Building a Better Bag

Back at the end of May, I got a new bag for the Disney World trip upcoming in October. (Is it time to panic, yet? How about now?) I settled on a very steampunk-ish looking bag I found on Etsy.

I felt everything I would want to carry on a trip to a park would fit inside the bag. I loved the look and how a Dungeons and Dragons pin a friend sent me fit wonderfully on the cross-body strap.

I took the bag to the June Highland Festival I attended and, quickly, it became obvious this was NOT a bag which would be useful for Disney. I lost 2 of the 3 bottles on the front. I thought they were in their straps tightly. They weren't. I couldn't get a bottle of water in the bag, along with the phone charger. There are other things which need to be in the bag while I roam. I was rather disappointed.

So, I started looking around for another bag, a bigger bag. I'm inclined to think Disney has a listening device in my house because, at the end of June, they had a sale and, viola, there was a bigger bag.

Well, of course I'd buy one with the Cheshire cat on it.

How could I resist this? It's "leather", although I think it's the imitation kind. It's deep with interior pockets.

The pocket on the right doesn't close while the pocket on the left zips shut. Anything I might want to carry should easily fit in this bag. The only issue is that the straps are not cross-body. They are short enough to make the bag sit right under the armpit, but long enough that I could access the bag reasonably quickly. But, I really wanted cross-body functionality. My RA can make my shoulder muscles tense and even paring down what I need/want to carry, was going to mean the bag would weigh on my shoulders by the end of the day. The ability to keep my hands and arms free would make the vacation better. What to do?

A trip to JoAnn Fabrics provided a solution. The inside is lined with a heavy silk material. I bought a length of pink canvas trim. It's an inch wide. I got a little more than I needed because, at the time, I didn't have the bag to measure. Once I figured out the proper length for the bag to hang where I wanted it to, I pinned the edges to the liner and cut the trim.

Then, I hand stitched the trim to the liner.

The trim is attached at the liner side seams. I could feel the fabric of the seams and tried to stitch the trim into that seam for added support. It was the perfect day to sit on the deck and stitch. When finished this is the result.

I'll be able to sling this across my body, keeping my hands and arms free, but having access to the bag. The handles are kind of stiff and I'm going to have an issue with them popping out of the bag at first. But I think, with use, and being anchored by things inside the purse, they will stay down when I want to use this cross-body. Plus, the trim goes neatly into the bag if I don't want to mess with it.

I moved the D&D pin to this strap and added a couple more.

I'll be able to add more pins to the strap, although I'm not a pin collector as such. My friend, Liz, sent me a link to all the exclusive souvenirs offered during the Food and Wine Festival and the Halloween party. There are pins. I will need to get pins for the strap.

After Disney, I can see this being a shopping tote for me. I'm going to keep the steampunk bag and try to find replacement bottles for the front. In some situations, the steampunk bag will be nice. It just doesn't work as I thought it would, for the Disney vacation.

Beverage:  Coca-Cola

Deb

It's Really Real

I've been saving for a guild trip to Walt Disney World this coming October. As of today, it's 132 days until I'm in the air on my way to Orlando. It hasn't seemed real until May. Finally,  Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party dates and tickets released. This was, kind of, the big reason we chose to go in October. It's pricey, particularly to our overseas guild mates. But, there was sheer joy when I got a letter from Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

There it is. My ticket to the Halloween party. This one plastic item caused me to really ramp up the collection of things. The next thing was to order this bag I'd had my eye on.

When I went to Disneyland in 2015, I wanted to pare down all the stuff I carry to a small handbag; a wristlet, is what it's called. I love this bag. I use it exclusively now. It fits in the glove box or under the seat or in the well between the seats. Everything I could use fits in it. But, DisneyWorld requires a different strategy from Disneyland. The sheer size of the park means I need to carry more things. Building on the lessons learned from the Land trip, I need a portable phone charger. My phone and my digital camera wore down with all the picture taking. Disney World has portable chargers for sale. But I felt I should do my research and get one before I got there, mainly to figure out how it works. Thankfully, one of the tech sites I frequent had a recommendation AND a coupon code.

Viola. The $20 phone charger the same size as my ancient iphone. It takes an hour to charge the phone to full when it's less than 40%. It take 10 minutes to charge the charger, when it's 50% or greater. 

I'm going to need a water bottle. I can't duck out of line to get water and I don't want to pay $3.50 for a bottle of water. Staying hydrated is going to be important. But my little blue bag certainly can't hold a water bottle or this charger. 

