What things did you keep from your parent's house after they passed

[adviceatthislatestage]

Feeling a little emotional today, as completed on my late parent’s home this afternoon- they’d lived there almost 50 years 😢

Obviously been busy these past few months clearing the house. So much stuff!!

Apart from one piece of furniture, most of the things I kept are so mundane and ordinary

Eg Mum’s mug - just a basic Wilkos one
Bread knife- must be about 60 years old
Dad’s measure tape - he was always doing work round the house. Not always successfully it must be said 😂
A long twisted spoon that was always used when having Indian chutneys and pickles- we even called it the pickle spoon. Only realised when looking on eBay that it was actually an art deco cocktail stirrer. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186594267456?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=nw5k3eEORBm&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=wb3oYVyT9u&var=&widgett_ver=artemis&media=COPY

No value to any of these but just using them connects me to them instantly ❤️

What items did you keep from your parents home after they passed away?

I have some of Mum's cooking stuff so I use it every day.

I never make a cake unless I stir it with her big spoon.

It took me years to get rid of a lot of the stuff as I just couldn't. They had massive challenges but were loving parents. I talk to them every day even though they've been gone decades now.

We kept MILs cutlery set, some milk jugs a few ornaments, a garden bench and a few other bits and pieces. My daughter had her dining chairs and garden bench. DH kept some old books and records and his Dads tools, vice clamp and workbench. Other than that the neighbours had a few things and the rest a house clearance company took. I think of her everyday when we use the cutlery. She had it and used it everyday as long as I knew her (over 30 years) and it’s still in good condition.

We kept very little. A few nice glass serving things, about 2 items of jewellery and some photos. I culled the photos from 1000s to about 60.

The best things were roses, peonies and lilies from their gardens which I gave to family and friends.

I feel this so much. to you - clearing my parents' house was the worst thing I've ever had to do. They'd also been there over 50 years.

My sister and I kept:
the crinkle cut chipper
the pink 70s hippo nailbrush
the Charles and Di travel sweet tin
several vases we'd given them for wedding presents when we were wee
the hobby horses Mum made for us when we were even wee-er
the brown sugar jar with the rattly lid
their wedding canteen of cutlery
etc
etc
etc

My DH loves the ancient and still perfectly serviceable workshop tools that I think my Dad took from his dad's workshop. And their lovely Ercol furniture that they'd bought as 1960s newly weds now looks just as lovely in our house.

I wish I'd taken more. I seem to spend most weekends in the local charity shop covertly replacing items I regret giving to their local charity shop!

Not a lot really.

A mixing bowl, a mug and two odd teaspoons that I have no idea where they came from but were always my favourite ‘pudding spoons’ when I was growing up.

My big (and obviously therefore more responsible) sister has got the family history - grandparents army memorabilia, medals etc and all of the important paperwork.

Special books
photos - obviously
prominent/valuable ornaments
Art
Antique/valuable furniture such as the dresser from their bedroom or the bureau from their sitting room or study

A special cardigan or jumper or throw

I only kept a few personal things when DM died, a photoframe and vase I'd bought mum for previous birthdays, and her sewing box that I remember playing with as a child. Strangely it sits next to MIL sewing box!. Photos I condensed and only kept immediate family pictures. Mum seemed to have 'thing' for lovely storage boxes, I took a few with the intention of binning them after moving stuff, but I've kept them all...oh and I have her jewellery. Not much for a life time really

Mostly kitchen stuff inc mugs, excellent vintage potato masher, whisk. Also, my mum’s chair but re upholstered. My Dad’s tools

Quite a lot, but the things that I use frequently and which make me feel connected are mums giant baking trays, her scissors (many, all labelled with big MUM) and dad favourite picture.
My parents had lived in the one house since they were married too, over 50 years and it was so hard deciding what had to go

Some Queen's tea cups and some linen tea towels.

We all have our own well established homes and little space. It also hurt so much, for quite a long time, even to see those wee things.

My dad is married to a horrible, possessive, spiteful woman, unfortunately. We've all tried twitch her but she is incredibly hostile. I very much doubt any of us will get even small keepsakes when he's gone.

A few of the posh stuff, like furniture and silver, but best of all, a 3D picture of an old fashioned kitchen, complete with tiny swinging cauldron. I think it would be German or Dutch.
A cranberry jug, used for lemonade.
My mother's button box.

anxiety and depression

My dh was brought up by his GM so when she passed we kept her glass butter dish, still in use today. I kept her large Mason mixing bowl and because it’s old I only use it at Christmas to make the Christmas cakes. She loved making Christmas cake and made several each year.
She gave me her bunnykins figures several years before she died, because I said I loved them.

