Happy Thanksgiving to all!!
Even if you live in a country where Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated. Or if you aren’t doing anything today. Or if you like football (kidding, kidding…).
Either way, I have two Thanksgiving lists for your enjoyment today.
*bows*
Thanksgiving(ish) Songs
I realize not all of these are explicitly about Thanksgiving, the holiday, but hey y’all. Let’s be thankful.
- Gobble Gobble (Matthew West)
- Thanks Giver (Crowder)
- Counting My Blessings (Seph Schlueter)
- I’m So Blessed (Cain)
- The Thanksgiving Song (Ben Rector)
- Thank You (Forrest Frank)
- Counting Every Blessing (Rend Collective)
- The Goodness (TobyMac)

Thankful for…
Consider this your sign to create an alphabetical thankful list. Good luck with Q.
- A – Autumn 🍂
- B – books, birthdays
- C – CAMP!!!! also Christmas. And colors. Imagine if our world was monochromatic *shudders in horror* and the CD player in our car!!
- D – daffodils!! (any Sierra Jensen or Silver Eye fans here?? 👀) ooh and dragons.
- E – Emma M. Lion ✒️📖
- F – family (mandatory favorite artist bonuses: for King and Country and Forrest Frank)
- G – glasses (if I lived in the Victorian era, they would say I have “weak eyes” and you better believe they’d be right. When were glasses invented anyway??)
- H – homeschooling, Hobby Lobby, homemade bread…
- I – ice cream? ooh imagination.
- J – Jesus, a job.
- K – kindred spirits (let’s play a game called “how many fandoms can I reference in one list”…)
- L – love!! life!! light!! libraries…
- M – music, mail, GOOD movie adaptations of books.
- N – new books!! or plants!! or journals!! WAIT ACTUALLY I’m thankful for Noelle, my journal 🥰 annnnddd new books from favorite authors.
- O – oxygen (and Owl City), orange cats.
- P – plants (specifically all my houseplants that are against all odds, still alive), pianos, puddlessss, Papermate Flair pens, popcorn, peach pie, papery craft supplies.
- Q – Josiah Queen (this absolutely counts; don’t nitpick me), the Q by Beth Brower.
- R – the rain (specifically when it’s late and I’m just chilling in my room and it’s dark and there’s tHuNdER!!), Release Radar on Spotify when it actually works (just a few days ago I had to find out that Forrest Frank has a new Christmas song from YOUTUBE. Release Radar, you have failed me. Again.)
- S – Spotify, sweeties 🙃, stars, sleepovers.
- T – tape, washi, and tea, peppermint. Oh and tall people who can reach things I can’t.
- U – unconditional love/forgiveness.
- V – vacations, visiting my friends.
- W – warmth (it’s getting cold, y’all), whimsy, wax seals on letters.
- X – xylophones (specifically that one part of that one for King and Country song that has one. I think it’s joy., if I recall correctly)
- Y – you, dear reader 🥰
- Z – zzzz…(I may be a night owl but I do love sleep)
Coda
Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all a good night!! Er, day. Week. Whatever. Enjoy your turkey (or your ham or what have you), your gatherings, your watching of a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and your pie (for pie is essential. Preferably peach).
Am I missing anything important on either of my lists??
Always,
Ava 🍂
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37 Responses
Aww, how FUN!!! I love this! I should try making one of these lists lol! I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but a happy Thanksgiving to thee nonetheless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And yess Emma M. Lion simply must be on there. She is the best!!! (And indeed!!! It would be HORRIFYING if our world was in monochromatic…..)
And I love what you have for J on that list!! ^^
Thank you!! I shall eat a bit of turkey and pie in your honor, then.
I feared I had far too many random references to fandoms on that list, but in the end I decided I simply didn’t care. Emma must be included!! And Owl City and Josiah Queen (I used him as a Q, but then I realized I still needed a J 😬 fortunately Jesus starts with a J. Simply providential. A lot of those could have been shuffled differently, but it all worked out in the end) and so on.
Aw, thanks!!! :)) I’ve never had turkey and pie…..
Or lasagna, for that matter…. (random I know but my two Australian friends kept talking about lasagna and I was just like “I…. have never eaten it.” XD)
And indeed!!! I loved how you included all those fandom references!!!! I certainly got some of them! (And I love Owl City!) ANd lol what you did for z…. XDDDD Simply genius. And very much true. Sleep is so good…. especially when you’re just burnt out by the end of the day and can just collapse into your pillows, yelling in joy, “SLEEEEP!!!!!!!!!”
