Dew Drop – Page 6 – Karla's Cottage

Celebrating

celebrations, Dew Drop, dogs, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 20, 2015

It's been fun around here lately. Lot's of Summer's End celebrating, getting ready for Back To School, plus Sugarwing's birthday. The grand fairies made cupcakes and we loaded up the family and spent a day at the pool for one party for her.

And when we got home, I had bed time snacks set up party style for the littles, using the fancy wine goblets for sparkling juice, and yogurt parfaits served in pretty glasses, along with light up, spinning party favors.

(The spinners were on clearance for a dollar at Michaels, and the rest of the set up was just stuff from the cabinets. You don't have to spend a fortune at the party store to make a table look special for kids. They appreciate using the fancy dancy garage sale china and goblets.)

We made a trip to KC's Legoland, too. The girls had wanted to go for a long time, but I've never been tempted. The lines to get in are always practically around the block and never seem to move. Since it was a birthday, I figured I could stand putting up with a crowd, but I was happy to find that the place was near empty! Most kids were probably back in school, I guess. Anyway, we lucked out, and it was such a cute, little place.

Crown Center has so many fun things for kids. One is an ice skating rink. But in the summer, its just a slab floor, unless you have an imagination.

In the mind of these two, they were gliding across the ice, and I think they were getting lots of applause in those little heads, too, because there were plenty of curtsies.

Of course, any activity is best if you have a skirt that can swirl around you.

They always have a good time playing by the fountains too.

I take that as an opportunity for photos. There is something about being near water that gives them both a pensive, thoughtful look.

And I'm always happy to have an excuse to take pics of my little pretties.

After Crown Center, they played with Honey in the gazebo.

Seriously, what could be more fun than digging in the rocks and playing in the water with a puppy while wearing a swirly dress? If I was a kid, that is where I'd be.

A visit to see Snow White and the dinosaurs, just a regular day with the Nathans

Dew Drop, dogs, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 3, 2015

We are all infatuated with Honey. Playing with her has been our favorite activity.

We have had to tear ourselves away to do other things. Last week, we visited the Prairie Fire Natural History Museum to see the dinos.

There is an interactive screen where you can build your own dinosaur. Or dragon. That confused me… Dragons at the museum? You find a fossil in the wild, and work through what you think the live animal would have looked like, guessing coloring and skin textures.

Wait a minute, dragon fossils? Yes, that confuses me a little.

We didn't realize that the creatures you built showed up on the screen in the lobby. We were enjoying the giant TV screen with animals projected over the video feed from the room, and didn't know the two things were connected.

We were just having fun taking our pictures with the dinos.

And pretending they were coming for us.

Then we noticed that the dragons and other monsters had names. And some of the names matched the ones we had made ourselves.

Fun, huh? And totally free. We played with these and hung out in the lobby for an hour or so before we bought tickets for a session in the children's discovery room.

Where I had another surprise. Tea party stuff? At a natural history museum? Dewdrop was thrilled. Of course, there were tons of other things too, animals to look at, rocks and crystals to examine, things to look at under microscopes, a fossil scavenger hunt in the bricks of the balcony, and much more.

But I really didn't get the whole section of different style tea services. Maybe it was supposed to be about different cultures?

While in the neighborhood, we stopped by and visited Snow White.

At last year's Halloween party at Lions Gate Club, one of the coworkers was dressed as Snow White. She not only looked the part, she was so kind and sweet to Dewdrop, and spent so much time with her, that this little girl still talks about her on a regular basis. Snow is her favorite princess and none of the Disneyworld princesses quite measured up.

So, we polished some apples and wrapped them up pretty with nice notes, and filled a basket for Dewdrop to take to her. Before going in, I told her that Snow White probably wouldn't have her party dress on, she'd be wearing work clothes.

And Dewdrop got very shy when seeing her buddy again. She was tongue tied, and star struck. But she did get brave enough to give her a hug and as we left, called out, "I love you, Snow White!"

