My Favorite Things

These are a few of my favorite things from my china cabinet. I inherited the china cabinet from my grandparents estate in 1994. It is filled with things that I chose when the time came to move everything from my grandparents condo in Seattle. Many things have sentimental value and a few have monetary value as well. The milk glass coffee cup is purely sentimental! I think everyone's Grandma and Grandpa had one of those coffee cups back in the 60's or 70's!








The teacup and saucer along with the serving dish came from a large collection that my Grandparents received at their wedding in the 1930's. They received 2 sets and when my sister and I were teenagers our Grandma let us choose the set we would like to inherit. I was the oldest and I chose this service for 8. Sorry Sis! Her set was not nearly as grand. I love the floral design. It is Bohemia Royal Ivory in the Supremacy pattern. Made in Czechoslovakia. I think the entire set is nearly complete and is only missing one piece.

I believe the beautiful lady in pink and green is a porcelain German made Powder Box. I love this piece too! She used to reside in my Grandma's guest bathroom. It is one of the only things I specifically asked for. She is in perfect condition. I love the detailing and mix of colors in her dress.

The nude glassware was a gift from my sister. Our Grandma gave them to her years ago. They had belonged to my Great Aunt Marjorie and Great Uncle John E. My Grandparents had had to empty their apartment after Marjorie died and John E. went to a Nursing Home. I guess there were a great many treasures to be found in that apartment. Marjorie had impeccable taste. Marjorie was also a smoker and my Grandparents, who were not had the unpleasant task of wading through all the smoke filled items. A collection of these glasses were found among many other interesting items. A very nice reader of my blog has let me know and I confirmed that these are French made by Bayel Bacchus although I still haven't found any that are in the gold plated trim. Thank you!








The Amethyst purple glass perfume bottle was in my Grandmother's things but I don't remember ever having seen it before then. I'm not sure where it came from originally. It is one of my favorite treasures.



There are many more things in my china cabinet that are not pictured here. I also have a set of 6 very old, thin glass Parfait glasses. All in very delicate shades of pink, yellow and blue with a clear base. These had belonged to my Great Grandmother.

I have a few very fine handkerchiefs that were also made by my Great Grandmother that are laying along the edge of the cabinet shelves on display.

I have a few Dutch clog/shoe figurines as my Great Grandparents were from Holland. There was usually a blue and white theme somewhere in the decor at my Grandma's homes as she had a collection of Delft or Delft-inspired things.

I also have some newer things in the china cabinet. My oldest daughter gave me a beautiful miniature Swarovski glass flower vase with lots of rhinestones to sprinkle on the mirrored display base. I have gifts from the world travels of friends and family over the years. There is a mix of old and new.

My Grandma's "everyday" dishes are in the bottom of the china cabinet. I bring them out when my younger daughter Kristina needs dishes for her annual Tea Party with all of her close girlfriends. Grandma would be very happy that her things are being used.

The china cabinet and all the contents are supposed to go to my oldest daughter when the time comes. I know she will value it as I do. She still remembers her Great Grandma Kay and Grandpa Larry. I hope someday it will go on to my Granddaughter Emma as well and on from there.

I thought I would add this little blurb that my sister just emailed to me about the Bayel stems:

I got the box out not too long ago and took a look inside..I think there are still about 6 in there. And I've NEVER seen the gold dipped ones anywhere else. Grandma absolutely HATED them and was so happy I expressed an interest in them. Funny, because we were just sitting around talking and I told Grandma how I remembered when we were younger going to J & M's and looking into a cabinet they had and seeing these "exotic" gold frosted glasses, not even remembering that they were nude (gasp) and thinking how beautiful they were. She got up, left the room and came back a few minutes later with this old "Chatham Purry Blanket" box tied with string. Opened it up and said "I always thought these were just awful and didn't know what to do with them. I'm so glad someone else wants them." And handed the box to me. I thought there were probably two or so stems in the box just packed really well (because I'd only seen two or so on display) so imagine my surprise when I did open the box to find there were SIXTEEN of them! WOW! And that's why I decided to share them too since I have no need for that many and I certainly wasn't going to sell them.

My Collection of Vintage and Antique Marriage Certificates 1893 to 1925

In Holy Matrimony






In honor of my 22nd Wedding Anniversary which was yesterday I thought I would share my small collection of vintage and antique marriage certificates. My husband Rick and I have been married since January 26, 1987. We met in the fourth grade at our elementary school! We dated on and off over the years, through most of high school, we separated for several years after that and eventually married later. There were a lot of detours in our lives before we finally found each other again. I'm happy that we did. I have a great husband!








I love the art work on these certificates. The marriages date from 1893 to 1925. I have a few more in my collection that are unframed but they haven't fared as well as the framed ones have. They are brittle and torn. I keep them in a drawer for safekeeping.

One of the framed certificates has photos hidden behind but I can't remember which one and these are all fragile too. A few have very brittle wood backings that I don't want to remove.

I often wonder why a family would let these precious memories go to a stranger. I wonder that about family photos and heirlooms too. I can't imagine letting these things go but I know not everyone feels the way I do. I still have my Grandma's Milk Glass candy dish full of gum and candies just as it was the day she died. That was in 1993! Not everyone is so sentimental!

I like collecting these bits of family history but I wish the families could have enjoyed them as I have. They have a place of honor in my home. I've thought of looking for the descendants of each family but I haven't had the time. I've done lots of genealogy research myself and I'm sure I would be able to find them easily. Maybe I will work on that soon...








