Karla's Cottage

Magic time with family

My Florida trip was a week long, divided into three separate adventures that each went by too quickly.

After a spectacular Guncle evening, Terry and Holly picked me up in Jax to drive to Orlando.  And you know what happens there, right?  

Disney Magic!

They treated me to the Grand Floridian, and its reputation is well deserved.  So many subtle, understated and sweet nods to Disney classic movies while keeping its Grand and classy ambiance.  

A grown up trip to the parks can be very laid back and comfy.  I had two mornings on the balcony with my coffee to relax and simply enjoy being there. Very different than my typical trip, trying to squeeze in as much as I possibly can from the crack of dawn til I fall in bed after midnight.

Although, our first night did go pretty late, but we didn’t get started til evening, and once arriving at Mickey’s Halloween party, we ambled about and took our time.  We managed to eat some of the special goodies, do some trick or treating, and practically walk on to every ride we wanted to go on.  Lines were minimal, the weather was perfect, friends were delightful, it could the most ideal night at Disney that I could have.  (Even though I missed the grandfairies.)

We had discussed Halloween costumes, but that frizzled out, Terry was moving into a new home, I was redoing my studio.  Then I thought I’d order Sleeping Beauty Fairy shirts with our names, but instead of Merriweather, Terryweather.

Ran out of time, though.  So I looked around town the day before leaving to find Hocus Pocus matching shirts, no luck.

When Terry arrived, I was happily surprised to see that she’d found a trio of cute Sanderson shirts for us!

Terry and Holly are ideal partners at the parks, both love the place as much as I do.  They’ve been multiple (zillions) of times, so aren’t rushed, or worried about missing anything. We can check out attractions we’d like to see, or just snack at Epcot Food and Wine and chill out.

I got to see the new, Moana area, and can’t wait to take Sugarwings to it.  

And we lucked into a walk up reservation at the new space station restaurant.

We were seated in the lounge, which I discover was another lucky break.  There, you have a view of the entire room, and the astronauts working outside the windows.  Plus the menu options are better, no set choices.  


Holly and I were able to split a meal.  And look- a Mickey shaped fillet!

Our time together was as wonderful as the dessert.  Thank you, Terryweather and Holly for such a treat of a visit.  You guys bring the magic with you!

Venice Beach seashell fairy

My trip to Florida was just the best.  It was broken up into segments, a Guncle visit with crafting, Disney with Terry and Holly, then beach time with Sissies, Aunties, and sweet nieces.

We stayed at Turtle Beach on Siesta Key, and while I loved the company, I wasn’t thrilled with the beach, my shelling was limited until we took a day trip to Venice to hunt for shark teeth.

Hey, I do not mean to sound down on Turtle Beach, it is a lovely spot.  I had just never stayed there, and expected a similar experience from further north on the island where we usually stay.  It was so nice to be directly on the water and to walk right out on the sand.

Venice just happened to have more shells.  And Shark Teeth, too!  I found a couple but was more interested in making my beach fairy there.

And I found a treasure trove of broken shells to use.  I think the wings are some of the nicest I have ever found.  I was tempted to pocket them, but I like to leave my Faye behind as a thank you to nature, and pulling off her wings did not feel right at all.

Lots of shells do come home with me, but those haven’t been used to create my little friends yet.  I did gather up a lot of potential fairy shells last year to make resin shell fairies at home, but they are still packed away, waiting their turn to get Pinocchio-ed into being.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KC Renfest and unique hearts from Ryan

Renfest season is here!  Sugarwings and I snagged a little getaway time and spent a couple of hours wandering around the grounds.

The kiddo isn’t such a kid now (17) but still my partner in adventures.

Both of us are more into exploring the sights than being fairies now.

There are still plenty of laughs and silliness though.

I have always loved the art and architecture that makes this place special.

The details, big and small.

And the characters.

We even saw a couple of the Sanderson Sisters.

It’s the first year that Sugarwings wasn’t into dancing around the maypole with the fairies.  Although we did do a dance together along the sidelines.

