and the stockings were hung.....

P-E-A-C-E

I can't remember what was going through my mind when I bought those "PEACE" stocking holders almost 12 years ago, but I obviously had more foresight at 24 years old than I gave myself credit for.... I bought them shortly after the Hubs and I got married.....I bought them before we even started discussing baby #1...but somehow,

I knew....

Every year I would take them out of the Christmas box and look at them. I thought about putting them up after Nathan was born and getting some stockings for the Hubs and I...

But I didn't.

I waited

I waited until last year, when we finally had enough stockings to fill them up.......I've always known I wanted a big family....I've always known one way or the other we would fill up each of those letters. Even way back then....before I knew where life was going to take us....I knew.

Those stocking holders aren't even my style anymore...I'm all about rod iron and dark wood...and these are a bright silver...( I have 4 AWESOME rod iron snowflake ones that I love!)...But when you have held on to them for close to 12 years waiting to use them.....well,....you use them. Maybe next year I'll spray paint them black or change them in some way....but for now..I love sitting in front of that fireplace looking at ALL those names and remembering the wonderful, exciting, fulfilling years it has taken to fill them up...