Letting go

[sidevalve]

which included my plaits! Cut off when I was ten! What on earth am I supposed to do with them?

When my mother died I found a number of my baby/milk teeth in a small box - the things mothers keep. She was cremated so we gave them to the crematorium so that they could 'go with her' as it were.

,and the same with military cap badges and medals

You are wise to hide them - again my mother had a bronze swimming medal she won as a child and some filth stole it - she never said anything but I know she was upset.
To the mug, I see three options
1 - repair not hard these days with the huge range of glues available
2 - use as a pen holder
3 - use as a measuring cup in the kitchen, after all you know exactly what it holds

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

There are so many things I see in your post ,what would I do with it ?
When my close relations died you get left rings and cuff links ,I've framed all of them ,I hide them when I go on holiday as to the value ,and the same with military cap badges and medals I frame them other wise they are lost in time ,pictures are the big ones ,I'm getting my parents to label them now and sort them

my grannie labelled the outside and inside of the envelopes the photos came in. Sadly the pictures that are of interest to family and friends are the ones that she either removed from the envelope and hence it is no longer associated with it, or the ones that she hid from my grandfather (such as their first son who is no longer part of the family after a massive family row 3 decades ago). What has also happened is that the photos in the envelopes are not the ones apply to what is written on the envelope! Make sure that the backs of the photos are labelled, not the envelope.
When I went off on my attempt at cycling around the world, I went through all of my photos and labelled every individual photo I kept. I threw away sacks and sacks of photos, well over +150,000. It took me over 2 weeks to do working at it 9-5 each day. It was hard, but well worth it looking back 5 years later!

Also be very careful as to what ink is used when you label the photos because a lot of my mother's photos were destroyed or rendered useless by her using a red ink that had not dried before she put them back together in the envelope and sadly not only did the ink transfer to the next photo, but over time has actually eaten through the paper in places!

 

[Berties]

my grannie labelled the outside and inside of the envelopes the photos came in. Sadly the pictures that are of interest to family and friends are the ones that she either removed from the envelope and hence it is no longer associated with it, or the ones that she hid from my grandfather (such as their first son who is no longer part of the family after a massive family row 3 decades ago). What has also happened is that the photos in the envelopes are not the ones apply to what is written on the envelope! Make sure that the backs of the photos are labelled, not the envelope.
When I went off on my attempt at cycling around the world, I went through all of my photos and labelled every individual photo I kept. I threw away sacks and sacks of photos, well over +150,000. It took me over 2 weeks to do working at it 9-5 each day. It was hard, but well worth it looking back 5 years later!

Also be very careful as to what ink is used when you label the photos because a lot of my mother's photos were destroyed or rendered useless by her using a red ink that had not dried before she put them back together in the envelope and sadly not only did the ink transfer to the next photo, but over time has actually eaten through the paper in places!

My great aunt died 9 years ago she had her two brothers who were bachelors stay with her , I can't tell you the pain of having to break that house back to the shell,
And the questions I wished I asked , that's probably why I now have the time to talk to people and find out about things
One of my cook books was handed down that family tree branch , the distant aunt was in service , so many questions
So much history lost, I have look into the history a bit and you always find a sad past

 

[Morning Glory]

With my parents having to sort out my grandfather's estate (his funeral was two weeks ago today) both of them have promised me that they won't leave the same for me to do. My grandfather never opened my grannie's cupboards (unless it was in the bedroom) after she died just under 5 years ago. He wasn't a hoarder like both my parents are, but it has taken them nearly 4 weeks to sort through his house and they haven't even done my grannies photos and albums. That has been my job. So far the back of my BMW estate had been filled twice with them!

On the bright side of things we have found photos of my brother where previously we had nothing of him at all before the age of 4, but most of what I have been given means nothing to anyone other than my grannie and it is really hard sorting through her stuff when she died nearly 5 years ago. She and I were close and I thought I had come to terms with her death, but I realise now, going through her stuff, how much I still miss her!

Sadly, I don't believe one word of my parents promise that they won't leave the same for us to go through, so I have threatened to kill them if they do!

Both my parents are hoarders. My mother still has my hair from my first hair cut, my crib and rocking horse... Too much has sentimental value for her. She is trying to get me to have my grandparents furniture because she wants it to stay in the family yet she won't store it for me when she has the bungalow with double garage and I live in a tiny house which used to be a stable block housing 2 horses only!

A fascinating post, @SatNavSaysStraightOn. Luckily my Mum wasn't a hoarder and actually, most of the contents of the one box she left were carvings made by my Dad (he was a carpenter but really wanted to be an artist). One was the carved chess set and board he made for me. I used to be an avid chess player. Its based on the old Celtic Isle of Lewis design and is about three times the size of a normal chess set. I simply don't have anywhere to display it but obviously I draw the line at disposing of it. But that is something he made so its got an entirely different status to a mug or a piece of furniture.

Anyway, @SatNavSaysStraightOn, as we are both in the same situation regarding inheriting our own hair, what are you going to do with yours?

 

[ChanellG]

So... no super glue in the house? Someone I used to know once said that cups without handles keep you from drinking liquids while they are too hot. If you can't handle the cup in your hand, you know the liquid inside is hot enough to burn your tongue. I don't see why the cup couldn't still be used in the microwave baking experiments. Having a handle isn't essential to the recipe.

 

[Pat]

I have had a cup or two that I liked so much that I used them as containers to hold pens or even a plant if the damage was not too severe, like just the handle was broken.

 

[winterybella]

I love these stories and the hair, that's just lovely. I would love if my mom had saved some of mine. It would be all black and I would have it now to stick between my grays. I am not a hoarder, but wish I had some creativity in my bones to create something like what Morning Glory presented in her pictures. I like the idea of something old and damaged creating something new and exciting.

If I attempted to fix my mug, I would never use it for hot stuff again. I don't trust my repair skills ChanellG..

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Anyway, @SatNavSaysStraightOn, as we are both in the same situation regarding inheriting our own hair, what are you going to do with yours?

it is in an envelope which is dated and named, so it will stay that way. I have a box of photos of me (some now from my Grannie's box that I have never seen before) and the hair is in that box. It can stay there as an idea of what my hair colour was when I was young (In our family, all natural redheads, our hair colour has faded as we have gotten older. Mine was auburn, a gingery auburn colour which has faded to a very dark brown auburn as I have aged, the others carrot to well much less so but going mousey, beautiful red to brown in very few years, strawberry blond to mousey blond).

I have also claimed a 'woven' foot stool. I don't know how to explain it - I have another one which is much taller as well, but the top of the stool is woven straw rope on my tall one, well this one was not being claimed by anyone and I decided that we would have it despite the repairs in needs to the woven pattern in the top. This one has a like yellow and red checker woven top to it which I will replace with something more in keeping to our new home. The stool will still be my grandparents' but it needs to be repaired, so worst case scenario, I fail with the repairs and we don't have a stool. (I have repaired the taller one, but this one needs a complete new top to it).

OK it is like this... only a stool and in stained straw/yellow and red...



Even my OH agreed to having it which surprised me! I'll replace the weave once we are either in our new home or when winter arrives and I need something to do!

 

[classic33]

Never use a pen, regardless of the ink on any photo, especially old photos. Pencil only, or use stickers which have the details on.