Sweetwater Style

7 Sweet Things-Perennials Groundcover

2013-05-19T14:34:00.003-05:00

The best part of Spring in the Sweetwater Gardens is when all the perennial ground covers start to show their bright happy green selves.

When gardens cover as much real estate as the ones around here.....ground covers make a big difference!

Here are 7 Sweet Ground Covers to try if you don't know about them already!

Lamium

This plant loves Sweetwater!

It comes up everywhere.....

In the rocks....

In the lawn.....

But in the Shady part of the garden,

Lamium is a star with it's ability to flower in the shade!!

Pachysandra

no....not an elephant named Sandra!!!

but a shiny, creeping ground cover that stays green almost year round....even in Minnesota!

It is the first spot of green as soon as the snow melts.
It makes a great border....I just keep ripping it up and plopping it in new spots around the yard.

I love to use Pachysandra in arrangements as fill.

The sturdy leaves almost become their own "flower frog".

Wild Ginger

You can't eat it....it is poisonous....but you can look at it...

The texture and shape are a nice companion to the Lamium and Pachysandra!

Fiddlehead Fern

The best camouflage for the compost bin is the stand of Ferns that is finally taking root!

Yah....they seem to be rooting everywhere...

I dig them up and transplant them to pots for "free" spikes in planters.

I planted this pot yesterday...the pot WAS clean before our morning thunderstorm!

The variety I have does not cut well....hmmmm....maybe I need to shop for a kind that does!

Creeping Thyme

This little gem is the star of the Sweetwater entrance when it is in bloom.

Some people call it a "steppable" because you can walk on it and when you do....
a lovely aroma comes up!

Sedum

There are so many varieties of sedum....and every one is a great ground cover for sunny spots.

This little bright yellow version transplants well and is sturdy enough to be "steppable".

The common name for some Sedum is "Stonecrop"....guess this photo shows why!
The bright yellow flowers will show up in a month or so and be pretty showy!

This teensy tiny Sedum is "Stonecropping" everywhere in the landscape rocks....Yikes!

Hosta

At Sweetwater the Hosta is otherwise named "Deer Food"

But never the less.....we have an abundance of the stuff!

Big Leaved....Small Leaves.....Tall....Short....Dark Green.....Yellow

We love them all and move them at random all over the gardens.

I wish I was one of those gardeners who keep track of the names of their plants....

But alas, I am NOT that gardener....so I never know what to tell people when they ask...

So Sweetwater is full of NO NAME Hosta....like the Steak!!!

There you have them....some of my favorite plants!

Feel free to comment with YOUR favorites!

Have a very green day!

Link Parties
A Pinch Of Joy Clever Chicks Blog Hop Coastal Charm

Personalized Stationery the Thrifty Way!

2013-05-16T17:19:00.000-05:00

I love pretty stationery....don't you?

I have a bunch of stamping supplies sitting in a box.....

but I never seem to have the time or will power to really do that anymore...

SOMEDAY....MAYBE!!!

And since the advent of:

Texts

Phone calls

Skype

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

There isn't a lot of need to have fancy personalized stationery!

And....certainly, there is NO need to spend a lot of money on such a little used luxury!

Here is a little trick I have learned to have some fancy lady notecards that are fun to use...

....and to give as gifts!

Have you ever looked at the lovely Wedding Stationery Kits at Target and Michaels?

Pretty...Huh?!

Well....even if there is NO wedding in my future...that doesn't mean I can't use this elegant stuff!!!

The Goodwill that I go to often has boxes of Wedding Stationery Kits for cheap!

And, check out the clearance aisle at Michaels....they often have boxes on sale!

Usually under 10 dollars....for lots and lots of stationery to repurpose!

Sometimes the box has been opened....or some pieces are missing...

oh.....such pretty designs.....heavy card stock....lovely envelopes!!!

I buy them and turn them into personalized notecards!

All it takes is some time spent with my word processing software....

Some creative use of monograms....

Or...a favorite quote!

One year we used the folded pocket to hold our Christmas Photo with a printed greeting....

The fancy stickers and ribbon made for a pretty nice greeting card!

When I need a quick baby gift...what could be cuter than notecards personalized with the baby's name?

Mom and Dad have stationery to send thank-you cards...

I love these yellow cards....
so cute for a new baby girl!

No birthday gift on the shelf for a girlfriend...or no time to shop....?

Print out some cards with a monogram.....quick....fun....inexpensive and useful!

One kit I found had a bunch of stickers included....

I printed Holiday Gift Tags on them....classy and very cheap!!!

The Heavy Folders are great for hiding all the "little" coupons and "stuff" on my bulletin board!

Here are a few quotes that I have been saving to use when I get around to it!

Feel free to use them....for your own personalized stationery!

Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History!

Some of us are becoming the men we wanted to marry.

She who leaves a trail of glitter is rarely forgotten!

Playing dress-up begins at age 5...and never truly ends!

Take My Advice.....I'm Not Using It!

A woman should be two things: Classy and Fabulous!

Style is the perfection of your point of view!

Fashion fades, only style remains the same.

If you don't have anything nice to say, come, sit by me....

So...I challenge you to get creative....

AND

to send some SNAIL Mail once in awhile!

Have a Great Day!

LinkyParties
My Turn for Us Craftionary

Crab Cakes and Scallops...YUM!

2013-05-05T10:43:00.000-05:00

This was dinner at Sweetwater last night!

Doesn't it make your mouth water?

I LOVE Crab Cakes....

I often order them at restaurants....and am sometimes disappointed by the way they taste!

Sooo.....I learned how to make them at home!!!

Here is my go to recipe adapted from one I found on line!

Sweetwater Oven Baked Crab Cakes

2 Containers of Philips Crab Meat
(1 lump crab and 1 claws)

8 Ritz Crackers crushed

1/3 cup Mayonaise

1 egg

3 chopped scallions (white and green parts)

1/4 cup chopped red pepper
(2 of the little poppers from CostCo are perfect)

4 Sprigs of Parsley chopped finely

2 Tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning

Bread Crumbs

Mix all this together into a fine mess.....

Go ahead...get your hands messy...

Form this into 6 nice sized cakes....

Cover both sides with fine bread crumbs....

Place on a baking sheet that has covered with about a quarter cup of Olive Oil....

Bake in a 325 degree oven for 10 minutes....flip them and bake for another 10 minutes.

Increase the temperature to 325 degrees and bake each side for another 5 minutes a side.

Oh....Yum....BUT!

The real trick is in the special sauce.....another Sweetwater Creation!

Just 2 Simple Ingredients that together are an amazing complement to the Crab Cakes!

Jimmy's Thousand Island Dressing
Harry & David's Sweet Pepper and Onion Relish

Jimmy's Dressing is a mildly sweet 1000 Island Dressing...so if you can't find the exact thing keep that in mind.

