Photo Tag....Possessions

Stephanie at Adventures in Babywearing has a new photo tag. This week she's asking us to post a picture of a cherished possession. Now I love lots of things, but very few I find truly cherished. Of course I immediately thought of my family, but not really sure if they count as "possessions". I have a few baby things from each child that I truly cherish, but they are boxed up, and I just don't have it in me today to go dig those out to take pictures. And of course I cherish my scrapbooks and photos I have around my house, but I was trying to think of something else that means something to me. I came up with a few things. OK now, don't laugh at this first one.

Yes, that is a picture of my washer and dryer. And the reason I chose these is probably not at all what you are thinking. I've had these for almost 15 years now. What's special about them? My grandparents bought them for us and "sneaked" them into our house while we were on our honeymoon. It was a very nice surprise to come home to. But there's more to the story. I had no idea that my wedding would be the last time I'd see my Granny. We decided to cut our honeymoon short and come home just because we were ready. We came home on Wednesday. On Thursday I called my grandparents to tell them thank you and to invite them for dinner on Friday - our very first house/dinner guests. My Granny was SO excited. I was the oldest grandchild and was very close to her. She couldn't wait to come have dinner at my house. Unfortunately, that was the last time I spoke to her. She died of a heart attack that night. I was devastated. What was supposed to be the happiest week of my life (up to then) turned out to be one of the saddest. I'm so thankful God allowed things to happen the way they did as far as us coming home early and allowing me to have that last conversation with her. I think he did that just for me because I don't think I could have handled coming home from my honeymoon to find out she was already gone. I really believe he allowed me to say good bye, even thought I wasn't aware that was what I was doing! Anyway, often when I do laundry, I think of my Granny. And that makes these common appliances special to me. I have told Chip that if we ever move, those go with us! I know that eventually they may need to be replaced - appliances only last so long, but until then, they will remain with me!

Ok, next is this cabinet.

This was my Grandmama's. She died a few years ago - another difficult loss. I loved my grandparents so much, and losing them is not an easy thing. My mom thought I'd like to have this cabinet, and she was right. It is quite sentimental to have a piece of furniture that belonged to my grandmother, and I hope to one day pass it to my daughter. It housed all my crystal for a long time, but due to lack of space, all of that has been boxed up and put in storage for now. This now houses some of my scrapbooking supplies, since my scrap space is in the dining area. I had to make the best use of my space, and this holds quite a lot of stuff!
Lastly - although this isn't technically mine, it is Chip's, but it is very special.

Chip's Grandmother made this quilt. She actually made one for each of her grandchildren. It is the United States. Each square contains a state along with its name, its flower, its bird, and the year it was inducted into the union. The original 13 colonies also include which one it was (1st of the 13th...). What a labor of love, and it is very cherished.

Well, this post ended up being longer than I anticipated, so I will start another one to put the pictures of the kids for today that I was going to include in this one.
And thanks Stephanie for the walk down memory lane!
If you want to see more possession photos, or add your own, click here.