It has been one year since my first blog post! Join me on a walk down “MiMory” lane, with some of my favorite Molly in Maine posts from the past year!

One Year Anniversary

This weekend marks the one year anniversary of my blog!

What a year of learning and growth it has been! And fun too!

Join me for a walk down “MiMory” lane, with some of my favorite posts from the past year!

My First Post

Bold Journeys and Second Runs

It all began on June 10th of last year, with my very first post.

Well, in reality, that post was truly the end of a long journey.

And the start of a new adventure.

You can read all about “my journey from comfortable urban familiarity to life in a small fishing village on the coast of Maine and my “second run” as a home and lifestyle blogger” in my first blog post Bold Journeys and Second Runs.

Our Home

Bedroom with water view
Cozy living room with stone fireplace and dog
Cozy fall mix and match bedding with painted cottage bed and sailors valentines
Dining room with table and china hutch

This home on the Maine coast really is where my heart is.

Here on the blog I have shared my love of the color blue.

Pattern mixing.

One of a kind vintage and antique pieces.

Coastal style.

All things sea — seashells, seagulls, and the seashore just steps from our door.

Fish — plates and moulds!

Blue and white china

Cottage furniture

Over the past year, I have shown you how I combine all these elements to create my own personal style. Check out these blog posts for ways to bring some Molly-in-Maine coastal style into your home, no matter where you live!

6 Ways to Add Coastal Maine Charm to Your Guest Room

Cozy Cottage Mix and Match Bedding

Get Cozy With Color, Pattern, and Texture as the Temps Drop

A Bedding-Inspired Spring Bedroom Refresh

Summer Ready in the Guest Cottage

Easy Breezy Coastal Maine Style: Our Summer Living Room

And you certainly don’t want to miss my special two-part blog series, in which I shared the story of how this place became our home. Chasing a Dream: Our Coastal Maine House Story, Part I and Part 2

Gardens

Limelight hydrangeas
Wildflower meadow with water in the distance
Wildflower meadow

I am certainly not an expert gardener. I have spent the past four summers, though, working gradually to bring some order to the wild that was this property, while still maintaining some of the natural elements so characteristic of the bold Maine coast.

You can read all about my two favorite garden features.

The tame — How To Grow Limelight Hydrangeas For Beauty All Year

and

The natural — Natural Landscape: Our Coastal Maine Wildflower Meadow

The Seasons

Winter
Spring
A table set for dinner by the water
Summer
Fall

Here on the Maine coast each season has its own very distinct character.

I like to celebrate each in its turn — both in the home and out.

Winter is a study in contrasts. Sometimes there is bright sunshine reflecting off newly fallen snow, dancing like diamonds across navy blue ocean, and reaching deep into the house in a warm embrace. Other days all is dark and quiet — a time to retreat and cozy up by the fire. I love them both.

Spring creeps in on the tiniest of moments, often so subtle you barely notice. The shift of sunlight in the house. The gradual greening of the field. Suddenly one night I notice the peepers have returned with their nightly chorus. And while spring never seems to come soon enough here, each of these moments brings hope for the season to come.

That would be summer. My favorite season here! Bright, bold, showy, and full of light, it is the star that burns twice as bright, but half as long. And I relish every moment of it.

Fall is the last glorious show of color before the starkness of early winter. Rose colored blooms still cover the limelight hedge. The leaves on the trees have turned to orange. And a carpet of gold unfurls across the meadow.

For a taste of the seasons here in Maine, check out these blog posts:

One Winter Week in Maine

A Cozy Spring When It Still Feels Like Winter

Summer in Maine: A Coastal Table Setting on the Porch

Easy Natural Mantel Decor to Enjoy All Fall

Holidays

Christmas
Valentines Day
Easter
Coastal Maine cottage with patriotic decor
July 4th
Halloween
Thanksgiving

I love to celebrate and decorate the home for the holidays, always using the beauty of our natural surroundings as my inspiration .

At Christmas I filled the house with greens and tied pinecones to the tree with blue velvet ribbons: A Natural Coastal Maine Holiday Living Room and A Cozy Cottage Christmas on the Maine Coast.

Valentines Day was celebrated with blue hearts: My February Home: A Little Cozy and A Little Fresh

Easter combined my love of natural and vintage decor: My Naturally Vintage Easter Table Setting.

July 4th was celebrated with a coastal Maine spin on traditional patriotic decor — starfish and Cornishware stripes in shades of lobster red and sea blue: Coastal Maine Patriotic Decor to Enjoy All Summer Long.

Halloween, of course, means the return of the “great pumpkin wall”, dozens of pumpkins in all sizes lining the stone wall that separates the field from the lawn.

The Thanksgiving table and hutch last year showcased the bounty of the harvest, with squash, beans, and corn: Abundant Harvest Thanksgiving Table Setting.

Family

Bold Journeys and Second Runs

Family — the reason for all that I have built here.

The past year was a momentous one for our family, with the arrival of our first two members of the next generation. It was with so much joy that we welcomed James and Poppy into our family and hearts.

We all gathered together at Thanksgiving last year. Our celebration was not what we expected it to be, though, due to a surprise and unwanted “guest”. But we made the best of it. I shared my reflections on and takeaways from this family gathering that did not go as planned in my post The Best Laid Plans.

And after my first grandchild’s birth, I wrote a very special post about my late mother’s legacy in I Am My Mother’s Daughter.

Out and About

Farmer;s Market
Lobster roll
Maine wild blueberries
Stonewall Kitchen
Maine maple syrup
Brimfield flea market

In the past year I took you out and about to some of my favorite Maine destinations.

You joined me for a trip to the local farmers market and then in my kitchen, where we cooked up some fresh dishes using summer’s bounty: Simple & Fresh Cooking With Summer’s Farmers Market Bounty.

We dined on fresh lobster rolls and took in the ocean views: The Best Little Lobster Shack in Maine.

Then we stuffed ourselves with Maine wild blueberries and learned what makes these berries so special: Wild About Maine (Wild) Blueberries.

I took you with me on a bloggers retreat at specialty food purveyor and local Maine business Stonewall Kitchen in York, Maine: From Maine to Your Home With Stonewall Kitchen.

In March we drove the back roads and trudged through mud to visit local “sugar shacks” for a taste of small-batch maple syrup: I’m Sweet on Maine Maple Syrup Season.

And earlier this spring we went a little farther afield, for a bucket-list trip to the Brimfield Antiques and Collectibles Show in Brimfield, Massachusetts: Let’s Go To The Brimfield Flea Market Together.

I was so happy to have you join me on all these outings!

You, My Readers

A Maine valentine for you!

Of course, this blog would be nothing without all of you, my readers.

So this Maine valentine is for you.

Because I am infinitely grateful for your support this past year, as I have found my way here.

It can sometimes feel like I am writing into a void, but seeing you show up for me each week inspires me to write again the next.

And if you take the time to reach out and say hello, it truly makes my day.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for walking this bold journey with me.

If you have any suggestions for what you would like to see in the coming year, please drop them below!

I hope you enjoyed this trip down MiMory Lane (and the pun)! Here’s to year two!

Be well, friends!

Molly

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

Share this post:

Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn