I Cleaned Out My Dead Grandma's House

These are the things I wasn't leaving without.

Jewelry

I'm sorry, there's really no good dupe for heirloom jewelry. There's really not even a good dupe for Nanny's jewelry. She had so much, she wore so much, and left so much untouched. I found: necklaces, rings, broaches, a vintage pocketwatch, two bolo ties and bracelets. The only place I've spotted jewelry that makes me feel close to how I felt looking at hers would be at a local shop, KIN, and occasionally on Etsy. Take your jewelry seriously; it pleases Venus.

KitchenAid Stand Mixer

Between trash bags of old pantry items and mole hills of old hair shears, I looked up and saw god. On a shelf above the fridge, nestled between Tupperware containers and reusable trash bags, was a KitchenAid. I swear I heard it whisper "fear not" as I proudly announced to my sister (already the proud owner of a KitchenAid) that I would be taking it. And indeed I did. Although lifting one of those while your arms are fully extended overhead and you're on your tippy toes is not recommended.

Philips Hue Lightbulbs and a Lamp

I tried bartering with my boyfriend to give me his smart lightbulb, fail. I lurked at prices online trying to convince myself they were worth buying, fail. Unopened Philips Hue box on the living room floor, score. Now that I have the lightbulbs, I would buy them. You can set routines to use them as a sunrise alarm clock, control the brightness and color, and turn it on or off from your phone. As for the lamp, I wasn't set on it until I found the bulbs.

Anchor Hocking Food Storage Containers

I bought a set of these containers in my first year at college and still have most of them to this day. I don't like involving plastic in my food, so they're great for leftovers, salads and packing lunches. The lids are also super secure. Like, I have a hard time getting them on sometimes, secure. So, my sister took the vintage Pyrex, and I took these containers.

Knick-Knacks and Keepsakes

Again, not something replicable, but you can find similar pieces at thrift stores and on odd corners of the internet. I found a glass trinket box, an egg-shaped crystal, old portraits of family members, newspaper clippings, marriage certificates, immigration papers and many more precious finds for my genealogy hobby.

What a sad and beautiful thing to help pack up somebody's life.