Capturing Memories
I am Re-posting this.
For a couple of reasons:
- I was looking through my old posts and read this one. It made me nostalgic. And grateful.
- I think it is really important for us all to capture our surroundings like this so we have them forever.
This is my Grandparent’s home. I love this place – it is bursting with tales from my childhood.
This past weekend my husband and I visited and I brought along my camera, I decided to capture my memories – because I never, never want to forget this place.
I never want to forget this garden they so carefully plant each year. And how we always get a tour of everything Grandma has planted.
And how we will certainly be getting plastic grocery bags filled with her harvest in a few months.
I never want to forget this basketball court with the hoop without a net, and how one time my brother kicked a ball and made a basket. And how we got it on video.
I never want to forget that big garage – and how inside brings out the explorer in any child.
This is Grandpa’s man-cave. A farmer his whole life – he has collected tools and gadgets to fix this and that.
Things I wouldn’t know how to use. Ever. But he does, and that is what makes him Grandpa.
I don’t think I would ever be able to find anything here. But he would. Every single thing has been placed here by him. And probably picked up and placed there again, over and over and over.
That motor home is always parked outside either my mom’s or my aunt’s home during every major holiday. They have loaded that up time and time again so that they could be there for us.
And as we all know, on Christmas, this is Santa’s sleigh.
See those stairs? That leads up to any little girl’s fantasy.
Up here was our playhouse.
Where we got Grandma’s old furniture and decorations and we would play like we were all grown up.
This is the kitchen. Where we pretended to shake, and stir, and create marvelous feasts.
I wonder how many times those shelves have been rearranged.
That is the phone where we took some very serious and important phone calls
Here is the metal cabinet that my Grandma informed me that my older sister and I found on the property and decided it was ours to drag up to the play house. I don’t remember this – but I believe her.
The stove. And a bit of Grandma’s stuffed Christmas toy collection. (It is extensive)
This is a very important part of the playhouse.
Actually, I have no idea what it is. But I’m sure it is important. Smurfs are always important.
That green carpet used to be in Grandma’s kitchen. I still picture that carpet when I think of her home. My brain hasn’t caught up with the remodel.
This is the kitchen. The one where she will always make you scones.
Grandmother’s kitchens are a very important of every child’s childhood.
My Grandmother has never changed how she makes those scones. That little wooden roller has made its appearance throughout my entire life.
And she always makes orange juice in the blender so it gets a foamy layer on top.
I wonder how many of us Grandkids blend our orange juice like Grandma.
And Grandpa will sit there in his spot. Never anywhere else.
And he will be so glad we came in town because he gets scones now too.
And because he is our Grandpa and we like to see him and we like to make him proud by living good lives.
This is our gathering place. Where we have sat and talked and watched TV and searched through our Easter baskets.
And this is the fireplace where we used to lay on the floor and prop our feet up there and pretend that we were chickens roasting our feet.
And this is Grandma’s chair. Where she will sit and crochet at night.
And that is her BYU blanket. Because she is the Grandma of a boy who played baseball there.
See?
There are some pictures of me up there that I would rather be lost in existence. But that is who I was. And Granparents don’t see them as awkward or freckle faced or bad permed.
This is the key holder that still hangs there as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow
This is the scarecrow clock that has been ticking away my years upon this earth. And has become such a natural fixture in all of our lives that when I told my mom that I took a picture of Grandma’s scarecrow clock, she said, “what scarecrow clock?”
This is the hallway we have walked, and skipped, and crawled. With the oh-so-very-plush carpet under our feet.
This is Grandma’s sewing room. She is an amazing sewer. I wish I had her skills.
And she does it all in this little bity room. And that is all she wants.
Everything is always the same.
The basement. I remember when they added on to the front of their house, and they were digging a hole for a basement to go under the new addition. And my sister and I thought they were putting a pool in their front yard.
Oh how disappointed we were.
But it was quickly made up for since the Easter Bunny found the bottom of these stairs a convenient place to hide our easter baskets.
This is Grandma’s cave.
Whenever I come down here I feel guilty that I don’t know how to can.
My grandparents could survive a natural disaster where no food was available.
I would have to walk to their house.
There are always little surprises lurking in Grandma’s basement.
I couldn’t even begin to count how many blankets are down here that she has made. All of those bins and boxes you see? Blankets, and more blankets.
And she has a story for each one.
As well as each one of these. Every doll and every chair have a story.
And once you get all of those stories, you look up… and THERE IS MORE!
You could sit here forever learning about where she got this rocking chair, and this buggy and that little doll.
And I don’t know how many times I have stared at those crystals on the light while I was falling asleep or just waking up.
And on the other side of the room is this:
The lamb pen
We are alway gifting her lambs to add to her little flock.
And one year I gave her that dog on the right so he could guard the sheep.
He’s doing a pretty good job, because the flock grows every time I come visit.
See that lamb on the right?
This guy? I hunted all over Switzerland looking for a lamb to bring home for Grandma’s lamb pen. And it soon became such a quest that my traveling buddies were looking too.
And we never found one.
Until we got to Spain.
This lamb comes from a street vendor in Barcelona – and I may have kissed him I was so happy to find her a lamb to bring home.
Because I always bring something home to them. Always.
And they keep most of them here.
In the middle shelf you can see the little family of rag dolls I brought from Guatemala.
And in the front you can see 2 wooden guys I found in Mumbai, India.
