“I like to call myself the Cultural Anthropologist of Cosmetics…..

MOI AUSSI! I knew that Soc-Anthro degree would come in handy one of
these decades!!

OH PLEASE…give Moi a break! Where do these women come from???! I
know, I know..I should be PRO all these Executive women types, but
sometimes I just want to say…WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE??!! After what
I would characterize as one of my busiest weeks to date, a good thing
I know, but sometimes….From having to find $$$ funding for a new
exhibition that wasn't going to happen and now everyone wants to
happen, and of course all eyes turned toward MOI to see if I can get
it funded…NO PRESSURE…HA HA HA! To having both groups of women, who
are renting out the Art Center for their school fundraisers arriving
at the EXACT same time (neither let MOI know they were coming) to go
over all details! FORTUNATELY….I can do this in my SLEEP! I am a
PROFESSIONAL!! HA! But, they seemed impressed that I had the floor
plans, coat racks, tables and as a bonus…menu suggestions!! Event
Planning at it's finest! Did I mention that all this was going on
while we were trying to set up for an exhibition opening…..Talk about
Multi-tasking!

So, how RELAXING to spend a Saturday at the Kellogg Marketing
Conference!! As I was rushing out the door Saturday a.m….Jeff gave
MOI a warning NOT to go shopping…No Danger Darling…although, I could
check out the Book Store!! Made it with just minutes to spare…the
Opening speaker was from Kellogg Company, of all things! He had a
nice title-Global VP of Consumer Insights…don't you think we could ALL
do that job….I mean think about it…we consume and we have insight!
What I love about this conference is that I get to test my brain to
see if I can still FOLLOW and UNDERSTAND the discussions!!!! Plus,
you get to check out all the new titles that abound!! I arrived and
met a cheerful looking fellow, who was also rushing in. When it gets
to be close to zero, you find that you are friendly to fellow freezing
folks! We shared pleasantries as we were running to get indoors!! He
asked what I did and I told him a title. He gave me a nod of approval
(that's a first!) and then told MOI what he did….VP of Consumer
Engineering blah..blah..blah…I gave him a BIG smile and nod of
approval!! Consumer Engineering…now that's something! Engineering
WHAT???? I wanted to ask, but we were both inside the lecture room by
now.

The speaker was giving a history of Frosted Flakes (a personal
favorite!) and how they are positioning an older brand for the future!
It turns out that Frosted Flakes isn't really about eating cereal, it
is about building self esteem and sports! WHO KNEW??? I just don't
remember getting that message as I ate my frosted flakes…I just
remember that they were filled with sugar and DELICIOUS!!! And
probably fattening…but, at that time, wasn't so concerned with
counting those calories!!!! AND I certainly wasn't interested in
nutritional qualities. To be honest, I was surprised they are still
making that cereal with the same formula?? I thought perhaps it would
be whole grain…maybe unsweetened?? OR better yet, sweetened with
Splenda???!! Kids love that and so much better for you than real
sugar!!! Nope, just changing the message and now it's about building
self esteem and Baseball fields! Well, there's a twist. To be
honest, I don't remember any cereal building a baseball field….this is
really something! He went on to give a fabulous power point about the
entire marketing strategy (wish I had it, could be useful for when I
am trying to sell those donors on that exhibition program…If eating
frosted flakes can build baseball fields…just THINK what a donation to
the exhibition program will do for THE WORLD!!!). They have set up a
website and you can go to it-put your child's picture on a page and it
will print out a baseball card with your child on it. Now, that's
something…you don't have to spend $60 to buy all those prints-you can
do it for free on this website…HMMMMMM maybe we could have a link to
the website and since the Moms are saving all that money downloading
the baseball card on this website-they could then take the money they
saved from not having to buy a zillion photos and donate it to the art
center!! Sounds like a plan,….but, the power point did not contain
that plan!

