Archive for » 2009 «

31
Dec
‘Relax’, ‘Take a break’, ‘Unwind’

‘Relax’, ‘Take a break’, ‘Unwind’ are all words we hear on a regular basis.

It seems as though we are all way too busy.  More and more, it seems I’m having the conversation or hearing about how everyone is too stressed, over taxed and over scheduled.

Welllllll, I can not wait.  My mom turned 70 this year.  For her birthday, my aunt, sister and I are taking mom on a trip to the spa this weekend.  This spa trip thing is a first for me and I have to say, I’m a little nervous.

Nervous; that I’m going to be away from Guapo and Guapito for two half days, two full days, and three nights.  (I miss them already.)

Nervous; I’m not taking my laptop…but I will have my smartphone…Will I be able to unplug and leave it alone and not ‘check it’ every so often?

Nervous; that I’m actually going to relax and not know what to do with myself Sunday night when I’m home safe and sound ready to take on 2010 with a refreshed, relaxed, attitude?!?!?

I do know one thing, I’m going to do my best to actually figure out how to ‘Relax’, ‘Take a break’, ‘Unwind’ and hopefully bring home some fabulous, fail proof tips to incorporate into the new year.

So my friends, I hope you have the opportunity to take a break over the next few days as you ring in the new year, refreshing and preparing for what 2010 holds in store.  Enjoy your time with family and friends.

Actually, I know ONE more thing.  I have the best husband in the world who didn’t even miss a beat, telling me to ‘Go, have a great time.  Guapito and I will be just fine.’  Thank you honey!  I’m thinking I will owe you a man-trip to Home Depot upon my return!  I can see you now, camping out in the lumber department.

Category: Family, Stuff  Tags: ,  2 Comments
30
Dec
Hostess Gifts and Thank-you notes

I had a Twitter friend send me a message today asking about Hostess gifts and Thank-you notes….

Q:  Does one write thank you notes for hostess gifts?

A:   The jury is out on this one.  Many of the Etiquette Experts have conflicting answers leaving us all perplexed.  From the research I have done over the years, here is my thought on the subject…

The hostess gift is given to a ‘host or hostess’ as a way of saying ‘thank-you’ for the hospitality.  Most generally a sincere verbal ‘thank-you’ took place and technically this is a completely acceptable form of a ‘thank-you’ and nothing more is required.  (Some experts point to the thank-you for a thank-you for a thank-you debacle.)

If, on the other hand, you were not handed the hostess gift directly, maybe it was mailed or delivered, then a hand-written thank-you note is in order.

Long story (answer) longer… a hand-written note is always a nice gesture, as we all know how important they are and how they put a smile on the recipient’s face, so if you do decide to write thank-you notes for hostess gifts, you do need to write them to all of guests who brought a gift, no matter how large or small.  You would hate to create an awkward situation if someone commented in passing to another partygoer about the nice note they received leaving the other person wondering why their gift did not warrant said note.

Clear as mud???

Category: Etiquette, Manners  Tags: ,  2 Comments
29
Dec
Who said ‘Formal Living Rooms’ are off limits!?!?!

When we built our home, a number of people said, ‘don’t waste the space on a formal living room, you’ll never use it!’
Welllllll, we actually do, and I’m glad we have it. It’s a nice place to go and ‘get away’. I love the little settee, it’s great to curl up on a read (not that that happens very often). Sometimes Guapito and I sit there and talk or read or play.

Speaking of Guapito… he had his own idea for a party. After all of the entertaining we have been doing the past few weeks, he felt like having his own party.

After he ‘rearranged’ the formal living room, he decided to move things into his room for a different ‘look’.

He even decided he wanted ‘party favors’.

I love the fact that he is having fun in the ‘formal living room’ and is enjoying the things some would deem ‘off limits’!!!

Making Memories and Loving life!!!!

Category: Family  Tags: ,  2 Comments
28
Dec
Hosiery, aka ‘Stockings’

My sister Audrey (we call each other ‘Dolly, Doll, Dollette’… long story) emailed me the other day with a question about hosiery, aka ‘stockings’.

Doll (My sister to me),
What is the rule on stockings? I noticed Michelle Obama isn’t wearing them on the White House special with Oprah. Maya and Suzanne had bare legs at Granny’s party. When I showed up at Billy’s baptism without them, I felt horrified.

