family – Page 10 – Karla's Cottage

Gideon’s Bakeshop and a Jam Packed Disney day

By Karla Nathan / March 20, 2022

We had a whirlwind trip through Orlando. No, more than that, it was like a Kansas tornado going through!

There wasn’t a lot of stopping to enjoy the flowers during our one day at the parks, but our evening before and morning after were pretty mellow.

The visit was a later add on to our trip, we had planned on being home about then. But, Sugarwings was starting spring break, and her dad offered to meet us in Florida, so we flew the grand fairy on their very first solo flight and met the brave kid (who did just fine) in Orlando.

And if you know me, you might have noticed there is something about Orlando that I just love. Yep, I indulged myself with a Disney visit. We camped at Ft Wilderness, on an off and on rainy couple of days. The temps were warm, and we had ponchos, plus the rain thins out crowds so we were just fine. The pool was practically empty, and not a single other person was in line at the food truck we went to.

Terry met us at Epcot and the frenzy began the next morning with an early entry for resort guests. And man, did we ever hit the ground running. We “rope dropped” (going to the most popular rides early before lines got to be hours long) then between Terry’s and my booking skills and Disney knowledge, we became power mad. Scheduling and layering ride reservations faster than a bluebird can find a Princess who just broke into song.

Seriously, we over did it. Our prowess in maneuvering ourselves out of standing in lines had us pushing ourselves to the limit to ride every single thing we could at Epcot then buy a park hopper pass over to Magic Kingdom.

Now, I am not saying I didn’t enjoy our adventure, it was amazing! But in retrospect, it might have been slightly crazy to start at 8 am and go to midnight, non stop.

We had a blast.

And we stopped when the kiddo wanted to, Terry and I enjoyed sitting while Sugarwings explored some areas. It wasn’t complete competition to set a record for most rides rode in one day. Terry hung in with us til evening, and I was skeptical about staying ourselves, we had a few moments of exhausted irritation, but we rallied, snacked, and kept rolling. I’m glad we did. Late nights at Magic Kingdom, when the crowds thin after the fireworks are pretty, well, magical.

There was very little shopping til the rides closed at 11pm, and stores stayed open til midnight. But we aren’t there for souvenirs.

(By the way, the two little buildings on each side of the castle, make for ideal photo ops)

Here is our breakdown:

Over 25 rides

Over 33,000 steps

16 hours

2 parks

And yes, I woke up slightly tired the next morning. But we had some time to spend between when we had to leave the campground, drive to St Augustine and check into our rental house.

Disney Springs has RV parking around back, and seemed like a good place to while away an hour or so.

It was still early, and Gideon’s Bakeshop was just opening, already with a 30 minute wait. Later it becomes so long that they take your name and call you back, sometimes hours later. Really? Hours to wait for a cookie?!

Oh, but it is quite wonderful inside.

Quite.

Since we avoided lines all day at the parks, I figured 30 minutes for a cookie wasn’t bad.

I would show you the cookies, but they were so good, they disappeared before I got a photo.

If you get a chance, you should get one. And one to share is probably plenty because they are 1lb each.

An AirBnB gone wrong, way wrong

family, Travel

By Karla Nathan / February 20, 2022

We had plans for a Florida adventure, but hadn’t quite packed yet when our boy (in North Carolina) asked if we wanted to meet somewhere near Chattanooga on our way down.

Then we heard that a big snowstorm was headed toward Kansas, and we’d be dealing with that across a couple states as we drove. So, we threw whatever we could remember to take into the camper and snuck out before the roads got bad.

We found a “riverfront log cabin” online and made plans to meet our son.

Well, the first glimpse of the rundown neighborhood didn’t scare us too much, but maybe it should’ve?

The cabin itself was clean, had a place for the dogs to run, a view of the river, and a nice trail to walk on, so basically, it suited our purposes so I am not going to complain too much. For a spur of the moment find, and a bonus night with our son, we took what we could get.

