Welcome to the final video and blogpost for the year on The Daily Connoisseur. I wrote a Christmas poem called, The OWL, and had the vision to make it into an animated film. I do hope you enjoy it.
The Owl
On Christmas Eve I saw him,
The owl upon my ledge.
His yellow eyes they sharpened,
The stars inside them pledge.
To convey certain wisdom,
Of what I am not sure.
We both just stared with held breath,
A winter moment pure.
Mistletoe and rustling wind,
The owl called out to me.
“Peace is all there is,” he said.
Atop the sorrel tree.
Presently a star did fall,
The clouded moon was missed.
Unexpected snowfall came,
With snowflakes that I kissed.
Opening my eyes I saw,
The owl had flown away.
Returned he to his warm bed
Awaiting Christmas day.
Thank you to Ruhama Azfar Rubai for creating the animation and to Evan M. Gallagher for editing the film.
And thank you for your support this year on The Daily Connoisseur. This was the best year yet on the blog and YouTube channel and you are the ones who have made it special! I appreciate every video you watch, every comment you leave, and every time you share my work. Thank you.
I will be taking a break until January in order to spend time with my family this Christmas. I am wishing you a merry Christmas and a happy new year! See you soon!
📍Blogger has taken away the feature where you receive email notifications when I post. Because of this we are moving the blog to Wordpress in the new year. Please stay tuned.
📍Due to supply chain issues, the hardcover of Lessons from Madame Chic is not available until January. Kindle and Audible versions are still available.
📍The Ten-Item Wardrobe eCourse is newly updated and back online with all new video, text, and new lessons. If you have previously purchased the ten-item wardrobe eCourse, you can access all of the new changes for free.
📍If you are looking for more content, consider becoming a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. In The Chic Society, I publish one vodcast every Friday and do one livestream or zoom call once a month. It only costs $1.99 a month. There are also upper tiers available for people who are interested in supporting the channel on a higher level and receiving monthly mentions in the videos. *NEW* We now have a penpal program too!
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Thank you for joining me for The Daily Connoisseur season finale. I hope you have a merry Christmas and a happy new year! I am so excited for everything that is in store for us on The Daily Connoisseur in 2022.
With love,
Jennifer
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8. Housekeeping aint’ no joke On page 107 Hannah, the housekeeper declares, “Housekeeping ain’t no joke”. Do you want to see the note I wrote down when I read this? Here it is: HAHAHA TRUE! Long term, sustainable housekeeping is serious business. It’s hard. It never relents. There is so much truth in Hannah's observation. It's important for everyone in the household to grasp this funny, plain-spoken truth.
9. Housekeeping should not lay on the shoulders of only one person. “The comfort of all depends on each doing her share faithfully.” (p. 112 Chapter 11 Experiments) Whether you hire help, or have a family chore system, or both, the homemaker should be aided in housekeeping. It should never fall on one person's shoulders. Ashley Buffa, a member of the Chic Society has a Smart Kid Chore System, if you need help in this area.
10. We need to reframe our thoughts about hard work. “Work is a blessed solace” p. 156 In chapter 16, “Letters” , we learn that we should take comfort in our work. It gives us "solace". On page 150 the sentiment is reiterated as work is described as a “panacea for most afflictions”.
11. Don’t miss the homeliest tasks People who hire everything out miss the homeliest tasks (p. 220) This tip refers to people who hire everything out, including interior decorating. Unless the homemaker makes a conscious choice to put personal touches in the home, those homes are missing the beautifying “homeliest” tasks.
12. If homemaking isn’t done regularly, nothing else goes well. On page 236, Hannah shares further truths about homemaking. If we don't get it done regularly, everything is disturbed. That's why a scheduled routine that is consistently adhered to is so crucial to overall success.
13. Make the best of what you have (p. 237) This is a theme we explored often in the Little House books. We need to make the best of what we have until we can upgrade. That upgrade might never come... or take years to come. So we need to find contentment now.
14. A homemaker’s happiest kingdom is home (p. 358) Meg and John had a bit of a rocky start to their marriage and home life, but Meg comes to the conclusion that her home is the happiest kingdom and should be treated as such. We could all benefit from this very royal mindset.
15. A Homemaker’s Spirit lingers in the home (p. 389) Beth's spirit lingers on in the homemaking, proving that a homemaker's spirit remains in the home, long after they are gone. What legacy will you leave?
