Well, I often feel like my family is always on the go and that we spend very little quality time together. Honestly, I probably don’t give us enough credit, but I thought it would be a good idea to set an intentional goal to watch at least one movie a month together as a family…so we’d have less of this:
We started the year off strong, and then you know the saying…”best laid plans…” Anyway, in general, we did spend more time together watching movies this year. I will take what I can get.
This meme is for Hayden…lol:
Obviously, the main goal was to have all four of us watch the movie, and that did happen most of the time!
Here are the movies we watched this year:
January:
On a snow day in January, the kids and I watched Sing 2. It was one of those movies that Hadley and I started watching and Hayden ended up joining us. We all loved it.
February:
We watched Home Team. It was a funny movie that we all enjoyed.
March:
The Cheaper by the Dozen remake was so good!
April:
We watched the Adventures in Babysitting movie and enjoyed it.
May:
May was a busy month. We didn’t even up watching a movie at home but we went to see the new Top Gun in the theater with friends. It was a definitely a must see movie! (especially in the theater)
June:
In June, Hadley & I watched Sneakerella. It was a cute movie.
As a family, we went with a classic: Big Daddy. I think both kids had seen it before, but it’s still such a laugh out loud movie.
One evening, I watched Goonies with Hayden. We both have seen that movie many times and love it.
July:
One night, while Hadley was at camp, I watched Jurassic Park (original) with Hayden. Again, it’s one we’d both seen before, but will watch it again and again.
Once Hadley got home from camp, she chose Family Camp for our family movie…and Hayden vowed to never let her choose a movie again! haha
It was just ok.
August:
Well the busyness of back to school got to us, and we didn’t sit down to watch a movie together.
September:
In September, we started off strong Labor Day weekend. We saw Grease at the drive in with friends, the kids saw Jaws (in 3D) with cousins, and Travis and I watched the Elvis movie at home. (Unpopular opinion: I didn’t like it.)
October:
Well, this was kind of a random viewing month with not much time. The kids watched the new Hocus Pocus and The Addams Family on fall break.
November:
On Thanksgiving night, Hadley chose Uncharted (because of her love for Tom Holland). I hadn’t heard of it, but we all loved it!
December:
Of course, December is filled with some Christmas movies. Over break, I finally had time to watch a few, and Hadley watched some with me.
One of my favorite movies is While You were Sleeping, and Hadley watched it for the first time with me. Then, we watched another one of my favorites: You’ve Got Mail. (not a holiday movie, but one I always watch on break). Hadley enjoyed both, but said While You were Sleeping was better.
As a family, we watched Home Alone one evening…
….and A Christmas Story on Christmas night.
While in KC, we all watched Glass Onion at my mom’s house, and we all loved it.
While some months, we didn’t see a movie as a family, I think we still were pretty successful carving out time to hang and view some pretty good movies.
Fun fact: my favorite movie of all time is The Parent Trap (original) I watched it over break too.
Well, we all made it to school on time yesterday. Again, the schedule and routine will be good for us, but re-entry is always difficult!
Last week, I shared a Christmas recap, and today I’m sharing about out of town Christmas and the second half of break.
The four of us celebrated Christmas the morning of the 23rd.
We also woke up to additional snow and negative wind chill temps. We enjoyed our morning at home and then prepared to go out of town. Trav’s family always celebrates on the 23rd, and then we were headed to KC on the 24th. Honestly, we kept hearing about the road conditions, some parts of the highway shut down, and more. It takes quite the effort to pack up the car with luggage and gifts, but once we did so that afternoon, we decided to attempt the drive to Louisville. Let’s just say that I was outvoted. Slow and steady was the name of the game. What normally takes 1 hour 15 minutes took over 3.5 hours. Honestly, we didn’t have an issues, but we saw cars on the side of the road, came to a standstill a few times, and more. I was relieved to get to Trav’s mom’s house.
We enjoyed our evening with them…always good food, games, presents, and dessert. We woke up on the 24th, dropped off Homer (He was staying in Louisville), packed up the car, and hit the road to KC. Once we crossed into Indiana, there were no travel issues.
