Look at the cat gift I was given today!!!!

We had our family Christmas today. MIL makes stained glass.  My father had painted a portrait of me gardening in our back field, when I was about 4 years old. I have the portrait hanging above my piano.  Mother-in-law (Marge, whom I named both my cat and my username after) surprised me with the most wonderful gift: her interpretation of me, as a 4-yr-old, but playing with my beloved kitties in that field. I cried when she pointed out that the black cat was Smudge (who died 2 years ago November 2), chasing a butterfly over the Rainbow Bridge. She said she thought the design was "too busy", but I LOVE it any way:

Wow - that is wonderful and with so much emotion in it.

MargeCat said:

I agree! I just can't believe someone would design and do this for me. Apparently, she's been working on it for a couple of years, and DH saw it in progress; it was a big secret. Honestly, it is the nicest gift I've ever gotten. Imagine the time it took to design and make!

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It's beautiful!  And there was obviously a great deal of thought and work put into it.  Those are the gifts that mean the most.

Some years ago I worked with a girl who did stained glass work. I bought a few things from her to give out as gifts. 

Absolutely beautiful, what a thoughtful gift.

That is so beautiful and so thoughtful...that is what is truly a gift from the heart.

That has to be one of the best presents I've ever seen!!  It always means more when you know so much love and thought went into it!

Wow, that's a very special gift from the heart and something to really treasure.

What a thoughtful, beautiful gift!

That is just beautiful!

That is really beautiful!

Wow - just WOW! That is AMAZING. Not only is it beautiful - it so unbelievably thoughtful. Obviously something you will treasure forever. :heart3: It is a very, very, very special and meaningful gift!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a wonderful MIL! No wonder you named your kitty after her! :lol3: :heart3:

It is amazingly beautiful and It made me cry when I read that she includes your Smudge chasing a butterfly, I just love it, what an amazing gift!!!

That is beautiful.  You are very blessed to have such caring in-laws.  Truly, that kind of love just doesn't happen for all of us with our in-laws...no matter how hard we try.  Thank you for sharing this with us.

What an incredibly special gift! Very beautiful!

Just beautiful..... Oh my gosh.... that gift will be very, very special to you forever :heart3: How thoughtful of your MIL, Marge. She must have worked long and hard on that gift. Just fabulous work too

LDG said:

Wow - just WOW! That is AMAZING. Not only is it beautiful

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fantastic, fantastic my friend! thank you so much for share!...

That is truly a beautiful gift - how blessed you are to have such wonderful people in your family.  Oh, now to find just the right place to hang it.  I wonder if there's some way to mount it on a wall with a light behind it - you said you didn't have a good window available?

Do you have a fireplace it could go over?  Or a room with a chandelier, like a dining room, where it might catch some of the light?  I have a small stained glass piece that came with a wroght iron holder with pedestals for candles behind it.  Then you'd just need a safe place for it to stand.  You could do those battery operated tea lights and things.