I'm Not Buying It

Having just posted about the marvels of the iPhone and how it's changed my way of life, I was blown away at a presentation I attended recently given by a successful small business owner who talked about how the iPhone screen is at the core of her business product development.

As the manufacture of modern quilts doing business in the US, Canada and Europe, she discussed how ALL of her designs start small-- very small-- as in on the 2" X 3" screen of her smart phone.  Long story short-- If her quilt looks good on a very small screen... like a cellphone, Instagram or Pinterest-- then they will sell well.  If her quilts lose their impact, color, pattern/design, etc. on the small image size, it's scrapped from her collection.

Kinda makes sense if you think about it.  A gorgeous floral print, for example, may look stunning in a giant quilt, but on the very small screen-- thanks to modern technology-- the pattern is reduced so much it can get lost and, in some cases, can even disappear or muddy the colors meaning the customer might not be getting the quilt fabric/pattern they expected.

Genius, is all I can say because in a million years, I'd have never thought our buying habits (as well as design and marketing products) had changed so much so fast and to such a small-- and very cost effective format.

Then...  I got a look at another successful manufacture who has a very different idea of how people shop... It reminds me of the old Sears catalog approach which, in my opinion, is outdated, ridiculously costly (ultimately to the consumer?) and overkill to say the least.

Not long ago I received FIFTEEN POUNDS of Restoration Hardware catalogs delivered to my door step.  I practically needed a crane to pick them up off my porch.  The package included 14 different catalogs covering their entire product line.  And by the way, they were not promoting a sale.  The impression I got was that I was supposed to keep these catalogs as a reference for future purchases.  (Not.)

Granted, I'm talking about two very different companies and product lines, but the glaring differences between marketing via social media like Instagram and Pinterest versus old school catalogs with expensive photography printed on beautiful paper, then bundled and hand delivered to my front door left me wondering if Restoration Hardware was totally disconnected from today's shoppers-- not to mention the environmental impact of this stack of paper that almost immediately landed in my recycle bin without opening a single page.  Do plush towels, furniture and rugs really sell better using expensive, bulky catalog mailings?

In all honesty, receipt of the Restoration Hardware monster catalogs left me feeling guilty and a little bit miffed that I bought bath towels in their store about three years ago which is why, I'm assuming, I received this expensive collection of catalogs-- Guilty because I'm pretty "green" in our household and call catalog companies asking them to remove me from their mailing list to lighten my carbon footprint.  Dang!  Obviously I missed Restoration Hardware. 

Did my small towel purchase three years ago generate-- and warrant-- my receiving fifteen pounds of catalogs?  No, not in a million years.  My guess is the catalogs ate up their profits in my small purchase.  I'd have rather they shipped me a free towel instead.  That would be positive attention getting marketing.  And I'm guessing the towel would have been far less expensive then the cost to produce and deliver their catalogs.  The towel wouldn't have landed in the recycle bin either-- Just sayin'.

My shopping habits have changed drastically over the past few years and catalogs are long gone.  I turn to the Internet for everything from groceries and books to bathing suits purchases and prefer not to shop in brick and mortar stores if at all possible (Thus the bathing suit shopping online and it's lack of giant three-way mirrors!).  But, thanks to Restoration Hardware, I'm wondering if I might be missing something.  Or not.

What do you think? 

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com  -  Joanna Jenkins

Fall Shoe Shopping

There are usually two grueling, unbearably hot weeks in Southern California when I wish I had air conditioning and/or lived somewhere else-- like in a place where it was starting to feel like Fall.   This is one of those weeks.  As if on cue when the calendar turned to September, SoCal is getting blasted with a gigantic heatwave with temps teetering near 100 for the foreseeable future.

I'm spending a lot of time in the pool-- So much time I'm beginning to resemble a prune.

What I'd rather be doing is tossing the flip flops into the back of my closet while I'm pulling out sweaters and shoes and all things cozy.

Actually what I'd rather be doing is shoe shopping-- cuz this girl can always shop for shoes-- in a well air conditioned mall!

But "shoe shopping" has new meaning now with my acting feet requiring more "sensible" shoes.  Sensible does not make shoe shopping nearly as fun as it used to and honestly was a little depressing.  I was instantly shorter without my high heels and dressed a little more matronly than my 55 year old self preferred.

I must have complained about my aching foot and new-- ahem, "fashion style", or lack thereof, a bit too much (sorry about that) because the nice folks at Dansko contacted me and asked if I'd try out a pair of shoes from their lovely new Fall collection.  "Heck yes!" I said and these beauties arrived in my mailbox.

