"Bloomin Tuesdays"

It's hard to believe the 4th of July is just a few days away. The time passes so quickly. This week, since I didn't have many new "blooms" I thought I would share some other parts of my garden that I really enjoy!When I plant in containers, I like to use vintage stuff. I love the old washtub I planted my pineapple sage in, especially since it still has the advertising label on it.A little vignette I have on my front porch with some vintage stuff I have.I love this old white bench that holds my collection of old, vintage watering cans.After working hard in the garden, I often sit down here to take a break from gardening.My favorite mermaid has some sweet peas keeping her warm at night! Stop by and visit Ms. Greenthumb Jean

Morgan Almost a Month Old!

It's hard to believe our new little baby is going to be a month old on Friday. The time goes by so quickly. I love being able to see her everyday, and watch how fast she changes, her different expressions, all the "firsts" in her life. That's how it was with Riley since I live so close to her. I remember that first year all the milestones, all the changes. I wouldn't trade those days, or these days now for anything. I like when Morgan is just "chillin". You can see her little blue eyes looking around and I always wonder what she is thinking? When Morgan gets this real serious look on her face, she looks so much like Bryce when he is irratated about one thing or another. I can't believe in a few days Baby Morgan, as Riley calls her, will be a month old. Before we know it, Morgan will be up running around and making chaos with her cousin Riley! Gramma's girls!!

Romantic Homes Magazine

So,the new August issue of Romantic Homes magazine is out. It is the one that has my house in it (that's not it on the cover). I remember when I was asked to have my house be in the magazine. I kept telling Jacqueline it isn't an old house, it's just a track house in a regular neighborhood. I was so nervous the day of the photo shoot, but both Jacqueline and the photographer Jaimee were so cool and easy going. I relaxed right away. I get uncomfortable with a lot of attention, so this whole magazine thing isn't exactly easy for me. The real reason I did it was so everyone would know about Country Roads. After all, so many of the things in my house came from Country Roads. It's weird to see your home in a magazine in newstands all over the place. I bought four issues today at the grocery store. I wanted to put an issue in each keepsake suitcases I have for Riley and Morgan. The checker asked me "why" I was buying so many copies of the same magazine. I shyly said, "my house is in it". Then she wanted to see "where" the article was, which held up the line behind me while I showed her. But she did ask about the store, my true motivation. When I first saw the magazine, I looked at the pictures in amazement. Jaimee is an awesome photographer, the photos came out so nice. This journey in life is always interesting to me and never boring, and now I have a magazine showing everyone where I sleep at night. . . kind of strange, you know?

"My Guilt Runeth Over"

For those of you that know Ginny DeRosa, you have to know what awesome primitive antiques she has. This girl comes up with things I haven't seen in years. One being, this unbelievable cupboard above! It was love at first sight for me. I would visit it, admire its white chippy paint, open and close the bins below, and just dream of how it would look in my house. I haven't "invested" in a piece like this in a very long time.I must have looked at this cupboard each time I was at the store for the past two months, just trying to justify a reason in my mind, why it needed to be in my house. Then one day the light bulb went on! With the arrival of Baby Morgan in my home, Riley's little playroom was given up. I mean, I had to have a place to store her toys and what better place than in the deep bins of this great cupboard. Next was, how do I justify spending the money I don't really have. Ginny, being the wonderful, generous person she is, gave me a great discount (she knew she could come visit the cupboard at my house any day) and let me make monthly payments to her. What a great person, don't you think. So, as I take my time filling up this great cupboard with collections around my home, framing some pictures to add to the shelves,there isn't a day that goes by that I don't smile as I walk by this cupboard, even if "my guilt runeth over"!!

Christie's "Other" Talents

I haven't seen Christie Repasy for awhile. I usually work week-ends and she usually comes in during the week. So yesterday, while at work, it was nice to see her and catch up on things. I have to say, Christie is one of the kindest and sweetest people I know, and it is my pleasure to have her be a part of my Country Roads family. While we were talking yesterday, she showed me something she just brought in to the store. It's pictured above, and I have to say, it was love at first sight!! I hope it sells soon as I don't want to be tempted to buy it for Morgan's room. Riley's room is more beach themed, but couldn't you just see this hanging on a wall in a little baby girls room? I love the little "tiara" that Christie has sat on the tiny chair. It has a perfect seat on this cute little princess chair, a "Repasy original"! Christie is also still selling her "unframed canvas paintings" at "buy one, second one is free"!! It's a great deal to say the least. We have such talent and variety at Country Roads that it is very, very hard to leave empty handed when you leave the store. It's my store, and I'm still in awe after all these years as I stroll through the store!

