and gearing up to go get ’em in the shiny new year.
When really?
The more I come close and zoom into my internal core?
The more I realize that the last few days of the calendar year, for ME personally…is meant for REST.
And now?
During these last hours of 2021…as you are probably processing what it has looked like for you and yours to have survived the second year living inside the tensions of pandemic punctured paths and purposes…
I pray that we listen to our gut instincts and let them guide us into knowing and honoring what our personal capacities are as we step into the new days ahead.
Before we get stepping into 2022…
Let’s roll the credits to find out who were the stars of the show in the Best Notes for my Daughters blog posts of 2021.
Are you ready to see this Top Ten round up of Reader’s Favorites?
Let’s Go!
And the Academy Awards go to…
Number 10:
What You Need To Know About My New Interior Styling Business & A Shiplap Ceiling
see it here
Number 10 on the list of “Reader’s Favorite” blog posts was a BIG post for me to write.
I remember when I hit publish on this post.
So many emotions.
Excited.
Nervous.
Motivated.
Nervous.
You get the idea.
It seemed that the new calendar year had come with more than just a fresh set of blank pages in my story…it came with a brand new chapter to write.
At the beginning of the New Year 2021, I embraced my second “Get Down, Get Low” season.
![](https://heatherkrout.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/vision-board-scripture-inspired-decor-pin-board-decor-768x1024-2.jpg)
“Get Down, Get Low,” is the name I affectionately refer to as how I spend the first several weeks of the New Year as I aim to seek focus and clarity for the year ahead.
“Get down, get low” simply looks like, extra quiet time, extra prayer time, extra low and holy time spent teasing out the tender tappings on my heart, what they mean and how they fit or even if they fit.
Honestly, it can feel unproductive at times…but I know there is inner soul work being done in the stillness.
Like so many of us, this exact time last year had me ushering in mixed emotions.
Emotions of wanting to turn the page already to such a tumultuous year and yet…also hold on to the closeness we felt as a family for all that we had experienced and bonded over in 2020.
As I wrestled with the stirrings in the soul, I surrendered and let my gut guide me into the winds of change.
I closed my eyes and leapt, exhaling a fresh and first breath in the birthing of a new career path.
Home with Heather interior styling and decorating was born in Feb 2021.
My new career path quickly led me into many of your homes and local businesses, helping you revitalize your spaces with fresh eyes, all the while you helped me catch the wind and steady my wings with my new business venture.
And now?
The client testimonials and reviews overwhelm me with gratitude and remind me that I am indeed on my God-given path.
I am humbled that after reviewing all the stats and analyzing all the data from every single blog post I wrote in 2021, that the post about the launch of my new career as an interior stylist came in as your 10th favorite post out of all 52 posts in 2021.
I am so thankful for your excitement and support around this BIG change for our family, both then and now.
You can see the post here along with the super cute shiplap ceiling we hung in my home office.
Come on, I know you are not surprised that shiplap had to win best supporting role in the best of the best list!
While we are here…I want to simply pause and express a sincere THANK YOU, to so many of you who have already hired me to help you decorate and create a home and spaces you love. I look forward to continuing to bring my Home with Heather interior styling services into your homes and business for a fresh start to 2022.
Oh and in case you are curious?
This post, that highlights four of my Home with Heather clients and their “Before & After” pictures was so close (#11 in fact) to making the Top Ten Reader’s Favorites.
It is definitely a personal favorite post of mine.
![](https://heatherkrout.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/home-with-heather-vision-board-wall-decor-inspiration-768x1024-1.jpg)
Number 9:
Wait Until You See This Thrift Store Lamp Makeover
See it here
I honestly could not believe it myself.
Believe what you ask?
Believe…how GOOD this thrift store lamp turned out.
![](https://heatherkrout.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/terracotta-table-lamp-makeover-DIY-ceramic-lamp-thrift-store-before-and-after-1024x1024.jpg)
I remember being a little frustrated when I researched how to make this lamp look like it was an aged ceramic masterpiece. There were so many involved and confusing tutorials on Pinterest, none of which seemed simple or even attractive.
Mud-painting?
No thank you.
Thankfully, I just started experimenting on my own…and it paid off…BIG.