The relish is also sweet....and I have found others in the Gourmet aisle of the grocery store....

Here is the Carmelized Scallop Recipe that I have been using ever since the Sweetwater Daughter served them this Christmas! This is a screen shot of the recipe on Christina Ferrare's Website. Click this link if it is too hard to read!

It is simple to adapt the recipe to the number of Scallops you have....

It is almost never fail....

I do have to say that I dip BOTH sides of the scallops in the sugar...but don't tell Christina.

And the cooking time is exactly right for the last 10 minutes that the Crab Cakes are baking!

The best part....

there are Crab Cakes and sauce left over for lunch!

Link Parties
Boogie Board Cottage Sew Chatty I Should be Mopping the Floor
The Clever Chick Pinch Of Joy Blackberry Vine Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Serenity You Create and Inspire

Goodwill Find Sparks Craft Room Reorganization

2013-05-04T10:49:00.001-05:00

Most of my Goodwill shopping ends up being clothes and small household items....

Case in point....
this cute yellow rain coat I found a couple of weeks ago has really come in handy during this Spring of NON-STOP Precipitation.....it is almost bright enough to cheer me up when it KEEPS raining/snowing/raining! But enough about the weather already!

Now....on to the Goodwill furniture finds that are inspiring my Craft Room Reorganization!

I spied these two furniture pieces 2 weeks ago.....
One low storage bench with bins and one bench with 2 drawers with an open shelf!

They were in almost perfect shape.... just one bin missing and a small scratch on the top of the other....
They match the other furniture and cabinetry in the craft room....
The price was right....both pieces for a total of $27.00!!!

They didn't fit in the car...
so Mr. S agreed to go pick them up in the BAT (Big A** Truck)!
He took the receipts and headed to GW....great....right?
Well....
not so great...

.I sorta forgot to tell him WHICH Goodwill I bought them at....ooops!
A phone call and a little!!! grumbling later and my new storage pieces were happily home in the Sweetwater Garage!

I spent some time putting together a wall unit of sorts by combining some other pieces of furniture.....right now it looks like this.....

All those shelves, bins and drawers just waiting for some reorganization.....
AND... since IT IS STILL RAINING..... that is how I am spending MY Saturday...

playing with my new storage!

What about YOU?
I hope that it is nice enough to go play outside at YOUR house!

Have A Great day!

7 Sweet Things: A new Sweetwater Style Series

2013-04-28T09:26:00.002-05:00

My life seems to be filled with snippets these days.

I decided that one way to "corral" those snippets could be turned into a new series for Sweetwater Style.

So welcome to "7 Sweet Things"!

Each week I will pick a theme....and share 7 things about it!

It might be my favorite blogs....

It might be my favorite thrift store finds....

It might be my favorite flowers.....

It might be my favorite quotations....

We shall see!

Indispensable Tools For Projects and Crafts!

The Sweetwater Stash of Tools seems to keep growing....

Having the right tool for the project at hand is my answer to the question "How did you do that?"

Here a list of 7 Sweet Tools that won't break the bank, but make doing projects easier!

You know the OBVIOUS ones....glue gun, scotch tape etc.....but here are some you might not have in your cupboard!

A Professional Trimmer.....

The Sweetwater Son gives me the best presents!

This trimmer is a great example of that! He probably noticed my crooked attempts of cutting and knew this would solve that problem.
Having a trimmer like this one makes cutting paper a breeze...
AND... you can buy all sorts of blades if you want to get fancy...my favorites are the scoring blad and the one that makes perforations.

Paddle Wire....

I buy this in quantity! I buy mine at Michaels for a couple of dollars.

It is what I use when making bows...

I use it for hanging ornaments on the Christmas tree...

A snip of wire can make almost anything become more stable....so every "junk" drawer in the house has one...I even keep some at school....and used it twice last week!

ZOTS.....Clear Adhesive Dots

These little sticky dots are almost magical...

I love the way they make attaching paper to paper without any wrinkles or waiting for glue to dry!

I use them when I am framing pictures....

I use them when I make gift cards....

Cross Cut Wire Cutter.....

This little gem was a "gift" from Mr. S after he watched me trying to cut some artificial flower stems with kitchen shears....wiggling the wire back and forth until it finally broke!

He had one in HIS tool box....but I guess he didn't want to share!!!

Now....with ONE snip those stems are cleanly cut.

Any tough cut is no longer TOUGH! The pointed end lets me get in close and make the cut precise.

Heavy Duty Staple Remover

This wicked looking object can be a real manicure saver!

Those pesky staples on packing material used to drive me nuts...

And when I make a mistake with my power stapler....it is nice to know I can pull the staple out without wrecking the fabric!

Well worth the $10 it cost!

Curved Sewing Needles.....

I have a set of these in lots of sizes....WHY?

When you need to sew something that is hard to reach....the curve makes it so easy to run the needle through....

This is especially useful when you have hand sewing on something with fabric over a hard or thick surface that needs a stitch or two.

If you have never used a curved needle, you really need to try it!

Raffia

I love the almost unlimited uses of raffia.

It ties my plants to the plant stakes both indoors and out....

I stuff it in flower arrangements....to cover the floral foam when it shows through....

I tie up the garlands on the stairway at holiday time....

I wrap it around vases....
I use it on gift cards and packages....

Now....I have lots of other tools.....in fact I probably have TOO MANY tools....but these are MY favorites (at least today!!!)

What are YOUR go to tools of YOUR trade???
I would love to know!

Have a great day!

DYI How to Hide the TV Cords

2013-04-24T06:16:00.000-05:00

One of the most annoying parts of modern life is the number of cables and cords it takes to keep all of our communications running....

I dream of the day when EVERYTHING can be run wirelessly.....

BUT....until that day arrives....

Cords exist....
Cables need to be hidden....

OR....to quote Mr. S....."You just need to get over it!!!"

Well...I lust after those entertainment systems with the FlatScreen Mounted on the wall and all of the cords in some magical place inside the wall!

Like this.....

Or this amazing built in.....

Alas....that is probably not going to happen in the near future!

I have been looking at this mess since we rearranged the family room last summer....

I spent lots of time rearranging the baskets to hide the cords.....only to have Marvin knock them down....so the view from the couch was pretty ugly!!

Last weekend, I decided "Enough is Enough!"

In true "Sweetwater Style" .....I wasn't gonna spend any money....and I wasn't gonna do anything tooooo difficult!

HMMMMMM.....The solution turned out to be BURLAP!!!!!

Look and See!

Yup....I just cut 2 pieces of burlap that were wide enough to overlap in the center of the table and long enough to reach the floor and puddle a bit.

I used some heavy duty thumb tacks to attach the fabric to the inside of the table top.....

Then I carefully (well not real carefully) rearranged all the cords behind the fabric!

