Travel – Page 17 – Karla's Cottage

A magical, Halloween sister trip to Florida, a surprise hotel, and a ghost story

By Karla Nathan / November 6, 2015

And I thought last year's sister trip was fun. This one was just perfect, even better. Before I went to Utah for the Grand Masquerade, I flitted down to Tampa to meet my sisses at the airport for our new tradition of an annual beach trip.

(Yep, October was a whirlwind for me, three trips and a workshop at my home… now it is time to relax and rest up after all of that. No, wait! I think there is more to come… Christmas is just around the corner and if I want to sell any angel kits or other decor -dyed and glittered trees, anyone??- I need to get into HIGH gear)

My sisters had booked a week or so at a condo on Siesta Key beach, where we stayed last year and I'd liked sooooo much that I took all of my kiddos there this summer and where my husband and I had an impromptu wedding vow renewal.

Bobbie and Sissy were having a nice long trip (I met them for 5 days of it) but the condo wasn't available for their whole stay. So, they decided to each surprise the other with a night not too far from the airport.

Unknown to them, they had each chosen the SAME hotel. And what a place!! The Loews Pink Palace on St. Pete beach.

I figured that they had both admired it and spoke of longing to stay there sometime.

Nope.

Sis had never heard of it before, Bobbie had never mentioned it. They both chose to splurge (big time) and treat their sister to a night at a spectacular resort.

Since I knew both secrets, I called ahead, upgraded a tiny bit and made sure that we could check in one day and stay both nights in the same room instead of moving from one to another the next day.

We had a balcony room overlooking the ocean, at one of the prettiest hotels I'd ever seen. We walked along the beach, ate seafood, shopped at a boardwalk in Treasure Island, and just relaxed on the balcony.

They shared a king bed and I had a rollaway, otherwise known as my baby bear bed.

We had some crafting time on our vacation, and here is how I drew that sweet, little baby bear bed. Not so sweet?

Well, one night, I had the worst nightmare. I'm not much of a nightmare type, they happen very rarely for me. But this one was a doozy, and felt so real. It was one where I tried to call out for help, but couldn't make myself heard.

But I just KNEW that if I could force the sound out, my sisters could hear me and they would save me from the long arms (with claws) that were grabbing me from under the bed. It hurt!!

Finally, I croaked out what to me felt like a blasting scream, but what was in reality a scratchy, little creaking sound. But, it did the job, I awoke my saviors and they rescued me from the black arms coming from under my baby bear bed.

But, it still hurt.

Seriously, my shoulder and hip were hurting. I figured I had tensed up so much from fear that my muscles were aching.

Till the next morning came…..

AND I HAD TWO, HEART SHAPED, painful, BRUISES ON MY HIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (We called them ghost bites)

Later on, I read about the ghosts in the hotel, apparently the owner and his true love can be see at times. Which might explain the two hearts? (I didn't take a photo, because they were almost more butt than hip and no one wants to see that.)

As Dewdrop likes to say, "That's Crweepy!"

Well, in all actuality, I probably had bumped my hip the day before and didn't realize it and the pain was what caused the dream.

At least that is what I'm going with.

The hotel was amazing and except for the short, ghostly visit, was perfect. I enjoy older hotels with a lot of history. F. Scott Fitzgerald used to hang out there, and you could feel the Gatsby vibe.

As I like to do on vacations, I created a sea shell fairy as a thank you to the beach. Since we were having a Halloween themed trip, I called her a Sand Witch.

And it seemed fitting, since I was finding so many black shells on this beach. I wanted to make another witch later on for Siesta Key, but the shells were mostly a lighter color there. Each beach has its own look with its shells and the ones I pick up determine who or what I'll make.

But she is always a fairy of gratitude.

After making the shelly witch, we spotted this bench, a perfect photo op and place to play!

I loved the old faded colors of the boats and chair.

Sissy had gifted us all with these matching shirts (from Walmart) and they were ideal for our witchy week theme.

She even brought her cauldron mug for coffee. We aren't big drinkers, so coffee was our vaca brew.

