Baseball, Birthdays and Bling!!!

Hi and Happy Monday everyone!

Mom and I read some time ago that you should NEVER use alliterations in writing and we say pffffffffft!!! It's our blog and we'll do what we want to!

Today we have some impawtant mews for you!!!

For those of us who live in the U.S., MANY of our favorite teams will be kicking off the Major League Baseball season today!!! Wooooo hooooo!

My Mom lived in Cleveland, Ohio for 35 years so she still LOVES the Cleveland Indians. Me? I was born and raised in good 'ol Detroit, AND I am a FELINE,  so I am a Detroit Tigers fan!!! Mom and I would like to wish both of our teams the best of luck this season!

Now for more impawtant mews!!!

Tomorrow is SOME KITTY'S BIRTHDAY!!!!

Gee, I wonder who it could be?

You will have to come back tomorrow to find out AND to enter to win THIS from www.forloveofadog.com!!!

See ya tomorrow.........

oh and 

PLAY BALL!!!

Kittens:Best Friends offers tips on what to do if you find litter outdoors

Roughly 70 percent of the cats who end up in America’s shelters are killed (National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy Shelter StatisticsSurvey, 1994-97). Most of these are community cats (stray and free-roaming). In response, Best Friends is working to save lives by implementing innovative trap/neuter/return (TNR) programs across the country. Through TNR cats are humanely trapped and taken to a veterinarian who spays/neuters the cat, vaccinates them and tips one ear as a visual signal that this cat has been sterilized. The cats then are returned to their outdoor home to live out their lives. 

   

“Right now we are in what is known across the country as ‘kitten season’ and shelter employees everywhere are bracing themselves for the influx of babies,” said Dankert. “At Best Friends, we hear from shelters all over the country that are overwhelmed with the arrival of kittens still weeks away from being old enough to be weaned, spayed or neutered and adopted. Some arrive without mothers and need to be bottle-fed every two hours, and the workload almost immediately outweighs what shelter staff can take on.

“What I don’t think most people understand is that most animals shelters simply do not have the resources to care for neonatal kittens, so well-meaning people who ‘rescue’ a litter of kittens by taking them to the shelter have in almost every instance inadvertently signed the kittens’ death sentences.” Dankert said.

Best Friends Animal Society offers the following tips on what to do if you find a litter of kittens outdoors:

First of all – don’t panic. Observe and leave the kittens alone - make sure they have been abandoned before you take action. You’ll often find that their mother is simply out looking for food or for a good place to move them. Take note of the exact location so you can share the address and description of where the kittens are located if you find that they have been abandoned.

Contact your local animal shelter to get the contact information for your local community cat or TNR program.  These groups will be able to determine if mother comes back in a normal time frame or if the kittens will need to be bottle fed. 

Though it may go against your instincts, don't immediately scoop kittens up and take them to the shelter.

If the mother does not come back and you are willing to volunteer with your local group to care for the kittens, please first read Best Friends’ resource article “Feeding and Caring for Bottle Babies” . 5. If the mother does return, keep your eye on her and the kittens until they are old enough to be trapped, spayed or neutered and returned to the area they came from. TNR is not only the most humane method of preventing cats from entering the shelter system, it’s the most effective.

Want to help community cats?

Best Friends Animal Society has volunteer opportunities in Los Angeles, San Antonio, Baltimore, Albuquerque, DeKalb County, Georgia, St. George, Utah and the Four Directions program for rural southern Utah.

The Best Friends No More Homeless Pets Network of local animal rescue groups and shelters has more than 250 groups nationwide that are involved in helping community cats.

Your local animal rescue groups and shelters can put you in touch with the community cat programs that are not affiliated with Best Friends, you also can do an internet search to find groups in your area.“Bottle feeding is a very rewarding but also incredibly demanding endeavor, so make sure you have the time, resources and a suitable home to care for the kittens,” said Dankert.
 

​“​ And please also remember how important it is to spay and neuter your pets. This is the single most important thing we can do to prevent unwanted litters. Best Friends has an education campaign called Fix at Four  and you can enter your zip code to find local veterinarians and low-cost spay/neuter clinics.”

About Best Friends Animal Society®
Best Friends Animal Society is the only national animal welfare organization focused exclusively on ending the killing of dogs and cats in America's shelters. An authority and leader in the no-kill movement since its founding in 1984, Best Friends runs the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals, as well as life-saving programs in partnership with rescue groups and shelters across the country. Since its founding, Best Friends has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from 17 million per year to 4 million. Best Friends has the knowledge, technical expertise and on-the-ground network to end the killing and Save Them All®.