But the place was weird and slightly creepy.

Like, why are there so many bolts on the door that had been repaired with duct tape?

And the disturbingly dark and dismal artwork.

These paintings could possibly have been cool in another setting, but man, they implied a sense of doom here.

The listing noted that there was a great showers with plenty of hot water. He neglected to say that the on demand hot water heater was the size of a laptop, and would go from boiling hot to icy cold in about one minute flat. If you could play a game of hopscotch in the shower, you could manage to dart in and out to catch the seconds when the temps were just right.

The owner also mentioned that we shouldn’t go in the “attic”. Don’t worry, mister, I was not tempted.

I was very, very concerned about that branch though…..

Was it a perch?

And for what?!?!?

Did I mention that this perch was over the bed? Did something LIVE in that attic and crawl out onto the branch to hang over us as we slept?

I can see this place as a fisherman’s camp, maybe. My husband didn’t think it was nearly as bad as I thought it was. (He is wrong, it was bad.)

The view was nice, but the riverbank was full of trash plus some unnerving abandoned homeless camps, so I was not all that comfortable going out at night to take the dogs out. And the porch had a motion detector light that only was set off coming up, not going down the steps. The side without a railing had a big drop off that you could not see in the blackness of night.

And did anyone live in that hornet’s nest?

That said, we had a great afternoon with our boy, and a wonderful hike on Lookout Mountain.

We had planned to stay two nights but just couldn’t. Plus it was going to rain and I could not picture myself stuck in that storage shed, I mean cabin, with four muddy dogs in a thunderstorm.

So we drove to Jax and the Guncles took us in. And while I always love staying with the Guncles, I appreciated their beautiful home and welcome even more than than ever!

Happy birthday, Mom

family, Hand painted

By Karla Nathan / February 16, 2022

In a recent post, I reminisced about my mom’s pie dough goodies. The same day that I was writing it, I cleaned out a closet and came across this dress that mom had made for me. She has been on my mind a lot lately, after finding this.

Well, she is often on my mind, just like Ryan. Sometimes the worst part about losing a person is not being able to let them about something that you know would’ve brought them a smile. And she really would’ve enjoyed hearing about me trying this on after years of it being tucked away.

Today would’ve been her birthday.

The dress was a collaboration. I hand painted some fabric with peachy irises and she stitched a full skirted dress from it.

The best part is this gorgeous, hand crafted belt. She even covered a buckle in the fabric. Seeing how pretty this is, really makes me miss having a waistline!

The dress itself has an elastic waist and still fits. But it isn’t the same without this lovely belt, which would need another a few more holes punched in it to fit.

Oooh, the buttons! All are vintage glass. Green like emeralds, my birthstone.

She could sew anything for me with just a description, no pattern. As a child, I used to point to outfits in a magazine and she’d whip them up, with Barbie clothes to match.

Sadly, I went through a snobbery stage as a teen and would not wear home sewn clothes. What a jerk!

But as I got older, I appreciated all of the sundresses, lined jackets, winter coats, and shorts she would make for me all through the 80s. Not to mention the clothes she made for my kids, and the quilts covering all of our beds. And the perfectly tailored slipcovers for my couch.

Her ability to create something beautiful and functional from rolls of fabric by designing her own patterns was quite a skill. The math that went into that, along with the vision is impressive.

Plus, I always knew that as she made a piece, she thought of the person it was for. I keep that in mind now myself, as I craft my own projects for people I care about. They are in my heart as I create for them.

As I know that I was in hers.

A new look for the office

cottage, dogs, family, paintings, redos

By Karla Nathan / January 24, 2022

We finished the transformation of Rich’s office. Well, almost. We need a different sofa.

And for right now, the little nook that he is using as a computer area is just a board screwed to the wall, not a desk or table.

The rest of the room is all done, and everyone is enjoying the pool/ping pong table.