And on the top shelf there is the Eifle Tower from Paris that does this:
and this:
I’m sure they turn that on every night with their disco music and go to town.
And then my favorites. The olive wood nativity I brought home from Israel.
And then the little rock turtle we brought back from Hawaii last year.
They are small gifts – but they mean a lot. Because they need to know I was thinking of them.
Because they are always thinking of us.
Love this post. What sweet grandparents you have. What a great idea. I wish I had done something like that, what a treasure. I would love to “walk” through my grandparents house again.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and memories! My Granpa just turned 86 and my Grandma will be 89 in may… They are just the greatest! I love everything about your site! I am working on my scripture journal…..Great blessings to you and yours!
I only met two of my grandparents. My mom’s father and my dad’s mother. The others died before I was born. And these two lived in another city so I couldn’t see them often. Maybe twice a year. Both died when I was young, around 5-7 years old, so I don’t have many memories to keep but the ones I have are very precious. Thanks for sharing your memories. I really enjoyed rading this post. My kids (9 and 6 years old) only have 2 grandparents alive because my husband lost his father when he was only 10 years old, and my mom-in-law died last year. I hope they can keep memories as sweet as yours. And I wish I can be a great grandma one day.
Thank you for sharing your sweet memories. It reminds me of home. My grandmother lived with us. She was the only grandparent i knew because both my mom and dad were the youngest of 8 and 12 in their families and my mom lost her dad when she was 13. My dad lost his mom when he was 2. I loved my grandma living with us and she has her own little corner in the kitchen where she would make braided rugs to sale. Thanks for bringing back so many sweet memories to me.
We had a neighbors home that looked like your grandma and grandpas that we would love to explore too. They were like grandparents to us.
Thanks again!
This brought tears to my eyes.. It made me think about my own grandmother’s house and all her little simple treasures. All of my grandparents and parents are gone now, but many of those sweet little trinkets are in my own home now, and it makes me feel close to them . Beautiful idea to take lots of photos !!!
What a great post Shannon. What lasting memories! And you will always be glad for those pictures. I wish I would have taken more photos inside my grandparents home (they are dead now). At least I got a photo of the outside. Thanks for the reminder to capture everyday moments and parts of our family history in photos.
Oh my goodness!! MY Grandma had that same green carpet in her kitchen!! She has been gone for 15 years and I so wish I had taken pictures of their home like you did. Though I have to say that I remember every detail!
I love your captured memories!! You are a kindred spirit, for sure! I love doing things like this with my family but I wish I had done more videos, and picture taking of the inside, too. These are priceless! Family and Personal Histories are wonderful and I salute you for how you have done yours! Thanks for sharing–maybe it will inspire others to do the same. It inspires me to do more!
Thank you for sharing this bit of your life with us. I have a set of Grandparents I love in a similar way. They have through their examples and consistency, shaped and molded parts of myself that I dearly love. The crafting parts, the ready-to-go-to-work parts, the testimony parts. I looked through your pictures and found similar rooms, stuffed animals, and canned peaches in my memory. Though I have not captured them like you yet, this post has inspired me too think, “maybe I should”. This post made me cry, but also feel deeply how grateful I am that families are forever. I can seek my Grandfathers wisdom and my Grandmother’s kisses forever. Thanks for the shiny memories.
Emily
This was kind of funny to menthat you did this because the last time I visited my grandparents I did the same thing. I live across the country from them now so I really felt I better preserve some memories! But I could have done more detail… And I’m not sure inwent into the basement! What was I thinking! Very neat. Thanks for the reminder.
Just loved this post, Shannon! You and your grandparents have such a wonderful, wonderful loving relationship with each other. Thank you for sharing your grandparents with us.
I love this post! My grandma has been gone since 1993. I miss her terribly! Just a couple of years ago I took my children past her cabin in Island Park. To our delight the folks that currently live there invited us in to look around and would you believe it? They have kept it EXACTLY as it was when they bought it. The same orange shag carpet, the curtains, all the furniture, even the knic knacs and silly sayings hanging on the walls! I was SO GRATEFUL that my children were able to see it as it was when I was a child! Whew, now I’m crying! Oh well!
I’m not sure how I missed this post, but I love the new site setup that shows the most popular!! I loved this post and am so inspired to do the same thing when I visit my grandparents in CA this summer!! You always give the best inspiration, I just love your site and thank you for taking the time to share it all!!
This is such a great and special post!!! Kinda make me really sad that I never thought to do this when my parents and my husband’s were still alive. Your post really got me to travel thru memory lane (a big deal with my holey memory) and brought back all those long ago feelings….THANKS
Takes me back to my childhood as well. Thanks for reposting it!
Thanks for the awesome idea. I wish I would have thought of this last year. My parents old farmhouse was tore down and I really wish I could have the images that are in my head for my children to see.
k
I wish I would have done this with the house that I grew up in. It burned down in February so my parents are rebuilding a new house.
What a fantastic idea to capture your memories and family history this way. Thank you for this wonderful post! I love that you bring something back for them everywhere you visit. Guatemala is such a wonderful place. When did you visit? That is where my family is from (thus my name). : )
This is a wonderful idea! I would love to “visit” my Grandma’s house. We should all be inspired to record the places we treasure. Thank you for taking us all down your memory lane. I spotted my mother’s dishes and saw a homemade doll similar to one my mother made when I was a little girl.