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Today....
the air is crisp and cool.
I'm sipping on a hot cup of pumpkin spice coffee.
I can hear the wind howling outside my window.
there are colorful leaves blowing in the breeze.
I'm wearing a cozy sweater.
I'm dreaming up delicious dinners of hearty soups & warm bread.
the shorts have been put away.
the scent from my harvest candle is wafting through the house.
I've been organizing and cleaning and preparing.
I'm celebrating the arrival of fall.
I have known about this stack of beautiful old letters for quite some time. They are worn from many years of reading and rereading and are filled with love, hope, and dreams from a time long ago. These are the love letters that were written between my grandmother and grandfather and each precious envelope tells a bit of the story of their lives. The stack includes small folded notes written while they were "courting" to letters written when my grandfather was away at war and longed to be back home again. My grandmother cherished these letters so much every day of her life and even bundled them up and wrote on the top what the subject matter of each letter was. To her, these handwritten words were just as important as any photograph in her collection. They are her life in beautiful handwritten words.
When my father came to me recently with three big boxes stuffed with these notes, cards, and letters and told me that they now belonged to me, I nearly cried. Understanding the importance of saving these memories, he gave them to me knowing I would treasure them always. I spent hours carefully opening up envelopes and unfolding notes and reading all the love that poured through each piece of paper. Some made me cry and others made me laugh out loud and I envisioned my grandparents reacting the same way.
I knew that I would need a very special home for at least some of the letters to display. I wanted my children to know and understand the great grandparents that they have never met and keeping some of these letters accessible means that they will be read....and appreciated. So, in one of my flea market adventures, I came across a sweet little red train case and I knew that it would be perfect! Combined with a little vintage ephemera, some scanned photos and letters, and my favorite Jenni Bowlin goodies, I got to work creating.
Here's the finished project:
and here's a view of the inside with a collage on the lid and some vintage sheet music and JBS paper covering the bottom:
and this is the chain of tags made out of vintage milk caps:
I'm so grateful that my grandparents wrote these letters, that my grandmother cherished them the way she did, and that I have this special gift that tells of their love story from so long ago.
We had such a wonderful fall weekend filled with celebration!
First,we attended the Michigan State Cross Country Invitational
where we watched our daughter pour her heart and soul into her race with such determination (that's her out in front!)
and bring home a medal that she wore with such pride!
She told herself she could do it.....and she did!
******
We also had a great time at our hometown Heritage Day festival over the weekend! Plenty of food, games, and contests kept everyone busy for hours. We entered our corgi pup, Guinivere, in the pet contest where she happily performed her best tricks (for cheese) and...
brought home a huge trophy stuffed with goodies and was named
"2009 Most Talented Pet!"
It truly was an award winning weekend for us as we played and performed to our hearts content....and then, we celebrated.
My brand new class, While You're Away, is open for registration at BPS! I had so much fun writing this class and creating this project and can't wait to share it with you!
Last year, my son Dylan started high school and, in a flash, I saw those 4 short years in front of me. He inspired me to create this "guide to life" that I'm continuing to add to over these next few years and that I'll be giving him on the day that he flies out of our nest. I love it!
Here's the scoop:
While
You're Away
Connections
of Heart and Home
Home is where our story begins. It is where we learn, grow, love, create memories, and make connections with our heart to last a lifetime. When it's time to leave, it is those connections that we take with us wherever we go. Whether you have a child going away to camp or a young adult going away to college, you'll want to include this very special gift in their suitcase.
Join Donna in this instant download class where she will share inspiration and ideas for documenting those connections of heart and home in a creative and meaningful way. While You're Away is a gift that is sure to become a treasured keepsake for years to come.
Want to find out more? Go here and listen to my short audio where I describe the class in a little more detail.
Hope to see you in class!
As I breathe in the chilly morning air, I'm thinking about our summer and how it seemed to be here one minute and gone the next. How can it already be September 14th? It feels like it goes by faster each year as my children grow and I want to hold on to it just a little bit longer, even "bottle" it perhaps. How nice it would be to bring it out during the long cold winter months when summer seems just too far away. So, in celebration of summer's end and all of the goodness that it brought us this year, I am "bottling" it with a list of my favorites from the season.
Although I hate to see summer go, this end means a fresh new season is upon us. I'm looking forward to all that it brings and saving the memories along the way.