Like Best Friends Animal Society on Facebook

Follow Best Friends on Twitter: 

We were not compensated for this guest post. We were sent this information and chose to share it because of it's high importance.

LIVE with GLOGIRLY – A BlogPaws Sneak Peek

GLOGIRLY:  Well hello Cody, Caren and all the Cat Chat fans! Thanks so much for inviting us to your blog today!

WAFFLES:  Where’s the snacks? I was told there would be snacks.

GLOGIRLY:  I’m super excited to be speaking at BlogPaws this year and I’m thrilled to share a little about my session with you today!

KATIE:  Don’t you mean to say you’d be thrilled if anyone ATTENDS your session?

GLOGIRLY:  Maybe my session should be called, “Everything you wanted to know about living with two opinionated cats but were afraid to ask.” 

KATIE:  Opinionated? Everyone’s entitled to an opinion … as long as it’s mine.

GLOGIRLY:  Alright, that’s enough smack talk. On with the show!

“A picture’s worth a thousand words.”

My absolute favorite part of blogging is visual storytelling. Taking great photos is not only fun, but for me it’s what defines my blog. Through photography I can give a voice to my cats and make people laugh. It’s also something that comes in very handy when working with brands.

“I wish I could take better pictures.”

I hear this from friends, readers and fellow bloggers all the time. And this is exactly what my session will focus on. Whether you’re taking photos with an iPhone, a small point & shoot or DSLR (that’s photographer-speak for a camera that has a detachable lens) you’ll walk away from this session with simple and actionable tips that will enable you to immediately improve the photos you take of your pets.  Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, I promise to deliver some “aha” moments.

A Sneak Peek

The session, called Photography Tips, Tricks & Product Reviews, is divided into two main chunks –

1.    How to take a better photo of your pet

2.    How to take better photos for product reviews

Some of my tips are technical. Some are creative and artistic. And some will even help you wrangle your pets!

Get Down!

Better start practicing your deep knee bends!  One of my absolute favorite tips is something that EVERYONE can do right now. Get down! WAY down! Get down to your pet’s level when taking their picture. Some of the best shots will happen when your lens is looking right into your pet’s eyes at their level.  

And if they’re lying on the floor, well I hope you have soft carpeting.

Eye contact is where some the magic happens and when you’re on the same level as your pet, it’s as if you can see into their soul. This is Waffles’ soul saying, “I’m bored…is it snack time yet???”

Lighting, Lighting, Lighting

It’s probably no surprise that lighting is a big deal. If eye contact is where some of the magic happens, good lighting is where the rest of the magic can happen. I always try to take advantage of natural light whenever I can.  Inside the house, I like to position myself with a window behind me and a cat in front of me.  That way the light from the window illuminates the cat, and gives them a nice sparkle in their eye.

If you do the reverse and shoot your cat with the window behind them, the view out your window may look nice, but all you’ll see is a dark shadow of your cat.  

  Product Reviews with WOW

For bloggers, photos can make or break product reviews.  Brands will sit up and take notice when you feature great shots of your pets interacting with their product.  They LOVE seeing their products put to use in a home environment and it will make writing your review a piece of cake… or as Katie & Waffles would have it, a piece of chicken.

And guess what? Great content and great photos are the name of the game when it comes to attracting sponsors. This session will walk you through how to get the best possible photos for whatever type of product you’re reviewing. 

A Purr-sonal Invitation – TONIGHT 7PM CST!

Come hangout with me and the BlogPaws gang at BlogPaws Live|365:2. This episode, Thursday, March 27, at 8pm EST / 7pm CST will feature three of the BlogPaws 2014 Conference speakers:

·         Dino Dogan, “Pet Blogging Business” Keynote Panelist

·         Carleen Coulter, Top Legal Issues Faced by Bloggers

·         Debbie Glovatsky (ME!), Photography Tips, Tricks & Product Reviews

Click HERE to join the conversation on Google Hangouts.

Join Me at BlogPaws!

So if you’re attending BlogPaws, I’d like to purr-sonally invite you to join me for Photography Tips, Tricks & Product Reviews on Friday May 9 from 2:00-3:30 pm.

