Moonlight Hollow's Treasure Hunt!

If I was ever going to hang out with a pirate, you know like go out in his boat in the beautiful Pacific ocean for a ride, maybe have a Corona or two with him, I think my pirate would be like the guy in the picture! What is this all about? Malisa and her pal, Karen, over at Moonlight Hollow are having this treasure hunt thing to celebrate her 100th post! And if I post this, I think I get some clues the day before (God knows I need all the help I can get). And if YOU follow the instructions, you might get some help as well. For all the exciting details, I would say "click here", but I know I would screw it up. So instead, go over to the little pink box and click that for all the details. Okay, I need to get going, I'm headed down to the beach to see if I can hitch a ride in the guy above's boat, ship, or even a dingy would work!!

Music is Magic

I love music, all kinds and almost everywhere I am, I have to have music playing, seriously. I've always been like that, with music. It can change a mood for me in a heartbeat. Last year I invested in the most awesome Bose headphones, worth every penny! I plug them into my ipod, sit back and I'm magically taken away to a different place! One of my very favorite artists is Jack Johnson. I love the words to his songs, it relaxes me, reminds me of the ocean, which I also love. Above is a picture of my daughter, Brande, with Jack Johnson and another guy from his band, and two other volunteers from RED. Brande is the blonde. She was working for RED at the time at Jack Johnson's concert in Oahu. One of my favorite song's of his is "Hope", a word which is near and dear to my heart. Below are the lyrics in a condensed verision. If you've never heard this song before, you are missing out. You need to download it on your ipod, put on your headphones and be magically taken away to another place like I do!
"Hope"

Shadow walks faster than you
You don't really know what to do
Do you think that you're not alone?
You really think that you are immune to
Its gonna get that the best of you
Its gonna lift you up and let you down
It will defeat you then teach you to get back up
After it takes away all that
You learn to love

Your reflection is a blur
Out of focus
But in confusion
The frames are suddenly burnt
And in the end of a roll of illusion
A ghost waiting its turn
Now I can see right through
It's a warning that nobody heard

It will teach you to love what you're afraid of
After it takes away all that
You learn to love
But you don't
Always
Have to hold your head
Higher than your heart

You better hope you're not alone
You better hope you're not alone
Hope you're not alone

Your -
Your echo comes back out of tune
Now you can quite get used to it
Reverb is just a room
The problem is that there's no truth to it
It's fading way too soon
The shadow is on the move
And maybe you should be moving too
Before it takes away all that you learned to love
It will defeat you and then teach you to get back up
Cause you don't
Always
Have to hold your head
Higher than your heart

You better hope you're not alone
You better hope you're not alone
You better hope you're not alone
You better be hoping you're not alone

"I'd Rather Shop Than Hunt Easter Egg Sale"

Okay, start putting those marks on your calendar to mark off the days until next month, on Easter Sunday, when it's time for this thrilling and exciting event:"I'd Rather Shop Than Hunt Easter Egg Sale"!! On Easter, April 12th for six hours only (10am - 4pm) Country Roads will be hosting an awesome sale. And as those of you that shop our sales regularly now know, we have some damn good prices during these special times. Also, if you want to "give back" to someone we're makin' it easy! If you bring in a gently used purse filled with goodies, you will receive an entry blank to enter to win a "breath taking" gift basket but together by our fabulous Country Roads dealers, just for you! Why, because you are so willing to help those women in shelters that need a little extra help to remember that there are people that sincerely care about them. So please, fill up a purse, get a entry blank, and "shop till you drop" on Easter Sunday. We look forward to celebrating another holiday with "YOU" our favorite customers!

Johnnye Merle Gardens & Nursery

Country Roads has always been about "family"!! Our gardens, Johnnye Merle Gardens & Nursery is very special to me for a lot of reason. "IF" all works well, click on the little slideshow below to see some great pictures of what our garden is like, and the little story behind it's creation.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Scarey Doll Heads, Hoodie for Morgan & Cupcakes!

