family – Page 31 – Karla's Cottage

Welcome to the Hellhole, or “Adventures in remodeling during a family reunion”

By Karla Nathan / August 2, 2016

When we invited family to visit, we didn't know this was what would be greeting them. Due to weather, our project has gotten behind, but our brave relatives came on in and faced the chaos of our home. What we didn't know was that we would be discovering a major foundation issue while they were here. Or that I'd be in the ER for most of the day when they arrived.

Did I mention CHAOS?

My sweet brother-in-law, Dale, was kind enough to refer to the madness as "adventure."

And while there was a lot of that adventure going on, we did manage at least one excursion out on the lake

to enjoy the sunset, and we had lots of tasty, family gathering dinners together.

Behind the scenes of most of the dinners, it looked like this on the other side of the kitchen. We had a slight snafu with the flooring guy, and to keep us from getting behind, my boy stepped in to do the job. We have a very old home, and our floors had some kinda sinky spots, that were going to make the new floors need some adjusted threshholds to match up the difference in the levels between the two.

Adam is not one to adjust things if he can fix them instead, so he ripped up some of the old floor to look beneath and found out that one of our foundation walls was nothing but dust and falling rocks.

Which meant that he, and my poor claustrophobic husband spent hours and hours in the Hellhole righting the wrongs time had wrought in the stone work.

Twinkle was fascinated and never left her post as a watch out. I think that meant that there were interesting smells coming from under the house, of old rodents and who knows what. I had some dreams about all of them coming up to visit us while the floor was opened up.

ugh

It was very impressive to see one guy who hates creepy crawlies and another who hates enclosed spaces work together to repair what could have been a costly, and dangerous problem. Before they started, there was over a 1" difference in floor heights, now the space is completely even and our home isn't going to fall into the pit of hell that lurks below it.

Plus, it is meaningful to have projects in my home that were done by family members.

This was also happening while we had company.

Which made for a lot of pounding, and dust, and FLIES!!!!!!!

Doors open all day for workers let in flies by the billion or so. Guncle Randy and I were on constant swatter patrol.

It wasn't exactly the visit he had in mind, or the gathering that I had planned, but I was so happy to have them all here to see us.

And the evening on the lake was just what I needed. The reunion was supposed to be Randy, Terry, and I in the studio all day, while the other guys played golf then boating every evening.

We only managed one lake night, but they were all very kind about it. And we did squeeze in some studio time.

And of course, we can't have Grandma Joan here without throwing a tea party.

Since I was under the weather as well as busy as a bee, Sugarwings planned and set the party up in the gazebo for her.

Although, I do feel bad that our short time together was interrupted by all the other things going on, I was sincerely glad to have them all here and I hope it wasn't too much turmoil for them all.

I'm feeling better now too, and everyone was helpful while I was down.

I just hope I get another shot at entertaining the bunch of them without all of the "adventure" happening around us. I could use a do over.

Between the Beach and the Hard Rock- thanks to Gloria Gayner, I Will Survive

celebrations, family, Travel

By Karla Nathan / June 25, 2016

Our trip to Orlando started with a drive to Cocoa Beach. Years ago, we started going there because it was the closest ocean access to Disney. Now, we go because we really like staying at the La Quinta by the pier. It isn't a fancy hotel, but has a beautiful balcony view of the water, and is a comfy place.

This year, Sugarwings was old enough to rent a boogie board. Kia and I mostly bopped up and down with the waves and played in the surf. She kept trying to catch tiny fish in her hands and actually managed to do it, too. I told her that she'd be perfect to be stranded on a deserted isle with. She can catch fish bare handed, plus is a vegetarian and doesn't eat them, they'd all go to me.

My handsome husband isn't an ocean guy, so he didn't get in much. He is more of stroller along the shores than a swimmer.

And our oldest teen? She refuses to let sun touch her body. She is an expert at staying lily white. Which I wish I was at her age, then maybe I wouldn't be so wrinkly and spotty…

Due to our flight being cancelled on the way out (we had a fun day in KC, going to movies and lunch while waiting for another flight), our time at the beach was cut short. We had a full day there, then moved on to Universal Studios.