Once we got to KC, we unloaded the car, showered, changed, and got ready to go to my dad’s cousin’s house. I always “joke” that we drive eight hours west to then drive about thirty minutes more because he lives in Kansas. Some of my extended family I only see once (maybe twice) a year. It’s always fun to catch up, there’s great food, some exchange gifts, and play a few games. It usually is a late night after a long day of driving.
Christmas morning, we opened gifts at my mom’s and then went to my dad’s. KC was expected to get some freezing rain/snow Christmas evening, so we went to my Gma’s for dinner, but it was a little earlier that normal. We opened gifts, ate dinner, and then played some Bingo. My kids don’t always want to play games when we are at home, but they always do when we are in KC.
Then, we were in KC for two more days. Honestly, we didn’t do much which was nice. One night, I actually got 11 hours of sleep. I was beat. I always wish we did more, and some years we go to Union Station, the Plaza, or ice skate, but we didn’t do much because the weather continued to be so cold.
Hadley made crepes one morning, and then my aunt and Gma came over to carry on the waffle cookie tradition. We use the waffle iron that we think is at least 150 years old. It was brought over from Germany by my great great grandfather in 1898.
The kids are really good at making these.
Hayden and my mom completed a puzzle one afternoon, and the kids played Scattegories, Jr. with my mom too.
We usually drive home after four days in KC. The kids didn’t know it, but we planned on stopping in Columbia, Mo. (literally right off the highway on the way home) because my Tigers were playing the Kentucky Wildcats. Since Columbia is only 1.5 hours away from KC, and it was a 6:00 game, that meant that we had a bit extra time in KC. We had a slow morning, went and visited my Gma again, packed up the car, had lunch with my mom, stopped by to see my dad and then hit the road to CoMo.
Once we pulled into town, we told the kids why we were there, and they both were excited. We found a parking spot right by the quad, and went to see the columns and Jesse Hall. We stop through CoMo every few years, so while this wasn’t the kids first visit to Columbia, they probably don’t remember much of the last time they were there.
The weather was beautiful that afternoon. A lady offered to take our photo, and I was clearly outnumbered in the black/gold to my three in blue.
Travis and I met in Columbia. He worked for Mizzou’s athletic department as did I my senior year. For many reasons, I love Columbia, but meeting him was a wonderful twist of fate.
We walked around a bit before heading to get some food.
Unfortunately, two of my favorite places were packed, so we stopped for nachos and a drink before heading to the game.
After dominating against a ranked Illinois team the week before, Mizzou Arena was sold out! I hadn’t been to this arena in years, and it was all of our first time attending a game there.
All I was asking for was a competitive game…
…and it was even better than I’d hoped with a *dominating* win for my team.
I joke that my family should be thankful that I’m such a gracious winner!
After the game, we drove on to St. Louis to spend the night. We finished up the rest of the drive to Kentucky the next morning.
NYE
I’m not a big NYE person, but some of our friends host a progressive dinner. The friends’ houses are close together and in our neighborhood, and they’ve been kind enough to include us the past couple of years.
One house has apps, then another house has salads, then the main meal, a dessert house, and ringing in the new year house.
Another friend and I helped at the main course house. We had beef tenderloin, Brussel sprouts, and I made potato casserole.
The set up was so pretty.
The kids were in and out of all of the houses, and Hadley snapped a group pic for us.
Like I shared yesterday, we also drew three words as our “words of the year.”
These were mine:
It was a great night.
As an addition to yesterday’s post and my interest in Enneagrams, @ashton.creates had Enneagrams for the new year…
5…
Night in
Traditional food
Bed by nine
To do lists
Reflecting
Netflix
6…
Sparklers
Small gathering
Sparkling cider
Midnight
Goals
Dreaming
Most of these are pretty on brand for me I would say.
What are your typical NYE plans? January 1 sure hits different when I have to go to school on the 2nd!
Well, yesterday wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. Thankfully, I didn’t have to be to school until 9:00, so today will be the first day of my alarm going off at 6:00 again. It was good seeing my colleagues yesterday, and it’s always great to get students back in the building. I know, even for my own family, it will be good to get back on a schedule and a routine.
