Remembering our Carolina Cottage..........

The pink sign in the side Rock Garden was given to us by the Garden Club....in truth it was posted in my Sweet...talented hubby's side of our garden.....after Isabelle we had trees that were ripped  out of the ground  ...which gave us a perfect spot for his vision of a rock garden...we were so excited to wake up one Saturday morning to this plaque....they left it with us  for a full month....I don't think you can see it but the galvanized tub has some duck decoy's floating in it...with a water pump behind that was a fountain....the dog friends in our neighborhood would come and drink out of it on their walks ....we enjoyed this spot on the front porch as often as we could....there is a saying we heard often from our neighbors as they passed by....they'd ask us if we were "watchin the grass grow"....

This is a  picture of our Carolina Garden ...I worked in the garden a lot there...It took 3 years of planning ....planting....pruning ....along with some praying to see the.... FRUIT....of my labor ....it was worth every minute....in our new house I think we have much more potential in a different way for a great garden....for now I can see it in my minds eye....we are in the "WE JUST MET ONE ANOTHER" phase....were not sure where the relationship is going to go...but we both think with some patience we could have something great together.....the first thought that comes to mind when I look at these pictures is how fun it is to watch a garden grow....every spring that rolled into summer I was gifted with flowers my birds friends  provided....stray clumps of Vinca...johnny jump ups......ferns....(which by the way grow like crazy in Carolina) 4 years of the eight we lived there I walked out to black snakes...1 water moccasin...and a possum hiding in all that GREEN.....I was just as shocked at the speed of their departure as I was at finding them in first place......they were just as afraid of me ....It was fun being in this place....on the fourth of July we had a Town Fireworks show over the water every year that was wonderful....the fam would come to spend the day...have a barbecue ....then evening would fall ...we'd grab some watermelon and snacks pack up the chairs...walk out the front door toward the water...in 2 minutes we would stake our small "claim" of grass next to the water and wait........with music playing ...boats floating....night falling ...we'd all sit.....eventually the first explosion of color burst above us ......it was so much fun......I am excited to build new memories here....but it is fun to REMEMBER some of the past....you girls have a great day today...I am going to have a cup of Seattle's Best coffee with my sweetie........thanks for stopping by........Karena

Waking to a Memory.....

Good Morning Ladies....how are you this Fabulous Friday....I'm fine...just seeing my Sweetie out the door for work....I woke up this morning to a particular memory of a picture that hung in the room my sister and I shared growing up...we were teens at the time .... our lives have been influenced by this picture in a deep way through the years ....I am sure we didn't realize how deeply it would matter to our future... the thing is I haven't thought about it or it's effect on my life for YEARS....until this morning....I have so many people  on my mind today...my sweetie came home with news that one of the people he has worked with for almost 20 years was in the hospital....it's very bad....another story of a student at the school I worked at in Carolina whose Mother died suddenly Monday morning....story's of loss...financial need......ALL THESE THINGS WERE ON MY MIND PRAYERFULLY ...as I fell asleep last night......I woke up with the memory

of this picture ..."Jesus Standing at the Door Knocking"....I can't count the thousands of times in my life I glanced at this picture walking out of our room.....a time came when I was 15 .... I felt that "knocking" on the door of my own heart...I know as I post this that so many of us have hearts full of questions....concerns....hopeful that we will get to the other side of our need ...there is no better time for us to be grateful for our lives.......for our blessings...for our faces....for EVERYTHING we have to be thankful for.... then when we are feeling "NEED"...if  you have anything in your life that needs a healing touch remember that you are PRECIOUS to our Lord.....he can and will meet your prayers with love and tenderness.... never should we go through our days without the precious gift of ....HOPE....that is my prayer for all of us today......that we live this "Friday Full of Hope" ...this post is a bit different then my usual topics I know...thank you for allowing me to share from my heart this morning....you all are so special......be blessed and encouraged today girls....

 

Hugs.......Karena

So cute....I wondered if it was TRUE......

Hello Girls......I'm a later then usual posting today...I was enjoying some SISTER time earlier....when I got home this evening I opened my email...this message was forwarded from my sweetie......it is so precious I wanted to share it with you....enjoy your evening......blessings and hugs.......Karena

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard.  I could tell from his
collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of.

He calmly came over to me.  I gave him a few pats on his head.  He then
followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the
corner and fell asleep.

An hour later, he went to the door and I let him out.

The next day, he was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside and resumed
his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour.  This continued off
and on for several weeks.

Curious, I pinned a note to his collar:  "I would like to find out who the
owner of this wonderful sweet dog is and ask if you are aware that almost
every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap."

The next day, he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his
collar:  "He lives in a home with six children, two under the age of three.
He's trying to catch up on his sleep.  Can I come with him tomorrow?"

I'm So Excited.....

