Invisible Bra

Happy New Years! I’m eagerly looking forward to 2009!


I wanted to buy a centerpiece for the kitchen table. Roda gave me the perfect solution. She told me of a Chinese tradition of putting a pineapple in the middle and "round fruit" around it. You also have to put garlic on the table, but not on the same round dish; it represents family as the cloves are stuck together.

You set this up New Years Eve day, but don't eat any of the fruit until Jan 2nd. I love learning about different traditions and incorporating them into our lives as well.

Ok, I received a couple of request (email and comments) about the bra experience. I’ll do my best give you a feel. (don't go there)


I don't buy bras that often, but when I find one that works, I'll buy in quantity and if I'm lucky, in various colors too. I imagine I hear Greg singing, "Shake your Money Makers."

That's actually something most women do when we bra shop ~ we shake. You have to see if it fits in the sling properly. You don't just strap the thing on and know it fits, you have to move around, make sure the underwire isn't poking anything (think - jabbing a stake into your armpit), not to mention how far do the adjustments go on a strap so it doesn't fall (Greg knows when I wear a partiular bra, he's constantly pulling the straps up for me!) And ladies, am I wrong, you need to shake it to know you won't get the dreaded muffin-top look (you know, the bra seems to fit, you move and suddenly half of your boob is cut off by the top of the bra ~ viola - muffin top).

Now, I'm not someone who wears a bra with a pad, because, honestly? I have a enough in that department, which is God given (thanks Ma - it runs in the family). If I wore a padded bra, I'd look like Dolly Parton. Anyway, while at one store, I was looking through the bra selection and overheard a conversation.

Two ladies were talking about the bras with extra padding. One lady said, quite seriously, "These are utility belts for women. I remove the pad and put my wallet in it! Works great for a night out." (I think I giggled outloud, because I was given a rude look.) The other lady replied that she put her keys in the padding area. (I had to walk away, because I couldn't contain my mirth, can you imagine a lady walking by and you hear her keys jingle from that location?) So, guys, when you're out with your ladyfriend, who knows what you'll find!

It's not just the fit that a woman tries on a bra for, sometimes you have to think of the material it's made of and what you plan on wearing the bra with. Think "peekaboo" bra, see through material that you didn't figure on! There's also the scallop lace on the edge or a smooth microfiber that doesn't show seamlines option.


Getting the picture yet? Take all those routine issues of bra shopping and couple it with a wedding gown that is not bra-friendly!

One of the things I liked about the wedding dress was that I thought I could wear a regular bra with it, as it has straps. But no, this one has straps going to the edge of the shoulder (so the bra strap would show) and the neckline is cut in such a way that it shows the edges of most of my bras AND... the back is lower than most of my bras.


When I went bra shopping, I didn't bring the dress. It would have been too much of a pain to lug it around. I thought I'd have to go with a strapless bra, but when Mother Nature gives you a generous helping of boobage, such a creature in the likes of strapless is not a viable option. I'd be constantly tugging the thing or worrying about the support or lack thereof. Bra manufacturers know it too, because they rarely make strapless in larger sizes.

I did hit the jackpot, "Shake your Money Makers".... I went into one store and they had a "buy 2, get 2 free" day after Christmas sale. If shopping for a bra is a pain in the breasts, buying one breaks the wallet (even for in the hide-a-wallet boobers). I figured if I could find 4 white/cream bras in different styles, at least ONE had to work for the wedding gown, right?


And one did - ONLY one - thank heavens I wasn't shy to ask the salelady about my wedding gown and the cut on the neckline and back. She suggested a strapless bra that has detachable straps. I didn't like how it felt "detached" BUT... this detachable bra detaches from the straps over the shoulders and across the back and has a "clear" pack made of see through plastic for the straps and back. So you can wear the straps and back without seeing the bra attachments.

I'm going to use the clear pack and have dubbed it my invisible wedding bra!