I hope that you are all enjoying the holiday season. In today's video, my older daughter and I play a duet for you: Il est né, a French Carol. This is such a pretty Christmas song.



I'm having so much fun playing with both of my daughters. The piano seems to always be playing in our house. The older I get, the more I realize that the specialness of holidays revolves around quality time with family. Practicing this duet with my daughter has been wonderful, quality time.

"Il est né, le divin Enfant" (English: He is born, the divine Child) is a traditional French Christmas carol, which was published for the first time in 1862 by R. Grosjean.

I hope today's video brings you joy.

Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you on Monday.

With love,

Jennifer

*NEW* The Daily Connoisseur mugs and tote bags make great novelty gifts

Visit my Author Website

Shop my favorite things

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my eCourse on the Ten-Item Wardrobe

Take my eCourse Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living

Sign up for my Seasonal Author Newsletter

FTC: This is not a sponsored post.

Today I'm sharing my at-home manicure routine with you and trying out Londontown's Gel Genius Base Coat and Top Coat. I also discover a new favorite neutral nail polish, Teatime.



I have found the Londontown shades to last a long time in general, but they are lasting longer with the gel genius base coat. I painted my nails with this Teatime shade and on the 9th day, I took off my polish. I could have actually worn it a few more days, but I wanted to paint them red for a holiday video I was shooting. I find that these polishes last on the nails between 10 days to two weeks.



For my at-home manicure routine, first I cut and file my nails. I like to keep them in a rounded square shape. Then I soak my hands in warm, soapy water for 5 minutes. I then massage in a nice cream. In this video I'm using Bend Soap Co.'s goat milk lotion (use code DC10 for 10% off your order). After the massage, I take nail polish remover and run it on each nail to remove any lotion residue. Then I paint on the base coat, color, and finally top coat.



Doing my nails with a baby in the house always feels like a stealth mission. He could wake up at any moment and I will need to pick him up, so I try to do this right after I've put him to sleep with the hope that I can get a good 20 minutes in to paint my nails and allow them to dry. Who can relate?

Londontown has been so generous with The Daily Connoisseur audience. Use code JenniferS for 25% off your order.

I hope you enjoyed my at-home manicure routine in today's video.

News
📍Check out my two courses, Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living and Create Your Own Ten-Item Wardrobe.

📍Visit my Teespring store to buy Daily Connoisseur mugs and tote bags... perfect presents for fans of The Daily Connoisseur blog.

On Instagram
Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic and a cup of tea...

View this post on Instagram

Cultivate the quiet power of poise. #jenniferlscott #madamechic e una buona tazza di #kusmitea

A post shared by Deborah Vianello (@deborahmartinavianello) on Mar 4, 2018 at 8:35am PST

If you would like your Instagram account to be featured on this blog, take a picture of one of your Madame Chic books and use any of the following hashtags: #madamechic #jenniferlscott #dailyconnoisseur

Comment of the Week
On Monday's What I Look Like at the End of the Day video, you know I had to choose Mr. Connoisseur's comment as comment of the week. He said, "Look fine to me." He is a man of few words. :) Thanks, Ben!

Truthfully, thank you to all of you who commented on Monday's video. I received so many meaningful comments. Thank you. Thank you.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my at-home manicure routine. Let me know if you like to do your nails at home and what your routine is. Your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog. See you tomorrow for a special piano performance!


*NEW* The Daily Connoisseur mugs and tote bags make great novelty gifts

Visit my Author Website

Shop my favorite things

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my eCourse on the Ten-Item Wardrobe

Take my eCourse Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living

Sign up for my Seasonal Author Newsletter

FTC: This is not a sponsored post. Links may be affiliate.

I recently posted a rare selfie on Instagram at the end of a long day.

View this post on Instagram

What I look like after a loooong day. Messy hair and all. #reallife #momof4 #messyhair #cutestbabyever #dailyconnoisseur #madamechic

A post shared by Jennifer L. Scott (@dailyconnoisseur) on Dec 1, 2018 at 6:29pm PST

I was trying to capture the glory of my messy hair but it wasn't showing up in the photo. I still had to clean the kitchen and (naturally) the baby did not want to go to sleep, so I decided to film a real night-in-the-life video for you.



People on YouTube and Instagram paint such a perfect picture most of the time. I want to show you what I tend to look like after a long day with four kids.

Yes, I'm very tired and yes, the work seems to never end. But every single second is worth it. I find that contentment is all about my attitude and perspective.

Featured in the video

The cloths I'm using to clean the kitchen are e-cloths. I reviewed them on Natural Home with Jennifer this past weekend. (Use code JENNIFERGIFT for 25% off- valid until December 15th).