It went on to say that all types of marketing channels would be used
to create brand awareness and to get their message out that if you eat
Frosted Flakes and GO to a special Website, you can vote for your
favorite baseball field. Kellogg will pay to build new baseball
fields across the country for areas that don't have them! Each town
that wants a baseball field has to write a story and you can read all
the stories and VOTE for your favorite story. I wonder if you have to
put in the product scanning number in order to vote??? I found it
interesting that the advertising they were going to do would be in
magazines such as US, TV Guide and Touch magazine…HMMMMM….lots of Moms
must have changed their reading habits, since my kids were little??!
That would really reach a large audience….And then there is every
Mom's favorite – the end of aisle display (which has a fancy name, but
I can't remember it now). You know the one that sticks out with all
this stuff on it and you bump it with your cart, because if doesn't
fit in the aisle and all the boxes fall over and OH…THE WATER
BOTTLES…water bottles and Frosted Flakes…PERFECT would fall all over
the floor. I did think the orange water bottles were very cute! AND
I must say, they showed the box design in one of the slides…it was
interesting to see it in one dimension-it actually looked like a FEAT
of engineering!! During the Q and A, I was tempted to ask if they
were using a "control" group to see if eating Frosted Flakes did in
fact build self-esteem? Or perhaps, how were they going to measure
their results? Poll 50+ year olds who ate Frosted Flakes, not knowing
it could build self-esteem and see how many grew up to have
self-esteem on their own? What other factors could cause high
self-esteem besides cereal??? It seems to me a difficult thing to
measure?? It is one thing to grow up having high self-esteem without
knowing that you needed to have self-esteem vs. knowing that you could
build self-esteem by eating a certain cereal. I wanted to share my
concerns with fellow conference attendees, but they were much more
interested in texting each other during the lecture…and then rushing
out for the free snacks and coffee during the break!

I looked forward to my first "break out" session, a panel discussion
on the timely topic of "Minorities as the New Majority." Being a Baby
Boomer now qualifies one for being in the minorities mix-marketers are
now targeting this group, while still keeping their "consistent" brand
identity! I had NO IDEA that I had been relegated to a group that
wasn't targeted any longer. It just seems like the world has passed
MOI by!! So, it was with great interest that I wanted to listen to
how I was going to be targeted! The first woman started out with her
Cultural Anthropologist intro-she actually is THE VP of marketing
diversity at a cosmetics firm…NOW WHO KNEW these jobs were out
there???! She was very attractive, as you can imagine, and was hardly
wearing any make-up (maybe she should visit one of her PRESTIGE (as
she liked to put) counters in a department store to get a little
make-over…the natural look isn't so easy to carry off once you hit 40!
She had been a fashion designer and has been with this PRESTIGE
company for 10 years….She was wearing this incredible jewelry, so I
decided to concentrate on it, since I found her to be a little too
much about HER! She had on 4 different necklaces starting with a
chocker of light crystal beads (2 strands), then 2 strands of medium
colored looking stones-like citrine, followed with two more strands of
perhaps Black Jet beads and finishing with 2 strands of pearls. Each
necklace fit right below the next, not layers on top of each other,
but separate layers. The beads were all about the same size as the
pearls. It was FABULOUS!! This would be easy for all of you to do…I
know you have all these types of necklaces in your closets and wearing
just two strands doesn't look right. It also wasn't a "heavy" look
because they were all the same size! You could do the same thing with
bracelets…just put on different ones to get the "cuff" look. She
went on to discuss different target markets in her PRESTIGE (and every
time she said it-she said it very SLOWLY….with the accent falling on
the last syllable as in PahLEEZZZZ….) product lines. I found myself
fitting in with the "casual Lipstick user!" Finally, a name for it!
Although…I wanted more info on the Beauty Aficionados! What a FAB
title!

The panel also had a woman who CONFESSED to be 47 and she worked with
those aging baby boomers targeting products that would work for them.
Although, at 47 she didn't think that she was that old and was so
surprised that soon she would be over 50 and folks wouldn't target her
any longer. She seemed to be very concerned about this (or rather…I
could read between the lines, since I was probably the only one in the
audience who actually was OVER 50!). She also mentioned that part of
her job was working with senior management and HR to say that they
shouldn't let the 60 year old person go, even though a 23 year old
could do their job. The OLDER worker has something to contribute.
(Although, she didn't elaborate on what the 60 year old did
contribute) I thought that was charitable of her-but also could sense
that she could see the writing on the wall! She could do with a
little of those PRESTIGE make-up products to give her an edge as she
gets to that 50 (keep 'em guessing, I always say!!) She was also very
kind in that she felt that joining AARP doesn't mean that you are
old-I agree…you get all kinds of bargains! And it would be even
better if they added discounts at Neiman's to their list! I guarantee
more people would join!