And coffee has never tasted better than it did from this balcony.

She also gave us matching scarves in this sea color.

There were lots of laughs that week, like here where we asked the person at the next table to take our picture just as a bird was pooing on my head. I had to go to the restroom and dunk my noggin in the sink to wash it out, then came back out with a sopping, dripping head just in time to barely catch the last of the dolphins playing off the pier as they swam away. I guess they'd been showing off while I was scrubbing my hair.

Everything about our stay at the Pink Palace was just beautiful. The place was pure luxury through and through.

With never ending salt water taffy at the front desk!

I was not too shy to keep "trick or treating" the concierge. This is part of the haul that made it with us to the condo at Siesta Key later on. We were set for candy for the week.

We didn't make use of the hotel spa, but we did ask for a tour of the rooftop garden area attached to the spa.

And we spent some time at antique and boutique stores around town. I'm showing off the back of my new shirt here. I don't know why we even packed anything, between all the gifts we gave each other and the shopping we did, we didn't need anything from home at all!

Sissy even brought us silver ice cream spoons. They used to be our mom's.

And they made sure to use them when they went to the ice cream parlor at the hotel.

But as much as we loved the high life at our palace, the best part was the company.

Fare thee well to the renfest for the season

Dew Drop, fairies, family, parties, Sugarwings, Travel

By Karla Nathan / October 28, 2015

When I got off the airplane from my trip to Georgia to see my buddies, I went directly to the Renfest to see my grandfairies. They were there with some family members to see their daddy at work. And Dewdrop had just returned from her time with her Mommy out East, so I was really missing that lil cutey.

I know I've said it before, but I think that the addition of the Mermaid Lagoon to the festival is a giant improvement. We sure love that area.

And this time, there was a merperson plopped into the water fountain near the entrance too.

And of course, there are fairies galore. My girls always recognize Fay Royalty and are quick with a curtsy.

We have our favorite places to visit, we can't go without spending time in the Children's Realm and seeing the wizard.

As a matter of fact, it would be easy to spend the whole time just in this area for the shows, playground, and crafts. (all free)

We like the dancing too. Whether with the sprites around the maypole or with the royal family.

Where else can you sing at the top of your lungs to "What do you do with a drunken sailor" and dance a jig with Cinderella and her prince?

And be surrounded by pretty gypsies?

Or go for a camel ride?

We also met Rapunzel.

It was a bit surreal to be in Georgia with best friends, enjoying coffee on the wraparound porch of Suzanne's farm house that morning, then a few short hours later being surrounded by mermaids and princesses.

But, what a magical time!

Southern fun

friends, Travel

By Karla Nathan / October 26, 2015

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be included in a girl's weekend with this talented group down in Georgia.

Hope Wallace, Suzanne Allison, Lori Oles, Jenn Hayslip, and Andrea Singarella

We spent a day at a flea mkt, did some crafting, but mostly oohed and awed over Suzanne's restored 1800s farmhouse, sipped wine and enjoyed the company.

The farm is in such a scenic spot, every where you looked, there was something pretty too see, from the natural beauty around us to all of Suzanne's decorating details.

But the very best part?

Buddy time!

Suzanne is a spectacular hostess, and has the ideal home to host a gathering in. It is filled with sentimental family pieces and she has stories to tell about each one. I never get tired of her stories, each is better than the one before. And there seems to be hardly anything in her home that doesn't have a funny or sweet tale attached to it.

Which makes her warm and welcoming farmstead even more astonishing. It wasn't put together just with her decorating skills (which are impressive) but with her heart.

And on top of that, she is a great cook. She always has some tempting appetizer trays out before filling us up with a fancy dinner.

The outside of the house is beautiful too, from the barn she got married in last October with the old truck to pose with in front-

to the cows strolling around the pond across the street.

I should have gotten more shots of the house itself, wow, it is spectacular. This kitchen is a dream, with Suzanne's eye to detail showing in every bit of the room. But here is the only picture I took of it, sorry. I was having such a relaxing and fun time that I was focussed more on friends than on photos. But you can tell what a wonderful room this is, can't you? It is a place we all gathered around in to talk and bond and of course, snarf up those cheese trays Suzanne kept whipping up.