Most of the workout equipment is in the spot where all of the file cabinets and desks used to be.

The treadmill is behind the seating area, facing the tv, and there is room for an exercise bike next to it.

The walls are freshly painted and patched.

I filled the knotholes in the barn wood window sills with turquoise chips and clear coated the wood. After years of sunshine pouring in, they were cracking and dull.

We added new blinds and lighting, my son replaced the flooring.

The newly framed “ancestor” pictures hang below a sign pulled from the wreckage of the gas station Rich’s grandfather owned.

Some of these family photos were updated and reframed. I still need to get a few others up there. I think I have room for four more, a smaller one on each side of the bottom and top rows.

I have wanted that carpet gone for years, and am very pleased with the new, cleaned up version of the room! All of the hard parts are done, now I get to go furniture shopping for a new couch.

In praise of gallery walls

cottage, family, flowers, Hand painted

By Karla Nathan / January 13, 2022

As an artist, I seem to have a proliferation of stuff to go on my walls. As a person who enjoys taking pictures, and has very cute grandfairies, I also want their photos up there too.

So, groupings are how I usually handle that. The trouble is, I hate to get rid of old pictures that I love, but new ones keep coming along. On this wall, I added a few of our family fairy pictures to the existing collection.

We are in the process of redoing Rich’s office. My talented son put this floor in over the holiday, and it has been a huge improvement over the old carpet.
Previously, Rich had a gallery wall of barn wood framed family photos that he wants back up again. While they are down, I’m sprucing them up and switching a few out. (Photos to come when the room is done.)

Then, he had another request.

He wants our parents and grandparents on display too.

It is sweet of him to want this, so I have been working on a display that complements the other family wall but doesn’t match it.

I’d had big plans for painting some large landscapes to hang up there (we are out of room everywhere else) but like I said, this is sweet of him to want. He also wants to hang work mementos that I thought would be leaving, so I guess I won’t be painting landscapes for the room.

Looks like I’ll be sticking to roses to hang elsewhere. He deserves a space that is just as he wants it, since he deals with my stuff running rampant through the rest of the house.

And I have learned that he has some good ideas, too. I hated the thought of getting this dining table, to replace my all white one, and now am happy to have it.

Rich had a favorite tree fall down, and wanted to keep a piece of it forever, so we had this made.

See what I mean? He is very sweet.

Stretching out the cheeriness and overcoming teen apathy, ending our Christmas on a sweet note

celebrations, dogs, family, Food and Drink, holiday decor, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / January 5, 2022

About halfway between Christmas and New Years I am itching to take down the holiday decorations. The gifts are unwrapped, chaos has occurred with all of the celebrating, cooking, sleepovers, and piles of stuff here and there. I am ready for clean lines and tidiness.

Instead of flipping the switch from over the top, non stop Christmas that started in November to the simpleness of January right away like I want to, I make myself wait until the grand fairies either go back to Mom’s house or to school, because I want them to enjoy their winter break to the max, and atmosphere matters.

But just a couple days after our big celebration, I saw that Sugarwings was curled up in the couch nest (that was claimed as their permanent spot when Covid hit and school was online) being a non involved teen just looking at tic toks, and I saw no reason to keep it festive around here.

So I started hauling out boxes and setting up a ladder, preparing for the big, annual packing up.

Then it occurred to me that the fun didn’t have to end if I didn’t want it to.

So, in the messy midst of all of the boxes and bins, with some things half pulled down, I declared it was time for a cocoa party by the last lingering lights of the trees.

We turned on a Christmas movie marathon, plopped ourselves down to a tray full of our favorite cocoa party goodies and the two of us had one of my favorite days of the holiday break.

Funny thing, I barely like hot chocolate. I just looooove the festive-ness, tradition, and ceremony of serving it. And I love Sugarwings.

