Karla's Cottage – Page 129

A Studio Tour from Birdsong 5

By Karla Nathan / July 10, 2015

This photo is from the night before Birdsong 5 in June. I'm just getting around to posting all the pictures of the event, and the timing is perfect to also be a part of Karen's Where Bloggers Create Tour.

I've participated in her studio tours every year and it is a treat to click through the links and visit the other spaces. And I've also been featured in the actual, Where Women Create magazine from being chosen out of this annual event Karen hosts. You can see some of the studio pics from the magazine here. And here are some photos from the shoot for the story.

I always look forward to Karen's gathering of blog workspaces, it's fun to click through and see so many great storage and desk ideas in one place. If you'd like to see how my studio has changed over the years, you can find past tours here.

Since I have shown pics of the studio every year for the blog tour, I figured I wouldn't have anything new to offer this year. But the tour just happened to cross over with me finally getting around to posting the Birdsong set up in the studio, so I thought I'd link to the party after all. These views are a little different than my usual arrangement of the space.

And the room is spruced up for a party, anyway!

Most of these shots were taken at night, before all the guests arrive on Friday morning. Here is the view out of the room's back door, with the LED lights glowing on the new fence that my son built last fall. I keep the lights on a timer, from dusk to dawn, year round, even though I'd first put them up just for Christmas. I like the twinkles and it makes me smile to see them from my bedroom window, or from the studio on nights I work late.

Normally, this is the spot where I have my own work area. For Birdsong, I pack up my personal supplies, shift tables around, set up more tables, and bring out the folding chairs (with their backs covered in cut down vintage pillow cases). The room is right around 1,000 sq ft, and I am constantly trying to streamline the supply cabinets to make more space for people and parties.

The room has changed a lot over the years, mostly in filling the space with better storage solutions and slight shifts that make it a little more functional each time. Here is a link to a recent change in storage, and here is another one about trying to eek out a few more inches here and there. The room is pretty big for just me to work in, but when you consider all the crap lovingly collected supplies that I have, and the fact that sometimes I invite 30 plus friends over to play with me, an inch here or there is important.

The theme for Birdsong is "nature inspired", which can mean a lot of things. And of course, includes a lot of sweet, little birdies. I don't go all out with decor, I just tweak (or tweet?) the existing set up and add some birds here and there. Like these vintage bird brooches on my dress form. I also spritzed her angel wings with Glimmer Mist to turn them into bluebird of happiness wings instead.

Previous years' projects, like this 'nest' banner above the bench, and the birdcage on the dress form add atmosphere.

The collage is from Beth's class a couple of years ago.

The fairies were one of last year's classes, and since we were working on art journals this year, I set many of mine out around the room for guests to flip through for ideas.

I did the same thing in the dining room of the house, I thought that as everyone sat down to eat, they might want to look at my journals before they started on their own books.

Oh- but back to the studio-

I have some favorite vintage wallpapers on the wall in old frames painted white. I like to add some birds torn from aged books to the frames. Usually, just stuck into the edges, sometimes anchored with stick pins.

Changing out the pictures is an easy way to update the room for different holidays or themes without going to any expense or much time at all.

The banners in the front window are from various classes or swaps, and I added "nest" from playing cards for the weekend.

And of course, having art work from the teachers on display is great too! This is what Lori Oles was teaching this June.

Over the years, I have gathered lots of birdsong type decorations, like this 'sing' banner from a swap our first year. And many of my guests gift little birdie tidbits to me, that I can set out in the spring before everyone arrives.

As much as I enjoy all the feathered friends around the room, I try to keep all of the pieces special by tucking them away in the fall. It's nice to have a change for seasons, and when spring comes around again, I love pulling out all of the treasures to sit out around the room.