These two, above, sat on the shelf behind the counter half of the day. The big ass scary one didn't have a price, nothing like working all day with "those two" staring at you! Where Robin finds these amazing frightening creatures is beyond me. I'm glad the customer came back and purchased them meaning they are GONE! The big headed one, with her eyes rolling back in her head, and tiny buck teeth. . . I'll probably have nightmares of that face tonight! Thankfully, we were incredibly busy today, very busy, and my gratitude goes beyond words, but thank you to all our amazing customers for shopping with us! After our store closed, Katie and I walked over to N.Glassell. Because I'm always at work, I never to get to visit the other shops much. We stopped at the cute little kids store, Two Little Monkeys, and I bought a tiny baby hoodie for Morgan(my granddaughter that is due June 2). It looks huge in this picture, but believe me it's tiny. We walked a few shops down to "the Cupcakery". It is this really cute little cupcake store that just opened. I got a cupcake for myself, which was my dinner that I ate as soon as I got home, and brought Bryce and Justine red velvet cupcakes home. They weren't home, so I hung this little bag on their bedroom door. So, for the exception of those doll heads, and one customer that almost got "bless your little heart" shoved right up her "you know what", today was really a nice day. I've always said, staying positive makes the difference between a good day and a bad day! I will go to bed happy and as always "grateful" for the life I've been given.

The "Riley and Leonard" Love Affair Continues

The best part of any week for me, is when I get to spend time with Riley! She comes over to my house, and we just play all day. Ever since Riley was a baby, Leonard has loved her, and it continues as she grows. Leonard showed up at my "other" house right after Mr.Wonderful left. That was a REALLY good swap for me! I won on that one! Leonard (I think Brande named him) was this old tomcat that we all fell in love with, and now Riley and Leonard have their own special love affair going on. The minute Riley was through my front door and he hears her, Leonard comes running. This is the way Riley and Leonard like to spend their day!

"Hi Leonard, what do you wanna play today"


"Now are you gonna eat or what, you don't want me to MAKE you eat, now do you"


"Don't even try Lennie, I can stare longer than anyone I know, just watch"


"See, I told you I would win, little kids are great at starring at everybody"


"Want me to teach you how to play Candyland, I know how, its fun"


"I'm sorry Fluffy that Leonard won't let you play, here's some food I made for you"


"I had lots of fun today Gramma, I love you"! I love you too Riley, always will!!

"In My Room"

Remember that old Beach Boys song, "In My Room"? I remember loving that song as a kid, and actually I still do. The words below sum up EXACTLY how I feel about my own bedroom. Of all the rooms in my house, it is my favorite. I spend a lot of time in my room. I also deocrated it with all that vintage stuff I like and love! It's different, but it's a place where all my favorite stuff is, like vintage surfboards, and all my antique pieces to hold all my STUFF! Below is the lyrics to "In My Room" and below that are some pictures of my room, "a world where I can go to tell my secrets to"..
"In My Room"
Theres a world where I can go and tell my secrets to
In my room, in my room
In this world I lock out all my worries and my fears
In my room, in my room
Do my dreaming and my scheming
Lie awake and pray
Do my crying and my sighing
Laugh at yesterday
Now its dark and Im alone
But I wont be afraid
In my room, in my room







I wish life was as simple as the lyrics to the old Beach Boy songs. I like simple!

