HANDBAGS....

Have you ever noticed gals who sit their handbags on public toilet floors, then go directly to their dining tables and set it on the table?(Personally, I hung mine around my neck the last time I found there was no available hook.) Happens a lot!

It's not always the 'restaurant food' that causes stomach distress.. Sometimes "what you don't know will hurt you"!

Read on...

Mom got so upset when guests came in the door and plopped their handbags down on the counter where she was cooking or setting up food. She always said that handbags are really dirty, because of where they have been.

It's something just about every woman carries with them. While we may know what's inside our handbags, do you have any idea what's on the outside? Women carry handbags everywhere; from the office to public toilets to the floor of the car. Most women won't be caught without their handbags, but did you ever stop to think about where your handbag goes during the day.

"I drive a school bus, so my handbag has been on the floor of the bus a lot," says one woman. "On the floor of my car, and in toilets."

"I put my handbag in grocery shopping carts and on the floor of the toilet," says another woman "and of course in my home which should be clean."

We decided to find out if handbags harbor a lot of bacteria. We learned how to test them at Nelson Laboratories in Salt Lake, and then we set out to test the average woman's handbag.

Most women told us they didn't stop to think about what was on the bottom of their handbag. Most said at home they usually set their handbags on top of kitchen tables and counters where food is prepared.

Most of the ladies we talked to told us they wouldn't be surprised if their handbags were at least a little bit dirty.

It turns out handbags are so surprisingly dirty, even the microbiologist who tested them was shocked.

Microbiologist Amy Karen of Nelson Labs says nearly all of the handbags tested were not only high in bacteria, but high in harmful kinds of bacteria. Pseudomonas can cause eye infections, staphylococcus aurous can cause serious skin infections, and salmonella and e-coli found on the handbags could make people very sick.

In one sampling, four of five handbags tested positive for salmonella, and that's not the worst of it. "There is fecal contamination on the handbags" says Amy. Leather or vinyl handbags tended to be cleaner than cloth handbags, and lifestyle seemed to play a role. People with kids tended to have dirtier handbags than those without, with one exception.

The handbag of one single woman who frequented nightclubs had one of the worst contaminations of all. "Some type of feces, or possibly vomit" says Amy.

So the moral of this story is that your handbag won't kill you, but it does have the potential to make you very sick if you keep it on places where you eat.

Use hooks to hang your handbag at home and in toilets, and don't put it on your desk, a restaurant table, or on your kitchen countertop.

Experts say you should think of your handbag the same way you would a pair of shoes.

"If you think about putting a pair of shoes onto your countertops, that's the same thing you're doing when you put your handbag on the countertops" -

Your handbag has gone where individuals before you have sneezed, coughed, spat, urinated, emptied bowels, etc!

Do you really want to bring that home with you?

The microbiologists at Nelson also said cleaning a handbag will help. Wash cloth handbags and use leather cleaner to clean the bottom of leather handbags.

THIS IS WORTH SHARING!!!

Michael Vick Reinstated?!!

Okay, so here I go again. I'm kind of on the back side of the fence with this one. There is no doubt that Michael Vick was one hell of a runner [quarterback], but what the hell is everyone thinking?! For those of you who may not remember, this man ran a dogfighting ring for a profit!! He and three other men participated in the killing of dogs that did not perform well in test fights by shooting, hanging, drowning or slamming them into the ground. What sick s.o.b. does that to an animal?!! I just don't see how the NFL can even consider reinstating him!! What the hell was Roger Goodell thinking when he made that decision?! Vick may have been a talent, but how do you let something like that slide?

I know many will disagree with me by saying that he paid his dues. What about the dead dogs? Do they not count because they are already dead?! There are some things in life you can let slide and it is acceptable, but this, this is definitely not acceptable. What kind of message is the NFL sending out to our younger generation? I mean, come on...these guys are supposed to be role models!! Sounds like somebody needs to get a clue!!

"Paying Respect to Those Who Deserve It!"

If you are reading this, stop and think about this one for a minute, will you?!!

Have you stopped to thank a veteran today? For the price of freedom they had to pay? Did you gaze into those distant eyes? Did you see the ghosts he can't deny? Did you think a soldier's heart was made of steel? Because he was trained to kill, he couldn't feel? Did you see the guilt written on his face, For the loss of life he can't replace? Did you know he mourns the lives he couldn't save, And walks with comrades in their grave? Did you remember the boy with innocence lost? Do you really know war's ultimate cost? Have you felt the blast of artillery fire? Do you have the courage it would require? Have you stood in trenches consumed with fear? Felt the enemies breath so very near? Have you walked with God on a battleground? Seen your brothers dead or dying all around? Have you stopped to thank a vet today, Or did you just turn and walk away? From the pain he'll carry for the rest of his life, Did you consider his family, his children, his wife? That watch him suffer in silence each and every day, As he's haunted by memories that don't go away? Did you care that the soldier is still pulling guard? That his heart, mind, and soul will forever be scarred? Do you know how he suffers from ptsd? Or that our precious freedom is never free? Do you care that he still hears the blood curdling screams? Or that he returns to the war each night in his dreams? Have you felt the sorrow of a combat vet? Or would you rather just forget? That war has pierced his hardened heart, And torn this soldier all apart? Would you rather our heroes just fade away? Or will you stop to thank a vet today?....