The book I'm listening to on Audible is Postern of Fate by Agatha Christie. I love the Tommy and Tuppence series...

On my nails: Vendetta by Londontown (Code JenniferS gives 25% off)

I hope that today's video speaks to someone who is feeling overwhelmed and needs some encouragement.

News
📍Lessons from Madame Chic is now available in Mongolia from publisher, Monsudar.

📍Check out my two courses, Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living and Create Your Own Ten-Item Wardrobe.

📍Visit my Teespring store to buy Daily Connoisseur mugs and tote bags... perfect presents for fans of The Daily Connoisseur blog.

On Instagram
Lessons from Madame Chic in Japan...

View this post on Instagram

. ずっと読みたかったやつやっと借りれた🇫🇷👏 大学遠くて毎日嫌になるけど、そのお陰で本が大嫌いだった自分に読書する時間ができたからやっぱり良かったんだなと思おう📚✨ . #フランス人は10着しか服を持たない #ジェニファーlスコット #jenniferlscott#lessonsfrommadamechic #reading#a#book#readingnight#goodnight

A post shared by 𓇼 Yukari Kobayashi 𓇼 (@yukary530) on Sep 5, 2017 at 8:39am PDT

Comment of the Week
Regarding my review of Bend Soap natural deodorant on YouTube, Janet writes, "Thank you so much for this review. I am allergic to baking soda and want to use a natural deodorant and I was so happy when you mentioned I can get one without it. I just love your videos and want you to know what a wonderful effect you are having on young women. Thank you for all your hard work. You have a lovely family."

Hi Janet, I'm so happy the review was helpful to you. Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate them!


I would love to hear from you. What do you look like after a long day? How do you cope with your heavy load of responsibilities? Are you in a season of life with young children? Let me know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week.

*NEW* The Daily Connoisseur mugs and tote bags make great novelty gifts

Visit my Author Website

Shop my favorite things

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my eCourse on the Ten-Item Wardrobe

Take my eCourse Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living

Sign up for my Seasonal Author Newsletter

In today's special Saturday edition of Natural Home with Jennifer, I'm cleaning with water. Yes, water! It doesn't get more natural than that.



I'm using e-cloths today to explore this new trend of using high-quality microfiber cloths and water to clean the home. I had always heard of this method of cleaning but have generally been skeptical. How on earth can cleaning with only water actually disinfect surfaces?





Here is the explanation from e-cloth's website:
The tendency of water to grab and hold small particles is among the most powerful forces in nature. It's the force that forms every raindrop and snowflake – and it’s the all-natural “active ingredient” in every E-Cloth product. Each of our precision-engineered microfiber textiles is designed to unlock this amazing power of water to perform specific cleaning tasks.



How does e-cloth work?
Run the General Purpose Cloth under the tap and then wring it out. This “charges” the cloth by filling the microscopic voids between and within the cloth’s fibers with water. When you draw the cloth across a dirty surface, those water molecules attract and stick to particles of dirt, grease, grime, even bacteria and mold, pulling the particles into the voids and trapping them there. Rinsing the cloth with warm or hot water, or running it through a machine wash cycle, releases the trapped particles and refreshes the cloth.



In today's video, I try out the general purpose cloth, as well as the glass and polishing cloth. I was pretty amazed with how well the glass and polishing cloth provided a streak-free clean for my mirrors and windows. The general purpose cloth made our bathroom countertops shine. I'm really impressed with this line.



For those of you who are looking for an ultra-natural solution to effectively cleaning your home, e-cloth would be great for you. The e-cloths last through 300 washes, making them very cost-effective. They wash and hold together really well. Do not use fabric softener when washing your cloths.

e-cloth have given us a discount code, use code JENNIFERGIFT for 25% off your order (valid until December 15, 2018).

Thank you to e-cloth for sending me these cloths to review. I hope you enjoy today's video.




*NEW* The Daily Connoisseur mugs and tote bags make great novelty gifts

Visit my Author Website

Shop my favorite things

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my eCourse on the Ten-Item Wardrobe

Take my eCourse Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living

Sign up for my Seasonal Author Newsletter

FTC: This is not a sponsored post. Links are affiliate. Thank you to e-cloth for sending the cloths to review.

On today's episode of The Clueless Gardeners, we visit my sister and her family to pick avocados.



Now, you'll notice that these avocados look spectacular. They are large and juicy, and I just want to reassure you that we (The Clueless Gardeners) had nothing to do with growing these amazing specimens. (We are clueless after all.)



