Cookbooks versus Cute Clothes

When did I become the person that would rather buy a book - specifically a cookbook - instead of spending the money on a new top or trendy pair of shoes? I guess it was when I became a stay-at-home mom and realized no one cared what I looked like as long as a yummy dinner was on the table. Now I can't exactly say that no one cares what I look like - my daughter would love it if I served dinner in a formal dress with pin curls in my hair and a fancy pair of shoes. She's a fancy kind of girl, and I am what her favorite character Fancy Nancy would call casual - "a polite way of saying plain." I haven't always been plain. I used to dress up and make an effort to look nice, pre kids and a house to keep clean. Every once in a while I dig through my closet to find something nice to wear to an interview or on the one day a week I go into the office to work. I miss clothes, though, cute clothes and a reason to wear them. But if I had to choose, like I did today, whether I would buy a new end-of-summer dress or two new cookbooks that just came out (and I've been waiting for months to get), then I know what I'll always choose...