Grandmother’s Handwriting
A letter arrived in my mail box…it was in my Grandmother’s handwriting. Immediately my heart felt warm, I felt her love from afar.
My Grandmother, Louise Hobbs Crabtree, instilled a passion in me for photography. Grandma always had a camera in hand and was snapping away. Her family history is very well documented by photographs.
Through the years Grandma has sent me countless photographs that she has taken, her handwriting is on the back of each one, showing the date it was taken, who is in the photograph and how old they were at the time. I wish I had her skill for organization.
I have developed quite a fondness for my Grandmother’s handwriting. I save everything that has her handwriting on it; the letters she sends, the photographs she takes, the articles and recipes she sends…I love them all and can’t seem part with them.
I feel her love and thoughtfulness every time I see her perfect handwriting.
Tags: Grandma
February 28th, 2008 at 9:56 am
your grandma and I were just talking about her handwriting this week when she was visiting….she would spend hours perfecting it in elementary school….it was a required class back then and she was an A+ student! I always tried to imitate it but just could’nt get it so perfect! I guess it takes years of practice! I am soooo excited you’re blogging because you are ooozing with talent and I now have someone to try to imitate again but I think it will take years of practice!
March 1st, 2008 at 3:26 pm
You have awesome handwriting too silly!
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:27 am
From SITS- I love my grandparent’s handwriting- so much changes over time, I think the penmanship from the “older generation” is a true art form.
Also, your blog header is beautiful.
July 23rd, 2008 at 5:23 am
Congrats on SITS feature! You will have wonderful memories of your grandmother through her writing and pictures. You are one lucky woman!
July 23rd, 2008 at 5:24 am
Beautiful layout! I need to tweak mine so I can stop using the “available templates”. My grandmother was never the type to send or keep anything. I am totally jealous. Congrats on your Sits day!
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:00 am
This post reminded me dearly of my grandmother. Her handwriting was beautiful and I often tried to duplicate it when I was younger. Thanks for reminding me of that.
Enjoy your SITS day!
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:13 am
My one surviving grandparent by the time I graduated high school was my dad’s mom. She used to write to me at least once a month when I was in college (along with sending delicious care packages like homemade melba toast or zucchini bread). I saved all her letters, too (but not the treats - those my dormmates and I devoured!).
I have a feeling my future grandkids won’t be as excited to save my scrawl… then again, we tend to just use the computer for most communication now anyhow. Maybe they’ll save my texts - once I learn how to do texting, LOL! I’ve still got a few decades to go before that’s an issue, anyhow!
Cheers and congrats on being the Featured Blog today!
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:43 am
omgosh, how wonderful that you have those photographs and her notes on them! That is priceless. I wish I had those gifts.
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:49 am
What a wonderful gift!
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:51 am
Oooh, I only wish that my Grandmother could do that for me. Congrats on being the FB. ENjoy the comments!
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:13 am
What a beautiful sentiment. I certainly miss my grandmother. It’s funny how doing certain things makes me remember her more. I recently bought a Yahtzee game and have played it with my son. I am flooded by memories of playing with her for hours on end and the funny sayings she used to have. I find myself thinking those things in my head while I am playing. I hope I can make lasting memories with my grandchildren one day.
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:15 am
So precious that you posteda about this…I have a box full of my late grandmother’s letters, as well as recipes written in her hand. I treasure these above every stitch of jewelry I own. Truly…
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:38 am
That is sweet. It makes me miss my Grandma. Cherish your time together.
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:41 am
I am feeling so badly now…I am not sure I saved letters from my grandmother’s…and now that they are both gone, I feel sad about that. I think I need to go digging through this one box of memorabilia I have to see if I can find any.
Great post…and Enjoy being SITS queen of the day!
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:57 am
Nice blog! Congrats on being the SITS blogger of the day!
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:05 am
Handwriting and organization are two things that I fall short on. I’m SO impressed that every photo is so well organized. It’s a necessity for it to be relevant years later but… too infrequently happens!
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:11 am
Beautiful post and photos. I have several journals from my grandmother, who passed when I was 16 years old. I love to read her thoughts and fears and dreams from when she was a young girl. Her love of scrapbooking (the old black albums with photo corners and white pens) is what inspired me to start when my first was born.
Congrats on being featured today! Enjoy the love!
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:13 am
I love looking at old recipes my grandmother had written down. Her handwriting was so distinct.
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:44 am
This is an awesome post and what a tribute to you grandmother. Both of my grandmothers have passed away. I loved getting letters from them and I can see there handwriting, now, as I think about them. Thanks for the memories.
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:51 am
What a great post!!!
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:59 am
How special! I do this with certain people too. I have a couple people in my life whose letter and cards I just CAN’T throw away because their handwriting makes me feel loved.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:02 am
I know exactly what you mean! I inherited all of my grandmothers knitting and crocheting supplies after she died. It wasn’t until just recently that I started sorting through all of the items and seeing what she had left. Finding the instructions for things she knit or crocheted for us on little recipe cards in her handwriting brought tears to my eyes. She’s been gone nearly 10 years now, and I still miss her dearly.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:06 am
I know how you feel. The handwriting of women of that age is just beautiful. They took handwriting classes. I love it!
