On the hunt....for a purse?

{I know that this photo isn't directly related to the post below but...it's my party and I can post photos all I wanna! ;o) Besides, it's not that often that I get to take in a snowy scene in our front yard.}

I'm on the prowl for a pretty bag.

Not a gift bag...heaven knows, I've got hundreds of those. No, really, I do.

I'm looking for an attractive but functional bag that I can use as a camera bag and a purse. Because I want to avoid looking like I'm going on a weekend away when I'm just going to a program at my son's school!

I've seen the lovely, lovely designs on the j,ill-e site, epiphanie, etc. *sigh* The bags that I fell in love with were too much for my little wallet to handle right now. Did I mention that they were lovely?

So I, being the creative type, decided to take a shot at making my own...kinda.

With the help of some protective camera bag inserts and {fingers crossed} some luck finding a bag I like, I think I'll be able to enjoy the best of two worlds- creativity and functionality.

So I'm off.

To hunt.

For a purse.

Ladies, you understand...right?

Linking up with Darcy for Sweet Shot Tuesday.

All I want for Christmas...

For the holiday season I fully expected to feel chillier temps, see the warm glow of twinkle lights and sing lots of Christmas songs. I wasn't expecting to be a nurse to two very sick boys...but that's life when you have young'uns, right?

One has strep throat and a nasty cough, the other has a major double ear infection. Yikes!

All I want for Christmas is for our boys to be healthy.

Will that fit in my stocking?

Joy in the Simple Things...and my Birthday

Well, I'm a year older today.

Hopefully I'm also a bit wiser, too! I mean, what's the sense in the passage of time if I didn't learn and grow along the way?

I miss my Momma something fierce. Something about the combination of my birthday and Christmas...makes this time of year not as fun as it once was. I've shed more than a few tears.

I'm learning that there is joy in the simple things of the season. The excitement of our boys, planning Christmas surprises with the Hubs, singing with my Dad, a phone call to out-of-state relatives and sweet messages in cards.

Those simple things have brought me the most joy when enjoying the season seemed impossible.

The perfect gift, no fancy wrapping required!