Happy Zombie

If only I had Clive Pearse on hand at our house that we’re selling! It would have been so much easier, not to mention we’d have an offer by now. Sigh. Panic setting in. And now we’re working on the new house, giving our kitchen a makeover and remodel. Paint and sawdust has become an everyday part of my life. I have more t-shirts and shorts assigned as “painting clothes” then I do regular clothes. Sick. Sick. Sick.

BUT SOME OF US score big and not only get someone else to pay for their redo… they get someone else to do it as well! One such person is my little brother Marco and my SIL Kihn. And if that’s not enough… they even get someone to design their redo! Take a Mexican/German and a Vietnamese/French and the end result is a vibrant Japanese dining room make-over! I’m pretty sure (but not positive) it’s Marco and Kihn’s episode on tonight at 11pm e/p on HGTV’s new show Get It Together. Be warned… lot’s of orange and red!!!! Sigh… back to my painting I go. The closest I’ll ever get to a HGTV redo is the picture of me hanging in Marco’s redo.

Edited in: @#$%!… it wasn’t Marco’s episode!

Hopefully I’ll be back to blogging soon. I miss you all so much and miss your blogs and visiting you!!! Thank you for all the nice emails and I hope to be able to answer them all soon! :-) <3

I’m always saying, “I’m gonna write a letter” - and nine times out of ten I fail to do so. Maybe I just need a short cut! So here I go…

1. Dear People of the City of Portland,
Every time we come visit you it’s a treat. You are so friendly and so kind and always make us feel welcome. You always put that extra foot forward to be kind and helpful. You’re always colorful and exciting. Thank you!

2. Dear HBO,
Thank you for a second season of Big Love!

3. Dear T. Paul’s Urban Cafe in Astoria,
Thank you for serving the finest food (and atmosphere) ever and for always remembering who we are when we come, (and that we have our ice-tea with no sugar on the rim).

4. Dear Shampoo manufacturers,
Can you please tone it down a bit on the scented products? If I want blueberry citrus kiwi peach vanilla milk n honey blast on my hair… I’ll just go to Jamba Juice and pour a smoothie over my head.

5. Dear IKEA Portland,

Open!

Open!

Open!

6. Dear former Portland mayor Vera Katz,
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! (see #5)

7. Dear Scientists,
I’d like to be cloned please. One of me that just blog surfs and sews all day, and another one of me that cooks dinner, works, cleans, pulls weeds and does laundry.

8. Dear Merry Maids,
Since I can’t have #7, do you take on charity cases?

9. Dear ODOT, WSDOT and Caltrans,
Your orange vests and cones really do the trick and I can spot you quickly and easily… but I do think you need some jazzing up. How ’bout some nice pink and green to go with the orange? Or aqua? Safety does not mean having to being unfashionable.

10. Dear clock,
Must you always move your arms so fast?

11. Dear Quilty & Crafty bloggy friends,
You are the nicest, warmest, friendliest, giving and inspirational women ever! Thank you for letting me be a part of your lives, and thank you for being a part of my life!

And last but not least…

12. Dear John,
Will you PLEASE teach Mochi and York how to use you? The whole litter box thing is so gross. And while you’re at it John… can you please teach them how to flush as well?

I was tagged by Pam and Missy with a fun to-do list. Eight or so days between posts, and today I have two. I should put continuity on my fantasy to-do list.

1. Return George Clooney’s phone calls. O-kay, ok… we’ll do lunch. Happy now?

2. Refresh the housekeeper of all her daily duties and chores.

3. Send Oprah a thank you note for the nice weekend visit at her Santa Barbara house.

4. Talk to Barbara about me filling the empty seat and promise not to yell or fight.

5. Send email reply to Moda. Why yes… I can make room for a bolt of everything.

6. Pack for trip to Australia, New Zealand, Paris, London, Germany and Barcelona.

7. Wake up.

Now it’s my turn to tag! Moooo ahhh haaa haaaaa! Seven items, seven tags. Miss Mouse, Raesha, Darlene, Michelle, Angela, Kim and Deanna… tag - you’re it!