We were nostalgic, talking about when Kya worked as a henna artist, when Sugarwings’ daddy participated in building the stone castle and sold his art there, when we’d come as a big family group, all fairied up in glitter and wings.

And we talked about the year Ry Guy came along to help me when I was on my own with two tiny grandfairies.  He was never a person who did well among hoards of people, but he loved those little princesses and was a trouper that day.  

It was extremely crowded, and extra hot that afternoon.  The kids were great, we did have fun, but it was past nap time and past Ryan’s crowd quota.  So we headed out before we became too overrun with heat and frayed nerves, leaving at just the perfect point, when everyone was still in good moods.

But then, oops.

Where on Middle Earth did we park?

Years ago, I had a car that I simply never recognized. I lost it quite often.  Once even getting into the driver’s seat of someone else’s car as they were loading a baby into the back.  We both screamed like that scene in ET when Drew Barrymore saw the alien for the first time.

Anyway, my car was lost in the over full, giant parking lot, and we slowly slid past the time when everyone was “still in a good mood.”

After 40 minutes of trudging through heat and dust, pushing a stroller and wanting to leave, we realized we’d walked right on by that car many, many times.  Over the years, that became one of those jokes Ryan and I had between ourselves that we would reference and laugh about.  Uhm, not that day, though.

Sugarwings didn’t remember that part of it, but we laughed together when I told the story.

Then my little sprite, who is always looking for glimmers from Ryan, pointed out these hearts.  My horror story loving boy would have loved those!  

Guncles in Kansas

We had a Guncle-riffic visit last week.  They spent half the time with us, the other half with close friends in KC.  Their last night in Lawrence included a birthday party for that couple, who are family to the guys.

Now, down on Sweet Cherry Lane in Jax, the tablescapes and delicious food are legendary.  Randy keeps his dining table set on a regular basis and then goes even more all out when guests arrive.

 And the food, oh my.

So while they were visiting, I had Randy help me set my table.  

Our big craft project had been to restyle some violins.

So we incorporated those along with some violin sheet music.

We had a small group at a large table, and only needed to decorate half of it.  Kevin makes the best German chocolate cake, so that got center stage on the other half.

Dinner was a luscious lemon chicken.  And the company?  The best!

I’ll have some close ups of the violins in my next post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cutest company

A grand fairy came to visit from NC last week and brought not only the sweetest boyfriend any grand mother could ever wish one of her kids could fall for (I call him her “Care Bear”), but this darling pup too.

He was only 8 weeks old, they picked him up on their drive to spend their week’s vacation bonding with him.

The original plan was to get him on the way home, after the trip.  But I convinced them that traveling with a fur baby was an excellent time to get to know each other.  The week off of work meant they could work on his potty schedule and not be rushing off to work and leaving him alone before they had a chance for him to know who they were and that he belonged with them and would be okay.

No worries on that point!  By the time they got to Kansas, he was firmly attached to his new folks.  We babysat for him a few times and he asked me quite often when they’d be back.

We have the perfect yard and house for dog watching, and I was so happy to have him around.  Little Bear is a smart fella and learned Sit right away, and is doing well on Come too.

It was such a nice visit from them all.  On our trip to NC last month, we missed getting time with these guys because of the truck accident.  I was lucky to get a do over, and even luckier to meet Bear.

 

 

 

Stopping along the way- the journey is an important part of getting there

Asheville is about 13 hours from our house and Paducah, KY is halfway.  We often stop there when traveling with our camper, but don’t get out to explore since the trailer is hooked up and it’s a hassle for a temporary stop to undo the hitch.

This time, we didn’t have the trailer so with two drivers wouldn’t need the break.  But since we were taking two vehicles, we thought an overnight stay at the half point was a good idea.  

This was a place I’d been wanting to spend time in, not just because it’s such a pretty place but because on of my favorite Top Chef contestants has a restaurant there!

Sara Bradley took second in World Allstars this summer and I was perplexed as to how or why such an acclaimed chef would be in a small, rural area.  Once we settled into our hotel and took a walk through this Kentucky village, it dawned on me that this was a tourist town.  That explained a lot.  Her eatery wasn’t just dependent upon the locals, she had people from all over wanting a break from cabins and campers on the lake, who’d come into the little city for some night life.