The overlap in the center was the trick to making this a simple task.

I rearranged the baskets....in hope that Marvin will stay away!

But the burlap just fades into the background with nary a cord in sight!

The whole project took less than an hour....including dusting and untangling!

And the cost.....almost nada!

Have a Great Day!

Link Parties:
Cast Party Wed Sugar and Dots Gingersnap Crafts Craftionary Create With Joy!

A Tale of Two Springs!

2013-04-20T06:39:00.001-05:00

SIX more inches of snow and a record low temp this morning!
Seriously?!

I tried to ignore the weather on Thursday.....wore white jeans and cute canvas wedges....

Ended up scraping snow off the car, wearing those shoes....making it feel like I was walking through the snow in almost bare feet!

Oh welll

At least the deck planters are happily basking in the greenhouse at Holaseks!

Makes me wonder about GLOBAL WARMING!!!

Since there doesn't seem to be much chance that we will see the green grass this April....

I decided to take a quick trip down memory lane and dream about what I was doing in the garden LAST year!!

This is a recap of a post I did on APRIL 10th last year!!!
It includes a thrifty trick I came up with for filling my pots before the annuals are on sale!

LAST YEAR:
We had record warm weather in March....all the perennials in the garden started to come up and there is a lot of green in the garden.

THIS YEAR: Only the hardiest of the pachysandra is even hinting at green

LAST YEAR:

I didn't need to even buy pansies for the front entry because when we got back from Mexico on the first of April....the tulips and daffodils were in bloom and the gardens were full of green.

It just didn't feel like I needed to buy anything...

and yet the planters were certainly looking "naked"....

THIS YEAR:
The planters are not "NAKED" they are still FILLED WITH SNOW!
and since even pansies wouldn't survive the cold.....Mr. S has had to keep Sweetwater filled with flowers from the grocery store!

LAST YEAR:
In April '12 ....there were little volunteer perennial plants everywhere that needed relocating.

Those perennials are frost hardy....so I decided to use them in the planters.

I wandered around the yard and dug up some of those little volunteers....and just plopped them in the planters!

Lady's Mantle

Centurian
(I think that is the name)

Sedum

A Fern

More Sedum

A Stella Lily

Ornamental Onion

Creeping Thyme

Sedum

Lady's Mantle

Two kinds of sedum

More ornamental onion

Lady's Mantle

Day Lily

Lamium

More sedum

A little mum plant

Onions and Chives added to the pot that the lettuce seeds are planted in.

A nice crop of wheat grass growing on the deck.

This didn't cost me a dime!

and

I'm just thinking that this is truly

"Sweetwater Style"!

THIS YEAR!!!
Well.....I don't really want to talk about it!!!
So instead of....

I am off for some retail therapy with the Sweetwater Daughter!!!

Here's hoping you are smart enough NOT to live in the frozen tundra that is Minnesota and you can get out in your yard for some gardening therapy!

Link Parties
Serenity Saturday
A Vision to Remember Gingerbread Blog

WIndow Boxes-A Head Start for the Growing Season!

2013-04-13T10:58:00.000-05:00

It hardly seems possible that the planters on the deck will ever look like this!

Especially since there is still a couple of inches of snow on them now!

I have posted about this before.....but truly....this trick for getting a head start on the growing season is worth talking about again....and again....and again!Here is a link to a past post about giving my planters a head start!

Thursday we had a pretty big Spring SNOWSTORM....
That meant lousy driving conditions....and I had a dentist appointment before school!
It stayed crummy all day and it was still snowing on the drive home....YUCK!

HOWEVER....the evening ended a lousy day on a high note!

The Sweetwater Daughter and I were not as crazy as these folks who headed out to Target Field to watch baseball in the snow!

NO....we are MUCH smarter than that!

Instead....we headed to The Holasek Greenhouses with our pots and planters in tow to get a little gardening therapy at the annual Ladies Night !!!

Walking in from the gray, cold, sloppy snow....

Our mood was instantly 100% improved!

Here is how it works!

You take your planters to the greenhouse....(I had to buy some new inserts for the planters because the old ones were still frozen solid!!!)

You wander around and pick out the plants you like....buy them....
Go over to big tables filled with great big piles of potting soil
You plant everything the way you want-leaving all the mess THERE!
Someone from the Greenhouse wheels your pots to the back of the greenhouse!
Then they KEEP them for you until MAY when you can put them out doors!

And ALL you pay for are the plants!!!!

Brilliant!

We didn't know that Ladies Night was such a big deal....

We didn't know that some people bring boxes of wine to drink while they plant...

We didn't know that there would even be an ELVIS Impersonator serenading us....

So now......

My planters are basking in the warmth of the greenhouse....

GROWING....until May!

In the meantime....

Sending you warm thoughts!!!

Have a great day!

Link Parties

Sunny Simple Life

The Primose Path

2013-04-10T17:54:00.000-05:00

http://www.mags-nificent.com/MSW/MagF/Mag/primroses3.jpg

Primrose Path

The primrose path refers to someone living a life of ease and pleasure. Not to be confused with "led up the 'garden path'", which is an idiom suggesting that one is being deceived or led astray.

It would be nice to think that at Sweetwater we live that life of ease....and frolic down the Primrose Path.....

But it seems that with the weather forecast for 10 inches of snow on April 11th.....we are actually being deceived into thinking Spring will ever come!

I took a quick trip to Home Depot this weekend to find me some little bits of Spring for indoors!!!!

There are obviously NO little bits of Spring outdoors around here!

I bought 3 little yellow Primrose plants....$2.97 each...

Put them in the copper pot from Goodwill that I found for $7...

Stuffed some raffia around the edges to hide the pots....

(Marvin is soooo happy to have something new to play with on the counter!)

And there is a little bit of sunshine on the island!

Here is a little trick to keeping these cheery plants looking good and lasting until they can be planted outdoors!

It is all about "dead heading".....and with primroses you need to be super diligent about this!

Every single flower that is wrinkling up needs to be plucked off......every day!

This lets the new buds keep blooming.....

This goes for the leaves as well!

Doesn't that look better?!

If you stay with this....and water them well.....you can keep them healthy and add them to your perennial border.

The Sweetwater garden has many years worth of Primroses that bloom all spring!

Too funny.....I think this awful weather is actually affecting Mr. S. too!
He arrived home from a trip to the grocery store last night....
AND.....
Brought these little Gerbera Daisies for little old me!!!!

They look so cheerful you can ALMOST ignore all the snow in the background!

Have A Nice Day!
And....I hope YOUR weather is better than OUR weather!!!

Link Parties
Katherines Corner

Will "Real" Spring Ever Come!

2013-04-07T09:47:00.000-05:00

This was the view before me just a week ago as I sat on the deck drinking my coffee.....

Ahhh.....Manzanillo!

