Tea with Bean (and Wylla) and Cindy!

Cindy, who came all the way from the Los Angeles area, joined us for Tea with Bean (and Wylla) on Tuesday afternoon.  The day was warm and bright, and it really was the perfect Northwest fall day.

Cindy arrived at noon, we all said hello, she met Wylla and Bean, and we spent a little time chatting in the living room. Wylla let Cindy give her a hug, but Bean always needs to really get to know someone before she'll accept that kind of affection. Instead, Craig held Bean.





We headed into the kitten room next, and Cindy got to meet the Framboise Family. They were all friendly and sweet and were happy to meet their new friend.  I was a little worried Enzo might dash into the shadows, but he didn't!  He was comfortable and relaxed and enjoyed playing with Cindy, Cleo, and Posey.







While they played, I slipped out of the room to tend to some lunch details, and once everything was complete, we sat down at the table.

The "centerpiece" on the table was a collections of items from our 2016 FUNdraising set.  Tegan and Dinah manned the phones.



Each place setting had one of the tiny ferns along with a place card featuring one of the images that had hung on the set walls.





At Cindy's place setting, we had a little gift for her: a couple of sets of kitty cards, an IBKC pin, and a Bean print.



We started out with salad and soup. The salad was baby spinach and arugula with roasted yellow beets,  a stone ground mustard and maple dressing, and yes, garlic kitty croutons! I loved how the beets looked like striped kitty balls!



The soup was pesto with navy beans and kale. Sprinkled on top, a little parmesan and toasted pine nuts.  I didn't notice until I imported the photos, but the parmesan kind of makes it look like the kitty is shedding in the soup!  And those pine nuts are shaped like mice!



For the main course we served cannelloni filled with butternut squash, ricotta cheese, and kale, with a fontina cheese sauce. On the side, roasted rainbow carrots tossed in olive oil, saffron, salt and pepper.

And, of course, there was tea.



We had a great talk over lunch and enjoyed getting to know our guest.  

After we were finished, we headed over to the shelter for out tour. Shelby, who does events and marketing at the shelter,  was our guide.

We first visited the adoptable cats. This handsome guy, Albert, was one giant love and was happy to receive attention from all of us.  It's hard to see, but his tongue is sticking out here, and we laughed that this guy could very well be Mr. Framboise!



We also laughed when we noticed that in his photo, he looked more like a squirrel than a cat!



In the grooming room, where the Bath Brigade works their magic, we got to say hello to this cutie!



In the foster room we got to see six teeny tiny babies, three orange and three brown tabby,  who were just six days old. Mama Cat was cuddling up with them in the corner of their cage, so I couldn't get a good photo, but gosh, they were itty bitty!

Patty, who works in the foster room and also fosters kittens, had her set available for snuggling. There were three kittens in this batch -- two orange tabbies and a flame point.  All were adorable!










We visited a few more areas, met some staff, the wrapped up the tour by taking some photos with Bean!  As most know, she graces the side of the Humane Society's "Tail Wagon".



Next, we headed back home and had a little more kitten time.



And then we had a little dessert.  Cindy said she would be happy with just some simple fruit for dessert, so that's what we did. We were so full from lunch, I don't think we could have handled anything much heavier.

Of course, their were raspberries, because Framboise means raspberry in French. (In case you didn't know that already!)  Also red grapes, figs, black berries, and a little cheese, too.




Cindy brought presents for us!  She gave me a lovely scarf she had knitted, and the girls got a bag of really awesome toys.  They were excited to receive a pair of catnip bananas (there's nothing better than a fresh banana), a Cat Dancer, a replacement bird for their Da Bird toy, and lots of other fun stuff.

We spent some time trying out the new toys and the girls had a blast!







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We played with the toys and chatted some more, then ended our day.  It was a really lovely afternoon and the humans, cats, and kittens enjoyed it immensely!

Thank you, Cindy, for joining us!  We appreciate you coming so far to spend an afternoon in our home!  We also appreciate you bidding so generously to win this luncheon with us, and I know the Humane Society does too! They can do many good things with your generous donation!

And thank you for all of the wonderful gifts, too. That was so very thoughtful of you!


We hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did! Safe travels, and should you find yourself in Tacoma again, do let us know!




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Win Tea with Bean (and Wylla) ( and Kittens!!)

As part of our FUNdraiser,  once again, we'll be auctioning off  Tea with Bean (and Wylla).  This is will be the 7th  annual Tea, and every year, it's a whole lot of fun.



Last year Marianne was our winner and she invited her friend, Naomi, to come along. We had a really great day, and you can read all about it here.  These two were local, but we've had guests come all the way from New York,  Boston and even Canada to lunch with us.

So what exactly is Tea with Bean (and Wylla) ?




Well, the winning bidder of this auction, and a guest of their choice, will be joining the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee at our home in Tacoma, Washington, on a mutually agreeable date for a behind-the- scenes tour and luncheon.  The winner and guest are responsible for their own travel arrangements and expenses.

The girls will put on their little white gloves, and you'll get to meet and mingle with Charlene, Wylla, and the foster kittens residing in our home at the time of the visit.

    

We will serve a lovely vegetarian  (or vegan if you prefer) lunch, tea, and desserts.   Afterwards, we'll head to the Humane Society for a little tour which will include the foster room, cattery, Petunia Louise Community Cat Room,  Charlene Butterbean Quarantine Room, and we can even say hello to the dogs if you like.   You'll also get to see the HS van that has Charlene's photo on it!

