Dew Drop – Page 10 – Karla's Cottage

Theatre Lawrence, Shrek the Musical

By Karla Nathan / December 13, 2013

Nope, that isn't a Christmas Elf, it's Princess Fiona.

We went to see Shrek the Musical at our community theater and of course, I thought it would be a good idea if we all got Shrekked up a bit.

My husband, surprisingly, already owned this bilious green shirt. And Dewdrop only wants to wear her pink gown all the time, but did agree to have a green skirt over it. I found a $3 top at Goodwill for myself, but went to 5 stores before I could find something just right for Sugarwings.

And I think that her leafy, green dress from Kohls is a perfect balance of princess and ogre, with the green leggings and shirt underneath to keep warm. It was only 6 degrees out that night, and I was glad that boots were suitable for the girls instead of princess shoes, or they'd have frozen their toesies.

The theater itself was warm and cozy. It is a brand new building, and something our town should be very proud of.

The show was cute as can be, as entertaining for a 3 year old as it was for a 50 year old. Well, 55, to be honest.

Afterwards, the cast came out to visit, and Sugarwings was thrilled to see Mama Bear and the Sugarplum fairy up close. Dewdrop was down for the count though. By the time the show had ended, she was snoring away in my lap with her own sugarplums dancing in her head.

For this little one, the highlight of the evening was getting to meet a real princess.

And dancing on the stage with the cast to the last song. Which I tried to stop her from doing, not realizing that all the kids were invited. We have this tradition in the movie theater, that when the show ends and everyone else starts to file out the door, we all go down to the very front of the room right by the screen, and dance to the credits.

While Sugarwings is always mesmerized by a movie, unspent energy builds up and accumulates in her tiny body while watching the show. So, we let her blow some of it off before loading her in the car.

And when I saw her take off for the stage at the end of Shrek, I didn't realize it was by invitation, I thought she was just doing what she does at the movies and figured she was going to add herself into the plot!

I'm glad they let the kiddos do this, what fun for them to be right in the middle of all the fairy tale characters. She had such a good time dancing with the Ugly Duckling, that all the photos were a blur, she was putting everything into the dance, with gusto.

My dear friend, Jen Unekis, was the featured artist, and her work was hanging in the lobby. There was an opening night reception for her, and it added to the festivities.

Here are some more photos of our visit with Shrek at the play. I am thinking I should get season tickets, this was such a wonderful family night out!

Cheers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dew Drop, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / November 28, 2013

I hope you are having a special day! We have been busy bees, making up goodies for ours. While it might take twice as long to get the treats baked with these helpers, they end up tasting twice as good because of all the extra sweetness.

Wishing a sweet day to you too!

Varieties of pretties

Dew Drop, jewelry, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / November 18, 2013

My son has been making these "alchemy" pendants with semi precious stones and other properties, and hopes to get an Etsy shop going soon for himself. They sold very well at the Renaissance Festival and have a lot of meaning behind them. He's versed in what crystal combos do, although I don't exactly understand, I enjoy seeing him being creative and leading his Zen lifestyle.

Plus, they are pretty. I do understand that aspect of them!

I do love me some pretty!

At Victorian Trading Company's outlet store in KC, I loaded up on it last week with Beth.

This velvet coat came home with me for less than half of the catalog price, plus came with a $20 gift certificate that I spent on a whole big pile of clearance items along with that apothecary jar in the previous picture.

See the skirt under the coat? It's not a skirt, it's a ruffle at the bottom. Kind of like a skirt dickie for a coat. I can feel dressed up even when I'm not. And I rarely am. I'm the type that wears slippers outside. But hey, don't these slippers look like boots? They are warm, cute and were only eight bucks at the outlet store.

Do you watch Big Bang Theory? I love those guys. And Wallowitz's colorful outfits, each with a dickie under his shirt. So I have been calling this my Wallowitz coat.

