OK, yes, so in the Brave New World of Media as We Know It Today (but blink and it’ll change again), newspaper editors must take up event planning.

At least, I must. And so, if I must, let it be a Super Cool Event. (At least I hope it will — the fantastic Georganne of Frances and Smeeks fame is involved, so you know it’ll be great.)

If you’re in metro Phoenix next Friday, please join us. There’s still time to apply to be an Official Judge; you can get the details here.

Annabelle just received the sad news that she has her first cavity (damn, I hoped the girls had Ray’s teeth) so I suppose it will be an adult evening for me.

If  you want to see really good pictures and full details about the latest irresistible retail arrival in town, read my friend and colleague Robrt Pela’s piece about Beatrice Moore and her new store, Kooky Krafts, in the latest New Times.

I’ve lusted after Moore’s work ever since I paid a visit to her studio many years ago, while working on a story about the Phoenix arts scene. Moore has a tendency to paint everything she owns (and she owns a good chunk of the historic properties on Phoenix’s funky Grand Avenue) in shades of pastel. She has a serious thing for vintage bump chenille and old plastic baby heads, but as Robrt writes, she doesn’t like to part with any of it. It’s always been hard to get into her studio, let alone buy her creations.

Until now. Be still, my beating heart.

I didn’t actually weep when I walked into her store for tonight’s grand opening, like I did when I first saw the new candy store Smeeks, but I did sweat quite a bit — since it’s 108 degrees (at least) and there’s no A/C (at least none that was on) at Kooky Krafts.

That’s okay. The merch makes up for it. Dozens of wreaths made of the aforementioned chenille (like a more sophisticated pipe cleaner), some glittered items, hand-made pinatas and flowers. The wreaths were close to $100 each, so I made due with a few flowers (pictured above), though I do have my eye on a pink and blue wreath with a poodle in the middle.

As you have no doubt already guessed, you have to see this place for yourself.

There’s more coming, Moore says. Bob Adams, another local artist (he’s got a case of wonderful stuff at Frances, Smeeks’ neighbor) is working on a line of dolls. But he’s been slowed down, Moore says, because he can’t find the right shade of pubic hair.

And they say Austin and Portland are weird.

Along with all sorts of other childish delights, Smeeks — the cool new candy store in central Phoenix — features a photo booth. The girls and I took advantage Saturday. (We’ll have to go back and figure out where the camera lens is. Whoops.)

We also shopped for fondant (turns out you can buy it pre-made — phew!) and later this week we’ll be searching for our inner “Cake Boss”. (If you haven’t seen it on TLC, it’s a must-view — in our house, anyway. Comes on just after “Jon and Kate Plus 8,” which I swear I’m going to stop watching.)

And I spent a great deal of time shoving stuff in Rubbermaid containers and finding places to shove them. We swam, Annabelle had a playdate, Ray took the girls to Chuck E. Cheese while I saw “Julie and Julia”.  Busy, busy.

It won’t surprise you, then, to learn that at, oh, I’d say approximately 8:10 this morning (about 20 minutes before we absolutely-positively-otherwise-we’ll-get-late-slips have to get out the door) Annabelle announced, in a panic, that she had not done her homework.

She praticed piano while I showered then challenged Sophie to put her shoes and socks on before I could get dressed (she won!), then remarkably, Annabelle made it through all 9 letters of her name, decorating each on a page provided by the teacher. Phew.

We didn’t get the 20 minutes of reading homework in, but tomorrow’s another day.