I acquired most of these on eBay a few years ago when I had time and money to spare! I really love them all and they hang in my guest bedroom where I can admire them. I often wonder if these couples stayed married and for how long. I guess that's another reason why I love collecting them. There are unanswered questions.Each has a bit of mystery to them. It is my hope that they all lived long and happy lives with their own families.










I tried to take good photographs of them this morning but the weather wouldn't cooperate. Freezing rain and paper don't mix so I had to take photos outside under our covered porch area. Not the best for lighting so please pardon the reflections. I hope you enjoyed looking at my collection!







For Better, For Worse,
For Richer, For Poorer,

In Sickness, And In Health
To Love And To Cherish

Till Death Us Do Part.

My Vintage Family

The photo above is of my Dad holding me, my sister and my brother circa the Summer of 1965. He looks so young! I'm the very tan little girl on the left. The photo was taken at our grandparents house off Tampico Road in Corvallis, Oregon. We have so many fond memories of Sunday dinners spent there over the years. I used to spend a week or two with them every summer. My grandma would teach me to knit or crochet or sew or bake on any given visit. I loved being there and soaking up her nurturing spirit. One of my favorite memories is of her letting me sit on her lap in a comfy recliner while she read me a story, while simultaneously scratching my back! Oh, how I loved that! Backscratching is a family tradition now. My grandson Evan, who is almost 3, will pull up his shirt, turn around and back up to me. It is an unspoken wish that I will then scratch his back. Of course his wish is granted. I think I like it more than he does just for the sweet memory.



Our grandparents lived near the end of long dirt road in the country near Camp Adair outside of Corvallis. Their simple ranch style house sat up on small hill. Their garage was an old ammunition hut set into the bottom of the hill---part of the WWII era. The area always smelled like the many old Oak trees that surrounded their house. I still love that smell. Damp and earthy. They had a natural fed spring for water with a little trench and a hose that ran into the house. My Grandpa made his own golf driving range in a field next to the house. We called it the "Golf Course". Grandpa loved golfing and bowling and watching the stock market later on in life. Instead of picking up the mail and newspaper when he arrived home from work, my Grandpa would drive his car down the long road and walk back to get them. I guess it was for the exercise or maybe just the solitude. I would occasionally take that walk with him and I would pick blackberries along the way. There was a nice pond at the end of the road that I always liked to look at. I never really knew if my Grandpa really wanted me tagging along or if my Grandma had had enough of me that day and forced him to take me! But I enjoyed my time with him nonetheless. He wasn't nearly as demonstrative as Grandma and you always wondered if he really wanted you around. He was loving in his own way and was easier to understand when I got older. My sister and I often comment on how our lives would have been so different if not for the guidance, love and attention we received from our grandparents.



Grandma had a way of making you feel special but she didn't put up with any "nonsense" either. Loving but firm. She had a wooden paddle in the shape of a hand on top of her refrigerator. We were deathly afraid of it even though I don't think it was ever put to any use. All she had to say was, "Do you want me to get The Hand?" I don't think we disobeyed her much but we had our moments. My brother and I made her cry once when we disobeyed strict orders to not pick her Pampas Grass plumes. They were pretty irresistible because they looked like a giant white feather. I think we were 5 or 6 then. Oh, seeing my Grandma cry broke my heart. I don't think we could apologize enough. She loved her garden and plants around the yard. As I get older I see the value in all that she taught us and I try to be to my grandchildren what she once was to me. I always remember how smart she was when it was one of our birthdays. She would bake the cake herself....always beautiful. You would always get a home cooked meal of your choice. Mine was always Pot Roast. She would have several gifts for the birthday girl/boy and would also give one small gift to the other two so there would be no jealousy or hurt feelings to spoil the party. She made us all feel special.

Every time I smell Folgers Coffee it takes me back to early mornings at Grandma's. She had a percolator and I loved the sound of that thing and it smelled wonderful! My sister and I once told her about the smell of that coffee and what it meant to us....she just said, "Oh, you girls. The things you remember!" I secretly think she liked it. We always told her how much she meant to us and I think she treasured that. I'm glad we told her because I think it made her happy to know how much we appreciated them when we were growing up.



I was originally going to write about getting older and how you can't go back to your younger days no matter how much you'd like to. Getting older stinks sometimes but it also has it's rewards, like children,grandchildren and hopefully you gain some wisdom for your efforts. My sister and I were just talking about how we wished we looked like we did when were younger (or better) and I said that no matter how much weight we lose or how stylishly our hair is cut we will never be that young again or ever look as good as we did back then. I don't think she liked my assessment of the current situation. It's a sad realization that those days are gone. We're not "old" yet but we're getting there more quickly than we ever thought possible! Time flies! I guess all we can do is try to treasure our memories of youth, appreciate our lives for what they are now and realize that time does change things but it also has it's own gifts to give. I treasure all three of my children and my three grandchildren. I like watching them all grow and change. I love spending time with them. I'm blessed with kids that I like to be around and I'm even more blessed that they like to spend time with me. I treasure my sister, she is my best friend. She understands how I feel because she feels it too. We've been through a lot together and consider our times spent talking together as "therapy". We have a Mother who made having a wonderful Grandma a necessity (and blessing) but that is another long post that I will probably never write. I treasure my husband but I don't think he knows how much I do. I have some work to do there! I have a great family. We are all close and get along well. I may not ever be that young, cute girl ever again but I have something much better now. A life well lived and so much more ahead of me that I'm looking forward to. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for all your love, guidance and support.

Thanks for reading this long post! Please comment and tell me your memories of your special Grandparents. I'd love to read them.