You’ve Been Goated!
April 25, 2008 in Friendship, Pets
We almost had a new member added to our staff today. One of Monica’s friends from “Team Gigi” (from Walk for a Cure) had a little prank up her sleeve that played out at the office today. A couple representatives from the Wishing Star Foundation showed up on our doorstep with the sweetest little goat in arm. With a cute little poem and a bucket they presented Tricia the goat to Monica.
The confused and nervous smirk on Monica’s face was priceless. (of course, we were all in on it- otherwise we would have been equally confused) 
The poem declared that the goat was hers to keep and that she needs to be bottle fed every two hours! You could almost read her mind….”WHAT? Where will I keep it? What will my husband say?” But there was an out. “If you don’t want this pet you can slip us a donation to get out of your situation!” We all ran to our wallets and made our donations to bail Monica out and lend our support to Wishing Star. Don’t worry Monica’s revenge is in play. She sent the Goat, the poem and donation bucket onto someone else from her team. The goat was surprisingly docile and very gentle and only tried to chew up an electrical cord once.
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Quote of the Month
April 8, 2008 in Creativity, Friendship, Quotes
First of all – Wow! - we’re already well into April and I’m getting in the mood to “play.” And, I certainly do feel out of practice. Not that I’m going to go out there and play ball or anything. I’ve long since given that up. 
(Although, I was the left-handed pitcher for a couple years on a B-League Ladies softball team – that was more than a few years ago now)
Kris brings us inspiration this month from Jerry Seinfeld who has always had a great sense of “play” – especially when it comes to verbal quips. I guess we each need to come up with our own version of “Spring Training” so we can “play well” all season long.
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Friends & Family Photos
March 26, 2008 in Friendship
Sometime a photo can tell such a sweet story. In this case, it was Easter and baby Kate sat on my lap and we read a very quick story. 
She loves to turn the pages faster than I can read the words off the page. She also reads along in her own little one-year old language. Murphy, who loves all creatures that are cute and little, held Kate for a few minutes too. 
At least until she squirmed her way out of his lap. Isn’t my little boy cute? It has been so wonderful to have Murphy in the house for Spring Break!
I’ll say that again – It has been SO WONDERFUL to have Murphy in the house. My quiet, empty nest has life again! Murphy and Anna downloaded that sweet duet from the movie “Juno” and sang it over and over to each other.
(I had to run and get my camera to capture the moment) They are such a charming and darling little couple. A friend of mine that goes back to GRADE SCHOOL was in Spokane visiting and we had breakfast together and snapped a few photos together. She has spent most of her adult life as a Missionary in Indonesia with an organization called M.A.F. (Mission Aviation Fellowship) It was great to catch up with her.
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Quote of the Month
March 5, 2008 in Creativity, Friendship, Quotes
A little Irish in us All
When it comes to seeking good luck, full pockets and light-hearted fun this Irish Blessing applies to us all no matter our nationality or ancestry.
Thanks Kris for our inspiration for the month!
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Snap-Shot Profile
February 29, 2008 in FriendshipI recently received a Survey from Tilda, one of our regular Blog readers. It's kind of 
a quick snap-shot of a person and I thought it would be fun to do. So, here goes:
10 Years Ago: It was certainly a bittersweet time for me. My now ex-husband and I separated after 20 years of marriage and at the same time my most well-known art character, Mummford, the penguin debuted in Mervyn's stores as a plush character and a store-wide program.
Things On My To-Do List Today: Design a Juvenile Fabric line for Jo-Ann's, write a blog (oh good, I'm doing that right now!), a session with the Chiropractor, stop at the grocery (seems that is on my list every other day), go online to shop for new Bar Stools for my kitchen counter, increase my time on the Treadmill from 35 to 45 minutes tonight!
What I Would Do If I Were Suddenly Made A Billionaire: Family and friends would receive generous gifts of homes and cars; I would donate big dollars to the Susan G. Komen Breast
Cancer Foundation, I'd plan a couple vacations - starting with "chilling" for 2 weeks on a sandy beach at a Tropical destination, and then a month long tour of Italy, France and England (this would involve much wine and shopping too) Oh, and I'd have daily massages by a very handsome Masseur with strong hands!
