Working on two charity events and... and...

I've been a little busy lately. OK, OK, yes, I'm always busy... When I was a kid my Mom's constant complaint was that I could never sit still. I haven't changed!

I should probably put this in my Hummingbird Hollow blog as most of the things I'm doing lately are somewhat or mostly arts related. I'll probably pop something over there later, too... but with a different focus.

Here's a quick run down of a few things on my current calendar:

I'm currently working with a number of other artists to create a Christmas tree for Noel November.  We're doing an 'Ocean Blues' theme. None of us looked at each others ornaments, we just created what we thought fit the theme. It's going to be interesting on Friday when we put it all together!

Noel November is an annual event hosted by realtors in Fayette County from all or most realty companies. Groups donate beautifully decorated Christmas trees, wreaths and other items which are auctioned off. It's a day long event with lots of fun things for the entire family. They choose one or more charities to receive the funds raised. More info here.

I'm also working on our annual Children's Chair-ity Event to benefit the Children's Village at Christian City. Local artists paint chairs which are auctioned, along with many other cool items. This year the event will be held at the Dolce in Peachtree City on Thursday, Dec. 2nd. The cost of the ticket equals one month of supporting a child at the Village.

It's a wonderful group and one I'm proud to support.

I also have a number of pottery shows coming up in the near future so I'm trying to squeeze in some studio time. I'm participating in one that will benefit the Life Enrichment Center (Fayette Senior Services) this weekend. It's called Apples and ArtFest. They have over 30 artists who'll be selling their art this Saturday.

Tonight I have a Board meeting for the Clothes Less Traveled. This is a fantastic organization! They take in donations from the surrounding community, sell them to others, then donate the proceeds to many, many well-vetted local charitable groups. They run a tight ship and I'm proud to serve on the Board. I volunteer over there once a month and wish I could do it more often.

I'm also in the process of switching a couple of websites I manage from Miva Merchant to another service. If you're looking for a store-front service I would highly recommend that you don't choose Miva. It has to be the most labor intensive, pain in the tush, convoluted, expensive, hard to manage service I have ever worked with. It doesn't have to be that difficult and it doesn't have to cost as much as they charge! Every little thing that you want to do has to be done with a module --- which you have to buy. Grrrr...

Let's see, what else? I can't forget our news websites (Arts Across Georgia, Georgia Front Page, Fayette Front Page)! They require constant updating and attention. Plus I handle my own pottery website (Hummingbird Hollow Studio) and some rabble rousing political sites. Oh, I also have at least ten Twitter accounts... we have over 200 blogs...

I'm trying to get into a routine, but it's tough. Between painting chairs for the Chair-ity Event, trying to corral artists to get their bios and chairs complete, working on the Christmas tree ornaments and getting the artists together for that, spending time with my family (yep, they are extremely important and I drop everything to spend time with them), getting ready for shows, scheduling shows, trying to set up websites for my customers, going to meetings for the various charities, closing bank accounts (previous blog), shopping (food, not fun stuff), oh, you get the idea.

Busy is the word of the day.

Couple of good things I'm looking forward to: We're going to see the Canadian Tenors in two weeks, then we're going to see Joe Bonamassa! Love Joe's music...

With all that going on I took time out to whine a bit in my blog... critically important! Seriously, I'm not complaining at all. I love every minute of my life and I love doing all the things I do. I just wish that time didn't fly by so quickly, that I could do more, that I had more time for friends, family, could wrangle a bit more time in the garden... oops, now I'm getting into whining territory for real!

Did I mention that I usually read a book a day? Good thing I'm a fast reader...

Hmmm, just saw a cat heading toward the porch. They like to hang out under the back porch, birth, and do whatever cats do. Mothballs keep them away, but they're not good for the environment and they stink. Wonder if that deer repellent would work? Kind of expensive, but worth a try.

Where was I? Doesn't matter, I'm going to go grab a bite to eat, work on my websites a bit then head out to buy something at the Clothes Less Traveled to finish up my tree ornaments. Board meeting tonight.

p.s. you can check out my Facebook page (facebook.com/ArtsAcrossGeorgia) to see pictures of some of the artist's chairs (Chair-ity Event) and tree ornaments (Noel November)

American Women Confident in the Face of Economic Gloom

RJ Note: Yep, its tough. Yep, we are spending less. Yep, we are confident. Yep, we are women! We've come a long way---

/PRNewswire/ -- Women are spending less on microwaves, gifts, hobbies, gourmet coffees, video games, and even organic foods than they did just two months ago. And with the holidays approaching, they are about to get stingier still. But despite this stark outlook, fully 95 percent of all American women feel they will "make it" through the recession and 64 percent feel 2009 will find them financially "better off." These are among the findings of a recent study conducted for Fleishman-Hillard International Communications by the Harrison Group.

In "Women, Power & Money - The Shift to the Female-Driven Economy," a survey of more than 1,600 women conducted initially in early September and again in early November 2008, women acknowledged being financially worse off than they were a year ago, but felt sure they would be able to manage. The study is a large-scale, nationally representative survey that codifies the power of women in the marketplace.

In the September study, 79 percent of women stated that their opinion determines family financial decisions, while 91 percent claim to be the manager of their family's quality of life. More than half pay the family bills and about half are the shared or primary breadwinners.

"It's clear from this research that we are now living in a 'mom-ocracy' -- women are setting the agenda," said Nancy Seliger, president, U.S. East region, at Fleishman-Hillard, the global communications firm that commissioned the study. "We believe the most successful marketers will address concerns of the spouse, the children, and even friends of women. When these individuals are well informed, it is easier for women to build consensus within their families."

"These women hold the consumer economy in their hands," said Jim Taylor, Ph.D., vice chairman of the Harrison Group, a marketing and research consulting firm. "Their decisions over the next year will determine the economic health of the country."

The study also examined how women make decisions. For instance, women rank both "articles in magazines and newspapers" and "expert recommendations" as more influential than advertising. Moreover, even as the contemporary American woman controls a greater share than ever of household spending, she leads more by consensus than by decree.

Regarding the near-term economy, the study revealed much more about American women:

-- 79 percent plan to cut back on gift-giving this holiday season
-- 56 percent are spending less than last year eating out
-- 51 percent are spending less than last year on toys and games
-- 49 percent are spending less in November than in September on
entertainment
-- 50 percent are spending less in November than in September on shoes,
handbags, and accessories
-- 86 percent are delaying purchases until items go on sale

"Retailers may look at these numbers and cringe," said Seliger. "But family level cost controls give women confidence they will be able to manage through these tough times."

Women in the study acknowledged there will be some stress in charting their courses over the coming months, but they have strategies in place to cope with that as well. The majority plan to spend more time with friends and family, exercise and eat healthier.

The margin for error in the master survey is plus or minus 2 percent, and in the November survey the margin of error is plus or minus 4 percent.

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