The tables get covered in white paper (I use gift wrap from Dollar Tree, it is very affordable compared to white craft paper), I toss a curtain over the TV, and hang some pretties from branches wired to the ceiling and from the chandeliers. The branches are permanent, the tied on danglies change a few times a year. I hang shiny brites at Christmas, hearts at Valentines, and sometimes some ghosts at Halloween. I'm not always on top of the changes…. it isn't unheard of to have ghosts swaying above my head at Thanksgiving or hearts still there for Easter…

The birdcages are from a previous class too. I like having the decor up above the work tables as opposed to on them. Once the ladies start getting kits open, and setting out their supplies, helping themselves to a plate of cookies and a cup of coffee, anything else on the table is just a nuisance, no matter how pretty it is. I try to keep the table tops limited to paper towels, wash wipe packets, or lamps and stick to decorating above, not on, the tables.

It's always so festive to have the space set up for a party! Planning an event is also a hefty reason to keep the room reasonably tidy. Working on big projects, shipping things from my Boutique, doing swaps, can all cause major trashing of the studio, but knowing that I have a group coming to visit in the not so far future keeps me inline and helps stop any hoarding tendencies from getting the best of me.

When it is all over, I miss everyone, and the place seems very empty.

It's a very special feeling to have the room filled with creative souls.

And smiling faces!

If you are here from the studio tour, thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy all the fascinating spaces offered on Karen's links. And I hope to see you here again sometime.

If anyone has interest in Birdsong 6, or for the Romantic Gothic Ghost workshop this fall, please email mail me at: Karlanathan@sbcglobal.net and I'll add you to the mailing list for info.

If you'd like extra project kits for Birdsong 5, you can find mine here.

A quiet 4th of July

cottage, family, flowers, Garden, kitties, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / July 8, 2015

We had quite a nice holiday weekend. Not at all typical for us, no parties, no people, no fireworks, no trips.

The weekend started on Friday with a performance at Theatre Lawrence, from the workshop Sugarwings had attended there.

It was very impressive to see how the teachers could corral all of these little ones and get them to understand the workings of being in a play, learning lines, songs, and choreography in just one week. And it is great for the kids to have a chance to be on the fancy stage.

Sugarwings is very serious up on stage, but does sneak looks up to where family is sitting, to make sure we are watching her. And at one point, she broke out in an impromptu, improvised tap routine that had nothing to do with the show.

Maybe tap lessons should be the next class she takes…

Her favorite part seemed to be the way her sparkling cape could swirl with some twirling in the lobby.

The rest of the weekend was pretty laid back. My husband and I did some hiking at the lake each morning, then spent the rest of the days doing yard work around the cottage.

Now, my husband isn't exactly a yard work kind of guy. At least as far as flower beds go. He is more of a chainsaw type, but when I mentioned that my rose bushes had become so overgrown that they weren't blooming the way they should and were more like thorn bushes than flowers, he was right there with a chain to wrap around them and pull them out with the John Deere Gator.

The roses were planted in bad places, that seemed fine when the plants were little. One was by the patio of the studio, and three were along the side walk to the front door. As they grew, they needed major trimming to stop their thorns from snagging unsuspecting people walking by.

I've not got a lot of experience with roses, but it seems to me, that the more you trim them, the woodier they become, and the less they bloom. These were turning into giant thorn trees with woody trunks, not green bushes with flowers. So, out they went, and the one by the studio was replaced with a hydrangea instead.

For the sidewalk area, I purchased 2 azaleas and a topiary. But the topiary wouldn't work, because there is a bedrock of gravel under the bed, and we couldn't dig through it. The base of the topiary was just too large, but the smaller pots of azaleas were just fine. So, the tree is in a temporary basket for now, and I'll set it in a pot when I find one later (it's time for some good 75% off sales at the greenhouses!)

We also dug out mulch and added a row of gravel along the foundation, due to some termite issues we are having. My husband got to fill his Gator with gravel and use the dump truck function to fill the trench he'd dug.

We also worked in the veggie garden, and had to pull some vines down from the walls. A vine covered cottage is a beautiful thing, if you don't care about termites and damage to your siding. If I could let them go, I sure would. Especially since they just start climbing on their own, it looks so charming and natural. But, nope, they had to be ripped away.