3 Of My Bad Habits: I hate to get my mail (the postman is not pleased with me when my magazines pile up in my box); All my work areas are cluttered and messy; and I have a hard time throwing out old clothes. In fact there are more clothes in my closet that don't fit me than do fit me.
3 Places I've Lived: I'm a lifetime Washington state resident - Seattle, Yakima
and Spokane.
5 Jobs I've Had: In Seattle, I was a "Tray Girl" in the kitchen at the Foss Nursing Home, Switchboard Operator (one ringy-dingy) and Staffing Assistant at Virginia Mason Hospital. I worked retail and did "display" at two quilt shops (Fiddlesticks in Yakima, Quilting Bee in Spokane) before I started my business in 1986.
5 Things You Don't Know About Me: Hmmmmmm....I think you know a lot by now, but here goes:
1. Bunnie was my nickname as a child. 2. Celebrities that I've had crushes on are Robert Downey, Jr. (when on Ally McBeal), Ewan McGregor (in Moulin Rouge) and Orlando Bloom (in Pirates). It's always the EYES that get me.
3. I like listening to old Crooners Like Dean Martin, Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra.
4. I traveled around the US and Canada on a Greyhound Ameripass for 2 months when I was 19. 5. I like to shop and watch Chick Flicks. (Oh, maybe you knew that! Ha!)
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Pomegranate Cosmo Recipe
February 21, 2008 in Friendship, RecipesMary Ann from Oregon sent the following sweet little message:
LOVE YOUR BLOGGING DEBBIE..BUT PLEASE.....YOU LEFT OUT THE POMEGRANATE...COSMO RECIPE.....THANKS..WE CAN'T WAIT...and what fun you had..thanks for sharing..our slumber party....in June....we have done it..since we were 5...and now we are 60..hee hee...old friends are the best gifts we give ourselves..thanks...
Pomegranate Cosmo Martini (according to Debbie)
1 1/2 jigger Absolut Vodka
1 jigger Triple Sec
a few drops lime juice
approx 1/2 cup pomegranate/cranberry juice blend
Combine all ingredients and shake like crazy in a Martini shaker
Pour into extra large Martini glass
Add a wedge of lime and serve!
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Girl's Night Over
February 20, 2008 in Friendship
This last weekend I invited some of my best girlfriends over for a "Sleep Over" and what a blast it was. We made it easy and the menu was "All Appetizers-All Night Long" and Pomegranate Cosmos. And as you can imagine it was all about girltalk. Discussions were about kids, family, work, hair color, dream vacations, our good times and our struggles. The best part was the giggles, but the occasional tears were good to get out of our systems. Even though bedtime was 2:00am, with slightly blurry eyes, we bounced out of bed feeling lighter and happier after an evening of bonding, understanding and supporting each other. We picked up where we left off with more chatting over coffee and quiche. We all agreed that it is really great to take a break from the routine for an old-fashioned slumber party with just "the girls!" Plan one with your girlfriends and start looking forward to it now.
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Quote of the Month
February 4, 2008 in Creativity, Friendship, Quotes
Happy February! January as I mentioned was a killer month here in Spokane with our crazy snow and weather. 
So, February (so far, sans snow) was a welcomed change. And what better way to greet the new month than with a new “Quote of the Month” courtesy of Kris Clifford. It’s the LOVE month and for all that means to us. If we can approach our friends, family, co-workers, strangers and particularly ourselves with love (and maybe a touch more patience too) – it really can open the way to more happiness and ease in our lives. 
Thank you Kris for this reminder in the quote you brought to our attention this month.
Love, Debbie
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Baby Kate's 1st Birthday
February 1, 2008 in Friendship
First birthday's are such an amazing event. To think that a year before the baby was just coming into the world (thank goodness I wasn't delivering) and you didn't even know what this little one would be like. 
