My cup (Mailbox) runneth over

Wow! My mailbox runneth  over with many sweet birthday wishes for me. Thank you all! My birthday is on Sunday and yes it its Super bowl Sunday!!! I have the flu and pray to be feeling better by then. 

Phoenix... Rising from the Ashes

HA so apparently my mom wanted to name the new kitten "Treasure" (Treasure found in the ashes) and dad wanted to name it "Phoenix" (as in rising from the ashes). Dad took the kitten to the vet just now and mom and dad had decided before hand, if it was a girl it would be her pick, and a boy it would be dad's pick. So apparently dad just texted mom and the new kitty's name is....PHOENIX!    - Kelly

We found Treasure today!

Look who we found today! Two Weeks ago we found 3 kittens that had been born in our bedroom. The next time we got back to the house the Mom had moved them. :( David found her this morning and she is going home with us.  -Sharon

We thought we had lost this. ..

A few years ago us kids gave mom painting stuff for Christmas so she could paint a scene she had talked about for years! ! It was the Lake at St. James place where my great grandparents lived. We would go fishing with them there and it was beautiful. Well mom painted it and it was beautiful.

After the fire we were trying to remember where it was in the house so we could see if it survived. We never could.

A Day ago I decide to re arrange our office closet and I came across a bag with this flat thing. That flat thing was my mom's art pad!  The first page was her painting! !!! I then remembered I had taken it to find a frame for it months ago! !!  We thought we had lost it. So glad I had it the whole time.

-Stacy

We found some of our baby things in the attic!

Buried under ashes and melted plastic container lids was some treasures from when we were babies. We had just accepted the fact that everything in the attic was gone. The night of the fire it burned for over an hour. So when my dad and I uncovered a pile of baby clothes in the attic we were astonished. Some of them are burned and can not be worn again BUT anyone who knows my mom knows she will figure out a way to make a blanket from the small pieces that survived for our future babies or some other way for them to be wrapped in our past (since they can't wear the baby clothes we all wore). Among the things we found were 2 of the rings we wore during our Christenings. A few seconds of fire on them and they would have melted. It is incredible the things that seem to have had a bubble of protection around them. God knew what would give us hope and enough strength to move on and rebuild. Since one of the rings was brandons and one was either kelly's or mine we have decided that our future kids... if they are a boy can wear brandon's and if it is a girl then the other one. :) - Stacy

Found more things today.

Found more things today. T-shirts from our childhood that we had saved over the years to make t-shirt quilts for each of us...enough to still do that survived. Some of my mom's journals! Some of my childhood artwork. God is good. - Stacy

Playing with possible roof lines

Playing with possible roof lines for new house

-Kelly

Next Day finds - 12.16.2012

It was amazing what we found today. We found precious things like an old cross wall panel from the church where my parents got married and still belong. My mom's trunk that stores all kinds of goodies. It is amazing what we are finding. It is as if God said "no not this" because He knew we would need somethings to start over with. He knew that the things that survived would give us hope and strength to move forward. Anything we find is a blessing. We thought the whole house would be a loss and were just thankful for God's protection of their lives. So the treasures in the ashes that we have found and will continue to find until we can't search anymore are all extra blessings from God. 

Meeting with contractor about plans!!!

This will be the fun part! I know my parents have been looking forward to the planning process. This is where they can dream and just move on and move forward.

The amazing thing is that God has been preparing relationships for this very moment. Dwight and I have become very good friends with a couple who own a contracting company! And not only that but they SPECIALIZE in disaster recovery! So on the night of the fire after I called to ask for them to be praying as we drove from our house to my parents house... Matt (the owner) texted Dwight and then before I knew what was happening was there with his company trailer for my parents to use to store stuff! After my Dad and Matt met and talked a bit... It was clear to my Dad that this is who they wanted to be their contractor! We met Matt and Ashley thru our Connect Group at church. I think it was even before Dwight and I were married. So at least 2 years ago! They are precious people and God knew what he was doing. Not only have we been blessed by their friendship but God was not surprised by the fire and connected us years ago so that now my parents are being blessed by Complete Construction Contractors and Matt's knowledge in how to handle all of this. If not for him on the night of the fire and his explaining "ok here is their next step..."... we would pretty much have been clueless. I thank God for them and their willingness to let God use them not only as our friends but also continue to let their light shine thru their business and helping others. It is a real weight off of my shoulders to know that my parents are in good hands and are being taken care of... yanno? God is good. 

Dad's handmade quilt... recovered the night of the fire

This quilt was made especially for my dad upon his retirement from Exxon. A dear friend made it for him and he uses it everyday in his spot on the couch. When I peeked my head in their front door after the firemen said it was ok... I saw it sitting on the corner of the couch (next to his spot) and it was as if there was a spotlight on it amongst all the ashes. I thought it was only a piece of the quilt but was happy to see that any of it remained. When I asked for the guys inside to hand it to me... I was amazed when it got to me and I realized it was the WHOLE quilt... still folded like my dad had left it. I hurried down the driveway and gave it to my dad. He was so happy. So was my mom. The treasures we find in the ashes remind us what is really important in life and gives us hope for the future. This quilt will once again rest on the corner or the couch near my dads spot... in their new home soon.

 - Stacy

How awesome is my mom?

My mom in a HazMat mask going thru things at their house...

Nason Family Fund Raiser

Thanks to a sweet friend ( Kari Roucher ) that I have known since I was a little girl... there is a fund raiser going on to help my parents ( Sharon Horton Nason ) after the loss of their house to a fire on Dec. 15th, 2012. If you would like to check it out the webpage address is www.pamperedchef.biz/kariroucher the show name is Nason Family! We'll finalize the orders on 1/10/13.  Set up an account and then it should ask host name put Kelly Surace. Please share with friends and family! :) -Stacy