Anyway, we went to a New Year’s Eve get together, and my friend had us each draw three words and we shared them as our “Word of the Year.”
I’m sure you’ve seen those graphics where they say the first three words you see are your words for the year. That’s where she got this idea.
Anyway, the words I drew were: creativity, reset, and calm.
I like those words. I’m generally pretty creative, and I’ve said that this blog is my main source of creativity. January is a perfect time to reset on all the things. I want to get back to tracking what I eat and working out. I also want to take the time to plan and get organized. My birthday is next weekend, and I’m always pretty reflective this time of the year. I think with turning another year older and the start of a new year, I was meant to have a January birthday. It’s just a natural time to hit the reset button. Lastly, I actually feel like January is a more calm month in general after the holidays, and it’s just what I need.
I will keep these three words in mind this year.
I’ve shared this account before, and am always curious to see what @the.enneagram.mom has to say about 5w6.
Enneagram 5:
Enneagram 6:
I also saw this on Instagram, and it stuck with me as good intentions for this year:
I hope to have a great year…both 2023 and 43. I hope the same can be said for you!
I’d love to say, “Happy Monday,” but this Monday morning brings the end of break. Teachers report back today, and the kids come back tomorrow.
Also, Happy 2 0 2 3!
I love that Tanya is continuing to host this link up this year, and I always love seeing what others have purchased.
This is a super sized post/gifts edition. I purchased these items over the past few months but didn’t want to share until my people had received the gifts 🙂
Random:
The shower in my bathroom had very little pressure and was taking forever for the water to get hot. Finally, Travis ordered this new shower head, and my showers are back to being amazing. Also, goes to show what little I know about plumbing. The water gets hot immediately now. It was taking up to five minutes before I would even get warm water.
The rest are gifts. Amazon sure came in clutch again for me this year.
Hadley:
Here are a few gifts that Hadley received:
She gets her love of pjs from me. She sent me a pic of plaid flannel shorts/button up that she like from Aerie. By the time I went to order, they were sold out. She ended up really loving these green plaid pjs.
I’d seen these “varsity letter” bags all over the internet. I figured the “stuff” one would be good for when we travel. She took it with her to KC, and would hold it up and say, “I better get my stuff together” 😂
She requested a pair of “Ugg like” slippers, so I sent these to my mother-in-law as a gift idea. Hadley has worn them most of break, both inside and outside of the house!
Hayden:
Here are a few gifts Hayden received:
I thought this light up Chiefs sign would be great for his room.
He’d been wanting a medal holder for a while now, and I chose this one because it has a shelf for trophys as well.
This Under Armor jacket was at the top of Hayden’s list.
Trav:
Travis continues to be hard to buy for, but I picked him up a few things via Amazon.
I was going to put this LED magnetic tool in his stocking, but ended up wrapping it. It’s a flashlight that has a retractable/flexible neck, but it’s also a magnet for picking up things. I figure he can mostly use it for the flashlight feature.
This travel power strip was already used on our trip to KC/hotel stay. It has four outlets and three USB ports, so we could charge everything in one spot.
This waterproof dry bag is something I thought Travis could use especially during cross country and track season. The number of times we’ve tried to keep towels dry for after a race or keep wet running clothes from getting other things wet are too many to count. I could see where this would come in handy while camping as well (We don’t camp…just another suggested use 😆.) They come in a variety of sizes, but I got the 5L one.
Stocking:
Here are a few stocking stuffers I picked up:
This pack of sticky note “to do” lists made the perfect stocking stuffer. I put one in everyone’s stocking (including mine and my mom’s stocking) I’m going to take the remaining ones to school.
These spider clips looked like something Hadley would wear, so I put a couple in her stocking. I kept one for myself, and then she gave the other remaining two to friends.
Other gifts:
Here are a few other gifts I gave (or received!)…
My Gma suggested a warm and cooling neck/shoulder wrap as a gift idea for her. I got this Sharper Image brand one, and she’s already used it and loves it. I didn’t realize that it was scented, but it does say “herbal aromatherapy,” so I should have known. It’s a “lavender and herb spa blend” which does smell like a spa!
