summer fun!

We got an old air hockey table for the summer and have put it to good use!  Everyone wants to come over and play.  We have had several drunken double tournaments.

Jeremy's sister Anna became quite skilled in the game as long as she remembered to keep her other hand off the table!
Mabel and Roosevelt love the air hockey table as well!  It  can be difficult to get through a game without a kitten landing on the table.

We have spent a lot of time with Anna.  Here is her first trip to the Iowa City public library.  We had a great time. Afterwards it was off to pizza at the Airliner and then last a splashfest at the fountain in the Ped Mall.  She loved it!

Happy Summer!!!!!

Nieces and Nephews....

Here are some sweet shots of my nieces and nephews this summer. Starting from the top is little Elaina a sleep at the Arts Festival and below is big brother Mitchell looking especially tough ! Below him is Celsie intently watching her daddy put on a roof at Grandma's house and last are Sophie and Marissa after their dance recital. Wow... summer is going by so fast!

check out these great pictures!

This just popped up outside of Mount Vernon last week.

I found these great monkeys in Rockford IL, home of the Rockport Socks which sock monkeys are made from!

my new classroom

I am getting excited and nervous about starting my new position at UNI.  I went to visit last week and I ordered my text books for my fall classes. I took a few photos of the art building my art education classroom. There are two studio rooms as well, but this is the room I will use the most.  I started writing out my first syllabus yesterday and it was challenging but exciting to make.  There is so much I want to pack into a semester!  

Stranded in Mount Vernon!

Jeremy and I are so lucky we have not had any real flooding- just more water in our basement!  We were stuck in Mount Vernon all weekend though because all the major roads were closed around us.  Highway 1 that takes you from Mount Vernon to Iowa City literally broke this week.  We finally ventured out on Sunday night to see the damage and maybe catch a movie!

Since Cedar Rapids is on a water shortage- there were some surprises when we went to the movies!

I have been volunteering at the shelter in Cedar Rapids and it tears you up to see so many people even with out a tooth brush or a pair of shoes.  It was really great though to see all the people helping and donating supplies.  There were equal amounts of flood victims at the supply center as there were volunteers! Target brought 3 semi loads of supplies there. It was really

 overwhelming to see the community pull together.

In all this mess, we helped some people move out of their houses and ended up with YES another CAT!  We are just taking care of her while my professor's house is flooded.

Meet Pork Chop....

You may be thinking now... how many animals is that?  The answer is 5!  Everyone seems to be tolerating each other fine. Roosevelt and Pork Chop do the majority of growling and Dottie and Mabel do the jumping and playful teasing.  Violet just watches everyone and sniffs at whoever new walks by.  

School's Out for Summer!!!

School is over and the end of the year was great! We had a talent show that ended with my 5th graders doing a McDonalds rap they found on YouTube. It was hilarious!

We played our annual kick ball against the 5th graders as a farewell to them as they enter middle school next year. It was a tough game, I was just happy I scored!

We tied the game- but probably should have lost!

Here my 4th grade kids are singing me a goodbye song/poem they wrote!

Goodbye to School .... Hello to Summer!

The Three Musketeers!

Darby will be leaving this Sunday to go to his new home in Cedar Rapids. It will be extra hard to say goodbye to him because I have gotten really attached to him. The three kittens have become so independent and so much fun. Look how sweet they are relaxing over Memorial day weekend!

Change is Good... right?

Everything is changing and my head is spinning! I accepted a new job for next year at UNI teaching art education classes and I am in the process of enrolling in the PHD program at the University of Iowa. I will be VERY busy next year teaching classes at both universities and taking classes as well. I am so excited to begin this new challenge but I am scared as well. It will be so different than teaching elementary children.
I am very sad to be leaving my staff and students in a few weeks. I have been at my elementary school for 5 years. Below is a picture of our 4th annual end of the year art show. I had over 150 people come. It was so wonderful.


