A Look Back at 2025: Projects, Progress, & Big Life Moments
Sharing a look back at my favorite projects, blog posts, and moments from this past year.
And just like that, we’ve made it to the end of another year. I know I say this every December, but 2025 went by fast. When I zoom out, I sometimes find myself wondering, “Wait…what did I actually do this year?” That is why I love writing this annual recap. It forces me to pause, look back month by month, and realize how much life, work, and growth happened…both on The DIY Playbook and behind the scenes.
This year felt like an important one for me. After several really heavy years (IVF, two babies under two, a pandemic, hip surgery, insomnia, anxiety, and building a business from home), 2025 was the first time I felt like I was truly emerging from that long season of survival mode.
It wasn’t because everything became magically easy, but because I felt more grounded, more supported, and more myself. My word of the year was “strong”, and that theme showed up in almost everything — my routines, my boundaries, my body, my business, and the way I moved through these twelve months.
Let’s take a look back.
January: Ellis’s Big Boy Room & A New Space to Write
We started the year with Ellis’ new big boy room. Last fall, I created a “big girl room” for Rory, and watching how much she loved hers made me so excited to give her little brother the same experience.
I shared the design plan, and then I tackled one of my favorite creative projects of the entire year: photographing Ellis’s favorite toys and turning them into a gallery wall. It was adorable, personal, and such a snapshot of this sweet stage of life.
By the end of the month, the big boy room was revealed. Here at the end of the year, it still looks exactly the same. He loves it. I love it. Sometimes I take weekend naps in there with him because it truly is the coziest space.
January was also when I launched my Substack, Beyond The Playbook. I wanted a place to show up as a whole person — not just the DIY girl. It is a place for longer thoughts, unfinished ideas, and everything behind the scenes. Last week, I shared a full Substack year-in-review with my favorite posts, so if you missed that, you can find it linked here.
February: Homeownership 101 & Sunshine in Florida
February was a big Homeownership 101 month. I had been sharing lots of quick videos on Instagram, but I knew I needed more in-depth blog tutorials with complete supply lists and step-by-step instructions. You can always use the home maintenance tab (under the DIY category) if you ever need a specific project.
This month, I shared:
- How to assemble an emergency preparedness kit
- How to deep clean your dryer vent (beyond the lint trap — inside the machine and in the vent behind it!)
On the personal side, we took our annual family trip to WaterColor, Florida, which is always such a bright spot in the middle of Chicago winter. I wrote a full Substack recap with details from the trip. We will be heading back in 2026.
March: Spring Cleaning & A Girls’ Trip to Texas
March kicked off spring-cleaning season on the blog. I rounded up all the tasks to tackle this time of year and shared a deep dive on how to clean your range hood filter. I had never cleaned ours, and once I saw what came out of it…yikes! Add that one to your list.
Rory also had her spring break, so we took a girls’ trip to Round Top, Texas with both of her grandmas. We explored the antique markets, soaked up the sunshine, and had such a sweet multi-generational trip. I shared a full Substack review of our experience for anyone wanting to visit.
April: Prepping the Outdoors for Spring
Once April rolled around, we headed outside and kicked off outdoor maintenance. I shared:
- A deep dive on how to use a pressure washer
- A not-glamorous-but-important tutorial on how to clean your trash cans
These tasks might not be exciting, but they are the pillars of home maintenance — the things that keep your home clean, comfortable, and well cared for.
May: Announcing My Book & Six Years in Our Home
May was one of the most surreal and exciting months of the entire year — I finally got to announce my book deal! After months of behind-the-scenes work, everything was official, and I could finally share the news with this community. The outpouring of love and excitement meant so much.
We also celebrated six years in our home. I put together a big post with all the before-and-afters from over the years and wrote about what this home means to me.
Summer (June, July & August): Three Months of Book Mode
For the past three summers, I’ve taken time off from the blog — no projects, no reveals, just long days outside with my kids. But summer 2025 looked different.
This was the summer of the book.
From June through August, I wrote the manuscript and photographed the entire book. It was a whirlwind of studio days, hair and makeup appointments, rearranging rooms, hauling props, tracking progress on our massive spreadsheet of photos, and checking off every single shot we needed.
And the best part? I spent the summer working side by side with Bridget — my photographer, my best friend, and the original co-founder of The DIY Playbook. It felt like the early days of blogging, only with more experience and four kids between us. It wasn’t restful, but it was joyful.
September: Kicking Off the Mudroom Makeover
When I came back in September, I was ready to start a new project — our long-awaited mudroom.
Even though I didn’t DIY this one myself, it was still a huge undertaking. I had to design the space, choose paint colors, hardware, and lighting, hire a carpenter, a painter, and someone for demo, coordinate the countertop fabricator, and manage timelines and installation.
It was a lot, but also so rewarding to see the early stages come to life. I shared the demo, the design, and the cabinet install here on the blog.
October: Rug Week!
October brought one of my most fun content themes ever — Rug Week. For an entire week, everything on the blog and Instagram revolved around rugs. From how to choose the perfect rug to how to avoid buying the wrong size, I gave you all of my best rug tips.
Rug Week was such a hit that I’m planning more themed design weeks in 2026. If you have ideas, send them my way!
November: A Dreamy Mudroom Reveal & My Favorite Gift Guide Yet
November was a big month! We revealed the mudroom, and I still cannot believe how much it has changed the way our home functions. I truly don’t know how we lived without it for six and a half years. It’s organized, efficient, beautiful.
Also in November: the 2025 Holiday Gift Guide launched, and this year’s theme might be my favorite ever. Our “Yearbook” theme was filled with nostalgia — sweet photos of the kids, throwback snapshots of Finn and me, and thoughtful, practical gift ideas that this community loved.
December: Handy Home Fixes & Our San Diego Family Trip
December always goes by in a blur, but I squeezed in a few quick and super-helpful tutorials:
These are the kinds of posts that get bookmarked and revisited all year long.
I also shared our San Diego trip recap, our first big vacation as a family of four. It was sunny, easy, full of great food, and the perfect way to end the year together.
Looking Back & Looking Ahead
When I reflect on 2025, I feel proud and grateful. It wasn’t an easy year, but it was one in which I felt strong in new ways.
2026 will bring a whole new season: pre-orders, book marketing, events, and introducing Your Home Playbook to as many people as possible. I want to do all of that in a grounded way — without letting my life or my joy get swallowed up by the to-do lists. That’s my homework for the new year.
Thank you for being here, for reading, for trying my tutorials, for cheering on my projects, for trusting my recommendations, and for letting me take up a little space in your life. I’m grateful for this community every single day.
I’ll see you in January. Happy New Year, my friends.
