Showing posts with label Daily Connoisseur homemaking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daily Connoisseur homemaking. Show all posts

10.21.2021

Enchanted Homemaking on an October Evening

6:53 AM 1 Comments

 



 Enchantment 
By Jennifer L. Scott 

 One October Evening, 
I steal outside to breathe. 
Release my swirling thoughts, 
Around my head they wreathe. 

Smell the midnight roses, 
And tinkle the wind chime. 
Regard the jasmine plant, 
I’m training it to climb. 

Crisp October evenings, 
I feel enchantment deep. 
Inspire me again, 
Infuse my dreams in sleep. 



Welcome back to the Daily Connoisseur. We had our first rain of the season today and the flowers returned in gorgeous bloom to celebrate. It’s earlier in the day now and I’m making a creamy tomato tortellini soup for lunch, but first I will lay the table. 

Enchantment is an original poem by Jennifer L. Scott. All rights reserved.
⚜️ What I'm Wearing
Lilysilk midnight blue blouse Daily15 for 15% off
Mott & Bow Jeans JLS10 for 10% off



 These everyday rituals…. I’ve done them a million times. Preparing the table never gets old to me. I like to choose the tablecloth and make it look well-dressed. Today I’d like to compliment the white lilies so I’m going with a cream cloth and the rattan placemats. 

Creamy Tomato Spinach Tortellini Soup

Creamy Tomato Spinach Tortellini Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 -3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 28 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 12 oz chopped spinach
  • 1 package (20oz) cheese tortellini
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  • handful of fresh basil leaves 

Instructions

  1. Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add the fresh rosemary and cook for one minute. Add the tomatoes, sauce, vegetable stock, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and basil. Simmer on low for 20 minutes. 
  2. Add the chopped spinach and tortellini and cook for 12 minutes, or until tortellini is fully cooked. Take off heat and mix in parmesan cheese. Serve with extra parmesan on top. Enjoy. 



And now to get started on the soup. I sauté one chopped onion in olive oil in my giant soup pot. I also add a sprig of rosemary to deepen the flavor. Once the onion is softened, I add chicken stock, diced tomatoes, tomato puree, and heavy cream and season this all with salt and pepper. I’m going to let that simmer on low for 20 minutes while I take care of the laundry. 




 I find that homemaking has so much to do with time management and optimizing every moment you have. It’s a choreographed dance, but once you get into the flow, it is enjoyable. I just can’t forget I’m cooking something on the stove! And now back to the soup. I’m going to chop a large bushel of spinach to add to the soup. Then I add the tortellini and some extra basil and let this cook for 12 more minutes. When it’s finished, I ladle the soup into bowls and top with parmesan cheese. This is being served with a deliciously robust flavored brown bread with Irish butter. Could there be a better fall luncheon? 




And now it’s time to put on my gloves. I have an ongoing project to scrub the baseboards. I usually start this time of year so that by Thanksgiving they look shiny and new. I find that using a magic eraser works best on the kitchen base boards, which tend to have grease and grime sticking to them. I soak the magic eraser in water and squeeze it out. If there is a lot of stuck-on grime, I add a bit of dish soap. This is one of those rather unpleasant tasks. Nowhere near as satisfying as laying the table. But I have a treat in store for myself after this, so I carry on scrubbing. 



Time to restore my senses to beauty once again. I found these flowers on sale at the grocery store. Technically they were the least desirable ones. But I plan to make an elegant bouquet of them nonetheless. I feel my vase with the eucalyptus first and dot in these beautiful purple flowers. They are called a wavy leaf sea lavender. Scientific name: Limonium sinuatum. This is a great flower for drying. When I used to visit my grandmother in Cambria, I always loved seeing this flower hanging from the rafters of the local shops. But it also lasts a long time in bouquets. I like to challenge myself to buy the flowers on sale and create an expensive looking bouquet. Mission accomplished! 




