What Do You Keep In There?

This week's Wednesday blog takes us on a different kind of adventure.  Bronwyn Green, Jess Jarman and I are sharing a bit of ourselves on the topic of what we keep in our bags/purses.  Check out Bronwyn's post here and Jess' here.

I admit I don't usually carry a lot in my purse, but I have a few essentials.  And the most important starting point is, of course, the bag itself.  This is my "I hate winter so I'm going to buy this purse to cheer myself up" purse. I love it.  Isn't it such a fun, springy color?

So, what do I keep in there?  The essentials to start with, of course...wallet, sunglasses.

And, because I'm a good little writer, I always carry a notebook and pen. And these are the only pens I use.  I'm a pen snob.

The next items are my awesome Bronwyn promo/swag. If you see her at a book signing, hit her up...they are both fantastic.

I'm obsessed with chapstick, I have some everywhere so of course I have a tube in my purse.  I always use Burt's Bees, I swear by it.

Okay, two items left.  Below is the most useful thing I carry.  It was a gift from my dad years ago and it is in my absolute favorite color. It's not a very good picture color wise, but it's purple.

And last but not least, my keys (on top of my winter hat).  I'm including them here even though they don't always make into my bag because, yes, that's a TARDIS. It is actually an LED flashlight and it's dead helpful. And I love it when I have my keys out somewhere and people notice the TARDIS and comment on it. Fellow Whovians.  :)

So that's what you might find in my bag. What about you? Anything you can't leave home without?

Take Me Away!

This week, the blogging adventure with Bronwyn Green and Jess Jarman is taking us elsewhere.  We're looking at five places we want to visit during our lifetime.  I don't know about these ladies, but I'm so beyond tired of winter and snow that I find myself constantly wishing I were someplace else, so this is a very timely post. Check out Bronwyn's post here and Jess' here.

These are in no particular order for me, but here goes...

The first place on my list is somewhere I have always wanted to go...Egypt.  I want to see the pyramids and the temples that are still standing.  I have been fascinated by the ancient Egyptians and their mythology since I was a kid, I would love to see pieces of it in person. Truth be told, I wish I could have lived in the early 1900's when Egyptology was all the rage and people vacationed there in the winter. But, I'll take what I can get.

The second place on my list is Rio de Janeiro, it seems like such a vibrant, exciting city.  I think it would be great place to experience. But maybe not during Carnival, that might be a bit much for me. I don't know that I can party that hard.

Next on my tour of the world is London...and also Ireland.  I think these qualify as one place since I can easily visit them in one trip. And it's my list so I can do what I want. The British Isles have always been a source of fascination and imagination for me. I love the various cultures, the history. While I am not English or Irish (or Scottish or Welsh for that matter), I feel like a part of my soul might be. There is something about those places that just calls to me.

The next two places on my list bring to mind sunny beaches and relaxation. The first is the Bahamas. I never thought I was a beach person until I went to a resort a couple of years ago and loved it, so the Bahamas are now high on my list. And with the way the weather has been in the Mitten this year, the beach sounds like a little slice of heaven. I mean, check out the pictures.

The last place is one I had probably never heard of until I read the Harry Potter books, but I feel like they mentioned it a couple of times. And I've since learned that Majorca is a popular vacation spot for Europeans.  Doesn't it look glorious?

So, those are my top five places I want to visit. For now. I'm sure it will change again. I love to imagine myself in different places, its one of my favorite pastimes.

What about you? Where do you want to go? What places are on your list?

Three Things I Want to Learn

As is obvious by the date of my last post, I have been absolutely horrible about blogging. I thought about giving up on it, but after some consideration, I decided instead of giving up I was going to try to dive back in with, well maybe not gusto, but at least with a concerted effort.

And, because they are both so awesome, Bronwyn Green and Jess Jarman are letting me tag along on their tandem blogging adventure.  This week the topic is Three Things I Want to Learn; you can read Bronwyn’s post here and Jess’ here.

1.  The first thing I want to learn is to make my own pasta.  I’ve seen people make it on cooking shows and it looks like something I could do, but I have yet to get up the courage to try it. I have a feeling its one of those things that looks deceptively easy, but will be a real bugger to actually do.

2.  Learn to speak Italian.  I’ve been fortunate to be able to visit Italy twice over the years, and I think the Italian language is just beautiful.  It’s amazing how much one year of high school Latin can help you get around, but it’s nothing like being fluent in Italian.

3.  I would love to learn how to re-finish/paint furniture so that it doesn’t look like a five year old did it. In particular, I have this old hutch that is currently stained dark brown and I would like to re-finish it in a light blue, sort of distressed look. Very shabby chic, I think. It would be one less piece of oppressive furniture in my house, that's for sure.

What about you?  Anything new you're dying to learn?