nostalgia in our home

 

Happy Tuesday, friends! I thought I'd share one of my favorite areas in our home, this little cork board I have hanging in the hall between the living room and kitchen. I am not really a big shopper or spender, but one thing I am is nostalgic and sentimental. I was like this during my teen years as well, and I remember having something very similar. I bought this board on clearance at Michael's (I paid less than $2 for it!) and hung it that same week. (The picture above has nothing to do with this post, I just think it's pretty.) 

Just looking at this makes my heart so happy. I have always been such a sucker for all things given to me by people I love most, so you'll notice a lot of my favorite people on this board. The picture on the bottom right corner is my niece Erika (now a mom to two sets of twin girls) and me holding my oldest son Graham when he was a baby. We'd been jumping on the trampoline at her house that day at a family gathering and I remember vividly laying like that as someone took this picture. Next to that one is the only picture of my mom and dad that I have that I found recently. Next to that is Graham's truck in Nashville, followed by a picture of one of my bonus sons. I have the ribbon I received at the funeral of a dear friend of mine who died from ovarian cancer, also the mom of one of Drew's best friends from middle school. He and I went together to Tarin's funeral that day and I'll never forget him sitting beside me as I cried over my friend who taught me how to pray the gates of heaven down.

See what I mean? My sister Debi and her family are on here somewhere, along with our Compassion child that we sponsor, my sister Trish and me are on here in a couple of pictures as are the boys throughout the years.

This is Trish and me. Then and now...well, about a decade ago. 

Here's one of our bonus sons, Sylvain, whom we sponsor through Compassion. He's so grown! He's thirteen now, and we've sponsored him since he was about five. (This is an older picture of the handsome fella.)

Jonah (left) and Noah were four or five in this picture above, a Christmas none of us will ever forget. They called an audible a few days before Christmas and told me all they wanted that year were Santa suits. My mom, being the amazing super-woman Nana that she is, whipped these up in no time flat and hand delivered them on Christmas eve, on the down low. You should have seen their little faces when they saw these! I still have them hanging in my closet.

And sweet little Graham and Drew (Graham is on the left)...I believe this picture was taken on the day of my husband's maternal grandfather's funeral. We went to the funeral, had a lunch in their church afterward and ended the day with a Santa visit. I think we were in line to see him when I took this picture. I loved those little sweaters! I have a picture of all of us with Santa somewhere near me in the living room. 

Someone gave me that "family" ornament that I put there.

And other favorite little odds and ends are this cross that my older friend Barbee gave to me and my best friend Missy, along with Drew's graduation picture and Graham and Todd on the night Graham graduated from the academy for the sheriff's department and won student of the year. 

Alex, my best and favorite bonus son is on here, along with special ornaments I was given or that I bought. The little lighthouse is one I bought on Nantucket...isn't it cute? I will keep it here all year. And I love my book nerd ornament that my best friend bought me on my birthday last year. See what I mean? I just have odds and ends and little meaningful things that I've collected. I also will hang a thank you card or some other sweet card or trinket that I receive. 

Like I said, I have always been like this and though it's not stylish by any means, it's so meaningful to me. I'm a firm believer in decorating in a way that brings joy to your heart and that means something. Anyone can have a beautiful home, but to me, it's the memories that make it that way the most. I apply to this to everything in life, including what I invest my time in, the things I buy and how our home is decorated. 

I have things that are as old as me in our home that I'll never part with, along with a few things that are older than me, like the piano my dad bought for my mom. I have old family Bibles, Bibles I've read and marked up for my sons, old journals and Bible studies...these are the things I think of when I talk about passing things down. More than tangible items, I want to hand my words down to my sons when I enter my heavenly home someday. (Again, here I am thinking about death.) I want them to see and read my prayers that I prayed over them as I read Scripture and I want them to see the legacy I hope to leave to them someday. I have my grandmother's old Bible and it's one of my most treasured possessions! I hope they're able to say that someday. 

On a completely unrelated note, when Chip comes to bed with me on the nights when Todd works and it's cold outside, he likes to be covered up with a blanket and will eventually completely bury his head under it as he settles in for sleep. Isn't he adorable? I call him my little Christmas Chip because we got him the day after Thanksgiving, five years ago. (Or four? I can't remember.) He was a rescue. ❤

Do you decorate your home with things that mean something? I'd love to hear about that, if so! If you don't, what do you fill your home with? I would love to know! Thanks for reading my blog, friends. Love to all.