Seriously… I received a sign! Not from God, not from the universe… but from Deanna of Domestic Chicky and The Apronista. This is so cool what she did for me and I had to learn more!

This looks so real! I thought FOR SURE Deanna had one of those long poles with the suction cup thingy at the end and on that busy street putting up the letters. And I’m no less thrilled to find out she did this from the comfort of her keyboard!

Do you have time to kill? Looking for a good time (that’s so PA Bob)? Do you have a zillion things to do that you’d like to put off so you can play? Check out RedKid.net! Thank you Deanna!

WOW… you guys are awesome! I can’t tell you how happy and special you all make me feel with your sweet, sweet comments! I had no idea little ole me would get so many comments, and such sweet comments at that! I heart you all!

Because I was not expecting sooooooooo many comments… I’m going to add one day to my give-away and I’m going to add one more bundle (4 fat quarters and a panel of Wash Tub Butterflies)! So we’ll have two winners! Even though technically I’m the winner! My trusty personal assistant Bob will be blindfolded and draw two names. Please do not attempt to schmooze him (even though he is easily charmed). I will have my eye on him during the drawing at all times.

I heart you all and want to personally respond to each and every one of you. I cherish each comment and plan on getting to my email box soon!

I’m a few days late, as it was the 1st anniversary of Happy Zombie on May 1st. What started out as Cheese Zombie, a blog of stuff, rants, observations, blah, blah, blah… not much fun and didn’t make me happy. And then, one happy day on May 1st, 2006… I discovered crafty blogs and I KNEW that was for me. And Happy Zombie was born. Still not potty trained - but a year old!

I celebrate because I’ve made bloggy friends IRL, online bloggy friends and bloggy friends who I want to meet IRL. All because of commenting in this crafty-blogging-loveland. I’ve been inspired, I’ve been moved, I’ve been touched, I’ve been flattered… it just goes on and on. Every one of you (and some I’ve yet still to discover, so comment please) has brought happiness and inspiration into my life. For fear of leaving someone out who’s impacted my life, please clicky clicky in my blogroll (The Lunch Box) to visit the bloggers who inspire and enrich my life.

To celebrate my blogiversary, one lucky commentor will receive from me a bundle of Wash Tub Prints. If this is what it takes to de-lurk you… so be it! HA! I am giving away something very special to me. The fabric designer of the Wash Tub Prints is my good friend Karen (my sister-friend) and I love to brag about her and all her successes. A little bit of me is in this fabric in the form of words. If you look at the panel print, you will see “All the days of the week, A happy life I shall keep“. Yup… that was “authored” by moi. It was tweaked a bit, as originally I penned it “Every day of the week, a happy home I shall keep“. So there you have it - the closest I’ll ever become to being a fabric designer. A bit of me to one of you. Please leave a comment and on the 8th of May (which is one week and one day after my Zombiversary) I will draw one lucky name.   UPDATED:  Changed to the 9th of May.

Hearts and crafts,
Monica :)

For two days our yard was inundated with these little birds. No exaggeration… there must have been close to 200 of these little feathered friends. At first it was cool… and then creepy thoughts of Alfred Hitchcook set in. I think they were looking for the Chicken Lady.

They were everywhere. A sea of birds. They even went into the chicken coop (to much of the amusement of the hens). They came, they went… and they left thousands of tiny little reminders behind. I know nothing about these birds. If anyone knows anything about these little guys… I’d love to know about them!

Talk about an E-Ticket for Mr. Mochi. For two days I got the Look of Death from him because I strictly enforce the indoor cat rule. I know he’s planning on sabotaging my fabric stash and leaving a nice coat of fur on it. He had that look in his eyes…

For the last couple of days I’ve been struggling with a new service provider and many, many, many hours on the phone to “Bob”, “Steve” and “Jane” in Bangladesh. Repeating over and over and over “I’m a Mac user” and “I don’t have IE - I’m a Mac user”. What really sent me on a fast train to Crabbyland was having to miss a sewing day with my guild. But it’s done.

