Storybook Cottage

Mini Garden Ideas

Hi Everyone!

Today I want to share some mini gardens that were being sold at the

Garden Shed

located in Cambria, CA  last summer.

Hope they inspire you as they did me!

Check out what can be done with a miniature fir tree, ground covers,

small scale furniture,

rocks, and mini houses.

 Mini plants in a shallow terracotta dish!  Amazing.....

 Mini chairs and arbor.....sweet!

See what can be done with a baby pine tree and ground covers.

 Small succulents and small stones are great additions to this mini garden.

Miniatures can be purchased on line and at hobby stores.

 I found mini fencing at Christmas time at Michael's.  

Holly Lobby also sells miniatures.

Do you think your garden fairies

might like to live in this Lincoln Log cabin?  

  Next time in Cambria visit the Garden Shed you won't be disappointed.

It's time to go...

 

and make a mini of my own.

I hope you have been inspired today to make one, two, or three of these little beauties.

Wishing you happy times in your garden always!

XOXO

Mary Jane

Today I'm joining the Cottage Garden Party along with Tracie and her friends at

Fishtail Cottage. 

Mother's Day and a Birthday Remembered

Hi Everyone!

If I was to name one of my great joys in life,

it would be garden love.

However gardens are not the only things that can grow on this planet.

Love can also grow.

Sunday is Mothers Day.

  mother's love

will be remembered and celebrated!

This is Daniel coffee in hand giving me some morning advice

however I'm sure it was the other way around. 

He is the last of four children. 

He shares us with two sisters and one brother many years older.

When he graduated from High School,

he teased me that I was out of a job because he was leaving for college in the fall. 

I think we both knew that really wasn't true.

This is baby Daniel on the day he was christened. 

My dad is in this photo along with my mom and my bonus sister Catherine.

Dad shared his birthday celebration with all the mom's in our family on Mother's Day.

Now we give him a birthday wish each year on May 10th

as we prepare for Mother's Day. 

We will also remember my mom and my husband's mom. 

Their love continues to grow in us even though they are no longer with us.

This is Daniel's dog, Jennie. 

She also has a serious love for the garden

and all the lizards and bunnies who also hang around in our garden.

Today I'm joining in the Cottage Garden Party at Fishtail Cottage.

 

Thanks for the visit today!  Your comments are greatly appreciated.  I'd love to hear from you...hugs and until next time enjoy something that grows today:-)))

 

 

 

A Love for Window Boxes

Springtime hello to everyone!

I've always been green with envy when it came to window boxes on any home that I

wished I could call my own.

I'd see pictures of beautifully illustrated window boxes overflowing with blooms in

my children's storybooks.  I'd think what lucky storybook characaters!

Never did I ever

imagine that I would someday be so very blessed

with window boxes planted with pretty springtime flowers to

enjoy and call my own.

And more...

More....

I can't take the credit for planting these windowboxes.  

I hired my gardener to do the work.  I love the plants that he picked.  

What I also love about these window boxes is that the plants are automatically

watered by a sprinkler system that is set on a timer.

Hope you enjoyed the Storybook window box garden tour:-)))

This is Jennie.

 She isn't into window box love like her mistress.

Today I'm joining the

Cottage Garden Party at Fishtail Cottage.

I'll be putting my feet up and enjoying your gardens today.

Hugs...

Finding Chickens in the Kitchen!!!

Happy Wednesday!

Help me find the chickens who

love to hang around

 the Storybook Cottage kitchen.

 

Did you see a chicken here?

They must be hiding.  Where are these chickens?

There you are....finally a chicken!

Meet little chick....

No chicks hiding here...only owls

He's in charge of them all and he comes with a bonus.

 He wears a lamp shade too ...

Hope you enjoyed meeting the chickens in my kitchen!!!

  Heehe...

Any chickens in your kitchen?

Today I'm joining the  Wow us Wednesday blog party.

Hugs...

Jeanne d'Arc Living Magazine

Hi Everyone!

Hope all is well in your home and family life today.

I've been thinking about why I blog.