Pretty cute for a pair of "good for you" shoes, don't you think!?!  It's the Dansko Franka cross-strap low cut bootie with a 3 1/2 heel and their signature cushioned footbed.  Man-oh-man, are they comfortable!
 
I'm loving feeling taller again and, dare I say, far hipper in my new booties.  As soon as things cool off in these parts, I'll be wearing them with an outfit like this....  It gives me something to look forward too as this is really how I used to dress.  Kinda classic, kinda hip and able to dress up or down with jewelry.

I'm so happy!

Thanks to Dansko for the cool shoes!  You can find them and all the Dansko styles HERE or HERE on Facebook.  Or, if you're far more techno savvy then me, you can follow then on Twitter @Dansko

Are you ready to dress for Fall?
Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

Reviews

Mixed feelings is about how I'd sum up writing online reviews for businesses-- Yelp, Angie's List, restaurants/travel site and the likes.  I rely on these reviews to help me make purchasing decisions so I figure I should put my two cents in when I use a recommended company.... and I'm happy to do it when I have something nice to say.  But when I don't, well, I feel bad.

Maybe it's because my mom drummed into me as a child "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."  Or maybe it's because I tend to be a people pleaser and don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. 

Case in point, today I dropped off a rental car at Enterprise that I'd driven for the past six days.  My car was in the body shop-- thanks to a valet parking attendant who was driving at a high rate of speed, backwards-- the wrong way, and crashed into my car.  (No one was hurt.  Phew.) 

Despite having successfully rented countless times over the years with Enterprise, I was issued the nastiest, smelliest, dirtiest car ever.  And the gas tank was empty.  Not a good start.  But the real problem was that about 3 miles from the rental office I realized the car smelled like a big, wet, dirty dog, and the inside windshield and steering wheel looked like the dog had slobbered all over them.

Here's the thing-- This particular Enterprise office didn't see a problem with the car's condition, nor did they offer to fix it.  To me that equals a poor review on Yelp and after clicking the "post review" button with my unpleasant experience, I felt bad fearing I could get someone fired if the corporate office read it.

Or, on our recent trip to New York City--  We were upgraded to a big, gorgeous suite in our favorite hotel.  It was lovely and a real treat since NYC hotel rooms are usually the size of a closet. 

Problem was, upon our return home, the website I booked the room with sent me an email asking for my feedback and any photos of the room we might have taken.

This is the only photo of the room we took... because it cracked us up.

I sang the praises of the hotel and their generous upgrade and made a joke about the view making sure review readers knew I had the option for the upgrade or a standard room that overlooked the street (which wasn't much of a view at all).  But still, I felt bad, as if I was looking a gift horse in the mouth.  (Do people still say that expression or am I just old?)

How about the handy man I'd recently hired off Angie's List--  He was a disaster from the moment he arrived in our house.  That review was as polite as possible but not one that recommended him again.  With that review I felt bad and a little afraid since he knows where I live.  Should I have not written a review?

Make no mistake, I'm very generous with praise too--  My house painters were found off a website and my review highly recommended them.  The local coffee shop with biscuits to die for got a rave review too, so did the nice waitress at our favorite deli, and the great fabric shop by my house.

But it's the not so great reviews that keep me awake at night.  I just plain feel bad even though I don't believe I got the service or product I paid for.

So my question for you is-- To review or not to review?   What do you think?  Are the reviews worth the effort?  Do you read or rely on online reviews?  I'd love to know.

#####

And on a sad note...

My dear blog friend, Eddie Bluelights of Clouds and Silvery Linings recently lost his wife to cancer.  You may recall Eddie interviewed me for "The Sunday Roast" as while back.  He's been scarce around Blogland for the past several months while taking care of his wife.  It would be lovely if you would please stop by and send some cheer his way.  CLICK HERE.

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com  -  Joanna Jenkins
Photo Credit: © beermedia - Fotolia.com

One Step At A Time

He swaggered into the grocery store with knee stains that indicated he'd recently played in the dirt.  If there was any doubt of that, one look at his finger nails confirmed that half the sandbox had come to the store with him.  His nails, thick with dirt, were hard to miss because one of his fingers was so far up his nose his eyes were crossing.

My guess is the young man was about 5 years old.

Mom was still wrangling a shopping cart as the boy I came to know as Dennis made a beeline to the grapes in the produce section.  Several had been eaten before his mother arrived calling his name loudly.

And so began Dennis' supermarket adventure.