Yep, a very nice day.

Smiles

Dew Drop, Travel

By Karla Nathan / June 19, 2015

We had lots of smiles on Siesta Key beach. And I'm still smiling just thinking about the week. At least I am thinking about smiling. I think my body is too exhausted to move the muscles needed to create a grin. I need a shell like Dewdrop is using for one. Except, I could be too tired to hold it up.

More later if I can ever move again when I get rested up.

I loved Birdsong, I loved the vacation, I love my family, I loved Disney, but man…that was a lot of on the go activities for one old broad.

Mulberry season

bird song art event, cottage, Dew Drop, family, Food and Drink, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / June 5, 2015

It's mulberry season here at the cottage. Which means that Sugarwings spends hours up on a ladder snacking away, and filling bowls up, just to spill onto the ground and start over again.

With dozens upon dozens of mulberry trees (which is how the Fairy Berry Trail got its name), there are plenty to go around, so if a few spill, no one worries about it. The chickens are actually pretty happy about that when it happens.

Dewdrop has a ladder of her own, but prefers being down on the ground.

Especially if there is anything soft around to cuddle. I'm always surprised at just how silky, soft a hen is. they are so nice to pet. Sadly, only a few of our ladies are friendly. The dozen we bought this spring still act like we are only entering the coop to murder them, not to feed, pet, or gather eggs. But there are still some older gals around who don't lay eggs anymore, but who are very sweet, little pets.

We had a nice family evening, watching Sugarwings drag her ladder from one tree to the next and eat her weight in berries. I popped her into the bath before dinner, and as soon as she was done eating her grilled shrimp, she was back outside and climbing up the steps again, this time way, out in the woods- with no bug spray on. I had to toss her right back in the tub again before she left with her day, so she wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night, itching and scratching from chigger bites. (if you use soap after being out in the woods, you wash away those pesky things)

We managed to get one bowl filled with enough mulberries (thanks to her daddy) to make a cobbler. I used about 6 stalks of rhubarb and a pint of strawberries in it too, since mulberries are a little bit bland.

This was far from bland, and I had a big dish full for breakfast this morning. Now, that is the way to start a day. I'd love to make more for my Birdsong peeps who are arriving soon, but I have a feeling, time is too short. I need to bake bread, cupcakes, and a few other treats yet. And this cobbler isn't going to last long enough to feed it to my guests this weekend, although I do know someone who is up to the task of picking enough to make another one.

A home for the fairies in the garden

Dew Drop, fairies, flowers, Garden, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / May 28, 2015

We've done a little yard work recently, and the yard is looking happy and bright. Roses are blooming, iris are straight, tall, and majestic, and the peonies put on a great show this spring. It's wonderful to have established gardens and perennials to depend on for color, even if maintenance is still a lot of work, in keeping things slightly tidy… very slightly…. At least there are hard working favorites popping up out of the ground all on their own with no effort from me.

I clean up the beds a bit, and fill the pots with annuals (this year a lot reseeded itself!), and we are set for springtime. This season, Sugarwings has wanted to help, so I gave her a tiny garden of her own to tend.

I had a low, wide, cement pot that was just the right size to turn into a fairy garden for my own little fairy to work in. I placed 4 mini plants in it, made a garden arch from wrapped wire and let her figure out the rest. We had this iron fairy, and she debated using it, because this garden was for REAL fairies not pretend ones. She ended up putting it on display there as a "statue" for the young fairies to look up to.

After it was planted, she watered it with a little teacup.

After getting to this point, she decided it needed a bit more. Like some signs, and a swing. So, she dutifully ate up a popsicle, to get a stick she could paint to turn into a swing. Her thoughts were that the youngest fairies would like a swing hung from the arbor more than just a plain old arch to look at.

So a pink, popsicle stick swing now hangs from the arch with blue ribbons. And the iron fairy statue has been removed to make space for a tea party area. I have a feeling that these are the first of many changes. This garden will probably be the focus of quite a few redesigns.