I left the session relieved to know that I am a casual lipstick user
and diverse! Just THINK of the money I have saved not having to go to
an analyst!! I look forward to seeing a plethora of products that
will soon be targeted to MOI! Perhaps the folks at Kellogg with find
a way to give one a youthful glow by eating Frosted Flakes!

And again….just when you think things look bleak-a moment of
brightness! We had a wonderful Ikebana International meeting today.
It was a demonstration and workshop given by my teacher. We had it
downtown in the south loop, at a Flower Arranging school. One of the
members called to see if we could drive together. Of course, I don't
MIND..but, I often like to do errands on my way home….you know….And I
would have to drive 20 minutes out of my way to meet her at a central
location. Oh well…what's another 20 minutes. And here is what really
made MOI nervous…we had to meet at 9:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning. It
was hovering around zero, so I couldn't be late, since I didn't want
her to freeze! So, rushing around this a.m. trying to get there on
time..again….asking myself, WHY DO I DO THESE THINGS??! She was
waiting and fortunately, she hadn't been there long! We had a
pleasant ride down and the demonstration was terrific. She used a
silver leaf protea which has a silvery flower and the silver shade of
leaves was very cool! It was one of those arrangement where you have
to manipulate all the leaves and staple and tape them…I do love this
type of arrangement, but it isn't the easiest for MOI! Also, I have
been hit or miss on taking classes over the past few years, so I get a
bit nervous when I am arranging with all the Japanese ladies!
(although, they are very kind and would NEVER say anything to MOI-but,
I know when they are talking about MOI!). And as we all know with
Ikebana, sometimes it can get rough, with teachers taking out your
entire arrangement and "helping" you do it "a better way." In the
interest of time, I went about making my arrangement finishing within
about 15 minutes "….in Ikebana one THINKS about the arrangement for 45
minutes and arranges in 15 minutes." I was in the back of room, so I
don't know if my teacher was tired by the time she got to my
arrangement, or was actually sincere. I stood waiting for the
"critique." Ready to take action and rearrange. She walked up and
looked at it and, I KID YOU NOT….said, "Oh my, (with a surprised tone
in her voice) you are so talented, you truly understand this." I just
about fell over! I KID YOU NOT…this has NEVER happened to MOI! She
then went on to call everyone over to look at the arrangement and
DIDN'T TOUCH a thing!

I leave you with the Fashion column from FORBES magazine…known for
their fashion columns!
It is way beyond price points I would recommend, except I have to get
that Pencil skirt-but the ideas are there!!!
Have a great week!!
Love, P