I soon found myself behind the pair in the cereal aisle unable to pass as they haggled over Fruit Loops and Lucky Charms.  I was in no rush so I paused and tried not to laugh out loud as nonstop pleading for both poured out of Dennis' mouth.

When mom finally won the cereal box battle, she pushed her cart down the aisle as Dennis pouted with both hands on his hips eyeing the Pop Tarts on the opposite shelf.

I was finally able to move past him when it happened...

My brand new rubber-soled, quasi geriatric looking flip-flops squeaked and sounded remarkably like a giant, um, well-- there's no other way to say it--  It sounded like a giant fart.

Dennis heard and was immediately hysterical running down the aisle laughing and shouting at the top of his lungs "Mom, that lady just farted!"

I did not-- had not-- would rather have turned purple before I did such a thing in public.  Seriously!  It was my shoe, actually the sole of foot against the rubber of the flip-flop's sole-- but it out came as a "foot fart", like the sound of an "armpit fart" that boys Dennis' age would make.

Mom looked over her shoulder at me.  I'm not sure which one of us was more mortified.  As she used her hand to muzzle him, Dennis wiggle away, ran back to me and asked, in an excited voice, to show his mom and "fart again".

I was frozen in my tracks afraid to move.  If I was going to vindicate myself, my flip-flop would need to "fart" on command.  If it did not, well, then I was really just a big stinker in the eyes of Dennis, his mom and the crowd of shoppers we were now drawing.

Mind you, these were brand new flip-flops and the noise had never happened before.

Dennis was practically apoplectic so I had him take one step at a time with me.

Step one... Nothing.

Step two... Nothing.

Step three...Hello foot fart!

Step four, five, six... Jackpot-- Foot fart... fart... fart.  Dennis was in foot fart heaven proving his case to his mother as true.  He never figure out it was my flip-flops, rather he just thought there was an old lady at the market who could fart on command.

His mom, red-faced, rolled her eyes and mouthed "Sorry".  I saluted and finished my shopping with a few random shoppers high 5-ing me along the way-- Although I'm not exactly sure why.

I paid for my groceries and made my way out of the store as quickly as possible-- on my tip-toes-- so as to avoid any further embarrassing moments. 

Just another day in paradise...

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com  -  Joanna Jenkins
Photo Credit: © iQoncept - Fotolia.com

Big Joy

That big sigh of relief you heard yesterday was from me-- Because ALL of my Christmas shopping was finished-- Ahead of schedule--  With my sanity intact! 

But my Christmas spirit got lost somewhere between the salesperson at Macy's telling me that she "didn't get paid to show me" where the coffee markers were located, and the customer service Grinch at Bloomingdale's calling a shopper a bitch because the lady asked too many questions!  Ahh, Christmas.  Bah humbug.

Every year I vow to make a shorter gift list and to shop more online.  And I thought I had too, but with the mountain of shopping bags filled with stuff I can't even remember anymore, clearly I missed that boat.  My feet hurt, my back ached and my wallet was a bit lighter despite my best efforts to play the department store coupons and discounts-before-1pm game at the mall. (I yiyi, what a waste of time that was!)

In short, yesterday when the deed was finished-- I.  Was.  Tired.  And I still had a holiday party to go to last night!  A party that I had been looking forward to with friends that gather each holiday.  I should have known better than you shop and try to party all in the same day but, oh well, tired or not, I was committed to go.  So I pulled it together, put on some lipstick, and dragged my exhausted self, in crazy Los Angeles rush hour traffic, to my friend's house with the promise of Christmas cheer and lots of joy. 

And I'm so happy I did.  As soon as I pulled up to the front of my friends' beautifully decorated home, I could see the joy-- BIG JOY-- shining through my dazed and worn out haze.  It made me happy-- Happy for my friends and their kids, happy to enjoy a lovely dinner, happy to laugh til we cried, and happy to "just be".

I must have looked more tired than usual when I arrived to the party because one of the kids went to work on a beautiful picture to remind me that "Cristmas" was the best holiday ever.  And by the end of the evening, there was no doubt in my mind, Christmas is pretty great, despite the occasional bah humbug feelings.

How are the holidays going for you?
Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com  -  Joanna Jenkins

It's not to late--  Leave a comment below to enter my Christmas Giveaway.

And for more chances to enter (like blogging about it too!) CLICK HERE.  

