What A Hoot! Halloween Owl Decor!

I have this fun feathered owl that I bought a few years ago!

It cost way too much money.....
AND
It was really hard to explain to Mr. S that I really needed a black feathered owl!
BUT
I loved it....
I knew this guy would be a great Halloween decor item!

Guess what!
I was right!
Four years later....I still love to get this guy out and display him.
Oooohhh I love when I am right!

The "perfect branch" that we found in the Sweetwater woods finally bit the dust! You know I am a little crazy when I "store" the owl branch in the garage from year to year!

A Wedding in the Family!

Congratulations are in order for the Sweetwater Son and our lovely new Daughter-in-Law!

Are they not just the most gorgeous looking couple?

The wedding was on Saturday at Willow Ridge Gardens.
It is pretty nice to have a brother and sister-in-law who have a wedding venue!

The weather was absolutely perfect for a morning wedding and brunch!

I can't wait to see the pictures from Matt Hodgman at Edge Gallery .  He took formal as well as candid photos of the lovely people and place.

Of course....I was too busy to take photos during the wedding or at the party...

But I do have pictures from Friday: preparations, the Groom's dinner as well as early on Saturday morning before anyone was up! I can share some of those with you.

Sweetwater Style is dedicated to sharing ways to save money and still be stylish and elegant!
This wedding had lots of touches that were very special and thrifty!

Goodwill Amusing Musing!

Does this ever happen to you?

You are in the thrift store and you see an item that you really like.

Then you see the price.....and think....

Oh my goodness....$9.99 for a basket of potpourri....what a splurge that would be.

There is something about the idea of the thrift store that messes with my sense of values.

Obviously this basket had never been used....and it was the right color for my decorating scheme.  If I had seen this in a retail store...I would have thought it was a real bargain!  But at GW $9.99 seems costly!  HMMMMMM???

I actually did go back and SPLURGE on this basket...

and this is why:

Pasta Bar For a Crowd!

Four Parties in Six Days!

What was I thinking?

Yep....counting:

 Christmas Eve.... 

Christmas Day....

A Cocktail/Fondue Party...

 and finally a Pasta Buffet yesterday...

There was lots of celebrating here at Sweetwater!
We had lots of fun through it all....

(but I do have to admit that I am a bit tired of cooking)

I had never attempted a pasta buffet before.... 

there were some moments when I wasn't sure it was going to work....

but we were pleasantly surprised at how smoothly it all went.
In fact....this might just become a go to menu for future gatherings!

The menu was simple:

Kale Salad

Caesar Salad

French Bread

Spaghetti Sauce Bolognese

Swedish Meatballs in Gravy

Alfredo Sauce w/chicken-broccoli-roasted peppers

Fettucini and Wide Pasta Noodles

 Various Desserts and Sweets contributed by the guests

Swedish Rice Pudding w/Lingonberries

Recipes Tricks and Tips

• Best recipe for chicken strips for the Pasta:  Buy them.....Already cooked....in a package....  The texture and taste of the already prepared chicken strips from CostCo were more than acceptable when covered with sauce!

• DON'T blanch your broccoli ahead of time....I thought this was smart and did it to save time....except I left it in the pan with the cover on and ended up with mushy over cooked vegetables....won't do THAT again!

• Cook the pasta ahead of time and keep it in the oven with the absolute lowest temp....in fact...I kept turning the oven off to just have the tiniest bit of heat.  The pasta was in those aluminum catering trays.   A little pasta water poured over the pre-cooked noodles brought them "back to life" when it was time to put the pasta on the table.  (a warming tray kept the temp "lukewarm")  This also allowed an easy replenishing of the pasta when needed.

This Sweet Kale Salad from CostCo is a new favorite at Sweetwater.  It comes with all the fixings. Just pour into a bowl...add the dressing and "stuff" that is included and enjoy!  It was simple enough to make a second batch when it ran low during the party....maybe people thought a little crunchy greens would make for something "healthy" given the decadence of all the pasta!

• The Bolognese sauce was "almost homemade" by using prepared Spaghetti sauce with meat and spices added.  I really made this for the kids....but the "big" kids seemed to enjoy it too!

• I sort of stressed out about finding the "perfect" Alfredo Sauce that could be made ahead!  This recipe worked very well....in fact the teenage boys at the party told me they thought this would be great for their own sports "Pasta/Carbo loading parties....which I took as a "high compliment"

Do Ahead Alfredo Sauce

1/2 cup real butter

3 TBSP Cream Cheese *nuefantel worked fine

2 Cups Heavy Cream

1 Cup grated Parmesan  (store brand cheap stuff worked fine)

Melt the butter, cream cheese and cream in a saucepan,

Add the cheese and stir until it is completely incorporated.

Cool and keep until you are ready to heat it up in the microwave and put in the crockpot to serve.

YES....it is that simple!

Simple....but rich, rich, rich and YUMMY!
This sauce stood the test of sitting for more than 4 hours on the buffet without losing texture or taste!
It is definitely a KEEPER!

• Mr. S decided that pouring frozen bags of prepared meatballs and adding mushroom soup and beef broth would NOT do for this buffet.  He painstakingly prepared meatballs from SCRATCH using a recipe from his mom's Swedish Woman's Cookbook!  I have to say they were delicious!  (maybe I can convince him to write a guest post and share the recipe with you some day!)

• Add some crusty sliced bread and butter.....A bowl of nice Parmesan Cheese and you are DONE!

