Feeling a weird burst of energy. Started updating my Amazon wishlist. I've been stuck in a rut as far as books go. I hadn't read anything new in a while. You know, the usual - Harry Potter series and Lord of the Rings. I'm actually reading Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian right now. Chelsea got me started on this Aubrey-Maturin series back in '97, but I managed to misplace the book. After moving about 7 times since then, I found the book in the trunk of my car. wOOt! I figured it would be cool to finish it before I go see the movie.

After visiting a bookstore in Joplin and browsing for real, I also decided it was time to branch out and find some new material. I got some recommendations from friends and happened to stumble on some other titles. Mostly my wish list is just a reminder of what I want, so when I do decide to buy something for myself, I'll remember what I wanted. My problem is that my favorite time to read is right before bed. Many, many years ago I trained myself to use reading as a way to relax and ultimately fall asleep. It worked all too well, so now I'm lucky if I get more than 5 pages done before I'm out. ::Sigh:: I also tend to read more than one book at a time, so it pretty much takes FOREVER for me to finish. I'm really excited though about getting some new books in my life. Need some more suggestions, though.

On the domestic front we finally got a dinette set for our dining area!!! I've been wanting something for a long time now, and after going to dozens of thrift stores, we went to Ikea and got a great little set for $129 (4 chairs included). I'm really happy with this purchase because it's solid wood, not that weird particle-board stuff that you often find at Ikea. We also got some cd/media storage that we can mount to the wall so that Isabella, when she becomes mobile, won't be pulling out all of our cds. I'm going to be making some sheers/curtains for our living room, dining/kitchen area and bedroom soon. I'm making another cool nightlight that I made for Charlotte to put in Isabella's room. I'm feeling truly handy and crafty! Looks like I'm getting back to the old, real me that has been missing since last November. Good thing too: I miss me.