Lots of hard work got accomplished, and we had a good time doing it. I really can't remember the last time the two of us were on our own, and hung out together all weekend. We tend to have a lot of separate interests and many other people that take our attention from each other. This was nice.

I hope your weekend was a memorable one too. I thought I'd work in the studio and add some things to the Boutique, but didn't get around to it til Monday.

And I didn't mind at all.

Here are a few things that I listed.

Birdsong FIVE weekend- vendor night

bird song art event, family, Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / July 6, 2015

If you are interested, Birdsong kits are available here.

Seriously? It has been a month since Birdsong? Well, I think I, personally, have recovered from the bash and from my whirlwind of a vacation right after, but my studio and garage sure haven't. If you walked into my garage, you'd think that it was a store, not a place to keep a car. I don't know why it takes so much longer to put things back to normal than it does to set it all up.

Well, maybe I do. Getting ready for a big party is exciting. There is the giddy anticipation plus deadlines to meet. But after it is all over? It's just a job, packing up, cleaning up, putting up. I'm fed up with it!!

This is how the garage looked, pre-birdsong as I was getting ready. The room was emptied out, and I rolled out strips of vintage wallpaper and tacked them up to brighten the dingy place, then filled that wall with an assortment of frames painted white.

Here it is after I got them all together. And while quite a few of the frames are gone now, I'm afraid that the wall still looks pretty much the same. You know, it isn't a bad look for a garage, is it? Maybe I can just leave the wallpaper up there…

It was a little hectic on vendor night. Luckily, I have a helpful crew who run the show, I am in the kitchen getting our dinner ready, and swaps are going on at the same time. I was in three of the swaps, but I wasn't able to fully participate, I had to do a run by swapping, I practically tossed my swap to my partner as I speeded by on my way to the kitchen.

And I completely LOST one of my swaps. It wasn't a partnered one, or I'd have kept searching til it was found. It was an exchange where numbers were drawn to chose partners, so I didn't leave anyone in the lurch by not joining in at the last minute.

But I was disappointed to not be a part of it, and irritated with myself for being careless. But if you saw my office and studio during Birdsong, I think you'd understand how anything could be misplaced. There was (and still is) stuff everywhere.

Slowly, but surely, I'm working my way through piles and getting it rearranged and back to normal.

Vendor night is fun, though, even with all the running around I have to do.

My helpers make it all go smoothly, and I hope that the rest of the Peeps enjoy it all too.

While I have to hurry through swaps, I do love peeking out to see all the happy exclamations over the generosity and talent that went into the pieces being traded. And I'm also pretty happy about all of the treats around that night. This year, I made some apple rosette tarts, and they were pretty tasty, if I do say so myself.

What I like about them is how deceptively simple they are. Apples, sugar, cinnamon, pastry, and that is it. The trick is to use a very flavorful apple and let that taste shine through.

I also tried to whip up some macarons. Not quite as successful as the tarts, but they tasted better than they looked. And you really can't go wrong with anything filled up with white chocolate ganache, can you?

Karen sweetly brought this box of hand made, bird shaped, chocolates for us.

Terry was a constant help in the kitchen, while Randy ran errands, took out trash, did all the heavy lifting, 'guy' type jobs, and was just plain old, great to have around. As were all the kindly family members who chipped in to make this thing work.

What would I do without my family?

Shelli helped me use cookie cutters to add chicks to the watermelon salad.

Since making it that way, Sugarwings and I have done that same trick every time we cut open a melon. why eat a plain old slice, when you can have a butterfly or a star????

The salad was made like this:

I ran a fork along the sides of a cuke to make pretty ridges, then sliced it up thinly.
We sliced two small melons, into a thickness that coordinated with the cookie cutters and then cut shapes on a cutting board.
A lot of watermelon goes to waste when using cookie cutters, it can't be re-rolled out like sugar cookie dough to use the remnants. So, we had a separate bowl for the ugly pieces. That is why it took two melons to make enough for one big salad.
We mixed the melon and cucumber, drizzled it with lime juice and topped it with fresh mint. (you could also use balsamic dressing instead if you'd rather, I serve it that way sometimes too)
The feta cheese was served on the side, so it didn't get soggy.

