25 Things I’m Thankful For This Holiday

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

I can hardly believe it, but Thanksgiving is tomorrow. I feel like I tend to lie in wait throughout the year for this moment, yet it somehow arrives without warning when I least expect it to. It may be incredibly cheesy to say, but this really is my favorite time of the year, so I thought it would be a good practice to share 25 of the things I’m most thankful for as we slide into the “official” holiday season.

Scroll on for the full list, plus a collection of photos (and a video, too) of our time spent at the apple orchard and pumpkin patch earlier this fall. John and I enjoyed a great afternoon picking a pumpkin and winding our way through the apple tree tunnels. We accidentally left our trip to the patch a little later in the season then we had planned to, so there weren’t very many pumpkins to choose from, but the cool breeze and mountain views made the trip more than worth it.

See my list of 25 gratitudes below, and be sure to share your own list of things you’re thankful for in the comments at the end of the post.

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

1. First and foremost, getting to spend time with both of our families this Thanksgiving and Christmas.

2. Crisp fall air and autumn leaves.

3. PIE!

4. Seeing snow in the forecast, even if it doesn’t actually happen.

5. Being able to wake up in our dream “forever” house every morning.

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

6. Healthy and/or improving test results from family members who are on the road to recovery.

7. Christmas music and movies.

8. Fires in the fire pit and fireplace.

9. Crock pot dinners on rainy fall nights. Here’s our current favorite recipe.

10. The positive messages, photos, and videos filling social media these days. There may be a lot of painful headlines in the news right now, but people are finding ways to focus on their gratitude, too, and that’s really encouraging to me.

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

11. Our four pets, who make us smile every single day.

12. Looking ahead to my seventh anniversary as a freelance entrepreneur early next year, and being able to say I truly have my dream job.

13. Cozy sweaters and scarves, and leather boots, too.

14. The excuse to wear my favorite shade of red lipstick.

15. Fully losing myself in a beautiful piece of classical music.

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

16. Sunny days spent at the apple orchard just John and me. (see the video above)

17. Sunday dinners with John and my parents.

18. Hearing people smile and say “Happy holidays!” to each other while out and about this time of year.

19. Fleece blankets and bath robes.

20. Receiving Christmas cards printed with happy updated photos of friends and family, both near and far.

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

21. My husband, who is my best friend in the entire world.

22. Fall candles burning all hours of the day here at home.

23. Being able to spoil loved ones throughout this giving season.

24. Hearing my all-time favorite Christmas song (Merry Christmas, Darling, by the Carpenters) play randomly on the radio.

25. Last, but certainly not least, having the chance to thank God at the end of every day for my existence and for every little moment I’ve experienced so far. This life is a really, really good one…

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

So, what about you? What are you most thankful for right now as you sit there reading this? A lot of my time as a blogger is spent in seclusion here at my computer, and I often struggle with the concept that no one actually reads my words. It can be hugely isolating at times even though I know I’m not really alone. All this to say, that today I’d love to hear from you and invite you to share your own gratitudes in the comments below.

It can be anything at all, big or small, but I’m firmly of the mind that we feed off of each other’s positivity, so, if you feel so inclined, please take a minute or two to share what you’re most grateful for this season. Thanks, as always for following along—I’m always grateful for you!

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Patch Picking

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Car Cooler With DIY Retro Flower Stickers

Car Cooler With DIY Retro Flower Stickers

You may have already seen this little project on Instagram, but I know not all of you are on that platform, so I wanted to share the quick details here on the blog just in case you missed out. With Thanksgiving leftovers in most of our futures, I also couldn’t think of a more appropriate time to share this simple food-to-go tutorial.

The DIY project was actually inspired by a campaign hosted by Esurance and was meant to be motivated by a car-related need. My ultimate idea was to create a super quick cooler project that would help make picking up perishable foods from specialty grocery stores just a little easier—and more aesthetically pleasing, too, of course.

Car Cooler With DIY Retro Flower Stickers

Car Cooler With DIY Retro Flower Stickers

Car Cooler With DIY Retro Flower Stickers

John and I love going to places like Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and Fresh Market for our weekly meals, but our closest versions of those stores are about 35 minutes away in Charlottesville, Virginia.

We have to schedule our trips ahead of time so we can be sure to have a full shopping list that will take us several weeks into the future (thank goodness for freezable meal ideas). We also need to make sure we pack a cooler since we’ll be spending quite a bit of time on the road and don’t want our hard-won food to spoil on the trip home.

Car Cooler With DIY Retro Flower Stickers

As with most things, I’m not satisfied with just any type of cooler, especially since this one would theoretically be living permanently in my car to reduce the headache of having to remember to pack it every time we go out. So, when I spotted this mint-colored cooler on clearance at Target, I scooped it right up. The color couldn’t have been more perfect for me, and the price (less that $12) was spot-on, too.

Shortly after purchasing the cooler, I got that fated email from Esurance asking me to find a way to spice up an everyday car accessory. It wasn’t until I saw an episode of Cheers, of all places, that the lightbulb went off in my head: DIY retro flowers made from office stickers!

Car Cooler With DIY Retro Flower Stickers

Car Cooler With DIY Retro Flower Stickers

I ordered this set of multi-colored circle stickers from Amazon, and then (after practicing with a few on scrap paper to get my design down pat) I stuck them right onto the white part of my cooler in a flower-like formation. The whole thing took less than five minutes, if even that, and the final result looks exactly like what I had pictured in my head.

Car Cooler With DIY Retro Flower Stickers

Car Cooler With DIY Retro Flower Stickers

Thanks to Esurance for motivating me to think of such a fun and practical project for our family, and thank you also to Cheers the TV show for providing the most random and wonderful inspiration for the retro flower design. I just love when unexpected ideas pop up like that—don’t you?

Now, grab that old cooler of yours and get to sticking because you’re more than likely going to be packing in the leftovers before hitting the road back home this Thanksgiving holiday. A fun face-lift like today’s DIY project is all your cooler needs to feel refreshed and modern—no expense or overtime required.

Car Cooler With DIY Retro Flower Stickers

*Today’s blog post was not sponsored or compensated, but is an organic bonus from a paid social media campaign with Esurance. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Dream Green DIY!
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