These days, the economy is forcing even the biggest shopaholics to put
the breaks on spending. And clothing may be one of the first things to
go. Fashion diet? Yes. But it doesn't have to feel like starvation:
Take a leaf out of the French woman's book and learn to shop smart.
Here, five tips from stylish women on how to dress gorgeously and save
money while doing so.
American women love markdowns and tend to shop impulsively. French
women, by contrast, shop with a plan and buy selectively. They only
head to a clothing store when they need a particular item.
Internet entrepreneur Ludovica Pellicioli, who works at the Web
start-up Liquida in Milan, developed her shopping expertise in Paris
where she grew up. "I always approach shopping with a plan in mind,"
she says. "This is what I need, this is what I would like and this is
where I can find it. Shopping is rarely the sole purpose of an
outing."
In Pictures: Eight Essential Items For A Perfect Wardrobe
Pellicioli plans her wardrobe each season by assessing what she
already has in her closet and adding carefully to her collection. For
her winter wardrobe this year she purchased a jacket designed by Rick
Owens. She paid about $2,000, but she wears the jacket several days
each week--sometimes with slacks, sometimes over a dress and to both
daytime and evening events.
Shop Selectively
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American women have a habit of splurging for items they don't
particularly need. French women avoid splurges by shopping for just a
half-dozen indispensable wardrobe items each year.
French designer Anne Fontaine, known for her white shirts, says that
"besides a beautiful blouse, every woman should have a great pair of
jeans, black pants, a perfect skirt, a perfect little black dress and
a jacket for each season."
Consider this collection of basics a jumping off point--with a few
accessories added in, there are endless outfit possibilities. A little
black dress, for example, can be dressed up with fine jewelry for a
formal event, paired with a jacket for a business dinner or worn with
strappy sandals for a cocktail party.
Assess Every Purchase
French women assess how often they will be able to wear every item
they purchase. Designer Catherine Malandrino advises women to think
carefully about their buys. "French women are not just picking
something because it is in fashion," Malandrino explains. "She gives
more thought to it. How many times can she wear it? Is it versatile
enough to go from day, to work, to cocktails? And will she want to
wear it again and again?"
That sequined jacket may look great on a store rack but most likely it
won't be wearable at the office. A tuxedo blazer, on the other hand,
can be paired with jeans for a casual look or with a satin shift for a
formal evening event.
Born in Grenoble, France, Malandrino learned from her French mother
how to build a distinct wardrobe, buying only comfortable clothes that
were made of high-quality fabrics. "My mother had an Yves Saint
Laurent blouse that she always wore. Year after year, season after
season, it never seemed to age."
Know When to Splurge … and On What
Building a quality wardrobe requires spending more on less and
investing in great accessories. Forking over $800 for a Louis Vuitton
bag or over $5,000 for a Hermès Kelly bag may seem highly extravagant,
but when the cost is amortized over several decades of use, the bag's
price tag may seem more reasonable. Other pricey items, such as
colorful designer silk scarves or a pair of designer pumps, also can
last for years.
"French women prefer quality over quantity," says Fontaine. "This
holds true from our fashion choices to the food and wine we drink.
Quality of life overall is very important in the French lifestyle."
Skip the Trends
Instead of following trends, French women are loyal to the styles and
colors that look best on them. After all, copying what's on the
runways isn't for everyone. French style icons like actress Catherine
Deneuve, known for her black cocktail dresses and trench coats, forge
their own signature styles and stick to them.
Deborah Ricard, who works in public relations for TSE cashmere and
grew up in Versailles, France, says women in France embrace their
individuality. "They will never wear what the magazines and
celebrities tell them to wear. Instead, they choose and wear clothes
[that fit] their personality. It is more about what feels right and
looks good on you. Most of all it has to look effortless."
One of Ricard's biggest pet peeves is seeing women in head-to-toe
designer looks. She advocates creatively mixing and matching different
styles instead.
For her part, Ricard mixes vintage and new pieces, along with
expensive designer items and cheap finds. Malandrino is another
champion of dressing eclectically and enjoys pairing cocktail dresses
with motorcycle jackets and mixing jeans and T-shirts with unique
vintage jewelry or belts. "Women should be their own stylists," she
says.
Little Black Dress
The little black dress is an essential piece in any woman's wardrobe.
Go for the best fit, avoiding any cuts that might be too trendy. There
are a lot of black dress options and you should try on at least a
dozen before deciding what looks best on you.
Whether it's sleeveless, has short sleeves, is straighter or more
full--your black dress should be ultra flattering.
Catherine Malandrino's sleeveless dress, $425, is perfectly versatile
Trench Coat
Soon after it was designed by Thomas Burberry for soldiers to wear
during World War I, the trench coat became a fashion must-have for
women as well as men. Wear it over jeans and instantly transform
yourself into Audrey Hepburn. Wear it over a cocktail dress for a
dressed-down but polished evening look.
Burberry's taffeta wrap trench, $1,195, from the spring 2009
collection is an investment you will wear for years
Black Suit
Everyone needs a great black suit. It also happens to be one of the
hardest items to shop for. Make sure to consider the fit and fabric
when shopping. Also make sure you like the jacket and pants as
separates. There are endless possibilities for wearing a suit
jacket--over a cocktail dress, with jeans or with a colorful skirt.
And everyone needs a great pair of black pants.
Charles Nolan's latest black suit, will take you from the office to dinner.
Cashmere Sweater
Cashmere sweaters like TSE's basic turtleneck, $425, last longer and
look more elegant than merino wool sweaters. Pair with black trousers
for a casual day at work or wear it around your shoulders during a
cocktail event to fight the chill.
Ballet Flats
Heels are great, but let's face it, most of us don't have the pain
tolerance to wear them at work all day, every day. A great pair of
ballet flats can be worn on your way to work and then traded for
heels. They also add an elegant but casual appeal to anything in your
wardrobe.
The iconic French label Repetto's classic ballet flats, $220, have
been worn by style icons from Brigtte Bardot to Sarah Jessica Parker.
Pencil Skirt
The pencil skirt is back in fashion. Pair it with a white blouse for
work, a cashmere sweater in the evening or a T-shirt on the weekend.
French Connection's Checker Play skirt, $39.99, looks great at a great
price point, too.
Black Pumps
If you're going to splurge on one pair of great black pumps, make sure
they're comfortable because you'll wear them with everything.
Christian Louboutin has perfected the black pump with styles like the
Decollete, $575, which instantly transforms the look and feel of an
outfit.
White Blouse
A classic white blouse can work with any outfit, and French designer
Anne Fontaine knows this well. A white blouse can be worn just as
easily on casual Fridays as it can to a black-tie affair with a
taffeta skirt.
Anne Fontaine's Milous blouse, $395, has enough detail to make it a
standout but is classic enough to make it a basic.