The craft room has 14 foot ceilings with the home's original beams. What an inspiring room to work in.

We rode around in the golf cart on the trails in the woods and visited her neighbor's land where we picked fresh figs.

I took this from the back of the golf cart as we drove by.

None of us knew what these flowers were, but what a fluffy pink they are!

Here is the journal that Hope made during our crafting time. She found the book at the flea the day before, it was meant to be.

Andrea and Lori worked on jewelry, Hope and Suzanne did some journaling, Jenn made her pretty, dainty wonders.

And I got started on some angel and sugar plum fairy prototypes. I'm always thrilled to have creative time on a getaway.

Seriously, why didn't I take more photos of this breathtaking home? I guess I was just having too much fun talking to my friends. That is a pretty good excuse, isn't it? I took this pic of the bathroom door from my bed, across the hall.

Thanks again, Suzanne. I can't express fully how much I enjoyed it all!

ps-I will be away from home for a bit, having a sister getaway in Florida. I'll be answering emails from my iPad, but if you order from the Boutique, I'll mail packages on Tuesday the 27th. Same with Etsy, unless you are buying a coloring page, those are a digital download that you will receive right away. I'll have fresh blog stories pre-posted while I'm away, so please still come by to visit!

Kansas City Renfest 2015

fairies, family, Sugarwings, Travel

By Karla Nathan / September 24, 2015

Last week, we headed to the Renfest to visit our fairy and princess friends.

Sugarwings was sporting her latest gown from TJMax's great selection of royal fashions. Every fall, they have the BEST, highest quality, dresses at the most reasonable prices (about $30). I started to dress up, but since my husband was going along, I tamed my look down for him. A garland for my hair and a semi-witchy ensemble was plenty for him.

As much as I have fun watching the kids explore the festival, I personally love the overall style of the place, all of the attention to detail in the architecture, and the shady, hilly park it is all built in. The best building though?

This castle!

Wow!

My son's friend, Jessie is the stone mason. It is a labor of love for him, each year a few more rocks are added to this hand built palace.

It is a beautiful spot for photos, the artistry of the structure makes all pictures interesting. (not like my cute little models needed that)

Jessie does custom stone work for clients the rest of the year, and uses the in process castle as a storefront to sell his geodes.

There is a big selection of round rocks to chose from and take to the geo-tine (like guillotine but for rocks). Jessie spins a tale while the rock gets cracked in two. That guy can draw a big crowd to gather around just to wait while a rock gets broken. He is a born entertainer.

When the CRACK happens, the crowd cheers and everyone is excited to see what the geode holds as the owner walks through the throng to show off her treasure. No two look just the same and he has a wide variety of different crystals. Mine was smoky quartz with marcasite. Really pretty. This one is Sugarwings' stone and I'm not sure what it is.

She enjoyed working the crank to break hers apart.

She's also always happy to visit the mermaid lagoon.

While waiting in line to visit the merpeople, we found this heart seed pod.

Sugarwings gave the heart to Aurilliea Gyldenscale, one of our local, Kansas City area mermaids. (Being in the midwest, we don't have as many merpeople as you might find on the coast, so ours are very special and rare).

The lagoon area is a welcome addition to the renfest, it was added not that long ago and while simple, is very cute. One year there was a large tank/aquarium that a poor, chilly mermaid floated around in, this seems like a much more humane way to display the fishy girls. And it is more user friendly for the kiddos too, the little girls are thrilled to get hugs from their heroines.

We never fail to make a magic wand at the Children's Realm. Afterwards, you can test drive the wand with a real wizard. This was the point when I realized that Sugarwings is lacking in her magical knowledge. When I told her to call her patronus, she had no idea what I was talking about.

Time to start reading Harry Potter to her, right?

She definitely is well phrased in fairy lore and was able to chat with the faye like a pro.

