December 2012 Featured Girl: Julia Erickson

It's that time of month again! Time for us girls to get to know each other a little better by highlighting a great member of our community. December's featured girl is Julia Erickson, a homeschool graduate, writer, and jewelry maker. 

Stay tuned after the interview for an exciting giveaway from Julia!
This giveaway has now ended.

Altogether Separate: For starters, tell us a bit about yourself. Where do you live? How big is your family?

Julia: Hi! I'm Julia... an artist, writer, dreamer, dancer, and a girl who enjoys finding sparkle in every day. :)
I live in rural Georgia in a log home on a hill in the woods, although I grew up in Naples, Florida fifteen minutes away from the beach. :D Our family is the five of us - my wonderful parents, my two brilliant younger brothers ages 18 and 17, and myself, age 21. :)

Tell us something really unique about you. 

Well...my hair is so long, it nearly reaches my knees. That's pretty unique. ;) I often get stopped in stores by people exclaiming "Your hair is sooooo long!" and my favorite reply is "Yes, and I grew it myself!" Haha!

Now that you have graduated from high school, what do you think about your homeschool education?

I am extremely grateful that my mother chose to homeschool me and my brothers even though she struggled with severe arthritis. She is an amazing woman of God and I have learned so much from her and my wise father. I wouldn't have chosen any other way to go, education-wise! I dearly hope to homeschool my own children someday and instill the same values and beliefs my parents trained up in me. :)

What was your funniest homeschooler moment?

Hmmm... Well, when I was a little girl of ten or so, I read tons of books. TONS. I always had a book in my hand. Thus, you could often find me rollerblading, unloading the dishwasher, or riding my bike WHILE reading a book. :D And... when exiting the library, I was always carrying a stack of books that stretched from my waist to my chin. :D I must have appeared rather comical doing that!

If you had the chance to tell your 14 year old self one thing, what would it be?

Wow. Great question. We moved to Georgia when I was 14, and soon after that began a very difficult period in my life where I didn't 'fit in' with the teens at my church. I would give my 14-year-old self a warm hug and say "Honey, you need to cling tight to God right now. Dig deep into that pink Bible of yours and read it every day, because a time is coming when you're going to need to stand on the solid rock, or your heart will crumble. Lean on the strong, experienced shoulders of your parents, because they know what's best for you, even if you can't understand their decisions right now. You will be so happy later that you listened to them. Cherish your time with your brothers and work hard on your friendship with them, because while friends may come and go,they will always be there for you. But above all, stand strong and hold fast to what you know is right, and don't let anybody else's opinion matter more that God's."

What projects are you working on right now?

I'm working on many projects! :D I have a jewelry business and sell jewelry in a local consignment shop, I sell ebooks that I wrote on how to make jewelry, I'm currently writing my fourth novel, crocheting now and then on an afghan in brown and ivory yarn, and practicing a myriad of homemaking skills! My cooking has really improved lately... sewing is next! :D

Thoughts about the future?

When I think about the future, I smile. I have no idea what lies ahead of me around the bend in the road, but my heavenly Father does, and whatever his plan is, it's going to be beautiful. My dream and desire is to be found by a godly young man and become his wife and helpmeet, raising 9 or 10 children, and furthering my husband's vision, whatever that may be. I don't want a 'career' besides being a keeper of the home, creating jewelry and crocheted crafts, and writing. :)

Now for a really serious question: what super power would you like to have?

:D Serious indeed! I know it's typical, but I would love to be able to fly. :D Think about how amazing it would be if one could actually just lift off the ground... and soar. So amazing. That, or I would love to be able to look at someone and know exactly what they were thinking - it would certainly be interesting!

Julia blogs at jewelsbyjulia-lauren.blogspot.com.

OK, here's the exciting part. Julia's shop at jewelsbyjuliashop.com is going to give away all three of her beautiful jewelry making ebooks:

Each of these books costs $7.95, but one lucky girl is going to get all of them for free!

a Rafflecopter giveaway