Here my new car! I needed to get it since I will be driving to UNI ( an hour drive) twice a week next year! Thanks to Kirsten's great husband who runs the dealership- we got a great new Mazda wagon.
We drove our new Mazda to Des Moines yesterday to meet Gizmo's new family. We will miss her so much. She was the smallest of the kitties and so sweet and gentle. Good Luck!

While in Des Moines, we bought a new couch at Homemakers furniture,
(our old hand-me-down couch finally bit it!)
Maybe it was 5 cats and two dogs wrestling on it for the last 2 months????

It won't be delivered for a few weeks so ... we must temporally fix our old one! Wish us luck!

All in all, change is good, right.....??
I'll miss my Volvo wagon and it's cute little quirks, I'll miss all the kitties we are saying good bye to, and I'll really miss my job most! BUT- no looking back, great new experiences ahead!!!!!

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!

Goodbye Gadget...

Here I am holding Gadget for the last time. I love how he crosses his paws and goes limp in your arms. He truly is a snuggler! I am going to miss him so much. He went to a new home in Cedar Rapids yesterday. Goodbye Gadget.... Good Luck!

Next Saturday Gizmo goes to Des Moines! Boo Hoo!

New Jewelry!

I made some new jewelry for some of my family members' birthdays... check them out!

Picking Violets

Sophie and Marissa were over last weekend to see the kittens. They had so much fun with them, and just as much fun picking all of the violets in our yard.

Do you need a kitty?

We are now looking for homes for two of our kitties. Jeremy and I are keeping Mabel and Roosevelt. A friend of a friend is taking little Gizmo to Des Moines ( we think she will miss her partner Gadget) Any thoughts of taking Gadget as well, would be great. Kitttens go much better in pairs. They have someone to play with and are more likely to stay out of trouble- you know like with the drapes or the plants!!
Just a thought..... with that in mind, Darby the adorable and Gadget the great are in need homes!
Here are a few recent shots of them.
Darby the tiger striped kitten loves to run and jump on the other kittens. He is so energetic and so affectionate. Darby purrs so loud and wants to follow you everywhere. Now Gadget loves to wrestle and since he is the biggest of the kittens at 2 lbs. He often wins! He is mellow most of the time and will let you handle him all the time. He has extra soft fur and loves to sit on laps.

Gadget the Great
Gadget the snuggler
Gadget wrestling Gizmo his twin sister

Darby the Adorable
Darby the Daring
Darby needs a home...

If you are someone you know is interested, please post a comment. Thanks, Wendy and Jeremy

What's Up?

I have only been posting Kittens for the like the last month and a half, so what else is new here? I am sad to say that Chalk the Walk was this weekend in Mount Vernon, but I could not go because I was sick. I completely lost my voice- which you must know for me is HELL! Last week was so extremely busy for me that I feel the stress made me sick!
Jeremy and I decided last year we wanted to move out west BUT the Iowa flooding has left us with an unexpected mess in our basement that we can't seem to fix. So I have been looking for alternative things to do next year. I want to start my PHD at Iowa so I was looking for work I could do part time. I interviewed at University of Northern Iowa last Monday for an associate art education professor position for next year. ( I could drive an hour because all my classes would be on two days a week). I have not heard back so that may not be good! It was a very scary, new experience for me. I presented my research and teaching to over 45 people in the auditorium in the art building. It may have been more than I am ready for!

Wednesday was my birthday-Jeremy got me a new sewing machine- yeah!!!!! I took the day off and spent it with Jeremy and my dear friend Jason. We went out for Sushi, to the movies and then for a pedicure. It was a new experience for some!!!
This week does not look like it is going to slow down either! I hope my voice returns soon!

Hiding places

These kittens are finding so many great hiding places in our old house. It has been hard keeping track of them! Here are a few of my favorite places.....

In pockets....
On top of the phone book...
In our record collection basket.....

In their new cat house from IKEA.... ( thanks Mom!)
Under sleeping children.....

In Jeremy's pants!!!!!!!! OH MY!!!