⚜️ The Chic Society Thank you to The Chic Society for bringing us today's video. The Chic Society is the private membership group I have on YouTube. Remember, subscribing is free to all, but joining The Chic Society gives you access to my exclusive members-only vodcast, which is published every Friday. I also do one livestream a month or do a Zoom call where we can all visit together. We even have a penpal program! Membership is only $1.99 a month. There are also two upper tiers who get recognition in a monthly video. You are seeing those upper tiers below:
📍Blogger has taken away the feature where you receive email notifications when I post. Because of this we are moving the blog to Wordpress in the new year. Please stay tuned.
📍Due to supply chain issues, the hardcover of Lessons from Madame Chic is not available until January. Kindle and Audible versions are still available.
📍The Ten-Item Wardrobe eCourse is newly updated and back online with all new video, text, and new lessons. If you have previously purchased the ten-item wardrobe eCourse, you can access all of the new changes for free.
📍If you are looking for more content, consider becoming a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. In The Chic Society, I publish one vodcast every Friday and do one livestream or zoom call once a month. It only costs $1.99 a month. There are also upper tiers available for people who are interested in supporting the channel on a higher level and receiving monthly mentions in the videos. *NEW* We now have a penpal program too!
Vienna B writes, "“How can I help you?”My oldest was going through a trying moment and I asked him that….he burst into tears. Sometimes, a true caring interaction is all we need to get us through."
Thank you for sharing that, Vienna. It makes sense because we love to hear people say that to us.
I hope you all found part 2 enjoyable. Thank you for watching! I would love to read your insights and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week!
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My homemaking series continues as I share 15 Life-Changing Homemaking Secrets from Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. This is part one, which will share tips 1 - 7. I hope you enjoy today's video.
Here are today's seven tips. Please watch the video to hear me expand on all these thoughts.
1. Peace provides a pleasant home atmosphere The March family knows that a peaceful home is paramount for a happy home life. (p.11)
2. Replace your “leave me alone look” with a “Can I help you?" look (p. 14)Now don't get me wrong... I'm not telling us to mask our emotions and serve our family all day long. But most of us can adjust our attitudes and replace some of the negative looks on our faces with more positive ones. (I'm writing this mainly for myself, ha!)
3. Homemakers need true “breaks”. Marmee admits she never enjoyed housekeeping (p.108!) and is looking forward to her day off. We need true breaks where we don't do any housework or homemaking at all. This is critical to refresh our spirit.
4. Sometimes homemaking needs fresh eyes. Laurie had a fleet of maids but his parlor was still unsuitable. Jo was able to come in with a new eye and quickly refresh the room before company came over. (p. 49) We can benefit from asking someone to help us refresh our home as they can approach it from a fresh perspective.
5. A humble home can feel rich with love. (p. 50) Laurie doesn’t have a mother and even though he is wealthier than Jo, he envies her home life because she does have a mother. This parallels The Secret Garden, where the affluent Mary Lenox envies Martha's (the maid’s) home life with their wonderful mother. A wonderful mother can make a home feel rich. (p. 57) Laurie took comfort in that “humble” home of theirs.
6. Homemakers need their own space in the home that is truly theirs On page 105 we are introduced to Marmee’s corner. Marmee had a corner that she went to every day and sometimes it was the only neat space in the house. All homemakers should have their own corner. Marmee’s corner was always neat and pleasant.
7. Perpetual idleness is detrimental to home life “All play and no work is as bad as all work and no play” In chapter 11, Experiments, the girls do an experiment of only having fun and no work while they are on vacation. They find that idleness is actually bad for them. “Lounging and larking doesn’t pay” p. 112
Stay tuned for Part 2 on Thursday where we will explore tips 8 - 15...
📍Have you always wanted to write a book? This writing class taught by my mentor, Alan Watt L.A. Writers' Lab, changed my life. I've mentioned it many times before. It's called The 90-Day Novel. Al is teaching it over zoom in the new year. Here is the description of the class: Join L.A. Writers' Lab's LIVE on Zoom 90-Day Novel workshop where bestselling author Alan Watt will guide you through the process of marrying the wildness of your imagination to the rigor of structure.
📍Blogger has taken away the feature where you receive email notifications when I post. Because of this we are moving the blog to Wordpress in the new year. Please stay tuned.
📍Due to supply chain issues, the hardcover of Lessons from Madame Chic is not available until January. Kindle and Audible versions are still available.
📍The Ten-Item Wardrobe eCourse is newly updated and back online with all new video, text, and new lessons. If you have previously purchased the ten-item wardrobe eCourse, you can access all of the new changes for free.
