Heirloom Party

I came across this link for an Heirloom Blog Party a couple weeks ago. Although there aren't many items that have made it through more than a couple of generations, I still wanted to share the few treasured things I plan on passing down. You may be wondering what a blog party is all about. It is a fantastic idea, but I think that the blog party host can explain it much better than I can.

Heirloom Party

Whether you are participating in the Heirloom Party, or coming by as a guest to browse the other blogs, I want to welcome you! Aren't blog parties fun? Where else can you join with other friends in your jammies, sip on your drink of choice in the comfort of your own home while perusing pictures and reading stories to your heart's content? Only in Blogland!

I come from a very close-knit family where tradition and cherished treasures are handed down to children and future generations. It's really a lost art. So I am determined to keep those traditions and treasured heirlooms alive. I feel very blessed to have been given these things to enjoy and pass down to my own children.

~Marie of Emma Calls Me Mama~

Heirlooms That Have Been Passed Down To Me:

When I was a little girl, I loved to visit my grandparents on both sides. They all four lived in another state, so it was a special treat to get to see them. When I was with my Mammaw Oliver, I was always fascinated by a music box she kept on her dresser. I would sit in her rocking chair--with the music box in my lap--chatting away to her while This Is Musical strummed out from the velvety box. She would tell me that it was one of her favorite things, and someday this tiny treasure would be mine. Years later most of my Mammaw and Pappaw Oliver's possessions were auctioned off. Sigh... I thought the music box was gone forever. My uncle had kept it from the auction though and handed it off to my dad to give to me. I can't express to you how delighted I was when my dad placed it into my hands. It has maintained a proud place on my own dresser. Inside this special box, I keep a watch that also belonged to my Mammaw Oliver.

Heirlooms That Are Going To Be Passed Down To Me:

My mother has some beautiful items that she plans on passing down to my sister and I: her emerald and diamond rings, several other pieces of jewelry, an upright piano, her wedding gown, a set of china, a large cedar chest with treasured items she has accumulated over the years (photos of both her grandparents and a cousin who died in Vietnam, baby memory books belonging to my sister and I, poems and pictures we gave her when we were little)... My father brings to the mix of heirlooms a family bible, the folded flag honoring my grandfather's military service, two beautiful photographs--one of his mother and the other of his father--still in their original frames, a painting done by one of his aunts... One hundred years from now (hopefully longer than that because I always want my parents around) my sister and I will inherit these wonderful treasures.

My parents also have a lovely Victorian love seat that belonged to my grandmother. It was quite old when my mammaw purchased, reupholstered, and proudly placed this item in her own home. In recent years, it has found a new niche in my parents' home. And someday it will find a home with me...

Heirlooms I Am Passing Down To Lydia (or any other child Tim and I may have):

Aside from the items mentioned above, some of the special things I have to pass on are my wedding dress...

a baby grand piano from the 1940's...

a recipe box Tim and I received as a wedding gift... (My Uncle Gene made it for us. Tucked away inside is my collection of family recipes.)

and my antique books that are all more than 100 years old.

Please visit Emma Calls Me Mama to join the party. Happy Heirlooming!