What Are You Reading?

After Carey's book party over at Chicory Nits I thought it might be fun to share what I'm reading right now.  I'm hoping you'll share what you are enjoying.

I don't read as much as I used to.  I still read, but it's spread out now between blogs, magazines, newspapers, books, etc.  I also know myself far too well.  If I start a book that I am really captivated by then nothing else gets done.  There will be no dinner, there will be no papers graded, no laundry will get done, and worst of all (especially as I get older) there will be no sleep.  So I hold myself back.  (Too bad I can't seem to do that with chocolate.) I don't read much during the school year.  (Summer vacation is a whole other story though!)

I recently read about this book on someone's blog - sure do wish I knew whose it was - and I suggested it to my mom (the Sewing Bee).  She checked it out at the library and enjoyed it and loaned it to me to read.  

I haven't finished it yet, but I'm well on my way.  If nothing else, doesn't the title just grab you?

It's the story of Henry who is Chinese and grew up during World War II.  He has just recently lost his wife after a long illness.  He flashes back to his student days when he met a young Japanese American student, Keiko.  She was swept up in the internments of Japanese Americans during World War II.  He is trying to find a way to connect - with his son and with the world.

I just know somehow he will find a way . . . . 

I'm all set now to find out.  Got the comfy reading chair.  Got my reading glasses.  Got an iced latte.

So, this brings us back to my original question . . . . 

What are you reading?

It's That Time of Year . . . .

Second trimester report cards go home on Friday.

Must finish them . . . . Must not blog . . . .

Bee back soon!

Totally Random Reds

But aren't those the best?

Red heart from Amy at Into Vintage.  She always included a little bonus in with her pillows.  Too bad you can't smell this.  I've had it for a few years and it still smells like heavenly lavender.  This little cutie lives on a lamp I have in my kitchen.

This is GINORMOUS red ricrac that I glued onto this lampshade I covered with yellow gingham.  I actually made two of these lampshades to go with a pair of matching floor lamps I have.  These statuesque beauties both live in my living room - one next to each denim loveseat. 

(Don't you just love that ginormous can now be found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary? New words are so fun!)

And last, but not least, a truly random shot of red - the potatoes we had for dinner Sunday night along with some pretty yummy pancetta wrapped pork tenderloin.  

(I had good intentions of posting about our first barbecue of the season and only got pictures of potatoes.  Isn't that how it goes......)

Well I hope you go have some fun over at Sue's Irish Rednesday at It's a Very Cherry World.

Whew!  My potatoes might qualify as Irish, right?

Happy St. Patty's Day to you and I wish you that from the bottom of my one-sixteenth Irish heart!

(Thanks for that wee bit o' Irish Great Great Granny O'Toole.)

Goodbye Mr. and Mrs. Liquidambar

It was quite bittersweet at Sweet Bee Cottage this weekend.

We had to say goodbye to a couple who has been at our house since we bought it in 1997.  Sad times.

But sadly this couple had really overstayed their welcome.  They drank all the water and then broke the pipes.  They dropped their babies on the driveway and never picked up after themselves.  They were even interfering in the very foundation of our dear sweet home.  Really they were a nuisance!  

But oh did they provide sweet shade during our blistering summers.  They were so pretty during the autumn leaf season.  They even provided craft projects from those afore mentioned babies.  And did I mention that they were the shadiest trees on the block?  Did I mention that our front yard is at least 15 degrees cooler than the rest of the street?  Did I mention how much I am going to miss that glorious cooling shade?

But this could lead to some exciting times for the Sweet Bees.  We've always wanted a vegetable garden but our yard is entirely too shady (front and back) to get any sort of crop.  Our plan is to put raised beds along our driveway on the eastern side of our house and attempt to grow some yummy veggies (not candy corn and jelly beans as Worker Bee has suggested).  

Now here's the dilemma.  

How do we have this vegetable garden and still have curb appeal?

Do you have any ideas?  Please share!  I'd love to hear what you have to say and I will listen to your sage advice.  

What vegetables should we plant?  My dear Worker Bee is advocating for something called "square foot gardening."  Have you any experience with this?  

Do you know of any blogs that might be able to help with this?  

Again, I thank you for any and all suggestions.

I Wanna' Dance with Somebody!