My sister and brother-in-law were fortunate to inherit these beautiful trees when they purchased their home recently. We all sure had fun picking the avocados and enjoying time together. I hope you also enjoy today's video.

Now as for this picture of Mr. Connoisseur and me...



Would you say we're more Green Acres?



or American Gothic?



What say you?

View this post on Instagram

The Clueless Gardeners pick avocados #americangothic #dailyconnoisseur #mrconnoisseur #cluelessgardeners

A post shared by Jennifer L. Scott (@dailyconnoisseur) on Nov 22, 2018 at 4:42pm PST

Thank you for joining us today... See you soon!

*NEW* The Daily Connoisseur mugs and tote bags make great novelty gifts

Visit my Author Website

Shop my favorite things

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my eCourse on the Ten-Item Wardrobe

Take my eCourse Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living

Sign up for my Seasonal Author Newsletter

FTC: This is not a sponsored post. Links may be affiliate.

Let's talk about a conundrum that plagues many married couples... sleep. OK, not necessarily sleep, per se, but the conditions of the room in which you sleep. Mr. Connoisseur is from England and is used to colder weather. We live in California, so let me just put it this way... he's ALWAYS hot.

I'm from California and I don't find it to be that hot. At night I'm ALWAYS cold. This is a problem, because he likes to blast the air conditioning and fans in order to cool down.



So when the lovely people from Save & Soft emailed me to see if I'd like to review their new memory foam cooling gel pillow, I had one person in mind: Mr. Connoisseur! What was this mysterious cooling gel? I was interested to try it too because I've been having some neck and back issues... mainly sciatica, which took me by surprise last March.



We've had fun trying out these glorious pillows. I really like the memory foam aspect of them. They truly are so comfortable and the foam technology forms to cradle your neck and head in a custom way. They have a cooling gel that is geared toward people who experience hot flashes or can't seem to cool down at night (ahem, Ben).



Because I get cold at night, I prefer the pillows without the cooling gel, but Ben thinks these are the perfect pillows and says they definitely cool him down. (He makes an appearance in my video and will tell you all about it.)

The pillows are hypoallergenic, dust-mite resistant, phthalate-free, BPA-free, and lead-free. I have both the pillows with the cooling gel as well as without the cooling gel listed here. Save & Soft have given us a 15% off discount on the pillows.

I hope today's review helps many of you.



News
📍Lessons from Madame Chic is now available in Mongolia from publisher, Monsudar.

📍I'm working on an exciting eCourse for the new year, in the meantime, check out my two courses, Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living and Create Your Own Ten-Item Wardrobe.

📍Visit my Teespring store to buy Daily Connoisseur mugs and tote bags... perfect presents for fans of The Daily Connoisseur blog.

On Instagram
Madame Chic in Beijing...

View this post on Instagram

Just finished reading this lovely 📖……#lessonsfrommadamechic #readingbooks #readingislife #onebookaweek #keeplearningandgrowing #funtime #readingathome #beijinglife #trustthejourney❤️#loveandpray #lovelife

A post shared by Aimee艾 (@aimeeidp) on Jun 29, 2016 at 6:46pm PDT

Comment of the Week
On Monday's Decorating for Christmas video, Deborah writes, "Jennifer, I am enjoying your blogs. Yours is the only blog I follow except "how Jen does it" which is inspiring and I intend to try some of her ideas and recipes (thank you for that link). But you are relaxing, a gift I enjoy opening each time you post. So "do-able. So many values that I strive for. Your books - I have them all.
Just wanted to say thank you, please don't ever get discouraged. And by the way, your new tree topper is gorgeous. Looks like the one my MIL gave me years ago - is yours real silver glitter like mine? I set mine on a small wreath of pinecones and sparkly berries on my dining table.
Wish we were neighbors.
God bless you"

Dear Deborah, thank you for your kind and encouraging comment. I appreciate it so much. I wish we were neighbors too! We could enjoy a cup of tea together :)

I hope you enjoyed today's video. Do you suffer from sciatica or have neck and back issues? Do you get hot or cold at night? Do you use a memory foam pillow? I would love to hear from you. See you tomorrow for a special episode of The Clueless Gardeners.



*NEW* The Daily Connoisseur mugs and tote bags make great novelty gifts

Visit my Author Website

Shop my favorite things

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my eCourse on the Ten-Item Wardrobe

Take my eCourse Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living

Sign up for my Seasonal Author Newsletter

FTC: Thank you to Save & Soft for sending us the pillows and sponsoring today's video. All opinions are genuine and our own. Links are affiliate.

Decorate along with my family today for Christmas.

The best part about holiday decorating is how excited the children get. We like to turn on the music, bust out the candy canes and get decorating.