BRT

You know, as in BRAIN REPLACEMENT THERAPY! Jeff thinks I need it! My
Boss wishes I had it and I am very sure my BOYS have signed MOI up for
it! AND WHY isn't it available????? We already have PMS (personal
monitoring systems) that allow spouses to chart our every move. And
how is it this you ask???? BECAUSE they can track all our purchases
online! I am convinced those purchases are even time stamped! It is
such a joy to come home and to be told where I had been and what I had
purchased…leaves little left for conversation!!! If they start
providing itemized info on those charges…I AM DOOMED!!!! AND there is
no grace period…no lag time…just 24/7!!! How did WE allow this to
happen????? Maybe best to go back to paying cash for everything!
Just have to explain those LARGE withdrawals!!

Watching Oprah the other evening with a show featuring HRT (and we ALL
know what that stands for!). Dr. Phil's wife has written a book about
her struggles and symptoms to watch for as one heads into menopause.
Those symptoms sounded very scary…memory loss, no energy to do all the
stuff you don't really want to do..AMEN to all that! Who wants to do
all that stuff anyway!! I am actually happy that I can now blame it
on "M" Factor instead of blaming myself for saying YES once too often!
I didn't follow Oprah's advice from her Just say NO show-but, I am
listening now!!! AND now I am off the hook for my irratic, irrational
and hysterical behavior-it's menopause baby!! One of the virtues of
becoming 50 is that you now become part of the DIVERSITY (i.e.
OUTREACH) demographic! WOO WHO!! Love being OUTREACH! I feel the
POWER! And speaking of power…..

Times are tough all around-of course, tell us something we don't
already know! With 30% of the fiscal year over at work we had our
finance committee meeting to go over everything. I was very excited
about doing this, since I LOVE to be fiscally responsible! Upon
reviewing the goals-MY events during this period exceeded last year's
goals, but fell short of this year's budget! This good news is that I
was able to write grants to cover this shortfall (YEAH!)-However, when
one presents the fiscal reports to the Board-budgets are always open
to interpretation!! I made it VERY clear when the Budget was sent to
the Board for approval, that the fundraising goals had been increased
over the previous year. It was one of my better performances….hoping
to inspire all Board Members to get out there and FUNDRAISE!!!! It's
a Catch 22…if we didn't increase the fundraising goals, the budget
wouldn't be passed! However, at the time…I felt we were all up to the
task! WHO KNEW we would head into these times of financial
difficulty!

But, alas….great minds forget discussion had in the recent past…so
when the finance committee met prior to the Board meeting (lots of
meetings this week!) the chair was not so pleased and pointed out that
I had an "aggressive" approach to fundraising! Now, you can say many
things about MOI, but "aggressive" anything…just doesn't fit! Of
course, I FELT like saying-hey…we are all in this together and I THINK
I spoke up about this several months ago...which you all approved!
However, I just smiled and said that it's true-we have fundraising
goals that are ambitious and I would do my best to meet those goals!!!
I felt it had a better ring to it! What else can you say???
OOPPSSSSS! Hmmmm, I don't think so! No one follows those numbers any
closer than MOI! So…as soon as the meeting was over-I ran into my
office and burst into tears!!! It must be the "M" factor!! Had to
quickly refresh my make-up, since I was heading out to dinner with
High School friends-a reunion of sorts! Drove with dear friend Nora,
and of course blurted out the details of the afternoon! I was still
so upset. It reminded MOI of the times when you had to tell all your
friends how mean so and so had been to you!! You never forget some
things!!

