Oprah does it.

And now I’m doing it.

And to be honest I haven’t watched Oprah since I was on bedrest pregnant with my OLDEST daughter 8 years ago.

Anyhoo…

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time then you will know that I’m not really a giveaway girl. I’ve given away books written by my friends and acquaintances in the last year, but I’ve never done anything like I will be doing in the next six weeks.

Don’t have a heart attack.  I’m not giving away cameras or refrigerators.

But every Monday from now until the end of the year, I will be hosting a giveaway. Yes, that’s right.  Every Monday. Like clockwork.  (Or as regular as jogging regimen used to be before I started writing a book…)  And they will be MY FAVORITE THINGS.  Sorta like Oprah.

And since I’m not in the giveaway circuit, most (not all) of the things I get to give to you I will be purchasing myself.  Some have been donated and I’ll make sure you know when someone has been gracious enough to donate something to my readers.

So to launch this My Favorite Things: Six Weeks of Free Stuff series, I’m giving you one of my personal favorite things. A necklace by Lisa Leonard. She just has been generous enough to donate one of her brand new Paper Lantern necklaces to one of my readers.

Not only is Lisa one of my favorite people, but her unique jewelry is some of my favorite to wear. I’m not glamorous or overstated, so for me her pieces are the perfect amount of jewelry around my neck.  I have one to giveaway here this week and the winner will be able to personalize it with the names they choose (yours won’t say “chad” “hope” and “naomi” because if it did, that would be weird).

To enter, leave a comment telling me one thing you are thankful for (this being Thanksgiving week, I thought that would be appropriate).  Please, one comment only per person and the comments will be open until 9pm Pacific Time on Wednesday.

I’ll announce the winner at the end of the week.

Oh, I’m so excited! Are you?

…are bloggers.

Yes, it’s true.  And for me over the past two years, so much of my community has been found here on the Internet.  It’s hard to explain to people who’ve never fallen in friendship love with someone online.  Why I would spend hundreds of dollars in plane fare to visit her or her; why I would let her stay in my house for 3 weeks while we were out of the country, or why I would share my deepest secrets with her or her?

They are some of my best friends in the world and they are spread out all over the globe.

So while I’m hiding out with my husband (in some undisclosed location – wink) for the next 36 hours, here are some of my favorite Internet loves and friends.  I hope you find a new friend today, too.

Start here: if you’ve never read my story.  Start with that.

Cindy Beall (the goddess of Oklahoma) has an amazing testimony of God’s faithfulness and grace in the face of her own husband’s infidelity.  She’s beautiful and (did I already say amazing?) amazing and I can’t wait to hug her very very very soon.

Mandy Thomson (coolest girl drummer in Boston) is a Georgia transplant who is about ready to move home.  Mandy will make you laugh and then let you listen to her latest song right there on her blog.  Last fall Chad and I visited her and Drew for the longest double date of any of our lives.  I’ve never laughed so hard or had so much fun in a graveyard, ever.

Annie (well, we’re just going to call her Annie Blogs) is the funniest person I’ve met (not including my own husband).  I call her first for everything writing-related and can just say, “hi” and pick up from where we left off the last time.  She loves my kids and she graciously tolerated my cat for 3 weeks last spring when she stayed in our house while we were gone.  She’s the kind of writer I want to be like when I grow up (and maybe I can live in Nashville too, like her).

Along with Annie and myself, Melodee and Linda make up the Hermonistas. We met two years ago at Mount Hermon Writers Conference and have been the best of writing friends ever since. They’ve torn apart my writing (in good ways) and have been both excited and disappointed for me at appropriate times.  Mel lives in Seattle and Linda lives about 5 miles from my but I’ve never been more thankful for a group of women. (By the way, anyone out there going to Mount Hermon this year?)

Lisa Leonard (Internet jewelry maven) has been my best real life friend since college.  She taught me how to blow dry curly hair (even though mine is straight), to drink hot tea without letting the loose leaves free in the cup, and how to be a good friend.  Lisa has an amazing jewelry business and blog. If you’ve never seen her work, go visit now and buy something!

Alece (aka Grit and Glory) is someone that I admire maybe more than anyone right now. She’s been sharing her story the past several days. She’s home in the States for awhile before she returns to her ministry in South Africa sometime in the future.  You will love her as much as I do, I know it.

Denise and Kristen (from California and Idaho respectively) are two of my favorite girls.  Both homeschooling moms (a reason alone for earning the title of HERO in my book) the three of us spent a (short) few days together in May.  I love them. Simply that. If I could live next door to anyone in the world, it would be them.

Elizabeth Esther is worthy of all honor because she has FIVE amazing kids and seems to keep it all together too.  And…she’s writing a book.  She lives close by so I call her on a whim to meet me at the park or she calls me on a whim to meet her at Starbucks. It works out less than we’d like, but when it does, it’s all laughter and misadventure.  (Well, not really the misadventure. It just sounded good).

There are so many more.  Visit my blogroll to see some of the girls (and guys) I read when I get a chance to read blogs.

Let me know if you’ve found a new “friend” today!