{Years in Review: Not of My Lifetime}

My mom is visiting (yay! more on this later). When she flew in earlier this week, my aunt generously offered to pick her up from the airport, driving a couple of hours into town for a quick day trip to catch up with us girls and cuddle my boys. To make the day even sweeter, she brought with her a box of treasures in the form of antique books. I spent a little time yesterday combing through the loot, selecting my portion and admiring the volumes already spoken for by my mom and sister.  

Sadly, this first book isn't one I could claim as my own. It was one of my mom's favorites to read as a child when visiting her grandmother's house, and she quickly called dibs. 

With recipes for Fried Water and Gravel en Casserole, who could blame her for succumbing to its irresistible charm?

'A woman is known by the stationary she uses. Paper talks. We read between the lines, along the margin, and across the envelope, the story of good or bad taste which speaks in tone, texture, and design.'

The author of the following book sure knew how to write an opening paragraph, didn't she?

While we'll never know her opinion on blogging, we don't have to wonder about her thoughts on yacht stationary. 

And there must have been a time when Benjamin Franklin's autobiography was a standard component of the school curriculum. I found several variations of the following book, although none with an inscription I enjoyed more than the one written by Miss Varina Pegues. 

While the 'new and revised' description on the book cover below may be outdated, there's no question that the stories are timeless.

I found this image on a bookmark tucked between the pages. It piqued my interest, a glimpse into my city's history. I wanted to compare it to the building today, but a quick Google search confirmed that the church is no longer at the listed address. 

Vintage books can provide so much insight on the shifting desires and careabouts of a culture. I found this page in the Girl Scout Leadership book to be particularly interesting. 

While homemaking used to be a key endeavor within troops, I'm grateful for progress and an increased effort to include lessons in technology, science and math, athletism, and leadership for young girls. However, I hope we incorporate the old skills as opposed to replacing them. There is still much value in knowing how to be a good host, prepare a meal, and sew a button!

This may be the favorite item I discovered, because it was written by a family member, someone whom I actually had the pleasure of knowing and spending time with. 

The words of Charles Spurgeon regularly appear on my social media feeds, quoted by various friends and family. A man and preacher who remains relevant nearly 200 years after his death, it's no wonder my great uncle found him thesis-worthy.  

What fun it is to find a few old and special pieces to add to our home!