…Please tell me I’m not the only one who does this lol.
No…turkey?? No pie?? Surely you have had pie before. SURELY.
And no lasagna??? WHAT DO YOU EAT??? I adore lasagna; my mother makes the most excellent lasagna ever. Of course, I prefer chicken noodle soup, chicken pot pie, stroganoff…homemade bread…
You probably didn’t get the Sierra Jensen reference *weeps* I have met very few people who have read of her. Alas.
I do not yell “sleep!!!” into my pillows before going to bed, no. I typically go to bed after the rest of my family has retired to their chambers though, so I have to be quiet. And sometimes I’m too tired to go to bed. Which sounds illogical but is most definitely a thing.
(gives a slow, slow shake of head)
I have never had pie before.
Ever.
And no lasagna either. (shakes head sadly) I do not know what it tastes like!!! Or what it consists of!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I do, however, enjoy a good bowl of Thai noodles, ramen, rou bao, mantou, dan huang shu, and pizza. Ah yes and fried rice. A lot of Thai fried rice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (It’s simply SPLENDID!!!!!! THey have the best fried rice ever!) And one can never forget french fries. French fries are my favorite food ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I did not get the Sierra Jensen reference I fear. 😭 Do tell who she is!
And you don’t yell “SLEEEEEP!!!” into your pillows??????? (is most baffled) Ah yes, I understand…. (And lol I’m sometimes too tired to sleep as well! But it’s either sleep or just try to write, which is impossible when I’m so tired!!! So I choose sleep. Though due to insomnia, it’s mainly just thinking about LOTR and a bunch of random thoughts floating into my brain.)
*weeps* No pie?? EVER??? Truly tragic (once, my little sister insisted on pie for her birthday instead of cake, and then refused to eat said pie because she didn’t like it). Lasagna…well, do you know what spaghetti is?? I have never had a lot of the things you mentioned…whatever rou bao is *shrugs*
Sierra Jensen!! Once upon a time Robin Jones Gunn made a really long series following the misadventures and growing up years of a girl named Christy Miller (the series is about 21 books long, I kid you not. She starts out 14 and ends as a married woman). About halfway through this series, Christy meets a girl named Sierra Jensen on a missions trip in Europe. And then we get a 13 book series on Sierra too!! (there’s another series about Christy’s best friend, Katie Weldon) Each girl seems to have a specific flower associated with them. Christy gets white carnations, Sierra gets daffodils. And if you read too much into flower meanings, like me, then…stuff happens. Still mad about Sierra’s thirteenth book. AGONY.
I end up withdrawing to my chambers and chilling for like…an hour and a half or more before actually going to sleep. I read or journal or write a letter or just stare at my bookshelf or memorize for Bible Quiz. The random thoughts though; that’s so real. Why can’t I stop thinking 😭
(shakes head and wipes a tear from my eye) I knoww….. And yes… never had pie!!! I have indeed heard of spaghetti and I’m afraid I must say I have a strong hatred towards it. (Nothing against spaghetti… It’s only that I once ate a bowl of spaghetti at some food court in Thailand, and….. it gave me the worst food poisoning of my life. And before my birthday too!!!!!!!!!! I spent the night before my birthday throwing up and then my birthday with a fever and wondering foggishly “Wow….. Sophie getting sedated and kidnapped is surprisingly violent for MG….”)
NEVER HEARD OF ROU BAO??? Tis a meat bun!!!!! From China!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s the best!!!!!!!!! as well as mantou!!! And well… congee is alright, I suppose, but only if you add other things to it!!! I despise plain congee.
And lol!!!!!!! That actually sounds very much like what I would’ve done. XD (Wanting a pie for my birthday and then refusing to eat said pie because I didn’t like it).
And oooh that sounds like such a cool series!!!!!!!!! I’ll check it out sometime! (And if it is in kindle unlimited, you can bet I shall be reading it!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
And oh my gosh same…… I’ve asked adults and they’re literally just like, “What are you talking about?” Do you not have this thing where you just can’t stop thinking about random stuff before bed?? Or imagining scenarios in your favorite novels where you’re in the story and somehow become a hero even though you would most certainly die if you set foot in this world?? (Which is…. probably what I’d do if I ever stumbled into the world of Lord of the Rings… Truly!!! I’d never survive Moria, not to mention the oliphaunts and the battle at minas tirith!!!!! Have you read LOTR btw? Or watched it?)