Giveaway courtesy of Highland Roses Design Collaborative Craft Studio, a privately-funded project that provides individuals who live with disabilities and/or mental illnesses as well as their family caregivers an opportunity to step towards independence through the sale of our own arts and crafts creations. They accept no grants or government funding, and are working to become self-sustaining through our own endeavors. 
Every step of this undertaking is a collaborative effort---from design to creation. Each distinctive ornament is produced by several sets of hands---all working together to create something special!  For more info or to place an order CLICK HERE.

Seeing Red and GIVEAWAY!

 Like so many Sundays in the past, I made my usual mile and a half circle around the neighborhood doing errands-- dry cleaners, bank ATM, pharmacy, breakfast at the deli with my husband, then off to grocery shop.  I prefer to stay in the neighborhood and support the smaller, local business whenever I can.

But maybe not anymore.

All the people at the above mentioned stops know me by name and I know most all of the employees.  Like the guy at the dry cleaner... 

As Mario, the high school senior, sorted through my small armload of clothes, a pair of my panties fell to the floor.  I'm not sure which one of us was more embarrassed at the sight, but I know for sure that I could feel the heat on my face as it turned three shades of red.. to match the color of my panties.

We had one of those awkward moments before I reached to the floor to snatch them up and stuffed them into my purse-- Cuz let's face it, they'd been worn and well.... Ewww!  As you might imagine, I got out of there as quickly as possible, panties in my purse, and went on about my business.

For the next 90 minutes I made my rounds, opening my purse to get out my wallet to pay at each place of business.  Once at home again, after the groceries had been unpacked and put away, I went to my purse to retrieve the red panties and--

WHT?!?

They were gone, which obviously means I'd unknowingly left them behind at one of my errands when I opened my purse.

At that moment I'm not sure which I felt--  Relieved that the panties were at least the nice ones and not a gigantic pair of granny panties-- Mortified that my undies were in an unknown location for some poor soul (that I know!) to discover-- Or worse, someone knew they belonged to me but was too embarrassed to tell me to pick them up!

And this is NOT an April Fool's Day joke.  It's totally for real. 

Dare I retrace my steps and see if I can locate the missing garment so no one else has to handle them?  Perhaps they've been kicked under a counter, hung on the sign by the ATM machine, in the parking lot of the pharmacy, on the floor under a table at the deli or in the frozen food section of the market. 

Or do I call it a day and chalk it up to... to... to...  what would you call this anyway???

Big sigh.  I think I'll stay put and pray the next time I drive down the Boulevard I don't see them flapping in the wind. 

Happy Sunday everyone.
Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com  -  Joanna Jenkins

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY.

 WIN THIS GORGEOUS SPRING WREATH!  

CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

Photo Credit: © Yael Weiss - Fotolia.com

Get In Line

All I wanted was a small container of the Deli's sliced potato salad but it took me a full 13 minutes for my turn at the head of the line-- A line that, when I arrived, only had one, count 'em one person ahead of me.

What is it with grown men and women who think it's okay to cut ahead of people in line as if everyone else in their presence is invisible?

At first I thought I'd give the elderly gentleman who barged in and elbowed me out of the way a break because he was, well, elderly. But when I realized he was wearing tennis clothes and was perfectly fit, alert and well aware of exactly what he was doing, he had his sandwich and was gone.

When the Deli guy asked who was next, I raised my hand but another woman appeared out of nowhere. A few years older than me and dressed in her Sunday best, she looked me over as if I had the plague and simply stepped in front of me. So I pointed out to Her Majesty that she needed to "take a number" from the machine at the end of the counter. She did-- as she loudly placed her order, then returned and stood in front of me waiting for the counter guy to slice her turkey and swiss cheese.

Then, when it was almost my turn, a third guy with two wild kids in tow sashayed up and gave the "poor me, I have to babysit" look. The kids were bouncing off the ceiling and dad was clearly beat so the counter guy looked directly at Daddy Dearest and asked him for his order.

What am I-- chopped liver?!?

And so I waited and wondered if the potato salad was really worth it. I weighed my options and decided it would take more time to go somewhere else then it would to get what I needed at the Deli, but sheesh-- What is wrong with people! They know better right? Didn't we learn about not cutting in line around the same time we learned "take one and pass it on" in kindergarden?

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

Photo Credit: © Richard Cote - Fotolia.com

Sundays In My City #51 - Clack-a-clack...

I've missed a few Sundays due to vacation and traveling so it's nice to be back with Unknown Mami and the Sundays In My City community.

I was in and around Manhattan for a week and made two fun stops-- One that has always been a "must see" and one that will forever more be on my "I gotta go now!" list.