So anyhoo… I’m at the point where everything seems to be squared away and working. Fearing to check my email, thinking something is going to blow up or disappear, I hold my breath and click on my Apple Mail icon. And then I heard a harp, and then the clouds parted, and then a ray of sunshine shined down on this one email… an email from the talented and inspiring Anne of Bunny Tales saying she had tagged me with the Thinking Blogger Award. So what this is, you get tagged and you have to write about five blogs that inspire you and bring you joy. Sounds so easy. Right? Not. It would be easy if I could write about ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE! The downside is having to leave out those you love, and there are so many I love.

And if being tagged by Anne wasn’t enough, PKM lets me know we were both tagged by Brenda of Little Acorns as well. I’m shaking my head in disbelief like a cartoon character shaking it’s head to and fro (and clanging like a cow bell) and re-checking that I read it right… they are writing about me? Moi? I could easily let this go to my head and it could be time to go shopping for a bigger hat… but I’m too honored, too surprised and too over joyed! Thank you Brenda and Anne!

So on to my list of 5 blogs that inspire me. I really would love to write about more. My “Lunchbox” blogroll has all of my faves, and I hope you will nibble on some good clicky snacks from the lunchbox. :o)

Wrens Nest - I think Jackie was one of the first bloggers to put me on her blogroll, so she has a special place in heart for that. Jackie was also the hostess for my first swap and made me feel welcome and at ease. I was such a newbie to blogging and swapping and Jackie welcomed me and helped me learn the ropes. Jackie is a talented with fabric, felt, food, family and life. If a blog could have grace, then Wren’s Nest has it. The Jackie O or Grace Kelly of blogging.

Prairie Mouse - My down-under friend Louise makes THE MOST beautiful softies, and then she photographs them so beautifully they should be in a book. My favorite is Munk’s trip to the beach. All of Louise’s creations are expertly handcrafted and each has a darling story to tell. It’s hard not to just want to jump into one of Louise’s photographs and get lost in enchantment.

Creative Little Daisy - Autum shares not only her beautiful crafts and inspirations, but she also has a way with words like no one I know. Autum can write about weeds and with her words they suddenly become a beautiful bouquet of wild daisies in a jam jar in a secret corner of a garden, under a shade tree on top of a quilt reading a sweet vintage children’s book. Autum is talented in so many ways, but most of all I adore her kindness and living a good life and passing it on.

Allsorts - Now I’m sure Jenny has been tagged a couple of thousand times already, but I’m not going to pass this up - and rave about her anyway. I think it was Jenny’s blog that I saw for the first time that was a “crafty blog” and turned my blogging life upside down. It was Jenny who unknowingly got me hooked on the crafty blogging crack. Jenny’s blog is not only filled with yummy inspirations and stunning photos, her blog itself is a work of art. Graphic, bright and happy… just like her and everything she creates and writes. Someone once posted a comment on her blog that said something like “that’s so very Mary E”. I really wanted to comment on the comment… “Um, that’s so very Jenny B”!

Liquid Sky Arts - My friend Kathleen is an AMAZING photographer and I’m in awe of everything she snaps. I could easily make each and every one of her photos a flickr favorite of mine. Because of Kathleen’s photos, I now look at things and think, “how would Kathleen see it”, and suddenly what I’m looking at takes on new beauty. Kath has inspired me to look when I didn’t look before. Kathleen’s talent does not stop at photography… she’s an artist and gardening diva as well. It was tough for me to write about Kathleen and not the talented Wende and talented Paula as well. The four of us are a little crafting foursome and get together for craft nights. All three inspire me! Our last craft night we surrendered to the idea that it’s not craft night… but wine/food/laughter night. Oh, and Kathleen has blackmail material on me… quite possibly why she edged out Paula and Wende in this slot. ;o)

PamKittyMorning - This may look like I have six bloggers I posted about, but since Pam has been tagged twice (on the same blogs as me, talk about being an honor for me!), this is officially an unofficial non-six. Like the bonus number in the lottery. It doesn’t count, but it’s worth millions!

Pam is THE Queen of the Crafty Bloggers. Already she’s a celeb, and is on the fast track to uber celebrity-hood! She quilts, she takes us on her trips, she writes about the ordinary and through her witty words become extraordinary events. Always sharp, always quick, always inspiring. I honestly think that Spring Market should be renamed PamKittyMorning Goes To Market.