Which parent would she look most like, would she be just like her sister or a complete opposite? Would she be fussy or easy; would she have dark hair (like Dad) or blonde hair (like Mom)? Over the first year you really get to know their personality - and I must say that baby Kate (Lena's little sis) is one of the easiest going babies that I've ever met. We just celebrated her first birthday and she was calm and delightful and all that surrounded her couldn't have felt more proud of the beautiful little being she is.
Happy Birthday Kate!
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Quote of the Month
January 10, 2008 in Creativity, Friendship, Quotes
I know so many creative gift-givers! Kris gave everyone at the office a special gift that will keep on giving all year long! She started us out with a quote that she chose for January. I displayed on my desk - so I can read it often. She plans on updating us every month with a new quote. I look forward to being inspired. Happy thoughts!
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Multiple Personalities
January 4, 2008 in Friendship
The group that I work with have gotten to know both of my personalities pretty well.
Debbie – Sweet, thoughtful, wholesome. She passes on dessert, writes nice Thank-you notes, doesn’t curse and loves “The Sound of Music.”
Then there’s Stella – she says things that Debbie never would say. She laughs a little too loud, makes a slightly off-color joke, and goes out for Martini’s.
As I like to say, “no-one can be Debbie Mumm all the time – not even me.” For Christmas this year, the staff gave me the perfect gift in honor of my multiple personality disorder -- A director’s chair that you can switch the name back and forth from Debbie to Stella. So CLEVER!! I love it!
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Lifelong Friends
October 25, 2007 in Friendship
On a recent trip to Seattle, I got the chance to get together with “the girls.” These aren’t just any girls – these are lifelong friends. Girls that I grew up with, went to their weddings and watched their children grow up and still get together with a couple times a year to catch up. As we get a little older, it seems more meaningful to have friends that you have such a long history with.
It’s interesting how the period of time when you’re launching your career, getting married and/or raising little ones, that your friendships don’t always get as much attention. Often it’s simply because you’re so busy, or because your lives have taken different directions. (Or, in my case, I also moved away from my hometown)
We had a few years where keeping in touch didn’t seem to make it to the top of the priority list, or we just somehow just let it slip away. However, in the last 10 years we’ve made a renewed effort to stay more connected. Have you ever noticed that with some friends – even if a year went by without talking - the connection is still there, it is still strong and you pick up right where you left off? And the memories that we have to talk about – they seem endless. What one of us forgets, someone else (Sue!) can describe in detail.
At our recent gathering at the Copper Gate in Ballard, we ate some traditional Norwegian foods and chatted the night away. My favorite topic was sharing the experience of our first periods to all our current menopause symptoms. And it’s also amazing that we were friends before the first event and will be long after the second.
Keep in touch. Debbie
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How Cute is She?!
August 30, 2007 in Friendship
My dear friends Jennifer and Robert recently showed my Blog to their 3 1/2 year old daughter, Lena. Being the empathetic little soul that she is, she thought she would give it a try too. I laughed out loud for several minutes after seeing it. I think I should try it in my princess costume – I’ll probably get better results!
Debbie
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Any excuse for cake!
August 29, 2007 in Friendship
One of our VIP's from the office, Kat Rickel (Art Studio Manager) is taking a leave from work to do a three month stint of Student teaching second graders. Another VIP, Kris Clifford (Executive Asst. to me!) is taking over her duties. Kris made a cake that expressed her (and our) feelings about life without Kat in the studio.
Kris, the scrapbooking queen of the office, made a darling decorated "Teacher Survival Kit" pail. Inside the pail were an assortment of survival provisions essential to any teacher - such as Tylenol, hand sanitizers, bandages, Kleenex, chocolate, stickers and a variety of caffeinated beverages. Doesn't Mrs. Rickel look like the kind of woman you'd like to know is teaching and tending to second graders!?! We know she is!
Best to her. Debbie
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Roadtrip!
August 20, 2007 in Friendship
It was a Ladies road trip to Seattle this last weekend. Jackie, Carolyn (co-workers), Jackie's daughter, Jenni (29) and I hit the road at 6:30 am last Friday for the 5 hour drive from Spokane to Seattle. It was not my idea to leave that early - but Carolyn insisted we leave early to hit the "Tent Sale" at Ikea. I normally avoid anything called a Tent Sale, because it sounds suspiciously too much like camping. So even though I was the driver I agreed to it as long as our first stop of the morning was Starbucks.