And if you’re not attending BlogPaws…well what are you waiting for! This will be my third conference and I can guarantee you’ll have a blast!

Save 10%! Register HERE for the 2024 BlogPaws Pet Blogging & Social Media Conference. Enter promo code BlogPaws2014-Speaker-Glovatsky-10.

  

About Debbie Glovatsky:

Debbie is the creative, funny-girl behind the award-winning GLOGIRLY.com cat blog. Voiced by cats, Katie & Waffles, GLOGIRLY delivers daily doses of humor, cuteness and spiffy, new cat products. She’s an accomplished photographer and graphic designer and visual marketer. Through her online business, GLOGIRLY DESIGN, Debbie has partnered with brands and bloggers to help them find their own visual identity. Her signature style is sprinkled across the blogosphere like sparkling pixie dust.

FROM CAT CHAT WITH CAREN AND CODY, thanks so much to Debbie Glovatsky for being our SPECIAL guest today!!!! I know I am hoping to sign up for your session at BlogPaws 2014! Oh and Waffles, I will bring SNACKS!

MICHIGAN HUMANE SOCIETY TO HOLD FERAL CAT WORKSHOP IN WESTLAND ON SATURDAY, APRIL 5

Trap-Neuter-Return program will reduce

 the number of homeless cats and save lives

Photo used with permission from Michigan Humane

On Saturday, April 5, the Michigan Humane Society (MHS) will hold a feral cat workshop for members of the community who want to help reduce the number of homeless cats and provide feral cats with much-needed care. The workshop, required for those interested in becoming a feral cat colony caretaker and participating in the TNR program, will teach residents how to utilize a “Trap-Neuter-Release” (TNR) strategy, which has proven to be the most effective and humane way of handling feral cats. The workshop is part of an annual series MHS offers in the spring and summer months. The April 5 workshop will be held at the MHS Berman Center for Animal Care in Westland from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The MHS TNR program gives individuals who wish to manage a feral cat colony near their home or place of employment the chance to provide the animals with vaccinations, sterilization and veterinary care. Caretakers will be trained on proper techniques and equipment to humanely trap feral cats and bring them to the Michigan Humane Society for veterinary care. The animals will then be released back to their habitat by their caretaker.

To register online or for more information, visit www.michiganhumane.org/feral or call

 (248) 283-1000, ext. 127. Space is limited and an RSVP is required.

Providing a TNR service for feral cats is a critical component of lowering the number of unadoptable animals coming into shelters, as feral cats generally cannot be adopted into homes unless they are young enough to be properly socialized with humans. TNR allows the cats to humanely live out their lives in their natural habitat, while preventing them from contributing to the pet overpopulation problem.

The MHS Berman Center for Animal Care is located at 900 N. Newburgh Road.

The Michigan Humane Society is the largest and oldest animal welfare organization in the state. MHS works to end companion animal homelessness, provide the highest quality service and compassion to the animals entrusted to our care, and to be a leader in promoting humane values.

Baby Blue:Wordless Wednesday

Two Google+ Hangout Events, Wednesday:Jackson Galaxy, Thursday:BlogPaws LIVE/365:2!

I don't know about you but I LOVE Google+ Hangouts, not familiar with them? Well, they are more or less a free video chat service that enables a group of people to get-together in one place, watch a LIVE video, that offers discussions, Q&A's and information sharing,  (that is usually about a half hour in length). You can learn more about them here.

I actually prefer them to Twitter chats because:

1.  They are shorter in duration
2.  I can focus on ONE person on the video at a time, rather than making myself go blind trying to keep up with a rapidly moving chat (that is just my personal preference, many would probably disagree)

This week is super exciting because there are TWO Google+ Hangout Events that you will NOT want to miss! The first of the two is this WEDNESDAY:

JACKSON GALAXY OF ANIMAL PLANET’S ‘MY CAT FROM HELL’ TO HOST THIRD

‘LIVE FROM THE CAT CAVE’ GOOGLE+ HANGOUT

Jackson will be answering 

viewer questions

LIVE ON AIR!

He will also be touching on the recent Oregon newsmaker cat: Lux                                                 Plus, behind-the-scenes updates from Cat Mojo and My Cat from Hell

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!

and also on YouTube at the time of the Hangout

The next MUST ATTEND EVENT

Is brought to you by:

BlogPaws LIVE/365:2

 THURSDAY, MARCH 27th:

8:00-8:30 PM EDT

HANG OUT WITH

SOME OF THE 

CONFERENCE SPEAKERS

AND HOST CAROL BRYANT

SIGN UP HERE!!!