Aside from being witty, funny, talented and inspiring… Pam is kind, generous and thoughtful. I can’t even count how many times I’ve gotten MailBox Love from Pam. And not just MailBlox love… but little things she does in secret and surprises you (like the time she searched out my childhood home and photographed it for me). Everybody Loves PamKittyMorning and no day should start without a glass of of fresh squeezed PKM. I heart you Pa-mela, my TSAB. Super powers activated!

Just another day at Casa de Zombie, pluggin’ away at mindless tasks (read: surfing flickr instead of doing work)… when the T-man brings up the mail and says I have a package. Hmmm. I didn’t order anything (this week - snicker, snicker). “It’s from New Mexico” says the perplexed blog widower. “NEW MEXICO… OMG… Raesha is from NEW MEXICO” I shout with glee (and scaring DH with my squealing and my flailing arms). Kind and sweet Raesha. I just love this woman and want to be like her.

So inside the package is a beautiful card Raesha made, a magnet from her trip to the San Diego Zoo and a little package of what I thought were bunny cookies. I said to T-man, “I can’t eat these… they are too cute”. To my delight, the “cookies” were little bunny ornaments. ~Whew… they’ll last forever! And now the bunnies guard my Cadbury Eggs. They shine in cuteness, but lack in security skills as the chocolicious eggs keep disappearing. Thank you Raesha! I’m so touched and so tickled you were thinking of me (especially when you were at the zoo). HA… should it be a surprise you were thinking of ME at the ZOO?!?!

With a family full of girls (the dogs, the chickens, maybe the finches - Sid and Bette), it was time to add some boys to the mix. A year ago we had to say good-bye to our beloved cat Sonoma. We got Sonoma at the Hawaiian Human Society, and knew she was just right for us when she climbed on to DH’s lap and made herself at home there. Sonoma was well traveled… Hawai’i to California (a 5 week pit stop) and then on to Oregon. Not quite as well traveled as Mimi… but a lot for a cat. Anyhoo… Sonoma’s time had come and we wern’t ready to have a new cat - until now. DS and I were at our local farm store getting dog food and chicken feed, and there at the check-out was the “store cat” that we ooohd and aaaahd over. Long story short, DS and I headed on over to our local animal shelter as soon as we left the farm store.

The Clastop County Animal Shelter has a nice little cat room where you can take the cats out of the cages and give them a “test drive”. It was a Friday, and we had an hour before closing time. We used that hour in what felt like minutes. The grey/black kitty we called “York” (not his shelter name, but what we called him). We narrowed it down to two cats and agreed to “sleep on it” and come back tomorrow. But you know… we had already begun The Process since we named them already.

And this is Mochi. Mochi (not his shelter name), was the other half of Team MochiYork that we couldn’t decide on. So now it’s Saturday and DS and I are back in the cat room. Test driving all the cats, and AGAIN we narrow it down to Mochi and York. We also test drive them around some of the dogs at the shelter to see how they do… and they passed that test with flying colors! So after two hours of being at the shelter (and getting to know the nice staff as well and other potential pet parents thinking we worked there)… home we go with York and Mochi. Both are about 10 months old and still have kitten like attitudes.

And now to meet The Girls - Liberty and Madison. Such excitement and happy chaos. Madison is obsessed with her new friend Mr. Mochi. It took a few days, but the two are becoming fast friends and follow each other around, both vying for our attention. Liberty (who is older) is only slightly amused and only cares about our continued attention towards her.

Everyone at Casa de Zombie was a buzz with the new family members. Everyone but DH. The T-man was out of town for two weeks on business, and ooops… I forgot to tell him. So in comes T-man at 0-dark-30 after a red-eye from Tampa, slips into bed for a nap… and here comes a furry visitor to check him out. Talk about a surprise when you’re sleeping! If it had been me, I’d have been screaming from fright. I guess the T-man is used to all the surprises that await him every time he walks through the door. York spends most of his time hiding under the staircase in my laundry room… but he’s slowly coming out more and more, especially at night when he thinks it’s playtime and my feet are toys.