Sunday, July 06, 2008

Box of Buttons

When I was a little girl my sister and I would spend the weekends with my great grandmother. I have so MANY memories of my weekends with her. We would play games like Chinese Checkers, Checkers, Parcheesi and I even learned to play croquet. We would have hot dogs and beans on many Saturday nights with brown bread cooked in the oven and served nice and warm. On Saturday's my "Nana" would make apple pie for Sunday's dinner. I used to help her and had a grand time. I still make apple pies like she did! I would also help her make date and nut bread and cranberry bread. I still make cranberry bread for the family. (I hear you Beverly LOL!)
On Sunday mornings we would walk down the street to church and everyone just loved
Miss Lizzie (my great grandmother). After church while dinner was cooking we would watch Shirley Temple movies on TV. Dinner was always wonderful!! My great grandmother was a wonderful cook (though if I never have liver hash again I will be happy!!!!)

One of the things my sister and I would do is pull out Nana's old tin of buttons and play with them! We would play with them for the longest time and the treasures we would find were just wonderful. I don't recall what happened to that old tin of buttons but I remember the hours of joy we had.

When Nana died I inherited many of her things. One was the box at the top of this post. I use this box to store all of my buttons. After years of saving I still don't have a fraction of what she had. Who knows, maybe someday my grandchildren will enjoy going through my button collection.

I don't know what the wonder with buttons is. I guess it is that buttons come in thousands of colors, shapes and designs!

I am not sure if it began in my great grandmother's living room but I am still fascinated by buttons. As a matter of fact I have a collection at school that I bring out for the kids to play with (they sort, pattern, count and just enjoy the feel of the buttons!). Over the years families have donated to the collections. I hope that I spark a memory in one of my students someday when they come across a collection of buttons.
take care,
Dawn

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's a beautiful day in the mountains after a big rain last night. I decided to get a start with your post and as usual I am not disappointed. This story about your great grandmother is so special. My family loves buttons too. The box is lovely and will be a memory for your children too.

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Love & hugs, Jeanne

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful memory. My grandmother had a button bag, and she also kept empty wood spools in there for us to play with. Big surprise, but her button bag was pink. I have often wondered what happened to it.

Cranberry bread?!!! I didn't know you baked cranberry bread!!!! :-o I can't imagine. ;-)

Unknown said...

Dawn,
This is a wonderful post. It brought back so many memories to me of my own grandmother (one of mine passed away before I really knew her). Our lives have changed so much,now we grannies shop trendy stores, go to the gym, travel,eat lunch with our friends, and on and on.

My own grandmother didn't even drive! Guess to me the bottom line is spending time with the grandkids to give them some special memories in this world! I may not have a box of buttons, but I have lots of pictures to share, and I'm going to make sure I do it. Loved your post so much!

Cami said...

Button boxes, cranberry bread and walking to church---I have the same memories! So beloved!

Cottage Rose said...

As always Dawn I love reading your stories. You write each word with love. Your button box brought back memories of my Mother, but it was her jewelry box. I would sit and look through her costume jewelry. So I thank you for sharing your memories with us.

Hugs;
Alaura

Gone said...

What lovely memories, Dawn.

My Great-Grandma...had a button sock! I guess jars/boxes were hard to come by...so she kept them in a sock!

~blessings,
Jan

Britt said...

i know mackenzie would be all over that box of buttons, but jack would likely find them,(as everything else), appetizing!

Debi said...

Oh Dawn, what a sweet, wonderful post! Just made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! How nice that you have all those great memories!

My grandma had tins full of buttons, too. I got them a few years ago when she died, and I absolutely cherish those buttons! Unfortunately, I had to get rid of the tins because they were rusting and ruining some of the buttons. But I put the buttons in old glass jars and set them on a shelf in my scrapbook area where they make me smile every time I see them.