For the tea table, Sugarwings painted a large spool pink, and we glued a playdough can lid to it. The painted spool stools and table all have straws glued inside, so they can be poked into the ground to solve the problem of them toppling over and spilling the tea.

Dewdrop offered to blow bubbles for the fairies.

Kitties galore

Dew Drop, kitties

By Karla Nathan / May 26, 2015

I've had some help in the kitchen lately.

Although, as much as she likes cookies, she likes kitties even more, and it is hard to drag her away from these guys.

I have to admit, I tend to spend a bit of time visiting them too.

We tried to keep them indoors, but the mama is not a house cat. See what she did to the screen when we kept her indoors? Not just one, two windows got torn up. And there is no way she could pretend it wasn't her, there was orange and white fur all around the openings she'd torn in them.

So, back they went, out to the deck off my husband's office. It isn't a bad spot for them, up away from predators, and in an insulated dog house, under a table that is under an awning. No rain gets in, and they are pretty cozy up there.

My husband not only built a ramp for Pumpkin to get up to the deck easily, he added an 8" high wooden rail around the base so no babies could slip off the side of the deck. They now have a play pen.

There are five kitties, we hope to find homes for a few, but if not, I think they'll be pretty happy staying here. If you want one, let me know. They will be snugglers, they get lots of holding time, and that always makes for a good pet.

One was supposed to go to Sugarwings' home, but surprise! Her cat had a kitten. What are the odds that her orange kitty had a calico kitten the day after our orange kitty had calico babies?

Now, please, no lectures about spaying and neutering. I'm not uninformed or uncaring. I simply like babies and will either find a good home for the kittens, or keep them all. We will spay all that we keep, including the mama. One litter was plenty and we are thrilled to have them. We are kind to our babies and treat them very special, they have good lives.

We live in the country, we get rats and snakes. We need hard working cats outside to keep the critter population down, but they are also cuddled pets.

Updates along the Yellow Brick Road

cottage, Dew Drop, flowers

By Karla Nathan / April 22, 2015

You know what I love most about Spring? That the views change daily. Just a bit ago, I posted about repainting the yellow brick road, and the flower bed was dull and gray. Spring popped out some colors and brightened the place up for us in what seemed like overnight.

I also was inspired by my uninspiring, dull photos to do a bit more work in that neglected bed. First of all, by cleaning out the old dead things, like some spireas that were hanging on by a leaf or two, and some overgrown brush that had seen better days. Then, I straightened up the rock border, and added mulch. Dark brown to the raised part of the bed, and regular cyprus to the main part.

After all of that, I still wasn't happy, so made a run to the garden center, and came home with 2 dwarf fruit trees, 2 rose bushes, and a reblooming azalea. I also bought a hydrangea at the grocery store floral department that was on sale for 99 cents because it was done blooming.

I've not had a lot of luck with azaleas in the past, but I have my fingers crossed for this one. And it doesn't really show in the photo, but I"ve got it centered in a shady spot while the roses and fruits are in brighter spots in the bed.

We already have lots of fruit and nut trees in the food forest, but seriously, can you have enough? We added a couple more to the courtyard behind the house too. Home Depot had the small trees for $29. Heck, I think I spend that much a week on fresh fruit already. How wonderful it will be when I can just take a walk in the garden and pick my own fruit instead of having to go shopping for it.

Now, why didn't I do this 20 years ago??? Well, at least it is done now. It's never too late.

We spend a lot of time sitting on the studio's porch and reading, or watching the grand fairies play, so the yellow brick road bed is always right in view. Plus it is one of the first things a visitor sees as they pull into the drive. For some reason, it has always been slightly (some years mostly) neglected.

Not this year! I might even plant some annuals out there, I rarely have, because well, as I said, it hasn't been well cared for. But since I have new trees that will need water, I'll be tending the area better and can keep some flowers watered too.

