Steve & I got new cell phones in June.  Since we went with AT&T, I'll be honest, I was seriously eyeing an iPhone.  Not because I need one, because honestly I need an iPhone like I need another hole in my head, but I'm nothing if not a gadget girl and let's face it - as far as gadgets go, an iPhone is cool.  But, they're not cheap and I don't exactly have a good track record with phones anyway, so I just went with the little red free one that came with our plan. 

Fast forward to October  - my little red phone is in the bathroom with Gracie and Abigail.  Somehow the three of them (my phone, Abigail, and Gracie) decided it would be a good idea if my little red phone went for a swim in the sink.  My little red phone did not survive and Abigail & Gracie almost didn't....I went back to Wal-mart and asked what I needed to do to get a new phone.  The lady didn't offer much help.  Did I have insurance?  Ummm, no, the phone was free - I figured it wasn't worth the expense to insure it....couldn't I upgrade?  No, you can only upgrade three months before your plan expires.  Well, since it was a 2-year-plan and we were only four months into the contract, I had a LONG time to wait before I was eligible for an upgrade.  Fine, I thought, I'd just buy another phone.  I mean the thing was free - how expensive could it be to replace it?  No problem, the lady said.  That phone is $369.00.  THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINE DOLLARS!!!!! Ummm, not gonna happen.  So, Steve & I decided to share the one remaining, working phone that we had.  We changed the sim card out of my little waterlogged red phone with Steve's phone and found the sim card was still good so we looked on-line and decided that when we got a little extra cash, we'd buy a refurbished phone - we found a couple of those for under $200.00. 

This plan of ours worked really well most of the time, but when the girls & I took our trip last month, Steve needed the cell phone for work, so I ended up having to borrow my sister's phone every time I needed to make a call and a couple of times during the last month, I've had meetings when the girls were in school and Steve needed the phones those days and I was worried the school would need to call and wouldn't have a way to get a hold of me (a very real concern since at least once a week for the entire month of March, I had to go pick up one or the other of them from preschool because they were sick).  I'd decided enough was enough. 

I had about decided to order a refurbished phone even though the cheapest one I could now find was $239.00.  I decided to try Wal-Mart one more time to see if they were having some kind of "Your kids drowned your cell phone special".  No such luck, but the guy there this time was so helpful.  When I told him my dilemma, he confirmed that new phones were expensive and that I wasn't eligible for an upgrade.  I said, "Well, I think my best bet is going to be to just get a whole new cell phone plan."  I'll be honest here - I was thinking about the iPhone again, but that only lasted a nanosecond until I realized that Steve would KILL me if I came home with an iPhone and a new cell phone plan, because let's face it - the odds are not in my favor and there's a good chance that whatever phone I ended up getting would wind up taking a swim in the sink or the toilet or possibly being buried in the sandbox in the backyard.  But, I figured I could get another free phone and this time pay for the insurance for it.  When I said this the Wal-Mart guy said,  "Why don't you just get a pre-pay phone?"  I told him I'd thought about that, but I really wanted to keep my cell phone number since I'd given it to the preschool and posted it on my photography site as a contact number (not that anyone had been able to call it in four months ).  The guy shook his head and said, "No - don't get the pre-pay service - just buy one of the phones and change out ths sim card."  Really?  I can do this?  Yep, you can.  So, I paid $29.99 for a brand new phone (that is acually nicer than the free at first, now $329.00 red phone that I had originally).  Steve changed out the sim card and I was back in business.  Steve told me I needed to get a case for it.  I have coveted my sister's cell phone case for a long time - partly because it hangs on her key chain but mostly because it's pink and very cute.  Unfortunately, I can't find a cute cell phone case for my phone.  So, I decided to make one. 

I got some Amy Bulter material, a set of magnetic snaps, and made myself a pattern.  I needed some heavy interfacing, so the girls and I headed to Wal-Mart to get some.  After we finished and I put both girls in their seats, I realized that my cell phone was not in my pocket.  I HAD LOST THE DARN THING!!!!!  LOST IT!!!  All that kept going through my head was - there is no changing out the sim card when you've LOST the thing so I was just out of luck.  In that span of about 15 seconds, I swore off cell phones forever.  I took the girls back out of their seats and we went back in Wal-Mart and scoured the path we had taken for any evidence of my phone.  I left my phone number at customer service in case it showed up.  My train of thought went down a dark path that I am not proud of - I was convinced that someone had taken the phone from me.  This was basically a self-preservation thing I think - I didn't want to admit that after all I'd gone through to get my new phone that I would be STUPID enough to lose it before I even got my cute little case made.  I grumbled and mumbled and finally admitted defeat.  I loaded the girls back into the car and we pulled away from Wal-Mart.  I was completely dejected.  Which probably shows my complete immaturity - everything going on in the world today and I'm dejected about a silly cell phone.  But, I'm just being honest here.  We stopped for gas and I picked up my wallet and there, underneath it, was my tiny new cell phone.  Evidently, I'd taken it out of my pocket when I'd put Abigail in her car seat.  Several emotions washed over me - not the least of which were shame and embarassment. 

So, I came home and started work on my cell phone case.  My first attempt was a dismal failure - the snaps wouldn't meet in the middle.  My second attempt wasn't a lot better, but at least the snaps work.  My seams are not very straight and the material I intended to be the lining actually ended up being the outer layer, but it's functional, at least for now. 

And my little cell phone has a nice safe home - at least I thought it did until I saw Abigail climbing on the chair to get my keys with the cell phone case off their hanger on the wall.  I rescued them from her before she could do any damage and now they're in the one place in the house that she can't reach...at least for the time being.