I have a special guest blogger today.  

Please welcome my 9 year old daughter, Baby Bee!

When my mom bought this at the consignment store it was just plain pink and it didn't look too magical.  So we thought we would put some pizazz into it.

We talked about how to make it have some magic in it. What we first did was paint it white. 

Next I took a picture of my mom mod podging it. I'm glad that she trusts me with the camera. 

We glittered the letters different colors.  The D is turquoise, the A is hot pink, the N is lapis, the C is peridot, and the E is aquamarine. I'm sorry we don't have pictures of me glittering all the letters.    

Well this is how it turned out. I hope you like it.

Love, Baby Bee

Thank you so much for stopping by and posting Baby Bee.  It's always a delight to see what a good writer you are becoming.

And thank you all of you who take a little time out of your busy days to stop by for a visit.  It always does my heart good.

Just a Little Sweet Silver for Sunday

And I do mean just a little.  Have to save some for another post, doncha' know.

Say hello to my little silver teapot lamp!

This little cutie took a long, long, long time to win on ebay.  Why?  Well I didn't win the first one I bid on.  I didn't win the second or third or fourth and to be honest I don't know how many I bid on before I finally "won."  It had to be at least 10 silver teapot lamps.  Who knew there were so many out there to bid on?  

Why did I want one?  Who knows?  I just knew I had to have one and I would not rest until one lived at Sweet Bee Cottage.

Well she now lives in our sunroom/dining room on top of my china cabinet and I'm pretty sure she likes it here.  She did come all the way from India (at one time) but I don't think she's very old.

Enjoy all the sparkly or tarnished silver lovelies brought to you by Gypsy Fish Journal and her hostessing of Silver Sunday.

Thank you for stopping by!  I'll make a little pot of tea for us the next time and we can sit and chat by the light of my silver teapot lamp!  

Living with Books and Loving It

I just heard about the party over at Chicory Nits and I couldn't stand it - I had to crash that party!  

I love books!  In fact let me tell you a little story about how much one family loved books . . . . 

Once upon a time there were three Sweet Bees living in a 1951 California cottage that came with a very tiny dining room.  It was very difficult to have a decent sized table, a china cabinet, and walk around the table to enter their sunroom.  This "dining room" measured 8' x 11'.  Microscopic! The Sweet Bees needed a solution.

So one day, the Inspiration Fairy paid a visit to  Worker Bee and Sweet Bee!  She helped them realize that they could turn their sunroom (which they used as a garden/family room/game room) into their dining room.  The Inspiration Fairy was PURE genius!  

Then, another epiphany!  Those busy Sweet Bees could turn the old dining room into a library.  Worker Bee was especially enchanted by the Inspiration Fairy and  he even came up with the idea for the card catalog/CD storage unit (this was in the days before iPods).  Now wasn't he a clever boy?

So they all lived happily ever after in their slipcovered wing chair and they never, ever fought over who got to sit in the library chair!

Wasn't that a sweet story?

Well, now I'd like to share some sweet and inspirational books with you!  

My favorite Louisa May Alcott story!

The book that turned me into a reader - way back in second grade!

My favorite children's author - Kate DiCamillo.  This is my favorite of hers - it even makes my hard-hearted third graders shed a little tear.

The book series that inspired a renewed faith.

The book that helped me define what I love and what I want my home to look like.

I have ALL of Mary Engelbreit's books and ALL the issues of her magazine.  (Can someone hand me a tissue as I think of this magazine's demise?)

Susan Branch never fails to inspire and this was my first book from her.

And here's my favorite recipe - so easy - and so magnificently delicious!  (Did you hear that?  Oh, that was my tummy! I better make this recipe again soon.)

And finally a new little bit of inspiration from my new friend Lynne!  So many ideas - it makes me think I can actually sew!  I will be sharing this with the Sewing Bee and the Fabulous Phyllis to help inspire them (to sew for me - oh dear - did I really type that out loud?)

Well please stop by and see what other books inspire so much in all of us.

Wasn't this a fun party?  I hope I get invited back again soon.

Thank you for hosting this Carey!  What a marvelous idea and what fun! 

Don't forget to stop by and visit the other party-goers over at Chicory Nits.  

And thank you for stopping by.  Love to see you come by and I love your comments!