Last night I broke out my annual winter reading material : 

Meaning, they now reside on my nightstand instead of on the book shelf out in the living room.

Little House, Little Women, & Jane Eyre are my very favorite "lady" books to read when old winter

comes a' creepin on in... I also fancy the Charles Dickens.

I wanted to share some of the book's illustrations...aren't they enchanting?

After pulling my books out, I then attempted to organize my work space yet again. <- This is a weekly ritual of mine since I am a professional mess maker. : / When organizing the desks, I put aside this special little treasure the sweet Vivi sent me [among other goodies] a few months back.  I know exactly what I will do with these friendlies... stay tuned! 

 And this little "remember" book is a favorite keepsake of mine. Full of random jot-downs, I was so happy to come across it again last night...I somehow managed to put it away in a box that hardly gets open...well you're back my friend..and just wait, tons of randoms will be entered in you shortly. :)  * p.s. that recipe was taken off a program [I forget which one] from the Food Network...sooo yummy! But seasonal..best to wait till summer to try that one....

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Speaking of food:

I meant to blog about this a couple weeks ago. My girlfriend Angela got me this book as a belated birthday present. I LOOOVE IT! Aside from all the recipes that look so scrumptious to try, the photography is just as interesting and beautiful. You can pick one up for yourself HERE, and just starting at $11.40. Hot Dang!

But, Angela got this for me because I had mentioned wanting to do some canning with her...which I have only done with my mother growing up and didn't seem to absorb any of the process. This book, for me, takes away any of the high maintenance assumptions one might have about canning, making jams and chutneys. This holiday I am going to start with something simple and attempt the preserved lemons below. If you try it for yourself please tell me how it turned out! :)

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and on that note of trying something new: 

+ this was one of the fonts/designs I created for Uppercase when applying for their graphic designer/illustrator position. 

It has become a favorite of mine. :) +