Berries in the snow:

Siamese Dried Porcini:

The cardinals that live in the trees outside my window:

Major snow:

My paperwhite:

The nutcracker ornament my grandmother sent me–very similar to my favorite ornament growing up, the one I *always* put on the tree:

Chef Yossi “Lotion de Chef,” an oil-free lotion designed for cooks. I got a package of CY stuff while I was still at [Magazine] last summer. I only opened it when my hands started cracking a couple weeks ago, and it actually is the first hand lotion I haven’t hated–since it’s oil-free, it doesn’t leave your hands slimy.

Finally, my Valentine’s present, a set of four demitasse cups, creamer and sugar bowl, all in Wedgwood Basalt. One day I will have a wall of silhouettes in a dining room, and in the middle I’ll hang a floating shelf and put the basalt-ware on it–like 3D silhouettes, how meta!