Mushroom Rock

Mushroom Rock is really close to Kanopolis and an amazing and unusual force of nature. There is a little mushroom rock right by the road, then over the bridge is the bigger mushroom rock. Very cool.

Hiking at Kanopolis

Little did I know that there were rocky hills, a lake and hiking just over an hour from Wichita, KS. I thought this was the plains! We lucked out with an amazingly beautiful day and had a really nice time. It was a great escape from the city and great to spend time with friends!

Dog Falls For Cat

Cover of CatClick the underlined link for a really cute video:
Dog Falls For Cat

Rafa Slideshow

Create your own slideshow

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The Reign Of Nadal, Not Federer?

If the video does not work, click here:
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?categoryid=2491545&id=5544647

Vamos Rafa!

Mosaic Bird Bath

I bought this beautiful bird bath only to find out that when they didn't glaze the inside of the bowl the beautiful dark turquoise that the rest of the bird bath is made of, it constantly looked dirty. So, why not mosaic the inside with colorful glass tiles!  The biggest challenge is waiting 2 weeks to put it back outside and filling with water after finishing and sealing the grout.  Here's a few photos of the process.

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More Fun Mosaic work

 I kill plants and flowers all the time, so I thought - why not make some pretty flowers that don't require watering!  I think they are pretty cute.  Plus some other decorative mosaic items, made with either small tiles or broken plates.

Photo Art

I was inspired by a friend's art he made by cutting up photos and decided to try my hand at "photo art". I really like the flower collage and the black/white photos look OK too!

Kitty Paintings

Decided to try a little acrylic painting and came up with this set of color block kitties. I kind of like how they turned out! And they are pretty fun to make.

Rafa Wins!

Vamos Rafa! The first Spanish winner of the US Open tennis tournament since 1975 - and I think it was a clay court then. What a great final between two champions! Novak Djokovic gave Rafael Nadal a huge fight, but by the 4th set, he didn't have much left in the tank.

US Open Finals

Image via WikipediaAfter cheering my heart out yesterday and probably scaring my neighbors and my 3 cats, I kind of feel bad that today I have no choice but to cheer against Nole (Novak Djokovic) and cheer for my favorite Rafa (Rafael Nadal) in the US Open finals in New York City.  What a great semi-final yesterday when Nole beat Roger Federer and "ruined the dream final" of Rafa vs. Roger. Not my dream!!! I'd be happy if they never played again in competition.  We can all just remember that amazing 2008 Wimbledon final and leave it at that.  Thank you Nole for ruining that dream final! We want Rafole!!!!

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Mosaic Ball

I have loved learning to do mosaic! It's fun and lets you be very creative. I think this one turned out really unique. Trying to decide whether or not to put it outside. It should hold up fine in the weather, but don't want it knocked off the stand.

Dancing Merengue Dog

Claire's Blog: Me and Sheryl!

Claire's Blog: Me and Sheryl!: "I have a friend Sheryl! we make kitty blankets and toys for the kansas humane society.It is so much fun.here is a picture of one of the blan..."

My Protégé

Image via Wikipedia

So I teach my 9 (soon to be 10) year old protégé how to use Blogger, and now her blog is better than mine!!!!

I have to admit that when I checked her blog (http://clairelieb.blogspot.com) and saw she had changed her background to one I couldn't find and changed to a new slideshow without asking me how, 

I was a bit shocked. 

What? Now hers is cooler than mine?

I had to quickly find out how to change to a different background, so mine is now a photo of Rafa, my favorite tennis player.  What will she learn next? 

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Almost the US Open

Image by Zach Klein via FlickrIt's Almost time again for the US Open tennis tournament. Hopefully one day I will be able to go in person, but until then, I'm glad to have a front row seat in my living room.  Can't really complain, since I have a great TV and the company of my 3 kitties to watch with.  Go Rafa! Hope you can win this year. I'd be happy with many winners as long as it's not Roger. Ugh!

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Critter Camp at The Kansas Humane Society

I decided to make the most of this summer and volunteered nearly ever day at the Kansas Humane Society with their weekly Critter Camps. What a surprise that it has been a lot of fun.

The kids learn about overpopulation and hopefully will go home and make sure their pets are spayed or neutered. They learn how many different jobs can work with or help pets, what food their pets should not eat (who knew dogs should not eat avocados!), and what to do when they encounter a stray dog.

The hi-light of the week is on Friday when they get to go watch several cats and dogs in the surgery room getting spayed or neutered. Mostly they see kittens getting neutered which is amazingly quick. Several kids are not sure about going the first day of camp, but by Friday, they can't wait! They also have the option of just watching the animals wake up after surgery and seeing their ears get cleaned and the toenails cut.

I have been surprised how much I have learned and how much I have enjoyed the kids and their excitement of playing with and learning about the animals. It's been a great way to spend my unexpected days of unemployment for the summer.

Congratulations Rafa!

Image by jainaj via Flickr

Congratulations again to Rafael Nadal winning Wimbledon for the 2nd time!

We missed you last year and coming back to win again is nothing short of AMAZING!!

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RIP Michael Jackson

We still miss you Michael Jackson!

You will always be the most talented of all time.

You are the one and only King of Pop.

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Kittens Solve The Vuvuzela World Cup Controversy in 1 Minute.

How come I'm not creative enough to make a video like this. So cute!

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At the Bar with Roger Federer

At the Bar with Roger Federer

Hilarious video by Jimmy Fallon. How many times can Roger remind us how perfect he is! Glad Jimmy's writers have noticed too!

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Wimbledon Already?

Image via Wikipedia

We haven't had enough time to celebrate Rafa's big win at Rolland Garros and it's already time for Wimbledon to start! I know that grass is supposedly that other guy's favorite surface, but hopefully Rafa will stay healthy and do it again. Bring on the grass!!

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