Rant Interrupted

So my plan was to unleash my grumpiness today and complain about all those jerks who continue to ask me how I feel. I've been thwarted in my efforts though, because Lora tagged me for a meme and I'm sure you'd much rather read about my handbag obsessions than my irrational crankiness.

Apparently, my free admission that I'm bratty and spoiled isn't enough. Some people want hard evidence of my spendy ways. I'm happy to oblige. My belief is you can be cheap about your clothes - to an extent - but not your bag or shoes. Your bag and your shoes will make or break your outfit. You can be dressed very nicely, even in designer labels, but if your shoes are cheap or "run over", you look a mess. Ditto your bag. A great shoe or bag can also be a more affordable way to add a some luxury to your look, even if your entire outfit came from H & M (like mine).

Here are Lora's rules, (via Beth who tagged her first):
1) Post a picture of whatever bag you are carrying as of late. No, you cannot go up to your closet and pull out that cute little purse you used back before you had kids. I want to know what you carried today
2) I want to know how much it cost:) And this is not to judge, because I’m honestly telling you I was ready to put down some cash; I just got lucky. This is for entertainment purposes only. So spill it. And if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, I’d love to hear it.
3) Tag some chicks. And link back to her post so people know why the heck you’re showing everyone your diaper bag/non-diaper bag.


So here is the bag I've been carrying around lately:

You can't really tell from the picture (taken with my camera phone at work) but it's deep purple, patent leather, Coach. I would describe it as a bucket bag because it's taller than it is wide. It has two side pockets on the outside that I have so far found completely useless save for the time I used one to hide a car key from myself. The pockets do have the lovely Coach silver hardware so I like how they look. The inside is quite functional with a zipper pocket and a couple of regular pockets, including one especially for my cell phone. I can fit my wallet, planner, sunglasses (in their case), a thermos, and all kinds of random kid crap in it. During a recent cleanout I found a baseball in there. The straps are long enough to put over my shoulder and it also hangs comfortably in the crook of my arm.

Part of the rules of this game is that I tell you how much I paid for this lovely bag. The truth is, I have no idea. I certainly didn't need a new purse and hadn't been out shopping for that specific reason. I just saw it, liked it, and bought it. This was back before I became wondergirl on a budget, when I used to buy whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I told you, bratty.

This exercise raises an interesting question for me. I'm not sure what to do about a diaper bag. There are tons out there and of course anything with cartoon or storybook characters on it gets dismissed outright, but then what? I'm not interested in a bag that screams "baby" or "mommy". It's my bag and I have to carry it around all day so I'd like for it to fit my style. Something along the lines of this would be fantastic. Also? A totally appropriate shower gift since I don't buy things like this for myself anymore.