If you stay at one of the on site hotels, you get a free pass to skip most of the lines. Or you can buy one for EIGHTY NINE BUCKS. geesh!

Good thing we got free ones, because if I'd bought those, I'd have been sad, many attractions didn't even have lines and we wouldn't have needed them anyway. There were times I was very glad to have them, and they were helpful. And we were thrilled with the Hard Rock Hotel. My sweet husband, who is not a fan of Disney, puts up with a lot of princess foofala on trips, and since it was Father's Day week, we thought he should have a place he would like to stay.

It was one of the nicest places ever. The pool was ideal, Sugarwings and I hardly left it when we weren't at the park. She participated in all of the poolside games and contests that she could.

Avahnni even entered the hula hooping event. Sugarwings won the hula hoop water relay twice. So, when the DJ asked for adult volunteers, I figured that I'd get up on the stage and maybe be in a water balloon toss, or something along those lines.

But dang, once I was out of the water, chosen as a volunteer, I discovered…

oh my…

It was a lip sync contest.

oh noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

I don't sing. I can't remember words to songs. I have no rhythm. I dance like Martin Short, if I'm at my best.

The other contestants were cute college girls, swaying to the music and holding up their cocktails. Girls who knew how to dance.

When I was asked what genre of music I wanted, I requested "grandma music". Maybe something from a cartoon or from the 70s? I was given Disco. Oh no. I do not Hustle. Panic was setting in.

Then, I looked around and realized that while there might have been 200 people there, Sugarwings was the only one I knew. So, I went for it. I went as silly and dramatic as I could.

I let the Martin Short in me come out full strength in my dancing and that won the contest for me.

It was a highlight of my trip. Thank god there are no photos. I still am surprised that was me, up there in front of the crowd in a swimsuit, dancing and being silly. My mom would've loved it, she was goofy too.

As much as I loved the Wizarding World, I could've been happy at that pool all week. It even had night time family movies, with underwater speakers.

No matter how much fun a trip is, it is wonderful to be home. And to see progress done on the new room while we were away.

When Sugarwings started reading the Harry Potter books, I told her that I'd take her to Universal to see Hogwarts when she finished them.

Then, her Daddy married the mother of the biggest Harry Potter fangirl ever. So, we decided to change the trip to a "Welcome to the Family" vacation for the fangirl and her sister.

We are lucky to have these two girls in our lives. They are smart, polite, talented, funny, sassy, and cute as can be. We love it that they are such good influences for Sugarwings and Dewdrop.

And we love it that they are now our very own grand fairies.

Plus, I got a bonus trip to Florida out of the deal!! I'm missing those seashells already. Tell me again, why do I live in Kansas instead of near a beach?

Disneyworld vs Universal

family, Sugarwings, Travel

By Karla Nathan / June 20, 2016

Last week was the worst imaginable for the city of Orlando. So much tragedy, so much heart ache. But that town is such a well oiled machine of tourism, filled with professionals, that we probably saw less of what was going on right there in front of us than we would've if we'd been at home in Kansas watching the news. In person, we didn't see any signs of turmoil, or heightened security.

On our last night, the performance of La Nuba was dedicated to the victims of the shooting and that was moving, but the only reference we saw to any of the horribleness that had occurred during the week. I'm sure that the citizens of Orlando were hurt, frightened, angry, and saddened, and I have to admire their bravery in not being beaten down.

Visiting Florida and the attractions in Orlando has been one of my favorite things over the years, but now even more so, after seeing the toughness of that town and the way the people there were not going to let the terrorists win.The town has a special place in my heart.

You don't come to my blog for stories of terrorism and sadness, though. I debated even mentioning the trip at all. But my posts are also my diary, or journal, and while I feel a sort of survivor's guilt about being in a bubble of happiness while such ugliness was occurring, I still want to fill in the pages of my life with the stories of what I've done and where I've been.

So, onto happier talk?