And of course, is a champ at the maypole after years of dancing with the fairies.

Hmm, maybe this is my favorite part of the day there. Look at the smiles on all of those faces!

My not-so-fave part?

Visiting the animal rescue center. Which sounds very nice til you find out that it is a dragon, a hawk, and a billion snakes.

Yep, that is a snake wrapped around our little friend.

And around Sugarwings who got teary eyed about having to give the snake back. She wanted to stay and hold it longer.

ugh-shiver-bleck

Luckily, there was a fairy godmother handy to zap her out of her mood with a sprinkling of magic and fairy dust.

It is hard to stay sad at the festival, with all of that magic and revelry around you.

Behind the scenes at the Kansas City Renfest

fairies, family, Travel

By Karla Nathan / September 13, 2015

My son works at the Kansas City Renfest running a booth for a friend and also selling his own wares. The first weekend of the season, the booth's owner (and his inventory) were away at another festival and my boy had some extra work on his hands to get the space open and to fill the spot up.

Here is one of his displays to foof up the "Druid's Grove".

I came in for an afternoon to help him and did a little druid-ing up myself. Bone decor isn't typically what I do, but I kinda like the result. I told myself that the bones were at least in my color pallet, I've always been a fan of whites.

At least they weren't as heavy to work with as all the stone my boy moved around. Here is the jewelry display in the glass cabinet. Not all of the inventory has been set out yet., and it isn't quite done, but aren't the pillars and slabs of stone very striking?

I've been hand dying silk ribbon to use for his pendants, and he also has black cord to hang the jewelry from. The buyers will get a choice and the silk or cord will be cut to order.

The day before the event began, he was still sanding, oiling and creating wands and spikes. This area is was still in progress, it is the weaponry corner. Yes, those are vampire stakes he has hanging up, and there are some wands and stakes in a pile that still need to be finished.

I offered to make a sign for him. Not everyone knows where to go when they are in dire need a cudgel, and usually if you looking for a cudgel or a vampire stake, then you are probably in a hurry to get it, and a little direction would be appreciated.

Cool, aren't they?

I also helped him embellish the woven willow laurels that he had created.

And Sugarwings helped me out by modelling them so I could see how they fit.

The booth is all about magic, which is why he used the willow limbs to make the crowns. I wrote up these tags for the finished laurels.

Usually, I work with vintage flowers, but you gotta know your crowd. Old millinery would not be as appreciated as the newer blooms. (Although, I did sneak in some vintage lace…)

All of the flowers are wired into place and there are crystal beads woven onto the wires.

I have loved the festival since the first time I attended, way back when my boys were in Jr High school. Over the years, I've become even fonder of it, and I was thrilled to get a behind the scenes peek at the park before it was open for the season. The buildings are so quaint and charming, and with no one there I had a chance to get some pictures without families in blue jeans or pushing strollers and spoiling the atmosphere.

For being the day before opening, I was surprised to see how quiet the venue was. Here and there, were cars pulled up in front of a booth as vendors unloaded, with a few folks were busy unpacking and setting up.

And people were planting some blooming flowers in front of their shops. But for the most part, it was dreamily serene.

The park itself is a pretty place, it was a joy to walk through in the peace, enjoying aspects of it I hadn't noticed before.

Still, I'm looking forward to a visit there while there is a bustling crowd of happy shoppers, watching shows, and munching on giant turkey legs. And the best part? Grand fairies all dressed up as fairies or princesses, eyes lit up, and believing that the magic is real.

***********************************************************

ps- I will be participating in Brenda's Fall Home Tour. It begins on the 15th, and my home will be on the list for the 18th. There will be lots of pretty things to see. I've been checking out some of these blogs from the URLs Brenda sent to me, and she has corralled an inviting selection of homes to peek into.

Crested Butte

friends, Travel

By Karla Nathan / August 13, 2015

Our trip to Crested Butte sure was nice. Not only did our hospitable friends have a homey cabin for us to stay in while we visited, they took us out and about, on the town so we could explore the area.

