Karla's Cottage

The chickens made some friends and my mushrooms went to a new home

My friend, Mindy, came by to purchase some mushrooms for her online shop, Myrtle and Mo. 

Since I believe that most occasions should be parties whenever possible, I told her to bring the kids with her for a spooky cocoa party.

Instead of having the inventory packed up in the studio, I used it as a centerpiece, and Sugarwings set the table with our Halloween themed cups and teapot.

We were ready to welcome a couple of adorable guests.

Dessert was scary cherry pies.

Their mom was a good sport about all of the sweet treats before dinner time.  We also had fruit skewered onto witch leg picks, and a cauldron full of guacamole to dip pretzels in.  So, maybe that counter acted some of the decadence.

The tarts were in silicone teacups made to bake in, lined with crust, cherry pie filling, then topped with a circle of pie dough that I cut faces into with a knife.  I added noses and eyebrows from the trimmings.

But the big hit of the party was the henhouse.

The ladies are some of the sweetest chickens we have ever had, and seemed happy with the attention.

There was plenty of snuggles to go around, and those birds got lots of attention.

Mindy went home with kids filled up with sweets, tired from chasing chickens, and a nice selection of mushrooms.

If you are one of the people who have been asking me to list schroomies in my poor, neglected boutique to sell online, uhm, you might be better off checking out my pal’s store.  I do not seem to be filling that shop up, am I?  

It’s still open, and I’m paying fees for it, although I  sure haven’t used it much this year.   But Mindy has a full shop, with a few dozen mushrooms along with her fantastic vintage goods.  

You can find her (and my velvet mushie creations) here:

https://www.myrtleandmo.com/shop-1/artist-spotlight/karla-nathan

 

 

Sometimes ya gotta break a few rules

Sugarwings and I have a strict rule. 


You can drink cocoa any time at all.  But you cannot have a cocoa party unless you sit in front of a glowing Christmas tree.

Then I saw this teapot at Homegoods, and our rule loosened up.

It inspired a Halloween themed cocoa display.

Complete with a glass cauldron to hold our spoons and rat poison additives for deliciousness. (We did not use the jar to hold any foodstuffs, it’s just for fun)

We got some skelly cups to drink our potions from.

With skelly napkins to mop up drips of blood.  I mean, chocolate.

We invited a little witch to join us.

Then added some mood lighting.

The new rule, in addition to the Christmas tree rule, is that cocoa parties can only be held with the proper ambient lighting, ghostly paraphernalia, and a scary movie on the tv.  

Fall family and farm stuff

We had such a nice time with the Guncles!  Randy and I even got a full day in the studio together to make angels with the pin cushion dolls he brought to use.

We had a couple of dog walks, enjoying the mellow weather that came with the beginning of September.

Terry and Dale swang by on the way home from their long Florida to Canada drive.  It was almost becoming an accidental family reunion.  At least a mini one, Rich has a huge family. 

We hadn’t planned it out this way, it just luckily happened that Terry and Dale were driving through while Guncles were visiting.  

Little Dorothy got plenty of snuggles.  She loves it when these guys come to town.

The visit wasnt all just about strolling around, chatting, and cutting up old lace, though.  Stuff got done!  Rich and Kevin cleaned the chicken coop, then picked apples and green beans from the garden. We peeled until late into the night, cooking and freezing apples for pie.

Rich brought in the honey comb from the hives and we got it bottled up.  There wasn’t a big harvest this year, but that doesn’t change the amount of cleanup afterwards.  Whether you get one gallon or five, you are still left with a kitchen full of sticky equipment.  But also delicious honey to share, so all is good.  I made up a charcuterie board that included a bowl of gooey honey comb that was worth all of the wiping down with warm soapy water that the kitchen required.

Speaking of honeycomb, check out this sky we were treated to after finishing the bee job!  A sky filled with glowing honeycomb.

We might not be in Florida with fresh seafood, but the Guncles still worked their butts off feeding us great meals.  One night was Kevin’s famous grilled turkey burgers, next was Randy’s signature lemon chicken, and then on my night to cook, Kevin took over and made fresh marinara sauce with chicken parm.   All I did while they were here was a little bit of bread.

On our final night, Sugarwings hosted a Hocus Pocus cocoa party.

Complete with eyeballs on the cobbler made with the apples from our tree.  I might not enjoy the time it takes to cut up all of that fruit, but it was made easier by so many hands, and I loved having loved ones here to share “the fruits of our labor” with.  

These two couples who came to see us might technically be Rich’s family, but they each own huge chunks of real estate in my heart and I consider them my sibs too.  Thanks for the visit, everyone!