I saw this stove top glass teapot as a gift suggestion and thought my mom would like it. It’s pretty, so it can sit out, and it can be used on the stove or microwave. It includes two teas.
My mom mentioned a belt bag for travel, but I thought this cross body seemed more practical because it holds so much more. It comes in a variety of of colors.
My mother-in-law got me this dough bowl candle, and I can’t wait to use it.
January is my self-imposed break for Amazon, but I did order a few things after Christmas that I plan on sharing in February.
I’m off to a faculty meeting with a strong cup of coffee! Have a great day.
{This post contains Amazon affiliate links…Thank you for supporting my blog!}
Happy last day of 2022! I can’t believe another year has passed.
This is a post I start in January and just add to each month. It’s a fun way to take a peek at the year.
Here’s a look back at 2022:
January:
We started the year in Cincinnati cheering for the Chiefs (vs. the Bengals). It was a heartbreaking loss for our Chiefs.
Per usual, we got our first snow day(s) of the season. Sledding with friends is always fun.
On my birthday, I went to see my fave, Heather McMahon, with some of my friends.
February:
We were still cheering for those Chiefs in February.
We celebrated Valentine’s Day with a festive lunch.
Hadley had her first dance competition of the year.
March:
In March, Hadley had her second dance competition of the season.
6th grade basketball wrapped up for Hayden with a heartbreaking loss (why are those our ‘thing?’), but it was a great season none the less.
We *finally* were mask free at school! Look at those smiles.
We cheered on my school’s boys basketball team in the sweet 16 at Rupp.
April:
April started off with Spring Break in Asheville.
While there, Hayden and I visited the Biltmore.
Hayden’s final year of baseball started.
I’ll treasure all of the baseball memories!
Travis and I were able to go to Keeneland with friends.
Middle school track started for both kids.
We celebrated Easter.
Travis and I went with friends to the Chris Stapleton at Kroger Field.
Hadley had her final dance competition of the season, and they came home with lots of awards.
Track season continued.
May:
Travis and I started May by attending the Oaks.
We celebrated Mother’s Day.
Baseball continued…
Hadley had her end of the year chorus concert.
The kids had their 6th grade championship meet for track.
Sixth grade went by in a blink!
June:
With June, came the end of baseball for Hayden.
Hadley had her dance recital.
We spent lots of time at the pool.
Hadley had swim team.
I had Covid (and cleaned my closet!)
Towards the end of June, Travis and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary.
We went to the lake with friends.
Hayden took another trip to the lake and realized his love for fishing.
I went to the New Kids on the Block concert with friends.
July:
In July, we took a fun family vacay to Mexico.
Hadley went to camp for a week.
Then, we visited family in Kansas City.
We had family photos taken.
Then, we celebrated my Gma’s 90th birthday.
Before heading back to Kentucky, we made a stop at the Lake of the Ozarks with friends.
August:
Before heading back to school, we enjoyed a family dinner at Jeff Ruby’s.
Hayden finished up summer basketball.
…and the kids started S E V E N T H grade!
Cross country began (with Travis as the coach)…
and dance started back up.
September:
In September, cross country continued.
We attended many UK football games. (Well, I attended one…the rest of my crew went when they could)
October:
In October, we took the best trip to 30A with our friends for Fall Break.
Love this family photo.
Right after break, Hadley got her braces off after two phases with phase two lasting almost two years.
Of course, we went to the pumpkin patch.
I got to see Heather McMahon again! She taped her Netflix special in Lexington.
Travis, the kids and I spent an afternoon at Keeneland.
Hayden had state cross country. The boys team did amazing! (Hayden made the all area team and Trav was the area Coach of the Year!)
The kids had fun on Halloween.
November:
Basketball picked back up again in November.
Hadley reignited her love for volleyball.
We had fun with friends at the Breeder’s Cup.
Both kids ran in a meet in honor of Trav’s dad.
We went to McDazzle with friends.
…and the kids turned T H I R T E E N!
Hadley had her Winter Showcase for dance
We celebrated Thanksgiving.
We went to our favorite place to pick out our Christmas tree.
December:
Volleyball continued (& the professional pics finally came in)
We attended a few holiday parties and carried on traditions (like baking cookies and going to the Horse Park to see the lights)
Right before break, volleyball wrapped up and Hayden made the school basketball team. Also, the kids finished their science fair projects.