Oh. Well, lasagna is kind of like a layered spaghetti casserole (but with cottage cheese for some reason. Don’t question it). Instead of angel hair pasta, it uses bigger, flat noodles every other layer. So perhaps you wouldn’t like it…
Sophie does and goes through some stuff, alright. ‘Tis violent. ‘Tis out of the ordinary. But since when has Sophie done anything the normal way, am I right??
Read at least the first 12 Christy books first though. Then Sierra. Then…Katie, I think. Then the rest of the Christy books. It’s a complicated timeline. Either way it doesn’t appear to be in KU.
Curious. I always think about the day and what I just told my journal and whatever book I’m reading or whatever song is stuck in my head. I have had several dreams that had to do with the book I was reading, which is wild. I would definitely perish if I lived in Middle Earth. I wouldn’t make it out of the Shire; I would have been found out by the Ringwraiths on the road. I have indeed watched tLotR, and read halfway through it (but my dad read the whole thing to my siblings and I, never fear). My brother is quite the LotR fanatic though, so I know some nerdy obscure things. Just the other day I made a reference to Numenor and felt quite pleased with myself.
I LOVE LOTR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (is a huge huge huuuge fan) I just finished watching the movies today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was…. amazing. Breathtaking. So inspiring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who’s your favorite character? Least favorite? Most hilarious character? Most serious character?
And oh my gosh, so true….. I probably would’ve been too….. I don’t even have a weapon, unless a pen counts. 😅 I…….. would almost certainly slow the Fellowship down in the best case scenario….. Would be the first casualty in the worst (and most likely).
I actually took a quiz that was “Would you survive in af antasy novel?” I took two. My results were “go crazy” for one of the quizzes and “you’d be the first casualty” for the other. I don’t think either results are wrong…..
And oh myg oodness yess!!!!! I’ve been having WEIRD dreams recently. They combine literaly everything I’m obsessed with….. I had a dream that combined griffons, Gracie Abrams (I’m not really a fan of her, I’ve just listened to some of her songs, which I’ve quite liked!), french fries, mountains, and LOTR…………….. it was so weird….
Ooh lasagna sounds interesting!!! I’m not sure if I’d like it, but I think I’d like to try it out someday!!!!!! Someday………
You are filled with a fanatic zeal for LotR at this moment, I see 😂 I adore Aragorn and Legolas (I want to watch Pirates of the Caribbean just so I can see Orlando as a pirate lol) and Faramir and Frodo and Sam. Merry and Pippin are the best duo. I feel sorry for Gollum, actually. I hate…who do I hate…Denethor. Ugh. I cry every time when Boromir dies. Does this satisfy your curiosity about my character opinions??
I am a mediocre archer, but I could never shoot to kill. I would add nothing of benefit to the Fellowship. I could write a poem about our exploits, but Aragorn would write a better poem. I could play a rousing round of Fur Elise to boost morale, but there aren’t pianos laying around Mount Doom. I could challenge Gollum to a speed reading contest, but that wouldn’t do anyone any good.
Last night I dreamed that I was driving in London and I couldn’t figure out why I was driving from the passenger seat and on the wrong side of the road. My subconscious is really good at this, because ofc that’s how driving works in London lol. I kept taking wrong turns and what was supposed to be like a five minute drive turned into a seventy four minute ride (according to my GPS) lol. My best friend says she never has interesting dreams, and I’m quite sad for her.
I rather like lasagna (much better than what seems to be its Mexican counterpart, enchiladas), but you are permitted to dislike it if you ever try it. You have my permission *waves scepter*
Also, in my experience, characters named Sophie NEVER seem to do things the ordinary way…. And to support my claim:
Sophie Foster from KOTLC. KOTLC fans won’t even need an explanation for this.
Sophie Maxim from Rooftoppers (who is also blonde like the first Sophie). She is quirky and odd and brilliant and goes on a quest across the rooftops of Paris (yes, rooftops) to find her missing mother.
