Happy Birthday to me, about a week ago.....

     Just taking a moment to celebrate how fabulous it is to be me.  My birthday this year started with a kids dentist appointment, complete w/ cavity, and almost ended with meetings.  Then I was surprised at  the last minute with a late night date at Steak n' Shake w/ my husband.  That  definitely ended the day on a good note.  
     My favorite part of the day though, was the afternoon.  Hands down.  A mom of six kids doesn't have much quiet, don't touch me time.  I spent the morning with my husband, picked up the mini-minion from kindergarten, and walked him home.  
     After lunch, it was bye!  I'm off for two whole hours by myself.I stopped at my favorite "forgotten" strip mall.  I decided to window shop in my favorite consignment store "Revival Home Furnishing" to poke around.  We could use a night-stand or two, a couple more dining room chairs, and oh yeah, a table.  Our table needed  some serious repair, and we had neither time nor inclination to do it.  I had been shopping for a new dining room table unsuccessfully off and on for a couple of years, due to my exacting requirements:

• big enough to seat 10-12 
•  not too formal 
• preferably a medium to dark finish.  
• Oh, and not pine.  I really, really, dislike pine.  

Buried in a corner, with it's leaves, a stack of dishes, and a folded up table cloth on top of it, was the table below.  It's hard to see, but this table has great legs.  They even have little brass "shoes" on the bottom.  Maybe it's because I'm a stay at home mom, or quirky, but I really fell in love immediately with the 1950's art deco with a cherry finish.  I called my husband.  We came back for it the next day.  Bonus:  It didn't break the bank.  $98 suited my inner bargain hunter just fine.

If the table wasn't fabulous enough, next door to this furniture store is a 1/2 Price Books.  I counted the table as my "family gift", and had a birthday check from my in-laws to spend.  Nothing is more therapeutic to a bibliophile than an hour alone in a bookstore.  I spent that hour wisely, walking out with five books from the $1 clearance and two regular "1/2-price" had to haves.  This with two more books off Amazon did in the splurge money quite nicely.  What were these titles?

The Time Traveler's Wife- AudreyNiffenager; I've read it before, but wanted it to be MINE.
In the Shadow of the Ark-Ann ProVoost; kind of has a Red Tent vibe.
LOST-Gregory Maguire; creepy, but not gross, better than Wicked IMHO
The Secret Life of Bees-Sue Monk Kidd;  awesome, relatable "sisterhood" 
Fire & Bitterblue-both by Kristin Cashore; fantasy w/ strong women which  doesn't tear down the men!            amazing, isn't it?  
A Ring of Endless Light-Madeleine L'Engle; haven't read this one yet.  I realized  it was book 4 in a series I haven't started.  My OCD side demands finding the first three, then reading them in order.
PEAK-Roland Smith;  This one disappeared into my teenage son's room.  It hasn't reemerged yet. 
Daughters of Rome-Kate Quinn;  I'm a sucker for historical fiction.  I'm going to read this tonight.  It's sitting right here by the keyboard.

All these glorious books, and my  husband even gave me a week off housework to read them.  Did I mention I think he's fabulous?