The shrubs on the outside border of the bed probably need to go. I had hoped they would grow into a hedge to block the view of the highway, but they never get any bigger and just turn brown. Any ideas on what I can plant in their place? We live right on I70 and the turnpike could use a good blocking!

My very favorite thing about this flower bed is how it attracts fairies. This little, curving path is a magnet for sprites, whether they are pretending to be Dorothy Gale, or just skipping along for the fun of it.

If you are wondering why I slurp and spit when I talk…. and some thoughts on aging

Dew Drop, family, paintings

By Karla Nathan / April 19, 2015

Yep, this is me right now.

Ouch!

And Uck!

A while back, I carelessly jumped up on a stool to get something out of a cabinet (without realizing the door had been left open) and whacked myself in the face. I had a bloody nose, black eye, but my mouth looked fine, even though that is where it hurt the most.

Then, one day, weeks after the incident, I took a bite of a popsicle. And my front tooth flew out of my mouth, bounced off a door, and ricocheted across the room. Apparently, I'd damaged the root when I smacked my face into the cabinet door, and the tooth was just waiting for a reason to fling itself of my mouth.

My dentist gave me a temp that was my own tooth glued to something that looks like a bleach tray, which I had to take out if I wanted to eat. Then, he had this temporary partial made, which I was quite happy with even though I don't talk, or eat well with it. I've been practicing saying "Five, fat fairies in the food forest sat sipping cider slushies."

My "f"s have gotten a little better, but my "s"s still sound slurpy.

Since then, I've had some reconstructive surgery, and hopefully will have the two front teeth redone this summer. Somehow, messing with one, messes with the other front tooth too. Sadly, I had just gone through major repairs on these two teeth and surrounding gums a year ago. And now am paying for the same two teeth to be redone again. And the specialist has warned me that I won't get the same look, that it can't look as natural as before.

I keep telling myself that I am extremely lucky to have good dental insurance, and money to pay the deductible. That while this is unpleasant, much worse things could happen, and if it doesn't look as good as before, at least I don't have to be without a tooth forever. Since I've lost my own tooth, I've noticed other people without teeth, and I have a feeling that they might not be as lucky as I am, and are not getting theirs fixed any time soon. Or getting such a nice looking, temporary solution like I have.

Still, I've been a bit down about it all. I'm really trying to not let this gap in my smile stop me from smiling. I've also been nervous about the dental appointments, which isn't like me at all. I don't mind dental work, but this time, I've been thrown by it.

I'm not as vain as I should aspire to be. I go out without makeup, I don't dress up as nicely as I should, or take my gym membership seriously.

And while at first, I was horrified when Dewdrop started playing with the crepey folds on my neck like I was made of play dough, I soon got over it and laughed with her and realized that this would be a happy memory for her, that she would always think of her Grammy's neck as something entertaining, and that that Grammy's lap was a good place to be. And I know how much she loves play dough.

My tooth will be fine, my smile will be fine. I have a lot of reasons to smile and a lot of people to smile with.

So what if it doesn't look as good as it was before, most of me isn't as good as I was before anyway. It seems like weekly, I see or feel something age, slip, ache, or change somewhere in my body.

Still, I do have some vanity that is bothered by all of it. The tooth trauma has been a little quite depressing. But I'll get over it.

And the grand fairies kind of like it. I can play Nanny McPhee or be a wicked witch when I slide my temporary tooth out. I'll just need a stick on wart to complete the picture. Or just wait a few weeks and see what nature provides as my sun loving youth comes back to haunt my aging skin….

Arabella Cinderella Day

celebrations, Dew Drop, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / April 6, 2015

Around here, it doesn't take much to turn a simple trip to the movie theater into a big event.

The Hippie Chick and I had been impatiently waiting for the new Cinderella movie.

(the theater had big screens for previews in the lobby, how nice!)

When I saw these dresses from the Cinderella collection on sale at Kohls (plus 30% off with my coupon) I almost bought them, but fought the urge. (I'm very, very cheap).

