Things you have had forever.

When my mother was 75, she and my step father were moving into a new home. One of the things we found in the basement of the old home was a box of my grade school minutia, including a paper where I had to write 100 times "I Will Not Talk In Class".

15 years later, when they had to move into a senior facility, guess what we found. Yep. I will not talk in class.
 
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My wife and I are in our 70's now. Therefore, much of what we own is over 50. We have silverware set and two full sets of China from our late parents. We also have a couple of cast iron frying pans that cook perfectly. They were my moms' who was an extraordinary cook.
 

CarolfromTX said:
I am always puzzled by the holiday ads for dishes and gravy boats and casseroles and such. Dave was cooking some chicken tonight and I admonished him to use cooking spray. We discussed the casserole dish he was using. I said I was pretty sure it was a wedding or shower gift. Which would make it almost 50 years old. Do people not keep their stuff? Do they buy new stuff every couple years? I don‘t get it. I‘ve used the same cookware for 50 years.
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To answer the question in bold: Keep in mind there are always younger generations coming up, establishing their own 'households' both as single folks and as couples. So some things there will always be a market for because even if you figure older generations had an average of 2 kids--some of them had more. (My folks had 4, a paternal Aunt had 6) so even if they wanted 'heirlooms' which they may not, most families probably wouldn't have enough basic household items for all.

Then there's simple accidental breakage and catastrophic losses to fire, flood, tornadoes. When i was 8 we had a house fire that claimed all personal, household and workshop tools (the fire even leaped 4 ft from house and burned/melted tires off my bicycle) as well as books and linen, crocheted and tatted items that had come over from Hungary with my Grandmother as a teen bride. However items are broken or destroyed some will need replacing.

That said i have decorative crocheted potholders (in the shape of doll dresses and Christmas colors) that my Maternal Grandmother gifted my Mom after my parents divorce. i also have have oval shaped corning ware and still working Hamilton Beach drink mixer that probably hails from the 1950s that was also my Dad's. Oh, and a long decorative only plate/bowl (you know those soup/stew bowls that were as big around as dinner plates but had a shallow bowl shape--allowed quicker cooling and had wide rim to rest bread/rolls on?) It came from Hungary with my Maternal Grandma as part of a set, at some point it was a cracked 'survivor' of many moves and became my Moms when G'ma lived with her. When my mother died one of my Auntie's tried to claim it, but the Eldest (and my favorite) Aunt said 'No, that's the Esther plate, it is hers (pointing at me) and some day will be hers (pointing at my then not quite 2 year old daughter. My daughter is actually 5th generation Esther.

And i have books i've had for 60 yrs or more. Some gifts, some things i bought with babysitting money when in my early teens.
 
I prefer the older things because they are better made. One of my cast iron skillets is from my husbands side & the magnalite roasters from my side which we use all the time. From my Grandma, I have side tables from around 1890s & a cupboard from 1860 (great-great-grandpa for great-great-grandma). Most of what be bought after we were married has been Amish-made & will be passed on. The only replacements over the years are couches & chairs when they've worn out.
 
Family pictures. I must have over a thousand of them. Some are my Dad and Mom as children and grandparents and even great-grandparents. Here is one of me and my cousins. I am the youngest
Barbara1LorraineDianaCharlotteMarie.jpg
Here is my Mom's Mom with her children's spouses
inlaws.jpg
 
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Debodun was a mighty cute baby!

Sassycakes was a very pretty little girl.

Horseless Carriage lives a marvelous life!

I've had my myopia since I was 8 years old.

I have my grandmother's china from her wedding in the 1890's. I have my mother's paring knife from her wedding in 1938, with it I don't need a cutting board but can mince an onion or slice an apple in the palm of my hand. The new ones aren't balanced well enough to do that.
 
Sassycakes said:
Family pictures. I must have over a thousand of them. Some are my Dad and Mom as children and grandparents and even great-grandparents. Here is one of me and my cousins. I am the youngest
View attachment 259412
Here is my Mom's Mom with her children's spouses
View attachment 259413
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I inherited a lot of photos too. Not very many of them have on the back of who they are. I have tried to go through them & match up "newer" photos with "older" ones to put names to them, but it has been hard. I knew more of the old folks than either of my brothers. I wish Mom & Grandma would have wrote on the back more than what they did. I am lucky that Mom took her one wedding photos & wrote down who was in it. I recognized my great-aunts & uncles, but other were family friends that I never knew.

I have bunches of photos that hubby & I took over the years & need to write on the back of those.

I have another box of photos from my MIL that was squirreled away when we cleaned out her house last year with no names on the back. My husband will have to sit down with those & write on the back.

I don't want to pass these on without trying to fill in who is who. Without that, they are meaningless.
 
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