The party was lots of fun and there were plenty of entertaining activities!

....the Vikings WON the final game in the Metrodome....Surprise!

....The Packers pulled off a last minute victory.....amazing!

....the slide show on the computer of hundreds of digitized slides of the family history going back 50 years made for some wonderful trips down memory lane!

Now.....I am going to heat up some of the leftover Cider.....start a fire.....and read a good book....

ALL DAY.....since it is 10 below zero outside and I don't have anywhere to be!

Have a Great Day!

Link Parties
Make It Pretty Monday   Make the World Cuter    
Sew Many Ways  Too Cute Tuesday   
Twirl and Take A Bow  Crafty Blog Stalker  Coastal Charm  No Minimalist Here  

Refinishing Adirondack Outdoor Furniture

 

Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits.

Satchel Paige (1906 - 1982)

The Adirondack chairs and bench that encircle the Fire Pit at Sweetwater are the perfect spot to "sits and thinks" or to "just sits"!

This photo was taken early this summer.  I don't know if you can see how BAD the wood finish is on the furniture....we like to leave them out all year....so the wood really takes a beating in the harsh Minnesota weather!

I spent the last month refinishing the chairs....and I am thrilled with the result!

I WAS NOT thrilled with how long the project took....

But now I can show you the results....and tell you how I did it!

"Librarian Alert"....I just had to show you what I found when I researched 

"Adirondack Chairs"

 This is a drawing from the Patent issued to H.C. Bunnel in 1905!  Cool Huh!

Then in 1938 Irving Wolpin refined the design and took out this patent:

 I guess that explains why these chairs are such iconic images of outdoor relaxation.

Enough with the history lesson....on to the project!

SEE...I wasn't kidding when I told you the wood on the chairs was in HORRIBLE shape!

We have had them for 4 years...

We tried Tung Oil at first....

We tried Spar Varnish a couple of years ago...

It was time to get EXPERT advice!

We went to the SOURCE.....and asked the little old man who built the chairs what to use!

He told us about SIKKENS....

It "ain't" cheap....but when you see the results you will see it was worth the cost!

The first task was sanding the furniture down to the bare wood!

HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS of sanding!

(my apologies to the neighbors who had to listen to the sander)

I have to admit that I did the sanding in stages.....my hands kept getting NUMB!

(Hopefully all that sanding was good for my triceps!!!) 

I actually did two chairs at a time!

Once the sanding was done.....it was time to put the finish on!

SIKKENS is oil based....so I had to listen to the admonitions of Mr. S 

"Make sure you use a good brush so there won't be any bristles on the chairs!"

"Make sure you dust them off and use a "tac cloth"!

"Make sure you don't spill any SIKKENS on the patio blocks"

"Make sure you do a good job cleaning my good brush when you are done!"

Once I started putting the finish on.....I was sooooo excited to see how they were turning out!

It almost made me want to start sanding the other chairs right away....OR NOT!

 Isn't that an amazing transformation?

When I got all 4 chairs done....the bench that Mr. S made was totally the wrong color!

This bench is one that is made from a pattern he took from a bench that sat outdoors at lake cabin we spent time at many years ago...it is the most comfortable bench!

We had never put anything on this bench to seal it or finish it....and after 3 years it was pretty rough....but I decided to give it a try!

SUCCESS!

I am pretty darn proud of the way they turned out!

Hopefully the finish will last....but at least I know that if they need a refresh next year...

I WON'T have to do all of that sanding...just a new coat.

I really cannot sing the praises of the SIKKENS product enough....

Maybe they could sponsor my blog someday !!!!

The FirePit area is just waiting for us to come "sits and thinks" or "just sits"!

I will leave you with this gorgeous art print of Adirondack Chairs in Maine!

It is by Debra-bretton-robinson Art and depending on the size 

you could get it for as little as $25

Source

Wouldn't this be beautiful hanging on the wall?

I went Browsing through Debra-bretton-robinson 's other prints,

this one seems to fit the theme of this post!!!

Source

Gotta Love IT!

Maybe Mr. S and I should invite Eric and Myrna over to sit in our refinished Adirondack chairs! They look like they need a nice glass of wine....or at least some "fashion advice"!

Have A Great Day....Hope you find time to "Just Sits"!

Link Parties
House of the Hepworths  Katherine's Corner  Feathered Nest Friday
Rooted In Thyme    Made In A Day   Create With Joy    Freedom Fridays 
30 Handmade Days  504 Main    Nifty to Thrifty Thursday   
Get Schooled Saturday   A Vision to Remember    Serenity You    Mad in Crafts
Funky Junk Interiors   Junkin' Joe    

Goodwill Scores!

So I KNOW I am supposed to be "Using what I Have"!
BUT.....

Mr. S. was out hunting for fish under the ice this weekend.....
What's a woman to do?
Go Gathering of course....and I scored big time at Goodwill yesterday!



By the time my daughter and I checked out.....our cart was full!
Wait 'til you see what we found!

Girls Weekend Wander in Waconia!

Saturday was a beautiful Fall day in Minnesota!
The sun was bright....
The temperature hit 80 degrees....

Mom is less than a month away from leaving us to travel to her Winter home in Florida!

What better than to gather all the girls for a fun day of shopping and lunch in the beautiful lakeside town of Waconia!




There are lots of fun little shops to explore....and a great lunch destination on the lake!
Check out all that this little gem of a town has to offer:  Destination Waconia!
Come along and share the day with me!