Even with the traffic from the tourists and locals, we had no issue getting a reservation.  The place was full, but with the week’s notice we had, we were golden.

The food was spectacular!  I pretended to be at the judges table and had a blast, not just with the meal, but with my imaginary status.

I felt like I was dressed the part too.  I’d just bought this from Angie at the last Good Juju sale for $8, and loved the dress.  I love most clothes from Sundance catalog, but rarely can afford them even in the 40% off clearance area, so was thrilled to get this one for less than a Goodwill priced dress.

Here is a version in the current catalog.

Yep, I was feeling The Gail Simmons, Top Chef vibe in this outfit.  There was no need to tell anyone to pack their knives and go, the meal was great, the price about what we’d pay on any normal dinner out, and the ambience was inviting.  The staff was friendly and down home, no pretensions there at all.  


My other stops were Midway Antique Mall and Artichoke Annie’s on I70 for some shopping in Missouri.  I didn’t have much luck with any other antiquing across Kentucky or Tennessee, though. Durn it.

I made a pit stop at a legendary Buckee’s in TN, my first time at one of these out of this world gas stations.

 Impressive.

But way too much for me.  Crossing the parking lot was like the Thunderdome.  I felt as if I was running the gauntlet while walking across it, and the line to even turn into the lot was crazy, as was the one for the pumps.  Not to mention trying to leave and get back on the road.  

But I have to admit, the bathrooms were some of the best I’ve ever seen.  Not good enough to tempt me to go again, it took a big chunk of time away from the road.  When I stop at junk shops, I can zoom through, in and out, seeing if there is anything I want.  There is no zooming at Buckees.

While stops are needed to breakup my drive, I’m in a hurry to get to this.

I had loved ones waiting for me  to explore the mountains with!

(Please ignore the sour face, my son is a sweetie, he just hates photos)

We had such a good time, and I got so many lessons in mushroom hunting.  And how often does a mama get to wear matching shirts with a grown up son?  ( My friend, Sam, is the artist who sells these at Juju).

 

The best found heart, ever

This could be the best heart I have ever come across.

 I’d walked on this road across from the Hawk and Hawthorn a few times and never noticed this pothole.

On my last evening, after a rainstorm, I took another stroll, and found this perfectly formed heart reflecting the clearing clouds above it.  It is large, too, at least a foot across

Perfect timing, perfect heart shape!  At that moment in time, I was just where I needed to be.  A little less rain, or a single car driving over it, and the best found heart would never have been found.

There were a few more finds during the week.  My boy took us up to Mineral Springs to look for garnets.  See the polka dots in this heart? 

Garnets!

These two are mica and garnet in granite.

And this one has some shiny quartz.

We parked ourselves at a little waterfall in the stream, then sorted and sifted through the water and stones to find treasures.  I could spend hours looking at pretty rocks, and we did.

The first few times, I gathered lovelies to take home.  I wanted some for my garden and also larger ones to add my mushrooms to as well as smaller ones to put in the moss at the base of my schroomies.

But then, there was the accident.

We had driven two cars across country to get one to my son.  He had been driving Ryan’s Jeep and it needed a transmission.  So, we were to haul the Jeep back to KS for repairs. 

But, oops.  We were also in NC to help Rich’s mom after a fall.  He had just left her side and pretty wrecked himself, so when the truck also got wrecked mere blocks from the hospital, it was very understandable.  It left us with no vehicle at all, so my 2-3 tons of rock souvenirs needed to be left behind.

We bought a suitcase, booked a flight, and rented a car in KC.  Now, I’m in the process of car shopping while hoping the truck isn’t totaled and that I won’t be shopping for a replacement for that too.

So our truck and my rocks are out east.  We are home safely, Rich is fine.  Rich’s mom is in her rehabilitation center and he will be heading back to see her when he is no longer truck-less.  Then he’ll haul the Jeep and my mountain of shiny stones back to Kansas.

The reasons for being there, as well as the accident did not make for what you’d call an ideal vacation.

