Nostalgia, Finely Tuned

As a child, we spent a lot of time at home. My mom ran a day care for a few neighborhood children out of our home until I was about six years old, and I can remember feeling like our house was so much fun. There were toys and things around of course, but I really had an overwhelming feeling of safety within that space, because it was my home and there were always children around who also felt comfortable there too.

My mom spent a lot of time, effort and creative energy building a special, sweet and comforting place for our family. She made clothes for us to wear, as well as our dolls and ponys. She also put a great deal of care into the space that we did the majority of our living; The kitchen always had home cooked meals, the living room boasted family heirloom knit afghans, and each and every space in the house was cloaked in home made curtains. The only places I can compare my mother’s homes to are her relatives homes; Her aunt and godmother’s homes smelled like baking cookies and cedar chests, nested and lovely with Greek heirlooms from the walls to the special silver cutlery saved for special occasions.

As a parent, I try to emulate much of what I grew up with. I don’t sew much, but I love to cook and decorate our home like an actual living space where my children are building their memories. I take care in making sure that our home is clean and tidy, but there will always be toys and photos of my children and relatives in most of the common spaces. If I’m in the best frame of mind and organization, I will have dinner on the stove or baby food baking in the oven, a mess of flour on the counter and a station prepared for the kids to draw or create on their own. It took me a nearly two years to put up curtains in our living room, but I was so thrilled to finally encase this space in drapes. We are currently renting our home, and was comfortable with price point and quality of our Royal Velvet curtains and rods that we chose to put the finishing touches on our decorating.

We live on a somewhat busy street, so the comfort, safety and privacy that the curtains provide on the inside make truly all the difference. There is just something about curtains that makes all the difference within a living space. With our options at JC Penney and their Royal Velvet line, I was able to make a decision not only easily but also quickly, and we’ve been really happy with the way that they look and feel.

There are a few things about my childhood that I can remember with a fond nostalgia that I can almost sense as though I’m there right this very moment. As a mother, one of my goals is raising my children in a comfortable, clean and lovely place that they will always remember as their home. Finding these finishing touches with Royal Velvet from JC Penney at price points that are manageable make the bigger decisions feel less like road blocks on the way this goal.