There are some things in my house that I could never part with, no matter what they look like. My mother’s lamp that I ever so cautiously took out of the packaging this past summer for the first time since it was packed away when my dad moved into the new house. The Hummels that my grandfather bought my grandmother so many years ago that stayed in the same spot my entire life until my grandfather passed away. The hunting and fishing themed prints that Dan’s father sold that cover some of our walls. These are some of the things I hold dear to my heart because they remind me of the people that are not with us anymore. It’s the pieces of them that remind us how much we loved them. The yellow chair evokes that same feeling for me and for my sister. You see…..this old chair, with faded yellow paint and splatters of other colored paints reminds me of one of my favorite childhood memories…….making cookies with my Grandma Schlie. My grandma was the best, and she had a coffee mug to prove it (which I also have-sorry Betsy!!) Every December since I was a toddler, we made Christmas cookies together. We’d spend the first part of the day making the cookies. Grandpa would come into the kitchen and ask for some duds which he’d always get a kick out of! After all of the baking was done, we’d sit at the table covered with newspaper and start the decorating process. We only made Anise cookies. We’d go through jars and jars of sprinkles, hoping that grandma wouldn’t ask us to use the leftover sprinkles on the bottom of the plate because we knew those cookies wouldn’t be very pretty. We’d then let them dry for a bit and then start counting and putting them away in the tin containers, one of which has Winston Churchill on it (no clue where that thing came from but I still have it!) After that we’d have dinner which often times was pancakes. Later in the evening, we’d get in our pajamas and watch TV while eating Planters cheeseballs (yummo!) Me and Lillian made our Christmas cookies this past weekend and I can just imagine what a process it must have been for my grandmother when me and Betsy were younger. What I wouldn’t give to have my grandparents and my mom here, but I can always hold the memories and the things they left behind close to my heart and look forward to making new memories and traditions with my family. Its the memories and the photos of those memories that bring you back to that moment in time. Don’t let life slip by. Capture your life and make a permanent record of your memories!
Have a wonderful holiday ahead and enjoy this time with your family and friends! I’ll be out of the office starting tomorrow and will be returning back to work on Monday so if you need anything from me just drop me a line at carrie@carrieannphotography.com!
) I also like to excessively use the exclamation point in my emails!!! I mean I just deleted a ton because I think that an exclamation point is just a lot happier than a period, but then again I don’t want people thinking that I’m crazy. So this morning, I told myself the wedding website needs some music. The portrait side has Beatles covers and I just love the Beatles…….they remind me of my mom who used to listen to them while she was making pie crusts because it calmed her down since she had a tendency to swear a lot when the pie crusts got a hole in it. I can still remember standing next to her in the kitchen when she said “the Beatles make everything better.” So in a few words……the Beatles are staying…..no matter what!
