First Christmas tree.

The plan was to get an ugly tree because it's what I had envisioned for quite some time.  I guess I felt like an ugly tree was what a first Christmas tree should look like-- a scrawny blue spruce with more branches than needles.  Well, when you live in the city (by city I mean "not between two cornfields, where the closest form of civilization is the Travel America 5 miles down the road and the nearest grocery store, called Miller Brothers nonetheless, is a good 15-20 minute drive) its a bit tough to find an "ugly" one when they're all brought in from local tree farms miles away.  Naturally, everyone would want the "pretty" trees, so that's what they bring into this so-called "city".  

After stopping at a couple places and not finding anything that jumped at us, we ended up at Heights Garden Center and then this baby was sold.  (I actually cried-- 1. because it is our first Christmas tree and it's special, 2. I think it's just plain cute).  We spent more than we had anticipated but both decided it was well worth it. 

 Locally grown,  healthy,  absolutely beautiful -- check.

We spent the night making ornaments with recycled cardboard, glitter and glue.  Then we had cookies, watched a Christmas movie, and I fell asleep. ;)

It was really special to spend some time thinking and talking about the boys while decorating the tree.  We hung their ornaments and talked about which one we thought would have been Daddy's buddy and which would have been Mamma's boy.  Ironically, we both had the same thoughts:  Peter said, "I always thought Hugh would have been my little buddy." I told him that was so cute because I always thought of Leif as mine.

some of our homemade ornaments. . .
the birdies are of course significant.  I'll never think of
them the same. . 

These empty-cradle ornaments were given to us
 by sweet, sweet friends who had the boys' names and
birthday engraved on them.

Our precious tree-topper

Both of our stockings are finally here and I am just tickled pink. I'm starting to adore burlap more and more, though not enough to wear it just yet. ;) These stockings are green, earthy and uniquely match while still being different and "us" individually. 

made from a recycled coffee sack and lined

with red and off-white ticking.

Plain old burlap, long and lean, accessorized 

with a cute ivory linen flower.

-A.H.