IMPORTANT-New Blog!

Well, I suppose after 12 years and over 2,500 posts, it makes sense I would run out of room!

After December 31st, 2022, no new content will be posted to this blog.

Please come join me at my new blog: creativekokes2.wordpress.com

Reminder-New Blog!

Just a reminder, there will be no new posts to this blog after December 31, 2022.

Please come and join me at my new blog: creativekokes2.wordpress.com.

My first post on the new blog will be January 1st, 2023. I will be sharing my design team project for the newest challenge at the Mix It Up Challenge Blog, so make sure to check it out-it’s a fun one! 🙂

My 2022 Book Awards

Looking back at all of the books I read in 2022, I came up with some distinct favorites, and thought I would share them with you in my own version of a book awards. 🙂

I broke the books into several categories (because who can choose just a few books?), and these are all books I read for the first time in 2022. Some are old, some are brand-new, but all were amazing, and I ended up buying several of these!

I picked three books for each category (there are a few honorable mentions where I just couldn’t narrow it down.)

Without further ado-my 2022 Book Awards!

Picture Books

Snail Crossing by Corey R. Tabor-this book made me laugh!

Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall-the pictures are amazing, and the story is fascinating-especially the author notes!

Snow Horses by Patricia MacLachlan-SUCH a beautiful book! My favorite of the year by far!

Children’s Novels

Mr. Lemoncello’s Very First Game by Chris Grabenstein-we all LOVED this book! It is well-written and does a great job of tying the series together.

The Invisible Spy (Forgotten Five #2)-so fun-a great mix of The Incredibles meets X-Men. The first one is good, but the second is even better!

The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff-I read this aloud to my daughter for History, and it was SO good! We both really enjoyed it!

Honorable Mentions:

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George-such a fun fairytale!

The Princesses of Westfalin Trilogy by Jessica Day George-a great take on The Twelve Dancing Princesses fairytale. I really enjoyed these. The Princess of the Midnight Ball was my favorite, but they are all good.

Picture Books Based on a True Story

Bartali’s Bicycle by Megan Hoyt-this guy was so brave!

John Ronald’s Dragons: The Story of J.R.R. Tolkien by Caroline McAlister-very interesting to learn about Tolkien’s childhood!

As Good As Anybody by Richard Michelson-told from a different perspective-very interesting.

Illustrations

The Midnight Fair by Gideon Sterer-the pictures are fantastic in this wordless book!

Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler-a beautiful story and gorgeous illustrations!

Good News! It’s Creation! by Glenys Nellist-the pictures in this are ADORABLE!

Series

The Lumber Baron’s Daughters by Mary Connealy-I loved the smart female leads in these books-so fun and unique!

The Blackstone Legacy by Elizabeth Camden-this series was so good-one of my favorites for classical historical fiction!

The Muir Harbor series by Melissa Tagg-love the plot line in these-can’t wait for the next one!

Honorable Mention:

The African American Royalty Romance series by Toni Shiloh-very unique plotline to these. The first two books have been very good and I hope she writes another!

Novels

High-Wire Heartbreak by Anna Schmidt-this was one of the best books I have read in years. I normally don’t go for books that are split between two timelines, but this one was well done. I loved it.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center-I really enjoyed this one. Great characters, and just so much fun.

The Last Flight by Julie Clark-WOW. So good!!!! I was explaining this plot to my whole family. Amazing.

Honorable Mentions:

Sadie on the Rocks by Joanne Bischof-the author has a wonderful writing style, and it was a very unique read.

Saving Mrs. Roosevelt by Candice Sue Patterson-I read this in a single evening. So good.

Non-Fiction

Herbs for Children’s Health by Rosemary Gladstar-lots of helpful tips in this one!

The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi-even though I already do a lot of the tips listed in this book, it was still good, and very encouraging.

While I can’t say I am following the principles in this book, it gave me so much to think about, and is an interesting read-especially for a goal-orientated person.

Biographies

Gladys Aylward by Janet & Geoff Benge-so interesting! We really enjoyed this one, and Gladys’ story is just incredible.

The Story of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by Catherine Owens Peare-it was so interesting to hear more about this famous poet’s life.

