Layering in Family Heirlooms

Using a family heirloom in the kitchen, whether it's your mother’s rolling pin or your grandmother’s bread bowl, adds a wonderful layer of connection to loved ones and traditions.

This beautiful, rustic yellow bowl with blue stripes once belonged to my husband’s grandmother, Lillian. She used it twice a week for decades to make her famous whole wheat toasting bread. Every time my husband sees it, it brings back warm memories of her.

Instead of tucking it away on a shelf or in the attic, I keep it in regular use, often making sourdough bread in it. My kids know the story behind the bowl and its special place in our family history—and when they see it, they know they’ll wake up to warm, delicious bread the next morning.

By incorporating this bowl into our daily life, Lillian isn’t just a figure in old photographs or stories. It deepens my children’s connection to her, and she becomes part of the rhythm of their lives.