[December 31, 2012] Thankful for...a year of thankfulness through photographs!  Wow, I can't believe it has been a year already since I started this blog!  Soooooo many things to be thankful for this year, and many more in the coming year too!  

THANK YOU for looking at the blog and the pictures - I really appreciate it! :)  I will continue putting pictures on the blog - I just won't be doing one for each day. :)  Happy 2013!!

  

 

[December 30, 2012] Thankful for...our Ebenezer service at church tonight.  We do this each year on the last Sunday of the year, reflecting on God's faithfulness throughout the year and blessings He's provided to us.

[December 29, 2012] Thankful for...family Christmas parties!  We had so much fun tonight hanging out with our extended family...I love it! :)  This is us all laughing at Uncle Dan's picture he was drawing for the game...good times...lol

[December 28, 2012] Thankful for...Shutterfly!  I'm uploading all of my pictures (all 13,000 or so of them!) to Shutterfly as a backup in case anything happens to my computer or my external hard drive.  I've learned the hard way that it's important to save your things because if you happen to drop your computer on a basement floor, it may not be good for the hard drive... :)  Anyways, I've been slowly uploading my pictures because I basically can't do anything else on my computer since it takes up a lot of the available wireless internet...200 pictures takes about 2 hours, so, it's getting done little by little. :)

[December 27, 2012] Thankful for...animals coming up on our deck!  We've never seen a squirrel up there before. :)

[December 26, 2012] Thankful for...hanging out with Scott.  Tonight our family went out for supper, and then Scott and I watched some of the tv show "Psych"...we haven't done that for a while, and it was nice to hang out just us two. :)

[December 25, 2012] Thankful for...the birth of our Savior.
  
"While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.  She wrapped him in clothes and placed him in the manger because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:6-7

 



[December 24, 2012] Thankful for...my family.  Merry Christmas!

[December 23, 2012] Thankful for...finally getting all my gifts wrapped! :)  I picked up the last ones yesterday, so I was able to wrap and put them under the tree tonight.

[December 22, 2012] Thankful for...a day with the girls!  This afternoon, five of us hung out and played games.  At night, Katie, Becca, and myself got dressed up and went for dinner at San Chez downtown GR.  We headed to the mall afterwards for a little shopping and then decided to watch "Breaking Dawn Part 2" in the theater...fun day!!

[December 21, 2012] Thankful for...making some pretzels for a girl's day tomorrow! 

[December 20, 2012] Thankful for...finishing my blanket!  I learned a new way to do the fringe on a fleece blanket that looks like a braid.  I finished it up tonight - I really like how the edge turned out. :)

[December 19, 2012] Thankful for...making cookies for another cookie exchange.  I made mini chocolate chip cheesecakes for our exchange at school tomorrow - it should be fun!

[December 18, 2012] Thankful for...family photographs.  My room is filled with pictures of my family...some are old, some are new, and they are always fun to look at!

 
[December 17, 2012] Thankful for...ESPN polls! :)  I'm glad the rest of the nation agrees with me on this question. :)

[December 16, 2012] Thankful for...wrapping some gifts this afternoon.  To wrap some of the gifts this year, I'm using a Pinterest idea of brown paper and doilies. :)

  


[December 15, 2012] Thankful for...a reminder each day.  I see my "Faith" pictures each day, and it's a good reminder of how I need to live out my faith each and every day.

 

[December 14, 2012] Thankful for...prayer.  When faced with situations like the one in Connecticut, it's all there is to do sometimes...

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  Isaiah 41:10

[December 13, 2012] Thankful for...making Christmas candy with my mom!  3 bags of pretzels, 3 bags of M&M's, 2 bags of caramel, and one run to the store, we got our pretzels done tonight. :)

[December 12, 2012] Thankful for...a project called Christmas for Cancer.  A family from our church who has been affected by cancer decided they wanted to make up care packages for patients who have cancer.  We were invited to make up gift bags with a blanket, hat, warm socks, and a cup with a straw, and the family is going to bring the bags to Detroit during their next visit.  What a great idea!

[December 11, 2012] Thankful for...finally being almost caught up with my Sports Illustrated! :)

[December 10, 2012] Thankful for... getting my presents ready.  I packed all my gifts for my kiddos tonight - a coloring book, stickers, crayons, and a few pieces of candy. :)

[December 9, 2012] Thankful for...baking cookies.  This afternoon was perfect for making cookies for a cookie exchange. :)

[December 8, 2012] Thankful for...lots and lots of pictures...560 to be exact. :)  They go back to July, and a majority of them are from our mission trip to Zuni, but still a lot to sort, write on the back of, and put away - but it's fun to look at them all again. :)

[December 7, 2012] Thankful for...ornaments.  These are some that we have in a bowl on our dining room table.

[December 6, 2012] Thankful for...Precious Moments.  My Grandma Van Wylen collected several of these, and all of the daughters/daughter-in-laws and grandkids were able to pick some out.  I chose these two..."Prayer Changes Things" and "Lord, I'm Coming Home".  I really like the baseball one because my grandma was an excellent softball player when she was younger.  After she passed away, Scott said that she was pitching no-hitters and hitting home runs like crazy in heaven. <3

[December 5, 2012] Thankful for...beautiful poinsettias. :)

[December 4, 2012] Thankful for...the Prayer Room during the Christmas season.  Our church did this back in March as well, and for an entire week, 24 hours a day, people sign up for an hour of time in the Prayer Room.  Inside are different ideas of how to pray, what to pray for, and to reflect on your relationship with God.  I was able to spend an hour there this evening.

[December 3, 2012] Thankful for...warm weather!  63 degrees on December 3! :)

 

[December 2, 2012] Thankful for...more Christmas decorations.  This is one of my favorites...a quilt made by my high school Prayer Partner.

[December 1, 2012] Thankful for...getting out our Christmas tree today!  My mom and I put up the tree this evening and put the lights on - so pretty!

[November 30, 2012] Thankful for...a relaxed night at home.  I did some school work and watched some college football (and maybe had a glass of wine). :)

[November 29, 2012] Thankful for...a fun movie night!  My friend Kelly and I went to see the new James Bond movie "Skyfall" - so good!

[November 28, 2012] Thankful for...extra clothes.  At school we have had several donations of extra clothes, winter coats, and hats/mittens/gloves for students who might come to school without...this is one of the cute little sweatshirts we've used this year.

[November 27, 2012] Thankful for...my new watch!  I haven't worn a watch for so long, but got this one at Home & Company in Downtown Holland for $6! :)

[November 26, 2012] Thankful for...new pictures.  I had 50 free prints from Shutterfly, so I finally ordered some that I needed to from the summer.  Now to actually put them away in my photo books... :)