Part of my $20 gift rebate haul was a $3 card making kit, that Sugarwings went bonkers over. She made cards, slipped them into envelopes, and gave them to everyone. She was a regular, one person, Hallmark machine.

I also got a free, crystal wreath brooch, cup cake wrappers, a cute coffee mug, and way too much candy.

And all of it, pretty as can be, piled up on my dining table.

But the prettiest thing on the table?

Sugarwings decided to act out some sort of play going on in her imagination by crawling up on the table and swooning away till her prince charming came along. Of course, a Grammie will indulge such funny, foolishness instead of shooing her off the table.

Then again, Grammies are the type that like to indulge little fairy girls a lot. We bought some Crayola window markers that dry in a crystallized design and I let them draw all over my windows with them.

Happy Birthday Dewdrop

celebrations, Dew Drop

By Karla Nathan / November 16, 2013

Little Dewdrop is turning 3 today. Oh my!

She still lets me call her "baby" even though she insists that she is a big girl.

Here she is, only a few hours old.

And I wonder if her love for playing dress up began way back in her first week, when we played fairy with her?

She seemed to enjoy the game.

For a long time, she adored dressing in any pink dress at all.

But recently, she has become fixated on this pink "fincess" (princess) dress. It's the one that she wants to wear daily, no matter what. There have been days when it is hard to get it off of her to get into the laundry.

Of course, if you know me, you know I don't mind. I love being surrounded by pink princesses!

ghosts and giggles

celebrations, Dew Drop, family, Food and Drink, holiday decor, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / October 30, 2013

We did some early Halloween celebrating at the county club's Ghost and Giggles event. It's such a cute evening out, they have games set up for the kids, a clown, balloon animals, and great food.

And creepy names for the foods, like Mummy Fingers, Monster Eyeballs, and Frank's Green Goo. Dewdrop was excited to get her plate till I started to recite the names for her. We call her the world's hungriest baby, but she wasn't going near her food when she thought it was really monster stuff.

The clown's show made up for the scary decor and spooky food titles. She was mesmerized.

Sguarwings was so excited by it all, she was mostly a blur, darting from one event to the next.

The club had piles of candy out for kids to help themselves, and I was pleased to see that our little fairies didn't try to load up on it. I filled my pockets with Smarties…. I didn't see the girls even go near the treats table. Maybe the spooky skeleton kept them away.

They were much more interested in the bowls of toys that were also self serve. Sugarwings treated us to a puppet show with her loot.

I went as a witch. My son said I looked so good that someone might just drop a house on me.

He didn't go with us, he had a DJ job that night, and went as Thoth and fabricated this mask for his costume.

Sugarwings wanted to wear the Halloween costume that her mommy bought for her, but I asked her to save it for her school party and trick or treating, so it would be special then. I didn't tell her that I wanted her to wear the princess gown I'd bought for the Renfest so I could get some of my money's worth out of it.

Not that it was too pricey, TJ Max and Marshalls have elaborate, well made costumes for a decent price, her gorgeous, velvet dress was $32. It was a very good quality. So was Dewdrop's and hers came with a cloak too.

But even at only thirty bucks each, I felt like I needed to get two events out of the dresses!

This year's party seemed a bit subdued. When I mentioned it to my husband later, he said it was because of the KU game that night, not a lot of people made reservations.

A game instead of dressing up like a witch, and watching a magic show with a couple of pink princesses? What was everyone thinking? That never would have occurred to me.

Kansas City Renfest, a sister visit, and an itsy bitsy mermaid

Dew Drop, fairies, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / October 24, 2013

My sisses came to visit and I got a Renfest do-over, just like I wanted.

It was a spur of the moment idea.

Sis mentioned that plane tickets were cheap and before we really thought about it, they were here.

Which is when it occurred to us that we COULD have met up in Florida instead.

We've been trying to plan a sister trip there to sprinkle our dad's ashes together, and the timing never works out.

