A look back at December and a look forward to a new month and a new year!
Table of Contents
What a month! I sent my kids to Florida with their Nana for Christmas. I avoided crippling anxiety over the Southwest meltdown with my kids half a country away and I still got quite a bit done!
Check out my month in review.
Books I Read
I wanted to squeeze in a holiday book, but time got away from me. Perhaps I'll save a Christmas book for the scorching months of summer '23, when I want to envision the coming winter.
Despite the whirlwind of activity that comes every December, I did complete four books.
Click on the titles for a full review.
This Pulitzer-Prize winning novel was very cerebral but also sitcom-funny.
Author: Joshua Cohen
Released: May 2021 (UK), June 2021 (US)
Genre: Biographical Fiction
Rating: 9.25/10
The author gives readers an intricately woven murder mystery set in 18th-century Korea.
Author: June Hur
Released: January 2022
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Rating: 8.85/10
3. Safekeeping
A dystopian story of a teenage girl navigating through an America she no longer recognizes. Touching. I REALLY enjoyed it.
Author: Karen Hesse
Released: September 2012
Genre: Fiction, Young Adult
Verdict: 9/10
A fantastical historical fiction set in Soviet-controlled Budapest. Whimsy in a police state.
Author: Katherine Locke
Released: April 2022
Genre: Historical-Fiction Fantasy, LGBTQIA+
Verdict: 9/10
Art I Made
A friend supplied me with some drone footage and I was instantly inspired to make a UFO composition. I also used a picturesque image of his to make a meme of an impala on Lake Eufaula.
Additionally, I had too much fun Photoshopping Ryan Reynolds.
Classes
First off, if you are not familiar with CreativeLive and its free offerings (< Click link), let me introduce you. Classes are offered free on specific days.
Classes I took
Well, more like one class. I caught one of CreativeLive's free on-air courses.
Rethink Your Content Marketing Strategy - It is necessary for any business to rethink ways to reach new communities. It was good.
Classes I'm Looking Forward to in January
Classes that have piqued my interest
CreativeLive:
Udemy:
At the time of this post all these courses are free. I love the price of free! Check them out; you'll be sure to find something that interests you as well.
Also, I have a post on my seven favorite sites for free learning. I hope you find these resources as life-changing as I have!
Christmas
I ended up dog-sitting three doggos. I snapped a pic of the biggest of the group. Enjoy this husky baby. She had me going out in the polar vortex. She LOVED the walks. I was not as enthused as she was!
So, I sent my kids off to Florida with their Nana. My dad and I stayed in Oklahoma and had a week of festivities. By that, I mean we ate really well!
I made a pecan pie and it may be the best pecan pie I have ever had. Credit where credit is due. I found the recipe on AllRecipes. However, I modified it by adding almost 2 cups of pecans as opposed to just the 1 1/4 cups it called for. I'm not a big fan of the syrup in pecan pies. It really should only serve as a means to keep the pecans together. 10/10 would recommend.
I should have taken a picture of the completed pie, but I didn't think of it until after I cut it. After the first bite, I regretted not taking a picture of the whole pie. I knew immediately I had to post this recipe! It will be in my holiday repertoire going forward.
The Year in Review
I started blogging in 2021 but didn't keep the habit. I posted four articles and then the website remained inactive until September of this year. At that time, I was trying to figure out my own voice and what I wanted this site to be. I still don't have all the answers, but I'm not going to allow indecision and hesitation to get the best of me. I've been blogging regularly for roughly the last three months and I am in love with this outlet!
This Year in Review will be brief. I'm not actually going to do a full review of my blog activity from the last three months. What I will say is I'm thankful that I have given myself permission to create this corner of the internet. I'm even more grateful to all those who have signed up for my currently non-existent newsletter; it's a work in progress. I'm thrilled by all the new people that have joined MyCornerSpot on the Spaces by Wix app. Thank you!!!
I can't wait to see our community grow more. I would love to hear from you about your projects, about what you'd like to see on the blog, and learn what books you're reading.
So cheers to this past year and to the coming year!
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