Technology & Our Crazy World

You know, I DO understand some of the stuff about technology and how things work. Lately, I've just been freaked out by something that keeps happening on Facebook. For those of you that have Facebook, you know that they have "suggested" friends you should add. I know much of it is generated through email addresses, but honestly the rest is mind boggling to me. The above picture is of a girl named Mary and her son Jake. Mary use to shop at Country Roads, but I knew Mary more through emails she would send me because her MS and kept her from physically shopping anymore. She was always positive, sharing cat pictures, and stories about her little boy. A couple of months ago when I was reading the newspaper and had also saw it on the local news, Mary and her son Jake were victims of a murder/suicide. Mary's boyfriend, Craig, had shot both of them and then himself. I later found out from a comment on my previous blog post about this that Craig,who was Jake's dad, had lost his job, was losing his truck, and they were being evicted from their apartment. And probably in his "heart of hearts" he thought this was the best solution, as Mary and Jake's MS were also getting worse.This picture I borrowed from a blog post that Craig's former girlfriend posted. I was glad she explained what led to this tragic ending of three lives. What now is making me really think about technology, our crazy world, and life is Facebook! Every once in awhile when I peek at my Facebook account Mary's photo will pop-up to be added as a friend. I always stop and just stare. I didn't know Mary well, I just knew about the person that would send me pictures of her little boy, pictures of cats & dogs, she rescued pets just like me. Our country is such a mess right now and it bothers me. For most of you that know me, I'm pretty liberal. But at what point do we start taking some of this aid we send all over the world, to help "aid" our friends, family,neighbors, strangers that are living in the United States and ending their lives because they've lost everything and don't know where to turn? I guess Mary's smiling face on my Facebook reminds me of the person I knew: a mom that loved her son more than life itself, someone that enjoyed my blog and stories of Country Roads, and the lady that sent be pictures, quotes and and positive comments. So, I was wrap this post up, I want to ask a favor of all of you? There are always people on freeway off ramps, on our street corners that are asking for help. Even if it is only a dollar, maybe if we all started reaching out to them we could "slowly" make a difference. What happened in Mary's life could have been prevented it there was more help available to people in her's and Craig's situation. Mary always ended each of my emails with this quote, "Just when the caterpillar thought her world was over. . .she became a beautiful butterfly". I also look at butterflies differently than I use to these days!

A Day With "Gramma's Girls"!

When Riley comes over to spend the day with me, we first stand outside and Riley waves good-bye to her mommy,Katie. Then we come in the house and right away, "Gramma,where's baby Morgan". She LOVES her new little cousin and loves to help. Riley started to help her Auntie Justine change Morgan's diaper until she saw the surprise inside! Then Riley laughed and just said, "Ewwwwww"!Riley can hardly wait until Morgan gets bigger so she can play. When Morgan is in her swing, Riley is right by her side, turning on the music, making sure she is covered up, and talking to her. I know I'm a bit prejudiced, but I have to say it is really cute.I love when Riley says, "let's play Gramma". Today Riley was planning on doing some serious cookin!! Riley is getting serious as she gets ready to cook her Gramma lunch! "Your lunch is done Gramma"! I can never say this enough, but I am just so, so grateful to be spend time, almost daily with "my girls". I can't even put into words how special it is to be so close to them. . . totally heartwarming.

"Bloomin' Tuesdays"

For the past few weeks, I had only one large sunflower from my plant. Now, it has exploded with sunflowers everywhere!My "Ladybug Poppy" bloomed this week. Looks just like a little ladybug, doesn't it?I just planted this, "Ecomus"(pineapple flower) last week. I got it at JM Gardens, a plus having your daughter own a nursery. It's not a pineapple plant, but the flower does look like a pineapple!I just planted these pumpkin seeds a couple of weeks ago and they are already coming up. I wish I had a bigger garden so I could dedicate an area to pumpkins and watch them grow like crazy!I hate this cement part of my driveway that borders my neighbors ugly chain link fence. My son brought home this planter he found for me. I'm thinking of making a vegetable garden out of it. Then add some more garden "stuff" to the ugly cement/chain link fence area. After all, isn't blank space just waiting to be planted & bloom? Thanks for stopping by. Stop by and visit Ms.Green Thumb Jean, she has some great gardens to share with you!

Birthday Leftovers!

For my birthday on Saturday, after the movies, my family all went to El Torito for dinner. It was fun, especially with Riley and Morgan there. Above is Riley and Bryce, her "favorite" Uncle (the only Uncle). Bryce sat between his two favorite girls as Riley checks on Morgan.Riley loves Morgan and always wants to make sure she is doin' okay!Riley always watches everyone with their iphones, that is how she knows how to do everything on them now!Dessert is always Riley's favorite part of the meal. What I like about my birthday the best is it continues for the next couple of weeks. I still get together with friends and celebrate and just have a nice time, I'm pretty lucky to have the family & friends I do in my life.

Happy Fathers Day!

