Is It Always A Tradeoff...??

Nearly every day for lunch I make myself a smoothie; banana, blueberries, Greek yogurt and cranberry juice.  Simple, easy, healthy.  I use a stick blender in my LeCreuset batter bowl, a staple in my kitchen for over a decade.  Plain white, no frills, heavy, durable and oh, so wonderful...

This afternoon I made the smoothie, cleaned the bowl and was putting it back in the cupboard--same routine for endless lunches--but somehow, this time...

...the bowl flew out of my hand.  My most favorite bowl for pouring pancakes, mixing cornbread and making smoothies broke into three large pieces.
 
Damn and blast.  I'm cleaning up the mess, sweeping the floor for odd shards, pissed that I didn't catch it before it hit the counter, when I suddenly remember that about six months ago whilst wandering the aisles at the local Ross store, I actually saw a red LeCreuset in the kitchenware section.  I almost bought it at the time, but hey, I already had one, didn't I?  Quickly finish drinking my smoothie, then jump into the car and head across town.
 
Okay.  It was a long shot...a very, very long shot.  Of course there is no bowl, nor could I find a single thing that would work in a pinch.  Buggers.
 
Walking toward the front of the store, bummed and a bit sad that another little piece of my old life is gone, I stumble into a rack.  Literally.  I wasn't paying attention, head down, mind wandering, and I just walked straight into a display that--for some unknown reason--was directly in the middle of the aisle.  Not off to the side, or leaning out, or misaligned.  No.  Just inexplicably...there.
 
At first I was cranky, because what's a damn rack doing blocking the aisle and assaulting people like that?  Then I realize that what's hanging on the rack
 

***Insert angelic voices and the Hallelujah chorus here***

 
are purses.  Designer bags.  Heavenly creations.
 
I have a serious girl thing for a good purse.  There's just something about the creamy, smooth textures, the smell of the leather, the fun in shifting the contents of one bag into the new one.  But I'm also extremely picky, so the bag has to be just right. 
 
And it was.

The most excellent cheered-me-right-up-and-who-needs-a-mixing-bowl-anyway purse...








 

It fits on my shoulder like it was made to be there, hangs perfectly tucked against my hip, and has any number of pockets and hidden nooks.  And it feels like...leather butter.

 

Even better?  It was $229.00 off retail; one look at the price tag snapped me right out of my pissy mood.  I might have skipped to the register.

 

So, I didn't replace the ultimate batter bowl today, but I did find the best purse I've had in years.  Isn't it odd though...if the bowl hadn't broken, I wouldn't have the purse.