We'll send you home with some parting gifts too - and no, I don't mean kittens!

We'll take lots of pictures during your visit, and with the winner's  permission, share the story of the visit on the blog.

Sounds like fun, doesn't it?  Well it is!   We always look forward to it each year!


The auction is up and running now and closes Tomorrow at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.

If you would like to get in on the auction action, please visit the Ebay listing. 

Tea with Bean

Last Friday, Wendy joined us for  our fundraising luncheon, Tea with Bean!  She didn't have to travel nearly as far as our guests of previous years.  She lives just thirty minutes or so from Tacoma.

 It happened to be one of the hottest days of our summer, and when she arrived,  Charlene was stretched out on the wood floor, attempting to cool herself down.





The kittens were a little bouncier than Bean, and we spent some time playing with them before sitting down for lunch.

Because of the heat,  I tried to create a menu that was cold and refreshing.

We had a zesty kale and mint slaw.  It's my favorite new recipe of the summer, and I encourage all you vegetarians, vegans, and lovers of summer salads to give it a try!



A fruit salad with a honey ginger dressing.



Gazpacho.



And tiny sandwiches with herb goat cheese, radishes, and arugula.



The table was decorated with elements from our fundraising set.





Wendy fosters kittens and volunteers at another local shelter, so there was plenty for us to talk about.   It was interesting to hear about her fostering experiences.

After lunch, we headed over to the Humane Society for a tour with Marguerite, the development director.

We started in the lobby and visited the Petunia Louise Community Cat Room.   Normally, adult cats fill the room, but with this being the peak kitten season, they have little ones bouncing around in there instead.    

Here's Wendy giving one of the babies some love.  



And here are a couple more PLCCR tenants.






Next, we toured the foster room, vet treatment, the surgery area, cattery, and Butterbean Quarantine.

We met lots of fabulous cats on the tour.  

This chatty, handsome boy was getting ready to move to Petsmart, one of the HS's off-site adoption venues.



Next, we toured the dog section.    Check out this adorable dog and his expressive ears and eyes.
 




We even got to meet Marguerite's dog, Max, who comes to work with her every day.  



The tour ended, and Marguerite presented Wendy with a cat basket filled with gifts.   It was a fun and informative visit, and we both enjoyed it immensely.


We headed back home and spent a little more time with the Petries.  



And finished the day with an assortment of desserts.  It was too hot to turn on the oven, so I picked up a selection of treats from a local bakery.



It was lovely afternoon.  We were so happy to meet Wendy, and so appreciative of her generous donation.

Thanks for coming to visit us, Wendy!

Tea with Bean (and Wylla)

Koren flew from Boston and Margo flew from New York to join us for Tea with Bean (and Wylla).

We picked the wettest weekend ever to have our event, but we didn't let rain dampen our fun!  The day was filled with great conversation, many laughs, and of course, cats.

Here's Margo giving some love to wee Wylla.



And here's Koren, doing the same.



I decorated our table with a few pieces from our 2013 FUNdraising set - the table, the phones, the sofa, and the signage were all on display.







We gave our guests a little pack of party favors which included sparkle balls, IBKC magnets, and a Baxter Lamm ornament.



Glittery kittens stood at each place setting.



On the menu we had individual vegetable pot pies,  cream of pea soup,  



a hearty spinach, roasted sweet potato, and chickpea salad.



and a seasonal fruit salad with figs, pears, blueberries, and apples.



As we dined and chatted, Wylla napped and Bean put on a little show in the living room.



After lunch, we headed over to the Humane Society for a fun and informative tour guided by Marguerite, who's a good friend of ours and director of development at the shelter.

We got to meet this little fellow who was getting ready have a meet and greet with potential adopters.



We stopped in the Petunia Louise Community Cat Room to say hello to the residing cats.   Don't worry, we were careful and the cats were napping, so no one escaped.



The foster room was next.  Here's Koren holding a sweet Flame Point named Zippy.  When Zippy arrived at the shelter, he was a very hissy little fellow. After he settled down, he because quite a lover and now demands to be cuddled burrito-style. We gladly obliged.



He's such a dear boy.



The highlight of the tour was a chance to meet this little mama and her babies.  These wee kittens were only two days old, and were born in the shelter.   Look closely - they're nestled next to Mom's belly.  SO TINY!  And SO incredibly adorable!



We toured Vet Treatment,  Butterbean Quarantine, and met lots of cats in the cattery, too.  
Of course before we left, we had to take a photo of our guests in front of the "Tail Wagon" with our larger-than-life Charlene!  



We returned to the house and had tea and pumpkin/carrot cake for dessert.  I can't take credit for the cake - it came from a local bakery.



Koren and Margo brought some awesome toys for the girls.  



Wylla  enjoyed playing with them all, but I think the lobster was the favorite.





Next, we played with string!  







The cats had fun playing, and we had fun watching the cats play.



It really was a wonderful day, and I think humans and felines all had a great time.

Thank you SO much for traveling so far to spend the day with us, Margo and Koren.  And thank you, too,  for the generous wining bid you made on this auction item.

It truly was delightful meeting you both, and we hope you'll visit again one day soon!