We start out strong with everyone pitching in...


...and then, of course, the help dwindles away and it's just me putting up our decorations... but I don't mind.


I love bringing out our treasures this time of year. The floral Christmas wreath I made from last year is still holding up...


We aren't attending The Nutcracker ballet like we normally do this year because of baby boy, so I'm really enjoying these Clara and Nutcracker decorations, which remind me of that wonderful Christmas ballet...


We made our homemade dried citrus ornaments again this year. To make them, thinly slice your favorite citrus. Place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and bake on 200 degrees F for 4 to 6 hours. Hang with hooks or ribbon.


I love decorating with pomegranates this time of year, whether real or faux...


I purchased this beautiful Kay Burkhart Santa from a shop in Santa Monica several years ago.


This was the snowball hydrangea candelabrum I featured in my table decorating video...


We had a great time decorating the house this year. I hope you enjoy today's video.

News
📍Lessons from Madame Chic is now available in Mongolia from publisher, Monsudar.

📍I'm working on an exciting eCourse for the new year, in the meantime, check out my two courses, Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living and Create Your Own Ten-Item Wardrobe.

📍Visit my Teespring store to buy Daily Connoisseur mugs and tote bags... perfect presents for fans of The Daily Connoisseur blog. Here is my Teatime with Jennifer mug, which I shared on Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

#TeatimeWithJennifer mugs and tote bags make great stocking stuffers for fans of The Daily Connoisseur ❄️ Link in my bio ❄️ #dailyconnoisseur #stockingstuffers #teatimewithjennifer #thedailyconnoisseur #MADAMECHIC #bloglovers #coffeemug

A post shared by Jennifer L. Scott (@dailyconnoisseur) on Dec 1, 2018 at 11:47am PST

On Instagram
Lessons from Madame Chic in Mongolia...

View this post on Instagram

Lessons from Madame Chic in Mongolian from publisher Monsudar ❤️ #lessonsfrommadamechic #MADAMECHIC #madamechicinMongolia #jenniferlscott #monsudar

A post shared by Jennifer L. Scott (@dailyconnoisseur) on Nov 28, 2018 at 9:48am PST

Comment of the Week
Today's comment is actually a letter I received through my author website. Maria from Poland writes, "Hi Jennifer, I would like to send you greetings and words of thanks from Poland. I have read your first published book Lessons from Madame Chic some 5 years ago and have followed your vlog and next projects ever since. I have watched numerous vlogs, but yours is the only one that sunk in to my weekly routine. I think I have probably watched your every episode and I am always happy to see your new posts. The reasons I have found your books and vlog special are numerous. First, you analyze and put into simple words habits and style that I have seen, but it was difficult to put into practice myself. I see many characteristics of your Paris host madame Chic in for example my grandmother, but while I admired her greatly I could never really measure up and thanks to your books and observations I was able to understand what what makes a person stylish and confident and how to maintain a home that is always orderly. I also enjoy seeing a little sneak a peek to an American-British lifestyle and get reassurance from seeing more people sharing the values of faith and among others commitment to natural products. Keep up what you're doing and thank you again for being an inspiration. Maria"



Maria, your letter gave me so much encouragement. It's wonderful to know that my work reaches across the world in such a positive way. I'm wishing you a very happy holiday season!

I hope you enjoyed today's video. I would love to know your holiday decorating style. Are you modern? Traditional? Classic? Does the family help you decorate? Or do you go solo? Let us know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog. See you on Thursday for a pillow review and a marriage conundrum!

*NEW* The Daily Connoisseur mugs and tote bags make great novelty gifts

Visit my Author Website

Shop my favorite things

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my eCourse on the Ten-Item Wardrobe

Take my eCourse Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living

Sign up for my Seasonal Author Newsletter

FTC: This is not a sponsored post. Links may be affiliate.

Today, I'm sharing a crowd-pleasing, highly tasty dish: the taco casserole. I initially saw this recipe on Mickey from My Bashful Life's channel. I altered the recipe a bit to suit my family's taste.



My children and husband love this casserole. It's like a deconstructed nacho or taco dish. The addition of olive and fresh tomatoes on top make it really lovely. Here is the printable recipe for you:




I hope you enjoy today's video.

Thank you for joining me today and I hope you have a lovely weekend. I'll see you on Monday for a decorate with me video.


*NEW* The Daily Connoisseur mugs and tote bags make great novelty gifts

Visit my Author Website

Shop my favorite things

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my eCourse on the Ten-Item Wardrobe

Take my eCourse Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living

Sign up for my Seasonal Author Newsletter

FTC: This is not a sponsored post. Links may be affiliate.