If I was silly enough to go out on the deck to drink coffee THIS morning....

This would be the vista before me....!

Yup....that is snow on April 7th!
UGHHH......Minnesota!

This Spring seems to be one that will never actually arrive!

Oh well....at least I have my vacation tan!
But....if the sun never starts shining in Minnesota...that tan will soon disappear!

The sun in Mexico is so intense....I use SPF70 the whole time we are there and still sometimes get a little burned!

Because I want to blend in and not look like the pasty skinned tourist that I am in reality....
I rely on a self-tanner....

Yeah, I know....yuck.....orange, smelly and messy!

But I found the absolute best self tanner I have ever used!

This stuff is amazing....it has olive undertones as opposed to the usual orange....and that really makes it look more natural!

Here is the link at Amazon:

Then I use this cool applicator mitt.....it is lined with plastic so your hands don't get all messy and the spongy side smooths out the lotion and keeps you from missing spots!

Here is that link on Amazon:

So....even if Spring never arrives in Minnesota.....I can still look like I just got back from a vacation in Mexico....

Oh....wait....I DID just get back from a vacation in Mexico!

Wanna see the pics?

Have A Great Day!!!

A Milestone Birthday for my Mom!

2013-03-31T18:37:00.001-05:00

This photo is of the Sweetwater Mom when she was just a baby!

We are so happy to be able to

wish her a Happy 85th Birthday!

Because she spends the winter in Florida and is wise enough to delay her return to Minnesota until it is REALLY Spring, we are not able to be with her to celebrate!!!

I guess this blog shout out will have to do!

I know that it is traditional for the Birthday girl to GET the gifts.....

But this year it was MOM who gave all of us a truly memorable gift....

This is the cover of the wonderful memoir my mom put together to share her memories with us!

For years she had been writing little essays of the things she remembered from her girlhood. She wanted to do something with them that would be permanent....and being the book lover that she is....she published this to share with us!

Now there are little snippets of life on the farm.....from wash day to party line telephone "etiquette" to memories of the depression.....all in one place!

I had fun reading this snippet about that April Fool's day 85 years ago....it is amazing how different things are now!

"I was born at Grandma Emma Thacher's house in Harmony, Minnesota. Emma was a busy midwife, who had just returned from assisting the Elton family after the birth of baby Colleen. My mother, Gladys, had decided to stay in Harmony where Dr. Anderson, the family physician lived. Good planning, as I was born in a snow storm on Easter Sunday and my father Clayton, wasn't able to travel the 20 miles from the farm for a week."

What made this project a reality finding someone who could be the "editor"...and was not a family member! The Sweetwater Daughter found a woman who does this as a business! That is what turned her dream to reality....and created a lasting treasure for us. The business is theMessenger and the website is www.1stFishDesigns.com.

Here is what mom wrote for Melissa's website after the project was done!

“Working with Mallissa at 1st Fish Designs in publishing my Memoir was truly a rewarding experience! She took my scattered journal entries, some photos, and essays and helped me put it all together in a beautiful little book that tells the story of my first 3o years.
Mallissa was very intuitive in her editing, using words that made sense of it all. Her suggestions brought the book alive. I could not be happier with the finished results! Thanks, Mallissa!
Now I need to get to work on a sequel!”

Hey Mom....we hope you do a sequel too!!!!

Capturing the essence of history through the eyes of people who were there is a true gift!
Thanks Mom!!!

Oh....and Happy Birthday too!

Have a Great Day!

Green Garden Jealousy!

2013-03-28T09:50:00.001-05:00

Last summer we purchased a share in a CSA

(Community Supported Agriculture).

It was great having fresh vegetables arrive every week.

We tried some new things and overall enjoyed the experience.

It was a bit of a hassle making sure we had someone to pick up the delivery....

And since we split it up 4 ways....sometimes it felt like it was hard to give everyone their FAIR share!

We are gonna try something new this year....

Since someone in the family goes to the Minneapolis Farmer's Markety every week....

We are going to take turns buying veggies to share....

that way we can choose the stuff that we like....and buy enough to share equally!

This will still support the local growers....

AND....

I will get ample opportunity to buy a few flowers too!

Speaking of food grown locally....and the reason the title of this post is Green Garden Jealousy...

Let me tell you a little about one of the Sweetwater Brothers....he is a serious Permaculturist
I can't begin to understand all of the nuances of permaculture or sustainable urban horticulture....
All I know is that he grows the most amazing food with no pesticides and very little irrigation.

Check out this clip of him harvesting in my mom's front yard in Florida! She has the prettiest, no mow yard in town! Ahh....but then she does have a full time gardener!!!

Pretty amazing huh?! I think it is pretty funny that the Co-op Market he takes his crops to each week is "The Sweetwater Co-op"....small coincidental world!

Well, now you know why I have Green Garden Jealousy....I will plant my little raised bed planters on the deck with some greens and herbs and be satisfied with trips to the Farmer's Market!

At least I won't be providing healthy snacks for the rabbits and deer!

Have a great day!

Perfectly Simple Panoramic Photos

2013-03-25T07:56:00.003-05:00

There is something intriguing about panoramic photos.
I did my research and found some fabulous examples of panoramic photos from the turn of the 20th century! And I found out how these old photos were created.....ahhh the patience that must have taken!

You can spend hours browsing old photos at the Library of Congress American Memory Collection!Don't blame me if you get hooked....and don't do anything else for the rest of the day!

This photo shows my favorite city view of Minneapolis in 1912. The Stone Arch Bridge and the River are fun to see.

Here is a panoramic view of the San Francisco fire in 1906. Amazing!

No.....this isn't a history lesson....it is a techy lesson!

360 Panorama

By Occipital

I just discovered this fabulous new APP for my iPad.....and it only cost .99 cents!

available for iPad, iPhone and now Android....!

What fun to be able to create panoramic photos by just standing in one place and turning slowly....the APP fills in the photo until you have a complete 360 view.

This is one of the first photos I tried.....in this flat version of the photo you get a great idea of the "my work home".....and why I am tired at the end of the day! Keeping this place organized is sometimes a daunting task!
On the iPad, the photo is interactive.....and this can be uploaded to the Occipital Site.

Once the photo is uploaded, you can share the interactive view by link or embedding it....
Here is the LINK

Here is the photo embedded!

I am going to keep practicing...hmmmmm....this APP seems to have some real possibilities for showing different projects.....I will keep you posted....
In the meantime...I am off to take some more 360 photos of "STUFF".

Have a great day!

Link Parties
Blackberry Vine Coastal Charm

A Little Bit Of Bragging!

2013-03-20T13:32:00.000-05:00

We are getting ready to head to Mexico!

With all the cold and snow here it is a dream to think of warm sun, relaxing surf etc. etc.!

I can't wait to practice using my "limited" Spanish in true immersion style!

