2018 Recap: Most Popular Blog Posts + Reader Top Purchases

What a year it has been. Every chapter of life brings new learnings, experiences and excitement, but this chapter S and I are currently on may be my absolute favorite. The newlywed season of life is just so peaceful, sweet and calm, yet exciting and adventurous at the same time!

At times, society can make you feel as though you have to be laser focused on the next step or life chapter, but we aren’t advised enough to bask in the days we’re experiencing NOW. The present. You don’t want to look back on your life and see that you were always wishing for the next ‘thing’.

I discovered this mindset after graduating college when I heard this quote during half marathon training:

“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.”

This quote has really allows me to keep my focus on the present and enjoy each season of life, rather than always merely checking a box and diving into the anticipation of ‘what’s next’. It’s exciting and healthy to dream up your future, but you’ll surely miss a lot of life if you don’t take the time to enjoy and really bask in where you are now. 

Anywho – that was on my heart and I hope it serves as a gentle reminder for anyone that needed it! 

2018 brought lots of sweet memories with friends, travel to new places, quality time with family and career milestones for both S and myself. Yesterday I shared a personal post on 8 Things I Learned in 2018 which you all seemed to really enjoy, so I figured today it’d be fun to light heartedly recap the year, all while sharing the top blog posts and reader purchases.

This ended up being really long, so grab ya wine or coffee haha!

Alright, let’s dive in!

JANUARY
We started off 2018 with a NYE sleepover with our besties which set the tone for the rest of the year because we spent so much time with friends! When scrolling through my iPhone pictures for the past year, I can hope they are just as full with friends, smiles and fun!

January brought my 27 birthday, my first beauty tutorial video and onw of many week long trips to downtown Denver, Colorado.

Your favorite January blog post was when I shared part one of our beautiful wedding day. Your favorite purchase was this cutie elbow heart patch sweater.

TOP BLOG POSTS: OUR WEDDING PART I I TOP PURCHASES OF 2017
TOP READER PURCHASE: HEART PATCH SWEATER[GO UP ONE SIZE]

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mgemi pink the stellato italy review

FEBRUARY
In February, we had a weekend getaway to Newyburyport, MA to celebrate the birthday our best friend, Evan. We had our crew of friends there all weekend, huddled inside eating, drinking and having fun. 

I also worked tirelessly behind the scenes on my website redesign with my web developer. Lots of blog post tagging, woof! 

I’d say overall, February was a slow month. We attended a Celtic’s game thanks to tickets from S’ work, but other than that I remember it being unbearably cold and I was in a terrible creative rut. I’m thankful that my in laws now live in Florida so we can escape and spend quality time with them in the sunshine instead of sitting in the New England cold!

Your favorite blog post was the review of our Paris honeymoon hotel and this post on getting out of a creative funk. And holy cow – you guys bought a LOT of J.Crew Cameron pants, but hey.. they are the best work pant around so I don’t blame ya  😉 

TOP BLOG POSTS: PARIS HOTEL REVIEW – LA VILLA HAUSSMANN I 5 TIPS FOR GETTING OUT OF A CREATIVE FUNK
TOP READER PURCHASE: J.CREW CAMERON WORK PANT

MARCH
While March in no where near any warmer than February in New England, it’s a month I always love because it’s S and I’s dating anniversary! 2018 marked our ten year dating anniversary.

In college, S started a tradition of us having dinner on the top of the Prudential Center in Boston at Top of the Hub, so we did exactly that! We always get a bottle of chardonnay, the french onion soup and yummy entrees. 

To commemorate a decade together, we added a third band to my engagement and wedding rings. It’s actually two bands intertwined which I knew was the perfect reflection and daily reminder to represent our ten years together. 

Right around our dating anniversary also marked six months of marriage. I wrote a reflection post of 6 things I’ve learned in 6 months of marriage which was the month’s top post! I know that in my reader survey from a couple months ago, you guys asked for more relationship content so I hope to share more of it in 2019!

I took another trip to Denver, Colorado, but this time stayed through the weekend and S joined! Oh my gosh, we had so much fun exploring. Although I’ve been to Denver every 6-8 or so weeks the last three years, I’d never explored outside of downtown. We did so much hiking, took in insane views of the Rockies, explored Boulder’s food and more mountains, toured the Coors factory and more. This adventure was definitely one of my highlights of 2018! 

March also marked the redesign of A Mix of Min. My new site reflects my brand much better, is super easy to navigate, is optimized for shopping and of course is super pretty!

