August 2019 – Karla's Cottage

Sugarwings turns THIRTEEN

celebrations, dogs, Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / August 31, 2019

Sugarwings and my blog are just about the same age. Here is the first photo I posted of her within a week or so of starting the blog. I have no idea how many times I have shown pictures of her here, but there are enough that I know I will pay the fees to keep my blog going long after I am done writing it, just to look back as a journal of my life and of the grand fairies growing up.

Thirteen years.

Really.

That flew by way too fast. But I have always thought that whatever age she is at the time is the best stage ever. Then, I am pleasantly surprised to see just how much fun she is as she gets just a little older. So, I am looking forward to seeing what 13 brings. And 14, 15, 16, on and on. 2 was adorable, but 12? What a blast! I can't wait to watch her grow and just get better and better and better as time goes by.

She has plans to be an oceanographer some day, and wanted her mom to throw an ocean themed party for the birthday bash.

It was just as cute as can be!

The shark was great!

The sea turtle cake was pretty cool too.

The girls started at her Mom's, then flowed to the Double Tree for a swimming/slumber party.

The next morning, after checking out, they came to see me the puppies. (Who am I kidding, this visit was all about the pups!)

All of the dogs were happy to see them.

I was too.

I loved seeing that my girl had such nice friends to spend such a special occasion with her.

If you’d like more info about puppies, there is a blog with their whole story: https://karlascottage.typepad.com/cottage_doodles/

A busy month

family

By Karla Nathan / August 28, 2019

August has been busy. Quite busy. These guys are a big part of that.

They came on August 4th.

And our whole household has been affected. We have all been busy taking care of the newborns.

And then, we found out that my son's house needed to be put up on the market. My husband and I have been working nonstop over there, getting it ready, since we are the owners. With the help of a couple of handy man friends, the old out buildings got torn down, and then we started cleaning out the barn and tidying up the yard.

There is a lot more to do, I have been pulling weeds, hauling gravel, and spreading mulch. There is some painting in my future too.

Our poor boy, tore his rotator cuff and while is usually a world class handyman himself, he can't do much to get the house market ready.

In other big news, Dewdrop came back to Kansas from North Carolina to start the school year. She is a 3rd grader now, and can walk to class from our house with her Pop Pop.

Speaking of Pop Pop, the biggest news of all for August is-

MY HUSBAND RETIRED!

He is extremely happy. And the timing is good, he went from 80 hours a week working for a corporation to about twice that working on that farm. Well, it seems like that many hours, we are working pretty hard over there to get it on the market in the next couple of weeks. It worked out well that he has the time to do it now.

Sometimes it’s the little things

flowers

By Karla Nathan / August 25, 2019

Our local grocery store sells marked down bundles of flowers every Monday. They are $1.99, no matter the size.

This time the bunch of blooms was extra large.

I spread them out into four vases and they brought me so much more than $2 worth of pleasure!

A snowy, canvas mural

bird song art event, paintings

By Karla Nathan / August 22, 2019

I painted one last canvas drop cloth.

The others were old murals that I touched up.

This one is brand new.

I bought a $15, 9×6’ drop cloth from Walmart and a cheap gallon of gray blue paint to start it.

This will be used for a backdrop at A Snowbird’s Song.

It is meant to be a photo op for our Peeps.

I kept it pretty simple, a snowy background for people to stand in front of, with the tree and birds to the sides and above their heads.

I will just have to figure out a good place to hang it.

For now, it is in the garage behind the junk, like the other one.

While I was working in the garage, dressed in paint clothes, I cleaned the space up. Everything got carried out to the driveway, the walls repainted (as well as the garage door). I even moved the fridge!

Then, I put everything back in what I sure hope, is a less cluttered manner.

Maybe it won’t be nearly as much work to get the room ready in November for Snowbird? I use the spot as a store, and it is always a chore to prepare it.

Heck, I can just drape the messes in painted drop cloths! No work at all…

Fringe Festival at the Kansas City Union Station

family, Sacred Circus

By Karla Nathan / August 19, 2019

Avahni made an ideal Snow White at the Fringe Fest.

The story was adorable and show had tons of talent. I am happy to announce that they won Best of Venue.

I knew it was going to be good, since I had watched a couple practices that they had done in my living room. But it is much more dramatic to see them on stage with lighting and costumes in a professional theater.

While at Union Station, we visited Science City.

(Dont ask what a giant, potato chip maze has to do with science, I couldn’t tell you)

We played in the infinity mirrors…

And explored the mysterious hotel of optical illusions.

Then, learned about levers. Apparently, it was a lesson that I needed, because I didn’t read the sign, and I thought it was just a game of tug-o-war. And that I was extremely good at it, not realizing the leverage was the winner, not me.