A kinda vacay

Rich is doing short time job in Lincoln, NE and I took a quick trip up to visit over the weekend.  Since he’s been gone, I’ve not been cooking much. So when he wined and dined me in the restaurant of the club, it was quite a treat.

I felt very spoiled with the delicious food.

And it was a fun getaway with my guy.  Although, I guess it wasn’t a getaway for him… I felt like I was on vacation, but he works there.

We stayed in his apartment by the golf course, but I kept calling it a hotel. I spent some time at the mini water park, worked on a pile of velvet mushrooms that are in progress, and took the dogs on lots of walks.

On our walks, I spied a couple of hearts.

You never know what you’ll find while on a walk.  When I got back to the cottage, there was a bunny making itself at home in my planter.  

My empty planter.

 I think he had a snack too.   
Well, I hope he enjoyed his meal as much as I did my delectable ones at the club.

An indoor garden party

Two dear friends, Angie and Beth, had birthdays in June so I threw a party for them.

It was a landmark number for Angie, so a large celebration was in order. 


The party itself was on Beth’s actual birthdate.

The birthday girls made the guest list, and also helped with some treats and wine.  I told them I was throwing the party FOR them, but they wanted to help, which was very nice.

Both brought wines too.  And Beth put her husband, Jeff, on ice duty.  Don’t you hate to buy bags of ice? Paying for ice is a weird pet peeve of mine.  I just hate buying the stuff.

Beth said she had a good ice maker (mine is so tiny) so Jeff dumped it into gallon bags everyday til she was able to fill a cooler with so much ice she could barely carry it.

A couple weeks ago, I’d gotten lucky at an estate sale and scooped up dozens of teacups for twenty bucks.  The plan was to use pretty cups and saucers for the herbal fruit and lavender ice tea, plus for the wines.  

And I got to welcome back the Treat Cabinet!  This large wardrobe spent many years in my studio, filled with goodies during get togethers.  When we redid the room, it was moved to the breezeway for a boring job of storing patio cushions. 

But for this one day of glory, the cabinet was back in its element, filled with tea party essentials.  

I hung this old, embroidered, tea towel on the inside door of the wardrobe. It had been free in a box of junk a friend was discarding. Perfect!

 This birthday celebration as meant to be a tea party in the garden.

I’d had lovely weather all week while tending to my flowers and getting ready for guests.

Then, bam, the night before, a heatwave came with a vengeance.  

I’d always planned on keeping the food inside the house anyway, but I was disappointed that we couldn’t have the garden as a place to hang out.

(Angie made this trifle.  Why are they called that when they are not mere trifles, these types of dessert are magnificently lovely).

 If I’d known in advance that the heat index was going to be in the danger zone, I’d have brought chairs and tables indoors. But friends made do, and used what they found.  I carried in a few extra seats from the yard, but many had made themselves comfy on kiddie chairs already.  They didn’t seem to mind.

We had a full house, but in a good way.  

So many delightful people!  And flowers!  Many sweet friends brought bouquets, so it was like an indoor garden party with all of the pretty blooms.


Including blooming cookies from Catherine.

We filled the studio too. I had a mini craft project set up for everyone, so guests were spending time out in the workroom to do those.  Once again, I could’ve brought in more chairs, but we seemed to make do with what was there. With my bad shoulder, I’d have needed help before the party to bring in extra seating.  Rich had helped me set up the patio, but he was out of town when temps started going way up into unbearable numbers.

The project was making fairy garden stakes. It was self explanatory, and simple to do, so the ladies were on their own making them.  I wish I’d taken photos of their pretties when they’d finished.  There were lots of sparkly wishing wands completed.

Another timely garage sale find was this metal picnic basket.  I used it for the cheese and cracker display.  I think that now that the party is over, I’ll be filling it with teacups and taking them to Good Juju to sell in July’s First Friday weekend.

Although, this get together was such a good time, maybe I should keep them all and use them again for another party? 

 

 

 

Return to the night of the Living Dead, the Downtown Lawrence Zombie Parade!

Over the last decade or so, October has come to be the month when I take a trip.

So, I often miss the downtown Lawrence Zombie parade.

I’ve gotten to go here and there, when the timing is right.  And the weather too. Typically, KS can be at its best on a late, October evening.  But could also be an onslaught of freezing rain, so you never know.

This year?  Perfection! And half the town agreed. The streets were as full of living people as they were of the dead.  

We were lucky to find not only a parking spot, but at seat outside at a favorite restaurant so we could eat dinner while enjoying the invasion of corpses.

That’s where our lucky streak stopped dead in it’s tracks.

