Is that a waist pouch? A belt bag?

Oh my -- I think Facebook is broken! I have a love/hate relationship with that app. I received many birthday wishes on August 27 -- the day of my birthday. But since then, I have received about 4 or 5 new ones daily! They were generated on August 27, but I guess Facebook thought it was too much to handle if I received them all on the same day! 

And then the friend requests. Like all of you, I'm sure you get friend requests from people who are already your friends. Can they not create a rule for that and eliminate the trolls? And what about the friend requests from people who don't even exist. The AI friends -- good grief -- you would think that Facebook could also create a rule for that. 

I like Facebook, but mainly for a forum for my classes or to stay in touch with widespread friends if I'm away. But day to day? No one needs to see me sleeping in the gazebo, what I'm eating, or where I happen to be shopping that day! 

So I'll suck it up and ignore most of what comes in! OH -- and how much time could one waste with those click baits and the reels. The click-bait leads nowhere, or if they do reach a point, it takes a half hour to get there. STOP reading them!!! If you feel your finger hovering -- just STOP!!! The same goes for the reels. I get that some cute reels are online, especially the doggie ones. But how many of them are stupid -- there is NO POINT to most of the reels. They don't show anything exciting and are just a waste of time!!!!

I could go on and on about how to make your posts more interesting (if you are going to post), but I won't. 

I have nothing I can share with you for what I made yesterday, but I made giant leaps and bounds in my article writing. There is nothing so exciting as going to write an article to find that you've already written it, and it just needs some editing! So that was great, and it's pretty much ready to go, but I didn't send it yet. I wrote a second one, and it's pretty much ready to go, but after some work this morning, I have to adjust some wording slightly. All is good!!!

I'm almost ready to write the third one! The problem with this writing is that you need to do more than sit and write -- you have to do the work, take the pictures, and THEN you get to write. So number four should be done today, as I've almost finished the work and taken all the photos! The last part shouldn't take too long, so I'm in good shape. 

I did nothing on the sample front, but I have everything pulled and hope to finish some samples today while we have Monday Sewing! Yes -- even though it's a holiday, those ladies will sew any day. Heck - they'd sew on Christmas Day if I let them!

The girls and I spent some time in the gazebo, and it was a perfect day. There was a fair amount of wind, so both wind chimes were merrily tinkling or chiming away, and well, yes -- it lulled me to sleep! 

MOM -- trying to get some sleep here! 

At one point, I saw Murphy's toys gathered in one spot. She LOVES her toys, while Lexi doesn't even know what a toy is. There's a teddy bear beneath the ball. So, while we try to have indoor and outdoor toys, that only sometimes happens! 

The gathering of the toys

And here's Miss Murphy sitting like a goof in the kitchen!!!

MOM -- just trying to trip you! 

So here's a thing about pouches - the kind you wear. I now have quite a collection, and I LOVE them all. 

First, there is the question of what to call these things. We used to call them fanny packs, but in Britain, fanny is slang for a lady's private parts. OH! Because our worlds are getting smaller, we will have to make up new words so we don't offend anyone! 

Some people call them a bum pack, but seriously? I don't want a bum pack! 

LuLu Lemon calls them this, and I think it's perfect. 

Label from the Mini Belt Bag

A belt bag --- that's perfect because, in most cases, that's what it is and how we wear it. 

This is the first one I bought just before my trip last summer. 

Belt bag number one

I believe it came from CAA, and while it's small and flat, it's just a bit too small. It had RFID pockets, so great for the credit card and the passport, and if that's all you want to put in it, this is perfect. It's so slim it can fit under your shirt, and no one would know you're wearing it. My issue is that while my phone fit into it, it was tight, and I was worried I would break the zipper with all the times I opened and closed it. I solved that problem this year by putting my phone in my pocket. And the pilgrim passport was too big to fit in this belt bag. 

Then I found this one last summer as well and left it behind. I did NOT need two bags; this one has only one pocket, while the one above had two. Europe is very cash-focused, at least where I was in Spain, and there was no place to put coins (big in Europe). 

So, with this one having only one pocket and a little pouch, it wouldn't work. HOWEVER, this is the belt bag I wear to walk the dogs, especially in the summer when I have no pockets. There's a place to put my phone and a little pocket for the poop bags. It's perfect!

Belt bag number two

I was going to make one this year, but that didn't happen, so I found this one online. While it's good, it also has its faults. I know - if I want the perfect thing, I must make it!!!

This has two handy pockets and a little pouch. The large one in the back worked for my passport and pilgrim passport. The front one worked for credit cards and cash bills. The little pouch worked like a charm for an elastic for my hair and the coins. There was also room to put my phone in the big pocket if I wanted, but as I said, I kept it handy in my pocket. OH -- I also found this one too long or would that be wide? While it looks the same width as the one above, it's pretty rigid as the one pocket goes the entire length, so the zipper made it rigid. I'm not that wide and flat! 

Belt bag number three

And then I got this belt bag for my birthday! Yep -- it's orange!! All the previous ones are flat, so you can't put much more in them than documents, which is perfect for travel. Who wants to walk around with a heavy bag flapping around your waist? Not me!!! 

This one is thicker, so you can put keys or other small items in it. 

Belt bag number four

Now, here's the big thing --- should one wear it around your waist, or is it a cross-body bag? The cross-body bag has become a HUGE fashion statement, and it just means that instead of attaching it around your waist, you sling it over one shoulder and under your arm. OK -- I "stole" this picture from the internet. 

A "cross-body" bag

None of the above are cross-body bags. Why? Some don't have a long enough strap to make that happen - trust me, no one wants the bag sitting directly on your boob. And none of them have angled straps as they enter the bag. Trust me -- it makes a difference!!! Look at the picture - you can see how the strap is sort of twisted as it exits the bag.

I like this little one as a cross-body bag, but I may modify how the straps are sewn so they lie flat as I wear it cross-body. A slight angle and this would look nicer. Oh gosh -- am I picky or what? It doesn't look this neat in person! 

There is a divider in the middle of this one, so it helps to keep things organized. 

I have never been a big purse person and prefer to carry a few things with me -- keys, card holder, and phone. That's it -- all I need to do anything. So I like the idea of these little bags. But, like anything, you should check them out and see what works for you. 

In an ideal world, there would be a space for the passport (and a pilgrim passport - of course!), cash and credit cards, a place for coins, and that damn phone! Preferably in separate pockets, not too wide, and flat! Oh -- I could just suck it up and use what I have!!! 

I will say they are the handiest things in the world and so perfect for travel! 

On that note, it's time to get moving! Loads to do today!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!