Mixed Up Monday

No, I'm not confused; just filled with a mixture of ideas to write about. I've decided to tie up some loose ends and fit them into a "Recommendations" post.

First, on Saturday night at my brother's house (Mom's birthday party), I noticed some bags that my sister-in-law, Karen, made. They are beautiful! I am not a big purse person, but this one was really catching my eye.

And seriously, the inside of the bag is as beautiful as the outside. Karen is about as good a seamstress as they get (she can sew anything and has actually won awards in Wisconsin and the nation for her talent.) She is no slacker and really pays attention to detail in her work. If you'd like to see more of her beautiful handbags, I highly recommend you click HERE.

Also in the purse department....check out The Secret is in the Sauce for a new Contest they are having to win a $175 Brighton handbag! (What will those ladies think of next?! First bounce houses, and now this!? What are you waiting for?? Check it out!)

And Holy Cow! There's another fun/easy contest at TipJunkie. All you have to do is mention the contest and then comment each day about the sponsor's products. That's better odds than the lottery, so I'm going for it, and I recommend you do the same.

You know how you often see a new product and think to yourself, "Why didn't I think of that?!" I often shake my head and wish I had the initiative/time to take some of my genius ideas and turn them into products or services. That's why I was interested when I received my first-ever product to review and saw that it was "born" of a basic idea of an average, everyday woman like most of us (except for you-know-who!) Liz Morrill is the funny, creative, approachable "mother" of Fizzy Lizzy all-natural drinks. She had been mixing fruit juice and "fizz" for years for her own consumption and finally decided to have a go at bringing her product to the masses. The result is really something special (in fact, award-winning). The product is great, and I admire Lizzy's entrepreneurial spirit. Read more here...

And speaking of brilliant ideas, I have one. I'm putting it here for someone to take and make millions of dollars on. (That's right; take it, but remember to acknowledge me when you are rich and famous, okay?) Every time I take a plane somewhere, I am overwhelmed with curiosity about what we are flying over. I repeatedly exclaim, "Oh, that's so beautiful! Which mountain is that?" or "Which lake is that?" only to be met with "Um... I have no idea," from the flight attendants. I realize many travelers (business, maybe?) don't care about this stuff, but I do, and so do a lot of other people, including kids, I'm guessing. So, why doesn't someone make audio recordings of various airline flight paths?

I know they exist for airplane tours of the Grand Canyon and over places in Hawaii, but I'm talking about everyday flight paths, over all types of geographic areas. I think it would be so cool to put my I-pod on and listen to someone telling me what I was flying over and maybe giving some interesting/funny piece of history about the place. So there you have it; my brilliant idea.

Remember this award that I got from Stephanie a couple of weeks ago?

I think Stephanie is very deserving herself. Have you seen her blog?! But since I can't give it back to her, I will pass it on to some other very deserving bloggers. First, Alice, who cracks me up on a regular basis and is just a very sweet person. Second, Yondalla, of Thoughts from a Foster Family. Yondalla (pseudonym, to protect confidentiality) has a beautiful spirit that shines through her blog about her life as a [wonderful] foster mom. She definitely "enriches this space," as well as the lives of those around her.

Finally, I would like Rhonda to have this award, because she shows every day that you don't have to be wordy to be insightful, funny, and sweet. The rules of this award are...whatever you want them to be (I'm not always a rule follower; it's not good for the health to be that rigid in your thinking.) The only rule I think is important is to link back to the originator of the award and to give it for the reason he created it:

This award is "dedicated to many who nourish and enrich the spirit and creativity. They see dedication, creativity, camaraderie, joy and above all, ART - much art. I wish that this prize is entertaining to all bloggers who share this space and enrich it a little more each day." ~ Arte Y Pico

If you follow each of my recommendations today, you could have a lovely handbag (or your wife could be loving you more for buying her one), feeling refreshed and healthy with a nice drink, reading a wonderful blog, and increasing your bank account, all at the same time. Man, I'm really a good friend. Let me know when you're rich and famous....

Have a terrific week!