Kathy Walker is 2012 Oklahoma Mother of the Year and Carrie Leonard is 2012 Young Mother of the Year
Connell Branan, National President of American Mothers Inc., welcomes Carrie Leonard and Shelly Soliz to her home. Leonard is the 2012 Young Mother of the Year. Soliz is president of the American Mothers of Oklahoma. (Photo by David Faytinger).
Cliff Branan, Kathy Walker and Stewart Meyers talk at the party. (Photo by Helen Ford Wallace).
Connell Branan, American Mothers Inc., national president, was hostess for a party honoring Oklahoma’s 2012 Mother of the Year, Kathy Walker, and Oklahoma’s 2012 Young Mother of the Year, Carrie Leonard.
Also honored were Mothers of Achievement Connie Fox, Connie Jones and Mautra Jones.
At the party were Russ Walker, Cliff Branan, Marilyn Meade, Susan Dobson, Lela and Mark Sullivan, Miki and Jim Farris, Barbara and Ralph Thompson, Ryan Leonard, Irene Castilow, Shelly Soliz, Dorothy Hammert, Sandy and Stewart Meyers, Nancy and Tim Leonard, Polly Nichols, Carol Troy, Karen Browne, Cynda Ottaway, Katherine Buxton, Coe London, Jody and John Gooden, Stacy Kline, Pam Kanaly, Marilyn and Leonard Sullivan.
Lela Sullivan, Russ Walker and Shelly Soliz enjoy the event. (Photo by Helen Ford Wallace).
Kathy Walker and her mother, Rosemary Scalpone, were at the party. Kathy is Oklahoma Mother of the Year. (Photo by Helen Ford Wallace).
20-40-60 Etiquette—Would you move that grocery cart…please
To ask the 20-40-60 team an etiquette question, email helen.wallace@cox.net.
By Callie Gordon, Lillie-Beth Brinkman, Helen Ford Wallace
QUESTION: I do the grocery shopping for my family. My concern is how best to deal with the people who clog the aisles. Most grocery stores have aisles wide enough for two shopping carts to pass as long as each person pulls his or her cart over to the side.
It is very common for people to stop to look at an item and leave the cart in the middle of the aisle, blocking anyone else from passing down that aisle. My nice guess is that they are simply not paying attention to anything other than what they’re looking for. My guess is that they are unaware that other people ALSO shop in the grocery store, and that they are so overwhelmingly important that any of the rest of us who happen to be in the store should be glad to step aside.
Well, I have managed to not say anything mean to them … yet.
What is the proper way for me to proceed?
1. Simply go around, using the next aisle, and then work my way back to the spot I wanted.
2. Say “pardon me, I would like to get to the coffee over there.”
3. Say “hard as it is to imagine, there are other people in the grocery store who want to use this aisle.”
4. Stand there and stare (glare) at them until they emerge from their reveries and get moving again.
5. Ask them to move their cart to the side.
6. Or something else.
So far, I just try to ignore it and go to another aisle and come back later and hope I don’t run into them again.
CALLIE’S ANSWER: While I see how this can be frustrating, give people the benefit of the doubt. It can be as simple as a smile and “excuse me.” We all have come in contact with tacky people. In this case, simply move out of their way.
LILLIE-BETH’S ANSWER: Wow! You’ve put a lot of thought and energy into this. I think the easiest thing to do is to excuse yourself and ask them nicely to move. That should snap anyone out of their reverie. It takes less energy on my part to assume that people are concentrating as hard on getting the right ingredients at the best price instead of deliberately and thoughtlessly pushing others aside.
HELEN’S ANSWER: Navigating the grocery takes a lot of patience. Fortunately, some grocery stores have wide aisles and you can get around these people, but, probably your best response is #2. It moves them out of the way of the item you are trying to get.
The people who leave the cart in the middle of the aisle in our grocery stores are everywhere. They irritate me, too. However, I have done it before when I was not thinking. You might suggest to the grocery store personnel that they put up a sign saying, “Slow carts on the right; do not park in the middle of the aisles; and be aware of other people in the store who are also trying to shop.”