 But we managed to have lots of family time and a peaceful visit to the retreat at Hawk and Hawthorn. Throw in a few hikes and spectacular dinners with the fam and we decided that it was going to work out fine.

 

 

 

Magic at the Hawk and Hawthorn

Hawk and Hawthorn (about 20 min north of Asheville on top of a scenic mountain) is my new favorite vacation spot.

The Airbnb is set upstairs of a newly renovated, charming old house and the patio over looks the farm.

Bonus- the view includes the barn/event center.

Double bonus for me- my son lives there.

He is their onsite trim carpenter.

He and his buddy just built this outdoor kitchen for tent campers.  Spaces are available through Hipcamp, and campers have access to the barn for yoga, bathrooms, cooking, and more.  

I think how much you can hang out in the barn depends on scheduled events.  They had just held one, and this mushroom display from it was still set up.  I spy a couple of my schroomies in there too!

They host workshops, festivals, retreats, music, etc.  Our visit was Sunday thru Friday, so it was pretty low key.

We had full use of the facilities and after harvesting our food to fix in the apartment kitchen, we walked it across the field and up the hill to dine in the beautiful barn.

It had just started to rain and was getting dark.  We ate while listening to the drops on the metal roof and the curtains swayed in the breeze.

 

I am not sure how many times I used the word “magical”, probably way too many, but it was justified.

Our meal was trout that the kids caught with their grandfather that day and deliciousness we gathered from the vast gardens.

I would say that the term, “magical”, had to be correct.  There had to be some magic in the head grower’s touch.  Look at the size of this corn! All the veggies were lush and vibrant, over the top with health and vitality.  

It made me think that my Kansas garden back home was a sad comparison.  

We picked fresh produce daily.  And had flowers in our salads, and even cooked into chewy brownies.

And I got to forage for chanterelles!  It was my first successful mushroom hunt. 

We walked through what felt like an enchanted land of moss and streams to find them. While on the hunt, my boy taught me tricks about different types and what to look for.

He is always on the lookout and you never know when he will abruptly pull over the car to spring out and return with a handful of berries to share.  He spots tasty treats everywhere he goes.

At the farm, there are baby bunnies to hold and goats to visit.  There is a fresh mountain spring set up with pipes to fill your containers.

Pretty and rustic areas to enjoy, trails to explore, and vistas so lovely, all you want to do is sit back, sip a glass of wine and take it all in.

Plus-NO CHIGGERS! It felt oddly uncomfortable to walk through tall grass without bug spray.  In the back of my mind, I kept worrying that I’d be up all night itchy and miserable.

But I got used to not needing a thorough spritz before going outside.  And I was not homesick for any midwestern bugs that typically torture me all summer long.

There is cool art everywhere, including on these shirts.

The dragon was by our front door.

I don’t know why I didn’t get any photos inside our cozy studio apartment, maybe because there was so much to see and do outside.

The tranquility was just what we needed, the rest of the trip was so stressful.  Serious family illnesses, an auto wreck, all were overwhelming.  

Thank goodness for the peace and welcome we found at the Hawk and Hawthorn.

 It was MAGICAL. 

Family tradition or tacky habit?

On the dog park trail down to the Kaw River the other day, I saw this white heart.  Fungus? I think?

Speaking of fungus, look at the cool shirts my pal, Sam, makes. My son is a mushroom hunter, he saw this pic on FB  and asked for one, so I got one for him too.  We will be hiking together in NC, I wonder what the odds are of getting a mamma/son photo in matching shirts?

Awwww, that brings back memories of my mom dressing her and me in hand made, matching dresses, along with my Barbie.  She sewed a shirt from the same fabric for my dad.  I’d sure love to have that photo!  I remember that vacation to Florida with them, stopping at an alligator farm, way back when there was roadside wrestling with reptiles.

The tradition lived on when I had my own kids.  Sorta. I hand painted matching shirts for them, one of the favorites was ET.  We didn’t have much, the kids typically only wore hand me downs.  If I bought something new, it was on clearance at KMart.  So I’d look for plain, cheapo shirts and spiff ‘em up with paint.  

