Thanks for the additional responses, bria & hunter. I'm aware that the spider has been eating lots of bad bugs in my garden and that's the main reason I didn't want to get rid of her. I'm happy to know she isn't harmful and can stay where she is. I wasn't worried about her until I discovered she had an egg sac. She is living in an out-of-the-way spot, as far as my children are concerned, but the babies that reach adulthood won't always be -- they'll move on to other spots on my property, which may be more accessible to my children. And THAT is where the concern came in with regard to whether this particular spider might be dangerous/poisonous. And OMG, hunter! It dropped on your face??? I would have freaked out! To be honest here, I really don't like spiders -- they're fine in the garden, but I kill all those I find in my house. Like you, I would have been doing a dance AND screaming my head off if one plopped onto my face. My fear of having one of them "on" me is pretty bad...kinda shameful, really. They're a part of gardening that I have to deal with, though, and as long as they aren't dangerous to my children, I leave them alone to do their thing....outside. LOL. Thanks again for the helpful responses, y'all. Renee

Looks like the Silver Argiope. SHE is a fascinating spider to observe. Harmless to humans, they capture plenty of insects.

This looks like a variant of the Green Lynx spider. As the name implies, they are usually green, but can change the coloring on their abdomen to shades of pink/purple/brown to better blend in with their surroundings. These beautiful spiders are no threat to humans. They don't even make a big orb web that you might blunder into. They just lie in wait, usually around the tops of flowering plant stems, for an unspecting bug to get close enough for them to grab. Here is a link that might be useful: Green Lynx on BugGuide

Neat looking spider. You may have better luck posting this in the Insect forum.