A Cabin in Colima!

Minnesotans love to vacation "up north at the cabin"!

Well....Mr. S and I also love to vacation "down south at the cabin"!

Pretty much the rest of this post is "would you like to see the pictures of our vacation?"

sooo....I will totally understand if you don't want to!

I figure one of the benefits of having a blog is that I will actually HAVE a travel journal...

So....stay and read on....or Not....
 

Eat Your Vegetables!

Now while I love my garden...you may have noticed that I only grow flowers not food!

It's not that I don't like food....it's just that between the deer and the rabbits....there isn't much chance that any food would make it to the table.

I do grow some lettuce and herbs on the deck....

but that is the extent of our "farming"!

We have to leave the food growing to the experts....



Have I told you about my brother?

• He lives in Florida in the Winter and Maine in the Summer! 
• He is a sustainable urban gardener 
• He is an expert in the science of permaculture
• Maybe some day he will "guest post" for Sweetwater Style!

Here are some photos of his amazing plants in Florida!

He grows enough food in the front yard of my Mom's winter home and his own backyard garden to have a stall at a Market called "Sweetwater"....too funny!

Alas....that Sweetwater Market is too far away for us to shop at...so instead...

 we bought a share in a CSA!

Starting in June we will be getting a weekly delivery of vegetables from The Fox & Fawn Farm!

Fox and Fawn Farm

 The Sweetwater Daughter, Sweetwater Son and Mr. S and I went together to buy a whole share!  Can't wait!  

So we will be eating our vegetables....and letting the experts worry about foiling the deer and the bunnies!

Speaking of Bunnies.....here is a great kid read a loud....

Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens

It’s about gardening...

the rabbit family makes a deal with a lazy bear for shares of the crops they will plant.

The bear can have “tops” or “bottoms.” 

The first season the bear takes “tops” the rabbits only plant stuff like carrots. Rabbit gets the carrots and the poor bear gets carrot tops. 

The next season the bear sort of catches on and takes bottoms. That year the rabbits plant lettuce and beans.  The bear gets zilch again. 

The last season the bear wants the tops and the bottoms.....foiled again when the rabbits plant corn!

The bear learns his lesson....and you get a great read a loud!


After I published this post....I got a comment from my niece about this great looking planter that you can get (her husband-my nephew sells them...who knew?)

Here is the link  Triolife - Big Gardening in Small Places!

Have a wonderful day!

Linky Parties:  Handyman Crafty Woman   A Crafty Soiree   
The Shabby Creek Cottage  House of the Hepworths  
Katherine's Corner  Cure for the Common Monday
Hope Studios   Turquoise Lovin'  Tales of a Trophy Wife   Sew Woodsy 
Happy Hour Projects

Easter Fitz and Floyd!

A few months ago I wrote about how much I love Fitz and Floyd china and ceramics (click the link if you are interested in reading the old post!

 Well, just look at the darling little plate I found at GW last week!

It sure looked like F&F....but was it?

Yup....it was and will you look at that price....


Yippee, Skippee ME!


This would be just perfect to add to the other Spring themed F&F that I have....
And it could go on the baker's rack....

Just A Nod to Valentine's Day

St. Patrick's Day Decor

Somehow, it always feels like I need to do something on the baker's rack for every holiday!


Since the  framed prints I used for Valentine's and St. Patrick's Day looked so nice....

 I decided to start with this great rabbit print....
with a couple more bunnies hopped over to join in the fun!

The print is one by Albrecht Duerer called "Young Hare"-You can get it for $13 at Art.com

My print is framed in a GW frame of course!
Since the frame was square and the print was not....my mat cutter came in handy!
I know...I know....I keep telling you to get a mat cutter...
I just sayin'....it comes in so handy!!!!

Now I added the rest of the Fitz and Floyd

• the pitcher.... 
• some little salad plates that I honestly forgot that I had...F &F too!  
• 3 plates propped in the back

The dish with the oranges in it looks like this,,,,I would have to say...it is probably my favorite!!

A last few items.....all F&F except for the teapot...and it is almost finished!