We missed our little Dewdrop, and it was a different sort of holiday with no little kids around. But I know that a celebration is what you make it, it can be special and exciting if you make the effort. And even teenagers can be invested and joyous when that effort is put out there.

A year of fairies, family, flowers, and furry friends

celebrations, Corona virus, family

By Karla Nathan / January 1, 2022

Last year might have ended in worry and cancellations but it began in hope. And ours started on the wings of fairies, which was pretty special.

We were blessed to be with our fairy family for Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2021. After what 2020 had put us all through, we were ready to face a brighter future.

Rich and I volunteered at vaccine clinics, where I was the coldest I have ever been in my life. On a day of 14 degrees, I worked outside for six hours, something my family still can’t quite believe that a person as terrified of being chilly like I am, could do.

Volunteering at this event not only showed me that I was tougher than I thought, it brought hope to me that our lives could be somewhat normal again.

We headed south for a few weeks to the beach where I got to make lots of fairies to give thanks for the blessings in my life.

We took four dogs with us in a 19’ camper, which isn’t as bad as it sounds. They are every bit as much underfoot in our home as they are in the trailer. Two doodles, a retriever and a Yorkie provide many tripping opportunities, no matter how small the kitchen I am cooking in is.

And what is better than being somewhere warm and blooming, away from a cold, Kansas winter?

Coming home is always hard for me. While I am away, it’s easier to not expect to see Ryan. He rarely traveled with us.

Returning to an empty house without his happy grin of welcome is rough to get used to.

These furry bundles of love came along in the spring. They fill my heart up, in a bittersweet way.

I can almost feel Ryan by my side laughing at their silliness like he used to do. He loved the puppies as much as I do. Having them around was a help in getting through the anniversary of his death.

For two months, I did nothing but care for the babies. When they slept, I’d do paintings of them, and talk to prospective families. I got very little sleep and picked up mountains of poo.

But I also had weeks of furry snuggles and joy.

The babies helped me through the loss of two of our Yorkies. The pups were right there with me when Twinkle had her stroke. As I held her in my arms during convulsions, those little dogs watched with compassion and care. I could tell they would grow up to be loving pets when I saw how they wanted to comfort Twinkle and I.

The very next week, we lost our boy, Albie. I don’t know what I’d have done without armloads of furry, warm puppies to get me through it.

There is so much joy in these little bodies, that you just have to smile even while in pain!

We took another camping getaway to the mountains of North Carolina.

Where I crafted riverbank fairies of rocks instead of seashells in the sand.

This is the year that Sugarwings grew up and became a teen, not a child.

And our Hippy Chic got her Master’s to become a midwife.

Painting flowers and landscapes got me back into the studio. I still haven’t added to my Boutique or planned a Birdsong event, but both have been on my mind. I’d started feeling out the prospect of an arty weekend, and then, BOOM, along came Delta.

So, I’ll be sticking to my solitary studio time for now. It would devastate me to host a Birdsong and have anyone become ill while visiting.

On a second trip to Florida, I got to watch countless dolphins, see sharks up close, and find amazing piles of shells on a teensy island.

There was a lot to be thankful to nature for.

It was also kinda nice to have the dogs cared for by family while we stayed in hotels instead of a camper.

I even got to visit Tinker Bell!

After a spectacular Disney adventure, I headed to Indian Shores to be with sisters and nieces. It was a beach I was unfamiliar with, and was surprised by the lack of larger shells. So, I used itty bitty shells to leave a mosaic fairy on the shore.

This might just be a new favorite art form for me. Painting with seashells!

Thanksgiving brought us a visit from Dewdrop and a great family weekend to be plenty thankful for.

Stories of the proliferation of Omicron made me value every moment of holiday celebrations we had.

And to remember to appreciate those around me and what is important.

I am wishing you a safe and happy 2022. With this horrid curse of a virus fading away.