Wow – overall March was pretty fun in 2018 😀

TOP BLOG POST: 6 THINGS I’VE LEARNED FROM 6 MONTHS OF MARRIAGE
TOP READER PURCHASE: TULA DAY & NIGHT CREAM [USE CODE ‘MINDY’ FOR DISCOUNT]


SHOP A MIX OF MIN READER’S TOP 2019 PURCHASES


APRIL
After a super busy March, April was much more calm which was needed because after this month, the year was really busy flew. 

According to my iPhone, I spent a week in Austin, Texas, we ate BBQ in the city with friends, finally started getting in some outdoor runs with the warmer weather and spent a Saturday evening catching up with S’ aunts, uncles and cousins 😀

As for our purchases, you guys stocked up on Tory Burch in April. I had a huge influx of sales which if I remember correctly, correlates with her huge semi-annual sale. While a lot of items were bought, these flats were a hit. I wear them just about every day to work and while they are an investment, they last years, are comfortable and go with everything.

TOP BLOG POST: OUR WEDDING: PART II I EVERLANE DAY GLOVE REVIEW
TOP READER PURCHASE: TORY BURCH MINNIE FLATS

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Summer Wedding Essentials

MAY
Oh what a fun month! May is my sweet husband’s birthday so I put together a weekend of surprises for him!

It started with him unwrapping a box on Friday that told him to pack his bags. From there, I surprised him with picking up friends along the way to Portland, Maine. We all stayed in a hotel and hit up all S’ favorite spots for food and drinks. We all had a blast! To top off the weekend, our besties asked us both to be in their 2019 wedding! Yay!

Later that month, my little sister visited from Virginia. Me, her and S went out to dinner and caught up over a funny and terrible food experience, but that aside the night was really fun!

And as you can see, it’s May is my favorite month for blog shoots because New England flowers are in bloom 🙂

You all purchased a lot of this Everlane tee. I still live in mine! It’s super soft and a great essential for under $30.

TOP BLOG POST: TONE IT UP NUTRITION PLAN REVIEW
TOP READER PURCHASE: EVERLANE PRIMA MICRO RIB CREW TEE [SO SOFT + RUNS TTS]

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JUNE
In June, I had a lot of bridal festivities for one of the weddings I was in this year. We headed to Long Island, New York for her bachelorette and finished up the month with her wedding day.

When looking through my phone, I remembered that I had three pinch me collaborations this month: Sephora, Secret Deodorant and Revlon! If you’re a blogger, take some time to reflect on your milestones over the last year! It’s so worth it.

The epitome of New England is Fenway in the Spring, so we try to attend at least one game. This year, S’ graciously colleague gave him two nice Red Sox tickets, so we enjoyed the Spring sunshine at Fenway one Saturday as well.

You guys loved this pretty midi dress and purchased a lot of my favorite ankle strap sandal. They run true to size and the nude color elongates ya legs without needing a huge heel!

TOP BLOG POST: THE PERFECT MIDI DRESS YOU NEED
TOP READER PURCHASE: STEVE MADDEN ANKLE STRAP SANDAL [RUNS TTS]

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JULY
Whoa – July was a busy and FUN one.

To start the month, we spent the 4th in my hometown with my dad and Grampy eating Korner Store breakfast pizza and spending each evening by the fire pit. I grew up camping so there is no better spot to me then sitting by the fire at night. S rediscovered his love for at-home fireworks [since they are now legal in Maine]. Thankfully, we left with all his fingers and toes.

When we returned home, S got a huge work promotion!!! I’m so proud of him and can’t wait to see where he drive his career in 2019. We had a big ol’ celebration at our favorite local Italian restaurant with a big ol’ bottle of chardonnay and tasty food. 

Then the following weekend, we casually decided to research buying a house. That turned into us getting preapproved that day and had an offer accepted on our first home four days later. WHAT?! We had a twenty day close and we traveled for ten of them…lol. Plus it was the busiest time of year for my blog as it was the NSale. 

The day after our offer was accepted, we took our lunch break to go buy uHaul boxes and we drove by our new home! To be efficient with the crazy close schedule, we worked as a team. S handled the finance and legal stuff with our lender and lawyer while I packed up our whole life into boxes! 

I spent five of them in Charleston for my best friend Hannah’s Bachelorette which was so fun! It was my first time in Charleston and it was so pretty.

July was such a fun month! Your favorite blog post was where I broke down my skin care routine and you loved purchasing the GloPro Microneedling device since it was on sale at the NSale! 

TOP BLOG POST: CURRENT SKIN CARE ROUTINE
TOP READER PURCHASE: GLOPRO MICRONEEDLING TOOL

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AUGUST
August was so fun. Apparently ‘fun’ was the theme for 2018 because I’ve said it 25 times already.

