It's hard to believe the holidays (and 2014 for that matter) have already come and gone! It was a wonderful year, and a wonderful holiday season, but I am ready for a fresh new beginning that always comes with the start of a new year! Before we say 'goodbye' to 2014, I thought I would share a few highlights from the previous year, and the Christmas/New Year season of 2014!

This year, we held our annual Gingerbread House Competition, which is always so much fun! We always do a different theme every year, this year the theme was animated movies! We had to make a house, character, or scene from an animated movie....So going along with the movie theme, I did a popcorn bar! There were healthier options, and some 'fun' ingredients... Everything in moderation! ;)

I made cupcakes with mini marshmallows, (toasted under my ovens broiler for a few seconds) to resemble popcorn!

I placed a popcorn bag at everyones seat, so they could fill it with their own personal popcorn selection!

We had quite the turnout- which always makes for quite the competition! :) It generally takes anywhere from 2-4 hours for everyone to finish! I guess you could say we take this pretty seriously! ;)

And here is the big reveal! Here is my husband Sean and my house, we did the house from the movie Tangled.

My sister Emily and her hubby Brett did the house from Despicable Me!

My other sister Sarah and her husband Phil did the houses from the Three Little Pigs from the movie Shrek!

Brianna and her friend Jana did the truck from the movie Cars!

Dayna and her hubby Matt did the house from Wreck it Ralph! (Funny story- it really did fall apart right before the picture! ;))

And...December came and went in a flash, and Christmas Eve was here before we knew it! We started the day at our house, where we had my husbands family (my in-laws) over for a little Christmas Eve brunch, and opened gifts together! Sean, Zoey and I were feeling very festive in our matching flannel! ;)

That evening we went to my sister Sarah's house, where we celebrated Christmas Eve with my immediate and extended family and our closest friends! Her house is always so warm and beautiful at Christmas time!

There is no better way to celebrate Christmas than celebrating Jesus and spending time with family!

That night, my sisters and I spent the night (with our husbands) at my parents house!

Of course my sisters and I had to bring it back to when we were little- Oh yes we did!!! Matching PJ's!!! #NeverTooOld! :)

We woke up and my sisters and I prepared breakfast for the family. We had my gingerbread pancakes, frittata, scrambled eggs, and center cut bacon!

My favorite thing of the morning was my giant frittata!

As much as I LOVE cooking, there is NOTHING better to me than making Christmas breakfast for my family! I think it's my favorite meal to prepare of the year!

Since we were little, my mom has always decorated the breakfast table with cute and festive plates and mugs!

I think the best gift of all this year was getting the very first copy of my books! There is nothing like holding a tangible copy of the cookbook and devotional book that I put my heart and soul into! This moment was a true gift! :)

As awesome as holding my books for the first time was however, I think an even more exciting moment for me was watching you guys receive your copies! I think I have cried 1,000 times (happy tears) over the past few weeks with thanks to God! I can't tell you how it blesses my heart to see you guys holding them, making the recipes, and reading the devotions!

It was also an exciting day to see them in stores!

The devotional will be on the Christian Health and Wellness table in the front of the store in every B&N in the next week! Also, be sure to check out the FREE 10 Week Book Study to go along with my devotional!

For New Years Eve, my husband and I were off to New York for my cooking demo on Fox and Friends! I have to admit, I have never been to NY before, and had no idea what to expect, much less on one of the busiest times of the year!

From the moment we flew into New York, I knew it was going to be a bit different from Michigan! ;)

Talk about a busy city! Now I know why it gets the name, the city that never sleeps! :)

We only spent about 24 hours there, but my husband and I did get to see quite a few sites just driving from one place to another. I was very blessed to have Sean with me... What an awesome experience it was to share together!

We were up bright and early on January 1st to head to the Fox Studios!

It was really exciting to see everything behind the scenes!

I was asked numerous times if I was nervous...and you know, I actually wasn't nervous at all! I was actually excited about the opportunity to share about my recipes and cookbook! I couldn't wait for my segment to begin!

My live cooking demo was hosted by Ainsley and Peter. It was a blast- they were very sweet and funny in person! If you missed it, you can watch it here!

And in the blink of an eye...it was over! I'll tell you, a three minute cooking segment seems fast, but it goes even quicker when you are actually doing it! It was such a blast...I and everyone was so wonderful to work with! I hope it inspired people to 'ditch the diets' and choose a healthy, enjoyable, and sustainable lifestyle instead! :)

I feel beyond blessed to have the opportunity to have had the opportunity to write these books, but what's even more exciting is knowing that these books are inspiring you guys to create healthy meals for your family, and dive deeper into your walk with the Lord! My heart is FULL with thankfulness!

What a wonderful year 2014 was...and I am so looking forward to sharing what is to come with you guys in 2015!!! I want to wish each one of you a happy new year with so much to look forward to! Blessings to each and every one of you! xo Katie