GUEST’S ANSWER: Christina Nihira, local community volunteer and newspaper writer: The weekly grocery trip is often an onus. Unfortunately, we all need to eat.
Crowded store aisles tend to inflame an already adverse situation. There are some rules of the road. Cart etiquette is akin to driving a car. Caution and care are necessities to avoid those head-on collisions. When pushing down the aisles, stay to the middle and center. When you want an item, pull to the right and park the cart.
More importantly, however, is common courtesy. Although you may think manners come naturally, not everyone takes the time to practice them, especially when they are harried. Set yourself apart and use “please,” “thank you” and “pardon me.” Nice manners and a smile speak volumes about you.
Another option is altering the time you visit the store. Perhaps going during early morning or off-peak hours will help reduce congestion.
For some enjoyment and practical information, check out Carol Redinger’s “A Book of Grocery Store Etiquette: A Guide for the Consumer Based on Over 30 years of Observations and Aggravations.” The author has worked in the grocery industry in various positions and writes a fun, informative guide about how to best navigate through your shopping experience.
Happy shopping!
Maureen Heffernan discusses the Myriad Botanical Gardens on Parties Extra!
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Maureen Heffernan talks about the Myriad Botanical Gardens on Parties Extra!
YWCA committee members start work for Capital Campaign
Sandy Pantlik, Kathy Walker, Tricia Everest were at the event in the home of Lela Sullivan. (Photo by David Faytinger).
The YWCA Capital Campaign marketing committee members met in the home of Lela Sullivan. The campaign will officially kick off in the spring and several committees will work to raise money for a new shelter for battered women and children, to re-purpose the existing shelter, renovate the McFarland Facility and establish an endowment to support the facilities.
Lots of candy and Sprinkles Cupcakes are featured at party
The table at the Nelson home was filled with candy and Sprinkles Cupcakes. (Photos by Helen Ford Wallace).
Lynda Nelson was hostess for a party to honor Candace, Charles, Charlie, 4 ½, and Harry, 1, Nelson from Beverly Hills, Calif., who were in town visiting. It was Harry’s first trip to Oklahoma City to visit grandparents, Lynda and Chuck Nelson. Candace and Charles are founders of Sprinkles Cupcakes, the world’s first cupcake bakery, in Calif. and she is one of the judges of “Cupcake Wars,” Food Network’s reality-based cupcake competition show.
The invitation with a colorful lollipop on it stated in part: “Harry has his first year ‘Licked’ and he’s here visiting from Beverly Hills.”
Candy and cookies were everywhere. Garlands of peppermint candies, ribbons and greenery decorated the front door and the stairway inside. Bowls of tasty ribbon candies, peppermints, red hots, candy- coated pretzels, jelly beans, suckers, colorful bubble gum and of course, the very excellent Sprinkles Cupcakes filled the dining room table.
Among the guests were Fanny, Bolen, Bebe MacKellar, Karen Browne, Libby and Bobby Nelson, Betsy Thorpe, Lisa Banks, Bette MacKellar, Marilyn Balyeat, Patty Cohenour, Caroline Cohenour, Martha Bradshaw, SoRelle Fitzgerald, Toni Moses, Bolen MacKellar, Kay Brown, Ruth Gorkuscha, Charlotte Nelson, Robert Nelson, Rachel Bolen, Patricia Franklin, Gayle Ann Roberts, Leslie Samara, Judy Lehmbeck, Gene Barth, Sarah Geiger, Kathy Brown, Angela Payne Reynolds, Charlotte Gibbens and Christine Browne.
The Nelson family.
Caroline Cohenour and Patty Cohenour were at the party.
Oklahoma City Heart Ball set for Feb. 25th
Barb Grimes, Terri Bailey and Nellie Kelly talk about the Heart Ball and the American Heart Association on Parties Extra!