First up was the brand new Eataly-- My idea of the "Happiest Food Place On Earth". It's a 50,000 square foot Italian food paradise brought to you by Mario Batali, Lidia Matticcho and Joe Bastianich. And let me tell you-- They did themselves proud!

Eataly is a gorgeous, high end, grocery store, wine store, book store, housewares store, with multiple glorious restaurants and oh so much more-- All under one roof. I was in heaven, so much so that I only took one picture before I entered the store because once inside I was drooling too much for picture taking.

The only bad part was that since I don't live in NYC, I couldn't bring home most of the amazing foods they sold (homemade pasta, olive oils, balsamic vinegars...) Now my hope is that Eataly is so wildly successful they open one in Los Angeles. And if they do, I swear I'll apply for a job just to spend more time in the store! I wonder if they'd have a taste-tester position.

My other "must see" stop is Macy's in Herald Square. I've been going there for the past 40+ years-- Not for shopping, for it's original 1902 escalator....

Every visit I wind my way around the way too big, and a little confusing to navigate store, to step onto their vintage escalator for a clack-a-clack-a-clack step back in time. It's beautiful.

I take my hat off to Macy's for keeping the original escalators leading to their top floors. I'm sure parts are very hard to come by and it's expensive to maintain, but the escalators are a piece of history that has been in action for well over 100 years. It feels different, smells different, and sounds different from any other escalator I've ever been on and I love that Macy's has preserved it.

And the best part at the top of the escalator was that Macy's had this-- Cuz you know Santa rides into town after their Thanksgiving Day Parade....

But their Christmas department and decorations were still under cover... Not like the Macy's in Los Angeles who's been hocking Christmas for nearly a month already. Yeah!

How's your Sunday?

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

Click HERE for more Sundays In My City participants.

Not Yet!

Halloween-- I love that holiday! Actually, I love it so much that I think it should be an official three day weekend that's celebrated around the world.

Trick-or-Treating brings the best excuse of the year to buy too much chocolate and a guilt-free opportunity to pass out candy to little kids-- In a one for you, two for me, kind of way.

It's the time of the year when the Fashion Police take a day off so people of all ages, shapes and sizes can dress up in everything from rubber masks of Richard Nixon to Cinderella and Michael Jackson. I personally wear my usual orange tee shirt and Halloween socks with candy corn and bats on them-- And of course, I time October 31st so my Botox is pretty much worn off and wear my "real" face which I figure is scary enough.

Decorating for this holiday, and Fall for that matter, is a favorite pastime but I admit, my husband was shocked when he saw the movers unload box after box labeled "Halloween" into the house when we got married. I made lame excuses about it not realllly being all that much stuff but two months and three days after our wedding, Halloween arrived and decorations were in full, over the top, force. I smiled and assured him that his money back guarantee to return me had already expired. He was stuck with me-- and a house full of all things Halloween.

You can only imagine my thrill when Godson was born on-- you guessed it-- Halloween! I swear that kid came out saying "Boo!" and is as big a fan as I am. He's taken over coordinating decorations inside my house, which now skew a bit spookier as he ages, with a wide variety of spiders peaking out from every nook and cranny. And, he turns our front yard into a big, funky cemetery but he keeps in mind that we mostly get young kids knocking on our door so it pretty tame out there.

Ahh October and Halloween. It makes me happy....

Right up until I walked into Bloomingdale's on Monday and spied a huge Christmas section already in full twinkle light glory. It stopped me in my tracks faster than a record player needle scratching across Elvis' Blue Christmas.

I ask you, do we really need all the Christmas paraphernalia on store shelves before the smell of Milky Way Bars and Almond Joys have intoxicated me beyond reason? Is it okay to start hocking Christmas shopping before Charlie Brown's The Great Pumpkin airs on television? And if there really is a Santa Claus, don't you think he would-- Wait. His. Turn!

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've already made my Christmas shopping list but I don't have the packages wrapped by the fireplace yet. It wouldn't hurt them to wait a few more weeks to put out the giant white and silver Christmas trees covered in Bloomingdale's ornaments blinking and flashing while shoppers splurge on Godiva chocolates for Halloween! It won't spoil their sales quotas but it will dash this little girl's annual, one and only, Christmas wish for a full month of Halloween with treats and decorations and visions of goblins dancing in my head.

Sheesh, I've barely pulled out all my bats, witches and Fall fabulousness and Bloomies rains on my parade-- again! Grrrr. It's enough to make a girl cancel her credit card. (Well almost.)

