family – Page 24 – Karla's Cottage

The Pet Butler at the Flea Market

By Karla Nathan / September 6, 2018

Any place I go with Guncle Randy, he makes friends. He has always been so charming and interested in people that they are irresistibly drawn to him.

At the Sparks Flea Market he was visiting his brand new best friends more than he was looking at the goods for sale.

It isn't only humans that gravitate to his presence, all the 4 legged shoppers wanted to visit too.

As well as the 3 legged ones.

I can see why his business, Randy the Pet Butler, has grown since he began it not that long ago. He loves all the furry friends that he comes across.

He has been known to pet sit more than just dogs, of course, but I don't know if he has taken on piggies yet.

Although, if he did, it looks like they would welcome his care.

These piglets were for sale at the flea market, and we spent as much time squealing over their cuteness as we did shopping. I was sooooooo tempted to bring one back with me.

But, as sweet as Sugar is, I doubt if she would be all that nice to a new pig brother or sister. Or would appreciate the motto on the sign with the pigs for sale,

"Pigs are for LOVIN, not for the oven."

She was head over heels for her Guncle, and slept with him every night that he was here. When he left, she was searching everywhere for him at bedtime. He affects everyone that way, whether they have 2, 3, or 4 legs. We all want some Randy time!

I miss him too, Shuggie.

A Woodland Fairy Themed Birthday Party

celebrations, family, Food and Drink, Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / September 1, 2018

Sugarwings hosted her 12th birthday party at her family's Kismet Farm. She, her sister, and I set up the cake table, and I brought a few of my things to use, as well as a stack of paper butterflies I'd gotten at an estate sale for a couple of bucks.

(I wish I'd gotten a photo of the cake her mom made, it was really something special! That lady has a magic touch with cake decor)

To go along with the woodland theme, the kids and I walked to the treeline and we gathered grapevine hanging from the trees, to craft fairy crowns and dream catchers from them.

There was a nature walk and scavenger hunt, time to play on a swing, then a picnic.

The kids got to do a circus workshop and learn some tricks.

And of course, we had marshmallows to roast for s'mores!

Our Hippy Chick brought a pile of hula hoops too.

But in my opinion, the best part of a party is to just let the kids play outside and have all the fun they can make for themselves.

There was camping for those who wanted to sleep overnight in tents, so the party favors were LED glow sticks and flashlights to play with after dark.

Walmart has these mini lights for $1 each.

We also gave out necklaces that Sugarwings and I made, using paint pours.

The cake table was outside against the covered patio wall, and we hung odds and ends of fabric remnants and curtains behind it, then layered old tablecloths and burlap onto it. The butterflies were pinned to the fabric and it was a pretty simple set up to create and to take down. I brought serving pieces that I already had, along with the $2 pack of butterflies, so we didn't put any money into the decor at all.

I didn't get a photo of the table with the cake or punch on it, but the cake was so cute. And the punch was berry juice mixed with lemonade. Sugarwings and I sliced up fruit and froze it into bowls of lemonade to make pretty ice that wouldn't dilute the punch as it melted.

What a nice evening!!

A Woodland Scavenger Hunt for a Birthday Party

celebrations, family, flowers, games, Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / August 31, 2018

My son and his family now have a 13 acre home in the woods, and I think Sugarwings loves it out there more than anyone. So, when it was time to plan a party for her 12th birthday, this is where she wanted to have it. She suggested a nature walk as part of the activities and I made up a scavenger hunt list (spelling her name) for the kids to take on the walk.

Her dad mowed the trails ahead of time, and we walked along them to explore the woods.

It is a pretty time of year and there was a lot to see along the way.

Sugarwings stapled the list to sandwich bags for the participants to fill with their finds.

I was struck by how beautiful the trails were, and what a wonderful piece of property he'd found. He has been working on cleaning it up and making it a retreat for yoga, permaculture, and other workshops in the future and I'm looking forward to seeing this land become a growing business as well as a home.

And to watch the grand fairies grow up in the woods.

Even more so, after seeing how some of the "city kids" who came to the party reacted to being there. Many seemed unsure of how to handle themselves walking along a trail and few were able to find the items on the list.

All of my family spends so much time connecting to nature that it didn't occur to me that some kids were uncomfortable in it and happier on their iPhones than running through the trees.

One thing I noticed that made me happy, was that every kid did find a "TREASURE" from the list on the bags. They might not be used to woodland walks and seeing the details in nature, but they could still connect enough to know that an acorn, a rock with sparkles on it, or an empty snail shell was truly a treasure to find and keep.

And it made me so happy to know that our grand fairies, while they love screens and devices, like most of us in this world, still love being in the woods and the magic of finding a leaf with a hole in it and peeking through that peephole.