Then, I had this thought; when I made dinner, lunch and breakfast reservations back in April. There will be times when I'll be standing or sitting; waiting for whatever is next; i.e. our table to be ready. I need to bring a paperback book with me. I read everywhere. The blue purse certainly can't hold that. I don't read books on my phone. I prefer the joy of flipping pages. I was now into large purse territory. I am not carrying a backpack. Disney searches ALL bags and they pay particular attention to backpacks. My little blue purse makes it easy to see exactly what I have with me. I need something bigger.

Four years ago, I bought a leather purse with a Celtic emblem on the front. I looked at that purse. While I like it, I've always had issues with the interior pockets. Getting stuff out was a chore. This wasn't the right purse for Disney. I looked into just a large "beach bag" with a zipper top. No. That didn't appeal to me at all. Then I got a catalog in the mail and there was this steampunk "shoulder satchel", they called it. Now THAT was something I could get behind. Weird and funky and just the right size. Plus, it wasn't too big that I might be tempted to bring everything with me. We have this list of items people on various web sites have said are worth bringing with you. You would need a backpack to hold it all. One of my friends goes with her mom to Disney and the problem with her mom's backpack is, invariably, what mom wants has fallen into the bottom of the backpack. It takes her 10 minutes to find wet wipes. I am not going to be "that person" in the group.

The purse was $70. That's kind of pricey for something I might not use again. And then I thought, "Who are you kidding? You're going to be buying all sorts of things you'll only use for this vacation." I started searching "steampunk purses". Double viola.

The pin, to the left, is a Christmas gift from Liz. That's the Small World facade. I wanted canvas and a sturdy strap because, while I don't collect pins, I will buy a few as souvenirs. The purse itself, is canvas with probably cardboard(?) or some other thing in the flap, front and back, to give it bulk and to hold shape. The side pocket is too small for a cell phone, but will be perfect for pens or other small items. There is the small top pocket and a zippered pocket on the back and one inside. Otherwise the interior is open.

The three bottles on top will be filled with glitter and glued shut. In the game, players have status bars which increase or decrease based on what they are doing. Health is red. Mana, which can be thought of as the essence needed for spells, is blue. Hunters, which is what my main is, use focus, which is an orange red.

All of this fits inside the bag. There's plenty of room for a small container of wet wipes (a great idea), a tube of sunscreen, my cell phone and ...

This handmade booklet is a take-off on the in-game achievements available to players. Liz and I spent months, going back to her trip to Disneyland in November, coming up with "achievements". The first one, "Attend Spectacular Death's 10th Anniversary Disney World trip", is done. Every guild member and family member going with us, got a book. Most of the achievements are completed by taking a photo of something. Then, you show me the photo and I'll put a sticker on the page. After receiving my Halloween party ticket, I spent two weeks printing, cutting, folding and stapling books. They have all been mailed. I was going to pass them out when I got there, but we're coming at different times and I know I'd want to have it sooner so I can plan where to go to do the most achievements at once. I'm going to try to do every achievement in the book. We came up with some which can overlap others. "Take a photo of Mickey. Double sticker if you're in the photo." can be combined with "Take a photo of a character not in their usual costume", because we're going to a character breakfast in the Animal Kingdom and Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Daisy wear tour guide outfits.

I took the car in for an oil change and tire rotation and I'm going to need to replace the brakes. There is a sale at my mechanic where I can get $50 off new brakes. I sighed on the way home. How can I save when I need something important like this? It's not like I don't have the money, but it's spoken for. I decided I had better pay for the vacation so I know what I have to save for. That was done Friday. Disney has acknowledged receipt of payment. The only thing left is airfare and the travel agent is watching those numbers for me. I need to have $137 for my foot and leg massage on the Wednesday we are there. I have that saved. I need $40 for an Epcot fireworks boat ride and $48 for a tour of the Disney steam train. I have those saved. I can now look at the calendar and plan to rent a car and get the brakes fixed toward the end of the month. Then, save for souvenirs.

Whew.

Beverage:  Poor man's mimosa

Deb

The Little Things of Travel

So, I got my ipad for the California trip. One of the hardest thing about adding a new electronic device is suddenly having to figure out all those passwords you have Google remember for you. I decided setting up the ipad was a very good reason to change passwords I've used for years. Even if they are alpha-numeric, someone could, given enough time, crack them, so I needed to update. I'm not that paranoid, mind you, but we'll use the word "prudent". Yes, that's a good word.

