Branching off...........

See this:

It's a table, right?  Actually, it's my dining room table which has DUST on it....can you believe?  DUST????  I don't think this table has ever been cleaned off long enough ever before to collect dust.  AND.....I sort of like it like this way!  Not the dust, mind you (duh), but the table, cleaned off and tidy.  Sadly, this week will change things though as I promised to do a swap which needs to be sent out by the end of January and I haven't even started it yet.  Bad me!  I just don't feel like sewing for some reason.  Why is that, do you think?  I've been so busy with the envelopes and bidding on ebay (that's another story.......ugh!), that time is just escaping me lately.  Then too, as a New Year's gift to myself, I decided that this year I was once again going to become an avid reader.  I have always loved to read, and have basically kept up with my favorite authors like Grisham, Balducci, Lee Child, etc. all this time, but now I want to broaden my horizons and get into other venues too.  It seems that since I started quilting in the fall of 2008, that I haven't read as much as I used to and I miss it!  There was a time when I'd read over 100 books a year and that was when I was still working.......'course I didn't sew as much then either!!!  In fact, I probably hardly sewed a stitch, come to think of it!

Just this week I read, "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin

Our weather was so awful the early part of the week that when I finally could escape, I hightailed it to Target just to get some exercise and to check stuff out.  I walked the whole store, up and down the aisles, picking up things here and there and ended up in the book section where I think I spent almost an hour reading reviews and story preludes.  I knew I wanted to leave with something, but what?  Then I found that book.  I'm already happy...I mean, probably as much as most, maybe more than many.....I really don't need to be happier, I don't think, but always with a thirst of knowledge, I thought maybe I was missing something.  Besides, with my new "book reading" resolution for enlightenment, it was a good place to start.  Besides, it was a true story....and I usually only read fiction.

I must admit it was good, and made me smile many times, and I have gained some knowledge...so all in all, it was a great book to start with.  But that is only the beginning......ah-ha......Amazon loves me!  ('Course they loved me before, but believe me, they love me even more now since I just placed an order for 7 books for me, 6 for Audrey and 4 for my granddaughter........and plopped another two, for me, in my cart since I checked out last night).  Ugh!  Between that, and auctioning on ebay for mini lalaloopsy dolls for my granddaughter two days ago, my budget for 2014 is down the tubes already and it's only January 12th.  Remember, last time I told you I placed two orders with USPS for over $100 for stamps too.  E-gads!  I need to get out of this house!  It's been a long winter already and all my friends have flown the coop for Florida or other warmer places and I'm all alone.......even my sister and her hubby are gone.  They took a 12 day trip to (can you believe??) Egypt!!  It's no wonder I'm bored!!!

Oh well.....enough of that!!!  I would LOVE to know what you like to read though......so PLEASE, let me know your favorites.  In the meantime, these are the envelopes that you haven't seen yet:











So there you have it.....my week in a nutshell!  Hope yours wasn't as expensive!!  Until next time.....