Hello, and welcome to In My Bag! My name is Jenn, and this is my product review blog. In My Bag is where I showcase my reviewsof many of the products and services I buy and use, as well as the occasional trials, coupons and freebies that come my way. Interested in learning more? 
Star 50 Bag’s New Hampshire messenger bag
I was lucky enough to have my choice of some of the bags from Star 50 Bags fall into my hands. Star 50 Bags is a company that is producing bags and purses for all fifty states. Each bag is designed with the state’s history and rich offerings to the country in mind. The particular bag that I chose was the New Hampshire Messenger bag.
I chose the New Hampshire Messenger bag because I love the roominess that messenger bags provide, while still holding their shape relatively well. I also dig long, thick straps on purses and bags – bags that hang at my waist or along my side are my preference. I also chose the New Hampshire Messenger bag because I dig silver.
I have to be honest. While I love the bag itself, how well it’s made, the real leather on the front, the pleated styling on the front and back of the bag, and the easily adjustable strap, there’s something about the blue and yellow that just doesn’t seem pleasing to the eyes. At least, not to my eyes. I like the yellow, and I like the blue. But I don’t like the two together.
That aside, I really do love the bag. I can even get past the blue and yellow combination, especially since I like the strongly spoken “Live Free or Die” patch on the front of the bag. (That saying, by the way, comes from a Revolutionary War general named John Stark.) The bag is indeed roomy, and its strap easily adjusts to situate the bag just under my arm, or down at my waist. It also holds everything I typically keep in a purse, and has plenty of room for more. I love how deep this bag is – it easily contains longer items such as sunglass cases, hairbrushes and sippy cups!
On a related note, now that I have been introduced to Star 50 Handbags, I must admit that I am really liking the Arkansas Diamond digger!
Pictures, for those interested. 
Snapps Cheddar & Mild Jalapeño Pepper Bites
Once upon a time, Burger King sold very delicious “poppers”, which were cheddar and jalapeño bits mixed together, coated and fried. They were very delicious, and very cheap – four for one dollar. But then, for reasons unbeknownst to me, Burger King stopped carrying them. That was close to five years ago. Since then I have been on a rather elusive hunt for a replacement popper. I found very tasty ones at stores and restaurants, but they all consisted of a fry coating too thick, and a halved jalapeño, rather than the diced bits I remembered from Burger King.
Then I stumbled across Snapp’s cheddar and mile jalapeño pepper bites. Not only was I lured by the great price – one dollar for a box of eight, but by the picture, which clearly showed diced bits of a jalapeño, rather than an intact halved one.
Five weeks and four boxes of cheddar and mild jalapeño pepper bites later, and I can safely say that I’m hooked. They’re cheap. They’re delicious!
Update on the AT&T 5.8 GHz Digital Dual Handset Answering System
An update on the AT&T 5.8 GHz Digital Dual Handset Answering System:
Beginning two days ago, both handsets and the base have been randomly changing their times to display times that are about eleven and a half hours ahead/behind of the current time. The phones are not being tampered with, and the power has never gone out. What the heck is going on???
CoverGirl Lash Exact Mascara
While $9.99 for two mascaras (found and purchased at Target) isn’t a bad price, it’s not worth it for mascara that doesn’t do what it is purported to. CoverGirl’s Lash Exact Mascara claims to “beautifully define” lashes with no clumps or gobs. While this is quite true, and the lashes are indeed defined, they are also very thin! Each lash is individually defined. This is good for length, but most definitely not good for volume. I can’t help but wonder if this is a ploy on CoverGirl’s part to force buyers to also at least consider purchasing CoverGirl’s Volume Exact Mascara, to complete the look of being defined and thickened.
Is it so difficult to produce just one mascara that defines AND plumps?!
Maybelline Salon Expert Nail Color
My review of Maybelline Salon Expert Nail Color will be short and brief. To sum it up, this nail polish was quite a disappointment. It may have come with a salon style brush, the bottle itself may have looked like it came from a salon, but that’s where the quality ended. Within a day of toiling as a housewife, I had chips and flakes of nail polish coming off like you wouldn’t believe.
That said, I’ll stick to Maybelline’s express and iron strong lines.
New York
What are New York nursing homes like? All of the time I hear of families moving from New York to the suburbs or even rural areas, to get away from all of the crowds, noise, crime and pollution. But what about the older citizens of New York? I am assuming they stay where they are because the nursing homes there are decent? Somebody let me know, please.
alli
I decided to try alli for a month, and do my best to follow its guidelines. In my case, the guidelines were easy to follow, as well as a real eye opener as to how many fat grams are hidden in the most unlikely sources and in small portions. My guidelines were 1800 calories per day, broken down into three meals of fifteen grams of fat or less. I was also allotted two snacks, which I often split my lunch allotment of fat grams between, and then skipped lunch altogether.
I’d say that I followed the guidelines I was given the majority of the time. There were a few occasions where I slipped up, but predicted I would beforehand and took two alli pills instead of one – thereby eliminating 50% of the fat absorption of that meal.
I did not experience any side effects from the alli pills, except for the pre-warned “treatment effects”. However, these treatment effects did not show themselves except in the event that I was already in a bathroom, taking care of things, and so I did not mind.
I did lose ten pounds. This month, I am not taking alli, but am instead limiting my calories to 1600 per day. At the end of the month I will let you know how things go.
