When I was a little girl I used to go to a magical place that was my Grandmom's attic. It was full of wonderful, enchanting things that would keep a little girl happy and busy for hours.
From the moment I opened the door and walked up the creeky steps, I was mesmerized. There was a small window at the top of the stairs that allowed sunlight to filter through to clearly see all the treasures that were waiting inside.
There were boxes of books lining the old walls, an old four poster bed that was set up and covered with Grandmom's hat boxes, purses, shoes and old dresses. It was also covered with old quilts, sheets and linens that weren't in use.
There was an old vanity with a cracked fuzzy
mirror that held old cosmetic jars, perfume bottles and powder puffs. There were pieces of broken jewelry and snippets of ribbons and bows. It was a little girl's dream.
I would play for hours in that attic. I would pretend to be a grown up while dressing up in Grandmom's dresses, high heeled shoes, hats and jewelry. Smearing on old red lipstick and spritzing on Blue Waltz perfume! I would sit in front of that fuzzy old mirror thinking that someday I would have a dresser covered with pretty, girlie things.
I would slip off into
a magical
dream
where
everything was good and people were happy. I was so afraid of war at that age.
I remember asking my Mom why there had to be wars and why people wanted to hurt one another. I remember making a wish on my sixth birthday cake, that there would be no more wars.
I would play for hours in the attic, never wanting to leave. But, I would hear my Mom calling that it was time to come downstairs now. "That floor up there isn't very safe," she said. "You get down here now, it's time for lunch."
So, after the second call. I would leave my special place knowing that tomorrow I could go back again.
Where was your secret place when you were a child?
~~hugs~~
36 comments:
Your grandma's attic sounds like it was a magical place for a little girl. Based on your description I think it would be a magical place for a big girl too....lots of treasures!
Jane
Sissie, thank you for this lovely little escape. You painted such a lovely picture. I felt like I was right there with you.
I didn't have a secret place, per se, but I used to love to stay overnight at my grandma's house and then she would clean out her dresser and closets with me. Oh, the fun! She used to have all different colored gloves -- the short, lady-like ones in every color to go with every outfit. I especially remember one pair of lilac colored ones that I loved. And she had glittery handbags from the days of New Year's Eve bashes. And shoes and silk scarves . . . it was a little girl's heaven.
Thanks for conjuring up these memories. The anniversary of my grandma's passing is tomorrow . . . perhaps I'll write something about her. She was so lovely.
My gramma's basement was like that, and her craft room. She was a primitive antiques dealer and master crafter with all things floral, painted and sewn. In my mind, gramma could do anything, and the tools of her trade were magical things to me. I still remember the smells of old wood, dried herbs and dust. It all meant 'home' to me.
Thanks for a beautiful post!
What a wonderful story ♥
My special place was also at my grandparents house. They didn't have an attick but they DID have a small enclosed back space outside, all tiled, with my granddaddy's big birdcages, his shed etc. I always played on that space, with my grandmommy's wooden stepladder, with water etc. Grandmom always "bought" her water from us, lol. She loved it if we (me and my older brother) played there. It was safe, it was sweet and just grandmammy and granddaddy's place ♥ I SO miss them still, even thought it is over 30 years since they passed away.
Awww what a sweet post Sissie! Every child should have a special place that they will remember forever! I used to love hanging out in the old corn crib....climbing over thousands of ears of corn to get to the loft....I could dangle my feet out that loft window for hours just watching the pigs and chickens and rolling meadows!
Hi Sissie...
Like you it was with my Grandparents...
My attic was my Grandparents Island in Canada...where I spent hours and days growing up...
Learning to make donuts and fishcakes at my Grandmothers feet...
Learning to catch Northern Pike and playing Canasta with my Grandfather...
A magical time...like you , it was a safe time.
Such precious people who shaped my little life for weathering the future.
Grandparents are priceless...and today, it is my favorite roll.
Thanks for the memories,
Have a wonderful "attic feeling" type of day,
xoxo~Kathy @ Sweet Up-North Mornings...
