HANDBAG LOVER'S ANONYMOUS

Hello, all my fellow handbag addicts. This is a fabulous opportunity for you to win a free new bag!!! No, I am not kidding. Handbag Planet is launching a new site and to celebrate they are giving away a bag each hour for 24 hours! I am so excited, and had to share. So check out this website and good luck! www.handbagplanet.com

FUDGY YUMMY GOODNESS WITHOUT GUILT!

I have just been introduced to the thick fudgy chewy deliciousness that is No Pudge Brownies. Oh my goodness they are too fabulous not to share. As many of you know, I love a good brownie. And the fudgier, thicker, and chewier the better. So imagine my surprise when my co-worker, thank you Laura, told me about this no fat brownie mix that she had just found that was actually good. Of course I had to run out and try it myself. She wasn't kidding. They are quick and easy too, all you add is some fat free plain or vanilla yogurt. So run ladies, run to the store and grab some because you know I wouldn't steer your wrong about yummy treats with little guilt! They have them in different flavors too although all I have tried so far is the original. Honestly they are so good I could eat the whole pan but have to remind myself that even though they are fat free they aren't calorie free, haha. On the website they tell you were you can buy them but so far I have seen them at Safeway, Thriftway and Fred Meyer's, I think they are getting pretty widely distributed now. So enjoy!

Ps- I just realized how much I sound like a cheesy commercial. Sorry for the cheese factor but I am still right about the brownies.

BLAH DAY

Lousy night sleep - check.
Humiliating and uncomfortable test - check.
Sad, runny nose, slight fever baby boy - check.
Pile of tasks too high to accomplish in one day on my desk - check.
Worked late - check.
Another night of not getting more boxes unpacked - check.

Like I said blah day.

HANDSFREE PRAYERS

Thankfully talking on your cell phone is not the only thing you can do handsfree while driving. Yesterday was a prime example. I had just hung up from my usual post-nap/lunch update with my mom. The little guy had slept good and happily ate his sandwich, all's well. However not 10 seconds after hanging up I get another call, my mom again, "You need to come home NOW! I locked myself out and V is alone in the house!"

I am sure you can imagine the panic that set in. I work at least a 15 minute car ride from home in perfect traffic, 20 minutes is more the usual. The entire ride I was gripping the wheel, eyes wide opening, praying. I arrive home barely putting the car into park before I run through the garage door screaming for my baby. No answer.

As I race down the hall my fears grow that the worst of the images that flashed through my mind on the drive home have come true, and still no answer to my calls. Slowly I start to notice that nothing seems out of place, and in fact the house is perfectly still. I wonder if maybe my mom managed to get back in and has taken him to her house and I didn't hear my cell ring. But then I round the corner to the kitchen...

To find my babe happily ensconced in his high chair, smiling and playing peek-a-boo out the kitchen window with Grandma who is on the front porch! For all my panic and worry the worst amounted to a spilt cup of milk. Hugs and kisses ensued although the recipient was oblivious to the reason for a surprise visit from Mama in the middle of the day with so much affection.

Not two minutes later our friend Jennifer pulls up too, not sure of what she can do, but as a good friend always does, answering the call for help none the less. Needless to say, plans were laid for any future lock-out incidents which hopefully will not occur. Thanks and hugs went around before I hopped back in the car for the return drive to work which found me again praying handsfree. This time a huge prayer of gratitude.

THANK YOU MY SISTERS

I received the following as an email and was more touched than I expected. As a woman who has walked that valley many times, I couldn't have expressed my gratitude better. I am eternally grateful for the sisters who cheered me, walked with me and even carried me out at times. Thank you all for you love, loyalty, laughter and friendship.

"A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting with her mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter. 'Don't forget your sisters,' she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. 'They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need sisters. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them.' 'Remember that 'sisters' means ALL the women... your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too. 'You'll need other women. Women always do.'

What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman thought. Haven't I just gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!' But she listened to her mother. She kept contact with her sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her mother really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, sisters are the mainstays of her life.

THIS SAYS IT ALL: Time passes. Life happens. Distance separates. Children grow up. Jobs come and go. Love waxes and wanes. Men don't do what they're supposed to do. Hearts break. Parents die. Colleagues forget favors. Careers end.

BUT......... Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach. When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end. Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you...Or come in and carry you out. Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family: all bless our life! The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would you. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other."

THE GENIUS OF CRAIG

What a smart smart man he must be. Sitting in his apartment a few years ago and thinking "Wow wouldn't it be nice if people could buy, barter or even just give away their stuff." Why yes I think that is a fabulous idea. And we have been lucky enough to take advantage of his genius here and there, buying and selling. However, today's purchase has to be the most exciting and favored of our dealings. But first a little back story. We finally found a great rental home and as we have barely any furniture we have been making the rounds to the local furniture stores. Well at Cost Plus World Market we found some stuff we really liked including a large picture. Now it is rare that the husband and I agree on art, we have similar but not exactly the same taste. That whole colorblindness thing gets in the way, haha love you honey. Unfortunately this picture was mildly pricey and as we have more need for dressers, desk etc. than art it was put on the "wanted but not needed just now" list. But being me, I came home and decided to check out craigslist.org and see if any of the stuff we like was on there used. Nope, not the dresser. Nope, not the bed. Nope, not the desk. Nope, not even the bookshelf. But wait, what's that... the picture!!! Yep, the picture. So this morning we drove up north and SCORE!!! The picture was ours and for about 40% of what it cost in the store. Oh yes, that is the genuis of Craig. Only three more weeks and we can move in and hang it, yay!

SO FAR SO GOOD

Well I have done a few tests so far. And so far, I have passed; or failed I guess whichever way you want to think of it. Bottom line though is it doesn't appear to be the dreaded "c." Although they still aren't sure what is wrong but something is wrong. Now if they could just figure that out so I can get on with my life, not a big favor to ask I think, haha. Oh well, there are a few more tests to take and hopefully one of them will answer the question. Until then I am staying pretty calm and very busy so that helps.