My finished purse and a Christmas party.

Here I am with my finished bag that I posted about here.

I can see that mine is a little more rectangular than the one I copied, so if I ever make another one I'll adjust my pattern a bit and make the next one a little more boxy.

Other than that, I really do like it.

On a whole different note, ignore all the chaos behind me, our apartment is so full of junk we have no real good place to take pictures.

Hans is trying to play the piano at our host's house. However it was pretty out of tune so he didn't last too long.

The last time Hans was in Europe he bought a new sport coat and pants, and believe me he was long overdue for some new clothes! He's still amazed and impressed that the salesman at the store he went to, took one look at him, went to the racks, and pulled out the exact size pants and jacket for him.

No measuring (and no small feat)!

And they really do fit well. Nothing like you get here in the states or from catalogs.

They make him look very prosperous and successful, and not at all like someone who's currently unemployed.

Which probably explains what happened while we were at the party.

There was a woman there this year whom I haven't seen at any of the past parties.

Let's just say that she stood out in a way that made me, well... wonder. She didn't appear to be with a husband or a date, and she certainly wasn't wearing a HO HO HO sweatshirt (although maybe she should have). Her hair and manicure said $$$$$, her youthful face did not match her 'not so youthful hands' (ladies, our hands are dead giveaways to our age!), and I just knew she was on the make!

She'd been cruising the perimeter of the party and just as I was exiting the room, she was entering.

Now, I'm not the smartest bulb in the box, but by golly I know women so I just stepped back and watched.

She zeroed right in on Hans (I knew she would! Didn't I say he looked prosperous?), immediately introduced herself, and then tossed out her anchor.

I was polite and gave her a couple of minutes before I returned. Shortly thereafter she took her cue and moved on to other prey.

Was I really surprised to later learn that she's the ex-mistress of a locally prominent physician whose wife found out about their escapades and gave hubby an ultimatum? Listen up people, in the end husbands will almost always choose the wife. Can you say: Alimony? Child support?

Hans couldn't figure out why she was at this particular party (she came with a friend) and I pointed out to him that this was a perfect venue for someone like her. A lot of successful business men all in one group? It's like shooting fish in a barrel!

I told him that the next time we go out he can wear his WalMart sweatsuit and I'm going to make a point of telling all the women that he doesn't have a job right now!

Me, Hans, and and the untuned piano.

Now this was funny! One of our friends arrived very late and brought a spicy, hot dip.

I took this picture with no flash so you can see the lighted red knife that's sticking out of it.

It's there as a warning because something got lost in the translation in the making of this dish.

It wasn't until a couple of guests tasted the concoction that the problem was discovered.

Honest to God! Just drink a bottle of hot sauce and you'll know what it tasted like. It was gross! Our friend was a good sport about the whole thing and remarked that at least she'd given us something to talk about.

Someone thought it was a good idea to feed it to the kids (all well over 21!!) who were playing beer pong.

Not a bad idea.

Well, I have a purse or two that I need to sew, along with some pot holders (and I have an easier pot holder pattern that I'll blog about soon).

They're all Christmas presents, and I if I'm not mistaken I'm running out of time!