Before I'm an Antique!

We have quite a few antiques in our home. Some we acquired when we were first married and didn't have furniture, and people would say, "I have this old ____and you are welcome to have it if you can use it." Other pieces were acquired through the years as people were getting rid of stuff. They deemed it as junk. I valued it a treasure! And some were handed down to us by our elder family members. I decided that although the kids knew "it was an antique" they didn't necessarily know the story behind each antique or would remember which grandma that item came from.

I decided a little photo album would be the best way to hand down these treasures. I took pictures with my digital camera and then used StoryBook Creator Plus to create a little book to tell the stories of each antique before I become an antique and can't remember to tell it or am gone from this earth to tell the stories. This might sound a bit morbid, but I don't believe it is. We have beautiful memories of these items as our children grew and we lived life with them. It is only right that they know where each item came from so that they will be able to fully treasure them too some day. Family history at its best!

Here are a couple of the 20 pages.

Family Memories are Important

I made a family recipe book with StoryBook Creator Plus. But this is not your usual type of recipe book. This one not only contains recipes, but also pictures and family stories. I started it in January with the idea of a Mother's Day gift in mind, and then my Mom was diagnosed with cancer in April. I was able to finished the book in June. I am so thankful I started the project and was able to complete it because she passed away in October.

Here is a sample page

FUNNIER than the FUNNIES!

Kids are hilarious! The things they say are quite astounding! I kept a piece of paper on the counter by the phone and when one of these moments happening I jotted it down. Then later on, when I had time I wrote it down in their baby book/journal. I am so thankful I did and so are my kids. This year I decided to make a hard cover StoryBook with a collection of their quotes. As you can imagine, it was rather hard to pick and choose the best from 11 kids' books. They were all 'good ones'! The book is quite the coffee table conversation piece!


If your little ones are still little get a piece of paper and then record them in a proper book or on the computer. If your kids are older, get a piece of paper and start 'remembering'. Over time, you and your kids will amass a pretty good-sized collection of quotes.






You can see the whole book made with StoryBook Creator Plus and get your laugh for the day!

"In Colour" sung by Jamey Johnson

I said, Grandpa what’s this picture here
It’s all black and white it ain’t real clear
Is that you there? He said, yeah I was 11
Times were tough back in '35
That’s me and Uncle Joe just tryin’ to survive
A cotton farm in the Great Depression.

If it looks like we were scared to death
Like a couple of kids
Just trying to save each other
You should've seen it in colour.

Oh, and this one here was taken over seas
in the middle of hell
in 1943
in the winter time
you can almost see my breath
that was my tail gunner
ole Johnny Magee
he was a high school teacher
from new Orleans
and he had my back
right through the day we left.

And if it looks like we were scared to death
like a couple of kids
just trying to save each other
you should've seen it in colour.

A picture's worth a thousand words
but you can’t see what those
shades of gray keep covered
you should've seen it in colour

This one is my favorite one.
This is me and grandma in the summer sun
all dressed up the day we said our vows.
You can't tell it here but it was hot that June
and that rose was red and her eyes were blue
and just look at that smile
I was so proud.

That’s the story of my life
right there in black and white
And if it looks like we were scared to death
like a couple of kids
just trying to save each other
you should've seen it in colour.

A picture's worth a thousand words
but you can't see what those
shades of gray keep covered
you should have seen it in colour.

You should have seen it in colour

Yeah a picture's worth a thousand words
but you can't see what those
shades of gray keep covered
you should have seen it in colour.

WHY ON EARTH?

Well, here I am, starting a blog. Unbelievable! I'll start by boring you with my story. As a young teen I became quite irritated with my parents and grandparents for not knowing who was in the picture, when and where it was. One day while going over some ancestory...I know a wierd thing for a teen to do! :)....but I was very interested and already loved antiques. I said, "Grandma, why didn't you write it down?" She said, "Oh you have no idea how I have regretted that. I thought I would always remember. And you girl, are young so do it right starting right now." I took her advice seriously and so began my journey of family trees, pictures, photo albums, baby books and yes, scrapbooking...all before scrapbooking was the in thing to do.