Usually when we discuss getting to a healthy weight, people focus on calorie reduction or cutting sugar, or following a specific diet. You might do what I do, which is intermittent fasting. All these methods can aid people in losing weight, but your overall lifestyle will ultimately determine the healthiness of your lifestyle and whether you will be able to maintain your healthy weight or not.
I'm sharing 5 ways living a formal life can keep you slim in today's video. 1. Living a formal life honors set mealtimes. When you live a more formal and structured life, you generally honor mealtimes. Breakfast, lunch, teatime (if you observe it) and dinner are seated affairs, usually at a nicely set table, whether by yourself or with others. When you set the table nicely and sit down at the appointed time, you are generally more present and conscious of what you are eating. The whole experience is structured and therefore more enjoyable. People who eat at irregular times everyday at their desk or in front of the tv or even while walking around the house are not going to be aware of what they are eating. Their eating experience will be an unconscious one. They won’t even know what or how much they are eating. The experience will be sloppy.
2. A Formal Life requires structure and there is less opportunity to snack out of boredom. It has generally been my experience that when I take part in mindless snacking, it’s because I’m stressed or bored… not because I’m actually hungry. When you live a formal life, you plan your day and have a structure around it. There is less opportunity to mindlessly snack.
3. When live a more formal life, dressing well becomes a priority and when you dress well, you are likely to notice weight gain as opposed to when you are wearing comfy elastic pajamas or sweat pants.
4. When you look good, you don’t want to mindlessly snack. We recently discussed the Goblin Mode phenomenon in a 3 articles on the subject of dress video. In Goblin Mode people just give up and let themselves go. When you have given up and don’t care about your appearance or your surroundings, of course you’re not going to care about what you eat or when you eat. In fact, the article referenced “downing Eggo toaster oven waffles with hot sauce over the sink because you can’t be bothered to put them on a plate.”
5. Formal Surroundings are Likely to Affect Your Behavior. Think about how you would act in a fancy restaurant vs. a casual one. There is a difference in behavior no matter how subtle. When your surroundings are more formal, you naturally become more self-aware- I think in a good way. Your posture improves, you become aware of how you’re dressed and how you present yourself. When the food is presented to you, you take it in. People purposely seek out fancy restaurants for special occasions for this reason.
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Kathleen writes, "Jennifer I love picnics and tea parties. This was a beautiful combination of both. My has your girls grown up to be lovely young ladies. Enjoy every moment with your family. Time goes by quickly. I’m 78 tomorrow. I enjoy tea parties with my daughters and granddaughters now ❤️"
Happy birthday, Kathleen! Thank you for your kind note.
I hope this video was thought-provoking. I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject. Have you found a correlation between maintaining a healthy weight and living a more formal life? Let us know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week.
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We’re enjoying a back yard picnic today celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Portmeirion’s iconic Botanic Garden collection. Won’t you join us? Welcome back to the Daily Connoisseur. Today I have an incredible treat for you… I am partnering with one of my all-time favorite dinnerware brands, Portmeirion, celebrating the 50th anniversary of their classic Botanic Garden collection. Portmeirion Botanic Garden dinnerware is made in England. You’ve seen me use their dishes in my videos for years. They are sturdy and durable, but my favorite part about Botanic Garden are their whimsical botanical designs.
Susan Williams-Ellis, who founded Portmeirion Pottery in 1960, with her husband Euan. Launched Botanic Garden in 1972 after becoming inspired by The Universal Herbal by Thomas Green. With 32 motifs in its first year and over 70 motifs in its lifetime, no two Botanic Garden collections are the same.
Let’s now delight in these special 50th anniversary designs: we have the double camelia (which is my personal favorite), honeysuckle, slender columbine, Barbados cottonflower, Flowered Chrysanthemum, and snowdrop crocus, which all have the prestigious back stamp displaying the 50th anniversary. Here’s what our dining room table looks like decked out in this beautiful spring Botanic Garden theme. But with the addition of the picnic hamper.. we are going to have an equally elegant experience al fresco. Let’s prepare the picnic food. I better start making the treats as the girls will be back soon for their surprise.