Doing your best and accepting your limits

cottage, family

By Karla Nathan / August 16, 2019

A couple weeks back, I took it upon myself to touch up some peeling paint on the garage. First, I power washed it, and saw that more paint was loose than I had thought….hmm…

No worries, It was still just a small part of the building.

But then I realized the reason it had peeled was that the wrong paint had been used. Not the exterior paint that was on the house itself! Which was a slightly different color and that meant all of the garage and the shed next to it needed redone. Not touched up.

So I power washed and scraped some more, and started priming and painting.

And painting.

Just when I thought I might start crying because it was all so overwhelming, I had a little talking to with myself and changed my attitude.

Painting a building isn’t fun, but life is what you make it, right? This job needed done, and I am dang lucky that I am capable of doing it at my age. I hope I will continue to be doing tough jobs around the farm for as long as possible.

Although, the job would have been easier if I was slightly taller, or less afraid of heights so I could balance on the top of the ladder.

Instead of getting help to finish, I think I will leave this bit at the peak undone as a marker of how strong you can be when you need to be. And how sometimes doing your best is all you can do.

My family is going through some rough patches right now and time up on the ladder was also time to think. And to know that my best and my strength is all I can offer.

Sugarbabies- goldendoodle pups!

dogs, Goldendoodle Puppies

By Karla Nathan / August 13, 2019

We are head over heels, smitten to the core with the Sugarbabies!

All of us.

Especially Albie. He is fascinated by them

For now, they live in the hearth room, this is my view from the kitchen. But I am usually in that recliner or sitting on the stool next to them, totally mesmerized.

When they are ready to run around and need more space, they will be moved to the breezeway, but for now, I am loving the continual squeaking, occasional yipping, and all of the other cute little sounds they emit.

Although the loud squeals at 3am send me running to them in a panic to make sure everyone is okay (not as cute).

If you would like to follow their story, I have a Cottage Doodles blog for them. But I will also be bombarding FB and IG, as well as posting here.

I can't get enough of the teensy, wriggly, sweetness of these

And if you want to have one of these darlings of your own? They are for sale and ready for pickup end of Sept. beginning of Oct.

34 years

celebrations, family

By Karla Nathan / August 10, 2019

Today is our 34th anniversary.

And he is still my favorite person to go on adventures with.

He will walk in the moonlight with me.

He stops to save turtles and loves animals.

Except rats. He is pretty good at trapping rats. That is a good trait in a husband if you have a 100 year old house on ten acres.

He is a dedicated pop pop.

He makes the best of my Christmas obsession.

And tolerates my even more out of control Disney obsession.

(As long as I don’t make him hang out with the mouse too)

He is always interested in trying new hobbies, like bee keeping.

And axe throwing.

He is very supportive of his family.

And would do anything for them.

He is very sentimental. This fallen tree was special to him, he told family stories to the grand fairies under it. So it had to be saved and made into a table.

The dogs adore him, and he walks in the woods with them multiple times a day.

He works hard, even on vacations, he can put in a 40 hour work week.

He is always up for adding another room on our house, or another dog to our family.

Luckily, I can usually stop him.

Unless I really like the idea of another room.

Or the dog is really cute.

He doesn’t care that I rarely wear makeup.

And best of all? He is hilarious. And sometimes everyone thinks so, not just him.

He makes us all laugh.

Another 34 years sounds pretty good.

And another redone mural

flowers, Hand painted, hand painted signs

By Karla Nathan / August 6, 2019

While I was redoing a canvas for the Guncles, I thought I would touch this one up too. I don’t have a before, because I hadn’t planned on painting it, I just kinda started in on it while working on the other one (previous post).

It didn’t get a big overhaul. I changed the sign to my blog name, brightened and sharpened up some details.

Added a rosemary plant and some roses.

This hangs over the fuse box in my garage, because, well, what else do you do with giant 6’ paintings?

Updates to repurpose a canvas

flowers, Garden, guncles, Hand painted, hand painted signs

By Karla Nathan / August 3, 2019

Years ago, I had painted a canvas with a French market scene to use as a backdrop/divider for a booth at a show. It was a quickie, and not meant to be too detailed.

Here is the original. I have had it hanging in my garage, but have never really liked it. When Guncle Randy needed a French themed mural, I offered to give it to him.

But of course, that meant that I wouldn’t like it any better when I saw it at his house.

So, I spent an afternoon brightening it and adding details.

Including his Bichon, Bella, peeking out of the window.

And his address in French, on the wall.

(the sign isn’t really crooked, the canvas has a few billows, here and there that throw off the perspective in photos)

I like it better now. I think he will use it in his patio tent for a French themed dinner party or maybe to hang on the garden fence?

It is canvas and acrylic, so would be fine outdoors. But over time, could cause moisture to be trapped behind it and the fence would rot, so that couldn’t be permanent.