Priceless...

It was a wonderful weekend spent with my sister, Sarah. Her visits back home always seem to come at just the right time. We don't have to wait long in between visits this time, however, because we are visiting Sarah and Mike in Nashville the end of this week. Aunt Say Say and Uncle Mike are going to spend the weekend with Sam and Ben while Steve and I have another little trip planned. Jessica spent a few days with them after school was out, so of course it is only fair that the boys have a weekend as well.

Not only did I have some little surprises for Sarah, but she had a couple for me as well. Here is one of them..

I LOVE this fluer de lis! I think I'm driving my family crazy though because I keep moving it around trying to find just the right place for it.

When Sarah and I were planning our weekend, there were a few things we wanted to accomplish...

1.) Get Sarah's haircut. When she comes to visit she really likes to go to the girl that cuts mine and Jessica's hair. We always have a fun time with Brooke. She has the funniest stories to tell. We've heard how her husband's wedding ring fell off his finger while holding his hand out the window... on their way home from their honeymoon. This time Brooke was sharing with us how her dog is having some "issues" in her bottom area. She is just one of those people that makes you laugh.

2.) Charlie (Sarah's dog) needed a haircut too. Just check out Sarah's blog to learn more about this very special dog.

3.) Go shopping. We've been so inspired by seeing all of these things that so many of you are finding at your local thrift stores. We've seen these great ideas of really turning someone else's junk into some neat things. So, we set out to do the same. I think we went to three thrift stores here in our area. We didn't find a thing... nothing. Don't think we didn't try. We did. All we wanted to do was to be able to show these really great "before" and "after" pictures of how creative we had been. We were discouraged and disappointed. Well, we thought maybe we had saved the best for last because our final destination point was Hobby Lobby. Certainly, we would come out of there with all kinds of great stuff. Why is it when you are on the hunt for something and looking for that something special, it is nowhere to be found. Sarah walked out of the store empty handed but I did find this letter "P".

We hung it in our back entry way. I got the idea for this arrangement from JOYS OF HOME and the post was called "A Corner Of My Room". I'm not sure if I should leave it this brushed gold (it does look more antiqued in person) or paint it black. What do you think?

4.) Make a trip to our parents. We have a great aunt that has recently passed away and some of her belongings were brought back here to Ohio from California. We went through some of her old jewelry, quilts, and pictures. I am a pretty sentimental person (I've saved my children's teeth. Don't judge me.), so having belongings from family is something I treasure. My great-aunt had this set of china that belonged to my great-grandmother that I was able to bring home with me...

I really don't know the exact history behind this china. I've got to make a phone call to my grandmother to get more details. It will be really special when I pull these out for our Christmas dinner this year.

Sarah and I also went through several boxes of napkins, table runners, and place mats that belonged to our grandmother. My grandparents did a lot of entertaining. This was back in the 40's and on when there were always dinner parties, ladies luncheons, and bridge club. It just made us think of how in these days we just don't always entertain in such a way anymore. Some of these napkins are so pretty that I'm going to have a few of them framed.

Sarah and I also went through a pile of fabric remnants that my mom has. Several years ago she began quilting and her work is beautiful. There isn't anything she can't sew. She prefers to stick with the quilting, purses, make-up bags, curtains, and other home decor items. Sarah and I gave her a "to-do" list in which she is going to make us several pillows. I can't wait to see them on my new sofa!

So, even though we didn't find what we were looking for, there was something that was so much better that was waiting for us. Passed on treasures are irreplaceable. I am so thankful for those special belongings that I now have. Our plates and silverware are what belonged to my grandmother, Nana. When it's time to bake some cookies, I pull out the mixing bowls that she once used. Our dining room table was my Mimi and Gramps'. I can remember sitting around this table as a young girl with my grandparents and the rest of the family, watching my grandfather slice up the flank steak we were having for dinner that night. The wedding dress that I wore was hand-made by my great-grandmother for my mom to wear in her wedding.

My children have also received family heirlooms. Just this past year for Christmas, Jessica was given a ring that her grandfather (Pa) gave to his mother when he returned home from the second World War. Sam was given a set of tin soldiers that his grandfather (my dad) played with as a little boy. A guitar that my uncle played was given to our son, Ben.

To me, these are what you call a gift. A priceless gift.

What are some special gifts that have been handed down to you?