Winner! "KeeKee's Big Adventures in Rome, Italy" Story by Shannon Jones, Illustrations by Casey Uhelski

Hi all and thanks to everyone who entered my give-away for:

We are happy to announce that the winner(s) as chosen by www.random.org are:

MELISSA AND TRUFFLES!

Click here to visit her blog!!!

HUGE CONCATULATIONS!!!!

Melissa and Truffles

will win a copy of the Rome book

AND Paris!

Melissa, Mom has your address SOMEWHERE,

but if you wouldn't mind please 

re-emailing it to her,

that would be great!

THANKS SO MUCH!

Her email is:

cgittleman at mi dot rr dot com

The Petter™ Planner! It's an organizer, and scrapbook all in one! Enter to Win!

I know this is FAR from the first time you have read about this product, (in fact, we just had a give-away on Dakota's blog about a week ago), and many other bloggers have featured this great product, but part of the reason you are seeing it being featured so much around the blog-o-sphere is because it is a MUST HAVE! Today we are featuring:

The Petter™

Let me ask you this, where do you store copies of vet visits, vaccinations, notes from the vet, etc? I am embarrassed to tell you that I have completely ripped and worn out folders that:

That I received from Petco when Cody was adopted (ALMOST SEVEN YEARS AGO!)

As you can imagine, they are a MESS!

The other day I was looking for paperwork from when our dog, Dakota, had his Bordetella shot this past February, could I find it? No! Should I have put it in my Petter Planner? YES!

Now for you kitties out there, this might NOT be the best news in the world. Now your V-E-T appointments will be SUPER EASY for your human(s) to keep track of!!!

What's In The Petter? Glad you Asked!

• Info pages to keep track of important information (like registration numbers, dietary needs, info for pet sitters, etc.) for up to 6 pets----If you are going to be going to the BlogPaws Conference or ANYWHERE this is a MUST HAVE! (I plan on using mine for BlogPaws, blogging, appointments and countless other things,  every day!
• Handy pockets to hold papers---that vaccination info that I had been looking for
• Pet family tree pages

• Adhesive notepads and page markers -- the larger adhesive pad is removable and magnetic
• Amazing facts and famous quotes about animals---not just cats and dogs either! I saw a quote about whales! Yes, whales!
• Important dates and holidays for animals--ATTENTION BLOGGERS! I know MANY of us struggle for blogging ideas or when we see someone else post about a  holiday, we sit back with a look of amazement on our faces and say "Why didn't I know about THAT!?" Well, if you get this planner, YOU WILL! I am planning on keeping my Petter Planner right with my blogging calendars!

Here is a teaser! Did you know that:

April 11 is National Pet Day?

April 27th is National Pet Parent's Day?

I didn't either until I had this planner!

Check out the video below that shows you just some of what the Petter™ Planner has!

There are MANY MORE  things I love about The Petter™ Planner and some of them are smack dab right inside of the handy booklet that is inside of the planner. Here you will find resources/websites for:

• Adopting a Pet
• Websites for reporting animal cruelty
• How to Report a Stray or Injured Animal
• Medical Resources
• Pet Supplies
• Traveling With Your Pet

Our kitchen calendar is not only bogged down with info that my husband and I need to keep track of for ourselves, but info for Cody and Dakota. In fact, I am embarrassed to say that I had forgotten to give Dakota his heartworm pill recently because I had FORGOTTEN to write it on the calendar! With  The Petter™ Planner I can record that,  upcoming vet appointments, (much to Cody's dismay), Cody's allergy medicine schedule that he gets a few times a year, and soooooo much more!

This is a TRULY valuable resource for pet parents, pet sitters, pet bloggers, ANYONE who cares for or who has pets! It is a MUST have resource, that is easily transportable, it can be left out right on a counter or table, (yes, it is THAT cute!), imagine having ALL of this info RIGHT AT THE TIPS OF YOUR HUMAN PAWS!!

Today is your lucky day (humans? YES, kitties? Not so much!!) My friend at The Petter™  is allowing me to have a give-away for my readers who live in the U.S. and Canada!! One lucky person will win their OWN Petter™ Planner! (A $26.99 value! Shipping is included for those who live and order in the U.S.)