This lamp was so easy to transform with just a few paint strokes and two key ingredients to give it the textured appearance I was after.
![](https://heatherkrout.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/home-with-heather-cozy-living-room-cozy-family-room-decor-768x1024-2.jpg)
Number 8:
Wait Until You See These Kitchen Floating Shelves
See it here
This was the first post of 2021!
These DIY floating shelves were the very last piece of the puzzle to complete the renovating of our kitchen in quarantine.
When we tore out the old kitchen island and built a new one, (you can see here.) we also ripped out our pantry so that we could build a small bar area with a wine fridge for easy entertaining.
I knew that I wanted floating shelves above the new wine bar…
But, what I didn’t know was how expensive custom sized floating shelves were going to be to order.
Thankfully, Shawn rose to the DIY occasion and built us several open shelves to finish off the kitchen of our dreams using these brackets we ordered from Amazon.
![](https://heatherkrout.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/home-with-heather-local-bel-air-maryland-decorator-on-a-budget-interior-designer-768x1024-1.jpg)
Number 7:
Wait Until You See What This Painted Front Door Looks Like Now
See it here
Do you want to know what I love?
I love that you love my painted front door as much as I love my painted front door.
This project was the first project I tackled after I sent all three of our girls back to school and was home alone for the first time in 544 days.
Yes.
You read that correctly.
After 544 days, I spent my second day of alone time…with a door.
A door that did not speak a word, leave a crumb, need a calculation, request a drink or leave her shoes in the middle of the hallway.
Just me, a quiet door and a brand new can of paint became besties…albeit on a bit of a gamble.
The best part about this door?
She just keeps getting better.
In fact, we spent out first Christmas together and I am still in awe of her stateliness she commands with her crown of garland and wreath jewelry here in this post.
I love that so many of you found this front door post to be the inspiration you needed to paint your own front door and trim the same color.
![](https://heatherkrout.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/painted-front-door-how-to-paint-your-front-door-768x1024-1.jpg)
Number 6:
3 Easy Ways To Refresh A Room & Make It Feel Larger Plus A Beach Home Makeover
see it here
Is anyone else thinking sun, shells and sand right about now?
You know by now that I am a beach girl and that my favorite place to be is with my favorite people soaking in the sights and sounds of our favorite stretch of sand.
This post was so much fun to write and share because we love our beach place so much.
And every Summer, I like to find a little project to help us refresh the beach condo and give it that little “extra” special touch that wasn’t there before.
This post is full of simple ways to make a small space feel larger along with easy ways to refresh a room. Perfect for this time of year, when we are all craving that bit of refresh and revitalization to our favorite and well worn spaces.
![](https://heatherkrout.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/coastal-decor-inspo-heather-krout-interior-stylist-bel-air-harford-county-maryland-768x1024-1.jpg)
Number 5:
What You Need To Know About Measuring Up
See it here
Just when I thought all of the “reader’s favorite’s” were going to be all about home decor and DIY projects.
You and Google Analytics surprised me…in a good way.
I was so happy to see that you loved this post about ‘measuring up.‘
Certainly you know by now that this “Notes For My Daughters” blog is two-fold.
‘Notes for my daughters‘ blog mission is to serve up both inspiration for your home AND encouragement for your heart.
So if your heart could use a little lifting?
Read this post right now.
![](https://heatherkrout.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IMG_7425-1024x768-1.jpg)
Number 4:
Wait Until You See This Fall Room Refresh Home Tour
See it here
Perhaps with the beginning of the New Year, you are feeling the need to scratch the itch to a room refresh.
There are so many good ideas on how to go about refreshing a room without breaking the budget in this post.
Spoiler alert?
It all starts with a good clean and honestly my biggest piece of decorating advice rings true in this room refresh.
My secret is this:
Half of decorating is…“un-decorating.”
It’s true.
Editing out all the things and stuff is the number 1 key to making a room feel fresh and new.
![](https://heatherkrout.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/entryway-decor-Fall-decor-gallery-wall-front-door-decor-console-table-decor-768x1024-1.jpg)
Number 3:
13 Ways To Make a Builder Grade Home Look & Feel Like a Custom Home
See it here
If you are looking for simple ways to make your home cuter.
This post also just makes me smile.
