• "The Four Winds" by Kristin Hannah
• "A Court of Mist and Fury" by Sarah J. Maas*
• "A Court of Wings and Ruin" by Sarah J. Maas
• "The Startup Wife" by Tahmina Anam*
• "A Court of Frost and Starlight" by Sarah J. Maas
• "A Court of Silver Flames" by Sarah J. Maas
• "From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way" by Jesse Thistle*
• "My Name Is Lucy Barton" by Elizabeth Strout
• "When Women Were Dragons" by Kelly Barnhill**
• "How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House" by Cherie Jones
• "I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death" by Maggie O'Farrell*
• "The Elephant of Belfast" by S. Kirk Walsh
• "What Happened to You?" by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry*
• "The Island Queen: a Novel" by Vanessa Riley
• "Velvet Was the Night" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• "The Marriage Portrait" by Maggie O'Farrell*
• "The Book Women's Daughter" by Kim Michele Richardson
• "Then She was Gone" by Lisa Jewel*
• "Witches: A Novel" by Brenda Lozano**
• "Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen: A Novel" by Sarah Bird*
• "Other Birds" by Sarah Addison Allen*
• "The Family Remains" by Lisa Jewell*
• "The House Across the Lake" by Riley Sager
• "Vanderbilt" by Anderson Cooper*
• "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" by Suzanne Collins

It's so hard to decide which books to mark with an asterisk! 2022 was a great year for reading. My very, very old kindle died and so I bought a new to me one. Some books I listened to while I made pottery, etc. So many great books to read!

Well, going with the goal of being present over Christmas, I took next to no photos on Christmas Day! Just a few snaps in the morning and one of Christmas dinner in the evening. It was a busy and full day. Lots more food and games. We hosted Christmas Dinner with grandparents and good friends. At the end of the day, I was exhausted! The children had a great day and they're really enjoying their new toys. This holiday season was 100% exhausting, but I'm not sure that I'd change anything!

Here are some photos of our Christmas Eve! This year, Christmas was all about playing games and eating food. It was a really special one, and I'll hopefully always remember it. I mean look at all those cute kids in matching pajamas!

I waffled on whether to buy these wooden ornaments or not, but I'm glad I did. They came in handy when the girls were feeling antsy on Christmas Eve day.

The girls had the week before Christmas off of school and my goal was to spend time together. I put aside personal projects (no pottery) to play, craft, bake and watch movies with my kids. I dropped some balls this Christmas for sure, but being present was one thing I did right. One day, before the cold temps dropped in, we went sledding at a neighborhood park. Oh what fun we had! There was so much laughing and playing. It was so delightful! No one cried and when we were done, we came home and the girls made hot chocolate. I hope my children remember this about their Christmas break and not all the times they told me they're bored and that it's the longest week ever.