My husband got to go fly fishing, which he says is even better than playing golf. I watched part of his lesson, but didn't go along on their day on the river.

Instead, Judy and I cruised the art fest going on downtown. First of all, it is one of the cutest downtown areas you will ever see. Quaint buildings, great shops, beautiful view, and good food were all topped off with this big, juried show with artists from all over the country.

With lots of booths, filled with spectacular art. Judy and I both were commenting on how elaborate and well done many of the displays were, I always like to take in the styling of the work as well as the work itself.

I had a few faves, like this artist.

Ethereal and whimsical. For me, you can't go wrong with that combo.

And this artist's work touched me. So dainty and sweet. I might have indulged a bit in her booth…

But as wonderful as the art was, my eye was caught by a less typical festival sight.

A BEAR!

Yes, a real, live, gobble you up, growly bear.

A real one.

Downtown?

During an art fair?!

With about a 1,000 people mulling about, shopping, relaxing, having a good time. Not a single sheriff telling us to stay away from the bear in the tree. Aparently, they think it is the same bear that was stuck in a tree the week before.

No one runs away screaming, nothing is barricaded off, everyone goes about their business. Although every once in a while, someone would grumble something about the poor bear and that everyone should leave it alone. Well, it looked to me like it was left alone, abysmally so. I thought it needed guards!!

We saw other wildlife too, although not in the center of town. Driving to our whitewater rafting adventure, I spotted two sheep in the mountains, so we pulled over to look. This is similar to the photo of the bear, you have to have really good eyes to find it. Colorado had lots of "Where's Waldo" type moments.

Impressed that I saw them while driving by? I was!

I was a terrible failure at white water rafting. Within minutes of getting in the boat, my paddle privileges were suspended. My husband was trying to hold onto me as I teetered on the edge of the boat, and quivered in fear over the rapids, so he couldn't paddle himself. I was told to use both hands to hold on, and he was able to concentrate on paddling without taking care of me.

We were much better off with him rowing full time, and not having to worry about me and my pathetic attempts to act like I was using an oar. First of all, I have no balance, everyday tasks often go wrong for me. Kind of like the day I knocked a tooth out on a cabinet door. Or right after white water rafting when I climbed into the hot tub and fell face first into it when I missed a step. I was wishing I still had the helmet on that I'd worn on the river that day.

After my oar was put away, and I was a passenger instead of a rower, and could grip the handles with my white knuckled fists, I was a lot more comfy and could enjoy my ride. It was quite a trip, the river was exciting, and there were rocks everywhere. When we were driving to the excursion, along the stream, I didn't think that could possibly be the one we would be floating down, I saw so many rocks sticking up out of the water. But yes, that was our wet,obstacle course for the day.

We had hoped to get in some hiking too, but between rainy weather and altitude adjustments (ugh, that can be unpleasant), we decided on a lazy afternoon at the cabin instead. Then, a trip downtown to see more of the sights and go out for dinner.

There are such cute, old buildings in the town itself. How could you not love this little cottage?

Or this one?

I hope to visit again someday. What a place!

A Cabin visit in Crested Butte with the Billings

friends, Travel

By Karla Nathan / August 6, 2015

Long time best buds of ours have taken a place in CO. They go back and forth from there and Lawrence, but recently, they have been in the mountains more than the plains and we have been missing them.

Oh, and did I mention that David is a GREAT cook, and these two are some of the best hosts you could ever visit? Crested Butte is such a funky, interesting town, with unique restaurants, that we just had to explore some local dining, but the best meal in town was David's special chicken tortilla soup served with a view on the porch.

The view from the hot tub wasn't bad either. A soak with a glass of wine is just what I needed after white water rafting, too.

We were there for the blue moon, and had some peek-a-boo cloud formations to watch the moon rise through. I found that in CO the weather changes from one extreme to another during the course of a day, but I managed to get a lot of deck time in, chilly, damp, sunny, or whatever temps were thrown my way.

