The Bag Saga

I'd like you to meet a long time friend of mine:

This green bag has been with me fore at least 3 years. I has been my work bag, travel bag, everything bag. I can fit my laptop, plus 10 folders of works stuff and all other implements I need in it, along with a water bottle or coffee mug. I . love. this. bag. So much. It is the perfect bag. I didn't realize how much I loved it until I realized it had to be replaced...the strap has broken...I could see it fraying for a while, and so have been searching for a new bag for about 2 months now, to no avail!

I've realized (well, actually, my husband pointed out to me) that bags are my jewelry (I'm not a fan of jewelry). The problem in finding a bag, is that I go into a store (usually winners), and throughout the time I'm there usually, at least 4 times think "Gah! I MUST have that bag, it is beautiful! I LOOVVE it." Then I turn over the price tag. It is always $100 or more. Always. Apparently I have expensive taste in bags. That, combined with the fact that my budget to buy a new bag hovers in the "under $40" rage...makes it hard for me to find a bag. And I can't stomach buying one I don't like. Can't. It's akin to wearing some type of scent I don't like. I just can't do it.

So, when this happened:

I nearly cried. And when I couldn't find a good replacement bag, I just wanted to hug my green bag and never let it go. I had to move on though.

Then I found this bag:

It's not my VERY favorite, but it is pretty good. I like the size and the style. Generally I like more colorful bags though, so I was sad about the basic black.

Then I opened it:

Ta-dah! Hooray! I CAN love this bag. It has pretty color inside. That can be seen from the outside most of the time. And, it was within budget. So, I went for it.

Now I have to say a sad sad goodbye to the green bag, and become unhealthily attached to the new bag.

Food Blog Search!

I just found a link to this food blog search tool on a (surprise!) food blog. This is fabulous!

Weekend happenings...

Yesterday:

• Up a couple of hours before my husband...I love it when I wake up early-ish on a Saturday morning, feeling rested. I made coffee, curled up on the couch and read a book, then had some blog-reading, online free time with my coffee before D. woke up.
• I spent some more time researching local farms and locations to get local goods...also read a bunch of information about once a month cooking...very intersting!
• Some of the places I visited: Get Local, Farm Fresh BC, Once a Month Cooking World, and many other places.
• Alloette lake with D. in the afternoon. I swam "laps" in the lake, and layed in the sun while D. sat in the shade creating something on paper. It was a lovely afternoon.
• Grilled local burgers and made corn on the cob on the grill for the first time. I will never, EVER make corn another way. So tasty! The burgers were amazing too (and I'm not much of a "large pieces of red meat" kind of gal either).

Today:

• Church
• Running various errands
• Vaccumed the whole house, finally sorted through and put away mounds of clean laundry in our bedroom, and rearranged the furniture there.

It's been a good weekend. I'm thankful for it, as I have a busy work week coming up and am working all day Saturday next weekend.

Summer favorites.

Cups with crushed ice in preparation for Mojitos.

Smashed mint leaves, lime juice and simple syrup, ready to be added to the soda water and white rum for yuuuummmmy Mojitos.

A 10lb flat of raspberries from Kraus Berry Farms. On Saturday we visited a bunch of places including Kraus, and Neufeld farms. I highly recommend both!

I froze all but 2 small containers of the raspberries, so we'll have them for the fall and winter! I think Raspberries are my favorite berry. Unfortunately, they were out of strawberries, but we'll go back once blueberry season starts and get a flat of those to freeze as well. We also found this beautiful, delicious spectacle at Kraus:

I just had to bring it home. It is possibly one of the best-tasting things I've ever had. I may just have to go back and buy another one. Or two. Or...well, maybe I shouldn't go back.