Let’s start off with cherry turnovers. My daughters love cherries as much as I do and these handheld pies are sure to delight them. I take one sheet of thawed puff pastry and divide it into quarters. In the center of each pastry, I place cherry pie filling. Then brush the edges with egg wash and fold into triangles. I seal the edges with a fork and brush the top with more egg wash. I cook these in the air fryer at 370 degrees for 8 minutes.
Tea sandwiches are a favorite of ours and so easy for a picnic. I start off by making smoked salmon and cucumber sandwiches. I spread some herbed cheese on the sandwich bread and place the smoked salmon and sliced cucumbers on top. I cut the crusts off and cut into triangles. For the roast beef sandwiches, I’m using a special chive cream cheese along with the roast beef. I also make more cucumber sandwiches with this spread.
I want to do a savory take on the cherry pies with this asparagus and cheese turnover. I prepare the puff pastry the same way I did for the cherries. This time I add herbed cheese and fresh asparagus. I fold into a triangle and press together to make little savory pies. These are also delicious stuffed with spinach too. I cook them in the air fryer in the same manner as the cherry turnovers. The girls are back just in time for the surprise, and they help me load the picnic hamper.
Time to lay down the blanket in our kitchen garden. To set the scene. We are enjoying homemade treats along with some French macarons, Portuguese custard tarts, and French Berry lemonade. Nothing beats the luxury of spending quality time, barefoot in the garden, with a special picnic.
Thank you to Portmeirion for bringing us today’s video. You can find them at portmeirion.com and I will leave their beautiful 50th anniversary picnic hamper 18-piece dinnerware set linked below. Keep calm and remain classy, everyone, and I will see you in my next video.
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I'm sharing the style strategy for my summer ten-item capsule wardrobe in today's video.
Welcome back to the Daily Connoisseur. Writing down your style strategy is a great way to solidify your efforts and keep you on track with expressing your true style. My four words for summer are:
Light
Airy
Nautical
Elegant
When curating my ten-item capsule wardrobe for summer, I am keeping these adjectives in mind. Let's have a look at some of the core items and extras for my summer capsule wardrobe. For a deeper discussion on each piece, make sure you check out today's video.
📍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 Channel Memberships. 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!
I’m sharing some major homemaking motivation in today’s video and encouraging you to get it all done… stylishly.
Welcome back to the Daily Connoisseur. Sometimes when we get into a rut as homemakers, we need some extra motivation to get back into it all. I find when I’m having these unmotivated feelings making what I’m doing stylish and beautiful seriously helps. We homemakers are visual creatures. We love beauty! It’s a natural want. Why else would we work tirelessly to make a lovely home or cook a mouth-watering meal? Because we want to live a beautiful life at home and life at home sets the scene for our lives in the big wide world.
I always start the day with dressing to express not only my style, but mood. Some days I feel a bit whimsical, some days more formal, today I feel like being fun and playful. I’m wearing the MerSea Breton slub tee and Mott and Bow skinny jeans (JLS10 for 10% off). This shirt just reminds me of adventure. Maybe because the red stripes remind me of the sea or pirates (haha). Homemakers… don’t forget your jewelry! You might not be seeing anyone all day, that doesn’t matter. If you’re like me, it’s noticing pretty nails, smelling the subtle scent of my perfume, the tinkling of my jewelry, and a whimsical watch that keeps me cheerful throughout the day. I’m playing with my jewelry today by layering the Dana Rebecca bar necklace with the Miranda Frye Gothic letter charm (Jennifer10 10% off) necklace. And of course, this whole look needs to be topped off with the homemaker’s pièce de résistance: the apron. Now I’m ready to work.