The whole point of the ipad was to be able to update my World of Warcraft guild's web site and Facebook pages with photos and information from BlizzCon, the whole reason for going west in the first place. Some sites were easy to update to a new password. It was clear where I had to go and what I had to do. Other sites...

I have a Yahoo account. After I'd found my way onto the Internet with AOL, I quickly moved to ATT/Yahoo when upgrading my phone and Internet. It works adequate and has become my web address of choice for online shopping. But it seemed to need an act of some god and probably a sacrifice of a large number of small animals to get the password changed.

The other issue is that I access personal accounts during lunch at work, so there is my work computer which has access to all my passwords. Add a cell phone and it can be a headache and a half to change passwords, even when it's a good idea. No wonder people don't want to.

Once that was done, and I was only able to get the guild's Twitter account up and running (yes, my WoW guild has quite the social media presence) once I was in California, but everything worked on the ipad exactly as I wanted it to. (Passwords don't work if you write them down wrong, just an fyi there.) I took a large card and wrote all my important passwords on it. I keep it, usually, with the ipad. The card doesn't have my name on it so, even if someone were to steal the ipad, actually getting into the thing (which is password protected) and then finding one's way around, would be more hassle than it's worth. When not in use, I keep the ipad turned off and the card's by my computer. I recently cleaned all the cookies off my main system and had to type in all the passwords for frequently used sites. I have a planner, with all my passwords for places I've gone written in it, but it's a hodge podge of web sites and is on the list of things to clean up in an effort to find my Dunkin' Donuts password when I need to recharge my card; you know, important stuff.

Anyway, I got a hard back for the ipad, to protect it, but what I really needed was a case. If I just stick it in my carry-on, it could get scratched. Looking about, I found the following case from Incase.

I don't see this version on their web site anymore, unfortunately. It came in a variety of colors and I toyed between a royal blue and this color.

My ipad fits snugly inside. There's a layer of foam that goes over the screen and a small silica packet at the bottom of the case to absorb any moisture which might get in. The plastic zipper is crisp and I don't have a problem zipping or unzipping the case. It works wonderfully well and I keep the ipad in it when I'm not using it.

Another item I purchased was this purse, well, clutch, by definition.

The issue for me was I didn't want to be hauling my purse around BlizzCon. The purse is two and a half times the size of this and while it could stow pretty much anything I might want to carry, did I really WANT all that stuff with me? The reality was I wanted something about hand size which wouldn't get in the way. I got it from Target and they still have a few in the price I paid.

I had a difficult time deciding on color. Black goes with everything and the purple was kind of cool, but blue won in the end.

There are so many pockets in this thing. I can sort business into one pocket; receipts and bills and credit cards into another, and change into a third. In the main part of the clutch, there are two sections, which are big enough for my camera and my cell phone. I had to clean out the purse and decide what, exactly, needed to go with me; what was essential. The wrist strap is sturdy and the whole thing is just a bit over the size of my hand. All the time at BlizzCon and Disneyland, I could carry my life with me and know it was safe. It fits in the glove box or center well of the Jeep or under the seat, safely stowed from anyone looking inside.

My original purpose was to use this just for the vacation but I like it so much, it's my purse now. It fits neatly in the top drawer of my desk, now that the junk which was in there has been removed. I've whittled my carrying to just what I need and I'm finding I'm really okay with this.

Lastly, Liz mentioned in an email, we should do what we can to protect ourselves from the onslaught of germs. At the time, I hadn't gotten my flu shot; there hadn't been time to schedule it. Her comment, "If you haven't gotten a flu shot, I recommend it. 25,000 people in reasonably close quarters to each other can pass the crud very fast." Oh that's right. I'll be around people; me, with the compromised immune system. I don't think I've ever picked up the phone faster to call my doctor.

Liz also recommended hand sanitizer. I had some in the Jeep, but, over time, it seems to have dwindled to just a bit in the bottom of the container. Open the top left desk drawer and look what I have.

I happened to have a "few". Took the whole mess with me. These bottles were the perfect size to tuck into my new clutch. I didn't wind up using them as much as I probably could have, but I didn't shake hands with people. I stood next to them. I didn't meet anyone, other than costumed characters, at Disneyland, and I assume Chip and Dale have had their shots.

