If my grandmother were still alive today, she'd be changing her spring curtains for summer ones right about now.  window

She had different curtains for every season (but they all looked alike to me).  And until she reached her eighties, she would change her curtains herself, and wash the windows as well.  Did I mention that she lived on the second floor of an old house with high ceilings?

Those weren't the handy-dandy tilt-in windows, either.  To wash these windows, she had to remove the screens, sit on the very narrow windowsill with only her legs inside the house, and reach high up.  She did this twice every year.

And she took pride in those curtains.  We were not supposed to touch them.  If you really wanted to get yourself in trouble at her house, you'd go into the living room (what she called "the front") and open the sheer curtains from the middle so you could look down at the street below and inspect passing cars, neighbors walking by, and the guys working on motorcycles in the driveway across the street.  I swear she could tell we had touched those curtains even if she wasn't in the room when we did it.

Maybe it was the chocolate fingerprints we left behind after eating M&Ms out of the little brown glass dish she always kept on her dining-room table.  She always knew when we were sneaking those, too, but that was a small infraction compared to breaking her curtain rule.

COUPON TIME

Some light, breezy curtains are just the thing now that summer's almost here.  Or maybe you have some other updating in mind.  Either way, we've got the best deals for you.

$5 off online orders over $10 at Blair.com
Use Promotion Code XVB in your shopping cart.
Valid through: May 23, 2009
Online orders only. Cannot be combined with any other coupons.

15% off your order at JCPenney.com
Use the "checkout + promo code" option and enter MAYSURV9 in the promotional code box.
Valid through: June 4, 2009

$50 off online orders over $300
$100 off online orders over $500
$150 off online orders over $600 at Smith & Noble
Use offer code SAVE-8TCF
Valid through: December 31, 2009
No limit on total items. Can only be used once per household Cannot be combined with any other offer.

15% off all Danze kitchen & bath fixtures at The Great Indoors
Plus, receive 10% off all other brands!
Valid through: May 30, 2009
Offer excludes Great Buy of the Week. Offer ends 5/30/09.

Shop at Home Decorators Collection via Shop.com and save:
$5 off a purchase of $50+ with coupon code MOV5CA.
$10 off a purchase of $100+ with coupon code MOV10CA.
Do not use Guest Checkout if you want to use a coupon!
Valid through: May 31, 2009

$20 off orders over $100 at Brylane Home
Enter code BHASPRING4 in the Promotional Code box in your shopping bag and click APPLY.
Valid through: May 31, 2009
Cannot be combined with any other special offer or promotion. Excludes gift certificates & gift cards.