Hand-made Christmas Stockings!

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

I love Christmas stockings. I've already shared mine with you in a previous blog. I think I've also mentioned that I am also a wanna-be crafter. I try, but not much turns out well. Ever hopeful, I never give up. I have many stories about such 'crafts'...from blue pickles, to moldy christmas dough ornaments, and we won't even get into gingerbread houses! Well, maybe I will share the gingerbread house story with you another day in December!

One year I decided to make Christmas stockings for my family. Why should I be the only one with a special stocking? For some reason I had a sewing machine (shocking and that's a whole other story). So off I went to a fabric store (shudder) and found some cute material and trim. I was so excited!

I had no pattern of course; how hard could this be? I just drew the patterns and cut! Easy enough...looked great. Sewed the material and boom, they were finished. All I had to do was decorate with rick rack, buttons and fringe. Three darling stockings. I was so proud.

Then I turned them right-side out to begin the decorating. WHOOPS! I had not allowed the inches necessary to have a nice wide stocking, thus I ended up with stockings that were about 3 inches wide!!!! I didn't buy extra material so I was stuck. I went ahead and decorated them (wish I had a picture now) and they turned out so adorable...except for the width, of course.

Let's just say, no orange ever fit into one of them. We had a lot of laughs because each and every year I put in a banana.

Unique, that's it!

The home-made stockings were adorable and unique!

We can spin anything to a positive!!!!!

Noel, Noel

For some reason this photograph of my Christmas stocking would not load into my blog yesterday. I just wanted you all to see how darling it is! I should have stuffed it full of gifts for myself so it was all puffed out and easily readable...but you get the idea. Each time I see it I can't believe I hadn't ever lost it in 65 years. If you knew me well, you'd know I have misplaced or lost forever things of significance.

Noel, Noel

Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel

OK I DID IT!

I can't believe it! I actually took down my fall harvest decorations and put up Christmas. Now nicely packed away for the move are all the orange, browns and bronze colors and out comes the red, green and white making way for a shinier and brighter motif bringing forth the LIGHT of the World.

My favorite thing to unpack and hang is my Christmas Stocking. Its a knitted stocking in red, white and green stripes with my name knitted in there. It was a gift from my Godmother for my first Christmas ever! I am astounded that I haven't misplaced that all these long 65 years! Then a nativity set that was my mothers...Joseph got lost though.

I'm keeping it simple this year...no tree, no elaborate lights and just using what I have kept over the years (and I got rid of a ton of that while packing...off to Goodwill it went). I just saved some of my favorite things -- I think no more than 10. I did dress up the geese on the porch though..so cute.

I am learning simple. I am beginning to appreciate it so much. It's a much easier and peaceful way to live. As I've sorted though everything and I mean everything in the past couple of months, discarding the unnecssary, keeping only what I cherish or need, shredding til I'm shredding in my sleep all the papers of years gone by of my life and Jeff's, eating on a schedule, going to bed early and sleeping all night, becoming organized in all areas of my life I feel as though the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders.(And 40 lbs off my body) :)

Sure, the 'situations' still exist that cannot be reconciled quite yet, the lack of money, the tribulations of the world in just being alive in 2008 are extraordinary and yet I feel peace and joy, deep within. Thank you Christ Jesus. You came into the world in the most simple way. Let me learn from that.

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27 KJV)

But to His disciples He said, "My peace, I leave that with you; that is My legacy. My joy, I give that to you."