Hudson Taylor: Deep in the Heart of China by Janet & Geoff Benge-another great biography!

So there you have it-my favorite books of 2022! There were so many great books to pick from, but these are definitely my favorites.

I hope you found this interesting, and that you maybe even found a new book or two to read for next year!

Happy last day of 2022, and stayed tuned for lots more reading posts on my new blog in 2023!

My 2022 Top Ten Favorite Projects

Today I am joining several crafters for the Year in Review 2022 Blog Hop, showcasing our favorite projects created in 2022.

Here are my top ten projects!

Let’s Sled layout

original post here

This background paper is so gorgeous, and I love how easy it was to make a layout with it!

A Magical Birthday card

original post here

So many details on this card, but it was fun to make, and I love how it turned out!

Interactive Happy Birthday card

original post here

This was my first tab interactive card, and I love it!

Jurassic Birthday Decorations

original post here

I went ALL out with the birthday decorations for The Little Guy this year. Lots more pictures on the original post!


Relaxing Birthday card

original post here

This was a post for the Ally’s Angels design team, and I really like the muted color scheme on this one-very different for me!

Pineapple Birthday card

original post here

This was for the Mix It Up Challenge Blog design team, and really pushed me out of my comfort zone-I love how it turned out!

Platform Pop-Up card

original post found here

This was another card for the Ally’s Angels design team, and my first box card. I was literally giddy with how easy it was to put this together. I love it!!!! I see many more of these types of cards in my future!

Great White Christmas card

original post here

This was for the Mix It Up Challenge Blog design team. I made six different cards similar to this one, but this is my absolute favorite. They were extremely time-consuming to make (so much ink blending!) but TOTALLY worth it! It’s my favorite card of the whole year.

Mixed Media Tree cards

original post here

The pictures don’t do these cards justice! They are so pretty and sparkly! I don’t use mixed media all that often, but I love how these turned out!

Baby Jesus card

original post here

This card is so fun and happy, and I like the layers.

Well, that’s it!

I hope you enjoyed looking back at some of my favorite projects from 2022.

Make sure to visit the other Year in Review 2022 Blog Hop participants and get inspired-I hear there may even be a few prizes along the way!

Bonnie from Stamping in the Light

Brenda from Floral Fantasies

Debbie from Secrets to Stamping

Diane from Nellies Nest

Ellie from Ellibelle’s Corner

Helene from Mummylade

Hilary from Fiddling About

Joanne from My Slices of Life

Melissa from The Stamping Ninja

Rachel from Slow Down, Enjoy and Create (me!)

Sara from Sassy’s Cards and Gifts

Sue from Just Peachy Stamping

My 2022 Top Ten Favorite Recipes

Last year, I shared a post with my favorite recipes of the year, and today I thought I would do it again!

Here are my favorite new recipes from 2022.

Chik-fil-A Honey Roasted BBQ Sauce-this sauce is amazing, and I use it all the time!

original post found here

Peppermint Patties-these taste great and are easy to make. Plus, now I can make them dairy-free/gluten-free!

original post here

Honey Mustard Dressing-I had a salad almost every day this summer, and this was my go-to dressing!

original post here

Larabars-I don’t personally love these, but they are a favorite with my boys, easily customizable (mint chip brownie is the one I make the most), and dairy-free/gluten-free!

original post here

Cold-Brewed Iced Tea-so easy, and I drank it all summer long!

original post here

Lemonade-this tastes a lot like the lemonade from Chik-fil-A, is easy to make, and everyone loves it!

original post here

Ninja CREAMi Recipes-we’ve used our new Ninja CREAMi SO much this year, I have posted about it several times now. Our favorite flavors include: strawberry, cinnamon roll, and peanut butter cup.

original post #1
original post #2
original post #3

Oatmeal Cookies-these are tasty, freeze well, and are gluten-free/dairy-free!

original post here

Crockpot Italian Chicken-tasty, only a few ingredients, and gluten-free/dairy-free!

original post here

Meatballs-these were tasty, and I loved being able to just pull them out of the freezer. Also, they are gluten-free/dairy-free!

original post here

Have you tried any of these recipes? If not, I encourage you to give one a try, and make something delicious today!

Wednesday Words

pin found here