I'll leave you with some photos of my house before it all began.

And this is the puff pastry crust I made for the pot pies. And yes, I see now that the R is backwards! ha!

Maybe I should stick to birds? I'm slightly fond of birdies!

PS- I've been adding the to Boutique, if you couldn't make it to Birdsong to shop, you can shop 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.

Birdsong FIVE kits for sale

bird song art event, Books, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / June 30, 2015

This is the project led by Lori Oles for Birdsong 5. Delightful, isn't it? And after she left, I found it in my studio, left behind as a surprise gift! All of the teachers trade kits too, so I also have one to make, which I am looking forward to doing. I was a bit busy during her class and didn't get a chance to sit down and work on my own.

I asked Lori and Lesa to make up a few extra kits just in case we needed them, and also to offer to our past Birdsong Peeps and sponsors who couldn't make it for the weekend. Lesa had a few personal orders to fill too, so her kits went really fast.

I have a few more of Lori's if you'd like one for $40, please email me at::

karlanathan@sbcglobal.net

While I was kitting up packages, I made ton of extras of my own kits. For one thing, I really love pulling together coordinating elements and packing up pretties for someone to open and enjoy. And I did a LOT of kits for my two classes.

Only one is sold out, I have the others still available.

You can find the Doodling Tips and ideas here.

And everything you need to make this collage page is found here in neutrals.

Here for pinks and here for blues. Please keep in mind that all are going to be unique, since I've filled them with vintage papers and materials.

There are also journal making kits available. With aqua , moss, or chocolate velvet ribbon. Every kit comes with instructions. The journal kits have hand illustrated ones so you have diagrams to look at.

While getting ready for the class, I made lots of examples too. I've got two of the books listed for sale, this one comes with an ephemera pack to finish the pages.

Both are fully constructed and ready for you to finish and fill.

And believe it or not, I ACTUALLY ADDED SOME THINGS TO THE BOUTIQUE!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I had to use all caps, because that was my equivalent of shouting it from the rooftops. I'm so impressed with myself for finally getting around to cleaning up my little online shop. (I'd much rather be impressed with myself for getting this done, than ashamed of myself for the long term neglect up til now, that is better for the soul)

Now, I'm not saying the store is fully stocked, as of yet…

But it is a start!

And you know what? It was fun to do. I'd forgotten how much I liked filling up the pages of goods. So, I've planned to set aside some time every day this week to add a few more things here and there.

I've got a lot of things to market, so I hope I can keep up this momentum. Please check back to see.

Edit- Lori's kits are now sold, but Lesa does have a couple, please contact her here: https://www.facebook.com/lesa.dailey?pnref=story

Farewell Seashell Fairies on Siesta Key Beach

celebrations, fairies, family, Travel

By Karla Nathan / June 28, 2015

When I travel to beaches, I've made a tradition of collecting shells to form a fairy, then leaving it on the beach my last day as a thank you. I always wonder if a kid finds it and enjoys the treat, and smiles. We share so many smiles on the beach, I hope that I can leave some behind for others too.

But they are very special to me, and I spend the week looking for the right shell inspiration. This year, I was lucky to find this broken sand dollar that made an ideal skirt, a curved shell for a gown bodice, and wings that actually look like they came right off a dragonfly, not a broken shell.

The best finds weren't mine, Kai Kai found this curved, pasta like thing that made a lovely, bent arm to hold the heart shaped shell Miss Tree found in the same spot her daughter snared that tube/arm thing. I don't know for sure what it is, it is a cluster of little bits, and is a perfect little heart, practically complete with ventricles and such. That is, if like me, you know nothing about anatomy.

Creating farewell fairies was an even more special event for me this time, since the family joined in. My son made a Warrior Sprite.

Miss Tree formed a curly headed faye, that seems to be jumping for joy.

Kai Kai left the beach a fairy riding a galloping unicorn. You can almost see the movement.

That inspired Dewdrop to use shells as double unicorn horns for herself.