Pens, Two Dollar Bills & Weird Plants

I know, you are probably wondering to yourself, "what the hell is this picture". Well, let me explain. For those that know me, they know I think kind of "different". I can't help it, I don't why, but it's not always bad. I look at life a "little" differently as well. So, let's start with the pen. Way back on Christmas 2006 Brande's Christmas gift to me was a trip to Maui and we stayed in my very favorite condo, Elua Village, in Wailea. I had no words, I mean no one had ever done something so unbelieveable for me before like that. Well, wait, there "was" that time Mr. Wonderful emptied our bank account when he was plotting our divorce, although that was not a good "unbeleiveable". Anyway, during this particular Christmas I was just having a tough time with a lot of things in my life. I felt like everytime I turned around, I got knocked back down again and would have to tirlessly drag myself back up. So, going on this vacation meant so much to me. When we got to the condo, I walked down to the beach immediately and was reminded why I loved Maui so much. Then on my way back to the condo, I got lost like a dumbass. But to my defense, ALL the condos look the same and I had just arrived there. The guys working at the gate kindly pointed me back in the right direction. The pen pictured above was from our condo; you know how they leave note paper and pens for you. When I got home from Maui, I stuck the pen in a notebook I use daily. It is the one I use to write down my bank balances and checks that hit each day from the business. The pen is was a reminder to me that even when money is tight, or life has knocked me down again, that I can stilll get back up because there is still really good and loving things in life, like your kid taking you to Maui! Today, that pen ran out of ink! You know, that was a damn good pen! It lasted since January 2005! I retired it to one of the two little vintage curio's I have in my bedroom. They are filled with little small stuff that hold memories for me. There is a red Starbuck's straw in there that Riley clung on to the first time she went swimming in my pool when she was a baby. So listen up kids, when I'm dead and gone, some of this trashy looking stuff in there has meaning and I wasn't AS crazy as you think I am! Now, on to the two dollar bill. You do know that two dollar bills are lucky. I've always had two of them in my wallet that I carry with me. On Sunday morning, before I went to work, I was hoping and askin' God if he could just help me out a bit. I had a lot of bills to pay, Saturday sales were a little slower than they should have been, and I wanted to be busy. I love to work when we are busy, or "slammed" as we call it at Country Roads! Anyway, we have a lot of Japanese customers that come over from Japan and shop with us. They are so nice and polite and I'm always grateful to have their business. The first hour or two of the day had been kind of quiet. A young Japanese couple came up and when they paid for their purchase, the two dollar bill above, was included in their payment. After that, I kept telling everyone, "we are going to be slammed today". I just "felt" it, you know? And we were unbelievable slammed that day with a huge total at the end of the day. So, when I got home, I emblished my two dollar bill just a bit (hope I don't get in trouble for defacing money) and now carry that in my wallet as well. It's reminder to never give up, to keep thanking God for all the good stuff that happens if you just stay positive and keep doing your best. I've always been weird when it comes to those little "signs" that we get in our daily lives. And I believe if you take the time to really think about stuff and "notice" stuff in life, you too could have a little curio cabinet filled with pens with no ink, and bent Starbuck straws. But then again, is that a bad thing? And lastly, weird plants!Brande had planted a one gallon plant in my front yard flower bed a couple of years ago. I'm not sure what it's called, but its never bloomed and its taken on a life of it's own growing in every direction. It always reminded me of something you would see as you rode the little Jungle Cruise boat at Disneyland! I was just thinking the other day that I wanted to rip it out since it sneaks, crawls and goes everywhere in the garden. This morning when I went outside to get the newspaper, on my way back to the house, I stopped and looked at my garden like I always do. There it was, the crazy damn plant had bloomed!! And I looked across the garden and the other end of it had bloomed as well. So, the moral to this long, and wordy post of mine is this: appreciate the simple things in life, and never give up on looking for meaning in each of your days. The good is there, you just have to be open to accept it!!

Missing My Friend Ruthie!