We officially closed on our first home and moved in. S had a bachelor party in Nashville, so my dad came down and stayed in our apartment with me for the weekend. He even surprised us with a washer and dryer set! Him and I worked in the empty house getting shades up and preparing for moving in once S returned.

My dad stayed the entire week and us three [well, four because of Muenster of course], had so much fun getting us settled in! There were countless Lowe’s trips.

I can tell from my analytics that you all loved this peplum knit as much as me! It was August’s top seller. 

TOP BLOG POST: WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!
TOP READER PURCHASE: CASLON PEPLUM TEE [GO DOWN ONE SIZE]

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SEPTEMBER
I kicked September off by traveling to Denver for the week for a fun marketing summit with my peers!

When I returned, it was mine and S’ one year wedding anniversary. We returned to the city where we got engaged and got married – Portland, Maine. S planned a weekend of thoughtful surprises! We took a a ferry to Peak’s Island to the exact spot where we got engaged two year prior [pictured above!], had dinner where we celebrated the night of our engagement and walked through our favorite spots in the Old Port.

S and I did a Q&A post reflecting on the past year which you guys really enjoyed as it was the most read blog post! Due to an Anthropologie sale, our mantel mirror was the most purchased item of the month. We own the smallest size and love how dreamy it looks on the fireplace mantel.

TOP BLOG POST: OUR ONE YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY I BEAUTY BASICS: 8 TIPS TO AVOID CAKEY FOUNDATION FOR A FLAWLESS BASE
TOP READER PURCHASE: ANTHROPOLOGIE PRIMROSE MIRROR


SHOP A MIX OF MIN READER’S TOP 2019 PURCHASES



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OCTOBER
October started with a week in Charleston for our best friend’s gorgeous wedding! S and I were both in the bridal party and a lot of our college crew was there so that whole visit was so amazing. 

I also took a really inspiring and educational blogging course, celebrated my best friend’s cutie pie son’s second birthday in Maine, created my first reader survey, picked some apples with S, tried on bridesmaid dresses for next year’s wedding, finalized my largest brand collaboration to date and took a part of that collaboration payment for our Peloton

As we geared up for the colder months, you guys stocked up on the world’s best leggings. Me too!

TOP BLOG POST: 5 TIPS FOR PREPARING TO BUY A HOUSE
TOP READER PURCHASE: ZELLA LIVE IN HIGH WAISTED LEGGINGS [RUN TTS]

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NOVEMBER
November was insanely stressful. I had a lot of changes happening at work that caused a lot of anxiety. I struggled with sleeping which isn’t normal for me. Overall, I’m glad November is over and the light at the end of the tunnel is here.

All that to say, we did host our first Thanksgiving and my Grampy Thompson visited to see our new house which was awesome! And we started ordering and getting furniture deliveries for our house.

TOP BLOG POST: PELOTON BIKE REVIEW + DISCOUNT CODE
TOP READER PURCHASE: URBAN OUTFITTERS THERMAL TOP [RUN TTS]

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DECEMBER
For this past month, I visited Denver for a week, had something exciting happen at work that was big for my family and went to Maine for Christmas! It was so nice to have a couple weeks off to recharge.

My dad stayed with us for the last weekend of December and we accomplished some house projects with him and chowed down at our favorite local restaurant. He has been staying with us about once a month or so after we bought a house which is so fun. He brought us down our Christmas presents which were a chop saw and tablesaw. We built a cover for our AC unit, floating shelves and support beams for our pantry.

Oh and in December I finally finished up and shared my tips for organizing a small pantry which was the most popular blog post. I can’t wait to share more home decor and home organization content through 2019! And your favorite item to purchase was this high/low tunic that I love wearing with leggings! It runs true to size and is a light, cozy material.

TOP BLOG POST: TIPS FOR ORGANIZING A SMALL PANTRY
TOP READER PURCHASE: CASLON HIGH/LOW TUNIC [RUN TTS]

I hope when you reflect on 2018, you’re able to pull out learnings, accomplishments and smiles. Thank you again for all your support this year! Xo Mindy


SHOP A MIX OF MIN READER’S TOP 2019 PURCHASES

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Servello & Co. Interiors

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Hi there

I'm a Maine native residing in the Boston 'burbs sharing my love of interiors through decorating my husband and I's first home.

Through this experience, I discovered I have a knack for curating spaces that feel warm, cohesive and inviting. That passion turned into friends and family asking for interiors help and now we are here! 

Home should be a place you love to be. I'm here to help you achieve that!