Good Morning Beautiful Ladies.......happy Wednesday morning to you....I am so excited this morning...I was up early ...got my "Nettie"...(my net book) I had something particular on my mind...years ago ..eleven to be exact in 2000 Romantic Homes did an issue that had an artist in it that I fell in love with....her name is Christie Repasy....I know some of you must have heard of her too....anyway I held on to that issue for two years ...then in 2002 we moved into our Carolina Cottage...we also opened our store...one morning I was at the shop going through some box's of things to price... at the bottom were some magazines I had packed for inspiration...you guessed it one of them was the issue I had saved of Christie...after looking at it again I noticed in the back they had listed a phone number for her....I picked up the phone to call..I wanted to ask her if she made her BEAUTIFUL paintings available for stores to carry...Well I dialed the number it started ringing....to my surprise and delight Christie answered it HERSELF...I was so happy to introduce myself....she was exceptional....it was a thrill to talk to her about her art....her passion for roses....a bit about myself and our store....I was blessed with her open heart ....she was Luxuriously generous with her time ...she gave me a gift during that conversation that I hold in my heart to this day.....a gift of INSPIRATION........that brings me back to this morning I wanted to talk about her in this post but knew I needed to ASK PERMISSION...I emailed her less then an hour ago...she got back to me right away and said....YES....(Thank You Christie)...are you ready girls to see some FABULOUS HEAVEN SENT TALENT...I hope you enjoy....the link to Christie is below her blog is "Chateau De Fluers"          http://chateaudefleurs.blogspot.com/

This is a picture of Christie that was taken for an interview she did with "Make Mine Pink" here is the link http://www.makeminepink.com/articles/archives/?which=147

This is the most BRILLIANT idea for a chair re-do I have ever seen

She also has a web page        http://christierepasy.com/

I think it will be worth your time to visit Christie on her blog or her web page....I believe you will be BLESSED....as for me that is what I am praying for you girls today.....BLESSINGS....

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD
make his face shine upon you and be gracious
to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and
give you peace. Amen.       ( Numbers 6:24 )

Let's Finish Looking Together.....

 

Good Morning Girls....well here are the last of the pictures I have to share with you....I thought "THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE"....was a keeper....we will definitely be back ...The creativity of all the dealer's  was very inspiring to me...I walked away with LOTS of ideas...I hope you were inspired some too...I am going to try to stay cool today the weather here has been nothing short of ....HOT......we've had thunder and lightening storms the last few days towards the evening hours.....it is great for the plants and grass but it doesn't COOL US DOWN one bit ....I am longing for FALL ....I love those first days of crisp temp's and cool breezes....it is my favorite time of year..I hope you all have a good day today....I am blessed to have you pop in...I appreciate you so much......lots of hugs........Karena

Let's Go Inside.....

Well....here we are...these are the first steps into the store......WOW....I asked permission right away to snap pic's...the little gal behind the counter was very gracious about it...so...."LET THE SNAPPING BEGIN"....this dress form sat so sweetly I almost expected it to twirl in a dance ......

These paper flowers were a hit with more folks then myself....other customers were fascinated at how they were done...a hint.....newspaper....glue.....putty....ribbon...with a good dose of creativity....they were floaty and fabulous....

Some of these displays speak for themselves....

OH BOY........I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS SLIPPER CHAIR......I SO WANTED TO TAKE IT HOME WITH US...

This wonderful file cabinet with 30's green paint was SO GREAT.....It is made out of wood....lined with maps that they glued to the bottom of each drawer...sorry that pic didn't turn out.....AND...each drawer was separate so you could keep all three together vertically or you could place them side by side.....FUN.....

I'm not sure you can see the "scale" of this adoreable little shopping cart ...it was childlike in stature....just as cute as could be...I had ideas for this little guy....filled with moss planted with johnny jump ups, or creeping Jenny....lined with plastic or a square galvanized tub filled with ice...and of course cans or bottles of water and soda.....in a laundry room filled with ....TIDE.....DOWNEY.....BIZ....AND BLEACH......so cute.....

Well girls.....that is it for today ....I have some more pic's to share another day.....full of a plethora of innovative ideas...I pray you all have a blessed day....stay cool......big hugs to all of you.......Karena

By the way here's the link to "Through the Garden Gate" ..http://www.throughthegardengateantiques.com/

A Trip Through a Garden Gate.....

Yesterday my sweetie and I took a road trip to a store I've been wanting to visit for over a year....It is in Mechanicsville VA ...it was totally worth the drive this is what we saw as we drove in...I was so excited to get inside

Through the Garden Gate....this is our destination...I just loved the shutters

This bicycle was so cute leaning against the wall next to the front door it was like it had the  job of being their official Welcoming committee...

 I have lots more pictures to share and a link to "The Garden Gate" that I will share later in the week...I have to run now ...I just wanted to get this post up to "WET YOUR WHISTLE"......I pray each of you have a blessed ...peaceful....Sunday........hugs......Karena