Sadly, I didn't have a grandmother. Both died before I was born. Growing up, I really didn't miss one (you don't miss what you don't know about) but now, I miss that experience very very much. This could be one reason I have tried to be the best grandmother for my grands.
IF I had had a grandmother, I am sure I would have loved playing in HER attic, too.
xo bj
Sissy, This story touched my heart. I have such memories as this, playing for hours in an upstairs bedroom, wearing ruffled long dresses that had been packed away in a big trunk. These dresses had belonged to my grandmother. The great difference is that my grandmother was in Heaven and had been since my father was nine years old. Gerry
Oh Sissie, That sound like the most wonderful place not only for little girls. You could lock me up there if you would bring me some food from time to time :-). In my grandparent's attic there hadn't been anything exciting and I don't remember having a secret place.
Hugs,
Julia
What a great story, Sissie! I also could picture myself in that attic. What a wonderful place for a child to visit and imagine.
What sweet memories. I love the pics you have too. Great fun. Hugs, Marty
Hi Sissie,
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and celebrating my "Cottage Style" feature. It's comforting to know so many people are enjoying my home. Your sweet comments are very much appreciated.
Have a great day,
xo Cathy
Oh Sissie. What a wonderful post. Golly I wish I could've joined you in that attic. I wouldn't've wanted to leave either! sigh. Do places like still exist? Do you have anything from that attic? Now you need to post what all you still have!!! Very fun!
Loved this. HAGD! Karen
My Dad built me a fort out of wood and canvas and I decorated it with a bedroom and a kitchen and a sitting area. Even then I was decorating. I would pick dandelions and put them on a cardboard night stand in a bottle. I love walking down memory lane, Thanks for the sweet memory walk, Happy Wednesday, Kathysue
I used to love going in my Grammy's closet. It was huge and full of beautiful dresses, lots of costume jewelry, perfume, powders and wonderful high heels. I could stay in there for hours, not a care in the world :) Those were the days!
LuLu♥
How enchanting Sissie! I never knew either of my grandmothers so I have a little envy of those who have such sweet memories. You can tell stories like that anytime!
Alison
Dear Sissie,
I enjoyed hearing about your happy childhood days in your grandmom's attic. It all sounds so beautiful and peaceful. I love the sweet thoughts you had of no more wars! I wish I had a place like that growing up, but I am so thankful I have a very happy home life now! Do you have any of your Grandmom's things?
Love, Paula
what a great story, and how fun and exciting!!! such a great memory
Dear Sissie,
Thank you for sharing this, you made me smile when I didn't think it was possible...neither one of my biological grandmother's had atticks, but I had an adopted grandma that had one...although here's wasn't filled nearly as lovely as your grandma's. She did however have curiousities and I like you would spend the entire time up there dreaming just like you...oh how I wish I were in your grandma's attic right now! XO Keke
P.S. Flying too fast and horrified at the sp. errors above...oops..take a breath and slow down Keke! LOL!
I WISH I could have had a play place like that! We used to play in the woods next to our house when we were little. It was so much fun! I take it back, I will keep the woods as a secret place when I was a child, I want a Grandma's attic to play and explore in NOW!
Sissie, I adored this post and the photos punctuated your story perfectly. Your Grandmother had quite a heavy hand in shaping who you grew up to be....by her attic full of treasures and I'm sure many other things.
What I loved most? That when you were 6 you wished for no more war. You've been special since the word 'go'.
I didn't have a hideaway when I was a kid, but we had a playground down the street and it was the place we all went whenever we could, for as long as we could.
Wow, Sissie, what a thoughtful & sweet post. The pictures where wonderful too. Let me think, where was my special place. I actually did not have too great of a childhood, but I loved to read. We had a darling old library in the town I lived. It had the 'Hansel & Gretel' architectural style. I especially loved stories of girls from different times. There was a series that was about a girl during the depression who lived on a farm. I think it may have been Strawberry Girl & of course the Little House books. So I would spend hours in that little library getting lost in other worlds. Lisa
Lovely, thoughtful post with amazing photos! Thank you for sharing. My special place was probably my room where I could get lost in a book or in my own thoughts and imagine and create anything I could dream.