Beverage:  Dr Pepper

Deb

A Place For Everything

I had come to believe I would search, in vain, for a reasonably priced purse that provided the storage space I wanted. I had almost convinced myself that I would need to fork out upwards of $50 or $60 to get something that met my needs. It was so painful to contemplate that I continued to use the $20 purse I got at Penney's last year that really irritated me the longer I used it. After one particularly trying incident, where I couldn't find anything which had fallen to the bottom, I nearly chucked it then and there. "Why did I buy this?" I'd ask myself and then I'd remember that, at the time, it seemed like just what I wanted.

The one reason for going to see Carole at the end of October was to be at my clan's tent at the Central Virginia Celtic Festival and Highland Games. It's held in Richmond in October and, with Carole living close by, I have no excuse not to go.

The festival is huge and we had a fantastic time. The best part? Look what I came home with.

We had passed by this tent on the way to the Clan Thompson tent. I didn't really give it much of a look, figuring I'd stop by later. Carole went there first and came back with a new purse. It was lovely so I had to go look. To quote Irving Berlin, "Heaven. I'm in heaven. And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak."

It's a bronze color, heavy duty, shiny leather purse. The emblem on the front could be changed to one of three designs, all Celtic-themed. The pocket in the front is where my cell phone goes.

This pocket, on the back, is where my camera and any large coupons, like ones from Hallmark, or my shopping list, go.

Look at the pockets! That is what sold me. The top pocket is the front. I keep my wallet there. What you can't see are two small side pockets where I keep my key ring with my loyalty cards, the extra Jeep key and a pen light. The bottom pocket, the back of the purse, is where I keep pens, hand lotion, a comb and temporary items I might need for the day. There is a large zippered pocket where I keep identification and photos and other small paper items. In between the two halves is a pocket where I keep cough drops and a plain pill bottle which contains my daily vitamins, so when I go to Dunkin' for breakfast, I have the daily pills with me. All the pockets zip shut AND the whole thing stands up. I think that was the one thing I hated about the other purse. In spite of its design, once I got to using it, it would not stand up when I set it down on anything.

If handbag manufacturers were relying on me to keep them in business, they'd be in trouble. I don't see value in a $200 purse. This bag was, with tax, $36.04. That's right. Less than $40 and I am going to use the "snot" out of it, to purloin a phrase. The straps can make the bag dangle at my hips but I prefer to tuck it under my arm so I have them doubled. The straps are an inch wide so I don't feel like accidentally slamming them in the Jeep door is going to sever them. The exterior wipes clean so when the purse swung off my shoulder and dropped onto the mud by the garbage cans last month, I just used a damp paper towel and wiped off the mud.

Now, if you're wanting one of your own, this was sold by The Celtic Bag Company. The link takes you to their Facebook page. They are out of Pennsylvania which explains why I'd never seen them before. I don't imagine they go too far west. I also don't see where they sell mail order and seem to only have the Facebook page. They didn't have a huge tent, like some of the vendors at Richmond did, but, at one point, Carole and Larry had been out wandering around and said the line of people waiting to purchase bags was at least 20 people long. Bigger bags. Smaller bags. Wallets. They had them. All sorts of colors, too. I am not the kind of person who changes bags with seasons or with occasions. This is my purse, period. But, as I think back to the colors they had, I possibly could be convinced to get another purse. This kind of quality is well worth the price and having a second purse as a back up.

The only problem I'm having is training myself to put everything in the same pockets every time. There's not much room for keys to disappear but the panic that arises when I can't find them because they've slipped behind the wallet is very real.

Beverage:  English Breakfast tea

Deb

Moving On

We are creatures of habit. As much as we say we don't mind change, it touches something inside us when it happens. That something doesn't like the having to learn the new, the different. I finally found a wallet and a purse and last night, after two weeks of the new sitting on the table in the living room, I migrated the contents of the old to the new.

The old is on the left. The clasp on my fabulous zebra striped clutch just refuses to close. Perhaps, if I were more handy than I am, I could figure out a way to make the clasp close as it used to but I just decided to buy new. The new and slightly smaller clutch is on the right. You might, if you scan the image, see a price tag of $22. I can assure you I did not pay $22 for that. It's not worth $22. It was certainly worth $11.

At the same time, I decided to replace the brown purse. The fake leather on the straps is cracked and is starting to sluff off in tiny chunks. I walked all over the purse section at JC Penney looking for something I liked and which met my needs. The brown purse has pockets all over it. What I'm going to miss the most is that side pocket you see to the right. I keep my cell phone there. It's so easy to reach over and grab the phone. There is an interior pocket in the blue purse where my cell phone will sit now. There will be a learning curve to get used to the new purse.