Next week I'll be back in beautiful New York City to see family and get a huge dose of Fall foliage. I'll be shopping at Bloomingdale's too, so keep an eye on the 6 o'clock news. If their Christmas windows are already on display, I'll be the crazy lady you see NYPD's finest carting away kick, screaming, and begging for Halloween decorations.

Hope you are enjoying autumn and looking forward to Halloween!

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

Photo Credit: © chispas - Fotolia.com

We Have A Winner!

A big congratulations to Eva Gallant of Wrestling With Retirement-- She's the winner of my $80 CSNStores.com Giveaway. Happy shopping Eva! The Gift Certificate should be in your email box shortly. And thanks to every one who entered-- 468 entries total! I really appreciate your readership and support.

Eva is terrific. And, I'm happy to say we've been reading each other's blog for longer than I can remember. Stop by and say hello. I'm sure you'll find an interesting story and a good laugh while you're there.

And one note about the wonderful CSNStores.com-- They have tons and tons of a wide variety of great merchandise to choose from. I've shopped with them a few times and found it to be a positive experience.

But-- select your merchandise for their giveaways very carefully because CSN Gift Certificate merchandise is NOT returnable.

As far as Giveaways in general go, what's your experience with them? For them? Against them? Win some? Lose some? Pros? Cons? Let it rip--

Do tell!

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

Photo Credit: © Scott Maxwell - Fotolia.com

Sundays In My City #43 - & GIVEAWAY!

Don't forget to enter my Giveaway by leaving a comment on THIS POST

and HERE for more chances to win!

Is it just me or did this week fly by in a heartbeat? It's Sunday again already and I'm happy to be back with Unknown Mami for Sundays In My City. It's my favorite post of the week because I get to see and meet so many great bloggers from around the world.

Los Angeles has been cooler than usual, still in the mid 70 degree range here near the beach, and a bit overcast until after lunch. That's A-okay with me since, as a rule, I stay out of the sun and really, really dislike being boiling hot or freezing cold making the 70s the perfect temperature in my book. Afternoon sun is an added bonus.

A few nights ago we had this stunning sunset....

I'm thinking the magnificent colors had something to do with a large brush fire that day, but thanks to the amazing California Fire Fighters it was brought under control before too much damage was done. Thanks to all the men and women that help to keep our state safe.

Hold onto your seat so you don't fall on the floor laughing but.... This Sunday I'm actually making my holiday shopping list thanks to Sarah at Cottage Garden Studios. She's having a fabulous eBay sale and I scored some real treasures including one of these...

....Which I'm keeping for myself but it reminded me to start making my Christmas and Hanukkah gift list early.

My list is pretty long and giving gifts with a "history" or a story behind them about the person who created them, is a real treat for me. There are some amazing artists and crafters out there so I'll be doing a lot more holiday shopping with bloggers who have etsy and eBay stores this year.

Oh, and in honor of Sarah, I think I might even buy some Halloween candy (incredibly early so I can eat it all) to go with her Halloween Quilt Block.

How's your Sunday?

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

Photo Credit: - Quilt Block - Sarah Sullivan

Click HERE to see more Sundays In My City participants.

Graveyard Garage Sale

Sally and Sal are friends of a friend who, after 52 years in the same Southern California home, were downsizing and moving to the East coast to be closer to their only son and his family.

On the Saturday I drove up to their massive garage sale I felt like I'd hit the mother load of all moving sales! There were boxes and tables full of their accumulated possessions from over half a century spread all over the lawn, up the driveway and stacked to the hilt in the garage-- And it was all priced to sell.

I waded through china, linens, nicknacks, mismatched Tupperware, books, board games, holiday decorations, toys, tools, 1970s furniture, mothball-smelling clothes and I whole lot of junk until I got to an item that stopped me dead in my tracks.

There, next to macrame plant hangers and an old high chair, was a hand written sign that read--

FOR SALE: 2 BRAND NEW CEMETERY PLOTS

My first thought was-- Brand new? Is there such a thing as a "used" cemetery plot?

My second thought was WTH!

Apparently, 20 years ago, forward thinking Sally and Sal were trying to make their afterlife easier for their living loved ones and had purchased two picture perfect grave sites in their local cemetery with no thought at the time of ever leaving the state.

Since they were now moving East, with no intention of returning to the West coast, not even for the "big sleep", they wanted to unload their future resting place so they could ultimately be buried near their son.