Maybe you remember that I am the Library Media Specialist in a Spanish Immersion School.

One of the hard parts of my job is finding good interactive immersion activities that are fun and educational.

Since the resources are limited......we decided to create some ourselves!

I thought you might enjoy a peek at a super fun project that my friend Kim and I have been working on for the last few months. We got a grant to build an interactive website for Kindergarten kids.....

Maybe you will be able to use this with a young person you know who wants to learn Spanish!

http://psistudentresources.weebly.com/kinder.html

Here is the link KINDER RESOURCES

Each of the photos takes you to a page with lots and lots and lots of fun activities.

The kids spend hours hanging out here,becoming better Spanish Speakers while "playing" on the site!

There are songs, stories and vocabulary activities galore!

Along the way....Kim and I have had a blast creating this resource!

One of the unexpected and truly positive outcomes of the project is how blogging has become a part of the process!

Kim now uses a blog format for her weekly newsletter.....the parents love it! She posts photos and news as well as links to Immersion information.

I have started using a blog to communicate with my students.....It is almost like speaking with them...they love it and are able to connect to the links I make from home!

Tonight we are off to present our project to the School Board and the Foundation.....it will be fun to show it off....

I was so excited to learn that my little Grand Niece will be starting Kindergarten in a Spanish Immersion Program this Fall.....I bet you can guess that I will be sharing the website with her so she will be "the smartest" one in HER class!!

Have a Great Day!

Link Parties
Clever Chicks Pinch of Joy

When is Expensive Thrifty?

2013-03-16T08:42:00.002-05:00

You know that Sweetwater Style is all about being thrifty!

So....the question I am pondering is....

When are EXPENSIVE things actually thrifty!

Case in point....

Since Spring is almost here, it was time to put away the Winter Coats and trade them for the Spring Coats....one of which is my Burberrys Trenchcoat!

This lovely was a gift from Mr. S over 25 years ago!

When he gave it to me....I shuddered at the thought of what it cost....we think it was probably $400 or so....YIKES!!! WHAT was he thinking?

Maybe because I knew how much it cost...I took better care of it that one from Target!

It is a classic.....and it is great quality.....and it still looks great after years and years and years of wear!

Seriously...if I do the math the $400 works out to be $16 a year for a pretty stylish coat!

Just for a hoot....I went on the Burberrys Website to see what this coat costs today!!!!

Now Mr. S. really looks smart.....$2295 for an almost identical coat!!!!

That $400 was a pretty good investment!

My thrifty nature will keep me shopping for quality clothes at Goodwill and Consignment stores. In fact it is probably the fact that I DO shop at GW and Consignment stores that makes it possible to splurge once in a while.

The moral of the story/post......Expensive can be thrifty!

What do YOU think?

Have A Great Day!

Link Parties
Sew Many Ways Sunny Simple Life I Heart Naptime Nifty Thrifty Things

A Long Week....Over At Last!

2013-03-09T09:52:00.002-06:00

Yeah....I was too busy this week to write a blog post!

So let me take a moment to complain about being busy.....

This week at work was chock full of STUFF!

What STUFF? Let me tell you!

It was "SPIRIT WEEK" to get ready for our school fundraiser! That meant that every day was a different dress up theme! I was "A fashion Disaster", Madeline, A Hippie, and "A Librarian"! Lots of energy was involved in planning and executing all of that. Warning...if you are ever a volunteer parent thinking of things to do at school.....AVOID dress up days!!! It results in lots of angst for everyone!
Our school got shipments of 15 new iPads and 12 new Chrome Books....sounds great...unless you are the one who needs to get them ready for people to use.
I had a dentist appointment....YUCK!
Important after school meetings 3 of the 5 days!
8 inches of snow fell on a day when Mr. S. was on a business trip! Thanks to the Sweetwater Son who blew out the driveway on his lunch hour....MY HERO!
Our school was selected to be the state review site for our alternative pay system....and little old me is the Lead Teacher for that.....it went well but was stressful in the extreme!

So....THAT is why I didn't get much blogging done! At the end of the days....a glass of wine (or 2) and some couch sitting were about all I could think about doing!

You don't read Sweetwater Style to hear about my earth shaking problems....
So here are a few things that are NOT complaints!

A trip to Goodwill last Saturday....I scored this great rusty metal Rooster that has been making me smile all week! Only 6 bucks!!!

A few moments of "Decor Therapy" resulted in this cheerful homage to St. Patrick's Day!

The Chicago City Scene.....
A Chunk of green fabric from the Sweetwater Fabric Stash...
A GW Fiesta Pitcher,,,
Wheat Grass with some fresh flowers...(Thanks Mr. S)
A GW Shamrock (Two Bucks)
The cute Rumrill crockery from GW...

Pretty and Simple!!!

I had a few moments to finally frame the poster that was a CHRISTMAS present from the Sweetwater Son and SO!
Can't wait to get it hung on the wall!

So busy or not....I guess I should stop complaining.....and enjoy the weekend!
I hope you do the same!

Are Artificial Flowers Tacky?

2013-03-02T18:13:00.000-06:00

Is the question of whether or not to use artificial flowers something you struggle with?

Well.....I try to use fresh flowers most of the time.....but sometimes I end up breaking down....as you will see with the Mantle Makeover below.

When I write a post....the librarian in me ends up doing a little research....which usually results in me finding other posts on my subject.....usually better written and illustrated!

Case in point this post titled Stop the Ugly! a funny post about silk flowers worth a read!

Now on with the Mantle Redo for "Almost Spring"!

Remember the transitional mantle that I did after taking down the Holiday Decorations?
It was starting to look a little too wintery now that March has arrived!
The greenery was pretty crispy, even though it lasted 2 whole months!
It was time to put away the pinecones!

Just a few changes....and now the mantle looks like this!

Yup....I broke down and used SOME FAKES!

These Forsythia branches don't look so bad.....especially with the little pots of real grass!

I took the grapevine wreath apart and dug through my stash of artificial flowers to add some touches of Spring!

Do you see the sunshine on the grass.....that is what really makes me happy....it means that the sun is FINALLY moving far enough to the north to shine into our north facing family room!

Spring is truly on the way....

Now...

since I am really NOT a flower snob....

maybe Mr. S. will remember to buy some REAL flowers when he is grocery shopping!

We shall see!

So what is your take on fake vs. real flowers?

I would love to hear your thoughts!

Have a great day!

Link Parties
Sunny Simple Life Get Schooled Saturday
Sunday Scoop Nifty Thrifty Things Twigg Studios
Sew Many Ways

The Evolution of the Dining Room!

2013-02-21T18:35:00.000-06:00

My latest project....recovering the dining room chairs has taken me on a trip down memory lane....so I hope you don't mind traveling there with me before I show you the project!

Do you remember....