We spent the first week of break finishing up Christmas shopping, baking cookies, watching movies and more.
We celebrated Christmas early at home (with snow and frigid temps outside) before heading to Louisville…
…and then KC.
Like any year, this one was filled with highs and lows. We were busy, but were able to do quite a few things as a family. I continue to feel grateful for health and happiness for all.
Now, we are ready to bring in 2023! See you next year! 😉
Hello! Wow! (unfortunately!) this week seems to be flying by…the same can be said about 2022!
Today, I’m sharing a little blogging recap for 2022.
I don’t spend a lot of time looking at stats, but the end of a year is the perfect time to look back, and WordPress makes it pretty simple to take a look at posts, viewers, etc. It’s also fun to see how much this little site grows year to year.
A few stats from the year:
Posts: 221
Words: 157k + words written
Best day: Friday; Best hour: 7am
I started this blog in August of 2019, and some all time stats include:
Views: 208.5k
Visitors: 62.8k
Posts published: 705
Countries – People from 84 countries have read at least one of my posts. That just blows my mind.
There are some “big time” bloggers, and that isn’t my goal. If one person or 100 people read one of my posts, I appreciate it. Truly. This is definitely a fun hobby for me, but it’s also rewarding to see growth every year (and the same can be said for every “like” or “comment”). Blogging is more fun and rewarding when I’m able to engage with readers ☺️ I can’t say it enough how much I appreciate “my readers.”
Today, I’m sharing some of my favorite posts from the year. These posts, to me, were the most meaningful and/or fun to write.
Favorite 2022 posts:
1.
I loved starting the year off with my Not Just a Mom friends…
We finally did the shiplap project that I’d wanted to do for years.
3.
I changed up my “beauty routine” this year, and loved sharing my favoriteDime beauty products.
I actually received a quite a few comments and messages afterward with many saying they tried the products after reading the post and loved them.
4.
I loved sharing about our day at the Oaks races. Kentucky is a special place…especially the first week of May!
5.
I always love linkups, and the Let’s Look with Shay and Erika with the topic of “my hometown” was fun to write.
6.
It was the end of an era for Hayden as he wrapped up playing baseball as a twelve year old. I loved my years as a baseball mom, and it was fun looking back at all the teams he’s been on and how much he grew as a player.
7.
We loved our Mexico vacay, and the recap posts were a great spot to share about our trip and keep all the memories in one place.
8.
I also changed up my makeup routine this year. I’m still not a master of makeup, but I still love using the Seint products.
9.
Somehow I blinked, and we have a couple of teenagers in the house. I loved taking the stroll down memory lane.
10.
One of my favorite posts to write every year is sharing my top 5 favorite reads.
I shared that one yesterday! It was a pretty good year of reading.
Bonus: I also loved sharing about our Fall Break trip to 30A this year. It was the kids first time there, and we loved going with our friends.
As always, thanks so much for reading! Let me know if there are any blog topics/suggestions. Sometimes I get writer’s block, so I’d love some input on ideas.
I should be back tomorrow with a recap of 2022….which is another one of my favorite posts to write every year.
Today is one of my favorite posts of the year. I’m sharing the books I read this month (Christmas reads!) as well as the Top 5 books that I read in 2022.
I love reading and always enjoy seeing what books others are reading.
For the past couple of years, I’ve read Christmas books in December. To me, these are usually pretty light hearted and perfect to read this time of the year.
December Books:
This month I read:
{As always, book summaries are from Goodreads…}
With such a long post, I’m just sharing the summaries and my rating. My quick thoughts are the fact that these are perfect reads for December. Most were light-hearted and festive while others did have a sad moment or two. That being said, I thought this was the perfect mix of books for my December reading.
The Holiday Switch:
Summary:
Lila Santos is ready for her last winter break of high school. The snow in her small town of Holly, New York, is plentiful, the mood is as cozy as a fuzzy Christmas sweater, and she’s earning extra cash working at the local inn—AKA the setting of the greatest film of all time, Holiday by the Lake—while moonlighting as an anonymous book blogger.