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:15 am
Beautiful! Gave me ideas for a tribute to my Nana.
Congrats on being “SAUCY”
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:18 am
gramma’s are alwys so organized like that… i never write on the backs of my photos. someday when i die, somebody is gonna have a big mess to straighten out.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:22 am
What great memories to save of your grandma. Love the blog header! Congrats on you SITS feature!
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:35 am
What a beautiful post. And your site is GORGEOUS!!
Happy SITS day!
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:36 am
what a great thing to have…what a treasure! And wow! she did have the most beautiful handwriting…lovely just lovely :o)
~simply stork~
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:37 am
What a sweet tribute! I recently found an assignment that I did in middle school, where I’d apparently asked my great aunt Emma to write about her childhood experiences - she passed away last year and it was wonderful to find something in her handwriting that was so personal! I’d completely forgotten about that letter and it felt like a big hug from her.
Your blog is absolutely beautiful…must browse more!
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:45 am
Your words are truly beautiful….. I remember my Grandmother’s handwriting and funnily enough my mother’s is starting to resemble it.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:52 am
This is so sweet and trust me you should hold on to every one. Both of my grandmothers were dead by the time I was in 3rd grade and my grandpa’s were both dead before I was born. I would give anything to have these kind of memories to hold on to.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:59 am
That is something that I miss the most since my grandma past away. Her lovely hand written letters. I stumbled across an old letter the other day and I just realized how much I miss her. I also wished that I had sved more of her letters.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:02 am
What a sweet post about your grandmother! I love getting letters from mine as well. Beautiful photos!
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:03 am
I get the exact same feeling when I see my grandmothers handwriting… it’s like years of wisdom, laughter and tears all mashed together and evolved into something beautiful.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:05 am
It’s beautiful. My mom’s handwriting looks more like “chicken scratching,” and she’ll tell you that. I can read it fairly well, but my kids are dumbfounded by it!
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:14 am
I never knew my grandmother’s well (One died before I was born) and this post makes me want to find out more about them.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:32 am
I feel the same way about reading my grandmothers letters - since she has passed they are even more special to me with her beautiful writing. Our poor children will have emails most likely.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:42 am
The art of letter writing is lost in emails and the online world. My grandmother loves to write letters as well. It is always a special treat to open the mailbox and find a hand written note.
My grandmother has framed some of her grandmother’s notes and handwritten receipe cards. She has the framed receipe cards hanging the kitchen.
I thought it is a great way to save the memories.
Grandmothers are special.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:44 am
I still have my grandma’s old card-file recipe box because so much of it is her handwriting. She was an elementary school teacher and I always loved her “perfect” handwriting. Thanks for bringing back that memory. Congrats again on being the SITS featured blogger!
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:48 am
That is very sweet! I have saved MANY things from my Grandma, who passed away several years ago. I don’t have much of her handwriting though….unfortunately, I couldn’t read it that well! But I have many other fond memories of her.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:52 am
How sweet! I wish I had anything that belonged to my grandmother. I didn’t know how to really appreciate her while she was here. Congrats again on being featured today!
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:54 am
Aw! You make me miss my Nanny! She was not a letter writer though. I envy you your treasures from your Grandmother.
Be blessed.
Jen
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:07 am
How sweet! I felt the same way about my grandmother’s handwriting. Treasure those, you will be glad you have them! enjoy your SITS day!
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:08 am
That is a beautiful sentiment to have from your grandmother, you should treasure them forever.
Congrats on being featured on SITS!
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:24 am
What a lovely post. You are truly blessed to still have your Grandmother around. All of my Grandparents have passed away and never got to meet my husband, my children, see me graduate….it is sad to think about. I love this post and, like you, would want to treasure every sweet document on which she makes her mark. Treasures indeed.
Congrats on the SITS feature
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:35 am
Beautiful. It made me think of my own grandmother and how feeble her handwriting became as the years passed. It was always a welcome sight in my mailbox. I miss her.
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:45 am
Wow. You are awesome and what a great tribute to your grandmother! You are very lucky to have her!
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:47 am
That totally made me miss my Gran! Thanks for sharing your special memory.
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:27 pm
My grandma was super organized like that too. It must be a long lost art of sorts…..it seems so forgotten in today’s day. It sounds like you truly treasure these things from your grandma. Makes me totally miss my Granny!
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Cute pic. My grandma writes me often as well.
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I always save everything my grandparents wrote because I know that one day, they’ll all be gone and I want to remember how they wrote. That was a lovely tribute to your grandmother. Thanks for sharing and congrats on your SITS day!
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:57 pm
That is so touching. My grandmother’s like that,too.
Came to you via SITS.
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:01 pm
I absolutely love your header! I can’t wait to poke around your blog some more. I love the idea of scrapbooking, and have enjoyed it when I’ve done it (my son’s baby book, some gifts), but can’t quite get motivated or organized well enough to do it regularly. Looks like you have it down to an art/science. Congrats on the SITS feature!