Sally, who reminded me of a nearly 80 year old "Valley Girl", saw me eyeing the For Sale sign and immediately went into her "never been used" shpeel. It was all I could do to keep a straight face as she painted the detailed picture of her lovely grave sites and how sad she was to part with her "real estate". She ended with a big sigh then clearly indicated she was ready to make a deal-- Afterall, we were at a garage sale.

Now, it just so happens that the plots are in same granite garden where my husband's family rests and that got me thinking....

We all need to go somewhere eventually but, do I really want to go through all of eternity in a grave purchased at a garage sale?

Hmmm.

I took Sally and Sal's phone number and all the info then paid a visit to Shady Acres to see my possible patch of grass.

Turns out, Sally and Sal's grave sites were positioned under a giant magnolia tree just a stone's throw away from our loved ones. So I took a few pictures-- kind of a creep thing to do in a cemetery, and presented the idea of purchasing our future resting place to my Beloved Husband.

Frankly, it gave him pause.

And then he laughed.

Once the hysteria subsided, I explained all about Sally and Sal's big move, the logistics of transferring the plots, the finances of the possible garage sale bargain and of course, I reminded Beloved the plots were "brand new and never used".

We slept on it for a night or two and decided it was a smart purchase. Sally was thrilled when she heard the news and quite proud of the sales pitch she'd given that reeled me in so I didn't let on to what really closed the deal-- Other than the fact that they were "brand new plots".

Realizing this is a somewhat morbid acquisition, we weighed our decision with our sense of humor firmly in place. It was actually the photo of our "neighbor" in the grave next to ours that helped closed the deal. Her headstone reads "She was one hell of a broad". We think we'll fit right into the neighborhood-- when the time come, and she'll get a good laugh out of our garage sale purchase.

Have you bought any real estate lately?

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna Jenkins

PhotoCredit: © BooHoo - Fotolia.com

This Time I Really Mean It

For the past 20 years I've fallen short on achieving my New Year's Resolutions-- very short. They've mostly included the same three "pledges"-- Stop cursing, lose 5 pounds, and practice more patience, along with a few random promises to exercise more, complain less and read better literature.

I start the year off with good intentions but before I know it, a person, place or thing grabs my attention and frankly, "golly gee" escapes me and a slew of expletives spill out of the same mouth I kiss my mother with before I realize I've busted my resolution all to hell.

Those five pounds-- Forgetaboutit! I'm a woman now with a woman's body and let's face it, menopause if a fickle freak. Five pounds is nothing. Despite the scale barely changing, I should have switched to losing five inches long ago, because looking in the fitting room mirror in not so skinny "skinny jeans" is another example of when "golly gee" just doesn't cut it.

Practicing more patience is not going to happen either. At 51 some things are simply not going to change and that includes anything starting with the word "practice". If I haven't figured it out by now, I'm pretty sure it simply is not going to happen for me. Ever.

So this year, at the start of a new decade, in the new millennium-- And with the encouragement of Nanny Goats in Panties-- I'm taking a fresh approach-- a practical approach-- to New Year's Resolutions. Since we are about to spend the grand children's inheritance on repairing our sinking pool and deck, I think it's a good idea to focus on money in 2010 and I know just how I can successfully resolve to save, save, save!

I will never buy another Band aide, nail file or package of dental floss again. There must have been a run on that stuff in 2009 because I have every cartoon character bandage, size and shape nail file, and at least 25 packs of flavored dental floss. Why? I have no idea, but I'm guessing closeout sales and/or multiple senior moments had something to do with the lifetime supplies now occupying my bathroom.

Silverware and glasses are on the "no shop" Resolution list as well. And I'm not talking about the paper and plastic kind. Oh no. After Beloved's birthday bash in November, I realized I literally have 125 place setting of flatware, in at least 6 different patterns, and more than 300 wine glasses in various shapes, sizes and colors-- All in glass or stainless-- And that doesn't include "the good stuff" in crystal and silver! I mentioned a while back that I like to set a nice table, but never realized how much loot I had accumulated in this area. So from now on, I'm calling a truce and stepping away from the housewares section of department and discount stores.

You can sell your stock in Barnes & Nobles and Borders too because I'm staying out of bookstores in 2010 which means their sales will plummet! My supply of cookbooks has reached astronomical proportions and I simply must stop buying them! Instead, I'll borrow from my BFF's impressive collection and make copies of favorite recipes-- You know, the recipes I will somehow never manage to get around to making but will feel so much better having a copy of "just in case".

I also resolve to never again buy paper dollies to go on a cake or cookie plate. Let's just say mine number in the thousands. Ahem-- Enough said about that teeny tiny obsession run amuck.