Time to make lunch. I’m going to whip up some steaks in the air fryer today. I’ve been low key loving my air fryer. I brush the steaks with olive oil and season them with steak seasoning and cook them in the preheated air fryer on the steak setting. I’m making some cheesy rice pilaf, steamed broccoli, and maple butternut squash to go with it. Isn’t homemaking like a fine dance? The effort it takes to cook a multifaceted meal for the whole family, even a basic one like this, requires coordination, a sense of adventure (for who knows how it will all turn out?) and an eye for style. I flip the steaks halfway through cooking and then allow them to rest on a cutting board while I go pick some flowers for the table.
I’m going to use this blue and taupe tablecloth for lunch today. Choosing and laying the tablecloth is always my favorite part. Then I venture into the garden to see what flowers are on offer. My very favorite rose, the double delight, is blooming magnificently right now so I decide to cut some blooms. While I’m there, the little boy from next door is chatting to me through the fence. What a pleasant surprise that was. He was telling me about the roses in his garden. He said they have pink and yellow roses. What a lovely moment to connect with another human being unexpectedly. The double delight rose has such an intoxicating scent. It was developed in 1977 and is a hybrid tea rose, made from the red and yellow “Granada” tea rose and the ivory “Garden Party” rose. What a thing of beauty. I’m setting the table with the square rattan place mats, and for a bit of contrast, these blue striped napkins. I’ve always liked the combination of stripes and florals. Portmeirion Botanic Garden drinking glasses round off the spring look of the table.
Time to cut the meat and plate the dishes. Some people ask if we serve dinner family style or if I plate every meal. I find with little ones, that it’s easier for me to plate their meal beforehand so generally I do that. My girls are old enough to use a steak knife but my boys aren’t, so I cut their steak into smaller pieces. I generally know how much they will eat so I plate the food accordingly. And now it’s time to enjoy lunch. My son thinks it's hilarious the camera is at the table. I do admit, it’s rather strange!
And now time for laundry. Does it ever end? The answer is no. No, it does not. But therein lies the secret: if you must do the laundry, make your routine a ritual. I like to listen to audiobooks when I’m folding the laundry. Today I’m in my daydreams. I make it a meditation. I get my senses involved. I dream up ideas and play them out in my head while folding the towels. Hey, it’s just another moment to dream… why not seize it?
The day is done. I like to take a nice hot bath in the evening and read a book while looking at the birds on the treetops. Then getting into my pajamas is a joy. You know I love stylish sleepwear. This is the Sunday Morning Silk pajama set (Daily15 15% off) in emerald green and my red velvet slippers. I need to do some planning (CONNOISSEUR10 10% off) for the week and I plan to journal a bit more as well. But first, a nice cup of herbal tea will help me wind down after a long day. The rituals of tea are so comforting aren’t they? The rolling boil from the kettle. The pouring of the water. The stirring in the cup. Ah, it’s magic. I go through my planner to see what’s coming up this week and write down a few things I need to do. I’m going to do some journaling too. Homemakers, take time to reflect at the end of the day. Write down your thoughts, your happiness, your sadness, your dreams, your struggles, your inspiration. Write it all down. Reflect on your day. Hopefully whatever happened, you enjoyed yourself and did it all with style.
Thanks to Pique for bringing us today’s video. Get 5% off + 2 FREE sampler packs (containing 6 of their best-selling teas One for you, one for a friend) with code DAILYC when you buy 2 or more boxes of fasting teas. Keep calm and remain classy, everyone, and I will see you in my next video. Love, Jennifer
📍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 Channel Memberships. 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!
Carolyn writes, "I so enjoyed reading the children’s poetry by Stevenson. My world here in northern Wisconsin is just now awakening to spring. Our little house is surrounded by trees which are alive with birds. All so busy building their nests and feeding their young. I shared on Facebook Stevenson’s poem, “Nest Eggs”, delightful and charming. By the way, one of our favorite authors, D. E. Stevenson, was a niece of Robert Louis."
Hi Carolyn, the description of your garden had me smiling. I just love observing the birds ♥️ Happy spring!
I hope you enjoyed today's video and that it provides homemaking inspiration for you. See you soon!
Love,
Jennifer
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