All of this was in the brown purse in various pockets. I don't have as many niches in the blue purse so I had to look at things critically. The batteries are to go into the recycling box at work. The red key chain is for when I drop my car off to be serviced and leave it overnight. Do I really need the extra car key in my purse? Well, probably. In the event I lose my main set, I have a car key and in the car is a house key. I'm rather out of luck with office keys however, but I can get home.

The lipstick, a light green tube at the far right, I'd forgotten was in the bottom. That was put away. Do I need all the bandaids? Well, back at the end of April, when I went to Prairie du Chien for that huge job for work, I was going through the file of paperwork I carried with me and got a rather nasty paper cut on my thumb. Do I need to carry all those band aids? Probably not, but I was very grateful I had them.

Now comes the learning curve. Please be patient with me. I know I have it, just where it is in the bag is the question. There are fewer places for things to hide, which may be a good thing, but that also means there's more stuff in one place to sift through.

Have you seen my car keys?

Beverage:  Tea

Deb

I Guess I Need to Go Shopping

Gone are the days when "relaxing" meant a stroll about the mall. I just don't have the a) disposable income, b) the stamina or c) the inclination to wander about a mall. Increasingly, I find that I can do a lot of things online that I normally would have hopped into the car and driven to the mall.

I'm faced with the prospect of either shopping online or going to a mall because my purse and pocketbook are slowly falling apart.

I got this pocketbook several years ago. It was August 2010. Jessie and I went out to dinner and then went shopping for a new purse and pocketbook. What I had was falling apart. I found both a new purse and this at JC Penney. I also had with me, the leftovers from my dinner. I set that down amongst the purses so I could better search for exactly the right one. We were half-way back to my house when I remembered my lunch for work the next say was sitting amongst the handbags. I almost wrote that Penney's an apology note. I didn't mean to do that. It was 'out of sight, out of mind'.

So here we are, many years later. The fake leather on the strap of the handbag is cracked and slowly flaking off in very small pieces. Most importantly, the hasp on the pocketbook doesn't always open or close. I'm finding myself getting more than a little frustrated with the thing now. Perhaps there is a quick fix, but I don't know what it is. One friend suggested a big rubber band. My mom used to do that. She would carry a wallet that contained envelopes and receipts and other bits of paper. She had a big, fat rubber band around that mess and when she needed something from it, life and the line behind her, came to a dead stop while she opened it up and searched for what she needed. I'm not inclined to do that.

I've blogged before about cleaning out all the purses in my closet and weeding things down to just one, one that goes everywhere day in and day out. Oh I have a couple for fancy events and one that is shaped like a cat which I won't part with, at least, not now, but I don't have a half-dozen or more. You only use one at a time so why have more than one?

Yes, I have looked at purses and pocketbooks online. There are some really good deals out there. But this is, for me, very much an individual choice. The pocketbook has to hold the essentials. They have to be organized so I can find them. It also has to fit into the purse. This one was, in hindsight, just a bit too big for the purse. I often can't get it into the purse quickly. Jessie pointed that out all those years ago, but I liked both and have made them work, not quickly some days, but worked.

I guess it's time to head to the mall and look at purses. I'm not relishing this task. Wonder if Jessie is available next month?

Beverage:  Mixed Berry Seltzer

Deb

Need a satchel?

Since there is very little to do at the office, I've been lugging Halloween cards to and from the office to write a letter to enclose with the card. Last week, the bag I use, a canvas sack with "Lowell School" on the front, got soaked in the rains. (Lowell School is where Carole went to grade school some 20-odd years ago. It's a really, really good bag.) So, this morning, I was rummaging around in the closet for another bag. I have three cream colored bags about half the size of the Lowell bag but they would work for what I have to tote. I saw one, tugged on it, and was promptly assaulted by all these bags, purses and totes. I just scooped them up and dumped them on the bed to be dealt with later.

I use Clinique products on my face. These products consistently rank among the best for dealing with acne in adults. They are a bit more expensive but I try to buy when it's Bonus Days because I get a packet of samples and, wow, a bag. Plus, I found 2 fanny packs and 2 purses. I don't use either anymore. In fact, I have my current brown purse and that I've lugged around for so long that Carole teased me in May. "Sheesh Mom, get something else now. You've had that purse forever." But why? It's still good. I know where everything is. It's brown, so it goes with almost everything. I don't need to be moving everything from one purse to another. You guys keep a wallet until it disintegrates. Why can't I do the same with my purse?