And what could be happier than a frozen butter beer in Harry Potter Land on a hot day???

This was our first trip to Universal, we were there to visiting the wizarding world.

When I was a teenager, I went to Disneyworld the summer that it opened. After watching Walt talk about it for years on Sunday nights during the Wonderful World of Disney, and a lifetime of begging to be taken to the original park in CA, I was beyond thrilled to finally get a taste of that Wonderful World myself. And it didn't disappoint.

Maybe since I wasn't a child myself on the first trip there, I never outgrew it? Add in a few decades of not being able to afford to visit, and then experiencing it through Sugarwings' eyes, and I am as hooked now as I ever was.

But this trip, we only walked through Disney Springs to see the Cirque De Soleil with our circus performer grands. (and they LOVED the show, Kia's eyes were riveted to the stage and she applauded so hard for the aerialists that her hands must still be sore)

So, I had a "Minnie" Disney fix, not a full one. This trip was about wizards. Which were AMAZING! Everything about Universal was so well done, especially Potterland. The Hogwarts Express especially. And the dragon in Diagon Alley?? wow!

Yes, I loved it all.

And it was an ideal park for teens, the big girls appreciated the more thrilling rides.

The food was great, the park was well run and friendly.

The size is manageable for getting around, reminding me of how cozy Disneyland and California Adventure are, these two Universal parks are much like those, size wise.

The workers were so nice and friendly, going out of their way to give Sugarwings little tours of the rides if she was too leery of getting on one, since she goes more for the atmosphere than the rides.

but….

I still missed Disney.

Dr. Suessland was magical and very well done.

Do you notice anything odd here? We played in this park about 30 minutes and only saw two other kids briefly.

Another plus for Universal, at least while we were there is that it wasn't as crowded as I've seen when visiting Mickey.

And there are some breath taking views.

Here is what I think I figured out….. Universal is fantastically done, and has rides much more interesting to older kids. Less crowded, less expensive, extremely detailed, it is beautiful.

But, while there is plenty of magic and fun, and excitement, where is the heart?

Oh there are fun characters from lovable movies, but I missed the pulling of my heartstrings that I get at Disney.

Seriously, there is not one single thing about Universal that I can't recommend. It was quite wonderful and I hope to go back again. Especially if I have older kids with me.

And it could be just my imagination, or plain old nostalgia that has me so hooked on Disney.

But I don't think so.

Universal is a fun day out at a fantastic amusement park. I really did love every second of it and was soooo impressed with the park.

But Disney is a fun day into my childhood dreams and into my heart.

The quality of the park is every bit as good as Disney, and the themes, are just perfect. Jurassic Park? Yay! That T Rex at the top of the waterslide was horrifically real. I still shiver thinking about him (Sugarwings didn't go near that ride)

It also had Impact Wrestling Live.

what?

Yep, we went to check out the venue. My son Ryan is a big fan and I hoped he'd see us in the crowd while watching at home. We didn't stay long, although it was interesting to peek in on.

Sugarwings liked the park, even though she missed the princesses. She isn't a ride person, she goes for the atmosphere. She likes the shows, characters, performers, parades, and Universal does not measure up in that department.

When it was time for the parade, we scoured the sidewalks for a good spot to watch from. After my experience with the other parks, I knew that you had to get a seat early, before the viewing points were 15-20 people deep and you couldn't see anything.

It was surprising that there was only a scattered crowd for the parade, and we had multiple choices for watching it. Then I saw why, it was a handful of floats, and suddenly over. Not the extravaganza I was used to. But Sugarwings enjoyed it. Maybe sometimes, over the top isn't needed?

There is certainly something to be said for no crowds blocking your view, too.

Please note that none of this is a complaint about my trip, only a comparison between the two parks. Both are wonderful, I was just trying to put my finger on why I was feeling about them.

Glittered mat board and frame

family, how to's

By Karla Nathan / June 4, 2016

I'd rainbowed-up the Hippy Chick's graduation photo so much with PicMonkey that I couldn't find the ideal frame to match it.