I think it makes me because you can see all of the heart we have put into making this ‘plain Jane’ house a home.
A home that we all love…like really love.
There is so much self discovery in contentment and satisfaction when we stop wanting what others have and simply pull up a chair and decide to work with what we already have.
Turns out what we already have is such a gift to be treasured and grateful for.
I love that we have continued to work with what we have in this house and discovered it is so much more than what we first gave her credit for.
![](https://heatherkrout.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/diy-kitchen-white-oak-floating-shelves-white-coastal-kitchen-home-with-heather-723x1024-1.jpg)
Number 2:
Ultimate Home With Heather Tour – A Year Of DIY Projects
See it here
I wrote this post last March.
Exactly one year after the start of the Covid pandemic.
This post was like looking back at a scrapbook of therapy sessions.
The painted master bathroom cabinets and tile floor that helped me to scrub out the stress.
The shiplap project that led to us rearranging our entire first floor layout and ultimately gave us more room to spread out and survive quarantine by hanging a television in the garage.
The DIY kitchen that held us all in and together and cooked all the meals.
This post came it at #2 of “Reader’s Favorites” for a reason.
It is chock full of inspiration and ideas for anyone needing to scratch the itch or two of a project to ring in the New Year.
![](https://heatherkrout.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Home-with-Heather-Krout-Harford-County-Design-expert-Bel-Air-Maryland-Photos-by-BKLP-21.jpg)
Are you ready friend?
Are you ready to see the post that ranked as your #1 favorite blog post of 2021?
This post stomped all the other posts to the tune of 2,500 more clicks and views than any other posts.
Can you guess what it is?
Drumroll…
Coming in at your favorite blog post of 2021 is:
Number 1:
Wait Until You See This Coastal Bedroom Makeover
See it here
The coastal bedroom makeover that I gave to our oldest daughter, Eve for her 12th birthday received all the love.
This before and after bedroom was by far and wide the most popular post of the year.
Thank you for loving this coastal inspired bedroom as much as we do!
When we can’t be at the beach?
We like to feel like we are at the beach.
This post will help you find out how to decorate a beach inspired room without drowning it in seashell and sandy decor.
With this makeover, I went with neutral texture and layers to create the calm coastal vibe our pre-teen girl was craving.
![](https://heatherkrout.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/home-with-heather-teen-bedroom-makeover-reveal-bel-air-maryland-interior-decorator-768x1024-1.jpg)
There you have it!
The Top Ten Reader’s Favorite Blog Posts of 2021.
Friend, thank you so very much for welcoming my words, pictures, family and fleeting thoughts into your world.
This blog is not quite two years old but somehow it feels like it has always been a part of me.
I am thankful for my first “get down, get low” season in January and February 2020. The two months just before the pandemic hit, when God deeply convicted my heart, and out of an act of obedience, I dove into the world of blogging and invested my time into writing.
And now?
I am gearing up to double-down on my blog writing in 2022!
You can expect more frequent (and shorter) posts coming to your inbox in the months ahead.
Leave me a little comment below if you are excited for more blog posts coming in the new year!
Between me and you?
I am nervacited.
That would be nervous and excited squished together.
Come to think of it squishy is how I feel right now.
Thank you plentiful Christmas cheese boards. 🙂
Ok friend!!
Time to take a walk, breathe a fresh step and prepare our hearts to honor our capacities and hone our God-given abilities in the new year.
Happy New Year to you and yours.
May you feel this squishy heartfelt hug stretching and beaming out to you from me.
Dear God,
Thank You for the miracle of this life You have blessed me with. Thank you for all the ways You have strengthened me this last year.
As we move forward into 2022, please help each of us to continue to place our trust in You. Help us to step out into all that You have uniquely prepared in advance for every single one of us.
We praise You that you are a God who is active, close and who desires to be known and experienced.
Help us to seek you more closely in this new year ahead.
Amen.
Living on a prayer,
Heather
Ps – Did you make your Top Nine yet?
Here is mine! I think it is always fun to see what your Top Nine Insta posts were.
I think it is hysterical that the painted front door made it in the top nine!!
Make your Top Nine here.
![](https://heatherkrout.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IMG_1911-819x1024.jpg)
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