My Garden Away From Home

Many of you know that Country Roads has a really big garden & nursery outside behind the store. It's called "Johnnye Merle's Gardens & Nursery".  JM belongs to my oldest daughter and she named it after my Mom and her Grandma Johnnye.  We've got such a great selection of plants out there, and a couple of other wonderful gardeners, Cathy Jarrell and Debbie Watts, have joined us along with some of the "boys" as well.  I had my camera with me earlier this week while I was looking around our gardens. I love some of our backdrops. . .

And speaking of Country Roads. . . the store will be having a really BIG sale on Monday, Labor Day Monday, September 1st from 10am to 5pm.  The Street Faire is gone, there is lots of parking and some great stuff on sale. Also, Johnnye Merle Gardens is having her sale start a big earlier (beginning on Saturday) just to say "thanks" for shopping at JM's!  Also, please if you get a chance, stop by my friend Tracie's blog! She has an absolutely beautiful gardens and also is hosting a little garden party on her blog with other great gardens!! I hope to see many of you over our long holiday week-end! Take care. . .

Happy Birthday Riley!

My world changed when this little girl was born, seven years ago today! That is when I always thought being a Mom was great. But I soon found out being a Gramma was even better!

 

Being there, in the room during delivery, and seeing your first grandchild being born, well, there are no words to describe that experience. Your life changes in ways you never could imagine before.

Then they begin to grow. And there even more special moments, even if they are messy ones.

Riley started enjoying the water when she was little. And now she swims like a little fish!

Her buddy Leonard. He was my old tomcat and Riley could do anything to him and he would let her. And when Leonard died a few years ago, we just told Riley he went to live with my sister. Who wants to break her little heart, not me!

She still has that magical smile today. . .

And when Morgan, her cousin, was born, I think Riley knew in her heart that they would be close, like sisters!

Then, in the blink of an eye, that little baby girl of mine starts to grow up. Her first day of pre-school and she is off and running. And since then the time hasn't stopped.

And here she is now, seven years old! And I couldn't be prouder of the wonderful little girl she is growing up to be . I think her compassion for others is what warms my heart the most! Happy Birthday. . . you know how much your Gramma loves you ;0)

My Garden

We've had such a mild Summer here in sunny southern CA! It made me love working in my garden even more than I usually do. Here are a few of my favorite flowers that smile at me daily when I spend some time taking care my garden. . .

I so love my yellow roses. My Mom was born and raised in Texas and she loved her beloved "yellow rose of Texas". When I'm out watering my garden, there are times when I see my yellow roses that it reminds me of my Mom! There is so much pleasure in having a garden. It gives you so much more than you have to give "it", if that makes sense. All my garden asks for is a little sunshine, some water, and in my heart, I believe a little "love" thrown into the mix makes it all turn out so sweet! This week I'm linking up with Tracie over at "FishTale Cottage"! I'm always running in a thousand directions at once, that it was just "nice" to have the time to take some pictures of my garden and share my pictures.

"Adopt the Pace of Nature. . . her secret is patience"

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Classes

By now, I'm sure everyone has heard about the "amazing" Annie Sloan Chalk Paint! I've never seen anything, for a very long time, sell as fast as the Chalk Paint does. Basically, it paints over anything! And now Country Roads is proud to announce that we will once again have classes to show you just how to use our favorite paint!

Marina, one of our Country Roads dealers and friends, will be teaching these classes. She is also a very talented artist! Look what she did with the old door above! Yep, all with Chalk Paint!

Did you know that you can paint on fabric as well? Marina painted this old vintage chaise lounge and added a few embellishments to it, like the lace on the bottom.

A lot of our CR family uses Chalk Paint. Cyndy is a fan of the Duck Egg Blue! These head and foot boards look great!

So, our first class will be taught my Marina on Sunday, August 11th, 2013. The class starts at 11am and will wrap up around 4pm. The paint and brush will be included in the price. All you need to do is bring a small piece of furniture, or a chair, etc and you will anything and everything about Chalk Paint. The class is $95 and must be pre-paid. You can call Country Roads at:

714.532.3041 to sign up and pay for the class over the phone with a credit card. We look forward to seeing you. . .

H&H Nursery

Lately on my days off from Country Roads, I'm "trying" to make a little more time for myself. For some reason today, I thought of a nursery that I use to love and hadn't been to for quite some time. So, today I went up to H&H Nursery. It's in Lakewood, on Lakewood Blvd between South & Artesia, I think. Here is just a few pictures of some of the stuff that caught my eye. . .

It's kind of peaceful to get lost in the middle of all these plants.  They had a HUGE selection of succulents along with killer displays! I loved it . . .

Vignettes at CR

It's another beautiful Summer day here in southern CA! So far, the weather has been pretty nice and we've all been able to enjoy everything that Summer brings. Today I've posted a few pictures of Linda Curry's makeover she did yesterday at Country Roads.

I say this all the time, but I "do" know and realize how lucky I am to have the job that I have. I'm able to work with great people and wonderful customers while enjoying eye candy in every nook and cranny of our 10,000 square foot store! If you are looking for something to do, we are always open every day of the week from 10am to 5pm! I hope you all have a chance to stop by soon.

Vintage Inspiration

Country Roads is stuffed to the brim with creativity and inspiration! I have such a talented group of people here at CR and that is one thing that I am always very appreciative of. One of our dealers, and my friend, Debbie Watts, always without a doubt, amazes all of us with her creativity. Here are a few of my favorite vignettes courtesy of Debbie. . .

My hopes are that you are all enjoying you Summer. It is one of my favorite times of the year. And as always, if you are looking for something to do, be sure to stop by Country Roads and pay us a visit! We are open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm. Take care.