Lake time with Mr. Ray

family

By Karla Nathan / August 22, 2018

This summer has been HOT.

And DRY.

And things were looking brown.

It has almost been too hot to do much boating. But here it is, mid August, and we get unexpectedly, lovely weather, with some more mild temps, then much needed rain. I've had my windows open for fresh air, and have loved every minute of the breezes.

Before the rain began, we took advantage of the pretty day by spending an entire Saturday out on the water, staying out till darkness came, with just a small break to leave the boat and go downtown for lunch.

No picnic to pack, no mess to clean up, I was thrilled with just how perfect that can make a boating adventure. Normally, a lot of time goes into chopping, packing coolers, and serving a meal on the lake. This was so much easier, and more pleasant.

We had a new tube, that fits five people, or as here, 3 plus a dog. Twinkle loves tubing, "Grammie Style" which is barely fast enough to break a wake. She was a happy dog that day, enjoying every minute of her time out there. Her doggie grin was almost as big as mine.

But not as big as Ray's.

Ray is what we named him because he reminded us of Mr. Ray from Finding Nemo.

And then it was over….

family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 19, 2018

Somehow, summer is gone. Well, not the heat, and August is still here, but Sugarwings has started JR HIGH and Dewdrop has headed to NC to attend school there and be with her mom.

We tried to jam as much fun into the season as we can, so why am I so down? Except for an illness or two that slowed me, it was a lovely summer break with my grand fairies.

Somehow, I feel like it whooshed by me and I missed out on lots of things we wanted to do. I had travel plans and outings that never happened. But we did go to Topeka a few times to the Discovery Center, Zoo, and park.

And any place I go is fun with these two.

We went to Michaels Kid's Craft days so many times we were practically regulars.

And had plenty of craft days at home. Sometimes I think I have waaaayyyy too many craft supplies, until I look at the grand fairys' stash… They don't really need to go to Michaels for Kid's Craft days, but there is always a special feeling when you use new tools or learn a trick or two, especially in a setting with other creative people.

Although, they are perfectly happy hanging out in the garage and pour painting with me. Sugarwings is redoing her bedroom with the paintings she has made this summer.

One of my plans that didn't materialize was to go to the Omaha Zoo. I've been trying to get there for years now. I shouldn't feel bad about not getting to take them there, because every day with these sprites is like a day at the zoo. They are a fun couple of monkeys.

We've seen every kid movie that came out, we've gone to plays, and boating. We've gone through buckets and buckets of water balloons. Hours and hours and hours were spent in the studio watching the Disney channel and creating art.

It has been a very good summer.

But it simply was not long enough. I just want to hang onto these seasons with them as tightly as I can, but reality gets in the way, doesn't it?

Being a grandmother means knowing exactly how fast childhood spins away into adulthood, since we have lived through it once before.

Summer Fun

Dew Drop, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 3, 2018

The Grand Fairies and I had a little hitch in our summer plans, with my inner ear issues. We had to cut back a smidge.

Finally, I was able to get out of the house (and felt like I'd crawled out of a dark pit, after so long of feeling bad). They'd kept me company while I was down, we watched some baking competition shows and had our own contests with playdoh creations, and some ice cream concoctions. We had fun, but desperately needed a day out, I'd been in front of the TV for far too long.

So, when I finally felt up to driving, we headed to the zoo. And spent about 8 hours there.

It is a small zoo, too.

And we didn't even see all of it. But what we did do, we did thoroughly! We spent lots of time on the things we enjoyed, lingered over lunch while watching a baby giraffe, and they spent some time in the kids' zone, while I relaxed on a shady park bench with a good book.

The water flume where treasure hunters could mine for gemstones in bags of sand and gravel was a big hit. We also discovered that not all of the other kids were as dedicated to nabbing every last stone, and dropped quite a few in the mulch or in the bottom of the rushing water. Over the course of the afternoon, Sugarwings found as many crystals in the mulch as she did in the bag of dirt we purchased.

Yep, she was pretty into it.

We met some new friends too.

It was just the day out that I needed.

Van Go

celebrations, family, Sacred Circus

By Karla Nathan / July 26, 2018

Our town is lucky to have an organization like Van Go. Here is a snippet from their website that will explain them better than I can:

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE KIDS.

Our Mission

Our Mission: To improve the lives of high-needs youth using art as the vehicle for self-expression, self-confidence, and hope for the future.

Van Go is an arts-based, social service agency that employs at-risk youth ages 14-24, to make public works of art that are sold in the community. It’s holistic, year-round programming uses the ARTS to deliver in-depth mental health support, job training, health nutrition education, and life skills lessons. Van Go’s nationally recognized programming gives troubled teens a job, real world skills and opportunity to succeed.