I have my mums kitchen chicken. A brown, egg container possibly? Always used in my mums kitchen for odds and sods and when I bought our forever house, she found me an exact copy of her chicken. No idea how she found it, she doesn't even use hers (on display) any more as she has a fancy modern minimalist kitchen. She has Alzheimer's dementia though, and I forgot that she'd done that for me, before the diagnosis. Sometimes the dementia makes me feel like I don't have a mum, so I'm thankful for you asking and bringing up this memory for me x

Oops sorry, i should have clarified - i meant what small and ordinary items have you kept. Can you edit via the app?

Like PP I also have jewellery, important papers, large items such as Dmums metal steamer trunk, which came with her from India when she came to England in 1960.

lonehydrangea we took cuttings from some of the plants in mums garden. Am hoping they’ll survive.

fly half Aah i know that feeling re charity shops.

After giving/ offering bits and pieces to friends and family, I sold, ebayed, freecycled and lastly charity shopped most of DMum & DDad’s stuff.

Had a few regrets about a couple of things donated. Eg Last Monday I went back to get something (a tea tray) I’d only just donated the previous Saturday.

literally on fire I am sorry about your father’s wife. Happened to a friend of mine. But maybe your dad will outlive her and you’ll not have to worry.

thursday murder club hope you’re ok?

ZuChan you’re welcome. Wonder where your kitchen chicken came from.

Not my parents house but I’ve just dealt with my grandparents house. I didn’t keep anything other than some very nostalgic Christmas decoration, 6 baubles.
i invited anyone else to come and take what they wanted, some took furniture, treasured mugs and photos etc but all I wanted was those baubles. Just remind me of all my childhood christmases.

literally on fire I am sorry about your father’s wife. Happened to a friend of mine.

Thanks.

Funnily enough my parents had a lot of kitchenqliq and gardening tools that had belonged to their parents and grandparents.

I'm sure a couple of the garden tools were a bit "trigger's broom" - or getting there - but simple things like jelly moulds and wooden spoons are quite meaningful to have.

We'll see.

There is also a piece of art - a cheap mass produced print from the 60s - that I'd live to have. It's just an omnipresent memory from my early years.

I have recently started buying doubles of small things my grandparents had (sewing box, barley twist table etc), if I spot them. I like the feeling of continuity.

Too many typos. Time for bed.

Great idea for a thread, OP.

I was in my very early 20s when I lost my last parent, I had a young toddler who was helping me do the sort out, no car, and a very tiny home of my own without much space for stuff. I seem to have blocked out how I sorted out the five bed house but I know it took me weeks. I had no money, was losing money at work and could barely cover my living expenses, I couldn’t afford a skip or a clearance firm or a taxi to get things back and forth. So I only got to take home things I could carry on the bus with my DC and in the end everything else went in a bin, was given away on free cycle or left out for people to take, or was left in the house when I sold it.

I now have a ladle, a jewellery box, some perfume and a small hand mirror.

The cut glass / crystal bowl that she made her trifle in every year for Christmas, and other ' occasions '

The wicker ? laundry basket ( Lloyd Loom ) that moved house with them, it's easily 60+ years old.

His old school tie, he was very proud of having attended his old school, ( 1930's ) I did buy a new one for a birthday or Christmas as his was becoming just a bit old - he was delighted !

My dad had made some wooden dice with words on the faces for this daft made up game that we used to play at family Christmases. I was going to chuck them but I’d left them out with some other stuff that I hadn’t got round to binning. My sister in law saw them and asked if she could have them to play at family Christmases with her own adult children and their children. This always makes me smile when I think about it.

Too much really. I bought lots home then slowly Binned a lot since we sold the family home of over 50 years. Broke my heart all over again. It's so final. Physically painful.

Parents ancient pirex plates that I will possibly never use but I will never part with. Dad's hammer. Lots of cutlery also ancient and a bit crap. The spare bed. The victorian door with carved victorian glass in. Lots of 60s blankets.

The best thing was unscrewing the brass victorian hooks from the cellar and in cupboards. It was going to converted into bedsit type flats so they have been ripped out. That's the worst part. Beautiful 130 year house that will never be a family home ever again