Welcome to The Chic Assignment check-in for March, 2019. This is becoming my favorite series on the channel. I am enjoying doing these monthly assignments with you and you are giving me so many wonderful recommendations. I'm thrilled and I hope you are too.
In today's video, I'm sharing my own updates for the month of March, including a piano performance of the Chopin Nocturne at the end of the video.
Before we begin, however, I just wanted to thank all of you who have taken my new eCourse, How to be Efficient at Home. I am enjoying connecting with all of you on the Course. There is so much camaraderie and support in the comment section, it's truly been amazing! Here is a testimonial from Mya, who recently finished the course:
Hello Jennifer. I enrolled in your new E-course yesterday and watched it all the way through. I had intended to watch it over a 3 day period, but I couldn't stop watching it. I even took notes. I plan to watch this over and over for inspiration. I consider myself a life long learner and enjoy taking classes, but right now I am very busy with motherhood, homemaking,work, etc. So this was perfect! And the best part is I can watch it over and over. This is my favorite of your E courses. Thank you so much for taking your time to create this course!
Best,
Mya
Thank you, Mya! And thank you to everyone who has taken the course. I really do appreciate your support of my channel.
Let's move on to my findings on The Chic Assignment for March:
🎵 I hope you have enjoyed listening to the Chopin piece. I certainly have. I play it for you today and use the music from The Chopin Gold piano book, which has easy compositions of the pieces. I really recommend this for novice or uncertain piano players like myself :)
🧺 The next assignment was to spruce up your laundry routine. So many of you said that laundry was your favorite task. Many others said that they found the laundry to be overwhelming. Other shared their top laundry tips. This month I have involved my kids more in the folding of the laundry. I've also strived to do my laundry to completion on any given day. I also have hung up this sign in our laundry room. I don't know why... but this sign brings me serious joy when I walk in there!
If you are looking for YouTube inspiration, check out my friend, Nikki's, laundry video, which is so beautiful to watch.
🖼 Our Claude Monet assignment was so fun! So many of you told me you loved "The Lunch". My favorite is the Woman with a Parasol...
I give my interpretation of the painting in today's video.
👗 Finally, we have been getting our ten-item wardrobes ready for the change in season. If you haven't already seen my ten-item wardrobe video where I transition my wardrobe from winter to spring, you can check it out here.
My items from Garnet Hill arrived, the cork wedges (which are so comfortable... I love them!) and my two lightweight sweaters.
Also, for more ten-item wardrobe inspiration, check out my friend Robin's video on her spring ten-item wardrobe for 2019. She gives a wonderful example of how to make the ten-item wardrobe work.
Finally, the three books that I am reading this month are:
168 hours by Laura Vanderkam, A Most Novel Revenge by Ashley Weaver, and Mother Culture by Karen Andreola
News
📍 Take my new eCourse, How to be Efficient at Home. With over 2 hours of brand new videos, plus text, quizzes and a lively comment section, you will gain valuable insight on how to become more efficient at home.
📍I was a guest on Devoreaux Walton's The Modern Lady channel. Devoreaux and I discuss 6 ways to be feminine this spring. Check out the video here.
Comment of the Week
Katerina writes, I just cannot adequately tell you how much you’ve changed my life for the better. I am nearly 60 yrs young, and have always hated clothes shopping until 2 years ago when I was introduced to the concept of a capsule wardrobe and your 10-item wardrobe idea. Even my husband has gotten onboard in helping me because he knows what I’m looking for...not racks and racks of aimlessly endless colors and designs, but a navy/white stripped tee-shirt. The time I save!! I haven’t worn a dress in a very long time, but yesterday I wore one of the LandsEnd dresses that you’ve recommended with a navy cropped pullover sweater and heels. I got at least 6 compliments(!) and several friends saying “oh my gosh—you have legs!”. Thank you Jennifer.
Thank you for your wonderful testimonial, Katerina! I really enjoyed hearing how the books and channel have inspired you and changed your life for the better.
Thank you for joining us today. I would love to hear your Chic Assignment updates. Please leave them in the comment section below.