A Gingerbread Cottage Christmas

cottage, family, holiday decor

By Karla Nathan / December 29, 2021

One thing we look forward to at the holidays is Family Gingerbread Night. I buy the houses at the after Christmas clearance sale stacking them up to use for the next season, and we save up sugary decorations for years.

Literally, years. No one is even tempted to taste any of it, the candies have been around so long. We like to mention as we are using the pieces that some are older than Dewdrop.

Especially the bright colored, hard, coated pieces. Those never die.

This was the year that Sugarwings’ house design grew up. We started making them together back when the kiddo was about two, and would work on the house throughout the month of December, glopping layers upon layers of goo and goodies over it until you’d never know there was a structure underneath.

That continued every Christmas, with the goal being to get as much stuff on the house as you could.

But this season? The grand fairy really put some thought into the styling, and even added a snowman party to the creation, with a tub filled with soda pop as refreshments.

Avahni’s was a crazy cat lady’s house.

And we had a Pokémon hospital.

My favorite might be my son, the carpenter’s. His is the one on the left corner. A pile of lumber waiting for the the house to be built.

We leave the supplies out so the work can continue as needed, I put them on a light weight folding table that we can shove out of the way if we have to.

But maybe pushing the table in front of the stairs wasn’t the best idea? It became a doggie buffet.

oops

Gingerbread wasn’t our only edible art. (Well, technically, we do not ever eat the gingerbread, but as far as media goes, I think the houses are in the “edible art” category, right?)

Thia brought over supplies to craft fruit and chocolate bouquets that were delicious, vegan, and lovely. Plus, the shape cutters and other items needed were gifted to me, so I can make my own bouquets in the future! Thanks, Thia!

And then there is this cottage creation. We started work on transforming my husband’s office. Fresh paint, new floors, blinds, light fixtures, and furniture are all in the works. Photos to come, for sure.

Simple Treasures and Dealing with Grief at the Holidays

collections, cottage, dogs, family, holiday decor

By Karla Nathan / December 25, 2021

2020 was such a wreck I almost didn’t decorate for the holidays. But with a grand fairy around, one whose year was as bad as mine, I needed to.

And the twinkle of lights during a dark winter is very uplifting.

So I did some holiday foofing, and was glad that I did. But when I found the bag of pinecones that Ryan and I gathered on a walk, the recollections of that day wrenched my soul.

We’d had Sugar with us, and we were in an area we called The Danger Zone, because there were so many squirrels. Balancing a squirrel crazed dog on a leash while trying to fill our pockets with pinecones, and having them fall out every time we bent over made us laugh til I cried.

And I cry now, just thinking about it.

But it was a fun memory, one to hold on to. So, last year, I put out just the trees with lights and pinecones in honor of him and how much we laughed that day while picking those up.

I will always have a tree decorated with pinecones for Ryan now, and use them throughout the house.

Every day is hard when you lose a child. But little things, like a pinecone, that can bring back flashes of a very happy day, are treasures that can help.

I have added his picture to one of the pinecone trees, and I love this one because it shows his caring and kindness.

I have used a bit more red around the house too. It was his favorite color.

And I have done mosaic glass on vases that flowers were delivered in after he died. They have flickering candles inside and make me think of how many ways he lit up my life.

This is our second Christmas without him. Sometimes I am shocked that so much time has gone by.

Other days, it feels like he has been gone forever.

I look at Molly, watching her grow from a wriggly little pup into a lovely dog, and realize that Ryan never even met her. She is a living symbol of my time without him.

I can just hear his voice if he knew we kept this pup from the litter. He’d probably say just what his brother did- are you crazy!? You do not need another dog!

But he’d have loved her to pieces.

She and I go for long walks on the sidewalks Ryan and I followed and some days we stop at the Danger Zone where all the pinecones fall and I tell her about him. She is a good listener.

There are so many happy stories to share. And so many pinecones covering the ground. Each is a reminder that nature renews itself, life goes on. That the little, simple things are what is important.