I used to do portraits of the kids with their favorite characters on some.  Like Ryan eating ice cream with Bert and Ernie.

The grandfairies got matching dresses too. 

Not only because they were adorable, but because it helped me find them in public places too.  Sugarwings was always drifting (or running) off and when I have a matching set of children, I can find them easier in a crowd.

And yes- ADORABLE!

 

From Fairytale to Haunted Mansion

Sugarwings will be SEVENTEEN this August.

SEVENTEEN

How and when did that happen? That also means my blog will soon be 17.

This is the very first photo I posted of that lil sprite.

And this is my most recent photo of this piece of my heart.  Before leaving for a summer in North Carolina with Dad, we went to the Omaha Zoo together.  And I have to say that trips and outings with this kid are 100% as enjoyable as they were years ago. This person will always be filled with magic, curiosity, and joy in exploration.

Sugarwings has been a good sport about living in a mermaid/fairytale bedroom but confided in me that there was a Pinterest wish board of a Nightmare Before Christmas/Haunted Mansion style that they loved.

At first, I thought that I would redo the room as a surprise, but had second thoughts and decided to include their wishes long distance.  And I was glad that I did, we had a good time texting pictures and colors back and forth across the country.  

So, I repainted and put the room together, showing the steps by text as they were completed.  ( One bit of control that I kept over the process was gathering color samples that I approved myself before saying, “what color do you want.”  This way, I got a shade of plum that I was fine with on the walls as opposed to a possible tone that might’ve driven me bonkers.)
Sugarwings also did not want to rip up the murals that were in the room they had  used off and on.   We have two rooms upstairs that have been switched up over the years from nursery, guest room, Dewdrop’s space, Sugarwings’ dwelling, toy room,  etc.  We like to  redecorate periodically.

This photo is from a few years ago, the bed had been repainted since, but the walls are the same,  and my soft hearted sweetie was too sentimental to lose this mural.

The solution was to flip rooms.  This one was much smaller and had no closet.

But there was a little walkway into it that had a linen closet.  At one time, this was our laundry room, now the washer and dryer are downstairs.  We were able to move the linen closet shelves to the mural room’s closet and set up a clothes rod in this area, and there you go.

This new bedroom was now feeling much larger than it would have if I’d had to squeeze in a wardrobe for storage.

Once things were repainted or reconstructed, the fun part began. I went through my Good Juju inventory and shopped for black furniture and odds and ends to decorate with.  Sugarwings already had dragons, and a few other things they’d want to use.  I arranged everything for now, but I am sure that when the kiddo gets back from NC, there will be some rearranging to suit their own taste.

When Dewdrop was little, she loved Snow White, so I’d made this for her with that theme as a magic mirror.  The silver in was scraped off with a razor blade and a picture could be seen inside the mirror.

 Now, I’ve given the pink flowers a black wash of paint and removed Snow White’s photo.  There is now a skull with a flower crown peeking through the mirror.   If this is too creepy, we can easily change it, the picture is just taped on the back.  I might’ve gone too far with this, Sugarwings did have more of a Disney theme planned.

But I knew a slightly creepy edge would be appreciated. 

I discovered that a coat of black changes many things from shabby chic to gothic.  Both are ornamental styles.

Because of the low ceilings and small footprint, this room has a platform bed with drawers underneath. I added a piece of a vintage iron headboard on the wall behind it to make the bed feel more substantial.  It had been hanging outside, so was nice and rusty.
I left both white to keep the room from becoming too heavy.

The ballerina bats are some that I sell at Halloween.  Simple, plastic bat skeletons with vintage flowers and tutus.

Sugarwings wanted green for sheets because that is a shade from Disney’s Haunted Mansion.  And a striped comforter similar to Jack Skellington’s pants.  This was as close as I could get in a comforter at a reasonable price.  I found it at Ross along with the fluffy rug.  The sheets and curtains are Amazon. Besides paint and rid brackets for the closet, everything else was scrounged from the house or repurposed.

I sure miss having that child around, but we will be visiting the North Carolina side of the family soon.  And redoing this bedroom has made me feel a little closer to Sugarwings during the separation.