confessions of a bag lady

Ok, I admit it, I'm a bag lady. I love tote bags. There, I said it. I have gobs of them. I see them in stores and just want to snatch them up. I was just at Target this morning and they had some really cute ones for spring but I am trying to refrain from any extra purchases for a while. (They also had a really cute baby bib that said "subject of mommy's blog" but I resisted that too!) So I refrained. (I also resisted the undeniable urge to buy the latest "In Touch" magazine, the one with the cover story of the Bachelor saga. Oh, how I wanted that magazine. I am such a sucker for weekly rag mags, but that is another post.)

Here is my latest bag purchase. (used my LL Bean gift card so I didn't really spend any extra $$$- see above) I am using it as a purse.
I know there are so many cute and stylish purses available but for some reason, I am drawn to these bags. Maybe because they are roomy enough for diapers, sippy cups, extra clothes, candy, water bottles.... and boy are they durable. (LL Bean is not paying me to say this, but if you want to LL, give me a call, I'd be happy to mention you anytime. Love LL!) Did I mention they are washable too? I know celebs have all those huge leather bags with zippers and whips and chains on them, but that is just not me. I went to Nordstrom and saw a bunch of those really expensive bags (the kind you read about in the magazines but never see at Target!) and honestly, I thought they were kind of ugly. I'm sure Jessica Simpson and Nicole Richie would think my LL bags are hideous, thank goodness I don't live in L.A! I have a whole slew of these bags in various colors and sizes. I have the cutest madras one for spring, a pink one for summer, a huge one for the pool, a medium one for other stuff... see I am addicted.
Like I said, I am a bag hound. Here are two more I use all the time. The one on the left is the one I usually take to the library. It is kind of wide and fat and can hold about 30 picture books. Can you believe we actually check out that many at a time? Well, we do. The poor library workers probably cringe when we walk in the door. This bag was a freebie from American Greetings- I bought a set amount of cards and it was a gift with purchase. Love it!

The bag on the right is from my mom. She bought it at Crate and Barrel and gave it to me filled with fun kitchen stuff once for my birthday. Somehow it became my designated dry cleaners bag. (see the hangers poking out?) I like it too because it is washable (and reversable!). Big tall hubby and the kids know when it is errand day because I will have all kinds of totes lined up ready to go in the car the night before.

I would love to have all sorts of those LL Bean bags monogrammed with words on them like "library books," "pool," "gym bag," etc. Wouldn't that be so cute? And so organized? If only our budget would allow it. **sigh** For now, I will keep using my menagerie of totes as I tool around town.

To get your own super cute LL tote go to LL Bean.com :)