I need to add a couple more things...maybe some jellybeans or a chocolate bunny....

but it looks pretty Eastery don't you think!

To paraphrase one of my favorite kid's books...

If you give a woman a Fitz and Floyd plate....

She'll probably need to decorate!

And if she decorates....she'll probably need a chocolate bunny!

Happy Decorating to you!

Use What I've Got Easter Decor

I don’t know what happened to the my post from yesterday….poof….it just disappeared!

My  apologies to anyone who tried to link but couldn’t….

Of course I don’t have a back up! 

So here is the rewrite!

I am still trying to live up to the challenge of “Use what I’ve Got” in 2012!

I’m not sayin’ I haven’t been shopping…..

I’m just sayin’  when I decorate I have been pretty good reusing and recycling….

My Easter décor is pretty minimal….but most if not all is reused or recycled….

The weather in Minnesota has been soooo warm-breaking records almost every day!  

It was actually fun to decorate the shelves on the front steps!  Usually I am out there freezing my butt off putting spring stuff out when there is still snow on the ground, so this was a nice change.

Almost everything here is from a thrift store or Goodwill. 

I was so happy to find the galvanized French flower bucket….and decided to fill it with some artificial forsythia and pussy willow branches. (oh I did buy those for a couple of bucks at Michaels)

The 2^nd basket is filled with big wooden eggs I have had forever….they can be painted over and over again….

Notice the “straw” under the eggs….that is just cuttings from the annual ornamental grass plant in the yard….I think it looks like a real nest…oh yeah…I guess that is what a real nest is made from!

I just saw the coolest post from Aimee over on It's Overflowing she used chalkboard paint to paint real eggs….

I might just try that on a couple of these.

The bottom shelf  has the  hydrangea arrangement that was on the mantel!

I wonder how many different ways I have “recycled” those hydrangeas….I guess that could be a whole post some day!

Now…come inside and see some more….

This birdcage has seen lots of use…but I love how this turned out! 

A little nest with artificial eggs….

A ceramic bunny….

A silver cup with wheat grass….

The two paper mache' bunnies seem to approve!

I always think I am going to actually use this lamb mold….but it always ends up as décor….here with a ceramic lamb and more wheat grass!

The dining room table centerpiece is all white!

A white vase with red dogwood….in just a week  the branches have started to leaf out!

Three white ceramic bunnies….

All on a white ceramic platter…

I bought this egg wreath at GW a couple of years ago….sometimes it gets a ribbon and hangs on the front door….this year I just plopped it on a silver tray and set it on the desk!

That is pretty much it! 

I think the total cost (new expenditures) for everything might be $5 if you count the wheat seeds and the artificial branches!

I need to get outside now…..hopefully this post won’t disappear…

Have a wonderful rest of your weekend!



Link Parties:
I Heart Naptime
 Bunny Hop   Lovely Crafty Home   Be Different Act Normal
Twigg Studios   Sew Chatty     Making the World Cuter  Ninth Street Notions
The Cure For the Common Monday  My 1929 Charmer   Coastal Charm    
A Bowlful of Lemons     Tales of a Trophy Wife   Drab to Fab 
Happy Hour Projects   I am Only One Woman 
Reasons to Skip the Housework   Handyman Crafty Woman  
French Country Cottage    Stuff and Nonsense   Favorite Thing Friday 

Amazing....A Blogging Milestone for ME!

Can you believe that Sweetwater Style has reached 100,000 pageviews!

My goodness!

• When I started this venture in June, I had no idea that it would become such a rewarding endeavor.
• When the Sweetwater Daughter told me "Mom....you should start a blog!", I wondered whether I should or could do it!
• When Mr. S. wondered whether I would have enough ideas to blog about....or anything to say....I wondered too!

But then....I decided to follow the advice I often give out to friends contemplating a project!

JUST DO IT!

SO I DID! 

I took the leap....

It was scary putting myself "out there"!

But I try to remember another one of the guiding principles of "Sweetwater Style"

Don't Wait for Perfect!

I've learned a lot....