Hi Doll (Me responding to my sister),
Wellllllllll. Here’s my two cents…

I believe instead of being a rule of Etiquette or Protocol, it has evolved into something much more complicated.
I personally think it boils down to a number of things:
1- Generational issues….I don’t think Laura (Mrs. Bush) would EVER have appeared on National television without hose.
2- Can your legs stand on their own?…Maya and Suzanne, yep. Me, not so much.
3- Season, will your legs have goose bumps and be pasty … Summer, not a problem. Winter, bleh – opt for tights.
4- Flat out preference…. I feel more confident WITH them, other people can’t stand them.
5- And last but not least: Depends on what company you will be keeping…. If you’re with a more ‘mature’ (meaning older) group, then out of respect I would don hosiery. Generation X, you’ll see a bit of both. Generation Y, I don’t think they know what stockings are, unless your talking Christmas and it’s a ‘stocking stuffer’.

Hope that helps!
Love, Dolly

Category: Etiquette, Fashion, Manners  Tags: , ,  3 Comments
22
Dec
Spreading Holiday Cheer with Tipping

Amy McRee, News9, asked me to help her with her story on ‘Spreading Holiday Cheer with Tipping’.

With so many people being more aware of the money coming in as well as going out, here are some tips to make your Holiday Tipping go a bit smoother this season.

Category: Etiquette, Manners, Media  Tags: , ,  2 Comments
22
Dec
Tips for a successful Holiday Party Season

Recently I had the pleasure of visiting with Meg Alexander, KFOR – Channel 4, about the Holiday Season, parties and some helpful hints.

Click here for the video:

 

Category: Etiquette, Manners, Media  Tags: , ,  Leave a Comment
19
Dec
This isn’t your Grandma’s Etiquette

I was thrilled when Heather Warlick-Moore contacted me about doing a story for ‘The Oklahoman’.  Little did I know, that it would be the cover and feature story in the ‘You!’ special insert on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2009.  Hello!!!!

As one of my Twitter friends, @amyurbach, tweeted, “Great article @etiquette101 in today’s paper…the mother of all papers of the year! :-) ”

Wow, was I surprised!!!  Heather was so much fun. We had a great time with the students as we sat around the table and chatted about basic table manners, engaging in polite conversation and other things we teach in our Junior Cotillion classes.

Click below if you would like to view the entire video.

insert video from Newsok.com

Videos | NewsOK.com – Etiquette for Students.

Category: Etiquette, Manners, Media  Tags: , , ,  2 Comments
12
Dec
Lunch and Learn Fun

Here is an excerpt from Joy Richardson’s article “Miss Manners to me: Behave!” which was recently printed in the Oklahoma City ‘Friday’ paper:

“Pretty sad when one is an invited guest (me) to a gorgeous seated luncheon and are a total embarrassment (TWICE) to your hostess (she, Jeanne Jackson) before we ever sat down. If you’ve the mistaken notion that the Oklahoma City Orchestra League is stuffy, you got the wrong group, they are hilarious.

Oh, I didn’t wear my pajamas or Sylvester-the-Cat slippers by mistake to Gaillardia’s gorgeous dining room, and I minced in carefully not so I didn’t do anything as embarrassing as falling and chipping a tooth. No, the spell of misbehavior started after that. My formal place card let me to know I was at “table No. 2”, and sure enough, there was my printed name card. So I had the right date, time, and place. With a big sigh I put my camera on the table.

Carey Sue Vega, etiquette expert was our speaker. Again, stuffy? Egad, NO! She’s a doll with a rollicking sense of humor. We stood behind our chairs and the first thing she said was,…”

Click on this link to read the entire article:  Oklahoma City ‘Friday’ Article

Category: "Lunch and Learn", Manners, Media  Tags: ,  Leave a Comment
11
Dec
Don’t be this year’s water-cooler holiday gossip!
Headed out to your office party? ‘Don’t be this year’s water-cooler holiday gossip!”
Click here for the full story:
Category: Media  Tags:  Leave a Comment
02
Dec
Cider-Glazed Salmon

I’m a huge fan of the family dinner.  What a great opportunity to enjoy your family and visit about the day.  And of course it gives us the chance to work on a little cutlery civility with Guapito!

I’ve been reading “A Homemade Life” by Molly Wizenberg… I love how she sets up her recipes with great stories!

When I read the recipe for ‘Cider-Glazed Salmon, or Saumon Gelee A La Louis XIV’, I couldn’t stand it…I had to fix it.

I have to say, it does not disappoint.  I, by no means, am a pro in the kitchen… this recipe was very easy to do.  I fixed spaghetti squash as our side… probably not everyone’s first choice to go with salmon, but it sounded good to me.

If you don’t have Molly’s book, it’s a great read.  Maybe you could add it to your Christmas wish list?

salmon

Category: Family Dinner  Tags: , , ,  Leave a Comment
« Previous Entries