And I agreed with my pal, Dixie, that the view from the easy chair by the window wasn't bad when we couldn't be outside. I spent a lot of time there, watching the hummingbirds flit about. And trying to snap a photo of all of that high speed flitting. I ended up with thirty pictures of a flower, not a single one of the little hummer hovering above it. Those guys are too quick for me.

But then again, unless I'm trying to get a photo of a creature that I can say "stay" to, I don't have much luck. There were mountain bluebirds galore, and I was never quick enough to get a snapshop of one of those beauties either, even though they aren't a fraction as fast as the 4 or 5 hummingbirds hanging out on the patio.

These guys were much more cooperative than the birds.

Dave and Judy have little bears in every room of their home. It's a whimsical touch, and every time I came across one of the stuffed bears about the house, I could imagine how much fun David had as he was tucking them in here and there for his guests to find.

Hand carved bears….

A giant bear looking over the railing to greet guests…

And of course, a cuddly bear on each bed.

The cabin sleeps twelve, I don't know what you call a bunch of bears. Not a pack, or a herd, definitely not a flock. But it is a LOT of cute little bears.

There is plenty of attention to detail, and the place is true to its Colorado vibe from the antler lamps and log tables to the wall hangings above them. (made by David)

They have added a mural to the dining room to go with the antler chandelier and wooden candle holder in there.

The kitchen has all been updated with natural stone counter tops, new appliances, and cabinets. When they aren't here, they rent the place out, (minimum three night stay) and they are generous with the kitchen goods. I've rented places that lack a can opener, and supply barely enough plates to serve a meal. But this kitchen is better equipped than my own at home. Right down to the pasta maker.

David is a gourmet cook and didn't skimp on the necessities.

My room was upstairs and I didn't get pics of it because I had too much strewn about. And I didn't go in the master suite at all. There is also a den, laundry room, three garages, and 4 bathrooms. All in the same western lodge motif.

There are big screens available, but why turn on a TV when you have that window to look out of, or that deck to relax on?

It really can't be easy to furnish a house both for yourself and for vacationers. They have done an excellent job of adding personal touches, but still leaving open spaces for guests to relax and spread out their own things in.

I highly recommend the place if you need a vacation rental in CO. Most of it was revamped when they bought it, with the kitchen gutted. It has nice showers, new carpets, comfy beds, a hot tub, it is clean, well equipped, and….

THAT VIEW!!!!!!!!!!

A spur of the moment trip to Chicago

dogs, Travel

By Karla Nathan / July 27, 2015

My husband has been in Chicago quite a bit for business. The other day, he asked if I wanted to join him, but last minute plane tickets were too high, so we decided against it. Then, the next day, I got to thinking that I should just drive up. Within about an hour, I was packed and out the door.

Too bad I didn't think of that the night before, I wouldn't have stayed up til 1 am getting caught up on "Unreal."

Stopping at a few antique shops and doing a little hat whispering on the side kept me alert during the drive. I didn't shop much at all, mostly I was stretching my legs and waking up.

Instead of going straight to Chicago, I stopped over night in Indiana to stay with Bobbie.

Sissy took the morning off and came to visit, as well as her two daughters. We had a nice breakfast, then I continued to Chicago, where I was meeting my husband DOWNTOWN at about 5pm.

uhmm, I'm a bit of a wimp about downtowns and traffic.

I can drive cross country all by myself with no worries, (as long as I have a book to listen to and stay on interstates) but get me into a city I don't know…. a big city… with people who honk (there isn't much honking where I live), I slightly freak out.

Well, maybe I freak out a lot. But I just cry a little. And drive around blocks forever trying to find the address, even though the GPS is clear, I have trouble with making the correct turns with traffic downtown. And there was a lot of that. I spent 45 minutes with the GPS saying I was ten minutes away from the hotel, til I finally made it into the parking garage.

We had a beautiful, king suite at the Trump Tower over looking the city. While I am not, and never have been a fan of Donald Trump, but I have to admit, he has a spectacular hotel. Luxurious, and detail oriented. With the world's best sheets and most comfy pillows.