📍If you are looking for more content, consider becoming a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. In The Chic Society, I publish one vodcast every Friday and do one livestream or zoom call once a month. It only costs $1.99 a month. There are also upper tiers available for people who are interested in supporting the channel on a higher level and receiving monthly mentions in the videos. *NEW* We now have a penpal program too!
Aussie Connoisseur writes, "I loved your tip about getting inspiration from old films. I think one reason some people don't wear nice pyjamas is due to their budget. Particularly for women, that clothing budget has to stretch a long way due to the cost of quality undergarments. My solution is to have lovely things but have less of them, and take very good care of them."
That's the best solution! Thank you for sharing your observations.
I hope you enjoyed today's video. Be sure to stay tuned for part 2, where I share the rest of the homemaking wisdom from Little Women.
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Welcome to a new Intermittent Fasting What I Eat in a Day video that has a distinct holiday theme. As usual, I am sharing two days of meals. Intermittent fasting is not about what you eat, but when you eat. I do the 16:8 method, which means I fast for 16 hours and have an 8 hour eating window.
If you are interested in trying intermittent fasting, please consult your doctor first. This video and blog post are meant for entertainment purposes only and are not intended to give nutritional advice.
Please note: I have my first coffee at 7:00 a.m. each morning with around 2 teaspoons of heavy cream. When I was in my weight loss phase and wanted to lose weight, I had this coffee "black" with no cream. Now that I am no longer interested in losing weight, I have added cream back to my coffee in the morning.
Day One
Breakfast 9:00 a.m. For breakfast I had cottage cheese with flax seed, chia seed, blueberries, and walnuts.
Dinner 5:00 p.m. We're having miso-glazed black cod (from Costco) on top of sautéed spinach. There will be no eating after dinner... only water and perhaps an herbal tea.
Day 2
Breakfast 9:00 a.m. I'm having poached egg on avocado toast seasoned with salt and everything but the bagel seasoning along with a handful of blueberries. I'm breakfasting off the Spode Blue Italian dishes and having the rest of my morning coffee.
Luncheon 2:00 p.m. Today for lunch I'm having butter chicken over hot rice with a side of homemade creamed spinach and some garlic naan with melted butter. I ate 3/4 of this meal.
Teatime 2:00 p.m. Today I enjoyed homemade fudge (I won't leave the recipe as it didn't turn out too well...) along with the Ginger Digestion Elixir from Pique Tea DAILYC for 5% off.
Dinner 5:00 p.m. After a day of heavy meals, I wanted something light and small so for dinner tonight it's spinach quesadillas with Monterrey Jack cheese, homemade guacamole and a side of steamed corn. There will be no more eating after dinner... only water and perhaps an herbal tea.
Thank you to Skillshare for sponsoring today's video.
News
📍Have you always wanted to write a book? This writing class taught by my mentor, Alan Watt L.A. Writers' Lab, changed my life. I've mentioned it many times before. It's called The 90-Day Novel. Al is teaching it over zoom in the new year. Here is the description of the class: Join L.A. Writers' Lab's LIVE on Zoom 90-Day Novel workshop where bestselling author Alan Watt will guide you through the process of marrying the wildness of your imagination to the rigor of structure.
📍Blogger has taken away the feature where you receive email notifications when I post. Because of this we are moving the blog to Wordpress in the new year. Please stay tuned.
📍Due to supply chain issues, the hardcover of Lessons from Madame Chic is not available until January. Kindle and Audible versions are still available.
📍The Ten-Item Wardrobe eCourse is newly updated and back online with all new video, text, and new lessons. If you have previously purchased the ten-item wardrobe eCourse, you can access all of the new changes for free.
📍If you are looking for more content, consider becoming a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. In The Chic Society, I publish one vodcast every Friday and do one livestream or zoom call once a month. It only costs $1.99 a month. There are also upper tiers available for people who are interested in supporting the channel on a higher level and receiving monthly mentions in the videos. *NEW* We now have a penpal program too!
Cindy K. writes, "You inspired me last year to wrap my gifts with craft paper and oranges, etc. It is a beautiful idea and makes a stunning Christmas gift that smells delicious. I thank you for this wonderful idea and this year I have already dehydrated my oranges and limes. Wishing you and yours a lovely holiday season."
Hi Cindy, I'm so glad you embraced the brown paper packages tied up with string! I love wrapping presents this way and believe they make a beautiful gift presentation. Thank you!
I hope you enjoyed this new intermittent fasting what I eat in a day. I would love to know what a typical day of meals looks like for you! Let us know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog.
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