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:05 pm
That is beyond sweet. I’ve never really taken notice of my grandmothers’ handwriting. I will now though! Thanks for making me think about it!
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:12 pm
There is nothing like the written word… The HAND written word to be precise. I spent 9 yrs. as a scrapbook instructor and I can’t tell you how many times I stressed the idea of writing.
There’s a wonderful book I recommend on the subject titled: Put Your Heart On Paper by, Henriette Anne Klauser… I invite you to check it out because it provides even more ideas for preserving the written word.
I have a few very old pics handed down from my great grandmother with descriptions on the back… I treasure those pictures, though I didn’t know her well and I wish she’d been a family historian such as your grandmother. Thanks for reminding me of them.
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
That is so sweet. I’m glad I use my handwriting on some of my scrapbook layouts for this reason–I hope my kids and grandkids will remember me when they see it!
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:33 pm
I feel the same way about my grandmother’s handwriting. I love to open the mailbox and see a card from her and read her little comments about her life.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:44 pm
My Grandmother passed away 2 days after she mailed out Holiday Cards a couple of years ago. Three days later I recieved my card. I still have it up on my fridge. I’ll never get rid of it. It was the last and probably only piece I have with her handwriting on it.
Thank you for sharing. Happy SITS day.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:45 pm
I used to always try and copy my Nanny’s handwriting. It was much more fancy then the way we learned to write in cursive. Her name is Emily, and I just loved the way she wrote her capital E. I will always remember that.
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
It is true, that when I was in elementary school handwriting was very important. I went to a Catholic grade school and we practiced our handwriting religiously (pun intended).
I used to teach high school math and I would tell my students…the first impression people have of you is your appearance, the second impression is your speech, but the third impression is your handwriting and the way you write. I always stressed how important it was.
I love to read and just look at beautiful handwriting. It is an art form all its own. You are very lucky to have such wonderful mementos.
Cherish them!
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:52 pm
that’s awesome!! my grandma lives in NM but she’s never sent me anything like that.
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:56 pm
I adore every ounce of this post. Family photographs and letters are the most cherished thing in my home.
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:05 pm
What a wonderful post about your grandma. Makes me really miss mine. I have boxes full of photos that I took from her house when she passed but she wasn’t nearly as organized as yours!
congrats on your SITS day!
July 23rd, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Handwriting is a lost art, as is letter writing. I am totally with you on this sentiment. I have a friend from high school who I have only seen once in the past 14 years that I write letters to. It’s one of my favorite things to see a handwritten letter in the mailbox.
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:02 pm
I have a two letters that my grandmother, now gone, wrote to me when each of my children were born. I’ll cherish them always.
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Perfectly said! I once wrote a post on handwriting, too–the rush of emotions it elicits from deep down. I especially cherish the words written by my late father–seeing his handwriting in the present shortens the time (15 yrs) since I last saw him.
Thank you!
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:39 pm
I feel exactly the same way about my grandma and my mom’s handwriting. This is a really nice post that you’ve written.
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Here from SITS. Congratulations on being blogger of the day!!
Your Grandmother has beautiful writing.
Sadly, with the advent of computers, penmanship is a skill we seem to be losing.
I’ve recently got interested in making handmade cards and I found myself having to practice for ages, just so my writing would look neat!
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:24 pm
what a lovely tribute to your grandmother
and a reminder that everyone loves handwritten snail mail.
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:44 pm
From SITS.
I love this post — it reminds me of how special is it when I run across items with my mom’s or grandmother’s writing on it. It’s like a piece of them is still here with me, even though they are deceased.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:13 pm
What a wonderful post! I love your pictures, you have a great talent!
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:31 pm
I wish my grandma recognized her worth and the meaning of her memories… She just says she doesn’t remember or it was too long ago
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:34 pm
how cool to have so many pics from her life. that’s so neat.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:08 pm
What wonderful memories she’s blessing you with.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:21 pm
I have a collection of recipes my late grandmother copied for me, and I treasure seeing her handwriting. It helps me feel connected to her even though she has passed on. What a lovely scrapbook page idea!
July 24th, 2008 at 1:30 am
I don’t know if I”ll be able to read anymore after this!—-I treasure loved one’s handwriting too. My mom passed away 2 years ago, and I just treasure her notes. In fact, I make sure I write a lot of notes to my kids so they’ll have something other than a printed out email of mine to read :)!
July 24th, 2008 at 1:33 am
Isn’t it amazing how something as simple as a few written words can bring back a flood of memories. Beautiful post - cool blog! Congrats on being a SITS girl!
July 24th, 2008 at 10:06 am
I feel the same way about my mother’s writing. Elegant, graceful and something to aspire to. I even took some of the thread bobbins she had written on b/c the numbers looked so beautiful.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:49 am
This is such a sweet, touching post. Thank you for sharing. Congrats on the SITS feature.
July 24th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
How beautiful! You are lucky to have such a wonderful woman in your life.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
This post made me cry! I love to look back at letters and cards my grammy wrote me. To know she touched it. We lost her 11 years ago.
May 19th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
March 18th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
All people deserve wealthy life and loans or just short term loan would make it better. Because freedom relies on money.