The stockings are hung

Yesterday I decided it was time to decorate the family room/playroom in the basement. Only nothing went as planned. Usually I have a regular green tree down there, with all of the "sentimental" ornaments, the ones we made as kids, and now the ones Jack is making. Nothing matchy, no glass garlands, whatever lights are handy. Except there is no longer a stand for our green tree. And 3 of the branches are broken off the Martha Stewart white tree. And I could NOT find the Christmas stockings anywhere.

My husband says, hey, let's go get a real tree for downstairs. Ok, I am game for that. Off to the tree lot we go. Except the tree lot is closed. So, off to another tree lot we go. Great, I see the tree I want without even leaving the car, and we have waited so long it is 50% off! On the way home I decide I REALLY need multi colored C7 lights for this tree. (So much for not giving a hoot about the tree, eh?) Something like 5 stores later, and still no multi C7's in hand, I give up and start throwing a mish mash of lights on the tree. In the end, it looks pretty good. And it only took about 2 hours to decorate from start to finish, unlike the 15 hours or so I put into the vintage sparkly beauties.

Back to the stockings. My husband eventually remembered where they were, and up they went, hung by the chimney with care. I am ridiculously attached to these stockings, and I was really crying in my cheerios about not being able to find them. They are the softest old printed flannel, and each stocking reverses to a cheerful holiday message. (And, yes, I do know that we are not "brother" or "sister", but, I still love them!) If you haven't clicked to enlarge them, do so! Look at the toys, and the cute little elves.

After seeing the bird garland on Kiddley, I knew I had to make some. This is definitely the year of the bird for me. Cute and easy, you should totally make some for yourselves.