2011 in review...

Another year is almost past...and I agree with the old saying "the older you get, the more time flies" because 2011 seemed to fly by for me!

As is my tradition here at Marsha's Garden, I like to do my year in review showing the header photos and to link to a few highlighted or favorite posts from each month.Looking at my blog stats, January brought the most visits to my blog with 2,089 visitors. The post that brought the most comments (11) in January was I love my family...part 2, on 1/7/11 and it was also the post with the most visitors followed closely by the next post, mosaic Monday...community support, which showed the events of Justin's benefit. In retrospect, it's hard to believe that the 2 most viewed posts were about Justin and just a short 11 months later he is gone from this earthly home.
February saw 1,730 visitors to the blog and the most commented on post with 15 comments was, Happy Valentine's Day. I need to drag those mason jars out again, they did make awesome photos :) I personally loved the post on Lac qui Parle wildlife, the photos aren't that great but what a memory that day trip was seeing all those wild deer in one day!
March brought 1,468 visitors and this post on hurry up spring, brought the most comments (10). My favorite post was mosaic Monday...finding spring, taken when we left the snows of a MN March and found spring beauty cycling in Tx.
April arrived and so did the gardening season, the blog had 1,229 visitors and the post with the most comments(10) was early spring in the garden, where I spotted my first crocus and the garden fairies were awake from their winter sleep.
May brought more garden color and 1,385 visitors. Mother's Day was the post that had the honor of the most comments with 9. My personal favorites were Alexis & Ashley's dance, dance, dance recital and new visitors where I saw "lifer" warblers in the garden.
June arrived and so did 1,402 visitors. It still amazes me that after 6 years people still navigate their computers to see what a middle aged woman from MN shares here! The post with the most comments(10) was rain, rain go away and I still have a love of photographing raindrops on flowers :)
July brings many things (1,351 visitors) but one of my favorites has always been fireworks, so the post Happy 4th of July is my favorite. Current Blooms, brought in 11 comments and earned the most commented on post this month.
August arrived and so did 1,452 visits to the blog. Blue in the garden was the most commented on with 7 comments and I especially loved my favorite yellows...part 2 with photos of a tiger swallowtail that visited the garden.
September brought the blog 1,432 visitors and by far my favorite post and the most commented on(12) was one of a kind...Mari Joy! Mari has been such a blessing to everyone who meets her but especially to my niece Ashley and her husband Cory who waited many years for a child. She was born in late August but I did not get to meet her until September which is why she was September's favorite. I am so in love with this little girl :)
October was our month of waiting for our own grandchild and once she was born it seemed like this grandma could find no other subject to post about! It also brought 1,751 visitors coming in second as the most visited month. The most commented on post was Baby Bee is here which showcased Brooklyn's birth day. Of course this would be my favorite post as well and this grandma still can't get enough of her! I am so looking forward to watching her and Mari grow up together and hopefully get to be as close of friends (and cousins) as Jayme & Ashley are.
November brought Brooklyn photos in my headers and hopefully you enjoy them because as a proud grandma I think all future headers will have to have at least one photo of her :) This month also brought 1,738 visitors which are probably mostly family coming to see that beautiful granddaughter of mine! The most commented on post (6 comments) was Grandpa & Brooklyn, where Jeff got to meet her for the first time since he was out of state during her birth. I loved every post showing Brooklyn :)
December brought much heartache as Justin declined and passed, I only posted twice this month until today (there are 3 new posts up today) and still had 1,570 visitors. My tribute to Justin, until we meet again, was the most visited and commented (10) on. We hurt with missing him, we hurt seeing his family hurting and we hurt knowing how much his children will miss here on earth without their daddy. Yet, Justin was such a positive, happy man, full of love and humor and he wouldn't want everyone to go through life burdened down with hurt and sadness so tomorrow starts a new year and I'm going to start a new project on the blog.

I end this year with a photo of Santa Jeff with Mari and Brooklyn that never made it on the blog or facebook. I love these beautiful little girls and Santa!

I hope you'll come back and visit in 2012...may 2012 be a year of peace, love and joy!