August 2014 – Page 2 – Karla's Cottage

Summer’s end

By Karla Nathan / August 8, 2014

The lazy days of summer are almost ending. Dang, what happened to school starting after Labor Day???

It has been such a great summer, I dread seeing it end. Usually, by this time of year, I'm longing for the cooler fall days. But this season, we've been blessed with ideal weather. Our gardens have never looked so good.

The flowers have been overly pretty.

Our little hummingbird moth has been enjoying them too. She comes back every year and visits the cleome patch. Well, at least that is how I see it. There are probably bunches of these creatures that are attracted to this flower bed, but to me, it is the same little bird-like butterfly that comes back to visit each July and August.

The weather has been more than wonderful for dining outdoors too. Our friends' have the best patio ever for brunching on and we never turn down the delicious meals they serve there.

Watching these two kittens grow bigger each day, has been like having a daily reminder of how fast time passes. As they morphed from spring time babies to almost full grown cats in what felt like a matter of a few short weeks, I was glad for the visual reminder that we all are changing and growing daily, even if we don't see it.

I've taken time to slow down, watch the flower gardens and grand fairies blossom, and enjoy as much time with the children as I could get. Because, before you know it….

Summer is gone.

Kids are grown.

Kittens are cats.

Oh bummer! I didn't mean this to be sad!! I'm loving it all. That is one of the reasons why I chose the theme, "Nature's Blessings" for the journal swap I am doing.

Noticing and appreciating daily life is something we need to stop and remember to do. I'm looking forward to having a journal to slip notes and photos into, maybe save a handful of seeds in, or a momento from a sweet day.

If you'd like one too, you can either order an empty book with a finished cover, or join the swap. Details here.

At the county fair

Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 6, 2014

2nd grade begins soon, so Sugarwings and I have tried to jam as much fun into the last of the summer days as we can.

Last week, we went to the county fair, in the afternoon before the midway opened for business.

That time of day, is mostly just farm animals and pony rides. Which we didn't mind at all. It's quiet, and peaceful and I'm a big fan of going places when the crowds aren't around.

We had the most fun pretending to be prize winning bunnies, jumping over a ditch. She won the pink ribbon for the best jump.

KC’s Old West Bottoms newest addition- Welcome back, Curious Sofa!

antiques/junking

By Karla Nathan / August 4, 2014

One of my all time Heros Of Styling is once again back in the brick and mortar side of doing biz. Debbie Dusenberry of Curious Sofa has reopened in the Old West Bottoms in a shop called Top Hat Mercantile.

I've always loved her whites, well, everything about her sense of display and style.

The store shows her attention to detail, what interesting signage.

I was happy to see my friend, Joyce there too. Some of the most favorite things in my home came from her in the past.

Beth, the Other Karla, and I decided we needed a day out. Beth is an accomplished shopper, and is serious about it. She likes to scour out the items fresh to the market, mostly from estate sales and auctions to offer her customers, not just buy something in a mall that someone else has already found and resell that. So first, we went to some estate sales, and snatched up some cool loot.

After restocking her inventory at the early morning estate sales, we took off for the Old West Bottoms for social shopping once her working portion of the day was done.

Not that we didn't purchase items at the vast warehouse style malls that Kansas City has to offer now, but usually the kinds of things we find at those places are for personal use or supplies for projects. And there are such pretty booths to look at that, it is always an inspirational trip too.

Gwen's store, French by Design is a great example of something drool-worthy and inspiring.

She and her sis, just got a container shipped back from France and have a giant sized, second spot at Bottoms Up filled up with old world beauty.

I could have dug through her piles of vintage French magazines for most of the morning.

That is The Other Karla in the mirror.

We visited Sandee Millet too. Her rustic style and sunny smile always draws me into her booth.

Stopping to say hi to friends, makes the day trip even more fun.

Why we love the Topeka Zoo

Dew Drop, family, Sugarwings, Travel

By Karla Nathan / August 1, 2014

We have such a good time when we go to the zoo in Topeka. For one thing, it is small, and easy to get around in. It used to be kind of sad and run down, but improvements have been made over the years and every time we go, it gets better and better.

Everything is clean. Everyone is friendly.

There is a 106 year old carousel in the park next to the zoo, and I've never seen it busy. Most times when we go, there are very few people there. This time, we were the only ones visiting this gorgeous, old ride, for about an hour or so. The cost is only $1.25, or 15 ride tickets for $15 (includes the train too).

It's so cheap, and there were no lines, so we rode over and over and over. Well, at least they did, I get a bit dizzy just watching it go around. If I'd joined in for multiple rides, I'd probably still be spinning around in my head today.

The attendants are always friendly to kids and since there was no one else there, the young man at the controls let the girls play on the horses, giant chickens, zebras, etc. trying each one out before choosing the perfect steed for the ride.

The adjacent park has rose gardens, a big community pool, a new play ground, trails, and a very, very old play ground made up of giant cement animals to climb on. When my kids were little, there were tunnels, but those have since been covered up. I'm glad the goofy animals are still there to play on.

And play in.

Once you get inside the zoo (only $15 for three of us for the day) it's an easy walk through it. With some interactive sites along the way, like this African bush camp. We usually can play jungle explorer there for an hour or so.

This zoo has had a checkered past, losing accreditation a couple of times. But major changes have been implemented and it is a sweet, little place to visit now and seems to be very well run and kept up beautifully. It is a quick get away for us, only 20 minutes from my house to the gate.

And how often can you find a place where you can hitch a ride on the king of beasts?

My grand fairies love having lions to climb on.

And a "cweepy" (according to Dewdrop) cave where you can visit the cats up close and personal.

Bigger zoos of course, have bigger attractions, but I don't think any of them can beat Topeka for price, accessibility, and pure charm.

Interested in the journal swap? Info here.