Oklahoma City Alumnae Panhellenic Association Women of the Year selected
Seventeen women will be honored at the Greater Oklahoma City Alumnae Panhellenic Association luncheon on April 4th at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club. They are the 2012 Women of the Year recipients and were chosen for individual scholarship, leadership and service qualities which Panhellenic women have promoted for years.
They are Krystal Leighanna Kohler, Alpha Chi Omega; Marcia Booker Walker, Alpha Delta Pi; Mary Chronister Pearson, Alpha Gamma Delta; Judith Lehmbeck, Alpha Phi; Lauren Anne Roberts, Alpha Xi Delta; Elaine Shelor Jackson, Chi Omega; Rhonda Williston, Delta Delta Delta; Jo Carol Cameron, Delta Gamma; Juanita Renner Brown, Delta Zeta; Kimberli Harding Brownlee, Gamma Phi Beta; Ann Holmes Caylor, Kappa Alpha Theta; Debbie Owen Gipson, Kappa Delt; Kay Musser, Kappa Kappa Gamma; A. J. Gay Griffin, Phi Mu; Bette MacKellar, Pi Beta Phi; Stephanie Anne Nicholson, Sigma Kappa, and Cheryl Melton, Zeta Tau Alpha.
The Oklahoma City Alumnae Panhellenic Association was established in 1935 and began the scholarship program in the 1960’s to promote higher education among young Oklahoma women. Last year, with proceeds from the luncheon, and help from businesses and individuals, the Panhellenic Foundation gave seventeen scholarships of $1500. each to metro area senior girls.
For reservations, mail $40. To the Greater Oklahoma City Alumnae Panhellenic Foundation, P.O. Box 720723, OKC, Ok. 73172. For information, contact Lisa Blackburn at LisaAPhi@gmail.com or call 405-590-1790. Proceeds will go for scholarships for women planning to attend an Oklahoma University and to further the Greek system in Oklahoma.
Cristi Reiger talks about Junior League plans for 2012
Cristi Reiger talks about the Oklahoma City Junior League on Parties Extra!
Costumed guests attend annual pirate’s party
Samonia and Dennis Byford, Mary Ellen Meredith were hosts for the Pirate’s Party. (Photo by David Faytinger).
Mary Ellen Meredith, America Meredith, Samonia and Dennis Wayne Byford and Daniel and Michael Byford were hosts for their annual Pirate’s Party in the Meredith home. The hosts were in pirate’s costumes and many of the guests were in costumes for the event.
Menu items included sushi, pork sliders, shrimp cocktail, pirate cookies. The Rum Fellows played during the party.
Guests included Bob Blackburn, Kathy and Dan Provo, Gene Timberman, Barbara and Ben Harjo, Franci Hart, Anita and Carl Milam, Sherry Sullivan and Blue Clark, Jonna Kirschner and Bruce Scambler, Rev. Susan Joplin, Ann and John Marshall, Diana and Rick Hudak, Allen Brown, Rep. Joe Dorman, Patrick Gaines, Anita and Tom May.
Karla Wallace hosts a Junior League Holiday Multi Board Mingle Jingle Party
Kristen Brown, Karla Wallace, Betsy Mantor were at the party. (Photo by David Faytinger).
Karla Wallace was hostess for a party for Oklahoma City Junior League board members for the past ten years. The hostess is an Area V Director and past JLOC President and thought that the party would be a good way to network with friends and past Presidents and update people about the Association of Junior Leagues.
Presidents of those years were Claire Thompson, Ann-Clore Duncan, Katie Blaik James, Betsy Mantor, Karla Wallace, Laura Ogle, Ann Cameron, Jill Greene, Whitney Tero and Cristi Reiger.
Holiday cheer, dessert and hors d’oeuvres were served by caterer Miss Violets and each guest brought a gift for a gift exchange.
The Christmas tree featured Talavera- inspired ornaments that matched the pottery in Wallace’s kitchen. The family collection of Department 56 North Pole houses were set in the living room The theater room had a silver 1960′s tree decorated with movie- themed decorations.