She loves all things sparkly and rainbow, and those were both requirements to match the glowing picture of her.

So, I took a white framed, plain mat and glittered them up. The mat is so glittery, it is crusty, with layer upon layer upon layer of shimmer stuck on with sheer glitter glue, starting with larger flakes and ending with a very fine twinkle.

The frame got a slather of red paint and I sprinkled the sparkles over the wet paint.

The pattern is random, much like the background of the photo. And it is blindingly bright in person!

A spa day for Dewdrop?

Dew Drop, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / May 27, 2016

While I was out in the garden, Sugarwings was playing King of the Hill on the mound of remodeling dirt while Dewdrop was supposedly napping.

At least, that was the plan. I came up from the garden to find this scene. Sugarwings had woken her sis up, fixed her a snack, and decided to treat her to a makeover, complete with a foot soak in a toybox full of water and glitter.

She even brought a mirror outside so that Dewdrop could watch her transformation.

This girl is infatuated with Kitties and has been asking to have her face painted as one quite a bit recently. This is one rendition that I did for her.

Now, Sugarwings has found the face paints and has decided to do the job herself, as well as setting up an outdoor beauty salon to create in.

This week is the last day of school. I expect many more elaborate set ups to come.

Although, it won't be the same without our tiniest fairy. She'll be heading to her mama's soon. And having her own special times there.

Graduation Day for our Hippie Chick!

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

By Karla Nathan / May 18, 2016

Sugarwings' mama is a full time RN, and working her way up into higher degrees until she reaches her goal of nurse midwife. She conquered another step of the journey this week as she graduated from KU's school of nursing.

We are pretty dang proud of her.

It was a beautiful day to watch the procession of graduates down the hill. I'd never been to a KU ceremony before, it was quite a celebration and a festive parade. Hundreds of grads walk down the hill while families line the sidewalk applauding, then all file into the stadium for the speeches and diplomas.

Nursing was a later group, so we picnicked on some popcorn and pretzels while we waited. (I didn't realize until editing photos, that I'd dressed Dewdrop in rival, K State's colors, she was a purple speck in the sea of blue and red).

Our girl had the BEST cap! It was all rainbowed-up, like the rest of her life. She topped it with a sunflower, a symbol of our state.

Schools of Nursing and Education had the most fun hats, and we noticed that the business students didn't do much decorating on theirs. There was a variety of students, of all ages and ethnicities. Some people had their children walk with them, some carried dogs. Many girls in beautiful dresses had bottles of champagne. Families rushed out onto the sidewalks to hug and photograph their loved ones, grads squealed and ran to the ropes to squeeze friends they saw in the crowd. One group had an old school, boom box and sang together, and we saw a few Go Pros filming the whole march too.

This was quite a fun filled, moving experience, and even though I only knew one of the people in the procession, I enjoyed every bit of the parade of black robed people marching down the hill together toward their futures.

Dewdrop called the grads "Hogwarts people", and liked the robes a lot.

Afterwards, we had a party at the cottage. Sugarwings wasn't happy with the display and said that it wasn't a celebration without streamers. And of course, my studio is magic and can provide any craft supply needed at any time, so I had red crepe paper on hand for the sisters to decorate with.

Her idea was to use bandage streamers, since her mom was a nurse, but I couldn't come up with that.

I was able to provide some bandaids that she wanted to stick onto the balloons, though. Cute idea, huh?

We put the decorated cap on an easel in a place of honor on the food table. The lace curtains came down and I found some red rose curtains to hang instead, since our girls like things colorful. There are two different, vintage curtains with red roses on the windows now, and I kinda like it. I might leave them up for a bit. I see no reason to change the curtains again, since that wall will be torn out soon for the remodel anyway. I'll enjoy a splash of color for a while.

Caike said she felt like she was at the Mad Hatter's Teaparty in this dress anyway, and that it seemed like she was the red queen while I was the white queen, painting the roses red for her.

Things got colorful outside too.

The kids at the gathering made use of the boxes of chalk I'd set out for them.