Sophie from The School for Good and Evil. Also blonde. (Why are all the Sophie’s in middle-grade blonde????) Is……………….. quite….. uhhhhhhhhhh interesting to say the least??? She has a most complex character…. I don’t really know how to describe her. She plays both the role as a protagonist and antagonist in the book….
SOPHIE ARGHHHH *pulls hair out in frustration* I’ve only met Sophie Foster of your list, but I’ve heard of the other two books, so yay for me. I’ve been meaning to investigate the School for Good and Evil. The same friend who gave me the first KOTLC book also has read that, so I ought to check it out.
I AMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XD I’ve watched Pirates of the Carribbean!!! I believe I watched it when I was…. seven? (Same age as when I first watched LOTR lol). i believe there was a beheading of sorts. And Orlando Bloom was a pirate??? (blinks) If so, then I did not recognize him at all, I fear….. (For some reason, I only ever pay attention to actors if they’re voice actors…. Tara Strong and Kelly Sheridan shall always be my favorite voice actors!!! ^^)
And indeed!!!! i went archery shooting once….. I… missed the target by five centimeters… Every single time. One arrow just broke. XD I do not know if I could shoot to kill. (Honestly, I wouldn’t succeed if I tried!!! See previous few sentences about how my arrows broke and I kept missing all my targets.) I truly do think that if I were to be in the Fellowship, I’d be there solely to be a scribe and record things. XD I probably could play Celtic Hymn or Flaming Red Hair to boost morale on my tin whistle!!! (Tis a very portable instrument!)
And oh my gosh yes, I cried so much when Boromir died!!!!!!! (sobs) And hmmm perhaps this shall do for now. XD And Denethor is the worst. Stupid old fool of a steward!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And you’ve met Sophie Foster?? What did you think of her, if I may ask?
Yes he is!! I watched through an entire Pirates preview the other day instead of skipping to my movie in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Orlando as a pirate. I think his name is Will?? I don’t always pay attention to actors, but I always end up learning names and nonsense because I like watching the director commentaries.
Alas. I’m sure you would improve with practice. But you would make a terrific scribe!! The problem is that everything I can do, Aragorn can do better. Sing, write, speak elvish…jk, I can’t speak elvish. Flaming Red Hair 😂 That’s an absolute banger.
Sophie Foster…well, my opinion of her was better in the beginning of the series. But now, after oodles of books and no resolution, I’m quite tired of her blushing and pulling out eyelashes willy-nilly.
I looked WIll up!!!! I do sort of recognize the actor! And indeed, I don’t pay that much attention to actors either… XD
Perhaps!!!! That reminds me, I keep meaning to go to that archery place in Thailand, but I keep forgetting!!! I went there last year, and oh my gosh did my back and chest hurt after that…. 😅 Suffice to say I was not eager to go again last year.
LOL!!! XD I cannot speak Elvish either!!! I can only speak English, Chinese, and Eshaloni. And alas…. I am certain you could be able to best him in SOME areas…. Writing?? Book-making??? Blogging? Using the internet? XDDD I now wonder if I would be able to best a member of the fellowship at anything…. Hm. Painting? Singing? Actually, no, my singing is truly tragic. I sound like a dying cat. And I love Flaming Red Hair!!!!!!!!!! It’s so fast though lol…… But it’s so much fun!!!! I love it! I keep wanting to dance to it each time I hear it!
And I agree with you on Sophie…… I am quite tired of her as well…. I want to see character development!!!!! I… honestlyf eel like she’s just being pulled around for the plot. ANd I actually tried pulling out an eyelash once!!! It was……. weird? I would not recommend it.
HAPPPY THANKKSGIIIIIVING AVA!!!!!!! I hope you have a most splendid day!!
We actually are in a country that doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but we did anyway, ha! Although it was yesterday for us, because of Weather and such. Things just worked out better that way. Anyway, twas most lovely. I love your alphabet list! I made a list of 100 things I’m grateful for, which was most fun. It may or may not make it onto my website at some point. Now I want to do this one too! especially like your answers for H and M. And of course Emma.
I also approve wholeheartedly of your new journal name. *Stamps it with my Official Stamp of Approval ✅) Actually I agree with practically all of your list. Tis a glorious list. And don’t worry, there was pie. I scraped together an apple pie, and rolled it out with an empty wine bottle. One must do what one must for pie.
🧡🥧🍂
I wondered how you would work that out…Thanksgiving is a rather American thing. And apparently Canadian too. Ooh, that’s more than I had. I think, anyway; I don’t really wish to go count all of the items on my list.
