Nostalgia

I've been feeling so nostalgic lately and when I came across this photo and caption from Paula Deen's Facebook page, it touched my heart and made me wonder about what types of things around YOUR home come from the past, that you hold dear to you heart.

For me, scents stir up all kinds of nostalgic feelings.  One of the reasons I love to make things from wood is because of the smell of it.  The scent of wood instantly conjures up wonderful memories of my dad building something in his garage.  On Saturdays, after I was already married with kids, I would run over to my parents house on gorgeous fall mornings and sit in the garage and have great talks with my dad as he worked on his wood furniture.  The air was always crisp, there were beautiful leaves on the ground, and my dad always had on his flannel shirt. 

The scent wafting through the air of the wood he was cutting and smell of sawdust were such a wonderful sense of security for me.  Those memories are precious to me now as it never occurred to me that he would be gone one day.  I can't walk into home building supply stores without being taken aback by the memories that come to mind simply from the smell of the store.  This photo is of my dad taking me and my younger siblings for a wagon ride with our new puppy. 

I have several pieces of furniture that my dad built for me and they are treasured items.  My bread boards were inspired by my dad.  He loved to cook and he loved big family dinners.  He would create the best recipes out of thin air and they were scrumptious.   I couldn't think of a better way to honor my dad than by designing and creating my bread boards.  To me, they embody love and family and when I'm working on them, my dad is smiling.

I'd love to hear about what makes you nostalgic or special things in your home that conjure up happy memories from days gone by....