  Enter on the Rafflecopter below!!! The winner will be announced on Wednesday, April 2nd.  Can't wait that long? Visit The Petter™ Planner online!   GOOD LUCK! a Rafflecopter giveaway

In full disclosure, Cody and I were not compensated for this review/give-away. We were sent The Petter in exchange for our honest review.

Is my cat moonlighting with Etrade?

Hi all!

The first time my husband saw the latest Etrade commercial he started yelling like a wild man for me to come into the room. He was beside himself with laughter! He said "This cat looks like Cody!!" I don't think so, but the commercial is hilarious. What do YOU think?

BlogPaws 2014 Conference Newbies Group has the ANSWERS to your questions!

Hi All! Do you believe that it is just a matter of WEEKS until the BlogPaws Conference? I can't believe it either! The time is flying by!

For the past few years, I have had the pleasure of being the main moderator of the BlogPaws Conference Newbies Group (your go-to source for answers to your pressing Conference questions!)

Click HERE to join the group!

There are a number of active discussions taking place now, and I would like to share those links with you:

ANNUAL "NEWBIES" BREAKFAST AT CONFERENCE

Looking to share a room at the Conference?

Must Read Blog Posts About The Power of BlogPaws!

YES!! THERE WILL BE A SHUTTLE TO AND FROM THE AIRPORT-THANK YOU BLOGPAWS!

How to Make a Flat Pet

WHAT TO WEAR TO THE CONFERENCE?

BUSINESS CARDS FOR CONFERENCE

Learn More About BlogPaws and why YOU Should attend the BlogPaws Conference!

BLOGPAWS CONFERENCE 2014 BADGES FOR YOUR BLOG ARE HERE!!

Blog Paws Connections Paying Off

Attractions, Places of Interest in and around Las Vegas and the Hotel

Conference Veterans!

 Share Your Favorite Memories and Tips!

What are your biggest concerns, fears about attending your first BlogPaws Conference?

BlogPaws Reveals Preliminary Speakers for 2014 Conference

RIDE SHARE/ROAD TRIP FOR CONFERENCE

Questions about the 2014 Conference? Bring 'em on!

Tell All of the Bloggers You Know about the Conference Newbies Group!

Hope this helps!! When you visit the Newbies Group, take a look at the discussions, don't see the discussion you are looking for? Click on "View All" on the bottom right corner!

Hopefully this will clear up some confusion and feel free to ask questions in the group or email me your questions at cgittleman at mi dot rr dot com

You can also send me a message on Facebook!

Have you registered for the Conference?

Better hurry before it sells out!

Be sure to use my discount code for a 10% DISCOUNT on your registration!

BlogPaws2014-Caren-10

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

Can't wait to see all of you!

"BlogPaws:We Write the Blogs That Make the Whole World Read"

HAVE YOU REGISTERED???

REGISTER NOW!!! 

You can get a 10% DISCOUNT by mentioning the code

 BlogPaws2014-Caren-10

"Bouncy, Flouncy" SPRING!!!

FINALLY! Today is the FIRST DAY OF SPRING (it arrives at 12:57pm EST...but psssst.....someone PLEASE tell the weather this? We are expecting light snow today in Michigan)

While sitting and thinking about Spring FINALLY arriving, and how it makes us want to dance with glee, Cody and I wondered just WHO could reflect the COMPLETE JOY we are feeling, now that SPRING is here?  Just what would properly reflect our exuberance? While pondering, our minds wandered to one of our FAVORITE "cats" of all time.....

the one with the most "SPRING" in his step!!

TIGGER!!!!

Comfy Cat-Wordless Wednesday

Children's Book "KeeKee's Big Adventures in Rome, Italy" Story by Shannon Jones, Illustrations by Casey Uhelski--Enter to Win!

Hi all! It's Cody and I am Miao-ing with delight that KeeKee is back, and Mamma mia I couldn't be happier!!

I bet you are wondering, just who is KeeKee?

The REAL KeeKee is a calico kitty, (Mom and I like that she prefers to refer to herself as "a colorful cat." )

Her real-life pawrents adopted her from a shelter in Seattle, Washington, but she spent four years in Europe!  While living in Europe she traveled in her hot air balloon visiting all sorts of places while her pawrents were at work!

The KeeKee in  her two catabulous books is "the adventurous calico kitty who travels the world in her hot air balloon. Her first stop was Paris. And now? Mamma Mia! It's Rome, Italy!"

