Kate Spade Bag Review and What's in My Bag

It's been a few weeks since I received my Beacon Court Jeanne bag from Kate Spade. This was my first ever kind of super expensive (but not really, because it was on sale and I used a gift card) designer bag purchase. I do have really cute Dooney and Bourke tote that I bought in 2014 and use during the summer, but I feel like Kate Spade is a whole other level for me. Anyway, I adored the bag when it arrived - it was a perfect color (light smoke is the name of the color, and I would describe it as a pearly gray with some cool blue undertones), perfect size, and perfect style and fit for me (note: I pretty much just wear it as a cross body as I like to be hands-free). But now that we're a few weeks out, do I feel the same way?

Absolutely!!

I still adore this bag and my heart still does little pitter-patters of love every time I look at it. I have been toting it back and forth to work and out to errands, just going about my life, really, so I think I'm at a point where I can attest to it's practicality and wear in addition to it's wonderful aesthetics.

 

The bag has one main compartment along with a slender front pocket that closes with a magnet where I usually store my phone (iPhone 6 Plus), and it's really easy to get to my phone. Inside, there is one large zip compartment where I keep sticky notes, my Erin Condren stickers, and a little red pouch filled with some in-a-pinch items.

In the main compartment I'm able to keep quite a bit of stuff, including two pouches filled with pens and lipstick and a little fox shaped pouch (which I ADORE and bought at Walmart, of all places) for my money and license. I also almost always have my Erin Condren planner and sometimes a larger wallet in there, all of which fits very comfortably.

That is EVERYTHING that fits in my Kate Spade bag! I feel like it's a lot, but I also feel like the bag isn't ginormous (disclaimer: I usually cary pretty large totes for bags #momlife, so my idea of large might be slightly skewed). Also, in case you didn't pick up on it already, all my little pouches are courtesy of ipsy, a.k.a the best thing I've ever done for myself.

So, considering the space available, the way it looks, how easy it is to wear and how it looks when I'm wearing it, I cannot say anything other than I absolutely, unequivocally love this bag. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a nicely sized, neutral toned purse.

Lottery Day Dreams

I'm a day dreamer, big time. Like reading and writing, it's one more way for me to escape. It's probably the reason I'm not an alcoholic. When I go for a run, take a drive, stand in the shower, or even just lay in bed, chances are I'm not really there. I can be any variety of places, but lately I've been sitting here:

My eco friendly mansion.
Source

And I've been thinking about all the different ways I could spend roughly $600 million. Oh, the bags, the bags, the bags... And shoes. I would have literally all the shoes. 

But once I wade through all the fabulous things I'd like to buy for myself and my family and the trips we'd like to take, I think about the pretty pitiful dent we'd make in this massive amount of money and how incredibly bored I'd get just sitting around. (Because I'd obviously have to quit my job so I could have time to buy all those bags and shoes. Oh, and make-up.)

So, I really started thinking seriously about how I would use the money if we won. Because, you know, why not? 

Source

Here is a non-comprehensive list of things I would do (not related to buying Burberry purses and Christian Louboutin shoes) if we won the current Powerball jackpot: 

• Start scholarship programs for our local high school, community college, and, of course, our adult ed. program
• Buy a building and take pay the taxes on for as long as I can for our adult ed. program (also, I probably wouldn't quit my job entirely)
• Randomly choose Kickstarter and Go Fund Me campaigns and donate all the money they need
• With my copious amounts of time and money go to Birthwise Midwifery school and become a midwife and provide free prenatal care and low-cost, if not free, home and birth center deliveries (I'm not sure if I worded that right, but there you have it)
• I would also loudly and strongly advocate for change in our medical culture to allow for a larger role for certified professional midwives (CPMs)
• Become a voice and a set of hands for those who aren't able to advocate for themselves, but while truly being a voice for their needs and wants, not what I think their needs and wants should be
• Sponsor local farms and help find a way to make healthy eating more tangible for lower income families (all the while eating more healthfully myself, because, regardless of price, we'd be able to afford all the organic spinach we want, too)

I'm sure there are other things that would come up along the way, but this is a fairly decent representation of what I'd want to do (besides, you know, the luxury items and traveling and the eco-friendly mansion). 

Of course, it's all just a dream. The reality is, I'm not likely to win the Powerball (and actually, if you're reading this, I didn't win, because I won't be posting it until Thursday...if we haven't won). But I like to dream, and the thing about dreams is that even if you don't magically become a multi-millionaire in one fell swoop, you can still have them and do you best to fulfill time in some capacity even if it takes much longer or manifests itself in much smaller ways. 

Little (and Big) Luxuries

I have a thing for luxury lately. I've been getting my fill of YouTube videos by luxury item aficionados (Pretty Shiny Sparkly is a favorite of mine) during our Christmas break. A vast majority of the things discussed in each video are things I cannot afford now (and probably won't be able to in the future), but oh, man, there is something so bizarrely interesting in peeking into the lives of women who can drop some serious dough on bags, make-up and other lovely things.

I would have thought watching and reading about all the swag some of these ladies get would send me into a serious spin of jealousy, and maybe it would have not so long ago, but instead I just find it interesting and kind of fun. I mean, the blogger/vlogger I mentioned above is a doctor. She, I assume, works hard for the money she has to spend on these luxury items. I can't begrudge someone their hard-earned cash and how they choose to spend it. And, honestly, even if she was just a wealthy housewife, there's really no sense in feeling upset that she has what I don't. No, instead I just sit back and think, "Wow! That's so cool!" And sometimes I even feel a bit inspired. No, I can't afford a Louis Vuitton purse (and nor do I particularly want one - I'm not sure I fully get the allure of Louis Vuitton; I would much prefer a Fendi, Chanel, or Burberry bag, but that's me), but I can afford (with a little mindfulness toward saving) a Kate Spade, Coach, or even a bag from our local designer at Rough and Tumble (next bag on my list of wants).

I enjoy the concept of luxury though, even if some specific items are out of my reach at the moment. After all, luxury is defined as, "the state of great comfort and extravagant living." Sure, the word "extravagant" implies a certain expense, but it's also all relative to one's life. What's extravagant for me may not be so for someone else. And great comfort, well now, that can be free, even if it is a rare or hard-won thing, like a warm and quiet bath or a day lounging in bed without disturbance (these are clearly mom luxuries). 

I can't afford to drop hundreds (or thousands) of dollars at a time, but I can do little things for myself, save my money for a few of my own kind of "luxury" items, and I can take care of what I have and make mindful purchases of things that I find aesthetically pleasing and are reminiscent of their more expensive counterparts. And, of course, I can take those baths when the opportunity arises.