Gifts that Keep Giving

I've never received a gift I didn't love. How can you not love something that comes from a giver you adore? And some gifts go on to bring joy for many years to come. Here are a few of those long-lasting gifts I received for Christmas 2013. Was that really only 6 weeks ago?

Ryan and Shera gave me the "Family Rules" canvas, which I couldn't wait to put up as soon as the Christmas decorations came down. It expresses beautifully what I believe about families!

The round wood-mosaic hanging on the wall below it was actually a gift Jacob sent us from his mission in Northern California for Christmas 2012. It's one of my favorites!

This year Jacob bought me a purse, which was badly needed since my old one was falling apart at the seams. He apparently knows what I like, since this one is identical to my old one, other than the fabric color and the pocket design on the front! He also got me speakers for my computer, which will provide long-term pleasure, too. We just haven't hooked them up yet . . .

The bottom poster was a gift from Dylan (and the top poster was actually a gift from last Christmas 2012), and it went up on the board in my classroom on the first day back after Christmas break. The only novel we tackle in my English Writing class each year is The Hobbit, one of my all-time favorite books, so the posters are perfect!

And the gift that gets the most daily use is this set of silverware from Sarah. So nice to have a 16-piece matching set of utensils again! The years of raising a family always seem to take a toll on the family's tableware.

My old silverware is going to Ryan and Shera, for when they're able to get their own place again. Before it all goes, though, I wanted to remember the various sets of tableware our family has used over the years:

The set above was the very first I ever bought, long before I got married, to go into my hope chest. That's right, the one I used to lovingly refer to as my "Hopeless Chest." I thought it was very elegant and, in the end, it did serve us well for many years.

As the original set began to mysteriously disappear, piece by piece over the years, Mark and I purchased these cheap wooden-handled utensils so we wouldn't have to wash silverware for every meal. They didn't last long, bending and breaking, but they got us through for awhile. I think we had them during the years when the kids liked to go outside and dig in the dirt with whatever silverware was handy. 

This was our next set, and my favorite. They were heavy and lasted longer than their predecessors. Even so, eventually the fork taken to work by the hubby, the knife dropped in the yard by the son, the spoon left in the car by the little girl, and the spoon abandoned at school by yours truly, took its toll on the collection. Which brought my silverware drawer to the state in which my daughter discovered my need for new tableware.

Last of all, the mysterious collection of silverware gathered from unknown sources over 24 years of family life. I have no idea where any of these forks, spoons, and knives came from. If anything here looks familiar to you, call me.