Nora just turned to MOI and said, "P, pull yourself together! You
have a MBA from Kellogg-you can rise above this!! Take that HIGH
ROAD! Tomorrow at the Board meeting, just go in there and defend your
position!" And that is EXACTLY what I did! When the report came up,
I remained calm, cool and collected. No other Board members said a
word! When everything around you is collapsing-dear friends and a
nice glass of VINO will always save you!

And speaking of VINO….a NEW study on Living Longer reported that one
can live longer consuming up to 15 glasses of VINO a week! WOO
WHOOOOO that is 2 glasses a day..over 730 glasses a YEAR! HOWEVER, if
you go to 4 glasses you are in BIG TROUBLE! NO KIDDING! You probably
can't MOVE! The study also found that people who volunteer live
longer! Are YOU Kidding MOI! Vino and Volunteering-the KEY to
longevity! This could be the new marketing pitch-the way to raise
funds! Entice folks to volunteer at the Art Center and serve them
VINO! It could be part of our "Living Longer through the Arts
Campaign!"

I know that I have "arrived" at the Art Center (it has only taken a
year!!). Our most famous faculty member stopped MOI in the hallway
the other day. She wanted to "discuss" something with MOI-of course,
I was bracing for the worst! Most faculty ask MOI to write grants for
special programs that they will teach…I have to reply that it doesn't
work that way…we write grants for certain things and then fit the
faculty to the program…I was most intrigued and as the same time
apprehensive….one false step and it could be curtains for MOI! She
has a large following and one can't afford to alienate any group! She
started out with a compliment on all my outreach "partnering" efforts.
WE ALL KNOW WHAT IS COMING NEXT…..I am on the Board of this
organization and they would like to hold an event with the Art
Center…I just smiled….We can make this happen! You have to know when
to say YES!

Patsy had given MOI a lovely garnet circle pin from my grandmother.
She said that I had admired it as a child. Experiencing memory loss
these days….I didn't remember the pin, but it is lovely and a family
heirloom…something to pass on to future generations!! The lovely pin
needed some refreshing as a few stones were missing and it needed to
be returned to its former glamour! I picked it up from the Jeweler and
was discussing the story with him. He sells beautiful antique
jewelry, so an authority of sorts! I was inquiring how I would wear
it and he said that it is perfect with pearls. He pulled out several
lovely strands..NO, I did not buy any pearls-tempting as it may be!
He continued to say that this style of pin is HIGHLY collectible….I
felt like I was on Antique Roadshow! "Really??" It's from the
1890's… "REALLY???" I had no idea! I just smiled and said, "it's a
family heirloom and NOT FOR SALE!"

It's rough here in the Windy City-we are having one of THOSE
winters….Tons of snow and freezing temperatures with several days
clocking 25 below zero wind chill factor! Although, let's be
honest…anything below 20 degrees is just plain COLD! The other
morning, I had the refrigerator door open and I thought-perhaps I
should keep it open to warm things up a bit!

Last Call starts at Neiman's on TUESDAY!!!!! GO! Put Kohl's on your
spring shopping list! Simply Vera line has some adorable skirts!
Several articles recommend looking at CLAIRE'S for great
jewelry-always!! For an "of the moment" update to your wardrobe-head
over to Urban Outfitter www.urbanoutfitters.com, click on accessories
and buy this adorable Mesh lace necklace for $78. It is large-but not
overwhelming!!! Also, keep those cuffs ready to go! This time try to
see if you can wear two or three of them up your arm (I know – this
may not be so simple!!). and My FAVORITE!
www.yummietummie.com Their tops cling, yet covers those bulges! FABULOUS!

Have a great week!!
Love, P

“I guess we had a failure to COMMUNICATE….”

