Terry's Cabinet

I call it Terry's cabinet, but it really is my cabinet filled with some of Terry's things.  It was so exciting to have it here.  I had a hard time wanting to go to sleep the evening of the 16th - it had been a good day filled with thoughts of Terry and sharing some precious things with family - I didn't want it to end.  So, when this cabinet came on the 17th it made that day just as exciting.  And today it continues because I am posting about it.  Tomorrow it will be good because I can stand and gaze into this cabinet filled with love and admiration for the man it reminds me of.

This cabinet now stands in the new library. Please overlook the reflection in the glass.  Clutter happens when things get moved around.  And because of all the clutter I couldn't hide well either.

I stuffed this cabinet full of things as quickly as I could because I have such a busy schedule the next few weeks, and with a family reunion here this next weekend I needed to have all the boxes filled with Terry's things out of the way.  So, I may change the arrangement some time, but it won't be for awhile.

There are things from birth to ..., I guess I can say it ..., from birth to death, that belonged to him or tell some of his life story.   Precious things that needed displayed.

I still have things in our bedroom and the office and in our entertainment center, but this is a bunch of other things that I wish I had displayed while he was here.  I really should have.  I just didn't have any more space behind glass doors at the time.

My rearranging things in the house the last few months has created new space that allows this to happen and I love it.  I should have thought of it years ago. These things were just tucked away behind a cupboard door, hard to get to, and he couldn't see or share them easily.  I'm so sorry!


Surely you noticed the Terry Bear!

And, did you notice the glasses?  I had those glasses inside the case and thought they would be perfect on his face.  I love it!
I took a closeup of the bear this morning after I set a rose on his arm - this rose is from the floral arrangement that was on top the casket.  I love it even more now!

FYI - the little car is there because I found it in a suit pocket.  Terry would have his suit pockets full of crumbs, garbage or little things like this car, that the kids would play with at church. Of course these were the older boys younger years.  The younger members of the family didn't get to sit with him at church much because of his callings that kept him on the stand with the bishopric or in the Spanish Branch.

This next photo shows his birth announcement.  

This was attached to a piece of paper and I decided since it was now mine I would remove it from the paper.  I found that it was the announcement that was sent to his grandparents and there is some writing on the back. Due to lack of time, I have not read it all yet, but I plan to.  I also found a start of a life history that his mother had began for him many years ago.  It reminded me of one my mother did for me when I was in college, due to a request from one of the professors.  I'll read that sometime too.

I love the Nova keys! He spoke of that car - his first I believe, and it is fun to see them there.  I have seen all of this stuff in here and he has shared a little about some of it, so as I see it I can almost hear him telling me again.  I don't really hear it, but I can remember that we did talk about it and I can feel his excitement or enjoyment as he did talk about these things.

He had a little date book that he had written in.  Not all pages were filled, but this one caught my eye. I know he was a good worker.  He was not afraid to work.  This page shares his thoughts on that subject.  There was a similar one in his missionary journal too.

"Worked today

be ye not idle"

The lady bucket, with a few things inside.
Picture of BJo with her dad at a daddy daughter party.  The picture in the back is from a friend - the story is a bit lengthy to add here, but it is a memory that touches my heart.

Radios and phones - it's fun to see how times have changed with those.
FYI - the Hearts and Minds page is from an Ensign (Church magazine) and the photo is of one of Terry's ancestors.  It was fun to see there.

Hats - he kinda liked hats.

The Keep on Tractin' shirt was a Christmas gift from a missionary companion.

And those shoes - pretty cool!

Lengthen Your Stride music sheet - I don't remember exactly what this was about, but it does have "Terry's mission" written on the top corner of the page, in his mothers hand writing.

 A box with miscellaneous items, including some post cards from Spain.















Mission things (some are in other areas of the house).
He is on the left in that photo.  I have always loved that picture.

His rock collection from his grade school years.

Our family each used to wear a LiveStrong band - it is really how Terry lived.  And the paper under it is Terry's medicine list from one of our trips to the clinic, in his own writing.  I found it on his dresser and couldn't throw it away.

He made this dog (I can't think of what to call it) for one of his school classes.
You've seen parts of this little gun in some of the photos. I believe it is one that he and Hollis got for Christmas one year.

Books - many from his mission.  The little red one on the right is from his grandmother, to Terry for graduation.
Hey, there is some room there for something else - I'll have to see what I can fill it with. ;)

The box that we put the sympathy cards (and a few other things) in after he passed away.  

Some day I will go through those again and make them look a little more organized.  They are just sitting in there the way we put them as they came in.

And this is his graduation photo, a pair of sunglasses (from his teenage years) and a 1957 penny (the year he was born). 

Fun stuff to see.
And there are a few more things ...

The ship he got in Spain.   It's always been displayed on top of our library shelves, but now it has it's place on top his cabinet.

The luggage he used on his mission.