I was a little too overwhelmed by my traffic dilemma to take photos, though. I did snap this one. See the black square in the mirror? It's a TV screen! That hotel is a pampering palace, with a magnificent view.

Especially from the outdoor terrace bar, way up above the city. Where we heard a helicopter going by, and I of course, looked up, like you do when you hear one close. But it was railing height, not up above us and I missed seeing it right there at our level,

We went to a friend's restaurant for dinner, and when the taxi pulled up, I kind of wondered if this was correct.

No worries, once we stepped inside, it was an urban, hip, wonderland.

With a bar made of old suitcases.

Funky art.

And even a resident artist who paints in the dining room.

After a beautiful walk through the city, back to our hotel and up to the bar with a view, we talked about trying to find a puppy while in that part of the country. I'd looked within a couple hundred miles of Lawrence, and had no luck.

So when we saw a post on Craigslist about a horse ranch an hour out of Chicago that had 8 week old pups, we gave them a call to see if we could take a look on our way home. But the rancher had to deliver a horse that day. My husband really wanted a puppy and this one sounded exactly like what we were looking for.

We had another night booked at this fab place, and reservations at The Mid America Club for dinner, which I was very excited about.

But, a puppy was waiting for us….

You know what we chose.

Luxury and pampering don't hold a candle to snuggling a fuzzy, new friend with puppy breath. We checked out a day early, cut our trip short and headed out to the farm to get this little girl and take her home.

A magical day in Topeka. Yep, Topeka.

family, flowers, Sugarwings, Travel

By Karla Nathan / July 14, 2015

Last week, Sugarwings and I made a trip to Gage Park in Topeka. We've often gone to the zoo and the Discovery Center, but this was our first stop at the gardens.

Many times, we have ridden the train around the park, and I always say, "I'd like to go walk across that pretty bridge someday," but till now, we have never taken the time. We usually hang at the zoo, playground, or carousel, and since I don't go there without grand fairies, I stick to things they prefer. But this time, I figured Sugarwings was old enough to do some exploring with me.

She can now walk by a fountain, without having to be pulled out of it. At least on a most days….

And she was happy to take a detour through the rose gardens on our way to the Discovery Center. I don't think she was just humoring me, it seemed like she enjoyed the flowers as much as I did.

Of course, the bridge was an attraction for her too.

And the pond is so pretty. But the best part was watching a school of tiny, black fish as they twisted and turned in the water, they almost seemed to be trying to spell something out for us. And I swear, at one point, they all joined in to form a heart shape as they swam by.

Anywhere that I go with this girl is a magical place.

Through her eyes and imagination, I see all the possibilities of magic being real in a public park in Topeka, Kansas. We could have been over the rainbow and it wouldn't have been any more special than it was right here in the midwest on an ordinary, overcast Tuesday.

You can find magic anywhere if you keep your eyes open. Not only were the fishies making heart shapes for us, I came across a mossy heart in the cracks of the pavement too.

We looked around, took photos, talked about flowers, watched the fish. It was a simple kind of entertainment, aren't those often the best?

She offered to take my picture too.

And, like usual, my eyes were closed in each one.

We did some of our regular kid activities too. She rode the merry go round a few times ($1 a ride, no lines, no crowds), we played in the black light room at the Discovery Zone a couple of hours, until my eyes were crossed, and we had lunch at the zoo.

After years of riding by the pretty, little, stone bridge, I was so glad that we stopped and explored the park. It was such a small thing, such an easy thing to do, but such a big adventure for the two of us.

ps- here are some newbies to my Boutique. And if you are here for the studio tour, you can find it here.

A quick trip to Disney, not quite long enough, but in some ways too long

family, Travel

By Karla Nathan / July 3, 2015

When we first planned our trip to Florida, Disney wasn't in it. The plan was one full week in a beach house. Then, I ran into trouble finding that, since most houses rent from Saturday thru Saturday and we were arriving on a Tuesday. I arranged to get two condos on Siesta Key, one over the other at a weekly rate.

Next thing I knew, the family was saying, we can't go to Florida and NOT head to see Mickey!!!

