The Best of 2020-Our Year in Review

We typically do a post about our top posts of the year but with it being such a strange year, instead I thought I’d recap the popular posts each month from the entire year. It is nice to take another look at all we’ve accomplished, and also share some ideas that you may have missed. Next week I’ll look ahead at what projects are planned for 2021 to (hopefully!) start the year off with some motivation and goals.

Here is a look back at what happened on the blog month by month in 2020. While we have multiple posts each month (many with the same theme like Day in the Life or What We’re Reading) for the most part I picked the ones that got the most social shares as that tells us you all found them interesting too. Some months I included personal and life update posts as those are also an important part of our story.

January 2020

In January last year we kicked off the year and shared time management tricks (here and here). Christy was a DIY superstar and showed off her beautiful small bathroom makeover from her last home HERE.

You can see my post with time management tips HERE, it has been pinned and shared quite a bit so it must have some useful ideas!

February 2020

In February I shared this post on our favorite gray/neutral/white paint colors. This post has skyrocketed to one of our most popular posts of all times, so this was definitely useful (thanks to Pinterest). Paint colors can be tricky, but these are the tried and true colors we use over and over in our own homes. (Click the “P” to pin this for the next time you need paint!)

Christy followed up on her bathroom reno with this post about how she installed the peel and stick vinyl flooring. This is such an easy project that will totally change the look of a room.

March 2020

We all remember that in March things started to get crazy so we both shared two-week menu plans to help cope with a world that was quickly shutting down. You can see them HERE and HERE. (I thought these were worth sharing again since in many places the world is sadly, still shut down).

In March Christy shared the HUGE news that her family would be moving internationally this summer, to Germany, where they now live. That transition was extra challenging during the pandemic, but they weathered the major life change like the pros they are.

In March I shared one of my favorite projects to date in this home, how I painted the side of our fridge with stainless steel paint to get rid of the imposing black side. Almost a year later, you can’t tell it was painted and we no longer have a visual black hole looming in the kitchen.

April 2020

I’m tempted to skip over the month of April, as for me personally it was a terrible month but since that is a huge part of the story of 2020, I should give it a quick mention. In the early days of the pandemic I had Covid, it was a terribly scary, challenging and frustrating time. At the time there was still so little understood of the disease, along with a lack of testing and a general escalating panic. I shared my story HERE for those who missed it but enough about that…. let’s move on to much more positive things…

I wasn’t feeling well enough most of the month to write many blog posts but we had started construction on our back deck just prior to the pandemic so I shared some deck design inspiration I’d been dreaming about. As I recovered, I was able to source furniture and decor so that when the deck was done and warm weather arrived we were ready to put it to use and boy, did we use it this summer!

In April Christy shared an easy DIY mailbox makeover that instantly added curb appeal. This is an easy outdoor space to neglect but with a little paint and new vinyl letters her mailbox was good as new.

In May, Christy shared what we all needed by this point in the quarantine, a recipe for a Strawberry Mojito cocktail. Doesn’t it look delicious?

In May I shared this post about Easy DIY & Organization Projects To Do While Stuck at Home. With all the organizing that takes place at the beginning of a new year, you might find some project ideas, it is full of easy things anyone can do.

June 2020

By June our deck was done and we were enjoying it daily. I shared the reveal of the space here.

Christy shared her recipe for Skirt Steak with Garlic Butter in June, which looks amazing. This would make a great treat on New Year’s Eve wouldn’t it?

July 2020

Also falling in the ‘decadent New Year’s Eve idea’ category, Christy shared this post about a Lobster Dinner Party she attended in July of this year. This is a unique entertaining idea, not to mention a fun reason to gather with friends!

In July I joined up with some blogging friends to share our summer bedrooms. You can see how our room looked in the warmer months as part of the tour post HERE.

August 2020

In August I shared a furniture project that I’d been working on throughout the summer, this glass door cabinet fits perfectly in the nook by our deck door. I repainted it and sanded down the doors for a more rustic, European look.

In August, as Christy and family settled in for their mandatory hotel quarantine upon arriving in Germany, she took us on a tour of what is always one of my favorite homes, her friend Ashly’s bonus room. This space features the best built in bunk beds that are perfect for sleepovers, along with tons of other fun ideas for a family-friendly space.

September 2020

In September Christy was finally able to get settled in their new apartment in Stuttgart and took us all on a video tour of it HERE.

Also in September we kicked off fall with our annual home tour, I joined up with 30 other bloggers to share fall decor. This was the first look at our new white sofas (I also shared about how I keep them clean here!) along with all our fall decor.

October 2020

In October I shared a special post about my parents’ home of almost 20 years being for sale here. They have since found and moved into a lovely smaller home close by, I am hopeful once they feel squared away I can show you some of it soon.

Christy took us along on her Salzburg weekend getaway, it is so fun to see her travels. We can only hope that things can reopen for traveling so we can live vicariously through her again soon.

November 2020

In November we did a rare joint post and shared our annual post about our Favorite Things of the year. This post contains all those items that make life a little better or easier that we want to share, you can see them all HERE.

In November I shared a post near and dear to my heart, about a special organization in Mexico serving children. Thank you to all who joined in to help give those children Christmas this year!

Christy shared about a casual Thanksgiving celebration for four, since this year was different for most of us. You can read how they had a simple celebration here.

December 2020

In December we are all about making the holidays easier and providing inspiration, it is always a big month on the blog. We shared our gift guides full of ideas for everyone on your list (here) and joined in several home tours showcasing our holiday home decor.

Christy shared her German Dining Room decorated for the holidays HERE.

I shared our classic Christmas decor in our living room in this post HERE.

Christy shared more about her apartment decorated for the holidays HERE.

Finally, I also shared our family’s very favorite Christmas Cookie recipe which I am sharing again here because I promise you need to make them too!

Looking back always makes me realize how much actually happens in a year and how easy it is to forget some of what we have accomplished. It was a hard year in many ways, but there were many blessings too. We began our tenth (!) year of blogging here at Magnolia Lane (which in typical 2020 fashion somehow we skipped right over that landmark!) but that means we’ve had quite a run here at Magnolia Lane this last decade. We appreciate all of you continuing to read our posts, leaving comments, sending us emails and following us on social media. We’ll be back next week to kick of 2021 looking ahead at our upcoming projects, have a very happy New Year everyone!