2022 Review and Favorites
Hey friends! It’s already the last week of 2022, and what a year it has been. I look over it and see the hand of God in my life. He is so good, so faithful, and it is the greatest joy you can experience to know and serve Him. Since I never did a fall review, I thought I would start with that and then we’ll talk about this past year before looking ahead to 2023.
Fall in Upstate NY
The fall season was extra beautiful in NY this year. The colors were amazing and the weather was so warm (we had quite a bit of 70’s!). I was thankful to be able to get out and enjoy a walk around my neighborhood almost every day. I was busy with studying most of the season, since I had a very intense workload this semester.
Fall highlights included starting a new job at a Christian daycare, going for a couple of local hikes, attending two classical concerts, lots of baking, and the birth of my new nephew!
The Holidays
I absolutely love November and December because of all the holiday fun going on! We spent Thanksgiving at home with family, and then it was full swing into the Christmas season. Decorating, music, baking, choir practices for our church’s concert—it was crazy busy! I was hit hard by the flu early on in December, so that rather dampened my enjoyment and increased my to-do list, but it sure made me grateful when I could be up and on my feet again.
One of the highlights of the season is our church’s Christmas concert/outreach, which involves all of the choirs and includes singing at a local mall. It was also wonderful to have the family together on Christmas day, with kiddos everywhere and lots of laughter, gifts, and Christmas cookies. This year, a nation-wide winter storm hit on Christmas Eve, as I’m sure most of you experienced! We mostly got wind, frigid temperatures and a bit of snow, but blizzard-like conditions buried those farther west.
Reading
Return to the Hiding Place by Hans Poley. For fans of The Hiding Place, here’s the other side of the story. Hans Poley was the first to join the ten Boom family at the Beje, and he gives an intimate, sometimes funny, often heartbreaking look at what it was really like to hide from the Nazis. This book really brought home the fact that those the Nazis persecuted were real people, with hopes, fears, dreams, and a desire to just live a peaceful, normal life. I highly recommend this one.
The Little Book of Cottagecore by Emily Kent. Not really the type of book you’d read straight through, but dip into here and there when you find something that interests you. I enjoyed paging through this delightful little book, which introduces DIY/simple life topics such as herbs and tea, beekeeping, soap-making, and baking.
Until We All Come Home by Kim de Blecourt. This book is a perfect illustration of the saying “Fact is stranger than fiction.” When the author and her family set out to adopt a little boy from Ukraine, they couldn’t have known that it would be ten long, harrowing months until they could bring him home, after an on-the-edge-of-your-seat exit from the country. However, they never wavered in their commitment to the Lord or to little Sasha. What a beautiful, true story revealing God’s tender care over the “least of these” but some of the most precious ones to Him, the orphans. The system rejected Sasha but he was so special to the One Who created him! A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains (Psalm 68:5-6a).
The Gift of Home by Bre Doucette. I loved this home decorating book! It was especially enjoyable because the author writes from a Christian perspective. She takes you through each room of the house, giving you pictures of her lovely home and sharing tips and tricks for making your home just as beautiful. Bre encourages you to love the home you’ve been given and make it into a place where your family wants to live. Even if you don’t share her decor style, you’ll enjoy her perspective on home and decorating. Check out her blog, Rooms for Rent.
Fall Favorites
I’m loving this floral midi dress from Amazon. It’s true to size and I love the feminine details—the sleeves, the ruffle, and the belt. It comes below my knees and I wear an extra layer for modesty with the v-neck.
Cinnamon rolls are one of my favorite fall/winter classics to bake, but am I the only one who doesn’t enjoy the length of time it typically takes to make them? Try this recipe—I think these rolls taste just as delicious, and they are so quick and easy to make from scratch! (They are a bit smaller than traditional yeast rolls.) If you need a larger batch, just double the recipe and bake in a 9 x 13″ pan.
This isn’t technically a fall favorite since I received it as a Christmas gift, but I’m enjoying this book of piano hymn arrangements. Gentle Meditations Vol. 2 by James Koerts. The arrangements are so beautiful and worshipful, including Abide with Me; Be Thou My Vision; The Old Rugged Cross; and Rock of Ages, among other hymns.
God Used These Things to Encourage Me This Year…
My verse for the year was 2 Corinthians 2:14, “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.” I’m so thankful for those words “always” and “every.” Wherever you are, friend, and in whatever circumstance, Jesus can give you victory!
This year saw the completion of my personal study of Philippians. What a book, so filled with practical truth, freshly challenging me to make Jesus my all. I’ve now started on 2 Timothy, and I’m so excited for what the Lord will teach me in that part of His word.
This song, Trust Me by the Wilds, has been a great blessing to me. I hope that it will be an encouragement to your heart as well.
Looking Ahead
As I look back over 2022, I’m thankful for God’s goodness. Like any year, it hasn’t been perfect, but the presence of the Lord has made it good. And now—it’s time to get excited about 2023! I’m not big on setting resolutions since I usually break them quite quickly, but I do enjoy setting goals. Honestly, my life is so crammed full that I’m not sure how much more I can fit, so most of my goals will have to build on what’s already happening!
–Branch out in my blogging and try some new things, like interviews and collaborations. (So stay tuned, since some fun things are coming!)
–Continue to improve my violin skills.
–Work on developing my own recipes, and try new ones often.
–Resume my exercise routine.
–Get my CPR/first aid certification.
–Enjoy and live each day to the full.
2023 Vision Board
Have you ever heard of a vision board? Basically, it’s for those of us who don’t enjoy setting strict resolutions but still have a good idea of what we want next year’s focus to be. I created mine on Canva. (You can get a free account using your email.) Although Canva does have templates for vision boards that you can customize, I created mine using a blank desktop wallpaper template and uploading free photos I found on Pexels, Pixabay, and Unsplash. I chose a number of words and concepts that represent my goals for 2023, and then chose pictures to symbolize those ideas.
This is my first year doing this, so it’s not perfect—but I’ve already got ideas for boards in years to come! You could print it out and post it where you’ll see it often, or save the vision board to your phone or use it as a screensaver for your laptop. Refer back to it anytime you feel the need to refocus.
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So, how was your year? What were the highlights for you? Is there anything specific that the Lord used to encourage you that you’d like to share? Do you set goals or resolutions? Have you ever made a vision board? 
I’d love to hear from you below!
Have a very blessed New Year, my friends! May the Lord bless your 2023 richly, and may you draw closer to Him than your ever have before. I’ll end with my verse for this coming year, Psalm 123:2. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us. Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, let’s go forward for Him.
Love,