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16 comments:
Wonderful Jennifer! I enjoyed this Check-in and this series over all. Thank you for keeping us encouraged as we nourish our souls! xo Robin
Beautiful playing! I also studied piano for many years, through college actually, and playing the piano is something that I find to be such a great stress reliever! I love the Monet pictures. I checked a book of his pictures out of the library and enjoyed looking at them. Have you read "Linnea in Monet's Garden" by Christina Bjork to your children? It's a lovely book about a girl that visits Givenchy and has lots of facts about Monet woven in. I'm also reading the same mystery series as you and getting ready to start book 3. Thanks for the recommendation! Laundry gets easier when your children get older and take over their own laundry. :) Thanks so much for putting this video together; love the series!
Hello Jennifer,
I was at the library recently, and when looking for another book I passed the art section and remembered your chic assignment of looking at the works of Monet. I loved the woman with a parasol painting when I was young and that is really the only of his paintings I knew. So I pulled out one of the huge art books from the bottom shelf, sat right there on the floor in front of the shelf (since I have a back injury and it was too heavy for me to lift to a table! Fortunately the library wasn't busy and no one came that way) and looked through the paintings. I was transported. They were so beautiful. Thank you so much for this challenge that introduced me to more of his work!
Susan
Well done on the Chopin, Jennifer! I always say to my students, I don't expect all of you to become professional musicians, but I do hope you will all become life-long players.
I loved seeing the inside of Monet's house - I will have to investigate further! As for laundry, the thing that puts me off is if it is not orderly. It's similar to the kitchen, a clean kitchen makes me want to cook, a messy kitchen makes me feel overwhelmed.
I am re-reading the war-time diaries of Nella Last, what an inspiration.
Madeleine
PS I have emailed you a gorgeous link of Lang Lang playing my favourite Chopin Nocturne
I am really enjoying these assignments, SO much!
1. So thrilled to have found this piece by Chopin. Just ordered the piano book. When you said you were going to play for us, I was inspired to pull out my old piano book, and have re-learned 3 simple classical pieces! Next will be this Nocturne (but in C, not Eflat) I am so excited to be playing classical again... and am discovering what good practice it is on FOCUSING - this is training me to focus. THANK YOU!
2. I already don't mind laundry, and listen to taped sermons while I work, which feeds my soul! While I would LOVE to re-do my laundry room, (in particular, get rid of the double sink rescued from a trash pile), that's not a project I can do now, so I decided to splurge in scented laundry soap from Hiketron. (I'd bought the sample pack, and it came with a coupon for 1 free bottle with purchase of one. I like Mambo Man too!)
3. Found a Monet library book... my favorite is "Entrance to Village of Betheuil in Winter". I just love winter scenes, and looking at all the little cozy houses... the path leading down just pulls me into the painting where I want to explore. Who lives there? What are they doing?
4. Wardrobe... I need to take a couple things to the tailor including a skirt that needs a pocket. Also need new black ballet shoes and a couple print tops with blue in them to go with my navy skirts. I just ordered the lovely navy sweater from Garnet Hill, too. It's pricier than I usually buy, so this is an effort to start buying quality. So many of my clothes don't last long before they are out of shape, pilling, faded, etc, no matter how well I try to take care of them.
BOOK: "Behind Enemy Lines" by Marthe Cohn, fascinating true story of a French Jew spying in Germany during WWII. She's still living!
I also purchased several back issue of Victoria magazine to enjoy.
YOU ARE SO INSPIRING, my very favorite blogger!!
(this sure got long...I hope that's OK.)
Bonjour,
Merci pour cette belle et complète publication...
Gros bisous 🌸
Hi ladies,
Thank you so much for your comments. I love them and look forward to reading them. They are my favorite part of the blog! I am thrilled that you are enjoying The Chic Assignment. I am loving it too. What a wonderful movement and I love that we are all doing it together. Thank you, thank you!
Love,
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer -- fellow homeschooling mom here! I love it that you're reading "Mother Culture"; I follow the Charlotte Mason method and all the culture that it involves (composers, art, literature...) remind me of you. I'm curious to read this book too, though I live in England and it is a little hard to find. Tell us what you think about it when you're done!
