I love the sound of chainsaws in the morning...

...as well as pick axes and stump grinders. Especially when it means I finally get to fill the garden bed in the front of our house with beautiful plants and flowers!

We bought our house 12 years ago and with it came a boxwood hedge and pittosporum shrub which are located directly in the middle front of our house. There were also a slew of other plants in the garden bed to the left of the front door that I have since ripped out and replaced with plants that I love. The only original plant remaining in that particular bed is a Japanese maple.

When we first moved in, I loved our little boxwood hedge and I enjoyed the old-fashioned charm it gave the front of our house. But over the years, my love of gardening has blossomed and recently, I've felt that the hedge is more outdated than charming. Plus, it's preventing me from planting things I really love because it blocks the sprinklers from the planting bed behind it so nothing grows there. So for years, the space behind the hedge has just been bare dirt covered by river rocks. I have always hated the ugly green shrub (aka pittosporum) which lives smack dab in the front of the house so I'm beyond thrilled that it's going bye-bye.

Before

Due to the hard work of Brad DeFury (owner of *Neighborhood Tree Man) and his team, the hedge and shrub are gone, and the Japanese maple looks shaped up and pretty.

So here's my new garden plan. The overall feeling will reflect what I've already planted in the garden bed to the left of the walkway...

• I am going to plant a couple of camellias directly in front of the window, ferns and azaleas in front of the camellias, followed by annuals in the foreground.
  

• In front of the wall with the house number on it, I'm thinking about planting either a lilac or buying a pretty wrought iron trellis and planting a clematis or another flowering vine.
  

• Directly under the window to the right of that wall, I'd like to transplant my Endless Summer hydrangea. Right now, it's on the side yard next to our trash cans. Such a sad place for such a beautiful plant. It'll be much better appreciated in the front garden, don't you think?

My Endless Summer hydrangea

• In front of the hydrangea, I'll put a few David Austin rose bushes.

• I'd also like to place a small fountain in front of the big window, but that's a little further down on my "to do" list. I'll just have to make sure I leave a little spot for it.

Photos of today's progress:

The team removed the 30 boxwood plants which formed our hedge.

The hedge and shrub are gone! We've got a pile of trimmings that will need to go out with next week's pick-up. They already filled up our green waste can and you can see in the photo below what's left over. We saved a lot of money though by not having them haul the trimmings away for us.

It looks so bare now, but not for long. As soon as our heat wave passes (100+ weather in autumn--yuck), I'll make a trip to the nursery and start planting.

I need to buy a decorative hose reel box to hide the ugly turquoise hose, which was previously hidden by the hedge. So I suppose the hedge wasn't completely useless. ;)

The remaining river rock and a few stepping stones will need to find a new home before I can start planting.

Check back for more updates on my new garden adventure!

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*I highly recommend the Neighborhood Tree Man for your tree needs. They do tree removal of any size (including stump grinding), ornamental tree pruning, and shrub removal. Their prices are reasonable and the team of workers are very polite. More than once, they thanked me for the work and I noticed (while spying on them from inside the house) that when one of them went to have a cigarette break, he walked all the way out to the street instead of just lighting up by the house. I appreciated that.

We've known Brad for 16 years (he's been a customer at Trader Joe's for as long as Jason has worked there) and he's done several jobs for us all of which we have been very satisfied with. He removed 2 large trees (20+ feet) when we put in our pool 6 years ago. Last year, he removed four fan palms, pruned the neighbors ash tree which was hanging over our pool, and removed one very large redwood, which the previous owners planted in a spot that was too close to the house and provide no shade due to it's north/east location.

If you have a tree/shrub job large or small, I recommend giving Brad a call for an estimate: (559) 313-3979

In Rememberance...

To those who lost their lives, risked their lives, their families, as well as the soldiers who continue to defend our freedom, you are in my thoughts.

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Casual fall style: Mixing black and brown

Hi Nesters!

I recently saw Vanessa Marcil sporting a lovely casual black and brown look on The Wendy Williams Show. The moment I saw her, I knew it was a look I would be recreating for myself this fall/winter season.

Mixing black and brown is a great way to keep black from being boring. It's especially nice for those of us who don't look good in black paired with brights. And depending on the pieces you select, the look can be casual or dressy. Either way, the combination of black and brown is a sophisticated one.

Below is a representation of how I envision my black/brown look.

Here's what I used to create this look:

• black leggings

• white long sleeve cotton-blend blouse
  

• black cropped 3/4 sleeve cardigan
  

• brown suede/leather flat knee high riding boot with buckles
  

• brown and black animal print tote
  

• brown leather/gold watch
  

• boho chic multi-hoop earrings

See my inspiration for this look: Vanessa Marcil on The Wendy Williams Show

I used Polyvore.com to create my style inspiration collage. The items contained in the collage are not necessarily the exact items I would select in real life.

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Biker chic at any age

About a month ago, my 13-year-old daughter and I were shopping at Target. For the last couple of years, we have shopped in the same clothing department. Although I tend to stick to the misses section and she gravitates to juniors, it makes for a very interesting shopping experience. Picture a lot of eye rolling and comments intended to remind me how old I am on Sierra's part and then imagine a lot of explaining from me that just because she now fits into the same clothing that I have been wearing for years, doesn't mean that I'm no longer allowed to shop there. Now even though I consider myself a stylish dresser, I DO NOT dress like a teenager. I know what is age appropriate and I make sure never to cross that line.

So when reinforcements (in the form of a very stylish yet age appropriately dressed 60 year old woman) came to my aid that day while trying on a jacket, I couldn't have been more pleased. Okay, so I spied a very sexy and affordable black faux leather biker jacket. While trying it on in the 3-way mirror, I did my usual turn-pose-turn-pose-turn-pose. You know, that thing we all do when we look at ourselves from every angle to make sure something looks good on us before we buy it. That's when Sierra started in with the "Oh Mom" comments.

Just then, in the middle of me defending myself to my daughter yet again, a lovely woman came up and told me that I looked fabulous in the jacket and that I had to buy it. Then she asked me where the rack of jackets was so she could try on one too. I thanked her, directed her to the rack, and went on my way. A few minutes later, I saw her in the mirror with the jacket on (doing her own turn-pose-turn-pose) so I had to go back and admire it on her as well. Even at 60, she looked stunning in the jacket. She was wearing dark washed jeans and had very short hair that reminded me of Jamie Lee Curtis.

Before going our separate ways, she and I shared a few words about how funny it is that teenagers think everything their moms do or wear is embarrassing but once you reach a certain age it's no longer an issue and how her 40-year-old daughter is her biggest supporter. I think Sierra took mental notes during our conversation because she's made no negative comments to me on any of our subsequent shopping trips.

In my life I've seen so many women tear each other down instead of building each other up that the complimentary exchange this total stranger and I shared was very refreshing. Every time I see that jacket hanging in my closet, I think fondly about the day I bought it. I just wish fall would hurry up and get here so I can actually wear it instead of just look at it.

Biker-inspired jackets look good on women of every age and varying style aesthetics

This is the jacket I bought



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