But, on another trip to Kohls to snap up more the 70-80% off clearance items while taking another 30% off with my coupon and filling up my cart with school clothes for next year, I couldn't be strong enough to say no to these dresses a second time.

I figured I'd saved enough on the other stuff to make up for the splurge on these little confections. (That little white jacket Dewdrop is wearing was on sale for under $2. That beats Goodwill prices! )

Since Sugarwings and her mommy weren't able to join Dewdrop and I at the Fairy Tale village when we went a few weeks ago, we decided to make a day of it and bring them back with us to see Crown Center, the fairy tale land, Kaleidoscope, and the new movie.

The make believe village was a bit more crowded than when were were here on a weekday, this was a Saturday during spring break, and the whole place was packed.

Sugarwings was a tad overwhelmed, but I kept telling her that we had plenty of time, and weren't rushing through it. We had a three hours to hang out, and I was happy to stick around.

So, we played a while, and then took breaks to ride the escalators up and down a bit, or go sit and color in the Crayola store.

We also took snack breaks, and walked around.

And spent a half hour session at Kaleidoscope. I'd hoped to go to two sessions, but it was pretty busy. We were lucky that my son was there early to get us passes for this session. It's free, but can fill up. Going early to reserve a spot on busy days is a good idea.

We get plenty of craft time at home, but not in surroundings like this. I probably like the place as much as the grand fairies do.

Dewdrop's name is Mayara, I call her Ara, and that has sometimes morphed into Arabella Cinderella. We decided to name the day after her. Everyone needs a day of their own sometime, don't they? We also made this day her going away party for her big trip out East.

She was a bit young for the movie though. The only parts she was really into were the ones with magic or mice. Sugarwings, her mom and I loved every second of it. My husband decided to stay home and watch the KU game instead (I have to admit, it was a play off, and he is pretty into that stuff, I certainly understood- March happens), so my son used his movie ticket at the last minute and came along to help keep the little one entertained when the parts she didn't care for came on.

I had a feeling, that I would need back up so I wouldn't have to miss any of the show.

As part of the special day, we went to a theater in KC where you have recliners to lounge in, and a great menu to order from. They have a wine bar upstairs and if you request it, you can order a full dinner from that menu, not just movie theater food. And you pick your seat in advance, so we chose back row by the door, and brought an iPad, (on mute with the lights turned down) for our Arabella Cinderella to play with after she was done eating.

It was a long day for her with no nap, and lots of activity. The big day was a lot for our other princess too, so there were some moments far from perfection. But, that is part of doing things with kids, and you have to know when it is time to go look at the fountains, or twirl in the lobby, and get away from the hustle bustle for a bit.

Over all it was a very special day out. And I love having these photos to look at while I'm impatiently waiting for tiny Arabella Cinderella to return to Kansas from her time with her mommy out east.

Fairy Tale Village

Dew Drop

By Karla Nathan / March 26, 2015

A few years ago, I took Sugarwings to the Fairy Tale Village at Crown Center.

It's now back again, and I took her baby sister a couple weeks ago.

The themes at Crown Center change, last year we went a few times, and saw Dorothy, plus a few other things. (all free)

But this has to be my fave. It is interactive, with cute things for the kids, like pulling Pinocchio's strings to make him dance.

And slipping into a red riding hood to walk through the deep, dark, forest.

There is a mop for cleaning the 7 dwarves' cottage, but Dewdrop didn't like the looks of that witch and wouldn't go in there.

She had some timid moments, like when she was about to visit this cottage and a giant said "fee fie foe fum". She passed on this one too.

She made up for it by spending extra time tasting the 3 bears' porridge and baking with the little red hen.

It is such a cute thing to go to. I'd drop in to see it even if I didn't have a flock of fairies to share it with.

We also visited Kaleidoscope to do some art projects. Also free, and sponsored by Hallmark. Kansas City is so lucky to have these places available for the kids.