I’ve relegated myself to carrying a wallet, but in the summer time this is difficult because my shorts don’t always have pockets. So I need a nice handbag. And now that I am older than 8 years old, I’d like a bag without Winnie the Pooh on it, thank you very much.

How about you, are you a handbag hog, or do you prefer your shoulders free of such encumbrances?

Notice the small padlock that secures the bag. Love it!

If you are *into* handbags– especially designer handbags oozing with class and sophistication– you have got to see this page of marc jacobs handbags. Some of those bags there are over $1500, I kid you not. They will last FOREVER. They’d better, lol! And there are others, more affordable (relatively speaking) at $150! The designs are beautiful, though. The Marc by Marc Jacobs line is incredibly classy. The calfskin “garbo” clutch is a wowser. And there are NO Eeyores on any of the handbags! lol

So if you’re looking for an extra-extra special handbag, check out the site. I know you will find some amazing bags!

What do you think of when you think of wool clothing?

ICK! :egads:

I thought so! Same here. I used to have wool socks and a wool sweater as a kid…. MAN I hated wearing that stuff! It was scratchy, it was hot, it was tight. How do sheep EVER get used to it? lol.

Well, leave it to some amazing folks at Ramblers Way to throw a whole wrench in the idea of scratchy, uncomfortable wool. They have developed a beautiful, lovable style of wool clothing that looks so soft and cuddly! The clothing looks so beautiful– the people at Rambler’s Way developed a super-fine way to produce their wool, so it’s not irritating and rough to the skin. As a matter of fact, they have a luxurious line of wool underclothing suited especially for wearing on the skin. Wool has an amazing ability to insulate the body and keep moisture out. You should look at the line of clothing at Rambling Way– it’s beautiful! It looks so cozy and soft. Be warned– it’s not cheap– this wool is made in the United States of the finest Rambouillet wool. But this clothing would make a wonderful gift, or be perfect for special occasions like camping, hiking, or other traveling. It is truly exquisite stuff.

I was happy to see that the Rambling Way farm is a family owned business, and one of their operations is right out of Maine! Maybe you in the Northeast have heard of them– they were originally Tom’s of Maine in the 70s. They expanded into producing, designing, and manufacturing some of the most beautiful and “wear-friendly” wool on the planet. It gives me warm fuzzies to support a family-owned business, especially a fellow Yankee.

Check out the site. You’ll definitely learn more about the wool-producing and wool-making business, and will fall in love with the soft lovely clothing. I never thought I would ever admire wool clothing, but look at me!

This is so inspiring– to have a young girl from the “world of labor” rise up to have such success in the professional world. It is what I hope for my young children. We are not at the “top of the food chain,” so to speak (we are lower/middle-class, small-town Americans), but I have very high hopes for my kids; and, like Laura’s parents, I want my children to study hard and work hard. Laura’s story from the fruit farms of rural California to the cameras of Los Angeles is very heartening to me and my daughters. You CAN succeed if you apply yourself and work hard. Thanks, Laura, for inspiring untold kids!

EXACTLY!

Bwahahahahahaha!!

I guess that style is out this year! I love the watering can, though.

…poor girl. why do they make women wear such nasty clothes/shoes?

I’ve also noticed that a lot of blogs are devoted to relationships, especially marital (or marital-type) relationships. One blog I came across today caught me by surprise with its candor and insight. It’s called the Marriage Puzzle blog. The post is titled, “A Woman and Her Existence” and it is a very poignant and perceptive post, despite its brevity. It got me thinking, especially this part:

A woman’s capacity to love can draw the very best from a man… it can make him feel wanted, needed, important, and great. The way she patiently wait for him to arrive from a whole day work symbolizes her love. When his nerves and spirit are shattered and exhausted, her loves can comfort him. When discouragement crushes his will and his hopes and dreams have crumbled, she can help him build new ones.

Many men are nearly totally unaware of a woman’s need for romantic love. For men, romance might be an added benefit, but certainly not a requirement. But not with a woman! A relationship without romance would drive her wild with frustration. She needs to be cherished, loved, respected, appreciated and be treated special. It is unjustifiable for a man to ignore his wife’s need for romantic love as it is for her to deny him his sexual urges.

It made me think about marriage today, how it is depicted in Western culture. Marriage gets a really, really bad rap, you know that? I don’t know why. I think marriage is one of the greatest institutions known to man. I’ve been unmarried and I’m married, so I’ve been on both sides; I think I have some insight about this.

Think about how marriage (that lifetime commitment of body and mind between man and woman) is treated today. You who drop Entrecards, you see what I see– ads everywhere showing slinky women vying for the momentary attentions and lusts of men; and men blogging about (and showing photos of) the women that entice them. It’s very obvious that the man’s desire for physical satisfaction is what comes FIRST in our culture. It’s like I say to my husband, “Western culture is a teenage boy’s dream come true.”

But where are the woman’s needs emphasized? “Romantic love” is what we call it today, but when I think of that term, Harlequin novels come to mind. I don’t think “romance” is accurate. Women need to be loved- to be wooed, to be reassured, to be special and to be that “only woman” to a man. Men complain that women complain about their man’s wandering eyes. “It’s only natural” to lust after other women, men complain. Yet they completely ignore that the woman’s desire to be the only woman is “only natural” too. Why do men want to be “natural” when it comes to them, but dismiss the woman’s “natural” desires?

What I’m saying is that responsibility and committment are missing in our relationships in this culture. In our culture the message is this: the physical relationship is premier, and if women won’t fall in line with that, then they are cast off as undesirable. Even among marriages, this attitude persists. In our culture, the woman has to bend over backwards to please her man sexually; but for some inexplicable reason, the man is completely excused from giving his wife that “agape” love (agape is a Greek word for unconditional affection and self-sacrificing commitment) that is essential to her existence as a woman.

People are not animals who copulate at will. People have thoughts, reasonings, feelings, and are accountable to God for their actions. Marriage is holy, God said. Degrading the man/woman relationship to a level with beavers and dogs is disgusting. Why do we women tolerate it and even encourage such behavior in our culture? Why is there such an inequality, even though modern woman touts her “liberation” and “independence” in our culture today?

I’d like to hear your thoughts about this. Do you see this discrepancy, this inequality? Why do you think this is so, and why do women (and good men) tolerate it?