In Case of Fire

Just in case there was a fire....its good to keep these sorts of practical lists on hand, so that I could quickly dash to the computer, comb through old blog posts and tick off the "necessities" as the smoke curled around my toes. Perhaps humming a little Baloo as I went:?

Here's what matters in my house:

59 Things To Keep…..

1. Of course the dear people I live with.  A and the boys would be the first thing I’d ever choose
2. My tattered Spanish/English dictionary I won in a writing contest.
3. The boys baby books
4. My wooden cheesebox full of sentimental goods
5. My ancient cassette tape of Kirby Snively music
6. The photograph of me as a bride hanging on our bedroom wall
7. …oh heck, and the one on my dresser of A and I looking happily into each other’s eyes too!
8. My copy of Joy of Cooking (wedding gift from Mama)
9. The heirloom gold ring that was willed to me at my birth by a great uncle
10. The soft blue t-shirt I’ve had since I was seven
11. My Gourmet cookbook , a gift from my mother-in-law. (Thanks Mum!)
12. My guitar…and Reuben’s too
13. My Spanish/English Bible
14. My antique Alcott collection
15. The earrings I wore in my wedding
16. The Christmas ornament Papa made for me one year. A clear circle with a my parents log house scrimshawed into it
17. The broken, heart-shaped gold locket with red flowers etched into it that my parents gave me when I turned 13 that I will still find a way to get repaired someday!
18. My sketchbooks, paintings, paints and brushes
19. My sewing box
20. My Eureka handvac
21. An orchid or two
22. My wall paint color palette book
23. The tattered rose quilt I made with my grandma on her ancient sewing machine
24. My box of seeds
25. My copy of Mrs. Appleyard’s Year
26. Some washable markers (The two year old would be infinitely happier)
27. The “Garden Bed” perfume A bought me at a little shop in Brooklyn
28. A tube of mascara
29. My bottle of Trader Joe’s Tahitian vanilla extract
30. The digital camera
31. The cedar lined chest Papa made me as a wedding gift.
32. My little wooden rolling pin
33. The bird’s nest attached to a small branch that I’ve toted along through three or four houses now
34. My demitasse spoons (So useful! You have no idea!)
35. My journals
36. The mini teapot my sister bought me when I got married
37. The photos and videos of my children’s births
38. The glass edged dessert plate with strawberries that my grandma gave me when I married
39. My crystal cake pedestal
40.  The ribbon bound bundle of letters A wrote me while we were dating
41. The fake bust of a girl I bought in Meijer as a newlywed
42. My little cream pitcher
43. The end table my grandpa made
44. My engagement ring and wedding band…first real diamond I ever owned.
45. The plastic grocery bag of quilt bits in purple and green satin I’ve been s.l.o.w.l.y hand-sewing since high school.
46. My copies of Milne’s collected Winnie-the-Pooh stories and poetry
47. My gold and black "Cleopatra" formal
48. My character shoes
49. The photo I have of my grandparents, from when my grandpa could walk (he was eventually quadriplegic)
50. The tiny, olive colored, cashmere baby booties I knitted for Ru while I was pregnant
51. My violin
52. My giant recipe binder, full of clear pages containing loads and loads of recipe snippets I have collected through the years including: my stand-by bread recipe, my freezer jam recipe and the sacred Armstrong cheesecake instructions.
53. The delicate amethyst earrings and necklace A gave me a couple of years ago for my birthday
54. The pair of old, pale green, glass lanterns that I mean to hang together in our house someday
55. My farmhouse tea kettle
56. My grandpa's paintings (I own two)
57. Plantie....Miq and Penny's glossy leaved coffee tree I'm babysitting
58. A few prisms from the chandelier over our dining room table
59. The little marble bust of Abraham Lincoln that I found in a thrift store