While Kansas sure isn't Florida, we managed to have quite a good time. There was royalty to meet…..

Fairies everywhere…..

Fire dancers…..

A castle to explore….

A miniature mermaid to meet…..

Shopping to do…..

And pink princesses to hug.

Even though we missed out on going to the ocean, we had a lot of fun.

We had the little fairy grandgirls with us for most of the day, and I of course had my camera pointed at them all the time, like I usually do.

But after my husband took a sleepy fairy home to nap and Sugarwings went off to explore with her mommy, I actually pointed my camera at some of the sights of the renfest.

One thing I love about the place is that it is a permanent location, and the grounds have some beautiful buildings.

My fave is the castle in progress. Not just because my son did some of the stone work, but because it is such an intriguing design.

He was working there this year, and his girls were thrilled to see him and kept wanting to go back to his booth.

He was selling his hand made magic wands.

I am helping him get an Etsy shop together where he can market these as well as his jewelry.

Of course, he won't have to put a costume on to sell stuff online like he did at the festival.

There was more magic to be found too. Sugarwings met Bitsy, a baby mermaid and made instant friends. She was hanging out in the park taking a break and the two got to know each other and chatted a while. Sugarwings gave her am organic sucker (we pack treats for the day), and told her it was called a Lollipop, adding, "We eat these on the land"

I hope that child never loses her amazing imagination. The world is filled with wonders to her.

I think her baby sister believes in fairies too.

I know I do.

I'll leave you with some scenes of the day.

a Good Morning

Dew Drop

By Karla Nathan / October 5, 2013

I think eating breakfast while wearing My Little Pony panties and a crown is an ideal way to start a day, don't you?

I'm away from home for a few days, visiting Jenn.

She is a GREAT hostess and I promise to have some pretty pictures to show you when I get back. Any thing ordered from the boutique will be mailed on Tuesday the 8th.

A royal visit to the Renfest

celebrations, Dew Drop, fairies, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / September 23, 2013

Last weekend, we made our annual trip to the Rennesaince Festival. We always love going, and since Sugarwings was born, I rarely miss it. Before that, it had probably been 7-8 years between visits. But seeing it with my very own little fairy by my side, has made the experience very special.

This year, I had both girls with me. They decided they wanted to be princesses, not fairies, so I created some gowns for them. We had some ivory satin dresses in the play cabinet, but they'd seen better days. Around here, dress up clothes get a heavy duty workout.

So, I stitched bundles of white tulle around the waists, and took the plastic innards out of silk roses, and sewed them on the bodices. It's not a great sewing job, I just bunched up the tulle and pushed it through the machine. I was pretty pleased with myself for not sewing the back of the dress to its own front, with so many layers of bunched up fabric in those full skirts, I was impressed that I could do it. And I ran the pedal right over the silk rose and leaves, no careful hand stitching here.

After that, we threw them both in the washer with a half bottle each of pale pink and fuchsia Rit dye (because that is what I had), along with a few stained tee shirts, hoping to salvage the shirts by hiding the stain under a coat of pink. Anytime I dye stuff, I fill up the machine with as many things as I can find, kind of to see what can be repaired that is stained, but also just because it's fun to see a new color emerge.

Dewdrop and I sat in front of the washer and watched the clothes spin as the color sunk in. I'd say we watched it at least 10 minutes, until I started to wonder exactly what had become of my life, that sitting in front of a washing machine was now entertainment…

We arrived at the festival just in time for the beginning of the Dance of the Fairies going on right inside the gate. It's always the highlight of our day there. I was glad we started with that, I had my hands full with these guys, so it was nice that I didn't have to keep my eye on the clock to make it across the park to get to a showtime for the dance later in the day.

Uncle Ryan came along to help me out, he hadn't been to the festival since he was in high school. Ry has some social phobias and doesn't enjoy crowded places. But his near death experience seems to be opening him up to new adventures.

