Friday, November 12, 2010

Sleep Overs at Grandma's

It has been decades since spending the night at my grandma's house as a girl but I can still remember the smell of the house, the decor of the guest bedroom, and sleeping with some very cuddly sock monkeys that my grandmother had made.

I vividly remember a very large painting that hung on the bedroom wall. I now know that the painting was not appropriate for a child's guest room but I know now that it is probably a valuable collector's item today. (I have no idea what happened to the painting.) It was a picture of a group of dogs playing poker around a poker table. They were smoking, drinking, and they had piles of poker chips on the table so,,,,, they were clearly gambling too!


Well, I grew up to never smoke, drink, or gamble other than an occasional nickel slot machine so I guess no harm was done.

As, I look at my own home I often wonder what it will be that my grandchildren will remember. I have recently had a hitch in my get-along that has required the use of strong smelling creams and ointments. My grands have been here to smell my home's healing aroma. Are they going to grow up and remember that grandma's house "ALWAYS" spelled like Menthol!

Will it be the Whale crackers that are a staple in my pantry? Will it be the extra fridge in the garage that  has a supply of frozen treats during the summer months? Will it be my mystical cat Bentley that they search for when she disappears into very good hiding places when the doorbell rings? Will it be the big jug of magnetic letters that I keep in my pantry for fridge door play?

I'm thinking it very well may be an oversized chair and ottoman in the corner of my bedroom. Clearly, not because of it's beauty or even it's comfort.

Why then, you ask?


When there is only one grand sleeping over the oversized
 chair and ottoman becomes the bed of choice!

This time the ottoman had to be turned to 
add length for my tallest and oldest grandchild.

While she is physically growing out of the chair bed
I am thankful she hasn't grown out of
wanting to sleep there.

She has a very comfy bed at home.


A room of her own.
That her mommy has beautifully decorated for her.


But, the old oversized chair and ottoman 
must have a different kind of comfort
when sleeping over at grandma's house.

And......
I am very happy that it does!

Do you have any vivid memories of your grandparents home?
 What do you think will be your grands memories?









2 comments:

  1. At one grandmother's house, I remember sleeping on a pallet on the floor when there were lots of grandchildren there. When I was the only one, I slept on an iron bedstead in the hall. There was no central heating, so it got really cold at night. Grandmother piled on the quilts so that I could barely turn over! When I crawled into the bed, the quilts were ice cold, but I was sleeping with my sister, and the bed warmed up quickly and then felt deliciously toasty. This was on a farm, so I remember hearing the roosters crow in the morning. They don't wait until the sun comes up before they start crowing!

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  2. Everything seems to be better at grandma's house. I think your grandchildren will have so many great memories of your time shared together that they won't remember the smell of Menthol.

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