Hi, Jennifer. I just bought and started to watch your new e-course on how to be efficient. I think, I already am quite an efficient person, but I have loved to watch your course so far and I can still get some ideas how to become even more efficient. Thank you for all the work you do, I always enjoy watching your videos and reading your blog! Last week I started rereading your Madame Chic books and especially love the second one. Thank you for your recital! Have a lovely rest of your week. Inga
Hi Jennifer,
You played that so beautifully! I considered trying to play it myself but the version I had in an old piano book was far too difficult for me. I love these chic assignments. It encourages me to do things I might not have consciously thought of doing. As for laundry, that’s not really a struggle for me but I switched to wool dryer balls after your review and I really love them. No more little dryer sheets turning up everywhere in sleeves, linens or on the floor. About Monet, he’s my absolute favorite artist. I don’t think I could really pick a favorite painting. I have several prints hanging in my house and also a couple of framed photographs that my daughter and I took when we were lucky enough to visit Giverny. Standing in his beautiful gardens felt like standing in one of his paintings. I have to admit that I haven’t worked on my spring wardrobe yet. Maybe today. Thank you so much for all your videos.
1. I first played the Chopin piece while my family was enjoying root beer floats. I've played it a few more times since then.
2. I just moved, so I'm settling into a new laundry room and routine.
3. I checked out a book on Monet at the library. The pictures were a little faded (I think it's 25 years old), but I liked that it had all of his paintings arranged in order. The saddest was when I turned a page and saw "Camille [his wife] on her death bed."
4. I have two new blouses for spring, and am hoping to add a couple more. My basic spring/summer wardrobe plan: 6 blouses, 4 capris/ankle pants, ballet flats, sandals, new purse, plus two special occasion dresses (for Sundays, concerts, and events).
[5.] Books: The first book I read this month I highly recommend to the Connoisseur/Chic community: Her Caprice, by Keira Dominguez. Set in London in the spring of 1812, shortly after the siege of Badajoz (part of the Napoleonic Wars), this sweet (and clean) romance has specific historical references (to the war, parliament, and the Prime Minister), and a touch of fantasy. The characters were likable and the dialogue was fabulous. I ended up reading it twice.
One of my favourite videos ever! Thank you, Jennifer.
I am currently reading 'Little Women' to my daughter and was excited to find that Victoria Magazine has an online book club with Little Women as the first book. I'm planning on using some of the discussion questions with my daughter (they might need a bit of adapting for an 11 year old).
https://www.victoriamag.com/book-selections/
I love these Chic assignments!!
Rosalie from Western Australia x
Love your books & inspiring blog. I am reading The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa & am enjoying it thoroughly. My husband & I spent a couple of years in Europe for his work, so I totally get the desire to live well. Thank you for putting it in writing.
First I must tell you...I was just listening to your video while working and somehow ended up seeing a KISS video with the audio to you playing Chopin. (No clue how.) It was crazy amazing and I highly recommend it! Haha!
I have to confess that I have not been very good about listening to the Chopin piece as often as recommended, but it is lovely. I really enjoyed your performance.
Laundry is the most ridiculous task in my house but I have learned to do it before work. I lay it all out on hangars, etc. Then my kids are responsible for their own stacks. When they are like, Mom! Where's my whatever... I simply say, put your stack away and your clothes will be easy to find. Now my stress is being relieved by doing this. My children are older than yours and definitely need to take on more responsibility.
Monet has been a favorite of mine since childhood. We had our home decorating with Monet prints during my high school years. Now as an adult I have seen his work exhibited several times in traveling collections. In Grand Rapids, MI I was blessed to have seen the Lilies. They took up the whole room and were magnificent! This month I have been loving “Garden at Saint Adresse”. I can almost feel the sun on my face when I look at it.
Slowly but surely I am working on putting together a spring wardrobe. While our weather is spaz here in Houston, it's hard to keep looking toward spring. Today I purchased a pair of sandals in white very similar to the cork ones you showed. It made me happy to see that!
I pretty much devour all historical fiction books I can get my hands on. So far I have read the Age of Light, The Huntress, and have begun Leave no Trace (should be finished this weekend but it is not historical fiction). I also began a new Bible study and am reading the Ragamuffin Gospel with my husband for that class.
I cannot wait for the next month's assignment!
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Jennifer, I just have to leave another comment!
My 2 very active GDs (3&5) wanted to hear me play the piano, which I have never done for them. So I played Chopin's Nocturne in e-flat major (which I JUST learned, thanks to you). I told them is was a soft, slow song (which they've probably never heard the likes before) As I played, slowly and dramatically, at first they were twirling to the music. Then, as I came to the trill and up to the end, they became so quiet behind me. When I finished and turned to look at them, the girls were absolutely mesmerized, eyes wide, almost holding their breathe waiting for that final note. It was amazing to see how it affected them! Wow. Three cheers for classical!
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