Which brings me to my final New Year's Resolution-- Underwear-- specifically panties. I resolve to have a far more realistic attitude about what size undies I actually wear and will stop buying them to fit a 16 year old girl. They always look sooooo big in the store but once I get them home, sadly, they'd actually fit a Barbie doll, not the body of the above mentioned menopausal woman. Seriously, I do not need gigantic Grannie panties yet, I just need a pair that won't cut the circulation off, turning my legs blue, in under 20 minutes. If I can find decent fitting panties, life would be good and loads and loads of bucks will be saved in 2010.

These are Resolutions I feel confident I can actually achieve this year even if I continue to curse like a drunken sailor. I face 2010 with all sincerity and good intentions and the promise that-- This Time I Really Mean It!

How about your New Year's Resolutions? Got any?

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna

Thanks to Margaret at Nanny Goats in Panties for presenting the This Time I Really Mean It New Year's Resolutions campaign. If you want to participate and link-up CLICK HERE.

Sundays In My City #11 - Kiev

Do you know Unknown Mami? She's awesome and she created a fun Sunday theme inviting you to get out and take pictures of your city to share with the rest of us. Click here for details and her logoand click here to see Unknown Mami's City today.

It rained a lot in Los Angeles in the first half of the week and in the second half, Beloved and I went to San Diego for four days to attend a wedding. A year ago this week, we were in Kiev, Ukraine. These are some pictures we took within walking distance of our "downtown" hotel.

The architecture was stunning.

The city was so clean and well maintained.

We thought this would be a nice place to live.

And throughout our walk, we heard these bells on the hour.

The bells were in this tower....

At the top of this church....

Which, because of it's color, reminded me of this! But we didn't see a Tiffany & Co in Kiev.Darn. It would have made a lovely souvenir.

How's your Sunday?

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna

Shopping Spree!

Someone has been shopping up a storm-- big time, and it wasn't me. But it was with my American Express card!

I got the dreaded call this morning from Amex asking if I was in Arizona buying an unusually large amount of electronics equipment on Monday. Definitely not. I was at home in California being a domestic goddess-- and I have the folded laundry and homemade banana bread to prove it. Then they asked if I was at WalMart (apparently, gleefully running through the store yelling charge!) or at two different gas stations trying to fill what appeared to be, an extremely large vehicle today, before returning to Los Angeles, in record time, where I picked up a prescription at the pharmacy and chicken at the supermarket. Those last two, really boring charges, were mine. The WalMart shopping spree, gasoline for the masses, and race back to LA-- not even close.

While I was on the phone with the oh so sweet Amex rep, I learned the genius using my stolen card number also paid his cable, electric and phone bills too, then ordered, what looked to be, a year's supply of "reading material" (wink*ahem*porn*cough) to be sent to the same address as his utilities!

Call me crazy, and maybe a tag bit judgmental, but isn't alerting the credit card company to your home address a little stupid? Clearly this was not a smart thief, then again, is there such a thing-- a smart thief, I mean?

As we talked, I was sweating bullets and frantically rummaging through my wallet looking for my cherished, and too oft used, Gold Card. Phew! It was right were it belonged-- Which made me angry and even more stressed. Someone get me a Xanax stat!

This is the third time this has happened to me! What have I done and where have I gone that resulted in my credit card number being stolen, reproduced into new cards and used? I hear all the news reports about the scanners attached to gas pumps collecting card info, the over-the-shoulder password thieves, and lord help me, bank computers being hacked. Then of course, all the online shopping I do, to avoid leaving the comfort of my own home, raced through my mind. Yikes! This could really put a crink in my shopping-- Not that I shop that much. I'm just sayin'....

The nice Amex lady put my anxiety to rest and told me they would take care of everything. Seriously, it took less then ten minutes and, poof, it was gone-- My American Express Card that is, but a brand new one will be delivered to my home tomorrow with a new number. (Insert big sigh of relief.) The charges are gone too or at least they are not my responsibility.

In these desperate times, would I fell better if I knew the thieves were at work to put food on their table, a roof over their head or even paying medical bills? Maybe. But in this case, not so much. Porn, electronics and a WalMart shopping spree is just plain greed. No one is doing their part to "boost the economy", they're just ripping people and businesses off.

So that makes three stolen card numbers so far with total charges in the near $17,000 range! First was about seven years ago at an expensive jewelry store in California. The second was two years ago by someone in New York City dressing head to toe in Armani, and now the third is a bunch of electronics and porn in Arizona.

What's next?

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna

PS Thank you American Express. You rock!