This post by Angie is absolutely beautiful.

Happy Weekend, y’all.

1. If you have an extra $3.96 sitting around, then I would like to encourage you to add this little nugget-o-wonder to your Christmas music collection.

It’s a Christmas EP by Act of Congress. And IT IS A DELIGHT. I just found out about Act of Congress, oh, yesterday, but it was totally love at first listen. I may have to put their version of “Carol of the Bells” on permanent repeat. So good.

2. Yesterday my pastor wrote a blog post about grandparents, and I may have needed a tissue or four when I finished reading. Consider yourself warned.

4. My friend Anne’s post about installing a backsplash cracked me up. And it also reminded me why I rarely attempt home improvement projects.

5. I can’t wait to sit down and read every single one of the Favorite Things posts on Nester’s blog today (with a great guest post by Hayley, by the way). Makes me want to have a real-life Favorite Things party of my own.

Happy Wednesday, everybody!

Apparently I now feel the need to include a little Spanish (un poquito español) in all my posts. I have a feeling that tendency is going to SKYROCKET in about five days, so consider yourselves warned.

Anyway, I just wanted to jump on here really quick and share some links that I’ve enjoyed this week.

- I’ve been a little on the anxious side today, so Becca’s post about waiting for the other shoe to drop really hit me where I’m living. Or where I was living before I wrote John 14:27 on a Post-It, slapped it on my computer and started reading it out loud to myself over and over and over.

I’m not even kidding about that last part.

- My friend Anne has written the most beautiful post: “A Love Letter To The Non-Mother.” So honest and tender-hearted and good.

- If you’re doing any Christmas shopping and think a little Stella & Dot jewelry might fit the bill, here’s a heads-up for you. Whitney Mallory, who’s a stay-at-home mom and the wife of a Navy man, is a Stella & Dot stylist, and she’s donating all of her sales commission to Compassion International. So if you buy anything through Whitney’s Stella & Dot site, her commission from the sale will go to Compassion (specifically, she’s donating to their clean water initiative, their disaster relief and their fund for unsponsored children). I think that’s pretty awesome.

- Priscilla Shirer has put together a list of affirmations from Scripture that we can speak over our children. I can tell you right now that this list will be residing permanently on our refrigerator. Front and center. What a great way to encourage the young’uns in the midst of a hectic morning, you know?

Hope y’all are having a great week!

- Annie’s post on Queen Esther’s courage is so fun, and it struck me as something that could be such a great devotion to read to (or read with) kids.

- About a year ago the little man did sort of a paper maiche’ / watercolor portrait of Africa (obviously he did this at church, under the supervision of grown-ups who don’t twitch at the sight of crafts). I loved it so much, and my mama actually surprised me over the summer by having it framed. I hung it in our half bath and love it – and have thought about creating a little “wall of nations” around the painting that A. did.

The other day my friend Kate sent me a link to some art by a precious 6 year-old girl who has a heart for oprhans and is helping raise money to bring her baby sister home from Africa.

I was so touched that I’m adding Emma’s art to our little powder room collection. I thought some of y’all might want to do the same.

- I have a new post up over at Ree’s blog about movies that (in my opinion) should never, ever be re-made. BACK OFF, HOLLYWOOD.

- Per sweet reader ANDREA’s suggestion (ANDREA always types in all caps because her kids spilled water on her computer and now ALL CAPS is her only option – it cracks me up whenever I see a comment or email from her), Michael Buble’s new Christmas album is definitely worth our attention. I’m about to download it in just a little bit. I like to have all my Christmas albums lined up and ready to go by the day after Halloween, thank you very much.

- I cracked up this morning when I saw a poll question from Steinmart on Facebook:

I wished with everything in me that they had the option of clicking “MARTHA HAS!”

It’s never too early for a jacket! For a three-quarter sleeve jacket! It’s just never too early!

- Finally, remember that from now until October 31st, you can get 10% off of your entire Nations Outfitters order if you use the coupon code BOO MAMA (two words) at check-out. FANCY.

Well, I have a long, rambling tale of my Monday afternoon in the doctor’s office, but I can’t bear to tell it until it has a happy ending. And it won’t have a happy ending until the pharmacy gets my prescription straightened out. Hopefully that’ll happen sometime this morning since Mama here is gonna crash from the temporary boost of a steroid shot around 4:30 pm central time, and IT WOULD BE DELIGHTFUL TO HAVE SOME MEDICATION AT THAT JUNCTURE, OH THANK YOU WALGREENS.

By the way, I’m a little wound up right now. I don’t know if you’ve picked up on that.

But.

Even though the doctor’s office story is on temporary hold, I wanted to make sure to pass along a link to something that I read over the weekend. I ran across it on Facebook, and it’s one of the most heartwarming stories that I’ve read in a long time. I think you’ll like it, too.

Dreams come true despite disability – clarionledger.com

There’s still a whole lot of sweetness in this world, you know? A whole lot of sweetness.

Have a great Tuesday, everybody.