They have seen better days, but are still fun to see.
They have lived under our bed or in the cupboard in our bathroom, but now they live here beside his cabinet.
The bigger one filled with hats.  Hats that were on a shelf and behind closed cupboard doors in the office.
We cannot see them here, but I know they are there and some day they will be given to his children and grandchildren.  I just can't give them up yet, so they will stay with me for a while longer.

And, lastly, a baseball mitt and bats.

A magazine box he made in high school. It has been housing color books for the grandchildren since we brought it home from his parents house after his mother passed away, January 2012.

Well, that's it for this post - Terry's cabinet in the library.

And, except for the bed that needs made, on the other side of this room, this room is ready for reunion days ahead.  (Honestly, I made it this morning, but didn't want to take a new photo to prove it, but it's ready!)  No more clutter like what was seen in the second photo above.

Now on to other rooms!


 

Oh Bother! I have started a PROJECT that doesn't end ...

I have spent the week cleaning and organizing and rearranging and moving things from one room to another.  As I look around I see that the house is even more cluttered and in need of attention.  Too many things are in limbo waiting for the proper place to put them, and every room is stuffed with stuff that needs moved.  I started one of those projects that has a domino effect and it's going to be a long process.

Good news:
My Christmas decor (including the trees) is all taken down and put away.
All of my holiday decor is now stored away - everything tight and comfy in it's new spot.

Bad news:
I miss the lights.

So,
Good news:
I moved the lamp Terry made in high school into the entrance hall - I leave the light on to replace the light from the trees.  I like it!  I haven't decorated that room yet, (and I need to dust that lamp) but at least the lamp is there ..., and on - spreading light through my life, day and night.

Putting the Christmas decor away allowed me to put things back in the family room.  That took me a long time but I really enjoyed filling my shelves with those precious things - things of no monetary value, but things that are close to my heart and bring back memories of people and places and love - memories of life.   I'm preserving memories with those precious things.

Elaine's precious things on the left, Terry's precious things on the right.

Everything in these shelves has a story, a reason for being precious to me - each item is part of life before and after I met Terry.  I am so grateful for my life and those people, places, and things that have filled it to this point.  I will continue to try and make the best of the rest of my life.

I'm off to keep cleaning and organizing!  Spring cleaning a bit early this year and it looks like it's going to take me several months, through Summer and Fall.   It's exhausting, but it is also rewarding.   I haven't done this deep of cleaning throughout the house in a long time.   Looking forward to good things ahead.

Preserving Memories

"A birth certificate shows that we were born.
A death certificate shows that we died.
Pictures show that we lived!"

The preserving of memories and history is something that I am somewhat passionate about. I love the focus it puts on families...together forever. This preserving started years ago in the form of scrap books for each of our children and has evolved into publishing of a different sort.

After many years of scrap booking the same photos of our reunions, vacations, and histories for 10 different scrap books I decided that placing photos and info just once then printing that collection 10 times was easier. The time saved seemed worth the extra few dollars. I still do both, scrap booking for each of my children still at home and occasional book publishing for all of my children.

I've learned a lot about creating books and look forward to learning more. I'm definitely hooked and so grateful for these companies. They provide a great way to preserve memories.
I've decided to share what I have learned, just in case someone else might be interested. It is my opinion that each has their place in the book creating market. I've listed them in the order that I learned of and used them.

Heritage Makers - A great selection of book sizes, cards and other products, backgrounds and clip art. Pages can be created as desired with any size photo and clip art. No two books will have to look the same because of a huge selection of paper and clip art. Start with a blank page and make it what you want. They also have some templates available if desired. My favorite book to create from this company has become the wedding guest books - no other company can compare for this type of book.
pros = greatest opportunity for creative expression.
cons = expensive, requires membership fees.
I will continue using Heritage Makers for guest books and other books/cards needing the paper/decor available in this company.

Shutterfly - After using Heritage Makers and having the freedom of ... well, everything, this was really hard to use. If I had started here it might have been okay. But I was too limited and didn't enjoy it. Having said this, I must also say that the finished product turned out great, and the photos printed in this book turned out bright and clear. I couldn't put words and photos where I wanted and there was no clip art. I was too limited.
I used this site a couple years ago, so things might have changed since then - I haven't gone back to try again.

Blurb - This is awesome! It allows you to slurp things from your blog (words and photos) into a book and then make changes and additions. A great "yearbook". The pages flow together (when there are too many words for one page it flows on to the next page) and photos can be added. Color can be used, but no clip art. Several sizes available and the finished product looked great. This is definitely a storybook type book which worked great for our Hebdon family reunion last year.
pros = slurping from blog feature, flowing pages.
cons = no clip art (but remember that isn't a bad things for some types of books).
I will continue using this company - I have a couple ideas for future books.

Mixbook - I liked the look of the book I created. Clip art is minimal, so unless I use a seasonal option my books would all have the same clip art from one to the next - that's not going to happen - each occasion/book needs it's own look.
pros = cheaper price, but good quality.
cons = small clip art selection.
Glad I used it this one time, and may use it again if creating a seasonal book.

Do you know of a different book creating site? :)