I'm thankful for Thanksgiving!

I absolutely love this holiday! It's the only one dedicated to giving thanks and glory and praise unto God, and it's American to boot. :)

Today I am thankful for the day of Thanksgiving! :)

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Hope you have a happy one! :D

I am thankful for... My Name

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Day 23! Thanksgiving is tomorrow! I'm so excited! :D

Today I am thankful for something my parents gave me when I was born.

Something no one can ever take away from me.

Something that God knew before I was formed into being.

My name!

Julia.

I LOVE my name. :) I think it's pretty. I couldn't imagine being named anything else... like "Emily Joy" which my parents considered quite seriously before settling on their choice.

I like it because... it's beautiful, slightly unique, slightly old-fashioned, yet not so uncommon that nobody knows how to spell it. I don't ofen run into other people with the same name. I've never wanted to shorten it to plain "Julie". There's an A on the end. And there always will be. :D

I am thankful for my name! What's yours? Leave me a note in the comment section... I'd love to see the names of the people who read this post. :D

I'm thankful for... that "It's Clean!" feeling....

Today I cleaned the laundry/pantry/storage room. Woohoo! I also cleaned out the broom closet, earning a double pat on the back from my delighted mother. :D

We're cleaning the house this week partly in preparation for a Thanksgiving celebration, but partly because it just needed to be done. :D And the family we're having over wouldn't mind if our corners were dusty anyway. :D

There's just no way to describe that wonderful 'squeaky-clean' feeling! I have Dutch ancestry, and you know how those Dutch people are renowned for cleanliness. :D I guess cleaning runs in my blood. ;)

Today I am thankful for having things clean! :)

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I'm thankful for... Surprises!

Day 21 is here! :)

Today I am thankful for surprises. :D I never had a surprise birthday party, (sadly) but I've had my share of surprises. Today we got one in that - our Perry Mason DVD's arrived early in the mail! :) I'm not going to tell you how many hour-long episodes we watched today. You'll think we need to get a life. (oh, ok... we watched 4.)

I love it when God gives us unexpected blessings sometimes in the form of surprises. :) While I also like looking forward to something and anticipating it, sometimes it's refreshing to be surprised with something wonderful, just out of the blue. :)

Blessings!

I'm thankful for... Life.

Day 20 of the 30 Days of Thankfulness is here! That means... we're 2/3rds done! :D See, I can do *some* math... ;) Lol.

The number 20 has some significance for me... it's how many years old I am. Sometimes that downright shocks me... has it really been two whole decades that I've been alive already? 20 years is a long time.

I have been enjoying the miraculous gift of life for twenty whole years. Some little children never get to take their first breath... they are aborted before birth. I was one who got to be born, and live, and breathe. And I have had a wonderful life so far. God has been so good to me. He has blessed me with the best parents and the most wonderful younger brothers ever.

Today, I am thankful for my life. :)

I am thankful for... Internet!

Day 19! Wow! I've made it this far... I won't stop now. :)

Today I am thankful for... the Internet! :D

The internet is a powerful beastie. Either you harness it and bend it to your will, and amazing things are accomplished... or it sucks you in like a big black hole! :D I try not to let the former happen to me. It's easier now that I quit Facebook.

The internet has introduced me to some very special young ladies! Including the sweet, dear girls who also write for MOHL! :)

So, I am thankful today for the internet. :)

I'm thankful for ... Seasons

Day 18 already! wow. :) Sorry I was late with my post today... it was a busy day! :D But I am happy to say that we now have a 22 pound tom turkey sitting in our fridge, waiting to be stuffed and roasted in the oven on Thanksgiving morn.

Today I'm thankful for seasons. I was driving home with Daddy today after doing errands and picking up a few things at the grocery store, and the light was shining through the colorful trees, making everything glow with a radiant light. Driving up to our log home in the yellow, red, and bronze woods was a beautiful sight.

The glimmering light and glowing colors of Autumn reminded me how much I love this season. But there are things I love about each one.

Spring... for me, the season of fresh rebirth and new warmth after the cold winter. I love the first fragrant blossoms and the sweet smell of the earth coming back to life, and all the fresh green leaves. I was born into the world during this lovely time of year, and I would never have chosen another birthdate. :)

 Summer... long days of sun and fun and heat, best spent outside near the river or someone's pool, playing Ultimate Frisbee, or inside lying on my stomach on my bed with a great book and a fan blowing a cool breeze into my face. Carefree, going barefoot around the house... a relaxed time of year.

