My mom saved the little blue sweater she knitted for me that I was wearing the day I tried to dye my hair black with shoe polish when I was about four. Still has the black stains around the neck. And another red cardigan sweater she knitted.
My “train dress” (pink & white horizontal stripes with a choo-choo train going around the front a few inches above the hem) that I wore on Easter when I was four and had the chicken pox. Along with the pink coat and hat that completed the outfit.
Another two dresses that, judging from the increase in size are my Easter dresses from five & six years old. A (used to be white) long-sleeved one with navy blue trim around the collar, cuffs and hem. Kind of nautical looking. And a short-sleeved white one with pink piping on the collar and cuffs. Something like a sewed-on pink belt that ties in the back, and two faux pocket flaps with pink buttons for “flowers” and embroidered green leaves. These dresses are filthy. Anyone have suggestions on how to go about cleaning them? They seem to be cotton and have a lot of cigarette smoke staining.
My red T-strap buckle shoes from the same eara with a perforated pattern in the toes, that still carry the pen marks I put on the bottom of them so I could remember which was right and which was left.
An oil portrait my older sister did of me when she was 16 and I was 5. It’s really bad. Same sister has a corduroy Santa I made when I was first allowed to use the sewing machine. It has hair and beard of white yarn. She gets it out and puts it on her mantle every Christmas.
Report cards, Iowa Basic Skills Test scores, things I made in grade school art class, a poem I wrote for my dad on his 36th birthday with all the n’s backwards, five or six other poems I wrote in grade school.
This is one of my favorites. A square of white construction paper with a circular blue piece of construction paper glued to it, on which is written (in first grade printing) “send Pete to space”. Pete is my older brother.
And I saved some stuff from middle & high school. From a slumber party at Lori’s house where we did the “blood brothers” thing and also smeared our blood on a piece of paper. The paper was then burned and the ashes put in an envelope for safe-keeping. I still have it and will take it to my 25th HS reunion this summer if I go. I think that was the plan.
Oh yeah…my bed pillow that I’ve used ever since I can remember.
I’m going to have to get that box out now and see what else is in there. I haven’t looked in a long time.