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I have seen a few other New Years interviews with kids on other blogs. I thought it would be fun to ask Addison some of her favorite things for 2014.
Cereal - Captain Crunch
Vegetable - Cucumber
Fruit - Strawberries
Snack - Oranges
Drink - Smoothie
Toy - McKenna (Her American Girl Doll)
Movie - Scooby Doo
TV Show - The Goldbergs
Game - Old Maid
Book - Ivy & Bean
Restaurant - China Buffet
Holiday - Easter
Animal - Elephant, peacock, and flamingo
What do you love most about your mom - she cooks for me
Where do you want to go on vacation - Japan
My wish for 2014 - That I get a tablet from the Easter Bunny
The last few years I have set a goal of reading 52 books in 52 weeks. I haven't met the goal yet, but each year I have been impressed with the number of books that I have read.
I really like keeping a list of the books I have read. I read so much, I tend to forget the names of the books, but remember the stories. I've also had friends ask me about a book from a few years ago and I've been able to find the name and author by looking at my list.
This year I read a total of 39 books!
1. Long Time Coming - Edie Claire
2. Ryan's Return - Barbara Freethy
3. Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
4. Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn
5. Firefly Island - Lisa Wingate
6. Divergent - Veronica Roth
7. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
8. Dark Places - Gillian Flynn
9. The Wanderer - Robyn Carr
10. Angels Rest (Eternity Springs #1) - Emily March
11. Runaway Mistress - Robyn Carr
12. Sunrise Point - Robyn Carr
13. Somebody to Love - Kristan Higgins
14. The Maze Runner - James Dashner
15. Hummingbird Lake (Eternity Springs #2) - Emily March
16. Heartache Falls (Eternity Springs #3) - Emily March
17. My Kind of Christmas - Robyn Carr
18. One Perfect Day - Lauraine Snelling
19. Mistletoe Mine (Eternity Springs #3.5) - Emily March
20. Lover's Leap (Eternity Springs #4) - Emily March
21. Nightingale Way (Eternity Springs #5) - Emily March
22. The Night Strangers - Chris Bohjalin
23. The Apple Orchard - Susan Wiggs
24. The Newcomer - Robyn Carr
25. Reflection Point (Eternity Springs #6) - Emily March
26. 11th Hour - James Patterson
27. Tell the Wolves I'm Home - Carol Rifka Brunt
28. Off Season - Ann Rivers Siddons
29. Sand Castle Bay - Sherryl Woods
30. Matched - Ally Condie
31. Wind Chime Point - Sherryl Woods
32. Crossed - Ally Condie
33. Reached -
Ally Condie
34. The Best of Me - Nicholas Sparks
35. Sea Glass Island - Sherryl Woods
36. The Secret Keeper - Kate Morton
37. Critical Reaction - Todd Johnson
38. The Bright Forever - Lee Martin
39. This Man - Jodi Ellen Malpas
I'm excited to start my new list for 2014. I've already started the second book in the trilogy by Jodi Ellen Malpas.
I needed a quick little gift to make for my co-workers. Last year I received one of these from a friend and loved it. I refilled the water often and was able to use it for weeks!
The idea came from Pinterest.
Each bag includes:
- One orange
- 1/2 cup cranberries
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves
- A bit of grated nutmeg
I found the best deal on cinnamon sticks was to buy them by weight from our local natural harvest.
Instructions: Quarter the orange, place all in a small saucepan filled with water and simmer on lowest setting. Refill water as needed.
I tied a homemade tag to each bag with red ribbon.
My co-workers absolutely loved these! I have extras, so I think I'm going to give some of these to my friends too.
I can't believe that my little girl turned 7 this year! Somedays it seems like she was just born.
Addison is really into Monster High this year and that is the theme she wanted. I lucked out and earlier this fall Target had Monster High products in their dollar spot! We picked up Monster High, notebooks, markers, stickers, and tattoos for the gift bags. After Halloween I also picked up a package of eye patches and some glow in the dark mice (for the boys invited to the party), and a giant bag of candy. I also added a balloon and a Go-Go squeeze apple sauce.
I decided to make a Monster High doll cake. One of my friends had a doll cake pan that I borrowed and I found this design on Pinterest. I used the Duff tye dye cake mix, which was really good. The colors were amazing!
I love how the cake turned out, however, the doll cake pan was not tall enough for the Monster High doll. I ended up making a 8x8 square cake that I put under the doll pan and trimmed the edges. Even with that, it wasn't tall enough! I used the trimmed edges on top of the doll pan and secured them with tooth picks and it turned out great.
I also made 36 cupcakes. Some of them I used around the cake during the party, and the rest of them she brought to daycare for a birthday treat there. I found a free printable for cupcake toppers, which I just printed out and taped two matching ones to a toothpick.
I had the party at our local gymnastics gym, where Addison belongs. I loved having the party there, it was probably the least stressful party I've ever thrown. It was two hours long, the kids got to run around for the first hour and used the gym equipment. The teacher working also set up an obstacle course for the kids to run through. Then we had cake and ice cream and opened gifts.
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I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Todd Johnson's newest book, Critical Reaction. Earlier this year I read his first book, The Deposit Slip, and really enjoyed it.
Critical Reaction starts with an explosion at a nuclear power plant. It then leads into the health issues of multiple people involved and a lawsuit brought forward from one individual.
This book also talks about the struggling relationship of a trial lawyer and his daughter who is also a lawyer. The daughter takes on the lawsuit for her friend and her dad helps with the process. During the process they work out many of their issues that stemmed after their wife/mother passed away.
This book was very suspenseful, which I really enjoy. It kept me wondering what would happen next.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes books that are suspenseful or about the law.