Her sand fairy was a big happy face. Which did a very good job of expressing how we all felt about Siesta Key Beach.

Here are a few more seashell fairies from other beaches:

Outer Banks
Maui
Missouri
Siesta Key, Daddy's Ashes Angel

A bounty of blossoms

bird song art event, flowers, Food and Drink, parties, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / June 26, 2015

If Beth and I look slightly delirious with joy, it is because we most certainly were. And Sugarwings was here to capture the moment.

We had a very good reason to be soooooo happy. Our pal, Carol had posted a photo years ago of some beautiful, gorgeous, dreamy, scrumptious, silk flowers and it was one of those pictures that stayed with me. Then, for some crazy reason, but lucky for me, she posted that she was selling them all! In one big, giant lump of unbelievable beauty.

Beth messaged me when she saw it, and I had a little stab of jealousy, but then was happy for my friend. Then, she said she was waffling and I asked it if would help to split it.

Yep! She shared the bounty! And I contacted Carol before the treasures were scooped up and we missed out.

Carol lives just down the road, and dropped it in the mail box, by Priority, that afternoon. The next day, Beth and Sugarwings were here for craft day and the box arrived. Perfect flowers and perfect timing!

See why we squealed??? This is new, old stock. Never used. Here is how Carol described them on her blog. And she also says she has more goods to sell in the next couple months, so if you are wanting some very special things, keep an eye out for what she'll be offering!!

Over the Summer, I’m going to be offering for sale a select few of my very special and very vintage stash of goods.

To start will be my collection of Vintage Millinery Flowers and Trims that I’ve kept tucked away for several years. This amazing old store stock, is from the Emery, Bird, Thayer Department Store of Kansas City, Missouri. Handmade of vintage fabrics, ribbons and some velvets including many flat appliqués and trims in gorgeous muted shades of color. A few still have the original EBT sale tags. There are over 100 pieces to this collection, some range from very delicate petite to large size flowers and trims. If you’re a collector or crafter of vintage millinery, you know how rare it is to find a grouping of embellishments such as these.

There was bag after bag after bag of these beauties in our box of delights. Plus some cool trims. They were easy to share, too. We opened one bag at a time, and between the, "Oh my gosh, look at this one" and the "Oooh"s and "Oh my goodness"es, we managed to take turns picking out what we wanted, one piece at a time, till the piles were gone.

Then, we found a bag that had slipped off the table and landed on the floor, and the squealing resumed.

Sugarwings took a thousand or so photos, which took her away from her own work, but she was having fun watching the old ladies be silly.

She wasn't allowed to touch our blooms. She was deep into her own Project Runway style creations and had a tad of paint and glitter on her hands.

Earlier, we'd hosted a Birthday Luncheon for Beth and Angie, with Sugarwings as my co-hostess. She decorated all the cupcakes, and set the table using her favorite trick. Here is what she does-

Make an a-okay sign with both hands.

Notice that the left hand looks like a "b"

The right hand looks like a "d"

The "b" stands for bread plate and goes to the left, the "d" stands for drink and goes to the right.

That is a quick way for a kid to learn about where things go at a table setting, and she enjoys doing it so much, she makes the a-okay sign each time she sets the items down, even though, she already knows where to put them.

The day was so much fun. And while I am supposed to be getting caught up after Birdsong, and trying to put the studio and garage back to normal, while also selling leftover kits (first offered to sponsors and past attendees, soon to the rest of our friends), it was nice to have a day just to laugh. All day long. And that is what we did.

Sugarwings was glad I didn't have the studio back to normal yet. I still had the big tables up, her small ones weren't back out yet, and the larger ones were still covered in paper.

Instead of doing a project on the table, she made the paper covered table her actual piece. It was a fashion themed day for her, and she had previously drawn dozens of gowns in chalk on the patio, side walks and breezeway floors, for us to take a walk through her "fashion museum".

Then, the table cover became a full length ball gown, covered in red glitter and embellished with sparkling tape.

Afterwards, she cut it out, and we hung it up in the studio. I love to see her creativity run amok. She was into this for hours.