Yayy, Noelle has been approved!! She still needs a last name, but none have been perfect. I wanted to borrow Sara Ella’s last name, but it’s weird to steal her last name bc her oldest daughter is named Noelle and that’s a bit creepy. Options include but are not limited to: Devereaux, Perrault, Kensington, March…
YESSS AN APPLE PIE!!!! Pie is essential.
Ohh what a beautiful post! Thank you for sharing this!😊
My pleasure!! Happy Thanksgiving!! 🦃🍂🍽️
Happy Thanksgiving!!🦃
Same to you!! 🍂🦃🍽️
Happy Thanksgiving!
Right back at you!!
I am actually in the process of reading Emma M. Lion (book 6) right now… I am infinitely grateful for her 🥰
HUZZAH!!! I adore Emma and Hawkes and Pierce and Islington and all. There’s no other series quite like Emma M. Lion *sighs in contentment*
Aw, what a cool idea! Your list was great. (I, too, have classic Victorian weak eyes and am therefore very grateful for glasses. It was an exciting day when I first got my glasses and realized that it was normal to be able to see distinct leaves when you looked at a tree, not just a blur of green…)
I know I’m late to the party, but I might do one here and now 😀
(I’ll just state to begin that I am of course primarily grateful for God and all He’s given me – I was going to include something of that sort in my alphabet list, but it ended up placed in a weird spot I didn’t like in the middle of a lot of trivial stuff, so I’ll say it here instead. :P)
A – aesthetics
B – blogging, and my blogging friends!
C – Christmas, coziness, and coffee
D – driving rain outside as you’re falling asleep in a warm bed
E – early mornings
F – Fred Astaire
G – gluten-free flour mixes
H – home
I – ice cubes
J – Jeeves and Wooster
K – koalas
L – long book/movie discussions
M – my library
N – nail polish
O – old movies
P- puttering in the kitchen with my favorite music going, period dramas
Q – Q-tips (hey, they’re useful!)
R – redemption arcs, rabbits and other cute animals
S – snow
T – The Seekers
U – unwritten stories
V – vintage jazz, vintage fashion, etc.
W – wrapping Christmas presents
X – guess I’ll have to say xylophones too, because off the top of my head I can’t think of anything else xD
Y – Youtube
Z – Zevia (a kind of soda sweetened with stevia; it’s actually really good)
That was harder than I thought, but a lot of fun 😀 Thanks for the challenge, Ava, and happy belated Thanksgiving!
The realization that not everyone lives without sharp edges was shocking. What do you mean, other people can see individual blades of grass and read the words on the slides at church?? It’s not that I’d be blind without glasses, it’s just that the world would be extremely fuzzy. Not everyone realizes this *shakes head disapprovingly*
I love your list!!! It’s positively delightful *nods in satisfaction* I must second most of your items (not having had Zevia, I must withhold any opinions).
Merry Christmas!!!
Happy Thanksgiving Ava!
I love love loved your post; you Thankful List is delightful and I loved how many references you slipped in!
I hope your feast was all you hoped it would be, especially your pie 😉
Thank you, and thank you!! I resisted the references at first, but gave up and embraced them. What is life without obscure references, after all.
Yes, indeed!!
Happy Thanksgiving Ava! Loved your post..🍂🍂
Happy belated Thanksgiving to you too!! Aww, thanks so much!!
Ooh I can’t believe I missed this! I guess gratitude is always in fashion though 😉 How fun you did an alphabet order list!!!!! Super job XD And that totally counts for Q *nods*. Also, another Beth Brower book I must read…..I gotta get one of them!!! XD
And ah yess we ALWAYS watch a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving XD
Quite. My mother did one last year, so I figured I’d beat her to it this time around. Journey did a list of 100 things she was thankful for *peers across the interwebs*
I’ve read nine Beth Brower books, but there are still four more!! I must read them all!!
I’m actually surprised we didn’t watch it this year. We must remedy this posthaste.
Haha, you did very well! And, yes, I saw Journey’s as well and it’s inspired me! Still must get around to it…
There are 13?? Wow, that’s amazing. I love how Beth Brower published them in smaller volumes, it’s like a film series episode or something I love it. You’re way ahead of me XD But I shall get there! Never fear!
Ooh yes! <3