That's me and my dad, "Pat Moore" or when he was really pissed off at someone, "this is Mr.Moore"!! He was a character. He's been gone a little over two years now. He pretty much drove me crazy my whole life, especially in the end when the Alzheimer's kicked in. But I can look back now and see and remember the good times. He loved his family, me and my sister Teri. And his grandkids, my kids, meant the world to him. My dad worked hard to take care of us all when we were kids, and in his last few years when my mom was pretty sick, he devoted all his time to her. Actually, he died early on Valentine's morning a couple of years ago, five months after my mom. I think that was his Valentine's gift to her, the love of his life for almost 60 years. Below are a few of my favorite photos.This is one of my favorite pictures of my dad, me, and my sister at Pier Point Landing, in Long Beach, CA. My dad with me and my mom, his girls.I wish my dad would have lived long enough to see his only grandson become a father. He loved Bryce so much(pictured above with newborn Morgan and Riley), the only boy in a family of girls. I know my dad is proud of Bryce, and also proud of my son-in-law, Vinnie for the great dad he is to Riley and all the ways he helps me. Happy Father's day to all the dad's that really take the time with their kids, to be a good dad, and are always there for their kids!!

Random Thoughts on Birthdays

It's my birthday today, and I know some people don't like birthdays, but I do. They are kind of reflective for me, like New Year's Eve. I always think about the year before, what my birthday and life were like to where I am today. And for me, I'm happy, content, and feel really grateful for my family and friends that are part of my life today. I know I am extremely wealthy when it comes to family and friends, I have the best. The picture above was taken 20 years ago of me and Brande on my birthday. I look at the picture, and I'm amazed at how fast the time passes. It also makes me realize how important each and every day is, and to get the most out of them, appreciate the sunshine and the simple things in life like hugs from Riley, or the first smile on Morgan's little face. Those gifts are priceless, and I cherish them. I got my first "happy birthday" wish at midnight per email from my buddy Malisa. She is in Texas so it was midnight there, which meant it was my birthday. Pretty thoughtful of her and I was really touched by her gesture. Bryce,Justine & Morgan gave me my first gift of the day above. It's now hanging in my office, already accessorized with a picture of Bryce and my two babies with him. So, another year older, and another year wiser, which I'm appreciative of, and lastly, another year being grateful for the life I have.

Summer Vacations

When my kids were young,this time of year was so much fun. Like many families we took our family vacations as soon as school was out. The above is one of my very favorite family vacation photos, and probably the one my kids hated the most. Here are a few other family vacation photos when the kids were younger: Here they are in Montery, CA which is a great coastal town to visit in Northern CA. This was taken in Napa, Ca, also known as "wine country", a really beautiful place.
We went up to Yachats, Oregon one summer. We stayed right on the beach, and it was beautiful but I'm use to summer being like here in SoCal where I live. It was windy and chilly but the beaches were the best! I have to admit this is one of my favorite pictures of my kids. It was taken on the 4th of July one year at my sister's house, who lived close to me at the time. I look at the pictures above and realize how fast the time goes by, in the blink of an eye! It also reminds me to take more time scanning some of my favorite photos of our family vacations. I hope you all have a great summer and take some time to enjoy those kids as time really does pass in "the blink of an eye"!! Please stop by and visit Deborah to see more
Fridays FavoriteFamily Foto's

Country Roads: "Always Your Favorite, Never The Same"

There are mornings when I'm walking by my front windows to "go to work", it never quite sinks in that Country Roads is "my" business. Taking credit for things I've accomplished isn't always easy for me, but nonetheless, I am very proud of Country Roads. In our 17th year of business, I have watched my customers kids have kids and they now bring in their grandbabies! Teresa(Haddix), where are the photos of YOUR grandkids? We have around 80 vendors here at Country Roads that "get it". They know about quality and pricing and DISPLAY! As I walked around taking over 200 pictures for this slideshow below, I realized what a great store "Roads" is. And if you live to far to come shopping after you see this, you can call us and with that little piece of plastic in your hand & any of the treasures you spot can be yours, just say "charge it"! Hope you enjoy the pictures, and for all of you that have supported Country Roads all these year, THANKS!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Shopping

I don't think Katie, myself and Riley have been to the "mall" to go shopping since before Christmas. We just don't go very often but needed to pick up a couple of gifts. Riley, however, made out with some new Van's tennis shoes and her Gwen Stephani(can't spell the line of those purses) small purse! I lucked out at Bath & Body, they were having a sale so I got some lotion which I haven't bought in awhile. Riley wasn't the only one that got a brand new pair of Van's tennis shoes. I got Morgan some infant red skater shoes. They are so tiny. I also got lucky and bought a hard case for my iphone. The timing could have been better since yesterday Riley grabbed the phone and threw it down on my cement floor in the family room! I was amazed, neither the phone nor the case broke. My "girls" are still spending time bonding and growing closer and closer each day!
And as I hear most days, little Riley is saying, "Gramma, my tummy is hungreee"! Glad I have the time to spend with "my girls", I'm very grateful for them and our time together.