I sorted all these bags and I have one and a half grocery bags of give aways to, well, give away. I generally get extra bags because my "consultant" likes me. I will give them away as Christmas presents and stuff them full of things like hot cocoa or soup mixes. But I think all my friends have received one now. Some of these, I wouldn't really give to a friend lest she question my taste in bags.

Still, if any friend hasn't received one, you can have it. I'll even toss in a bag of licorice or trail mix. I don't need to save what I don't use. It can take up space in your closet.

Beverage: Lady Gray Tea

Deb

Why yes I have a hardboiled egg, a tacking hammer and 15 red buttons in here.

I head off to lunch. We're getting an upgrade to our office Internet service and it's coming through the boss's office so he's gone for the day now. I had to "nip along smartly" to get some viands for luncheon and dashed over to Subway. Two people in front of me in line, one male, one female.
Orders go quickly down the line. Even with the guy wanting his sub toasted, Subway employees pride themselves on getting you in and getting you out with minimal wait time. The guy whips out his wallet, locates his debit card and is finished paying in less time than it takes for me to type this sentence. The woman opens her purse and...

time

stands

still.

If you are a certain age, you remember Monty Hall and "Let's Make a Deal". People dressed outrageously for a chance to receive prizes. You could trade the proverbial "bird in hand" for what was inside a large box on the stage or for what was behind one of three doors/curtains. Sometimes you got something fantastic, like a complete set of kitchen appliances. Sometimes you got the goat, the real thing. I do believe there were consolation prizes for those getting 15 pounds of composted cow manure, but the whole appeal of the show was who would trade the brand new bedroom set for a 33.3% chance at getting a new car, a trip or a mule. Sometimes, that mule turned out to be an all expense paid trip to Yellowstone, for instance. More often than not, it was a mule.

One of the schticks was to point at a woman and ask if she had three very disconnected items in a handbag. Women used to show up with these almost suitcases bulging with a variety of items in the hope they would be chosen and could then produce the title of this post. As the woman in front of me dug deep into her purse for her wallet, she pulled out, in order, a scarf (looked to be silk or silk-like), a package of dental floss, two packages of tic tacs, one child's light blue Croc shoe, 3 pacifiers including one that looked like the dog had enjoyed it, and the top off a sippy cup. Yes, although most of my life consists of trying to remember why I walked into this particular room, I was astounded that she pulled these items out of her purse and set them on the counter, so I made a mental note that this was, most definately, a blog post.

The errant wallet was under these things. The corners of bills stick out of this wallet, along with sales receipts. She opens it up and a small stack of papers slide out of the wallet and into her purse. She is now fully aware that there are 3 people stuck behind her and this makes her nervous and embarrassed. She picks through the money to get exact change but finding the change part of the wallet empty, she says, "Um, just a sec. I know I have the 53 cents in the bottom of the bag."

I didn't say a thing. I don't think anyone said a thing. But I do believe the universe sighed at the thought of her spending more of our lives rummaging in that bag of holding for 53 cents. I heard the guy behind me fumble in his pants pocket, the jingle of coins clearly audible. Instead, she handed the clerk $10 and started shoving everything back into this purse.

It must be a hold over from ancient times when women had to take the children everywhere with them because men didn't handle child rearing duties. We were not coming back to the hovel any time soon and therefore, needed to take whatever we might need with us. The advent of bags just made carting everything easier.

I used to be a "bag mom". I used to look upon outings as if they were trips to northern Canada where only polar bears and not McDonalds would be. Hence you needed to take anything and everything your child could possibly want in the event she aged 3 years in the 2 hours you were slated to be gone. I took great pride in being resourceful and planning ahead. I was the woman in front of me.

Now days, if I could pare down what I carry, I would. I looked at my purse when I got back to the office. I don't NEED half of what I carry, but there is a security in having it. Carole teased me during my Puyallup visit in May that I was still using the purse I bought 3 years ago. I don't see any reason to change right now. It works. I know where everything is.

I will take what's behind Door #1 but all I can offer is a tea bag, an unused nail file and 4 cherry flavored Ricola cough drops.

Beverage: Coke/Rootbeer mix

Deb