Farewell, 2024! Let’s get 2025 started! But first a pause to look back at the past year, and set some intentions for the new one!

Happy New Year!

Oh, hello there, 2025! I am happy to see you!

Because, to be honest, 2024 wasn’t my best year.

Don’t get me wrong, there was still much to be thankful for last year.

And plenty of fun.

Precious time with family and friends.

A book feature.

The Homeworthy video.

And a spread in Better Homes and Gardens specialty publication Cottage Style Christmas.

Projects that sparked my creativity.

Holidays to celebrate.

Seasonal changes here on Maine’s rugged coast that always inspire.

And, always always, the beauty of the everyday in this home I hold so dear.

But I am ready now to turn the page on a new year and look forward with hope and love.

I’m not saying I need to embrace the “new year, new you” mindset. I have learned by this point in my life that I am, for the most part, who I am.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t work towards being the best version of myself. Or make this home its best version of itself.

So with that in mind I have been thinking about some intentions for the new year, plus a few house projects I hope to complete in 2025.

But first let’s look back at the best of 2024!

A Look Back at 2024

Some of the fun, creativity, and beauty I shared with you in 2024!

Time With Family and Friends

The best times of 2024 were those spent with family and friends.

Molly in Maine outside the blog

View of a coastal Maine cottage with wildflower field

In 2024 my home was featured in a book, a magazine, and an online home tour video.

Definitely all pinch-me moments!

Favorite projects

My Springer Spaniel Cisco enjoys the new bedding in my coastal Maine guest cottage.

I completed a few small projects around the house this year.

Embracing the seasons, inside and out

Transitioning from winter to spring with spring blooms and old books in my coastal Maine cottage.

Surrounded by so much natural beauty, I always live — and decorate my home — according to the seasons. The view out my windows never ceases to amaze and inspire!

Looking Forward to 2025

I am not one for New Year’s resolutions. Or the popular trend of choosing one word to focus on for the year.

And, as I said, I don’t believe in the idea of a “new me” in this new year.

But, I do like to take this calendar change as an opportunity to look at my life and think about what is important to me.

So I can move forward into the new year with intention.

A general plan.

And, most importantly, hope and love..

Family

Family is and always will be the driving force behind my how I live my life. They are my favorite people on the planet. And bring me the greatest joy.

In April our family will grow again, as we look forward to welcoming a new granddaughter. Such a blessing!

While our family is spread across the country, I want to be there — in person, virtually, mentally, emotionally — for all that I can.

Community

As many of you know, I live in a small tight-knit community. And while I have lived here for almost 7 years, as an introvert, I am still settling in.

You might also know that I am on the board of and volunteer with the food pantry in a nearby larger town that serves the entire county. This work is important to me and I am looking forward to continuing it in 2025.

I am excited this year to also be joining the oversight committee of the local lighthouse! A historic landmark and a symbol of our community. I see this as a great way to give back and also become more a part of things here. And, of course, I love our little lighthouse!

Health and well-being

Exercise has always been important to me. I make the time for it pretty much every day.

Generally I am a cardio junkie (cycling is my high), but as I age, I am realizing how vital strength training is too. I want to be able to play with my grandkids for years to come!

In 2024 I increased my strength work and I aim to keep getting stronger in 2025.

Additionally I want to focus more on stretching, something I have really never been good about.

This year I would also like to learn more about what supplements I could take that might support full-body health. As a vegetarian, I find it difficult to get all the protein my body needs at this stage of my life. I know some women my age take vitamin D, magnesium, collagen, calcium, creatine, and other supplements.

While I generally eat a very healthy diet, I think a visit to a nutritionist would be beneficial. Stay tuned!

Home

This is the fun stuff, since I am sure most of you follow along with me mainly for home decor!

Yes, my home is mostly “done”. But there are always projects swirling around in my head.

I have had fabrics for projects in the mudroom and the downstairs bath for a long while now.

The primary bath still needs decorating help.

I think about painting the primary bedroom a different color and/or adding some wallpaper.

I would love to get a runner on the stairs, and possibly paint the steps…

And I am itching to paint another floor in the house. I love how it brightened up the kitchen.

I ordered fabric swatches for possible new fireside chairs in the dining room.

Sometime in the next couple years I will probably convert the waterside guest room to twin beds for the grandchildren.

And really, it is about time I learn to sew a zipper so I can make my own pillow covers!

Next summer I will likely need a new natural fiber rug for the dining area. The one I have is getting old. Yes, I already have a new one in mind!

There is still much landscape work to be done.

A greenhouse would be a dream.

And so goes the list…

We will see what I get done in 2025! (And what I do that is not mentioned here!)

This blog

At the beginning of 2024, I had high hopes for growing my blog. I did learn more about SEO (Search Engine Optimization, ways to help posts show up in Google searches) and played around with using AI to assist me with the writing process.

But really it just messed with my mojo. Confused my voice. And ultimately I didn’t see a change in my metrics.

I have come to the understanding that this blog is one more for loyal followers and not viral google searches.

Which means that you being here is very important to me. Thank you for reading! I hope that I inform, inspire, or brighten your day in at least some small way.

In 2025, I hope to bring you more of the things you love. I had fun writing a few times about fashion, so expect to see more of that. I would also like to take you along on my health journey — something that is so important for women as we grow older.

Other than that, expect to see more of my home. More Maine. Collections. Recipes. More fun. And, of course, more Maddie and Cisco!

This Week Into Next

I hope your holidays were full of warmth and cheer!

While mine were quiet, there was still plenty of both.

I was happy to see my son Jack and his wife, Margaux, though I sure missed the rest of the gang.

I spent the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day sleeping in, reading, working on a sewing project, walking with M&C in the woods, and getting in some longer workouts.

And now, I am ready to move gently into this new year.

The other day I made a few tweaks to the Christmas decorations in the dining area to transition to winter.

I will take down the trees and do the same in other parts of the house over the next week or so.

Next week here on the blog I am planning on sharing the guest cottage dressed for winter. I have a fabulous new-to-me chest of drawers in there! Also my latest fave jeans and must-have boots that don’t sacrifice style for their ability to deal with winter weather. Plus my new morning coffee routine!

Oh, and I almost forgot — on Thursday January 9th, I will be joining a lovely group of blogging ladies to share healthy recipes. This jives perfectly with some of my intentions for 2025!

Be kind to yourselves, friends!

Molly

Highlighting coastal decor and lifestyle, Maddie and Cisco, and the way life should be...

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