I went to NJ this weekend and came back with something from each of my grandmothers.

My dad's mom passed away last Christmas and I chose a carefully curated selection of her huge collection of milk glass. She did most of her collecting in the 50's and 60's and favored the hobnail design. I'm trying to learn a little more about collecting milk glass but a lot of her stuff is unmarked, so I'm not making much headway.

The main reason I wanted it, though, is because I associate it with her so strongly. I just think of her when I see it. She was a crazy collector. She didn't just have one of something, she had 10. It makes me smile to see this little bowl on my counter and know that I have something of hers.

The tomatoes are courtesy of my mom's mom. She's in her 80's now, but still keeps a pretty impressive garden. It used to be bigger, but she's older now and has less mouths to feed and so she's cut back on the vegetables. Still, whenever I'm home she sends me back to the city with a bag full of tomatoes or cucumbers or string beans. I used to roll my eyes and groan, "More beans?" But now I know better. I'll eat some, freeze some and maybe pickle some so I can have them all year and think of her.