I had spotted this lovely book, Chicken & Egg, in a boutique recently and went straight home and added it to my universal wish list on Amazon.

{The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving was on there, too...}
 As with most products I'm willing to pay money for, it was the appearance that first drew me in. This is an adorable book to look through. It is both memoir and cookbook.
 I think all cookbooks should be organized this way! The recipes are divided into seasons. This is perfection to me because my appetite is always changing with the seasons.
 Spring
{as in Extra-Creamy Scrambled Eggs over Buttermilk-Chive Biscuits}
 Summer
{as in Raspberry-Swirl Angel Cake with Crème Fraîche}
Beautiful pictures of chickens & eggs {are you picking up on a theme here?}
Fall
{as in Southwest Skillet Eggs over Tostadas}
And Winter
{as in Nutmeg-Coated Creamy French Toast. How long till winter? Kill me now.}
This book is packed with delicious looking recipes. And it's beautiful in my kitchen, which is, of course, most important.
The preserving book, not so much in the looks department, but also packed {PACKED} with recipes for canning!
I've got the urge to can something.

And not just plain old fruit jelly or green beans, I want to create a stock of all kinds of things. Green pepper jelly, fancy ketchups, peach salsa...
I think this was all inspired by all the new homesteading blogs {like this one here} I've been seeing online. I'd be beekeeping & raising chickens right now if I weren't in an urban neighborhood and worried my neighbors would call the city and report me as a nuisance.

This summer I plan to live more simply.

And by simply, I do NOT mean giving up my smart phone or computer.
No, no, no.
I just mean by canning my own food or making my own laundry detergent.

I'll let you know how my first canning recipe goes...