Mother’s Day is in some respects a “mayday, mayday.” How do we express our appreciation to our mother on Mother’s Day, and how do we so for the mother who has, if not everything, then everything she needs? “Oh, I don’t need anything more,” she always says. “Just more things cluttering up the house.” We have never purchased flowers for our mother; as much as we love flowers (especially receiving them), we prefer to express our affection in a unique and useful manner. Brunch? “Oh, if it is a nice Sunday morning, I really need to work in the yard,” our mother says. more ›

Nordstrom has just released its monthly sales report, which you can find online here. Alternatively, you can rest your mouse finger and let a friendly man's voice tell you all about it by calling (800) 891-8250, which is the option we chose. Lest you be tempted to sink into an investor's funk by what you hear, Chris Holloway from Investor Relations reminds us that the changing date of Thanksgiving lopped off an entire week of holiday shopping this year, and that hurts the numbers. Chris also reports that the departments that did the best were Contemporary Women's Apparel, Junior Women's Apparel, and Cosmetics, proving once and for all that women are the stronger economic sex. more ›