When they weren't blowing bubbles in the woods.

Or hula hooping and jumping in the mulch piles.

It was cute to watch the kids at the buffet table. I'm impressed with hippy family kids. They load up on veggies and fruits and honestly seem to love them, taking them voluntarily, not being bribed or forced. Every kid there filled up a little tin pail with healthy foods, and carried them down to the Fairy Berry Trail to have a picnic in the tree house.

Of course, I'm a grammie, the one who spoils the littles, so I came out into woods and brought a tray of cupcakes for them.

All day long, I was afraid the weather was going to turn bad, but we lucked out. It did cool off a bit, so we lit the bonfire and that was fine. You never know in Kansas what to expect weatherwise, especially in the spring.

We had our air conditioner moved for the remodel project, and in doing so, the furnace was unhooked too. I didn't think it would be a problem on that beautiful 80 degree day when the workman were doing the job. But, after a week of chilly nights and drizzly days, I'm missing the thermostat! I've had to tell grand fairies they couldn't stay all night with me because it is too cold in my house at night.

Brrrrr!

But for the special day of the party, the weather was lovely, the rain held off till after everyone had left. And while my house got cold that night, my heart was warm with memories of the day.

A Mother’s Day gathering

celebrations, cottage, family, Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / May 15, 2016

Last Sunday was Mother's Day and we had a crowd coming over to celebrate with us. I'd planned on keeping it simple, and using paper plates outdoors. But Sugarwings was spending the day with me and she LOVES a special occasion as much as I do. She wanted to do something nice for all the mothers, and that seemed like a good thing to encourage.

We moved the kitchen island out of the way, set up a folding table with extra chairs, got out the pretty table cloths, and I let Sugarwings set the table.

One of her special touches, was a colorful ribbon around the plates where moms would be sitting. (no that isn't Grammy hitting the wine bottle early in the day, that is actually sparkling water, although, I did switch over to sparkling wine at the dinner party)

Her Hippy Chick mama loves colorful things and rainbows, so instead of white roses, she got a fiery rose in a red vase, and an LED light stick that changed colors as it flashed in place of a candle.

Sugarwings took all of the photos after too.

Being able to set a nice table is a good skill to have. Our dishes, silverware and glasses are all mis-matched, but my grandfairy knows where each piece goes and makes it look nice even with the hodge podge we use.

It is always cute to see her use this tip, and make the a-okay sign with her hands to remember where the bread plates and drinks go.

Her finishing touch before guests arrive was to sprinkle some rose petals up the walkway.

Which was 100% her idea, she loves the over the top flourishes to make things special.

Rose petals lined the way to her mommie's seat.

Twinkle looked a bit confused by the whole thing, but will follow her girl on any adventure.

A playdate tea party

fairies, family, Food and Drink, friends, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / May 9, 2016

Sugarwings has been wanting to host a play date, and asked me for help. We decided to turn it into a fancy tea party with crafting and a walk in the woods after.

She and Dewdrop worked on the food, making these grape caterpillars with googly eyes, after a mini lesson from me on how to do it. We used blackberries for the heads and simply pushed the googly eyes (meant for cupcakes) down into the berries after we had them on the sticks with the grapes.

And see how nicely the table is set? Sugarwings did it all on her own.

We made the the place cards together. I cut a strip of died coffee filter, rolled it up, pinched the bottom and added a staple to hold it in place. Then gave her two leaves cut from scrapbook paper. She wrote the names on them and stapled them onto the rose buds.

The guests seemed to appreciate the efforts. One girl kindly told me that the tea was "divine".

We used cookie cutters to make the french fries into flower, butterfly, and bird shapes, then cut the hot dogs to make octopi.

Of course, any food looks special when you use the best dishes.

And it all tastes better when eaten with friends.

The girls explored the Fairy Berry Trail, before heading across the creek for a walk in the woods.

The creek was low, it was a good day to cross.

For me, the cutest part of the day was watching them sit in the Fairy House and point out all the sprites they imagined flitting about. The girls had full descriptions and stories about the little winged creatures they saw.