But her perfect holiday plans crash to a halt when her boss’s frustratingly cute nephew, Teddy Rivera, becomes her coworker. Lila is type A; Teddy is type “Anything but Lila’s Way,” and the two of them can’t stop butting heads over tangled icicle lights and messy gift shop merch. But when they accidentally switch phones one afternoon, they realize they’ve both been hiding things from each other. Will their secrets—and an unexpected snowstorm—bring these rivals together?
Rating:
Always in December:
Summary:
It started with a letter. It ended with a love story.
Every December, Josie posts a letter from her home in London to the parents she lost on Christmas night many years ago. Each year, she writes the same three words: Missing you, always. But this year, her annual trip to the postbox is knocked off course by a bicycle collision with a handsome stranger–a stranger who will change the course of Josie’s life.
Josie always thought she was the only one who avoided the Christmas season, but this year, Max has his own reasons for doing the same–and coincidence leads them to spending the holiday together. Aglow with new love, Josie thinks this might be the start of something special.
Only for Max to disappear without saying goodbye.
Over the course of the next year, Max and Josie will find that fate continues to bring them together in places they’d never expect. New York City. Edinburgh. The quiet English countryside. And it turns out, Max had every reason to leave and every reason to stay. But what does fate hold for Josie and Max as Christmas approaches again?
A devastating, romantic, life-affirming love story, Always, in December will stay with readers long after they’ve finished the last page.
Rating:
Christmas in London:
Summary:
A charming, glamourous love story set at Claridge’s in London during the magical week before Christmas starring a sweet NYC baker and the Cooking Channel Producer who could change her life.
It’s a week before Christmas and Louisa Graham is working twelve hour shifts at a bakery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. When a young cooking show assistant comes in from the rain and begs to buy all the cinnamon rolls on her tray, she doesn’t know what to do. Louisa is just the baker, and they aren’t hers to sell. But the show burned the rolls they were supposed to film that day, so she agrees.
The next morning, Louisa finds out that her cinnamon rolls were a hit, but the star of the show was allergic, and the whole crew is supposed to leave for London that afternoon. They want Louisa to step in for their annual Christmas Eve Dinner TV special at Claridge’s. It’s a great opportunity, and Digby Bunting, Louisa’s famous baking idol, will be there. Even if he does seem more interested in her than her food.
And then there’s Kate, the show’s beautiful producer. On their first day in London she runs into the skinny boy she jilted at St. Andrew’s in Scotland ten years ago. Now he’s a handsome, brilliant mathematician, and newly divorced. Their familiar spark is still there, but so is the scar of how they left things. Kate and Louisa are busy preparing for the show, but old and new flames are complicating their work.
Set during London’s most festive time of year and filled with delicious food, Christmas in London is about love and friendship, and the season’s most important lesson: learning how to ask for and give forgiveness.
Rating:
The Christmas Wedding Guest:
Summary:
The Somerville sisters believe in love, but they’ve lost faith it will happen for them. Reggie hasn’t been home since the end of the world’s shortest engagement. When her parents decide to renew their vows, she buffs up her twinkle to help with the Christmas wedding. Unexpectedly, Toby, her first love, is back too, and the spark between them shines as brightly as ever. In the spirit of the season, will they let go of past hurts and greet the New Year together?
Done waiting for the one, Dena is pregnant and on her own—on purpose. But then a gorgeous, sad-eyed songwriter checks in to a room at her inn. Micah, unable to write since he lost his wife, finds inspiration in Dena’s determination to be a mom. One snowflake-speckled kiss and he’s a goner. But Dena is afraid to believe that a rock star could fall for a cookie-cutter small-town girl like her.
As the Christmas wedding draws closer, these two sisters just might unwrap the most treasured gift of all—love.
Rating:
Christmas Shopaholic
Summary:
Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) adores Christmas. It’s always the same – Mum and Dad hosting, carols playing, Mum pretending she made the Christmas pudding, and the next-door neighbours coming round for sherry in their terrible festive jumpers.
And now it’s even easier with online bargain-shopping sites – if you spend enough you even get free delivery. Sorted!