The line was so long to get a bowl of ramen that we were given a number to be called out when it was our turn to wait to order.

Just about then, the lunch ladies stumbled by, but we stuck with our plan to wait and eat later.

It was too bad we didn’t get to slurp noodles and pretend they were guts, but hey, you can’t win them all.

And it was such a gory, good time. We didn’t mind waiting for dinner.  

We sat back in our perfect seats, guessed the back stories of the ghouls as they strolled by, and critiqued the acting.

Some of even the littlest kids were quite committed to their part.

But to me, it seemed like the people who were into it the most were grown men.  

Many walkers chatted away with others in their group.  Some played the part well, though  And this gal was on her phone.  Or was she purposely doing that because teenage girls are teenage girls weather zombified or not.

And teens do love their phones.  I can imagine that even turning  wouldn’t separate a young girl from her device.

When the walk was winding down, we tried to do a call in take out order for food just in case, but the wait was still quite long. And when we spied that the line was dwindling, we checked inside to find out they were out of noodles.

I don’t know how many zombies paraded through Lawrence, but we watched them lurch by for about an hour and a half.

They start at the south end of town, about 11th street, walk up one sidewalk to 6th, then down the other sidewalk back to their crypts, or cars, or wherever they end up.  

We noticed that many of them trickled into the downtown bars and restaurants after their hungry march, so the options for takeout just got smaller for us.

As we looked into the windows of restaurants we passed on the way to our car, we saw them full of hungry zombies.

We figured we’d be cooking at home, then noticed there was a lull in the line at Chipotle.

 I mentioned that I’d only eaten there once since Ryan died, it had been a favorite of his and held too many memories for me.  Back in January, Sugarwings had the idea to eat burritos and watch zombies on tv on Ryan’s birthday, and it had been emotional, but satisfying.

So we thought it was fitting to pick up a bag of food there to take home with us and watch something scary at home while eating in honor of him.  We walked right up to the counter, just to see the line immediately fill up behind us as the horde poured in to feed.  One more lucky stroke for us, and Sugarwings said Ryan was with us and had guided us that way.  He loved zombies and burritos, we would celebrate him with a dinner of Chipotle and more walking dead.

I was so glad that everything about the evening worked out like it did.  We almost didn’t go because someone, not naming names here, was late with a bit of schoolwork.

I told them that I really, really wanted to be there on time to get a seat, and reminded the kid of just how much I loved this event.  I said, “You know how much you love sea turtles?  I feel that way about zombies.  They are my favorite animal.  I’m sorry there isn’t a sea turtle parade to take you to, but you could finish your homework and take me to the zombie parade .”

Homework was completed, we got seats, parking, and even dinner.  (By the way, Sugarwings has some pretty good grades that need to be mentioned, I’m proud of that and they way the homework got finished in time).  

It was my idea of a lovely, fall evening.

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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).

 

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. 

Once again, that was wine in the teacups

To celebrate Angie and Beth’s birthdays, we made plans for a day out, and I offered to make brunch first. But then, Angie picked up an estate sale to do, and between that and all of her other obligations, her time off for a whole day disappeared.  Our date switched to lunch and I decided to serve it in the gazebo to make it special.

Hmm, not the best picture of us, but you get the idea.

We had wine in our teacups, and drank it with our pinky fingers crooked while wearing floral garden hats and speaking in a British accent, of course.

I draped a little, round table in layers of clothes, and brought out the floral china.

The weather cooperated with perfection, but just in case, I added a fan and extra sun umbrellas to the space.

Teapots were filled with $1 flower bundles (our local Kroger always marks them down after the weekend) and I made place cards with “Angela” and “Elizabeth”  instead of Angie and Beth to be extra fancy.  

But “Karla” doesn’t come with a fancy option.

So I used the name my dad, Hubert, had written on my original birth certificate.

  “Huberta”

As in Huberta Josephine Downey.  

Yep, that was my name.  My mom changed it to Karla Jo.  Not nearly as much to roll off the tongue.   I think I could’ve grown up as a Bertie, or Birdy? Instead I was always Karkie Jo.

The silk flower umbrellas from my April Showers Bring May Flowers theme at Good Juju got another go round as garden party decor.  I’ve left them up outside a while, they somewhat survived a 24 hour deluge.  I’m not sure how many more uses I’ll get out of them, but I have enjoyed every bit of our time together so far.

We had dipped strawberries and lavender honey  dark chocolate for dessert.

I fixed honey butter toasted croissants, individual quiches, and fruit salad. 
Even though it was their birthdays, Angie brought sparkling soda and Beth brought a salad.  

Happy Birthday to two of the funnest people around!