Honoring my grandmothers

I was just very lucky to talk my hubby into updating our dining room furniture.  We had purchased our dining room set over 20 years ago, and my style has changed since then.  A lot.  My hubby often jokes that I have changed everything in the house and he is lucky he is still here.  I don’t think he has to worry, he is a keeper.  But back to my new dining room.  It was no fun selling the old set.  I am sentimental and wanted it to go to a home.  After a ton of scammers, a wonderful pregnant lady expecting her first child decided to purchase it.  So I was free to get a new set that my hubby and I had already picked out.

I was going for farmhouse style,  and we picked out a dark wood dining table, with matching chairs.  But the piece de la resistance, was the hutch.  I wanted one with glass, as I do not want to spend my time dusting.  Plus in the words of the late George Carlin, I have a lot of “stuff”.

My set arrived today and I spent about two hours washing and arranging my “Stuff” in my new hutch.  And while I did this it brought back memories and made me think of loved ones.  My meme, Aurore Rainville, was a classy lady and has left me so many dainty items.  Noritake plates with bright flowers, teacups with plastic flowers, a pretty serving dishes with roses and hand painted roses on dessert plates.  I found a wine glass from my best friends wedding, a wine bottle favor from my other best friends wedding, and my champagne flutes from my own wedding.

My grandmothers plates

My grandmothers plates

My other Grandmother, Nellie May Reynolds, was more rustic, and I do not have a lot from her, sadly. But my Great Grandmother Antonia Reynolds, left me her silver.  One of my most treasured things.  We use the silverware on holidays and other special occasions.  I feel so lucky to have it and wish I could tell her how thankful I am that she gave it to me.  One day my Dad was visiting and she simply gave it to him to hold for me. Little did I know what a treasure it truly is, and I plan on passing it down as a heirloom, as she did.

One holiday we were cleaning up and while I was drying the serving spoons I noticed the coolest thing….. my Grandma had written her initials on a little piece of tape for when she brought her silver to church suppers.  What a wonderful thing to find!   I have taken care to keep that tape on, but sadly some of it is wearing off.  I would guess this silver to be over 75 years old, and to me it is priceless and irreplaceable.

So I organized my china, remembering how proud my Aunt Cil was to give me a place setting, and walked down memory lane thinking of those that I love. And when my daughter came home, I told her who each piece belonged to, hoping she will continue the tradition with these beautiful items that we are lucky to have.

Below is the finished hutch, which I was trying to make look like a Grandma’s hutch.  I think and hope I succeeded.  Because I did not tell you the whole story…. the other reason behind getting a new set is that I am going to be a Grandma myself, or a Mimi.   Our family is growing and we wanted to get a bigger table to fit everyone comfortably.  So my hutch will soon be my own Grandma’s hutch, and that’s a wonderful thing.