Or at least, once in a while they are - but especially when your pocket is positivey on fire with the incredibly generous Barnes & Noble gift card you received from your parents at Christmas! And today was the day - I could hold out no longer, especially since I received a "Take an additional 20% off any purchase" sticker in the mail. So, as I left this morning to run my usual Saturday morning errands, I casually informed my husband that I'd be gone a bit longer than he might otherwise expect - I had book money to spend. :)
So I thought you might like to know what I got! (I'm being a little silly about all this - and I think by now you all know to expect a little silliness from me now and again - but honestly, this was a huge treat for me, and I thank my mum and dad from the bottom of my heart for this generous and thoughtful gift.)
OK. First I must tell you, as I headed out on this very dark and wind-whipped Saturday, the skies looking like they might burst open with snow squalls any moment - I decided I must have some coffee to start the whole adventure off right. I usually try not to do this as we always have perfectly good and downright delicious coffee at home in the mornings as well as a wide variety of travel mugs to choose from ... but two things conspired to make take-out coffee a necessary treat for me today. A. we had no fresh coffee left in the house this morning (other than some woefully undrinkable "Vanilla Creme" blend stuck way back in the freezer that we drank out of pure need of caffeine) and B. I had a Dunkin Donuts gift card to spend (my Cookie Bake-Off winnings)!
Now, have you been to a Dunkin Donuts lately? Have you tried their newest winter beverage - White Hot Chocolate? Yes, I'm happy to report it is as delicious as it sounds. Creamy, buttery, vanilla coziness in a cup - its one failing is it contains not an ounce of caffeine. So naturally, I got a small coffee on the side for good measure.
By the time I got to Barnes & Noble's I was warm and toasty inside and out and ready for some serious browsing. I spent a good 45 minutes there - no kids, no rushing and not much of a crowd either. Here's what I came home with, in no particular order.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott ~ Sure, I've read this once, twice or ten times before. But it's been a good long while, and I'm due. I may even read it aloud to Bookworm, who thoroughly enjoyed watching the movie over the Christmas holiday with me.
The Happy Side of Me: Mary Engelbreit's 2007 Page-a-Day Calendar~ I have one of these every year (and have had for years!). I love ME's artwork (not to mention her magazine) and I love being treated to a cheerful scene and happy thought each day. Plus, the torn-off pages are the perfect size for daily to-do lists. This was on sale, 50% btw! (All the calendars were, in fact.)
The Herb Companion ~ Nothing beats garden planning when the snow is a-flyin'. I love the herbal craft ideas and recipes in this magazine, though I only pick it up once in a great while. The January issue has an article on stocking your own herbal remedy kit that looks very intriguing. All the articles look good, really!
The Last Straw ~ I have had my eye on this book for some time. I saw it way back before Christmas, and I immediately recognized it as a Catholic Mosaic title. Well, I'm glad I waited because today it happened to have a large green sticker on it which meant it was $5 off the cover price! This will be perfect for next week's lessons leading up to Epiphany.
Season of the Sandstorms ~ Back when Bookworm was younger we collected all the Magic Tree House Books. He was an early reader and just devoured these fun, historical stories. Then at some point the publisher started making them only available in hardcover, and therefore much more expensive. We halted our collection and started taking them out of the library, only we never remember to check them out for some reason so we're several books out-of-the-loop. Well, today I saw this newer title in paperback! I think we'll be taking a good look at camels and deserts this week!
A Night in the Museum ~ Thanks to Cay, who gave this movie a good review, we are going to see it tomorrow! (Already bought the tickets and everything!) When I saw the junior novel, I could not pass it up. Bookworm read the whole thing already and loved it! (He keeps trying to share bits with me, but I don't like to ruin the surprise!) I think after the movie I will have him read it aloud to Crackerjack - it will be fun, I'm sure, to "see" the movie all over again at home.
Miss Potter: The Novel ~ And speaking of movie novels ... As you know from my post the other day, I'm a bit giddy about the new movie coming out next month about Beatrix Potter. The bookstore had a whole display of new and familiar Peter Rabbit books ... including a few about the movie! I held back from buying The Making of Miss Potter because it was filled with wonderful pictures and far too tempting to peruse before I see the movie. I'd like to be surprised as much as possible. I will save this novel for after we see it, another read-aloud perhaps.
The Ultimate Peter Rabbit: A Guide to the World of Beatrix Potter ~ OK, so I was on a Beatrix roll, lol! Seriously, though, this book is gorgeous. It's done by Dorling Kindersley, my all-time favorite publisher. (Nobody makes books as fine as they do.) It's a huge hardcover, filled with all kinds of delicious Beatrix Potter information, pictures, history, illustrations - the works! I used my 20% sticker on it and with my member discount on top of that, it was really quite a bargain for such a beautiful, informational book. You will probably not be surprised to see a rather lengthy Beatrix Potter unit study in the works over the next few months!
So there's a peek into my shopping bag today! Thanks for letting me share all my goodies with you, and thanks again, Mum and Dad, for making this all possible!
