full of grace ♥

I just finished reading a book called "Mistaken Identity" about the two women pictured above, Laura VanRyn and Whitney Cerak. My sister got the book for Christmas, but I borrowed it last night and couldn't put it down. Laura and Whitney were involved in a car crash on their way home from a school banquet. Authorities contacted the VanRyn family and told them that Laura had survived but was in critical condition ... they told the Cerak family that Whitney had been instantly killed. For months, the VanRyn family stayed by Laura's side in the hospital, caring for her and nurturing her. As she began to regain her strength, the family noticed that something wasn't right. One day, during a physio-therapy session, the therapist asked Laura to write her name. She wrote: WHITNEY.

This true story is absolutely incredible. The families of both women are such strong, devoted Christians and the book outlines how their faith and their belief in the goodness of God is what got them through such a horrible ordeal. I put the book down and was filled with so much admiration for both the VanRyn and the Cerak families, they are such an inspiration to me.

There were two parts in the book that really touched me. The first was when Whitney's sister, Carly, is told that her sister was instantly killed in the crash. Her immediate reaction is to tell her friends: "God is still good. He is still good. This doesn't change that at all." The second was when Lisa, Laura's sister, discovers that the girl she thought was Laura is actually Whitney. She kneels down next to Whitney's wheelchair and whispers: "you're doing great Whitney, you're doing great." I was deeply moved by the genuine grace these two sisters had in the midst of all their sorrow. We could all learn a lot from them.

If you have a chance to read the book I really recommend it ... it is a powerful story of hope and faith, and it will move you.

xox

JESUS is the reason for the season

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

- Isaiah 9:6

my wish list ...

I am constantly amazed by the little treasures I stumble across on the etsy site. If you haven't spent some time exploring etsy, you seriously don't know what you're missing out on. Handmade goodies, reasonable prices, unique crafting supplies. *sigh* AND it's open for shopping 24 hours a day! Etsy is like music to my artsy soul.

Here are some of my current favorite items ... Santa, are you listening???? ....

New York City wood-mounted stamps ... aren't they just fabulous?

A cupcake pin cushion ... I am in love.

I love the quote, love the art work ... I need this print!

goodbye ♥

On Friday night, I lost something incredibly precious to me: my kitten. We had found him by the side of the road and brought him home, where we showered him with love and affection. For three months, he nibbled on our toes, climbed up our legs, curled up with us and tried to eat our food. When I left for school or work, he would run to the window and watch me leave. When I came home at the end of the day, he'd come running to the door to greet me. He was a really special little guy ... such an affectionate, energetic personality.

He died suddenly and very unexpectedly. I was getting ready for bed and called him to come, because he always slept with me. When he didn't come running, I began to look for him. When I couldn't find him, I began to panic and woke my mother up. We eventually found his little body downstairs, about two hours later. I can't even begin to describe the pain and sadness that swept over me in that moment. I couldn't believe he was gone ... I still can't believe he's gone. He was only 3 months old.

Some people say "you never know what you have until it's gone", but I'm lucky to be able to disagree. I knew how precious Nugget was from the moment I first held him. I'm so glad I spent Thursday on the sofa, listening to Christmas music with him. Those are moments I will never be able to get back, and I'm so glad I took advantage of them while he was around.

Please give your fur babies an extra hug tonight, in memory of mine. I love you Nuggie. I love you lots and lots.

xoxox

such a lazy, lazy day ...

Today I allowed myself the luxury of sleeping in, and I woke up at noon! I wasn't feeling so great, so I dragged myself out to the living room, plopped down on the sofa, flipped on the radio and stayed there for a good 4 hours, listening to Christmas music on the radio and talking with my cat. Then I watched Take Home Chef on television .... I loooove that show! Today he made lobster for one couple and and filet mignon for the other couple, and the desserts were flamboyant strawberries (aka strawberries on fire) and some fancy schmancy caramel cake that looked delicious. I was totally inspired to cook, but I really wasn't feeling up to it so I ate grilled cheese instead.

I finished my evening watching Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (such a fabulous movie! I love it, and I love that I know it by heart so I was able to say the lines before the characters could. *lol* I swear, the little things in life amuse me most). I must have been PMS-ing more than I thought I was, because I sobbed at the end of the movie when Kevin gets reunited with his mom. {Can I say that on a public blog? PMS-ing? Is that inappropriate? Ooops}

Then I watched the end of the Rudolph movie and realized that it's actually totally inappropriate for children. I mean really ... hitting the scary snowman monster over the head with a ball of ice? That's just asking to be duplicated on a school playground somewhere ... just sayin' ....

I spent the rest of my evening surfing the net and reading a bunch of blogs I haven't read in awhile, and I've decided that I absolutely NEED to get my hands on this paper by Cosmo Cricket:

I also decided that I want to go to Maine right this second. I miss my beach town. I wanna go shopping for wood-mounted stamps at Maine-ly Stamps and eat the "mile high meatloaf" at Bessie's and walk along the beach (yes, I realize it's freezing but that's irrelevant). I think I am going to make a countdown calendar, counting down the number of days until my week at the beach.

Ohhhh and I also decided that I am seriously ready to get married. *sigh* Yet another one of my lovely friends (Mila) just got engaged and she'll be getting married and moving to Casablanca ... yes, CASABLANCA ... to be with her hubby. I'm extremely happy for her but I have to admit, I'm getting a tad bit impatient. I mean come'on Lord, when is it going to be my turn already? If any of you ladies know a nice, single Christian guy and want to play matchmaker ... *pick me! pick me!*

Well, that's it for tonight.

Love to you all. xoxo