Good Habit? Bad Habit?

I think everyone has a habit or two that they have shared with the world...one of mine may be that I still bite my fingernails. I have for as long as I can remember. It is a sure sign of boredom or nervousness. Even with the warning from my dentist that biting my fingernails can cause chipping on my front teeth - and, yes, I did chip my front tooth that way. Well, I am in the mood and rather disgusted with myself and so I will now reveal to the blogging world a habit that I have also had for quite some time......I am a habitual book buyer. Now, you may be thinking to yourself "Well, that's not so bad..." Here's the bad part: I DON'T READ THEM!! I have this awful habit of buying a book because I have seen it advertised somewhere or heard about it, and then sticking in a pile of "must read" books. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE to read - I just don't have the time most days and I know that if I get into a book and it's good, I will not put it down until I have swallowed the entire thing.

Last week I saw an Oprah - yes, I DVR them. It was a re-run, but it was advertising a cook book about secretly hiding vegetables in your kids food so that they are eating more nutritiously. My kids hate veggies, as I believe most kids do. So, I am feeling guilty as a mother because I feel that generally my family eats crappy. I decide to try the cookbook. Amazon.com is calling my name. I log on and find the book and because I am a frequent buyer on Amazon, I already have my CC# saved in their system and don't even need to make a run for my purse. Well, I place the order and because I am only $8 away from getting free shipping, I may as well buy another book. I search the system for another book I had seen at Enrichment called "Temple Square Gardening" - basically how to keep your yard and garden weed free and looking fab in this dry desert we call Zion.....and they have the book (What don't they have???). I place my order, having now spent around $30 for the two books...but I did get the FREE shipping!!

I have been waiting patiently all week for the books to arrive (it's by snail mail...it was free, though!) and today the mailman delivered my package. The kids rush to open the box until I tell them that it's just some books that I ordered - they were hoping it was more interesting than that. This is when the guilt begins....I go upstairs to put them on my bedside table, because frankly, I CAN and DO read cookbooks like a novel. I notice another two books on the table that need to be read. One, I have started, but haven't delved into really and the other my mom sent with me when we came home from ND. I feel a bit guilty and decide to gather all the books, just in my room, that I have bought but have not read....you can see them in the attatched picture. It's a stack of 19 books!! 19!! And, keep in mind that this is only in my bedroom.....I bet if I walked around the house I would find a few more! Oh, but to make myself feel a little better, I think I have borrowed (Jeanna, I think they are yours) a couple of them.

So, I am vowing here and now and to the blogging world that I will not purchase another book until I have read ALL of these books....well, maybe not ALL of them....the new Stephanie Meyer book comes out in a few weeks, and I will NEED to get that one.

Now to add to my list of ongoing projects ( I am making a long list and will blog it when I feel it complete) I will have to add "Read a Book" or 21 books to be exact. I just found the last two in my stack of crap next to the computer.....

And, if you yourself are in need of a few good books to read, I highly recommend reading: "These Is My Words", "Sarah's Quilt", and "The Star Garden" by Nancy Turner. It is a series of three books about a pioneer woman and her family who settle in the Arizona area. Very well written and among my favorite books of all time.