Last weekend this beautiful piece of furniture was hauled into my entry way by my husband, brother-in-law and cousin. My grandma’s {Nana’s} vanity. I can’t tell you how many afternoons I used to play around this thing. We went to my grandparent’s house every Wednesday afternoon for years growing up and I remember us playing in her room {why did she let us do that?!} and messing with all of the beautiful containers, trinkets, and perfume bottles she had all over this marble top. Jewelry was kept in various boxes and drawers and she had a cushy chair right in front of it that usually had a pile of clothes on it.
Years later, my grandma went through a phase where she tried to giveaway everything. If you complimented her on anything…the shirt she was wearing, a picture on the wall, a trinket on a shelf…she would try to give it to you right then and there. At one point she started asking what we might want when she passes. I had shared my love of her vanity before, but I always laughed her off because at the end of the day, I never wanted her stuff. I wanted her. I thought she was joking when she said she would put a note on the vanity with my name on it, but she wasn’t. My uncles found a note in the drawer that said “Patricia would like this when I pass” so as we’ve gone through her things over the past few weeks, no one really questioned where the vanity would end up.
Nana was a wonderful woman and a very loving grandma. She was sassy and spunky and equally sweet and kind. She was honest {sometimes far too honest} but no one could deny the way she lit up when she saw us…her grandchildren, and later, our kids.
I feel lucky and proud to have this piece of furniture in my home, but I can’t help but get a little sad every time I see it now. I look forward to the day when I see my own babies playing around it…messing with whatever decorations we have on it, hiding things in the drawers, making funny faces in the mirror. There are few things I’m truly attached to, but I know this family heirloom will be one I’ll always keep until the day I pass it along to someone else. We are still playing around with how we want to use it but I think with a picture and a few more decorations, our entry way will be the perfect place for it.
Happy Tuesday, friends! February is rarely my favorite month, but as we continue to get our house a little more settled, a little more decorated, and a lot more ours, I am fully embracing nesting-mode. Especially when it’s far too cold to want to be outside!
-T-