Things were going along as best as can be expected! It is nice to
have time off during the holidays…but, let's be honest…one really
doesn't get time off, since life marches on. You only get a chance to
take a "break!" My "Holiday" started with yours truly, spending
several hours picking up artwork at the FedEx Corporate facility. Any
self-respecting Mom is on a first name basis with the lovely folks at
the FedEx facility in Northbrook, since they are open until 9:00 p.m.
for pick up and sending. But, now life is a bit easier for all of us
because you can go to Kinkos to do that last minute mailing of all
those important items that your children have left at home and need
IMMEDIATELY. In fact, I felt very much "in the know" on Saturday,
when I was sending Jeffrey a few items that he had "left." Naturally,
he called MOI after the post office had closed, so headed to Kinkos
and was busy preparing my box, when I overheard a woman discussing her
FedEx needs with the nice fellow behind the counter (note to dear
readers, this was a different fellow than the one that I had the
experience with last fall!!!). She was sending several boxes to her
daughter (must be a freshman, since she didn't know the drill). Lots
of large ZAPPOS boxes (love this!) filled with items that didn't fit
in her suitcase. The shipping ended up costing $150, not bad I
thought for 5 large boxes!!! The mother just about had a heart
attack. Then she started with the…I will repack the boxes myself…etc.
I just smiled as I completed my forms. The young man behind the desk
said that she could, but once you get over a certain
weight..blah..blah..blah..it truly doesn't make any difference! I
took my place in line and hoped that she would SURRENDER quickly
because it was really snowing outside and I still had lots of errands
to do!!

Where was I???? FedEx o.k., so, the day before vacation, the
exhibition curator calls to see if the artwork from one of the artists
has arrived by FedEx. This is on Friday. The curator said the artist
sent it from New York on Monday. Hmmm….I didn't see it, but told her
I would look for it and call her back ASAP. I asked what size –
4 ft. x 6 ft. Hmmmm…that should be easy to spot!! Went searching in
the usual places and NO SIGN of a large box. Called back the curator
and asked her to get the tracking number and I would take it from
there. Did I mention that it was SNOWING….and I think the airports
were closed-didn't look promising. She called back with the tracking
number and then the information that the package was sent on Wednesday
for guaranteed arrival by Christmas (this is December 19th). O.K.
Well, let's see…Wednesday is not Monday and we were closing on the
19th for two weeks and wouldn't be here to receive it after Friday. I
would say a Failure to Communicate! Hmmmmmm…went online to track the
package and found it had arrived at 6 am that morning! HOORAY! At
least it was in Chicago!! Reported the info back the curator. Then
she wanted to know how late we would be working on Friday…O.K. Did I
mention it was snowing…it had snowed about 8-10 inches, so several
employees hadn't made it into work, because their cars were snowed in.
Not that I would EVER leave early, but it was a holiday vacation
coming up….I told her I would stay until 5 p.m. She seemed happy
about this. And here's the thing-she is one of the nicest people, so
I really couldn't get all bent out of shape about it….but, as the day
went by….and no artwork…..I had to go to plan B-Decided around 3 p.m.
to call FedEx to see what my options would be if the artwork arrived
on Monday or if I could pick it up! Chatted with a nice fellow who
told MOI that I could pick it up on Monday at the Commercial location
in Wheeling. He would tell them to hold it there for MOI! I
thought-thank goodness-a plan B! Called back the curator and told her
that I would pick it up on Monday. I wasn't sure where the place was
located, but I had the general idea. I thought this is easier than
waiting for it to arrive! She thought that would be fabulous! She
didn't offer to pick it up…but, as I have said-she is a lovely person
and very hard working…one does what one has to do!!

Did I mention that it continued to snow all weekend?? So all my plans
of getting errands completed and ready to go away for Christmas were
way behind schedule! On Monday, the curator kept calling in the a.m.
to see if I had picked up. Now, you can imagine how my day OFF was
going…already running late, snow, freezing and having to drive to the
Commercial location which was a 30 minute drive on a good day! I took
a deep breath and remembered to take the HIGH ROAD (always) and found
the location. A bit tricky trying to figure out how to enter the
location. Turns out it is a very SECURE location. You park and then
have to enter a small building for "security clearance" before you can
enter the main building. All this and I still wasn't completely sure
they even had the artwork!! Arrived at the small building-didn't
realize I would have to take off all my outer layers…(similar to the
airport!). Relieved that I was given the O.K. and then headed out to
the next building. Walked into an office building and there was just
a big empty room, with little cubicles off to one side.
HELLOOOOOOO???? "I'm here to pick up a package??!!" Fortunately, a
nice woman popped up and said that she could help MOI! (Note to self,
remember to make more noise when I return in the future (you all know
that this is going to happen again!!!!) I explain my situation (by
now another ½ hour has gone by!!!!) and then she tells MOI to have a
seat while I am waiting. Are you kidding MOI-just get me the @$!$%@^
package and let me out of here!! I know she is trying to be nice,
but I really needed to be moving along! I chose to stand while I
waited, so I had the opportunity to look into her cubicle. She had
some cute pictures of her kids and this being the Holiday Season, I
told her that her kid's pictures were adorable….She flashed a big
smile and said that they were her grandchildren. Then a discussion of
how young she looked…..FINALLY, the package arrived! It was rather
large and I hoped it wasn't heavy because I would be the one lugging
it into the car and then into the art center. I gave the woman my
business card, since it was not addressed to moi-she smiled and said
that she was going to give MOI a call because she was interested in
taking art classes in the spring!