I have soooo much to learn.....
I have lots of ideas for improving the blog....maybe even making some money from it!

But...for this moment....I am just doing a little happy dance of celebration!

Thank-you to all my readers!

Thank-you to all my followers!

Thank-you to everyone who takes the time to comment! 

Give Your Planters A Head Start!

The weather in Minnesota this week has been crazy warm!

It feels like summer!

But Alas...it is not summer and as much as I am itching to get out and plant...

any Minnesotan knows you can't do that until May...2 months away!

I wish I had a greenhouse....but I don't!

I wish I had a cold frame....but I don't!

But I DO have a trick for getting a head start on the growing season!

I just my invitation to the "Spring Jumpstart Your Garden" event at Holasek Greenhouse in nearby Chanhassen.

 This is how it works- 

• You take your planters to the greenhouse....
• 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!

Picking out the plants!

The Sweetwater Daughter and I did this last year!



It was a fun outing....
A great alternative to mindless shopping or lunch!



Having the planters right there made it easy to coordinate plants and buy the right amount....

AND

If you needed more...it was easy to run back and get what you were missing!

These are the plants I picked....

Notice all the sticks in the background....those are other peoples planted pots....


It was fun to browse and see what other people had planted!

Planting my deck planter boxes this way made such a difference!

 

This is the way the planters looked when they went outside in the middle of May.

 

 

 Just 3 weeks later, they looked like this!

And by the 4th of July they looked pretty amazing if I do say so myself!

I will take a little credit for water and fertilizing....

but

I really think the head start the planters got made the difference!

Since it is so warm out today, I am going to get my planters cleaned out and ready to go.

 Even if you don't live close enough to go to Holasek's, I bet if you did some searching there are places like this in your area.

In fact....if you know of other places that do this....add a comment with the location and details.

If you do live around here.....don't you be taking all the prettiest plants....I can't get there until April!!!

Think Spring!

Link Parties:  
Raising Memories   Creative Jewish Mom   
Nifty Thrifty Things  Cherished Treasures  You Are Talking Too Much
It's So Very Cheri   Sumo's Sweet Stuff  The Girl Creative
Cure for the Common Monday!   My 1929 Charmer   Coastal Charm   Sassy SItes
Sugar and Dots   Handyman Crafty Woman    Trendy Treehouse    The Thrifty Home
Katherine's Corner   Delightful Order Tales From Bloggeritaville  
Thrifty Decorating   Thrifty Thursday  A Glimpse Inside  Stuff and Nonsense
Sugar and Spice     Craftionary  

Mowing the Wheat Grass!

All that wheat grass I posted about last time is growing, growing, growing!

Hard to believe that it looks like this after only 5 days!

 And remember the basket that looked like this 5 days ago?

Well....it grew 3 more inches too and started to flop over....

Time to MOW!
Seriously....me mowing the grass!
Mr. S....don't get any ideas!!!
I only MOW with scissors!!!

So I cut off about 4 inches of wheat grass...mmm....the smell was like a summer day!

 Now what to do with the grass clippings?

Remember the VitaMix?
I decided to try making a Green Smoothie!


In typical Sweetwater Style, I didn't use a recipe....I just did it!

Grass in the VitaMix with some orange juice, some green grapes  and a little honey.

That blender has some serious power....I can not imagine that a regular blender would be able to pulverize the grass.

This stuff actually tasted pretty good! 

And as GREEN as it is-- it has to be good for you!

Don't worry....I haven't gone all health food crazy....but I figure drinking a little of this can counteract some of the LESS than healthy things I drink :)

Have a very Green Weekend!  It is gonna be 75 degrees in Minnesota....YIPPEE!

Link Parties

 Twigg Studios  Homemaker In Heels  

How to Grow Wheat Grass

March on Sweetwater means I am yearning to get out in the garden!

March in Minnesota means we are at least 2 months away from being able to do that!

This kid's song lyric is stuck in my head-

The green grass grows all around, all around
The green grass grows all around.

 Since this is what the Sweetwater back yard looks like today....

I grow my grass indoors!