Don't be alarmed by this post...

You have been patient waiting for my big reveal about my source of stress, girls! :)

Kristin (doesn't she have a great name, BTW?!?) made me laugh the hardest by guessing that I was making a denim skirt or pants. She obviously thinks way too highly of me. The last clothing I made was in 4-H in eighth grade. I did win some blue ribbons (and red and yellow) for my creations, though. If I recall correctly, my best ensemble was a blue terrycloth dress that I made in fifth grade. Terrycloth! Sooo early eighties.

Laura and Kathy B. had excellent guesses, too; I probably could add a patch to jeans if necessary, and I do love scrapbooking projects, even if most of them are sitting in boxes waiting for some attention in this decade.

Gemma's creative attempt #2 made me giggle as well, because frankly, who hasn't experienced some weird piece of the sole of a shoe driving you crazy?!?

But Kelly's guess and Gemma's first attempt were the closest. Yes, it is a tag! Good job, ladies! Can you hear me ooh-ing and ahh-ing? :)

But no, the tag didn't actually bother me. Well, at least I didn't realize it was bothering me. See, I got a great deal on this suede and faux fur coat last winter. And ever since, I have worn it a lot. Actually, I have worn it so much that I never even put 2 and 2 together.

Until I was putting it on the other day and noticed this tag that blended in with the coat and just happened to be right next to two other tags with the care instructions and fabric details on the left seam:

Okay...now who really looks inside a coat for a tag to be removed? But as soon as I felt it, I knew.

So that's why I am setting off alarms in all of my favorite stores!

Yup, folks, it is a sensor. And boy, did it work. Every single time I left my favorite store with all my new purchases, I made a bwamp! bwamp! bwamp! sound in addition to the red flashing lights and my look of total and complete embarrassment. In my mind, I was blaming the store for their faulty sensors and even the cashiers for possibly not removing a sensor. But I never even considered there would be a hidden sensor in my favorite coat -- one that no coat thief would ever suspect or look for. Or any honest customer who actually paid for the coat with her hard-earned money for that matter. Hmmph.

I do understand the point of the sensor and not making it obvious. But maybe the cashiers should be trained to point it out to their customers when they pay for an item with a crazy hidden beep-inducing do-hickey. I was constantly dreading the walk out of the door to my favorite stores because I might -- literally -- cause alarm. Even the cashiers said, "Oh, don't worry; our store alarms are sometimes too sensitive." No one ever mentioned my coat could be the source of my stress!

So, consider this a public service to my faithful readers. When you buy a new coat, check the inside. What you find just might be alarming!