Ode to the Tote

I am a not really a purse girl. I am more of a tote bag aficionado. In fact, I have so many tote bags that both Jeffrey and Sloane just grab my hand and pull me away whenever I stop to look at more. And, I always stop to look at more. (I also love smalls. You know, the smallish bags for sorting and organizing all the stuff in my enormous bag.) I am the kind of girl who carries nearly everything with me and then leaves it in the car. I grab only what I really need at the moment and haul that inside.

At this moment my cornflower blue tote bag sits by the door, like a faithful dog, ready to accompany me anywhere. Here's a peek inside:

• a magazine or two
• usually just one of the books I am currently reading
• my journal (I never go anywhere without it. I even take it to concerts and antiquing.)
• a hot pink, rubber pencil case full of: pens with brightly colored inks, a highlighter, a pencil, a good eraser, a pair of very cool folding scissors, paperclips, rubber bands, and sometimes whiteout...
• a raspberry colored beauty bag with: 2 lipsticks, lip gloss, face powder, blotting paper, a few band aids, emergency nail care items, Advil, sugar free peppermint gum, and Walgreen's cucumber and aloe vera hand lotion
• an adorable light blue mesh bag for my techy toys: digital camera, iPod, Sloane's Shuffle
• a similar, but larger mesh bag full of letter-writing paraphernalia: note cards, book of stamps, letters I need to respond to, list of thank you notes to write, pile of post cards pre-addressed to my new students, copies of pictures and Sloane's art to include in the letters, and good pen, just in case my pink bag doesn't have the right color
• a folder full of papers to grade whenever school is in session
• whatever random things I think Sloane might like to do in the car
• datebook
• wallet
• sunglasses
• sunglasses cleaning cloth
• cell phone
• keys

I guess you could say I believe in being prepared. Some day I'll have to tell you about my Car Bag and what I always have on hand in my car's glove compartment. Anyway...

Totes are just so handy! Not only do I use the smaller ones as my grab-it-and-go purse, I stock them (depending on random whims and current activities) and use them as sort of kits. I have a brightly colored orange floral tote that is bulging with things for summer swimming jaunts. It holds all our suits, beach towels, water rings and other diving toys, cheap sunglasses, swim goggles, and a ziplock full of sunscreen, combs, shampoo for the pool shower, lip balm, etc. My gorgeous Dash and Albert rug bag makes a cram-it-all-in carry all for days when we are going to town and doing many errands. I have an absolutely enormous black canvas Coach tote that works beautifully for weekend trips. I have a plain, sturdy, bulging, little tote that we use for library jaunts. (Eventually, I will replace that one with a cuter version if I can ever find one both sturdy and attractive.) I've found some adorable versions on Etsy that I would like to add to my collection. A bag similar to this one might make a great library bag.

In spite of all this tote bag love, every summer I like to switch to a large straw purse. I am fairly finicky about said purse. The straw needs to be straw colored and the design simple. Straps are preferable to handles and the whole thing needs to be capacious.

I got out my summer purse a few days ago and the strap promptly broke. (As I read the list above, I thought, "No wonder my purse strap broke.") Sadness abounded. I mean, I spent hours last May and June trudging from store to store searching for the perfect straw tote-cum-purse. And, hours the previous summer, but I did not succeed then and had to be purselesss. There are always many, many straw purses. Inevitably, they were too small or too expensive. Finally, I found the pictured purse, which was nearly perfect for me. Then it broke! I've checked already and the strap can't be repaired. It wasn't real leather, which explains the fact that it also wasn't hugely expensive.

So, here's where you come in. HELP!! Do any of you know of a source for a bag like I've described? If you do, please tell me as soon as you can. I am a desperate woman! I am having to carry a non-straw tote, and it just doesn't feel like summer.

And, I'm curious. What's in your bag? Are you a schlepper, like me? Or, are you a basics only kind of woman? What's in your purse?

Sursum corda. Happy Sunday.