What's in my handbag?

Whenever someone holds my bag they always ask what I have in it as it is so heavy.  I don't think that it's that heavy, but I do carry quite a lot with me as you never know what you might need.  That and the fact that I can never be bothered to have a good clear out.

Well, today was the day when I thought enough was enough and finally I would have a look at what I have been carrying around with me for so long.

So here it is...my handbag and it's contents!

Before people judge me for having a Louis Vuitton, I want to state that I do not have lots of designer things, in fact I had wanted a LV bag for a long time and this was a first year anniversary present from my husband.  I love this bag so much and it is my pride and joy.  It is a Speedy 30 (in Monogram Canvas) which is the perfect size for me, I found the next size up to be too big, especially to use on a daily basis, whilst this one is just the right size for everything I want to have with me.

 The following picture is an overview of the contents of my bag and as you can see I carry an awful lot of "stuff" around with me on a daily basis.  Before you see inside, let me just say that this was not planned and the contents below is a true reflection of what's in my bag - I did not remove or add any items  - what would be the point! 

 So this is what I'm currently carrying around with me - a tad too much I think - but if it fits, then why not!  Let's have a closer look.  I've broken the contents up so you can see the contents in more depth.

  



• Hall Soothers Throat Sweets in Cherry flavour (not my favourite but I had a sore throat recently and I was desperate), plus a wrapper
• Car key
• 10p in change - not sure why this was loose in my bag
• Freedent chewing gum - only one left
• House keys - also has a mini torch and a Disney key ring
• iPhone 3GS (looking rather dirty) and phone case
• Dior mirror (inside pouch)
• Weight Watchers Gold Membership card

• Mac Makeup bag (Graphic Garden collection, bought in San Francisco) - contents to be shown in a future post
• Kleenex Balm tissues - my favourite as they don't hurt your nose
• Old shopping list
• Receipt
• One of Olivia's toy rattles - just in case she wants to play
• Muslin cloth - for those sick moments
• Sainsburys coupon
• Hair clip
• Mac zip purse  (Graphic Garden collection) - contents in a picture below

• Curtain hooks - we're putting up blackout curtains in Olivia's room
• Olivia's booties - they never stay on her feet
• Weight Watchers Eat Out guide - so I can try and keep to my diet if I eat out
• Louis Vuitton purse - Zippy Wallet in Monogram Canvas
• Receipt - JoJo Maman Bebe
• Compact hairbrush/mirror
• Glasses & case
• Little Brown Bag zip purse - contents below

• 3 pens - don't know why
• Weight Watchers Strawberry Hearts and Mint Humbugs (2 points for the whole box)
• Antiseptic throat spray - I've had a sore throat
• Glasses - cheap pair from Accessorize
• Weight Watchers points calculator
• Prescription ticket
• Mini Nivea deodorant

• Contains car key for our other car and loyalty cards for Tesco and Sainsburys
• Keys for my parents house

• 2 pairs of spare contact lenses
• Saline drops
• Kirby grips
• Hair clips

The picture below shows the layout inside my Louis Vuitton Zippy purse (this was a birthday present from Phil).  I love this purse as it can hold so much.  It can hold 12 cards although I tend to double mine up in places.  It has an additional sections behind these on both side as well as a zipped compartment for coins in the middle and another section where you can put notes.  It can also hold my iPhone, so you can use the purse as a clutch on nights out - which is one of the reasons why I wanted this one.  It has the same Monogram Canvas pattern to match my bag.

So that is the contents of my bag.  Like I have already mentioned, nothing was added or removed so this is a true reflection of what I carry around with me on a daily basis.  There is a lot of items I know, but I always like to be prepared just in case I might need something.  I would like to reduce the amount of things I carry, especially as Olivia is getting heavier to carry, this bag isn't really ideal.  But I see this bag as an investment and something that I will have for a very long time.

Love is in the air - Valentines Day 2012

I love Valentines Day - especially as my husband is a true romantic at heart and always likes to do some sort of surprise for me, and this year was no different.

I woke up to my husband bringing me a dozen red roses, a cup of tea and my favourite blueberry muffin. That's certainly a great way to start the day!