For those of you who are long time readers, you will remember that I reviewed KeeKee's first book: KeeKee's Big Adventures in Paris, France!  Well, I am honored to say that KeeKee included a line from my review: "Vibrant, colorful and bursting with PURRsonality!" where it appears on the back cover of her latest book:"KeeKee's Big Adventures in Rome, Italy"

Once again, Mom and I purred while reading about KeeKee's adventures, (this time in Rome, Italy),  because the illustrations done by Casey Uhelski are vibrant, colorful and are just BURSTING with purrsonality! If it is possible, I think the illustrations in KeeKee's Big Adventures in Rome, Italy are even MORE VIBRANT and possess even MORE amazing details than her first book! (Wait til you see the illustration of the Sistine Chapel and her take on Michelangelo's masterpiece! Mamma mia it's SPLENDIDO!!!!

This time my Mom and I followed  KeeKee  as she flew in her hot air balloon and landed in the "world-famous Cat Sanctuary" in Rome where she was greeted by a new furiend, Emilia. KeeKee has always wanted to visit the Colosseum, the Pantheon,and  the Sistine Chapel, (or as KeeKee calls it, the Sixteenth Chapel MOL!)  Emilia knows just the person who can act as KeeKee's tour guide for her latest journey, it's   Alfredo, who "knows Rome like the back of his paw."

 KeeKee's Big Adventures in Rome, Italy, enabled me to learn all about Rome and some impawtant history, and the best part? I had FUN while doing so!!! YOU WILL TOO! Mom and I both feel that this book ISN'T just for those who are between the ages of 4 and 7 (as the jacket states), because GROWN UP KIDS and ADULTS can learn from this book too!

As KeeKee's first book had, there is s a Pronunciation Guide & Glossary for Italian  words and places that were mentioned in the book!

Examples are:

• Amico Mio (ah-MEE-coe MEE-oh) which means "My friend"
• Benvenuto (ben-veh-NOO-toe) which means "Welcome"
• Grazie mille (GRAHT-see-eh-MEE-leh) which means "A thousand thanks"
• Mangia (MANH-juh) which means and kitties we love, "EAT!"
• Miao (mee-yow) which means....what else? MEOW!

Just to name a few!

So, not only are you and your little ones going to enjoy the story, but you will all learn something at the same time! Heck, MOM learned some Italian words that SHE never knew! Me? I'm kinda suave and "Splendido" so I already knew some of them.

YOU CAN LEARN THESE WORDS TOO and share KeeKee's Big Adventures in Rome, Italy with her!

ENTER TO WIN: ONE LUCKY PERSON WILL  WIN ONE COPY OF KeeKee's Big Adventures in Rome, Italy and ONE COPY OF KeeKee's Big Adventures in Paris, France, OPEN TO EVERYONE  LOCATED ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!!    (An appox $35.00 value)....you must be 18 and older to enter.

HOW TO ENTER:leave a comment telling me that you would like to enter and be sure I have a way of contacting you should you be the lucky winner!
EXTRA ENTRY: "like" KeeKee's Big Adventures on Facebook , and or Twitter, tell them Cody from Cat Chat With Caren and Cody sent you, and leave a comment here telling me that you did that.

THE GIVE-AWAY IS OPEN NOW and will end on MONDAY, MARCH 24TH at 5PM EASTERN. The winner will be chosen by www.random.org and will be announced on TUESDAY, MARCH 25TH.

If you can't wait: you can purchase the book here


For more information,   visit http://www.keekeesbigadventures.com/

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR: For Shannon Jones, her love of travel began at a young age. It opened her eyes and ears to the world. As a grown-up, living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with her husband Paul and kitty KeeKee, the idea for KeeKee's Big Adventures was born. After 20 years in the marketing field, Shannon is launched on her new adventures, following her passion for writing and excited to be helping kids in their quest for learning and discovery. 

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: Casey Uhelski graduated with honors from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration. As a little girl, she loved books, doodling, and daydreaming. She's never outgrown these early enthusiasms, and has happily gone on to pursue a career as a children's-book illustrator.

Good luck,
 Grazie mille, and
 Arrivederci, 
Cody

In full disclosure: I was not compensated for this review/give-away. I was sent a copy of KeeKee's Big Adventures in Rome, Italy in exchange for my honest review.