A Milestone Birthday for my Mom!

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!