So, adjustments were made, rooms were switched, and we lost our weekly rate. But it was worth it, I knew the girls would be thrilled. And since I LOVE Disneyworld, I was all for it.

Then, we decided to invite Miss Tree and her girls, and I was on the phone again, rearranging, cancelling one condo that wasn't big enough, finding another nearby, and shuffling Disney rooms and plans. I put in hours on the phone planning, changing, switching, exploring options, and it wasn't exactly easy, while planning Birdsong, but we loved having those three join us, those girls are wonderful people, and I think that all of our arrangements were ideal once made.

(I do admit to some whining on my part while switching things around so much, and do suggest that you should have firm plans when you decide to book rooms, we ended up losing a rather hefty deposit)

But as I said, I was glad the plans changed, I LOVE Disneyworld! And even better, Ry Guy said he wanted to come to the park too. Now, he has been a bit of a recluse for the last 10-15 years. He doesn't like crowds, and doesn't get out much. He is a big, ole, sweetheart, but has a lot of anxieties. I was worried about him coming on the trip at all, let alone spend time at the park with the hoards of people. I promised him his very own room, so he could retreat if needed.

And you know what? He didn't need to hide. Ryan gets the Happy Camper Award for best vacationer. He was amazing, and I saw a side of him that I didn't know he had. I could tell that at times, it was not easy for him, but he made himself stick it all out, even when he had the option of going back to the hotel to get away from the heat and the people.

He stayed with me, knowing I was tired, and hadn't got much rest, and was there for me all day when I needed him. And when hotel rooms needed to be changed around, he stepped up and offered to share. I was proud of my son, and how he left his comfort zone behind when he joined the family on this vacation.

We arrived on a Sunday afternoon, and had lunch Downtown Disney. Then checked into the Caribbean Beach resort, and had a few shuffles there too with the rooms that connected and some other little issues that delayed check in, but eventually we got settled and hit the pools.

Not everything goes exactly as you might plan it, no matter how hard you try. In hindsight, I'd have changed some things, but that doesn't help now, does it? I think that a day and a half at the resort simply is not enough to really get into and experience it, but I wouldn't trade away a single moment we had on the beach. It was a lot to squeeze into a short time, and I for one was a bit fried and needed a nap.

I'm afraid that I was so tired at the park, I did something I've never done in my life, I fell asleep standing up, waiting for the party to gather up at the gate to leave at the end of the night.

Like a horse.

Like a worn out, old workhorse.

Ready for the glue factory.

Dewdrop tends to turn foul if she misses her nap, and doesn't do very well with uncomfortable situations like extreme heat and lines. But she was a pure delight all day. I told her afterwards that she might have been the only kid in the whole park to not cry once and I was so proud of what a big girl she was.

She said, "I was sooo happy!"

And she was. 4 is an exciting age to see all that magic come alive.

We didn't have reservations for any of the nice, sit down restaurants, but I researched online to find out where to feed vegetarians. I saw that you could request veggie versions of most meals, even if it wasn't on the menu, but then when we got in line at one place, we found that wasn't true.

But we did discover that there was a counter service place with air conditioned seating in Tomorrowland, with live entertainment from this space alien, lounge lizard, that had some pretty good veggie fare, as well as the burgers others were craving.

It was a hot day, which was draining, but we still had a great time, and hopped from shade to shade, plus used umbrellas that we'd brought to create our own shade. Fast Passes are wonderful, you can now plan weeks ahead of time and coordinate your rides. And we found that if you see any adventures with a sign saying 20 minutes or less, you should pop in immediately!

We fit in a ton of rides, including the carrousel, Small World, and Mickey's Philharmagic twice. Dewdrop didn't care if she did something twice and had no idea that we didn't do everything that there was to do. We did the things that were quick or shady and she was thrilled with it all.

I'm afraid that I wasn't at my tip-top best. A bad cough, some stress from travel, and pure, standing up sleeping exhaustion by that time, but I still LOVE Disneyworld.

And so do they.