The answer to why came rather quickly. 

 It is not only a wonderful way to stay connected with my family and my friends,

but it creates opportunities to make new friends and

see what is happening in

Bloglandia .

 Bloglandia is a fun place to visit.  

 No suitcases needed.  

I've listed in my sidebar some of my favorite blogs.  

  Just click on the blog name and off you will go to Bloglandia.  

Cheaper than a plane ticket or a college course.

It is just a click away.  

I often travel all over the world by way of blog hops.

Sometimes it is only for a short visit but for not for all.  

An example of blogs that I can't get enough of are the Nordic blogs.

Due to a serious problem with garden love, knitting, and decorating, I'm always on the look out for new ideas.

Have you seen Jeanne d'Arc Living Magazine?

 

It is a Danish Magazine now translated into English.

Nordic French is not English or Cottage or Prairie Style.  

Take a look

HERE 

for more examples of French Nordic.

   You can order Jeanne d'Arc Living Magazine

on line   

at the Beautiful Life and at other sites on line also. 

Jeanne d'arc Living Magazine is filled with ideas and 

photographs of *vintage flea market decor*

*nostalgic* 

*European garden design*

 *seasonal recipes* 

Wishing you a happy trip:-)))

Hugs,

Cambria Wine & Art Festival

Hi Everyone!

This weekend we will take some time off from our usual weekend routine and head north to Cambria for the annual Art & Wine festival.

It is a great opportunity to meet local artist, bid on their work at the silent auction,and taste wines from the local wineries.

 All proceeds benefit the Allied Arts Association & Cambria Chamber of Commerce.  Click here to learn more about this event.

I'm looking forward to seeing what has been happening in the Storybook Cottage garden.  Look here to see what came to vist last month.

 

We will also take time to visit the elephant seals.  Click here to learn more about them.  Last year the beach was crowded with new moms and their babies not to forget the big bulls.  It was an amazing sight.

Tickets may still be available.  Hope to bump into you this weekend.

Hugs!

Sweet Moments

Hi Everyone!

Did you ever ask yourself, "Where did all the time go?"

Today I'll be putting our Christmas decorations

away until next December

but not the memories of a wonderful 2011.

Sweet Christmas memories

of Kathleen and Gigi along with Oliver's visit, I'll hold close

to my heart until next time.

The One of a Kind Show in Chicago

Helping Christina sell her hand made purses

for her company Urban Gypsy Design

The answer is yes.  A new sofa can bring you a sweet moment.

I began the year 2011 by shrinking a custom slipcover

  that hid our old green couch. 

Next I tried a pre-made slipcover.  The fit wasn't the best.

This sofa is a PB Classic two cushion with a white denim slipcover.

It was love at first sight and the romance is still going strong.  Hee, Hee...

Our monthly trip to Storybook Cottage

Ocean air!  Cool summer days and warm nights...

Our long walks to the beach along the Fiscalini Ranch in Cambria.

Beauty...

 

Travelling to Minnesota in March to visit Christina's family

  Waking to a foot of snow.

Fun!!!

Spring 2011 in our back garden at the

Southern California home.

Spring magic

 

Winter 2011 at the Southern California home.

Cold and wet!

 

New steps for the Storybook Cottage along with new drip irrigation and plants.

Oh, "How this makes me happy!"

Copenhagen, Denmark

My most fun trip to Europe!

A trip too long in the making

to Georgia

to visit with my other sister, Jane and her family.

  I wish we could have visited longer.

 2011 summer with family and friends at the Storybook Cottage!

The invitation remains open for 2012

Until next time...

I'd better start collecting

sweet moments

 before I ask again, "Where did the time go?"

Hugs:-)))

Today I'm joining my friends at

 Wow us Wednesday

 

 

Goodbye 2011 and Hello to You 2012!

Hello Everyone!!!

Wishing all of you the best that life has to offer in 2012.

 Goodbye moments come and go.

As do the people that we hold dear

as they move in and out of our daily lives.

As the nest began to empty out we had to adjust to these changes.

