...a few books I will be checking the library for.

Embracing Joy in the Moment

Gorgeous white snow! We have it here in Tennessee! I can't remember seeing such a beautiful white snow! Savannah was out of school yesterday because of the coming storm and we have been in all day today. We have had anywhere from 4-6" in places. DH went to work both days and actually had two good days. When people have those tax refunds in hand, they are dying to spend it. God is good.

We have had roaring fires each night and there is something so comforting and calming seeing the snow all aglow outside and the light of the fire in the fireplace the only light. The pups absolutely love the heat from the fire and are in heaven. Time seems to slow in front of a blazing fire. DH is proud of the fires he builds.

I was looking out the kitchen window this afternoon and saw my next door neighbor with her sled. She was getting on her stomach and sledding down the hill on her driveway. Lila is probably in her 60's. I love it! This snow brings out the child in all of us. Lila was embracing joy in the moment. One sled was enough for her and she carefully made her way inside. It was a priceless gift seeing her sled. She thinks Brees, her English sheep dog, was the only one who saw her. I wonder if she will tell her two sons, her granddaughter or husband who was probably inside watching t.v. and had no clue she was outside except to let Brees out. Lila made a memory today for herself and gave me a smile.

RIP J.D. Salinger

Waiting on Snow

photo- National Weather Service

Most Anticipated Release

The Weed That Strings The Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley   Arriving March 9, 2010

Best Friends & Cute Boys

Another Book Wish

THOMAS FROGNALL DIBDIN 1776-1847: A BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Windle, John and Karma Pippin.

First edition. This is the definitive bibliography of one of the most influential figures in the annals of 19th-century book collecting. Dibdin was the self-proclaimed "father of bibliomania" and founder of the legendary Roxburghe Club. With his great love for books, he visited and studied the foremost collections in Great Britain and Europe. Dibdin's writings give today's collectors a unique window into early 19th-century collecting. Dibdin's books have appealed to many of the greatest of English and American collectors, especially inspiring the giants of 19th-century collecting to high levels of enthusiasm for early books and manuscripts. If it were not for this interest, many of these works would not have been saved and preserved, and the world of book collecting would certainly be different today. The most lavish of Dibdin's works, THE BIBLIOGRAPHICAL DECAMERON, marked the "highwater mark of Dibdin bibliomania," stated William A. Jackson, author of THOMAS FROGNALL DIBDIN, AN ANNOTATED LIST. However, one of Dibdin's most extraordinary achievements may have been THE LIBRARY COMPANION as "history's most voluminous exponent of footnote-authorship as a literary genre in itself," as described by Renato Rabaiotti in HORAE BIBLIOGRAPHICAE CANTABRIGIENSES. Today, this work is still endearing to Dibdin's devotees for its irrepressible flow of idiosyncratic and obscure anecdotes - that is, at least for those who are not bothered by Dibdin's bibliographical inaccuracies. And yet, these inaccuracies have become irrelevant for many 20th-century collectors in the desire to collect Dibdin's works. A growing interest in books by Dibdin has reached levels where collectors need to know if copies under consideration are complete. This new bibliography will inspire new collectors to begin collecting, intermediate collectors to improve their holdings, and advanced collectors, librarians, and book specialists to review and expand their collections as they will feel necessary. $85.00

The "Father of Bibiomania" with the greatest name...Thomas Frognall Dibdin. Don't you love it?! He is someone I would have LOVED to sit down and have a cup of tea and a chat with!

Book Wish List

Hmmmm....I wonder if DH could get these at the Furniture store for me....

Winter Art

Pieter Brueghel

A Couple of Cuties

A Case for Books

In love with this wallpaper you can find at Anthropologie....just don't know where I would put it. DH would say I already have this look everywhere.

Note to self:  Need more book cases!!

Lip Therapy

I love Carmex lip balm. You know how I am with perfumes. Well, Carmex is like the ultimate lip perfume. I love, love, love the smell of Carmex. I have been buying and using Carmex for as long as I have been getting an allowance. Years ago it was just under a dollar and now it is just over a dollar. There is that thrill when you are at the check out counter at the drugstore and you spot it for sale next to the cash register. Am I running low?  The packaging has changed slightly. It used to come in the same round container but it was a ceramic or pottery/glass. It had a nice weight to it. Perfect for launching at unwanted attentions. You could always find it at the bottom of your purse when you gave it a good shake. Today the container is a lighter plastic but has the same yellow vaseline like balm, waiting for that ring finger to go round and round and round.

Carmex was always something that all my girlfriends carried. Before a Southern girl graduated to the lovely red lipstick of a Southern lady, Carmex was practice. Lip smackers was first, graduate to Carmex and then Revlon's 'Cherries in the Snow'.

I keep a Carmex in my bed side table drawer. I find the bright yellow container quickly, untwist the top, inhale, swirl and "apply freely" as the lid directs. Aaaah!

Treasuring the Little Things

Every night before bed I fix Savannah's lunch for the next day. I have fixed her lunch every day almost six years straight. Sometimes when I am putting the mayonnaise on the bread or putting her grapes in a baggie,
I think of my mother doing the same thing for me all those years ago.

In high school my mom made my lunch for me every day too. Was she thinking the same thing as I am? Was she thinking of my future just like I think of Savannah's? All these years later, I now know of all the love, prayers and thoughts that went into making those lunches. She would pick out the yummiest rolls or bread to put my sandwich meat on. I always knew there was something special in that bag.  Most of the time it was just good food, but sometimes she would tuck in a note. A few times my lunch was stolen out of my locker and my mom ended up buying me lunch bags with my name printed in green (my favorite color) all over the sacks.

Little things mean a lot. I know that I was treasured and I felt it. I hope Savannah will look back and feel treasured too. I am going to miss making those lunches.

Dreaming of Marrakech

La Sultana hotel looks like a place where dreams are made of! It is a touch of 'Arabian Nights' meets Omar Sharif. The attention to all the small details make me swoon! Can't you just smell the spices hear the porters and the tinkling of little bells outside your shutters?



photos-a bloomsbury life

Happy Birthday to My Prince Today!