But this year looks set to be different. Unable to resist the draw of craft beer and smashed avocado, Becky’s parents are moving to ultra-trendy Shoreditch and have asked Becky if she’ll host Christmas this year. What could possibly go wrong?
With sister Jess demanding a vegan turkey, husband Luke determined that he just wants aftershave again, and little Minnie insisting on a very specific picnic hamper – surely Becky can manage all this, as well as the surprise appearance of an old boyfriend and his pushy new girlfriend, whose motives are far from clear . . .
Will chaos ensue, or will Becky manage to bring comfort and joy to Christmas?
Rating:
Recap of Books 2022:
This year my Goodreads goal was that same as last year: 40 books. I was able to read 41! Thank goodness for a couple of vacations and winter break to get me across the finish line. There were a couple months this year that I only read two books, so I wasn’t sure I would hit that goal.
Here are my Goodreads stats:
41 books read
14,824 pages read
The shortest book I read (Lucky) was 232 pages
The longest book I read (Katie Couric’s Going There) was 736 pages (was it?! I really don’t remember it being that long of a book!)
Average book length in 2022: 361 pages
My 2022 Reads:
Looking back, I realized that I’ve read by the fire, in the mountains, poolside and with my toes in the sand. That definitely makes for a great year of reading.
I felt like I started off 2022 strong with reading, but then wasn’t reading as much. From July on, I felt like I was reading more books that I enjoyed and was able to find a bit more time to read.
Before I share my Top 5 reads of 2022, these deserve honorable mention recognition:
One Italian Summer
This Time Tomorrow
Every Summer After
Our Woman in Moscow
Summer Love
Meant to Be
Here are my 5 favorite reads of 2022 in the order I read them…
Becoming Mrs. Lewis, (also my fave of the year, I think. My Gma recommended it to me.)
The Rent Collector.
The Sweet Taste of Muscadines
This Tender Land
The Things We Cannot Say
I clearly lean towards more serious books with a side of historical fiction.
Happy Monday! How was your Christmas? We had a hectic but good one. Once school was out on December 16th, we started to pack in all things Christmas leading up to the 25th.
We baked cookies. Hadley made Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle cookies, and Hayden made Peanut butter Blossoms.
I joked that the Life Essentials class sure is paying off. They basically did all the baking on their own.
I picked up a couple of cookies from one of our favorite cookie decorators. This is always a fun tradition.
Last weekend, we went to a couple of Christmas parties. Travis and I went to one that our friends always host. Then, last Sunday, Hadley and I went to a mom/daughter pj and popcorn movie night with friends. Hadley insisted that we match, and we so happened to have similar plaid pj pants…and Merry and Bright sweatshirts.
The mom who hosted had fun socks, popcorn, hot chocolate, (and wine) for us to enjoy while we watched Spirited on Netflix. The girls lasted half of the movie, but the moms finished it. It was a great night.
We went to the Horse Park for Southern Lights.
Hadley made a gingerbread house. Again, times have changed…she did this all on her own.
Hadley also went to a cookie decorating class with friends. It was a fundraiser for a friend’s little sister’s Girl Scout troop.
The tradition continued with the kids picking out a gift for each other. I took Hadley one day and Travis took Hayden one evening to pick those out.
We had dinner out on Wednesday night. This isn’t really a tradition, but we planned ahead to make a reservation, and I’m glad we did. It was a nice evening out.
Once we got home, the kids convinced us to let them open their gifts from each other. We figured, “why not?”
Then, we watched Home Alone.
And enjoyed some cake.
Earlier in the day, I made Shay’s Peppermint Mocha Bundt Cake per tradition.
Speaking of Christmas movies, once break started, I got my movie watching game face on. I made a point to watch at least one Christmas movie a day.
I watched:
The Noel Diary (on Netflix)
Spirited (mom/daughter night)
The Holiday
While You Were Sleeping – Hadley watched this with me (and Hayden watched the last half) It’s one of my all time favorite movies, and Hadley had never seen it. While many may not think of it as a Christmas movie, it’s set during Christmas, and I watch it every year)
Christmas with You (on Netflix) – This one popped up in my feed. I crushed hard Freddie Prinze, Jr. in high school and college. This movie was cute!
