Mary's "Hope Chest"

OK, so for the past ten years I've been publishing an e-mail newsletter called The Hope Chest Home School News. I named it that because I hoped it would be filled with inspiration and useful information for other moms. But a hope chest in the traditional sense of the word is a special box that a young woman receives in preparation for marriage. In it, she starts gathering lovely items she will need after her wedding. Some of it, like quilts, she has made herself in anticipation of her new life. Other things, such as silver candlesticks, might be family heirlooms.

Well, now I have a daughter who is getting married in about 7 weeks! And I confess that I never gave her a hope chest -- until today. You see, several days ago I couldn't find my plastic kitchen cutting mats (thin, flexible cutting boards), and I figured someone had thrown them away since they were all carved up. So I bought some new ones. The same thing happened with my kitchen shears a few weeks ago. Well, in both cases, it was a matter of someone putting them away in the wrong place. I found everything that was missing, which left me with duplicates. So when I was cleaning cabinets today, I offered my extras to Mary. But I knew that her bedroom was already getting stuffed with wedding stuff, so we had to figure out a safe place to put them. So, her "hope chest" is -- a Rubbermaid plastic storage box! Imagine! True confession! Well, it may not be as romantic as a cedar chest, but it does the trick... And I really did make a quilt for her, when she was a baby. You can see it in my March 21 post of my artwork. And, at least, as the oldest of ten siblings, she has plenty of memories (hopefully warm ones) tucked away in her heart!

P.S. I also remembered I had a couple of cookbooks with healthy foods I knew her hubby-to-be Ryan would like. And Mary bought a nice set of dishes at a yard sale for $5. I guess I taught her well in thriftiness! So that "hope chest" (of sorts) is filling up. The dishes are in their own cardboard file box, so I guess that is Hope Chest #2. So glamorous, I know!

P.P.S. Mary was telling about some apartments that they are going to look at. I replied, "Oh, how exciting! Your first apartment with your first..." -- and I started to say "hubby!" Mary got quite a laugh out of that, and immediately called Ryan, who assured her that he's in for the long haul! I'm glad he has such a sense of humor, even if he has threatened to duck tape my future grandchildren to the wall if they get out of line! (And yes, he is kidding. He's very good with little kids! Mary says he's even more excited about having kids than she is, but then again, he is the younger of two siblings, and she is the oldest of ten!)