There are two new toys in the Harris household as of Friday: a Roomba and a Kindle. And may I just say I love them both?

I've been wanting a Kindle for a while, but I kept putting it off. Did I really need this piece of technology? I love books, real ones, so why did I want an e-reader? I talked myself into it finally when I made yet another trip to the bookstore and came home with a sack full of novels.

They are piling up around here, especially as I buy and read all the Presents each month. So a Kindle nicely stores all those paperbacks without the need for extra room. The books are taking over my house, and I still love them and want them and will buy them. And yet I can download the latest release *instantly* onto my Kindle.

It's a fabulous, fabulous device and I no sooner had it out of the box than I wondered where it'd been all my life. I quickly figured out how to operate it, and I downloaded some books to read. Unfortunately, I also downloaded a free fantasy novel for my hubby….

You can guess, can't you? He's engrossed in the book and I've lost my Kindle, at least for the time being. In all fairness to him, I have been working on the proposal to Book 4. But now that I've sent it to my editor, I would like to use my Kindle.

Ahem.

The other toy is a Roomba vacuum. I was skeptical, I admit. But the hubby did some research, read reviews, and told me we needed to buy one. I reluctantly went along with the plan. We purchased the Pet Series 532 — and I am in love. There's nothing like vacuuming your house while not actually operating the vacuum. This little guy knows what to do. He makes the circuit of the room, vacuuming his little heart out, and when he's nearly out of charge, he goes home to his base station and backs right in.

Now all I need is a robot to clean the rest of the house.

What about you — any new toys? Or toys you love and can't live without?

P.S. Tomorrow, I'll be guest blogging at Love is an Exploding Cigar!