.......the days BEFORE Craig's List....?

.......the days BEFORE it was TRENDY to be THRIFTY?

The house we lived in before we moved to Sweetwater had no formal dining room.
I resigned myself to the fact that this room in our new home would remain empty until our budget could accommodate the expense of dining room furniture....

Now even though there was no Craig's list....our favorite furniture store had a discount area called "The Odds and Ends Room"...and we were frequent visitors there.

On a visit shortly after our move.... we found a great Thomasville dining room table that was big enough to seat 10.....for a great price!

I found an image of a similar table so you can see the way it looked when we bought it!

A few weeks later we found "almost" matching chairs.....at a discount furniture store for an amazing $40 per chair......they had ugly beige nubby fabric on them....but they were $40 a chair!

The first fix was to recover the chairs with fabric that looked nice with the federal blue walls....

Can you believe how "country" this fabric is?

But the colors were versatile and looked nice with the beige lacquered wood....hey.....it was the '90s!!!

The walls got painted a creamy brown....and the "country" fabric on the chairs looked so so!!!!

Once again....time for a change!

The family thought I was crazy when I chose this zebra print.....and created slipcovers.

Too funny that now animal prints are all the rage....

"EXCEPT"....

Fast forward a few years...even though animal prints are trendy.....these chairs have seen lots of dinners and the fabric is showing it's age!

Time for another change!

(Are you thinking..."Finally....she is getting to the project"?)

YUP!!!

Here Goes!!!

A trip to the fabric store almost a month ago resulted in the purchase of this great fabric!

Perfect....but I couldn't seem to get in gear to start the project!

I finally got started on Monday thanks to this great tutorial that Julie over at Sew Passionate posted....Her instructions are complete and easy to follow....her technique made me itch to get started....

I was thrilled to learn her tricks...

Making the pattern by pinning and trimming....made the process "almost" easy....

And the technique for sewing the chair seat to the back with a "tuck in" piece...

You really need to read her tutorial.....it is awesome!

of course I adapted the process a bit.....but the tutorial was ever so helpful!

I have one chair almost done....and the pattern pieces cut for two more....Here is a sneak peak of the first chair almost done except for some hand finishing....

Are you noticing that the legs on the chair aren't beige lacquer anymore?

Well neither is the table.....

another part of the evolution story....

I will share that another time....

Now, I just need to do 7 more chairs.....maybe by July!!!!

Wish Me Luck!!!

I would love to hear how your furniture has "Evolved"....

And if it hasn't....maybe this post has inspired you!!!

Hmmmm......$400 table......8 $40 chairs......a little fabric....a little inspiration....

20 years of thrifty style!!!

Have A Great Day!

Link Parties
Nifty Thrifty Things Sunny Simple Life Sew Many Ways
Messy Mom's Monday

Make Your Valentine's FLowers Last Longer

2013-02-17T10:45:00.003-06:00

Did you get flowers from your special someone for Valentine's Day?

I "sorta" did!

I told Mr. S. he didn't need to send me flowers....

He "sorta" listened....

On Wednesday this beautiful arrangement was delivered to me at school!

He told the florist that the flowers shouldn't look like a Valentine!

The message on the card was NOT a Valentine Message!

But.....alas....I ignored him and considered them a Valentine anyway!!!

Thanks Mr. S!

I kept the flowers at school until Friday when I brought them home.

All those pretty flowers were still looking fresh for a couple of days.

This morning.....I noticed that a few were looking droopy!

I soaked some floral foam....

Got out this great looking silver bowl (a find at GW a couple of weeks ago)....

I took the florist arrangement apart....

Made new cuts on all the flowers that still looked fresh....

Here is the result!

Not bad...if I say so myself!!!

Mr. S. told me he thinks it looks nicer than the florist's arrangement!

Maybe that compliment is nicer than the actual flowers!

I figure I can keep taking the drooping flowers out....

keeping the spirit of Valentine's day for at least another week!

Have a Great Day!!!

Link Parties

Mad in Crafts

Simple Centerpieces on the Cheap!

2013-02-15T05:06:00.000-06:00

We needed 8 centerpieces for the tables at the staff party last weekend!

My budget for decor......basically $0....we wanted to spend our money on food!

What to do?

These little cuties were the perfect answer.

It just took a little planning ahead....

The wheat grass got planted in 8 pots of a similar color....I used greens and golds!

(Good thing I buy lots of pots at GoodWill)

The grass needs about a week in a sunny window to grow to the height of 4 inches.

Here is the link to the post about how to grow wheat grass!

I really splurged and bought a bunch of daisies at the grocery store for $7.99.

Normally....I think those bright-artificially dyed flowers are really ugly....

but for our "Taco Fiesta" theme the colors seemed just right.

The next step was tucking a 2 inch cube of floral foam in the center of the pots....

Then....the flowers....

Then a little curling ribbon....

and

Here they are....waiting to go the party!!!

It is funny....I never have any pictures of the actual parties I go to.....maybe that is because I would rather BE at the party than take pictures....but then I am sad that I don't have pictures.

I will try to get some from the people I saw running around with cameras....

Anyway....the food was great....

because we could use the budgeted dollars for that instead of decorations...!

AND....cheap looked pretty good don't ya think?

Have a Great Day!

Link Parties
2805
The Answer is Chocolate Happy Hour Friday Financial Friday    What About CO
Sew Many Ways Sweet Sumo's Stuff
A Pinch of Joy Making the World Cuter Blackberry Vine
Sugar Bee Crafts

Valentine's Day....It's Really About the Chocolate!

2013-02-09T06:49:00.000-06:00

I have to admit that I haven't done much decorating for Valentine's Day....

In fact....I haven't done too much decorating PERIOD!

Work has been super hectic....seriously....

I think there were 1000 kids and adults visiting/using the Media Center on Friday!!!l

Then....I am on the committee planning and putting together tonight's staff party.

AND...we had our week of "secret friend" gifting too.....

Yikes! No wonder I haven't had time to do much at Sweetwater....

The baker's rack in the kitchen is about the only spot with Valentine Cheer!

It isn't much.....but it is a little bright spot paying homage to the holiday!

Oh and thanks Mr. S. for the flowers....they add a nice touch!

I thought about doing some other things....even went out to pinterest looking for some ideas!
I probably won't get around to doing any of these cute things, but thought YOU might!

I can't read Japanese....but this tutorial for making a heart garland with fleece was easy enough to follow....

http://www.duitang.com/people/mblog/17103792/detail/

I might actually find time to make this.....and the candle might keep me from eating the candy!

http://livingonloveandcents.com/2013/01/30/easy-and-inexpensive-diy-valentine-decorations/

http://www.amandajanebrown.com/

Yeah...for sure I could do this....and the bow makes it even cuter....don't you think?

