Thursday, January 12, 2017

The Humble Foot Stool

     Every year LV's widowed grandmother would come to their home to stay with them for several months. She would help around the house as she could, and also had her own little projects she liked working on.
     The summer LV was 12 she came on one of her visits. As she was helping prepare vegetables for canning she mentioned how it would be nice to have a little foot stool for her feet to keep the bowls from wanting to slide off her lap.
      LV promptly went to pick through their limited resources and found some wood scraps. Using them he made the perfect little bench/foot stool for her. She got him to sign it on the bottom, and after her visit was over she took it along home with her.
      She passed away soon after we were married and when her children got together to divide her things the little foot stool was still there. They all agreed that LV should get it since he was the one that made it.
       It is one of the most used things in our house. All four children used it daily when they were younger. Sharon will still use it when putting away dishes, and Steven has it as his regular perch to wash his hands.
     
 
It's beginning to show a little wear after all these years, but we still look forward to getting many more years of use out of it.

13 comments:

  1. I love family heirlooms. So neat that your husband made something for his grandmother that is now being used by the fourth generation. I'm sure it will be a cherished piece in your family for years. Your grandchildren and great grandchildren will probably use it when washing their hands.

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  2. That is the sweetest story. I love it.

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  3. I love the stain LV put on the footstool. It's lovely! Even better are the sweet memories attached to it, including the ones that you're making with your youngest. It would be nice if the stool lasted for your future grandchildren to use.

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  4. So meaningful to have that preserved for your children.

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  5. Wonderful memories for your family and how sweet of LV to make that for his grandmother.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  6. That little foot stool is a treasure.

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  7. What a wonderful keepsake! I still have a cushioned footstool that I remember sitting at my great grandmother's feet when she sat in her rocking chair. (I didn't realize, when I was 5 years old, that her feet didn't reach the floor when she was in her rocker). Upon her death, I got to pick something out to keep and I kept that footstool! Wonderful memories! And now, her great great great grandchildren sit on it at my house!

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  8. I have a little wooden paperback book stand that my father made in his shop class when he was in the 8th grade in 1946. On the back there's a piece of masking tape on which he wrote his name and the grade he was in. I have used that book stand since I was a little kid, and now I'm very careful to make sure the piece of tape doesn't come off. These things are a treasure.

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  9. What a lovely story!
    It's wonderful to read about these little treasures passed down in our family. I have a teapot and once cup and saucer from my granny's set, and a few plates to match. That and a few pics are all that's left after a fire 18 years ago.

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  10. That is really special. He must have done a very high quality job for it to last so long.

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  11. I love how the simplest things can become family treasures. A thoughtful boy and a grandmother with short legs ... two more treasures!

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment. I love hearing your thoughts.