 Autumn... beautiful temperatures, gorgeous scenery. The woods around my house are at their most breathtaking, Thanksgiving and friends and family are near at hand, and the first cup of hot chocolate is sheer bliss, with perfection being the few handfuls of mini marshmallows thrown in. :D The newfound crisp feel in the air is indescribably wonderful.

Winter... I seem to prefer all the other times of the year, not having a fondness for cold, numbing fingers, toes and nose... but winter has its own share of hidden delights and sudden, aweing joys. Like waking up and discovering a rare Georgia snowfall and dashing outside with my camera to capture the memory of it. Softly falling snow is one of the great miracles of life. :D And gathering around the fire wouldn't be half as cozy if it wasn't so freezing cold out there... right?

What are your favorite things about each season?

I'm thankful for... Crochet

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I really am so enjoying this challenge! It's a wonderful stretch to have to come up with one significant thing every day to be thankful for. :D

Today I am thankful for crochet. :)

 While my usual favorite thing to crochet is an intricate crochet block, later to be sewn together with other blocks to create a colorfully patterned blanket (afghan), I have loved making these slippers lately.

I am thankful that my dear mother taught me how to crochet when I was 8 years old. I have since been able to crochet for fun, for giving away, and also for earning money. :) It's been lovely!

Still Thankful,

I am thankful for... Protection

We are experiencing some stormy weather here in my neck of the woods today. There are tornado warnings for our area and a few minutes ago I heard the tornado sirens wailing. This kind of made my stomach do a few little flips.

But you know what? It's moments like these that make me grateful that I have a big strong God on my side. :) He is there to shelter and protect his children like me. And I am SO thankful for that.

So, have a nice day. I'm going to get a few flashlights together in case we lose power, and gather up a pillow and blanket in case we have to go into my little half-bath in the middle of the house. But I can do this without any fear in my heart, because My Father is watching over me and hears my prayers. :)

I am thankful for ... Projects!

Today, I am thankful for fun and wildly creative and lovely secret projects. And graphic design. And God's word. But that's all I can tell you. :D

*HINT*
...it has something to do with the beautiful devotional blog I write for. ;)

I am thankful for ... Encouragement! :)

There are some days when I stare out the window at a dripping, dreary scene of melancholy woods and wonder ... "Does anybody really care?"

Once in a while I wonder if anybody enjoys this blog but me. But then something happens that reminds me...

I have friends! I have followers who care. I have people who have been blessed by what I typed with my ten little fingers and then clicked "publish" for with my mouse!

And that is such a huge encouragement. It gives me the energy and the inspiration to keep on blogging.

And today... I have been awarded! By my oh-so-sweet and oh-so-nice fellow friend, author, and blogger... Rachelle!

Ahhhh! This award is so sweet! What a compliment...

I just wuv this little bumblybee...

The Official Blog Award Rules:

the same for both awards.

 

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.

(Thank you, Rachelle! You have touched my heart today.)

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Give the award to 15 other bloggers.

(ugh. That's a lot. Plus Rachelle already awarded many of my sweet friends... but I'll do it!)

 

So, for 7 things about Julia:

 

1. I cannot go anywhere  now without somebody commenting on my hair, which is so long it falls to the top of my thighs.

 

2. I am currently in love with the Breyers' Blasts Oreo Mint ice cream.

 

3. I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK! Oh my goodness! Where has this year gone? It seems like life gets faster as I get older. (I'm 20 going on 21, if you must know).

 

4. When I swapped out my winter clothes for my summer clothes, I organized them by color, and now my walk-incloset looks like a big rainbow. ;)

 

5. I love mechanical pencils.

 

6. I wear Bath and Body Works fragrance mist almost every day, whether I'm going somewhere or not. ;)

 

7. I prefer warm weather to below freezing weather. 75 degrees is my favorite temperature... and when it's only 29 outside, you will find me in about 7 layers of clothing huddled in front of the woodburning stove in several blankets with a mug of steaming hot chocolate. ;)

 

That was fun! Now, for the bloggers I am going to award.... (I hereby jointly award all the MOHL girls along with Rachelle, by the way!! She got to it first...) :D

 

1. Lindsay

2. Melody

3. Lauren

4. Allison

5. Jennifer from Dear Lillie (love this blog and shop, so creative!)

6. Bailey

7. Polka Dot

8. Madison

9. Charity from Austenitis

10. Sarah T

11. Vicki

12. Disney from Ruffles & Stuff (best craft-y ideas ever!)

13. Shannon

14. Bethany

15. Laney

 

So, today I am thankful for Encouragement!

Don't forget to check out the 30 Days of Thankfulness challenge

at Young Homemakers! :)

This post took me a ridiculously long time to put together! Whew! :D
Have a beautiful day!