As a fuller figured woman, I am so thankful that the advent of plus size swimwear is finally here. It sends a message that it is okay to be curvy. It is not a sin to carry on a few extra pounds, and even with a rounder figure you can still look beautiful. Shopping malls now often have a special place for plus size women and the merchandise showcased is designed to be flattering to anyone who would wear it.

Its great to have options. I have a niece now who reminds me so much of me when I was her age.  I’m just glad that when we went shopping for her summer outfit, we were able to find a plus size swimsuit that fits her perfectly.  She had a great summer outing in the beach with her friends and was not confined into wearing concealing clothing like I had been when I was younger. Thank goodness for plus size swimsuits!

When I was growing up, my father - who always fancied himself a “handy man” of sorts - was determined to personally set up our new outdoor ceiling fan as soon as he bought it. It took him an entire day and halfway through the night to install the fan, and the next morning when I woke up, true enough, the fan was installed!

It was nearly perfect … But as soon as we turned on the fan, it was wobbling. It was wobbling so hard that whenever we would have guests, we would turn the fan off since our guests would be afraid to sit under it, for fear of the fan falling on them! It became a conversational piece, something to talk about during moments of awkward silence. All we need to do would be to look up and ask if our guest have heard of the “outdoor ceiling fan” story.

I don’t remember how many times we’ve told that story to friends but it never fails to make us laugh. Dad is long gone now but the story of our wobbly, rickety outside ceiling fan is still being told whenever we would have family gatherings. It reminds us of Dad, and reminds us that all things in life are precious - especially the ones that are imperfect!

photo credit: evelynishere

We all love to buy handbags and you probably have a lot of them in your collection. The black leather handbag is a very popular choice amongst women, because of its durability and versatility. Black basically goes with anything, and you can use it for any occasion. The same goes for leather. It is a fantastic material for bags. It looks great, and it can be used in very elegant situations, but also casually. Leather is a great choice because it is simply so durable. You can have it for a long time and if you take decent care of it then you can be sure that it will be looking great for a very long time. Black leather handbags are a timeless piece and you should really consider getting one.