My Enchanted Window...

The lovely Cielo at The House in the Roses has organized an "Enchanted Window" party for today, September 8th... You must visit her blog to see all the spectacular photos of 'enchanted windows' that she has posted! Thank you, Cielo! This was so much fun!

I've actually posted about this window before, but I thought I'd share it again as it is one of my favorites...


When we had a family room put on the back of our split level "cottage" back in 1989, a window seat was a must! An old white bedspread that my mom used in the 60's is wrapped around the large pillow that serves as the seat, and a collection of chenille pillows rest against the sides and back of the seat. I've always thought windowseats were so cozy and inviting, perhaps because of this windowseat...



... where, as a 7 year old, I would sit and watch the world go by. My sister and I were fortunate to revisit our childhood apartment a few years ago when, on a whim, we drove past the old place while driving my daughter back to college in Boston. As luck (fate) would have it, the apartment was vacant with a "For Rent" sign out front... The owner of the house graciously allowed us to go in and reminisce, which is when I took this photo... It may be 49 years later, but in my mind's eye, my sister and I are carefree children again... my mother is still with us, and is setting dinner on the formal dining table she loved, which was centered in this very room. Dad is once again a young man and will be pulling into the driveway any minute... and I, with legs curled up under me and my chin resting on the windowsill, am once again that daydreaming 7 year old... It is most definitely an enchanted window... Donna

Freshly laundered and smelling yummy!

Remember my $1 faded pillow sham from a previous post? Well, it's been freshly laundered and now it smells sooooooo good!

I tried it on the window seat for a while....

...but I think for now I'm going to keep it on the sofa. It's really comfy for laying back to watch TV or read...

Thank you my sweet scented helpers!

Donna

My Love Affair with Window Seats...

"The Cozy Window Seat... One of the most cozy and comfortable additions to the furnishings of a room is a window seat. Every woman in particular delights in these little nooks..." (The New York Times, January 7, 1894)

My love affair with window seats began in 1959 with the very window seat you see pictured above. As a little girl, I used to sit sit there and watch the world go by.

About 3 years ago, while bringing one of my girls back to college, my sister and I drove by our childhood home for old time's sake, and as luck would have it, there was a FOR RENT sign out front! The owner graciously allowed us to go into the empty apartment and reminisce.

Remember the scene in You've Got Mail where Meg Ryan has closed her bookshop, and as she turns to look at the empty room one last time she sees a childhood memory of her mom twirling her around? That's exactly how I felt. When I looked around at those empty rooms I could see my mom sponging Christmas stencils on the back door with glass wax... me playing "hide and seek" in the kitchen with Pete, our parakeet... and the dining room set that my mom loved was once again sitting in the center of this very room... It was such a gift, being allowed to relive those memories 46 years later. To my sister's dismay, the old clawfoot tub was gone, but everything else appeared as though time had stood still for all those years.

Fast forward to the home I live in now and the family room addition we put on when our girls were little. The very first thing I insisted it have was a window seat (well.. the very first thing I insisted on was having the laundry area moved up from the basement, but the second thing was that it have a window seat! (second photo)... And although the decor has changed over the years, the cozy feeling has not... I guess I relate to those women of 1894 in that I, too, "delight in these little nooks."

Donna