Golden Box of Treasures

Growing up there has always been a particular ottoman that moved from home to home with us. Frankly it was an ugly piece, a square box, with a hinged lid. The material was a golden vinyl, with four covered buttons on the top. To us, it was "the gold hassock". We also had a smaller round green one, but it did not have a storage area.

I absolutely loved that ugly little hassock.

My Mom had it stuffed full of pictures. To me it was an escape into story~land.  Their were plenty of memories in there. As well as many mysteries, stories I yet to know. I always enjoyed pulling them out and going through them.


Julie & I would pour through the photographs. Laughing and remembering. Sometimes guessing. My cousins also loved to dump it out and sift through. My Mom was and is notorious for having a camera in her hand (or in our faces). While many times it was annoying, it also is appreciated. I noticed many photographs we have are from her side of the family so in her defense, she gets it honestly.

It served not only as a storage bin of photos and a footstool, but a seat when needed, as well as a table and even a TV tray when necessary (TV trays were essential in the 70's, we loved TV and basically ate in front of it often.).

I was talking to my Mom this morning.  I told her I was thinking about that old golden hassock, and that I wish I had a picture of it. That surely it is in the foreground or background of some of the many pictures we had. She laughed and said she still has it. It is used as a base for a tabletop! And I am welcome anytime to come look through it again.

I will take her up on that.

Maybe I will take a picture of the old ugly thing. Until then, here are some I found that I would love to own.

I would love to have this one! Isn't it gorgeous?
Go HERE  for more info on it. It's a little step for me.. £950 which I believe is about $518.00 when I tried converting. So rich in style though.

 I also LOVE this one. From our lovely Anthropologie click HERE for more on it. It's $1,598.00

 and my favorite from Anthropologie, I can't find in the catalog. But I am sure it too is out of my price range.




Maybe I can get creative and buy one similar to the old ugly one (or get Mom to give me old Goldie) and recover it in a fun fabric?  hmmm

Quondam Tuesday

Today I am taking you back to my Great-Grandmother Beulah Rahmann again. Last week I shared a couple of old wedding photos. This week we will go back a little further of some of her history.
She grew up in Lyons Kansas. This is her parents home in which she lived while they were in Lyons. The photo is actually a news clipping from many years later, as the home was for sale but from the folks that live here after the Butlers. My Great Great Grandfather was Tom Butler of the State Builder & Railroad Contractor.

Nice little crib...
Next I am going to share one of Tom's other passions. His "colts".  This photograph is from 1904, from Arlington, Kansas. He would travel his with prized colts to sell, trade and buy new. I love this photo and I hope you can see it as it is so very faded.

Arlington Kansas 1904 Colt Show

His final passion was his daughters. All eight of them.

The Butler Sisters Spring of 1911

My Great Grandmother Beulah, Granny as she was affectionately known to me. Was the oldest of the girls, on the far right. This photo was taken of the Butler Sisters prior to Beulah's wedding (I noticed she wore this dress, for her graduation photo, her Sister photo and her wedding. Must have been her good dress. The  truly amazing thing is, she snipped portions of it and gave to her own daughters. My Grandmother Mellie, gave it to my Mother, but unfortunately, it perished before my Sister & I were grown. I do remember seeing and touching it, and was in awe over the delicate material and the beautiful stitch work). I believe my Granny was also the last survivor of the girls. One died in childhood, one at the hands of her husband. Then one by one they died, mostly of age related complications.  Beulah, after a wonderful long marriage to a man she loved, and buried, lived on to around 102, I believe. I was just out of high school, and although we lived far apart, I was very fortunate to know her, and visit many times. She was an amazing woman with many stories to tell. I wish now I paid more attention. My Sister has much of the history Granny wrote and collected & Julie will organize it.

One final photograph I wan to share.
This on I call "The Men of Frigidaire". Because it is glued into a very old album, I can not see the date, but assume it was around 1910s-1920s. The man on the far right bottom row, was my Uncle Richard, that married Beulah's sister Annie.

He was a top man in the company, and I feel this picture is really cool. Loving the automobiles in the background, and the snazzy sharp dressed men. I love this photo!

Hope you enjoyed Quondam Tuesday at Just Breathe Janis♥