On the ride over, we caught up with "this and that" and all the little dramas that needed discussion. Jenni (who was really hitching a ride to Seattle to visit friends) seemed amused by our familiar, sisterly-like way we conversed and laughed. We work together everyday - so we are pretty comfortable teasing each other to no end.
I don't think I mentioned the real intention of the trip was to attend the Seattle Gift Show, and not to get lost at every turn possible in Renton and Tukwila. (which seemed to plague us) Even though I'm a Seattle native, I don't know those areas well at all. At the end of our driving expedition, shopping, and getting lost and confused.....we finally landed at our hotel. We wound down with dinner and cocktails and solved all the problems of the world over many chuckles. 
The Seattle Gift show was fun and inspiring - but the real topper, was finishing up our day by getting Make-up Make-Overs at Nordstrom.
By the time we drove home on Sunday, our chattiness had subsided. We filled the time by taking turns reading out of "The Book of Useless Information." It was full of useless tidbits like, "For a deck of cards to be mixed up enough to play with properly, it should be shuffled at least seven times;" and "Most toilets flush in E flat." Bet you didn't know that, we sure didn't.
There's nothing like a road trip with "the girls!"
Debbie
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Australia Visitors
August 14, 2007 in Friendship
How sweet these two are! I met them a couple years ago when I visited Sidney, Australia. It brought back great memories of that wonderful visit. (loved seeing the Koala’s, Kangaroo’s and of course all the quilters!) They looked me up when they were visiting the states and we posed for this picture together.
The quilt behind our heads is called “Friendship Hearts.” We designed it for American Patchwork and Quilting magazine and it appeared in their April 1999 issue. (that sounds like a long time ago now) We found out there are no longer back issues available from that month – but “no worries,” we will publish the instructions for it on our website in the near future.
G’day! Debbie
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"Dirt" from the office
May 10, 2007 in Friendship
Sorry Jackie - I just couldn't resist on dishing a little "dirt" on you!
Jackie, one of my super talented graphic designers was having "one of those days" and had a little run-in with a plant.
But don't worry, no computers or plants were actually harmed in this altercation.
Now Jackie may be another story.
:) Debbie
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My Idaho Thanksgiving Adventure
November 26, 2006 in Family, Food and Drink, Friendship, Holidays
I just have to tell you about my fun Thanksgiving. I have a very special group of friends that I consider "family." In fact we call ourselves "Ohana" which means extended family in Hawaiian. So, as tradition has it, we spent the holiday together. This year we went to Lynn and Neil's who live on Hoodoo Mountain in Idaho. Packed with pies and all the ingredients to make a new Cranberry Yam recipe, my son and I drove up right after work on Wednesday. All 14 of us decided to spend the night (just because it's so much more fun). Big, huge, silver dollar size snowflakes started to fall just as I was starting to drive up the mountain. And they never stopped. It was fun to watch them coat the ground, the trees and the power lines. You get where I'm going now, don't you? (Power lines was the clue) Early (like 4 am) on Thanksgiving we lost power. The 26 lb turkey was suppose to go in the oven at 6:30 am for dinner at 2:00.
We never feared that we'd starve, but our Turkey dinner was in jeopardy. (Oh, and the pump that keeps the plumbing working is electric - so, no water or facilities either!) Of course, being on a mountain in Idaho, they have a wood stove. So we huddled around that in our jammies for a few hours. On the stove we heated a ration of water for coffee. Mary even managed to cook some chicken apple sausage and scrambled eggs on the stove for us. Much to our relief (and a touch of disappointment) the power was back on by late morning. And the turkey went in the oven. I managed to stay in my jammies until about 3:00pm when it was my turn to use the shower. What a great day. Dinner was about 4 1/2 hours later than planned - and what a feast it was. Much to all our surprise, my 17 year old son asked if he could cook up the cranberry sauce. My pies were gone long before dinner and the new recipe for Cranberry Yams got rave reviews and we decided it was a keeper. Debbie