Hi Sissie,
What a neat post. It brought back memories of when I'd go into my parent's basement and look thru all the stored things. So many fun treasures for a kid to find!
Have a happy Thursday!
♥, Nancy
OHHH WOW WISH I COULD WALK UP THOSE MAGIC STEPS WITH YOU....HEEHEE I LOVE THIS STORY :p
What a wonderful story! My grandparent's attic was neat too, but not in the fairytale sense that you have described- theirs had some old steamer trunks full of postcards, pictures, love letters... little trinkets passed down along the different generations. it was always so neat to go throught it all. There was also boxes of old school papers from all of us, boxes of old toys.... It's still a neat place to rummage around. Attics always seem to hold treasures, don't they?
Oh, Sissie, you stirred memories of my maternal G'mas attic ... no lights, kind of spooky, nothing exciting, but it was just 'fun' to go up there.
Your pictures & memories are warm & wonderful ... TY for sharing them.
Happy Easter!
Have a lovely day ~
TTFN ~ Hugs, Marydon
Sissie, that's so sweet! I love that story! I had the blessing of my wonderful grandmother (we called her Grossmutter), living just 3 doors down from us. She didn't have an attic, but she DID have a spare bedroom...all white...with toys for my brother and sister and I to play with, and even some old hats and hatboxes that we could play with. It smelled of mothballs, and to this day the smell of mothballs is one of my favorite things!!! I know, I'm wierd, but I LOVE that! Well, of course! It reminds me of Grossmutter! So glad you had those extremely precious memories and thanks for sharing them with us. Now I have to go find the mothballs and have a quick whiff!!!!!!! JK!!
Doni
What a precious story of wonderful memories.
What I remember are the wonderful woods behind my grandparents house that I loved to walk through looking for "treasures". I loved finding rocks and turtle shells that had been left behind. (I would take them home and paint them) I could walk and play for hours in those woods. Sweet memories...
What wonderful memories, Sissie. That would have a been a dream for me!
xxoo
Sissie,
How sweet that your Grandma kept all those lovely girly things up there for you to play with. I was afraid of my Grandmas attic, but they had a store room, called that , because they used to have a store in it , attached to the house. No secret though, all us cousins loved to go there and play , or up in the hayloft in the barn, where we would swing from the beams and land in the hay. Thanks for stirring up good memories.
Blessings!
Gwen
Hi Sissie,
We moved around a lot when I was growing up, so I had to make memories wherever I lived. My best memories were at my Granny's where I lived the first few years of my life. I used to play dress-up a lot with one little friend. Her mother had lovely clothes and jewelery! We used to 'borrow' her mother's clothes and pretend to be movie stars. In one neighborhood, behind our house, there was a little grove of trees with a brook running through it where I used to go all by myself. I used to pretend I was Snow White and befriended all the animals there; chipmunks and squirrels, etc. I played with the fairies too. *smiles*
And in that same neighborhood, there was another little girl who I used to play house with. We had tea parties and played with our dollies. She is now a blogger as well! Thanks for the memories and have a wonderful evening.
Blessings,
Sandi
Oh Sissie, You certainly had brought many memories of my childhood years to mind as I was reading your post.... I love the pictures you have shown to illustrate what it was like for you as a little girl to play in your Grandmothers attic, enjoying all the wonderful sweet things that she had up there. I know I had enjoyed my years as a child playing for many hours at a time..... It was great fun!
HUgs*
My secret,magical place was much the same as yours. A wonderful attic filled with all sorts of things a little girl could pretend with. But when I was called back to reality and the real world..my mother,grandmother or one of the other ladies would help me with my knitting,crocheting..embroidering..or piecing quilts.I still love needlework...some I haven't done in ages and have actually forgotten how to tat. But the fun of being allowed to just be..to play and pretend,to dress up..or make mud pies,I had a most wonderous childhood...I was truly blessed. You brought back many happy memories today.
What sweet memories. I love the pics you have too. Great fun. Hugs, Marty
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