Sarah over at Alderberry Hill is sharing these great chalkboard ideas.....her blog is becoming one of my favorites!

http://www.alderberryhill.com/5-valentine-chalkboard-printables/

Maybe I will erase the "OH BRRRR" and do something for my chalkboard!

That wouldn't take too long!

Are you wondering when this post is going to get to the part about CHOCOLATE?

I love Hot Fudge Sauce!
You know...the kind that sort of slides down the ice cream...
and settles in a yummy pool at the bottom of the dish!

This is the recipe for THAT HOT FUDGE!

Only Three Ingredients

Directions

1/2 cup of butter softened
1 cup chocolate chips
1 can(14 oz)of Sweetened Condensed Milk

Get out a medium sized saucepan.

Melt the butter over medium heat.

Stir in the chocolate chips,

Add the Sweetened Condensed Milk.

Stir until everything comes together....it will take a couple of minutes.

You know it is done when it gets smooth and silky looking.

This can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time.

I do have to warn you....

you might just find yourself sneaking spoonfuls of this yummy concoction with no ice cream....just by the spoonful! Not that I would ever do something as uncouth as that....I'm just sayin' it might happen to you!

If you are that room mother who is planning the Valentine Party for your child's classroom...make a triple batch of this....buy some ice cream and your treat will be a sure fire winner!

If you are wondering why there are no pictures of this recipe being made in the Sweetwater Kitchen....well....I have this on my TODO list too....but now that I have written about it....off to the store for the ingredients....this post made my mouth water!

Have a great day!

Perfectly Simple Glazed Green Beans!

2013-02-02T07:20:00.000-06:00

The winter weather here has really given me the BLAHS....below zero days and nights make me CRABBY!

Even "Date Night" at the Theater was a bit of a downer...."Long Days Journey Into Night", while beautifully acted and staged was DEPRESSING! And walking from the car... to the restaurant... to the the theater....to the car....it was darn cold!!!

We have a tradition of going out on the "never ending bridge" in the theater to look out at the city and the river. We have done this every single time we attend a play....

Alas....this sign on the door greeted us this week....and now our perfect streak is ended!

But enough whining.....since I haven't been doing much for projects....I will do one of my rare cooking posts.....because regardless of the weather....you gotta eat!

Here is my recipe for Green Beans Sweetwater Style!

I used to hate green beans....

maybe it was growing up being forced to eat those soft, mushy canned versions... seriously...do these beans even LOOK green?

Then I watched Julia Child cooking green beans and it changed my view of this vegetable forever. Her technique is so simple and fool proof it can hardly be counted as a recipe!

Now...maybe everyone in the world knows how to do this!

But maybe....you have just been boiling your beans and plopping them on the plate!

If so....if you follow these steps....you end up with a crisp, tasty, never fail side dish that looks like something you would get in a fancy restaurant.

I love that you can buy green beans ready to cook...with the ends already snapped.....

Sometimes we are lucky enough to find a mix of green, yellow and purple beans....it doesn't much matter as long as they are crisp and fresh to start with.

Start by putting the beans in a pan with a little....and I do mean little... water!

Bring the water to a boil and cook until the water is almost gone....the beans will start to get really bright and green...when the water is gone the beans will still need more cooking time....and that is the trick to this technique!

Add a couple of tablespoons of butter to the pan......hey....I didn't say this was a low cal recipe....just a delicious one.

Keep the heat high as you let the butter melt....keep stirring so the butter coats every little bean in the pan....but don't stop there!!!

Keep stirring and cooking as the butter almost carmelizes on the beans. (now do you see why you don't over cook the beans before you add the butter?)

When the butter is completely coating all of the beans.....add a bit of salt and pepper....

And there you have them......Perfectly Simple....Perfectly Delicious Green Beans!

Thanks Julia!!!

Bon Appétit!

Linky Parties
Sew Darn Crafty Sunny Simple Life
Purple Pumpkin Blog

Hiding the Cat Litter Box!

2013-01-27T09:39:00.002-06:00

Phoebe, from the television show "Friends", was a lot more tolerant of the worst part of cat ownership than most of us.....

It might not be "the cat's fault".....but it is a fact that the litterbox is the least attractive item in the house!

At Sweetwater.....we have these smelly eyesores tucked away in the back workroom!

Alas....Mr. S is often stuck there with the mess and odor! But at least it is out of sight!
And.....we are used to it!

When my nephew told me about solution to the "Smelly Cat"....I was sooooo jealous!

The only place for the cat box in their new house was the bathroom.....ewwwww!

He came up with this amazing DYI project he did to totally hide the litterbox!
He shared some photos of the project.....and I am sharing them with you!

He started with a simple cabinet that he bought from the Habitat Re-Store for $35.

Then he cut the side and back off to fit the space....and leave room for feline access!

He added a toe kick to raise it off the floor and match the height of the vanity in the room.

Now for the best part!!!

This little access hole in the side.....lucky kitty!

The hinge on the door needed to be moved...but I guess that wasn't that big a deal.

The next step was to install a set of drawer slides in the bottom of the cabinet to allow for easy access to the box for cleaning.

The addition of the shelf provides a place for pet paraphanalia!

Truly Amazing!

And the kitty likes it too!

An all purpose kitty station!!!

I bet he didn't spend more than $50 total and it looks like a built in!!!

Well Done Sweetwater Nephew!!!

Thanks for sharing!

Link Parties
Nifty Thrifty Sunday Sunny Simple Life     Sew Many Ways Twigg Studios
Mad Skills    DYI Dreamer What About Serenity Saturday
A Vision to Remember From Dream to Reality
Miss Mustard Seed

January Decorating Blahs!!!

2013-01-21T09:43:00.000-06:00

I hate January.....
The holiday fun is over....and about the only thing to do is hunker down and get through the month!

It is hard to get excited about much....
The thermometer reads -11 today!!!
and
we are supposed to be thrilled when it warms up to 0!

The view out the window is pretty depressing!

COLD....GRAY...BLAH!

My biggest challenge is to find ways to brighten up the house!
January has NO obvious THEME.....
January is a time when spending money seems silly after all the Holiday shopping.....
After all the time spent on Holiday decor....it seems like a time to aim for simple...and of course CHEAP!!!

What to do......simply and cheaply???

Since January seems to be all about healthy eating....and we are needing our vitamin C to ward off the flu....this little vignette on the bakers rack makes sense....
I picked orange as the "color wave"....yeah I know orange was LAST year's color of the year...but so be it!

I had this photo of the oranges my brother sells at the Farmer's Market in Florida....
Printed and framed...it makes a nice bright focal point in the display!

On to the lower level.....where we spend lots of evenings cozied up to the fire watching basketball.....