Last October, Ruthie left the home she shared with her daughter, Susan, to go back to spend some time in her little condo in Florida before going on a cruise around the world with a past "love of her life". Ruthie is 78 years young and by far one of the coolest people I know. After the cruise, unfortunately, the love her life wasn't what she remembered, and I'm guessing he was probably too old for my girl Ruthie anyway! Then the most unexpected thing happened to not just Ruthie, but to us all. Her daughter had met someone very, very quickly and was convinced this was the guy, you know, as in "the love of her life". So, Ruthie was never able to come home again since the new man in her daughter's life had moved in before Ruthie even had a chance to move her things out. It still hurts me as I write this today.Ruthie is awesome, and I do mean TOTALLY awesome!! She's wise, creative, talented, very caring and so much more. She is my mentor. And she is the strongest woman I know! I will always remember the morning my son was working out front of the store. He had been gone for a little over a year because of some stupid mistakes he had made. Ruthie came around the corner and saw him. She grabbed him and began sobbing, and then next grabbed me while still sobbing, she was just so happy. She's held and rocked all the Country Roads babies in her arms. Ruthie use to read to Hannah when she was three (who is now 14 and works for me) while her mom worked at the store. Ruthie had the most awesome section in my store for years, Back Door Cottage. It was fabulous and our customers today still not only miss BDC, but Ruthie as well. Once a month, she would hold "Operation Sell" meetings in her home. She would gather myself and a few of our dealers and we would discuss marketing ideas. The former school teacher Ruthie, would shine at those meetings! And today, all of that has been taken away from us, her friends, the one's of us that were left here without her!At 78 years young, Ruthie went out and bought a computer and a book and learned that computer very quickly. Even though I don't get to see her, we at least get to e-mail each other all the time. We send quotes to each other, words of wisdom, you know. And she gives me advice, it's advice I always listen to. One of Ruthie's passions has been her garden that she had to leave back here at her daughter's house. I can't make myself write "home" because how can it be a "home" with Ruthie not there? As she told me in an e-mail the other day, "I knew every inch of that garden, and I keep thinking the oranges would be ready to be picked and I would bring them in to share with everyone at Roads". We miss our oranges this year more than you know Ruthie! I don't understand how daughters can hurt their mom's so badly, I just don't get it, especially when it is someone as wonderful as our Ruthie. I could go on and on, but out of respect to my friend, I will quit rambling, or is it bitching? Maybe a little of both. And for those of you that KNOW me, I always have ONE last thing to say when I shouldn't, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do, so (sorry Ruthie),"bless your little heart" Susan! My friend Malisa really has a great way with words, she taught me that one, thanks Malisa!! I want to share the e-mail below I received from Ruthie a few weeks ago. She really loved her garden and was sharing with me her thoughts. You know, I miss her so much. . .

This is a "story" I wrote about my garden in 97. I had forgotten all about it being tucked away in my Bits of Wisdom file until you wrote about planting a garden with Riley.
My Garden
Once, while standing in the garden surrounded by piles of trimmings---you know sweet peas do turn brown and hollyhocks do need to be cut back---a visitor remarked, "Is the reward worth the work?" I was momentarily stunned by this remark---Work??? I truly had never considerate this "work". We take care of the things we value.

I liken gardening to the rearing of children. Seeds are sown and then you nuture. Plants and children need discipline and loving guidance so they are aware of their boundaries.If care has been taken you step back and wait and then you marvel at the beautiful blooms. Then you smile--Wow---What a reward. Work?? What a strange word.

Sometime we all have to say goodnight to all of our creations. The joy comes in knowing we have been given the pleasure of creating the ulitmate garden path. What a life!!

Keep on planting all of those beautiful gardens in your heart----you are never alone in your garden even tho' you may be sitting on the swing on your front porch.
You ROCK Ruthie!

Take Me Away!

Today was my third day working at the store and gratefully, we were again very busy! I know those of you that work retail will understand when I say all you want to do at the end of the day is to be "taken away", anywhere but there! The public can just be outrageous, and boy, I've got some great future blogs to post if I make the decision they aren't to, what word should I use, "raunchy" to post. Oh those customers, they are so very special! After work tonight I went down to Brande's (my oldest daughter who lives in Seal Beach). We walked down the pier right at sunset, it was beautiful. A reminder of why we tolerate all the other "craziness" of SoCal. Standing on the pier, you could see Catalina in the distance. Brings back those memories of last year, when my buddy Darcy took me over there for my late Christmas present in May and I had to worse hangover I've ever had in my entire life. But hey, it was a great time, thanks Darcy, I think! We left the pier and walked over to Taco Surf, a little hole in the wall that serves cheap, good Mexican food. I always love going to that place, mostly because it's "simple" and relaxing. I'm tired from the chaos and noise and answering so many questions the past few days, so the change was good. We walked back to Brande's and I attempted to pet each cat we saw along the way home. I love animals, something my parents taught me that I taught my kids, and that Riley now has, the appreciation of animals! You know what's nice about my life. . . it doesn't take a lot to make me happy, seriously! And tonight, it was kind of perfect, makes me happy, makes me smile as I write this. There is just something special about the beach, it just "takes you away" from everything.