And I needed the backup. My husband was out of town, all the parents were working, it was just us.

While these princesses are adorable, lovable, and the lights of my life, they are still not easy for me to handle alone with all the crowds and excitement. Sugarwings especially thrives with one on one attention, and that isn't possible, when there is a two year old who needs caring for. Usually, my husband and I "divide and conquer" on outings.

Ryan was handy to have, although, he has his own issues, and needs tending also. He has to be cajoled and joked with, to keep his mood up and his mind calm.

I'm glad he came, we had some laughs, and even when one little girl would get distracted by something shiny and the other one would be angered by something not quite going her way, he managed to hold it together despite the crowds that bother him so much. I was proud of him and thankful to have his help.

I might have been even more impressed with his attitude than with my ability not to sew the bunches of skirts into a big wad.

I recommend this event so highly.

It is set in a lovely, wooded park and has permanent buildings that are as cute as can be. A pretty little fantasy to join in on.

This wasn't my favorite visit there, but it wasn't the fault of the park, it was me trying to juggle too many special needs at once. I'd like to take each girl on her own, to really enjoy the days with them. Plus, going to that festival is always such a special time for me, that I feel like I missed out on some of the joy this year, our trip wasn't a typical one for us, it had it's stressed moments.

I want a do-over!!

Isn't this entrance to the play area cute? I wouldn't mind taking ONE girl at a time there, just to hang out at the play place for a couple hours. Their father is selling his jewelry and managing a booth there this season, so we have free passes for his kids to go.

He is also helping a friend build a castle there. The guy my son is working for, is a talented stone mason. This is an ongoing project, in it's third year, and still has a few years ahead of it till it is completed.

Here he is, his name is Forrest. I'm not sure you can see all the detail of his work from my photos, but it's quite intricate and arty.

Cool, huh? At this point, it is more like a courtyard than a castle, very open. I think it's magical as it is, but am looking forward to watching it grow.

That column and window are fantastic.

I'll leave you with some more photos of our trip.

PS- Thank you for all of your enquiries about Ryan. He is doing well, is working at the new job while still going to cardiac rehab. That job is kicking his butt, it is very hard work, but he is happy to be there.

Painted Fairies

cottage, Dew Drop, family

By Karla Nathan / September 19, 2013

Silly me. I keep paint out in the garden for the fairies to help themselves to anytime they like. It's washable paint, but sometimes the messes are still unwelcome.

But cute. Unless it's time to go somewhere or get dinner on the table.

We spend so much time outdoors that they are either covered in mud, water or some sort of mess, so why not paint?

Rolling with it

Dew Drop, fairies, family, give away, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / September 9, 2013

Thank you for all of your kind words about Ryan. He is doing remarkably well and has no permanent damage. But will be on meds all of his life so this doesn't happen again.

And thanks for your encouragement to me not to feel guilty. I think most of us understand Mom Guilt. It stays with you.

My husband said my last blog post sounded like I was giving myself a pity party. He is probably right, I've turned into a mushy mess, now that the crisis is past.

It's been an odd year for me, with upheavals (good and bad), no real routine to settle into, and lots of trips. Change doesn't always settle well with me, I'm a stick in the mud, homebody type. I'm ready for some monotonous, day to day, regular boring days. Ha! Like that will happen….

In the meantime, I guess I'll keep rolling with the waves.

It's past due for me to announce my two giveaway winners. The charming little novel goes to:

A surprise winner…. I have her address from something else, so I will just drop this in the mail and surprise her with it. I'll let you know who it was later on.

And for Carol's generous giveaway of an entry to Jeanne's online seminar? The winner is this comment:

I would
love to win this awesome class! The book sounds awesome, too. I'd love
to win either. Thank you for the opportunity! Mona

Mona, I'll give your info to Carol and she will contact you. I know she is out of town this week, so don't think she has forgotten you if you don't hear from her right away.