Spent this week preparing for the big opening of the exhibition today.
Artwork all arrived and several artists installed their own work. I
had told the curator last fall, that I had managed to rent out the Art
Center for an event that would be held during the exhibition. She had
assured MOI that all the installations would be on the wall, so it
wouldn't be a problem. I was very excited about the rental, since it
would be a new source of income for the Art Center!! One has to be
"creative" during "these times!!" Fortunately for MOI, I have already
lived through several of "these times"…so I Know this drill!!! Truly
a benefit of being old!! I just wish I knew everything, because that
would make things so much easier! I happened to be walking by one of
the galleries as an artist was installing her work. I noticed that
she was putting "text" (FYI- very popular these days!) on the floor
with yarn. AND it was taking up most of the floor space in the
gallery. I just looked at the curator and said, "I have a rental for
this room and they will need to WALK in this space." The curator said
that she knew but, "I guess there was a COMMUNICATION
misunderstanding." Between WHOM????
Fear not dear readers…I have figured out a plan that will make all
parties happy. I may have to rethink my "rental" program going
forward!!!!

Watching Oprah and Suzy this week on "New Life" week or something like
that-I was not so inspired. Suzy suggests that to save money, you
should just stay home and NOT spend money. I wonder if I should send
her that article so she can do her own Pedicure! I did try to stay
home the other evening and not spend any money. It actually was fun!
I spent it researching shoe websites!! Found one, www.footcandy.com
to be quite fabulous!! Also, Payless provided some great buys for
spring! Check out the new Lela Rose line at Payless! The Palmetto
Peep Wedge and the Marigold Satin Flat features " a beautiful satin
upper with contrasting piping and an elegant D'Orsay silhouette."
This may be the closest I get to a D'Orsay anything!! Also, the
Analucia Halter Tote of "quality" canvas and glossy patent, and a
woven rope panel detail. It is very cute! Each under $30 – how can
you go wrong??!!

And here are a few tips to "rework" your wardrobe! A popular theme
right now! Again, similar to last week's searching for all those
fabulous Valentino ensembles that you have hidden in the back corners
of your closet!!! Take your Black Blazer and wear it over
EVERYTHING!! Make sure it is hip length, so it can go over
everything!! One suggestion is to put it over your evening frock (not
so sure on that one-would really depend on the frock!). But, it looks
very nice belted over a skirt and top, or pants and top. Also try
pushing up your sleeves to make it look "fresh!" And if you don't
have the fabulous blazer or your blazer isn't so fabulous-Head over to
Club Monaco!! Their "Manhattan Tex" wool blazer is very nice and will
do the trick! It might even be on sale!!! Also, check out Zara-they
are a great source for something like this!

Next find that Skinny Belt – Kohls and Tarjay have a nice selection!
See if you can find one in faux leather python! You can wear it with
a shift, over a cardigan (make sure it isn't too think-don't want that
"sausage look"), or with your jacket from above!! AND wear your
favorite white shirt under these looks! Don't have one-try the
Gap-They have a great one for $39.50!!! You can wear it over a tank
top or untucked under a sweater (makes it easy, since they always
become untucked anyway! Who knew you were already so chic!) Also try
to mix up day and night. If you pair tailored looks with pieces made
from evening fabrics-it looks very NEW! Try that white shirt with a
lace skirt and boots! VOILA-you are good to go!!!

Have a great week and try to stay home and out of the stores!!! HA HA HA!
XO,
P