What Do You Collect?

When I was younger, I remember going into my Grandma's sewing room where she had souvenir plates from states that she and my Grandpa had visited displayed on shelves on the wall.  And any gift you gave her, she would put a piece of tape with your name on it on the bottom or back of whatever it was so that you could get it back after she passed.  As for those souvenir plates, on one visit to her house as an adult she asked which one of those plates I wanted.  All of the grandchildren could pick a plate and she would put our name on the back.  I chose the one from Maine since it always seemed so far away I never knew if I'd make it up that way.  I still haven't made it to Maine, but I have that plate displayed in Grandma's china cabinet that is now in my dining room.

As I got older and started traveling I decided to start collecting something, but thought plates were too big.  So, I chose shot glasses.  They were small and easy to pack.  I figured I would take a page from my Grandma and collect shot glasses from everywhere I visited.  I don't know how many I have, but I have a lot...especially when I was traveling every other week when I managed events for IBM.  I have some from my international trips, but I think I forgot to get a few from some of the countries I visited.  I guess I'll have to go back!

I haven't picked up a shot glass in what seems like a decade now.  My new collection obsession has been recipes.  I'm completely obsessed and don't know how to stop!  Seriously!  I see SO many good recipes online every day that I want to make that I've printed out WAY TOO many to count.  Other than to say, I have close to 20 binders filled with recipes I've printed and put into sheet protectors, so you do the math!  Gulp.  I keep thinking that I won't even live long enough to make all the recipes I've printed more less from the 10+ cookbooks I have, too.  Sheesh!

What do you collect?  Are you obsessed with it?  Baseball cards, dolls, stamps, coins...whatever it is does it make you happy or crazy?  I think I'm on the verge of crazy so I'm going to have to figure out how to stop at some point.  I hope!

Blessings to you this final full week of July!  Stay cool out there!