Isn't this just beautiful?! I'm not sure who the author is, but I absolutely love it. I couldn't have put it better myself. Sometimes you just have to sit back and take it all in. Life happens. Each and every day that we breathe, life is good. And those lessons in life, good or bad, happen for a reason. And without them, we wouldn't be who we are today. Life is too short to not want to live it to the fullest. So read the following entry below, and really, just take it all in and absorb it. It's all good.

I believe that sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there. They serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be: your roommate, neighbor, professor, long lost friend, lover or even a complete stranger who, when you lock eyes with them, you know that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way. Sometimes things happen to you and at the time they may seem horrible, painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, will power or heart. Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good or bad luck. Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, if they be events, illnesses or relationships, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. Safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless. The people you meet who affect your life and the successes and downfalls you experience, they are the ones who create who you are. Even the bad experiences can be learned from... those lessons are the hardest and probably the most important ones. If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to who you open your heart to. If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but because they are teaching you to love and opening your heart and eyes to things you would have never seen or felt without them. Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people you have never talked to before, and actually listen, let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you either. You can make of your life anything you wish. Create your own life and then go out and live it. What obstacles will you overcome today?

Card Mojo Coming Back?

Mmmm...I wonder? For those of you who may not remember, I make and send a lot of cards to deployed troops so that they have something to send home to their families & friends. Last Christmas I ended up buying what I could not make and believe me, it was close to a thousand cards! Anyhow, I had been burnt out for almost the entire year and couldn't bring myself to make the simplest of cards. Thanks to all of the wonderfully talented ladies (and men, if there are any) with blog sites because I feel like I have been able to recover what I like to call my "card mojo". Not that I haven't cased a few cards and added my own twist to them, but I actually was able to get my own creativeness flowing and came up with a few cards that I am actually proud of. For awhile, I started making simple cards but didn't really feel like I had accomplished anything. Do you have days like that?

With the crunch of the holidays coming up, I am usually running on empty this time of year because I am up until the wee hours of the morning making special orders that I get through my eBay store, http://stores.ebay.com/Gwendolyns-Boutique. But this year things have slowed down and I am guessing it is because of the economy. I cannot say that I miss the hustle & bustle of cranking out nightgown & pajama sets for children & adults alike, but I do feel a sense of calmness and I am rather liking it. Weird, huh? Maybe this year I can get everything done that I planned on doing every year for the past ten years (lol)!! Oh, so you DO know what I mean?! It's nice to know that I am not alone. I always have such big ideas for the holidays but sometimes (okay, most times!) I always fall short of my own expectations. Maybe I ask too much of myself. But I don't know many women who don't. I think we always expect more from ourselves than others do. At least those of us who aim to over-achieve do.

Once again, I have drifted away from what I was really talking about. Cards. It seems that I have a little more time to actually sit down and make the cards the way that I want to. And the end result is so much better when we take our time, isn't it? I am the type of person who needs to be in the mood to sew and with me, it kind of comes in waves. I can sew for weeks and then not want to look at any of my sewing machines for months afterwards. So most of my cards now are not sewn for that very reason! My mother, on the other hand is one of those people who can sew 24/7! There are some days that I wish I were more like that.

Well, onto the better stuff now...my cards!! I tell you, I am not so good at posting daily...or weekly...or monthly for that matter!! My bad!! I have always said that I would make an effort and fell short of my word for various reasons...mostly life happens. So I am trying yet again. Who knows, we might all be surprised this time around (lol)!

This first card is one of my favorites. I absolutely LOVE pink and brown together. I teamed up pink pirouette with chocolate chip and just kept layering. Stamp sets used are Magnolia Tilda and SU! Best Yet. I added a little dimension to the tag, hat & skirt by adding foam adhesive. I also lightly sponged creamy caramel to the edge of the white cardstock and pink pirouette to the pink cardstock. Ribbed pink ribbon is Michael's store brand.





Next card also has a Magnolia Tilda image from the heavenly collection. I used the scallop circle die from SU! (big shot) and teamed that up with CM circle cutters (I forgot I had those) and inked the edges before layering them. The designer paper is Bella Rose from SU! Just love that paper! Photo corner tag punch and Cute & Curly designer punch kit from SU! used. Pink Gems are from Martha Stewart (these are the best I have used so far).



And that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by!