I left the white candle stands....maybe a splurge on some new candles is in order....but for now...
The heart shaped wreath with red berries was a hand made gift from my sister-in-law lots of years ago.....sitting in front of a framed flag....a nod to Valentine's day and President's day coming in February...
Would you believe that the flag is the one that used to hang in my very first classroom? I rescued it from the dumpster...I love the aged look....water damage and tattered edges and all!

The bookshelf is more in keeping with the winter theme....
The antique skis were hand crafted by Mr. S's great grandfather....yeah...maybe the pine cones and greenery are a little "Christmasy"...but I think it still looks OK...

The framed prints are two pages from another "school rescue"!
I have been saving the pages from a damaged book.....
A Farmer's Alphabet by Mary Azarian....I looked it up on Amazon...you can buy it for only $49.00....glad I was smart enough keep it!!!

Ww Winter and Uu Underwear seemed to be a perfect fit!!!

I have all the other pages.....hmmmm....Gg is for Garden Mm is for Maple Syrup and Zz is for Zinnia! They just might get framed for the summer!!!

I couldn't bring myself to take this arrangement down....

The greens are still sort of OK...as long as you don't bump into them!!!

The pine cones and birch will be "seasonable" for a couple more weeks!

Some of my collection of off-white pottery made it's way to the mantle in the upstairs Family Room.

Would you believe that the greenery still looks that way after more than a month?! A few pine cones and interesting "stuff" from a bag of potpourri finishes the look!

Now for my favorite....."still life" centerpiece on the table in the kitchen

.........TRULY unique!!!!

Stay Warm......

Link Parties
Alderberry Hill From Dream to Reality
Adorned From Above Handyman Crafty Woman Trendy Treehouse Sugar and Dots

Martin Luther King Jr. Book List For Kids

2013-01-19T07:50:00.001-06:00

Like many of you, this is a three day weekend for me because Monday is Martin Luther King Day!
Hurrah,,,,
Who doesn't like an extra vacation day?
In honor of the life and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I am reposting this list of great read aloud books that celebrate the ideas inherent in the celebration of the life of this amazing American Hero.

I have the distinct pleasure of reading and discussing books like these with kids everyday.
I am always amazed by the wonderful insights that children have about the "dream" that MLK had.

I ask the kids to look around the group of kids that are sitting together listening to the stories.....

Then I ask them if they think that Martin Luther's Dream has come true....

They are in fact living in a world where "little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers"....as they sit side by side with children of all colors.

I believe that well written children's books are a wonderful way to start "Courageous Conversations" about the struggle in our nation surrounding Civil Rights!

Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport

This gorgeous book is a great starting point. The book shows Martin as a child and then as he grows up to and preach about love and acceptance. Following this are small looks at the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott, civil rights marches, and his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize. Finally, while marching with striking garbage collectors (a fact not often mentioned in children's biographies of King), he was shot and killed. Says the book at the end, "His big words are alive for us today".

Simple and powerful!

The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles

This is a nicely done history of the familiar story of the brave little girl who was the first black student in a New Orleans school in 1960.
Our kids will find it amazing that there was such anger about desegregation at that time...but never the less...this is an important story.

Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges

Read Ruby Bridges' own words to truly feel what it might have been like to be this brave little girl!

The best history is always told in the words of the people who lived it.

....and look at those eyes!!!

Remember by Toni Morrison

The photos in this book are truly amazing! Morrison has captured with photos and fictionalized words of what it was like to be a child during the upheaval of school desegregation.

Climbing Lincoln's Steps by Suzanne Slade

This book is a nice timeline of the story of Civil Rights in America. It begins with Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation and ends with the visit to the Lincoln Memorial by President Obama and his family....truly an amazing journey! There are nice short biographies of important black leaders included.

The books above are great non-fiction.
But it is the stories that truly make for "courageous conversation"!

The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

This is a simple story of two little girls who ignore the "rules" crossing the fence that segregates their African-American side of town from the white side. They get around the grown-ups' rules by sitting on top of the fence together and becoming friends.

Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles

It is 1964....Mississippi....2 boys...one black...one white!
The boys swim together at the creek, rather than at the whites-only town pool, so when new laws mandate that the pool, and everything else, must desegregate, the boys rejoice. But then the town fills the pool with tar in protest and the boys try to understand. The illustrations in the book are extremely well done!

Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey

I never knew about "The Green Book" until I read this little picture book. This story is about a family driving from Chicago to Grandma’s house in Alabama and the bitter realities of segregation. They have to sleep in the car because they are turned away from hotels. Then they are welcomed at an Esso station, where they get a copy of the pamphlet called The Negro Motorist Green Book, which lists places where black people are welcome. There is a nice historical end piece about the Green Book as well.

Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco

I probably can't ever do a book list without a Patricia Polacco book.

Say Curtis describes his meeting with Pinkus Aylee, a black soldier, during the Civil War, and their capture by Southern troops. This is a compelling tale filled with the realities of war. It would be best for kids older than 9. I never get through this without a few tears! What makes it even more interesting...it is based on a true story about the author's great-great-grandfather.

I hope you enjoy your long weekend....and that you take some time for some "Courageous Conversations" to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dream!

Link Parties

Be Different Act Normal

The Gingerbread Blog Get Schooled Saturday A Vision To Remember

Sweetwater Style

7 Sweet Things-Perennials Groundcover

Personalized Stationery the Thrifty Way!

Crab Cakes and Scallops...YUM!

Goodwill Find Sparks Craft Room Reorganization

7 Sweet Things: A new Sweetwater Style Series

A Professional Trimmer.....

Paddle Wire....

ZOTS.....Clear Adhesive Dots

Cross Cut Wire Cutter.....

Heavy Duty Staple Remover

Curved Sewing Needles.....

Raffia

DYI How to Hide the TV Cords

A Tale of Two Springs!

WIndow Boxes-A Head Start for the Growing Season!

We didn't know that Ladies Night was such a big deal....

We didn't know that some people bring boxes of wine to drink while they plant...We didn't know that there would even be an ELVIS Impersonator serenading us....

So now......

My planters are basking in the warmth of the greenhouse....

GROWING....until May!

In the meantime....

The Primose Path

Will "Real" Spring Ever Come!

A Milestone Birthday for my Mom!

Green Garden Jealousy!

Perfectly Simple Panoramic Photos

By Occipital

A Little Bit Of Bragging!

When is Expensive Thrifty?

A Long Week....Over At Last!

Are Artificial Flowers Tacky?

The Evolution of the Dining Room!

Make Your Valentine's FLowers Last Longer

Simple Centerpieces on the Cheap!

Valentine's Day....It's Really About the Chocolate!

Perfectly Simple Glazed Green Beans!

Hiding the Cat Litter Box!

January Decorating Blahs!!!

Martin Luther King Jr. Book List For Kids

We didn't know that some people bring boxes of wine to drink while they plant...

We didn't know that there would even be an ELVIS Impersonator serenading us....