A new camera!!!

family, photography

By Karla Nathan / July 14, 2018

Before my head decided to spin for a week, I bought a new camera. Well, actually, it is a phone, but who cares about that part, it is a great camera!!!!!!! I'd been wanting an iPhone 8 plus for a while, but my current phone didn't need replacing.

It was just too hard to justify that expense when it was just for an upgrade that I didn't really need.

Then, my husband was having issues with his phone, and it was no longer being furnished by his company, we were responsible for getting a new one. (hmm, that was causing a slight, bitter taste in the back of my mouth, he could care less about cameras and didn't even want a new one. I'd been day dreaming about getting one for a year or so, now we needed to pay for one for him).

I found out that my youngest boy and Katie Tree had trouble with service at their place. Plus, his phone had broken.

Since they'd moved to the country, they had no coverage and had to drive to town to make a call.

So, when I saw that AT&T had a sale where you get one iPhone free if you buy one and add a line… BINGO!

We added a line for the country mice, bought my husband the new phone he needed, and I got the totally FREE camera (I mean phone) that I'd been drooling over for months.

No guilt about replacing my old one, it got shuffled down to Miss Tree, hers went to her hubby, and with the change to AT&T instead of Verizon, they no longer have to head down the gravel road to make a call. Service is available from the comfort of their home.

And I'm thrilled with the portrait setting, all of these pics except the one of the house were taken with the new iPhone 8 plus. Nice, huh?

A dizzying week

family

By Karla Nathan / July 12, 2018

I've spent most of the week spinning around.

No, not another trip to Disney, durn it. I've had some vertigo.

Which, while being unpleasant and makes me very unproductive, is not serious. Very, very, very unpleasant, but could've been worse. With my history of AFib, I had lot of tests and was admitted to the hospital overnight. But after all the expensive equipment was used on me, a simple tuning fork was held to my head (the next day) and when I reported that half of my head was totally silent, the Dr. figured out that I had vestibular neuritis.

(Our local hospital is the BEST, but I wish there had been a tuning fork in the ER, and I didn't have to pay for two CT scans, an MRI, along with a day and night in the hospital)

I've never been a fan of being on roller coasters or merry go rounds, or of not staying busy, so recovery has not been easy. There has been a lot of Netflix, since I've been too dizzy to read or do art. But there has been a lot of blessing counting too. I'll take a dizzy spell from an ear problem any day over one from a stroke. This will soon be in the past, so I'll roll with it and be grateful that it isn't any worse than a virus.

Okay, I'm going back to Netflix now, this screen is getting a little twisty.

A good start to summer fun

Dew Drop, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / July 6, 2018

The grand fairies and I have a summer plan that includes daily regular crafting (well dur) as well as a special craft project, like pour painting, when they are with me plus a weekly outing.

Last week, we chose Crown Center in KC for our day out.

It has been a favorite of ours for years, there is always a lot going on, and we never have quite enough time there. They have asked to go back for another trip later on this summer too, so we can see Legoland and Sealife.

We spent some time enjoying the fountains, then saw a play, "Goosebumps."

Afterwards they explored the kid area with the changing theme. In the past there has been fairy tales, Wizard of Oz, recycling, science, etc. Right now, it is Trivial Pursuit, with facts about each state.

It is always interesting, and always free.

You are never too old to try out the exhibits, huh?

Actually, I found a dark corner that was set up with two adirondack chairs for star gazing, and I spent most of my time back there reading a book while the kiddos checked out the other 49 states. I'm not sure which state I was parked in, but it was nice and homey.

Afterwards, we spent time crafting at Kaleidoscope. (Free also, sponsored by Hallmark)

You can paint, melt crayons in a black light room and paint with the wax, create a crown, or a puzzle. There is so much to do there, one session never seems long enough. But the place is downtown KC, and I'm leery about staying too long and running into bad traffic at 5 going home. The girls understand that sometimes I can act like a little, old lady and are fine with moving on to something else to fit in what we can.

They always like to eat at the Crayola Cafe, which is seriously aimed at kids. The adult side of the menu seems like a kid menu too, but I make up for a not so great lunch by having a decadent cupcake at Small Cakes afterward.

We toured the Hallmark visitors center where you can make a bow. (free)

And we met a children's book author who talked to the girlies about his stories.

Yep, we will probably go back again this summer. It might have to become a regular thing for us if this heat doesn't break. Zoos and other outings don't sound like as much fun on 100 degree days. And that adirondack chair is tempting me and my book to return….