We then exchanged our cards and gifts.  Since we have been together, Phil and I do not have any photo albums of us together except for our Wedding album.  In October 2010 we got burgled and one of the things that was taken was our camera along with all our photos (yes, we were that stupid that we hadn't backed all of them up).  I had uploaded our honeymoon photos and a few others, but so many were lost.  I decided that it was about time we had some photo albums to keep.  Using Snapfish I decided to create two photo books - one of our honeymoon and the other of a trip to Eurodisney.  I thought it was something that we could both enjoy.  The books were really easy to create and the end product was brilliant - I'll definitely use them again.  So now we have two hard back books to start our collection off and the plan is to create more books in the future of holidays and special occasions.  I'm already starting to collect photos for a book of Olivia's first year.  Phil had no idea about the photo books and couldn't believe how amazing they turned out and is so pleased that we finally have some photos of us.

Recently I have become rather obsessed with all things Cath Kidson (as you will see soon in future posts) and Phil knew that I liked one of their bags.  I have a gorgeous Louis Vuitton which is currently my every day bag (it was an anniversary present), however I wanted a bag that I could wear across the body especially for when Olivia starts to become more active and I need both my hands free.  I also wanted a bag for the summer months and one that wouldn't get ruined if Olivia had sticky fingers.  When I saw this bag I thought it was perfect and Phil bought it for me as a Valentines present.

I liked the fact that the strap was adjustable so it could be worn as a shoulder bag or across the body.  It also has a zip pocket inside as well as a pocket on the front and a clasp at the front so that the bag remains closed.  Like most of Cath Kidston's bags they are made of oil cloth which means that they can easily be wiped down.

That wasn't the end of my treats though, as Phil had also planned a surprise for the rest of the day.  He had arranged for Olivia to be looked after by Grandma and Grandad (Phil's parents, mine are Nanny and Grandpa).  We then took a long drive in the car whilst I tried to guess where we were going (he took a rather long route to our final destination so that I couldn't tell where we were going).  In the end we arrived at Bluewater (one of my favourite places to go and not too far away from Olivia).  We ate at Yo Sushi!, (a place that we had both wanted to try but hadn't had the opportunity to) and thoroughly enjoyed it.  We sat at the bar and watched all the dishes go past - which they did, as by the time I had worked out what something was, it was gone and I had to wait for it to come past again.  Still it was fun!

We then headed towards the cinema and on collecting the tickets I discovered that we were going to see "The Woman in Black".  This is a film that I had been wanting to see for some time as I love the stage version (which I had seen many times as I teach it for GCSE Drama).  Phil on the other hand had not been too keen as he hadn't quite recovered from seeing the stage version.  I don't think he had quite forgiven me for making him sit in the aisle seat. 



I really enjoyed the film (although the stage version is better) but I can't quite believe that it is a 12a as on several occasions I jumped and at times had to look away.  It is reported that they had to remove 60 seconds of footage in order to make it a 12a and not a 15 (it is believed that they wanted to lower the rating to appeal to more of Daniel Radcliffe's fans as a result of his success in the Harry Potter films).  The ending was also different to the stage version and I keep changing my mind over which ending I prefer. 

After watching quite an upsetting film about children dying, Phil and I were desperate to see Olivia (especially as it was the longest we had been away from her) and headed back to the Grandparents.  After we had lifted our spirits from having several cuddles, we headed out for dinner to a Mexican restaurant.  When we first arrived the restaurant was quite quiet, but as the night progressed and it got busier, it started to remind us of the film "Valentines Day" when Anne Hathaway's character is on a date with Topher Grace and the restaurant is so packed that they are sat right next to other strangers, so much so that you could hear every word that they were saying.  At this point we quickly paid and headed back to collect Olivia and go home.

I truly had a wonderful Valentines Day especially as Phil had arranged for us to see a film that he did not want to see at all but knew that I really did.  That to me is love.  But as it was the first time since Olivia was born that we were able to have a date and spend quality time together it really was an amazing day.  I love Olivia so much, but I realise now more than ever how important it is to ensure that Phil and I have time together on our own.  Valentines Day may be fun, but it is only one day after all, so we try to keep the romance throughout the rest of the year as well and so far it seems to be working.