You’ve Got Mail- Again, not really a Christmas movie but one I watch every year on break. Hadley watched it with me.
Home Alone– a family favorite
A Christmas Prince (on Netflix)
A Christmas Story– a Christmas Day tradition
Christmas Eve Dinner:
We had to celebrate our Christmas early, so I thought about trying something different and maybe just have appetizers instead of a full dinner. Hadley White wasn’t having that idea. So, we had our traditional salmon, Bob Evans potatoes, Caesar salad and then more cake for dessert.
Christmas Morning:
We had a nice “Christmas” morning. The kids slept in a bit. We opened gifts, stockings, and had a simple breakfast. Times sure have changed since the early wake up times with the kids along with Legos and Barbies for presents. That being said, it still was a great Christmas, of course.
I always look forward to Trav’s gift tags. He always writes funny things on mine. This year, Hadley elf helped him write them.
I didn’t know he’d ordered these watercolor images of the kids. They loved them, and I cried. We can’t wait to hang them up.
We had frigid temps and snow (like much of the country) so it was a good day to stay inside until we visited Trav’s family and then my family.
I always think of break as two halves – before Christmas and after Christmas. I really enjoy the week leading up to Christmas because we pack in the Christmas fun and traditions. Also, I like having the time to wrap presents, run errands, stay home if I want, watch movies, and more. After Christmas, it’s time to get organized, put decorations away, and at some point start thinking about school again. Anyway, I still have a whole week left of break, and we’ll make the most of it, I’m sure.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a great week ahead.
*Linking up with Sarah and Holly for Hello Monday.
With only a couple of days left until Christmas, I just wanted to take a moment to wish you all a Merry Christmas.
The past few years, I’ve sent two cards out because there are so many cute options. Also, I love sending them, but I hate waiting for them to arrive. So, I’m able to start addressing the ones from Walgreens while waiting on my Shutterfly order.
This blog (and the readers) bring me a lot of joy! I appreciate all of the comments and readers I’ve gotten to know in this Show Me and Sweet Tea space.
My hope is that everyone has a Merry and Bright holiday season….
…with warm wishes for a wonderful 2023!
I know the holidays can be difficult for some. Even in the best of circumstances, this season can be overwhelming and filled with many other emotions. I know quite a few people who’ve lost a loved one recently, and I’ve certainly been thinking of them this holiday season.
December is filled with so many traditions, activities, parties, and more. I feel like the hectic pace makes the time pass by quicker than I’d like, but I try to enjoy this time the best I can with my family. I hope you are able to do the same as well.
I can’t let the Christmas season pass by without sharing my most favorite Christmas card that Travis and I have ever sent:
Christmas 2009 was pretty special!
I hope you have a wonderful and blessed holiday. Many bloggers take this time off, but I hope to have a few posts next week including some of my favorites: a blogging round up, the books I read this year, and a recap of 2022.
I love winter. (My dad will read this and shake his head). I’m not sure if it’s the holidays or the fact that I have a January birthday, but I have always loved winter. On top of that, January is one of my favorite months (Again, probably because of my birthday, but January also feels like a fresh start, and it is considerably less hectic than December.)
Here are five of my favorite things about winter:
Snow! Even better…a snow day! I love the beauty of freshly fallen snow. If it’s going to be cold, I want there to be snow on the ground. The kids (and Homer) love to play outside.
Sweater weather and flannel/fleece pjs!
Sweaters and pjs on repeat with the cold temps of winter.
Candles!
Don’t get it twisted, of course I love candles year round, but I love seasonal winter scents like peppermint, fireside marshmallow, and cranberry. They make the house feel extra cozy.
Comfort food! Bonus- I feel like meal planning is easier in the winter months because soups and chili are favorites in my house. Also, they provide leftovers which is another bonus. I use the slow cooker the most in the fall and winter which means getting dinner on the table quicker.
Celebrations!…followed by a fresh start. Of course, December is jam packed with Christmas festivities, and then I just love the quiet that January brings. It’s a time to start fresh, have a bit more down time, and ease into the new year.
What about you? What’s your favorite thing about winter? (if you have one) 😉
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