The first goodbye came when John Michael moved to Oregon after graduation.

Not only did our little chicks fly away

but goodbyes came as aging parents left us also.

 First to go was John's mom. 

The next goodbye moment came when my daughter Christina's family

moved away due to a job transfer.  

I haven't as yet mastered the art of hugging the grand kids goodbye

without a shower

of tears but I'm getting better at saying until next time.  

Next sadly was a final goodbye to my dad.  

I didn't get to say goodbye to him.  

All of those goodbye hugs need to be in my dreams.

 His death was sudden and unexpected.  

My third little chick, Kathleen moved to beautiful Astoria, Oregon.

She remains in Oregon but was visiting us this Christmas with her soon

to be new husband Oliver. 

Around this time,  John Michael returned to California to work at Amgen.  

My goodbye to my mom came in April 2010 after a steady decline due to cancer. 

Her goodbye was the hardest for me.  

We don't set as many places at the table as in the past

however our holidays remain special and enjoyed.

Just different.

This year

I sat around the fire playing Scrabble, Wii, Speed Monopoly

with Kathleen, Oliver, Daniel, Alexis, John Michael, Catherine, Grandpa,

and John.  

What I have learned as the years pass by 

is that those that we love are never far away

because it is our love for each other

that binds us and holds us close to each other.

It helps that we have planes, trains, and cars that bring us together also we have

Skype, Facebook, phones, texting, 

and the memories

of the past holidays shared

with those that are no longer with us.  

I am blessed.

Hello to you 2012:-)))

Hugs...

Strange Weather for Southern CA

Hi Everyone.....

Just look at this!!!!

 This is how our street looked yesterday.

Jennie , our dog, and Daniel enjoying some winter weather fun.

This was our dog's first experience in ice and she loved it!

Can you believe this?

Palm trees surrounded by what looks like snow

however it is about an inch of hail.

Cucamonga Peak hiding in the clouds.

Back garden patio

All the ice melted by morning.

The neighborhood children chased each other

around happily for hours

enjoying every last minute of wet fun.

Jennie on the other hand refused to go out again. 

Hugs...

Thanks for the visit:-)))

A Breath of Fresh Air

Hi Everyone!

Hope all of you have enjoyed some time away from work

during this 2011 Thanksgiving Holiday

and weren't left feeling too tired after eating way too much turkey:-)))  

We locked all the doors here,

packed our mini van along with a frozen turkey with all the trimmings,

and spent this past weekend

at Storybook Cottage for a much needed breath of fresh air.

We walked along

the Fiscalini Ranch Trail

and watched the Cormorants fish.

Click here to learn more about the

Fiscalini Ranch Preserve.

We hiked along the Harmony Headlands.  

Click here

to learn more about Harmony Headlands.

We drove along Highway 46 headed towards Paso Robles.

We made a left turn on Vineyard Road and enjoyed

the leaves of the grapevines turned red, orange and gold.

Click here to learn more about the wineries located along Highway 46.

 

We ate good food,

drank wine from the local wineries,

and enjoyed spending time with each other.

I sometimes wonder what magic

drew us back almost yearly to this location for two decades.  

Could it be that......

 

The human spirit needs places where

nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man. 

Author Unknown

The wonderful pictures of the Headlands, cormorants, and grapevines were taken by my husband, John.  The rest are taken by me.  

Hugs.....

Where do you go to enjoy a breath of fresh air?   

Open the comment box below

and leave a comment to let me know you stopped by for a visit today......

I'd love to hear from you:-)))

On Turning 21

This blog entry comes from deep within my heart.  

There is something about a 21st birthday that brings on sweet memories

to all of us of course for some, not to exclude being able to order a beer or a glass of wine on a night out.

I have watched as all of my children have passed through childhood into adulthood and for each I watched in wonder remembering that special time in my own life.   

 Daniel at 6 months.

 Daniel at 18 years on a visit to Jerusalem.

 Daniel with Alexis in Cambria this past summer.  

Happy 21st birthday Daniel!

Hugs:-)))

Leave a comment..I'd love to hear from you.