Wednesday, October 9, 2024

HEIRLOOMS


I'm happy to report that my uncle has made it to Ashville to start his new chapter in his new place. His son and daughter-in-law have also found out their existing house had very minimal damage and the new one their having built had no damage. My cousin will be there for the next ten days getting my uncle unpacked and set up. I say he has guts to up at 92 leave and start a new chapter. He said it was time to start anew and he had good closure with my aunt's passing three years ago. Funny when family changes happen, you think back on things. The above picture I came across, is my mother's ancestral home in the Belleview Park area of Harrisburg. Many good times in there with my grandmother. One of my mother's nieces now lives there. While my uncle was packing up and downsizing, he asked me to come over to select a few things of my aunts, and he had a couple things per my aunts' request to pass on to me. While there were many beautiful things, I only have so much room. What he, I and his kids didn't take, most was picked up by Habitat for Humanity, and the tons of canned and box pastas and such to a food pantry. I selected some meaningful things for me that had fond memories.
The first thing I choose to take was my aunt's bread bowl. It's a huge bowl, that had been her and my mother's Aunt Marions. Upon getting married, my aunt made bread daily in this bowl to let the dough rise. I plan to do the same.
Second, I choose these Polish pottery serving dishes. I have always loved the pattern and colors in them. We had many a dinner served with hot dishes in them.

A cut glass pitcher and glasses she often served her iced tea in.

When I see this tea set, I always see my aunt. She used it quite frequently. And like me she loved artisan colored glass. I always loved this vase. When the sun hit it, the colors are brilliant. I shined a light in it to show the colors.
But what my aunt really wanted me to have were these...

Her personal recipe card library, with many years of family recipes and her two Cooking Bibles....

Those books are tried and true I can tell you. Can you tell she used them ALOT?!?! Being the exceptional cook she was, I was truly honored she passed them on to me and shocked not one of their daughters or sons, all of whom are also good cooks. I also told all the kids to come look through the recipe box when they're in town to take or write down some of the recipes.

I will treasure them and all these heirlooms,

35 comments:

  1. Gorgeous pottery, all of it. We have a beautiful bread bowl and wash basin and pitcher we bought on a trip to Waynesville, NC, just down the road from Asheville.

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    1. Once my uncle, and my cousins move from Mass... and are settled...beware if I show up in Ashville...... HA HA HA HA HA!!!!

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    1. The Polish pottery pieces cook things so well in addition to be pretty.

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  3. Nice house and nice memories.

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  4. 92! Wow! I didn't realize your uncle was that old. It's really impressive that he'd start over at that age. The items you received from your aunt are all beautiful. It's great that you plan on making bread with her bread bowl. When my kids were growing up, I made bread and rolls regularly, along with other baked goods. I still bake, just not as much. When I saw the photo of your mother's ancestral home, I hoped it was the house next to you that I'm going to buy and move into. Couldn't possibly cost more than a couple of hundred thousand . . . tee hee.

    Love,
    Janie

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  5. What a beautiful home. I love the treasures you chose and the special treasure your aunt wanted you to have. Enjoy them with all the beautiful memories of your clearly special family.

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  6. I love that huge bread bowl! My grandma had one similar to that but I don't know what happened to it. I did manage to save her bread crock, though.
    The Polish serving dishes are pretty, too.

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    1. I had to take that big bread bowl. I guess i had an advantage. Since many of my cousins live all over the country and didn't want to ship...they only took thing to fit in a suitcase. The two closet sons did take some of the family antique furniture they had.

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  7. Things connect us to memories and people. Being remembered is immortality. You wrote, "Upon getting married, my aunt made bread daily in this bowl to let the dough rise. I plan to do the same." Does this mean you are planning to get married and start making bread?

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    1. As Liz Taylor said-" Marriage?NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Now im going to howl like a wolf."

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  8. You made some wise and beautiful choices, Mistress.

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  9. Love everything.
    Especially that pitcher. And the recipe collection (those books have been loved!). And the tea set. So glad you got to get them. Priceless.

    XOXO

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    1. Now the houseboys can bring me a proper tea set. And cakes. In bed.

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  10. How wonderful for them to think of specifics for you to have. I instantly recognized that as a bread bowl for rising dough. Yep. Perfect! May you make beautiful buns with it (to go with the ones you have). And those recipe cards? Priceless, i tell you.

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    1. Some of them I've long wanted. Now I don't know I brave enough for the Julia Child cookbooks, lol.

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    2. Oh, sure you are! I have faith in you.

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  11. The nicest way to remember those you have loved and lost is to have something of theirs. Every time you see it it brings back bittersweet memories, because what would we give to have our loved ones back?

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    1. Precisely what I thought. And I love having a home filled with items with stories....memories or given to me bu special people.

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  12. That's a very nice house, and I love all of these things you got from your aunt. Especially that vase. I bet it'd look gorgeous with some bright colored flowers in it.

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  13. I loved every word and picture!!! All those personal, special, lovely things. You are very fortunate, Maddie.

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    1. Keep your eyes peeled down the road sweet cheeks. I plan to do a recipe post for you!!!!!

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  14. What a fabulous post. I admire your uncles fortitude. It's a big deal relocating.
    Your inheritance is so wonderful. Things that actually mean something to you.
    Enjoy them all. X

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    1. And I'm a sucker for keeping family heirlooms! And memories of my aunt each time I use them.

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  15. What a lovely set of items to have as keepsakes from a beloved relative. Jx

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  16. Anonymous10/10/2024

    Tundra Bunny here...

    You've chosen very lovely mementos, Maddie. That Victorian thistle pitcher is GORGEOUS! And I share your weakness for coloured glass...

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    1. That vase funnily enough came from a glass blower in Ashville NC, on one of their jaunts south when there youngest played with the Chattanooga symphony years ago. Now my uncle is moved there!!! Cousre his oldest son also built a home there years later.

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  17. I tend to associate "ancestral homes" with Europe. Must be in a very old part of Harrisburg.

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    1. Harrisburg is old, not sure how old, but I know my grandfather had the queen Anne cottage built when they knew there would be six kids!!!

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  18. Until I saw all the lovely pictures, I read the title as heirloons. I immediately thought of the Trump progeny. Print is getting so much harder for me to see.

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    1. I wear readers now. Last time I was at the eye doctors, my vision was 20/20. But my blog I can read fine, but others I do need them for the smaller print some use.

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  19. What lovely heirlooms!!!! These are the things that make a home...a home. I adore that tea set and bread bowl.

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  20. I have these books too!

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Go ahead darling, tell me something fabulous!