My project for craft day was working on Lesa's kit. I'd already made one of them, and someone gave me their kit to finish, and I was happy to do it, I love these little birds. And again, perfect timing for the flowers to arrive, just when I needed them to make this special birdie, extra, extra special!

Thank you for parting with the blossoms, Carol, and thank you, Beth for sharing with me.

All of Lesa's kits are sold now. I have a couple of Lori's and I made quite a few extras of my own. I'll be marketing them as soon as all the Birdsong Peeps have had a chance to get first pick at them. So please do check back if you are interested in one. I'll also have some posts about Birdsong coming up soon.

Scenes from Siesta Key

family, Travel

By Karla Nathan / June 24, 2015

Our trip to the Gulf Coast was ideal. We found the perfect condo (Siesta Sands) for the family, although it wasn't quite big enough for us all, we were able to get another unit right across the street, so that everyone could use our place as headquarters for beach time, cocktails, and meals. Beachpoint, I think is the name of the colorful, funky, fun place right behind Siesta Sands, it was exactly what we needed, and very friendly.

And there was a retaining wall for our resident yogi to work out on.

The reason I chose this place to return to, after staying there with my sisters in October was that it is very laid back and comfy, not fancy, and the front yard is a giant, open expanse of sand leading to the Gulf. The sand is pure white, made from quartz crystal, so is cool to the touch. The kids could play right by the condo in the never ending sandbox playground, without burning their feet, or without us worrying about them slipping into the water when we turn our heads.

This was how they spent the majority of their time.

That is, when we weren't doing this.

Or this.

Well, there was some of this too.

Sugarwings got pretty good with the boogie board.

And we had a troupe of entertainers with us to put on acrobatic shows at sunset.

It was all very peaceful, and relaxing on the beach, but it wasn't exactly a restful vacation. Any time you travel with a group of ten, there are lots of details to keep an eye on and lots of meals to handle. There was grocery shopping, cooking, and laundry to keep up. And the never ending sweeping up of the sand.

The family pitched in, I had simple breakfast items around, but they ended up cooking eggs, and the Hippie Chick made her famous gluten free, berry pancakes. Then at dinner, everyone was busy chopping and stirring, and the big girls were in charge of trash and recycling. It was a lot of food for a lot of people, but we did a pretty good job of making a special dinner every night.

Of course, when you have a porch over looking the ocean, and a cocktail in your hand, dinner will taste pretty good no matter what it is!

The condo we stayed in had a decent kitchen, small, but complete, and we ate "at home" as much as we could. I made daily trips to Trader Joe's and the seafood market so that we always had fresh fish, and also so that I didn't over buy. I didn't want to end up with excess food that we couldn't eat, so played it day by day. That was much more affordable than trying to go to restaurants, which we knew we'd have to do once we checked out and went to Orlando.

I think that my favorite meal was the tilapia. I marinated it in an actual margarita, tequila, triple sec, lime juice, a bit of sugar and some sea salt. Oh my, it was flavorful and juicy. Not having a full cupboard of spices and essentials and not wanting to over buy, I had no breading for it, so I ground up cashews in the blender, with a little bit of cayenne pepper, and baked the fish with a little olive oil drizzled over the cashew coating.

Another favorite was fresh, gulf shrimp, sauteed in garlic, olive oil, and sea salt, then served with tortellini. Sometimes, the simple meals are the best aren't they?

My sons, Miss Tree, and the Hippie Chick all went out to the water after the rest of us were tucked in and got to experience the glowing water. This phenomenon is caused by tiny bioluminescent plankton, and when movement occurs, streaks of blue light shoot out like glitter.

I hate that I missed that, I remember my grandma telling tales of skinning dipping in the glowing water there and I'd always wanted to see it. Not my grandma skinny dipping, the sparkles in the water.

But after Birdsong, I was pretty well worn out, and I wasn't exactly a late nighter on this trip.

We kept out of the sun in the middle of the day, doing out best to get Dewdrop to nap then, while the bigger girls watched shows, and I ran errands.