It was adorable to watch them build tiny homes from twigs, leaves, and ribbons for their new imaginary friends to live in.

This part of the day was so much fun, we ran out of time to do any crafting.

Looks like we will have to invite them back for that part, huh?

My Hippie getaway

family, Travel

By Karla Nathan / April 27, 2016

Our weekend at the southern Missouri campgrounds for our boy's wedding was a lot more than just attending the ceremony. We had a whole experience of outdoor festival time, and my very first camping adventure.

Honey came along with us and I think she loved the trip more than anyone else. And that is a LOT because it was a pretty cool trip.

I'm not much of a roughing it type. I love being outside, yet I also need my comforts, so we rented a camper to sleep in. We did plenty of cooking out doors, but it was also nice to have a kitchen to use.

And a camper to keep warm in. The days were lovely, but the first night got pretty dang cold. I ended up sleeping with a pair of Toasty Toes on my feet and one stuck to my nose, even though I had a camper with a heater in it.

I'm a wimp.

There were lots of nice people, shows, music, and classes on many subjects like sustainable gardening, yoga, and meditation.

My new daughter-in-law was the yoga instructor.

I'm afraid I didn't take advantage of any of the classes. I kept busy playing with Sugarwings, enjoying the trails, and making a stone fairy on the creek's beach. But my husband did try the acupuncture and he loved it. Although, it was odd to see him sitting by the bonfire with needles sticking out of his ears and eyebrows. Out of the corner of my eye, I kept thinking he had a dragonfly land on his face and wanted to shoo it away.

During the day the girls practiced for their show, and also gave mini lessons to attendees who wanted to try the trapeze or lira. I tried the slack line. It is kind of a cross between a tight rope and a trampoline. I got so that I could balance while sitting on it, but had to watch out because if my attention wandered for just a second, it flung me off. And I didn't just fall of, it really has a lot of tension and bounces a person off powerfully.

I landed upside down in the dirt a couple of times before deciding that maybe it wasn't my thing. I tried the trapeze too, but not in a way that really counted. Kind of like something a 5 year old could do on a playground swingset.

There was a guy camped near us who could stack rocks in a way that defied gravity.

Hammers too! He was showing us how he did it, and both Avahni and my son caught on pretty fast. Again, not something I was good at.

The location was beautiful. Sugarwings loved every second of it, not even noticing the chill. Dewdrop was with her mommy and couldn't come, but I have a feeling she is a bit of a wimp like I am and might have been a tad cold also.

Although, I'm sure that she'd have had plenty of cuddlers to hold her and keep her warm if she could've come.

She was missed.

A custom circus theme wedding cake topper

family, Food and Drink, Hand painted

By Karla Nathan / April 24, 2016

My son's wedding was to be very low key and simple. But I knew that he and his bride both loved flourless chocolate cake made with cacao, so I made a heart shaped one, along with a couple other tasty treats for after the luncheon. My cakes aren't very pretty, the cacao cake was covered in ganache and looked yummy, but sloppy, so I thought I should do something to jazz it up.

So, I took some foil and wire to build armatures, and covered them in Sculpy to resemble the happy couple being all circussy.

After baking them, I painted them black and white.

A styrofoam ball was covered in modelling paste and stuck in a cupcake wrapper, then stuck with two dowels to make a support for the lira. I hung the pink, wire lira from a beaded (garnet and labradorite) wire strung between the dowels.

For Miss Tree's hair, I used some of the same supplies we created her wedding headpiece out of. And then I painted her clothes to match her performance costume.

Purple is a fave of hers, so I added some violet glitter "sprinkles" to the cupcake.

My son is wearing his bowler hat, suspenders, and an onyx necklace

This was a quickie project because I thought of it at the last minute before packing up to go to the campground. I had some polka dot cupcake papers, but wish I'd had black and white. For the wedding, I slipped it into a second, clean cupcake paper and plopped the piece onto the cake.

I think now, I'll add a black and white wrapper over this, and glue it to a decorated box for them to have as a keepsake.