Sweet stuff for June

June 19, 2009

I had intended this sweet stuff to be links to not-on-the-net books I'm currently reading. But good posts keep showing up in my reader, dang those writers for messing up my plans, and I want to share those good posts. So this edition of sweet stuff is mix of both. (Someday I hope to get the recipe to those beans posted but don't hold your breath).

Mama Speak

I found a new magazine, Brain, Child at the library. It may rile or inspire you and I like a bit of both. This was a great essay that was also available on-line.
Doesn't this look like a wonderful Iced Coffee Recipe? I am a mama who runs on one cup of fair-trade-shade-grown black coffee in the morning, maybe I'll try this recipe sometime if it ever stops raining 'round here and gets too hot for hot coffee.
My other vice, the internet. Steady Mom wrote a great post on keeping this potential time waster and late night keeper-upper (I'm not the only one am I?) in check.

Homeschool

This category is kind of lacking. We're too busy outdoors to think much about "schoolish" matters. But if you're thinking about it for next school year check out my homeschool page for more resources.

More from Steady Mom on choosing good books for kids.

Here's some of the books we're enjoying these days:

Urban Homestead

Has anyone else noticed that blogs are all about gardening these days? I'm feeling a bit "behind the times" since I haven't posted what's going on in mine. You can be sure we are growing lots and eating some (greens and strawberries). Someday I might get around to writing a real post about it, but if not you can always check out what these gardeners have to say:

Eradicating Japanese Beetles, these buggers are the bane of my garden, grrr... I intend to try this recipe.
Easy vegetables to grow from a blog I've just started following, Keeper of the Home.
Low Cost Lasagna Beds, it's not too late to start. This is the method I've used (but I have purchased supplies) for building all our flower and vegetable beds.
Looking to find myself some of this Great Big Tomatoes "sauce", because we love our garden tomatoes.

Neighborhood

This is a club I can join, the Junky Car Club. Now I can drive our 16 year old car with (humble) honor.
A couple good fiction books I've read these days are about individuals in their communities and understanding characters & people with within this context. So I think they fit under the "neighborhood" category (I'm stretching things I realize):
- Cold Sassy Tree
- Olive Kitteridge: A Novel in Stories I just realized this was a Pulitzer Prize winner. Wow, a PPW that I actually understand! Cool.

Gallery

To Write with Light, thanks Mama of Letters for pointing me to the next photography book I want to read.
I never get to the beach during the golden hours but maybe someday I will. I don't like how heavily processed these photos are but the tips are helpful.
Photographing Your Family: And All the Kids and Friends and Animals Who Wander Through Too An easy to understand book for beginner and intermediate photographers, you don't need a dslr to understand this.