My Handsome Husband and Ry Guy actually bought a temporary gym membership and worked out while everyone else rested!

It surprised me to see how quiet the beach was. There wasn't a crowd at all.

The temperatures were perfect, I'd been worried about the heat in Florida in June, but by the water, the breeze was lovely. uhm, not so lovely in Orlando at the hottest happiest place on earth….

We made use of a lot of umbrellas, scarves, and kept an eye out for shade too. Mr. Zen managed a whole week outdoors without a sunburn, not even using sunscreen.

A couple of us brought small umbrellas, and one of the condos had some to borrow. They worked so well, I used mine at Disney too. Instant shade, where ever you go. Plus, it felt very festive to be walking under a parasol.

Dewdrop was enamored with the "kid waves" but didn't care as much for being out deeper. Sugarwings on the other hand was a little too brave and would have swum to the other side of the Gulf if we'd let her.

All of us were sad when it was time to go, but knowing that Disney was waiting for us helped. Although, it was much more crowded and hot than the beach, I'm always thrilled to go there. Still, I was happy that most of the trip was spent in our cozy little condo, where life took on a Jimmy Buffet feel, and the world was not as hectic as it was in the land of Walt.

It really can't get any better than this.

A renewal of our vows on Siesta Key beach

celebrations, family, Travel, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / June 21, 2015

Over the years, I've told my husband it would be fun to throw a big party and renew our vows. I've also mentioned eloping to Vegas and getting remarried in an Elvis chapel. He always scoffs, even though he tends to be a pretty romantic guy, he wasn't interested. I'd kind of forgotten about the idea, then while in Sarasota, we watched a wedding on the beach at sunset, as we finished up dinner on our patio.

I was inspired to bring up the idea again.

And this time, he said yes, and accepted my proposal.

It probably didn't hurt that the little girls were so excited, and that we only had about 10 minutes to pull it all together before the sun went down. I threw a couple of sundresses on the two little beauties, the condo neighbors gave me a bundle of flowers wrapped in foil, I slipped one of the girls headbands over my wet hair and then put Sugarwings in charge of the rest.

At first she drew a pathway in the sand with a heart to stand in, but it led towards the real wedding party, and we didn't want to bother them. So, we found some tracks left by a wagon and followed those. She put some leaves and rosemary (from the plant we bought to cook with while there) into a sieve that we'd bought to play in the sand with and she walked ahead, as our flower girl. I grabbed the rosemary pot to carry as well as my flowers.

I handed my camera to our Hippie Chick, and people started finding jobs to do. Dewdrop was our ring bearer, and had a couple of colorful hair ties with flowers on them to use as rings (provided by our talented wedding planner, Sugarwings).

Adam was best man, and Ry Guy walked us down the wagon trail path.

Avanhi has a sultry, sweet voice, and sang my husband's favorite song, Aloha by Nahko Bear and Medicine for the People.

We were right in time for the sun to go down, and the beach had an orange glow. No one really had a plan, there was a lot of laughter and it was all very free spirited.

So much so, that I never once considered the actual vows….

So, I whispered something racy in his ear.

Then he went and had a BEAUTIFUL speech. Very lovable and sweet.

And Ryan had a thoughtful, loving statement to make too.

As well as Adam. What had started out as a fun, little lark had become a moving, and tender moment.

We were in Florida with our big family gathering to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary in August, as well as Sugarwings' mommy's 30th birthday a few days later.

When we planned the trip, the vow renewal hadn't occurred to me. Which makes it even more special, although if I'd planned it, I think I'd have worn some makeup…. and thought up some vows.

But I don't think that there is anyway on earth that months of planning could've created a better moment.

It's not what you spend, what you say, what the whole thing looks like.

It's the love that goes into it.

And we had that.

And of course, a fantastic wedding planner never hurts either.

A nice beach walker offered to take a photo of all of us together.

I'll leave you with a few more photos of our perfectly, imperfect ceremony. And here are the lyrics to the song we all love.

Smiles

Dew Drop, Travel

By Karla Nathan / June 19, 2015

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

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

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