We are headed for the enchanted October evening, but first the kitchen must be put to right. I don’t have kitchen duty every night, it switches between my husband, myself, and the kids, but tonight is my night and I’m going to find the enchantment in it. I find it enjoyable to come downstairs after everyone is in bed, light a candle, and listen to an audiobook while I tidy up. Tonight, I’m listening to the sounds of cleaning and allowing my swirling thoughts to wreathe around my head. October is an enchanting month. The air is different. And the path to winter is now well established. 

Crisp October evenings, I feel enchantment deep. Inspire me again, Infuse my dreams in sleep. 

Thank you for joining me on The Daily Connoisseur. I hope this inspired you to find the enchantment in your everyday life, even in the most mundane tasks. Keep calm and remain classy and I’ll see you next time. 

Love, 

Jennifer

I hope you enjoy today's homemaking video. 


News

📍Jennifer is a guest on Homemaker Chic Podcast discussing manners for children.

📍Join us for the Chic Assignment for October

📍Jennifer is featured in Colorado Parent in an article on manners for children. 

📍*NEW* 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. 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. 



Comment of the Week

Eithne writes, "I liked what you said about not wanting to get rid of the laughter lines. Audrey Hepburn was once asked if she would like her wrinkles airbrushed out of a photo. She said ‘don’t you dare. I earned every one of those wrinkles’"

I love that story about Audrey Hepburn. I feel the same way. I've earned each and every laugh line. And they were created in joy! 


I hope you enjoyed today's homemaking video. I hope your homemaking is enchanted this month as well. See you on Saturday for The Chic Assignment Check-in. 


NEW* Join The Chic Society on YouTube and become a member of The Daily Connoisseur.


Visit my newly designed Author Website

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Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

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FTC: This post is not sponsored. I use affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links. Thank you for your support.  
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6.10.2021

10 Life-Changing Homemaking Secrets from Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management

5:49 AM 2 Comments


My homemaking series continues today as I share ten life-changing homemaking secrets from Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management. 




Mrs. Isabella Beeton’s 1861 guide on household management remains one of the must referenced and popular guides to managing a home over 160 years later. Here are my ten observations from her book that could provide life-changing homemaking inspiration for you. 




 


⚜️The “mistress of the house” or in our case “homemaker”, is like the "commander of an army. Her spirit will be seen through the whole establishment" (p. 1). If that is the case, what spirit do you see when you look at your home? 

⚜️The members of the household are “perpetually dependent” on the homemaker for the happiness, comfort, and well-being of the family (p.1). While that may seem daunting, it should give you a sense of purpose and raison d’être. 

 ⚜️"Early rising is one of the most essential qualities which enter into good household management" (p. 2). Getting up early is the “parent of health”. If the mistress of the house gets up early it is “almost certain that her house will be orderly and well-managed”. (It also says that if she gets up late, her servants will also become “sluggards”.) Most of us do not have live-in servants so maybe we can attribute this tip to the rest of our family. 

⚜️ Frugality and Economy are home virtues. Mrs. Beeton quotes a Dr. Johnson, who says, “Frugality may be termed the daughter of Prudence, the sister of Temperance, and the parent of Liberty. He that is extravagant will quickly become poor, and poverty will enforce dependence and invite corruption.” Mrs. Beeton believed that whether you are rich or poor, practicing frugality is a necessity. 

⚜️Good temper should be cultivated by the homemaker. The welfare of the household rests on the homemaker’s good temper. “Her influence can hardly be over-estimated, as it has the effect of moulding the characters of those around her, and of acting most beneficially on the happiness of the domestic circle. Every head of a household should strive to be cheerful.”  (p.5). This one convicted me. 

⚜️The dress of the homemaker should always be adapted to her circumstances. Ok, in Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management she’s literally talking about changing outfits for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We can’t relate to this Downton Abbey-esque wardrobe change life, but let’s look closer here at what she’s saying. She’s saying dress for the day, but dress appropriately. So, does that mean wear yoga pants all day long since you’ll be cleaning? Not necessarily. You can get dressed for the day in your cute day clothes that express your true style and still get a majority of your cleaning done if you wear an apron and gloves. If you’re going out in the garden to weed, for example, you probably won’t want to wear your nice clothing. Change your clothes for that. 

⚜️Keep a housekeeping account book (p. 9). Mrs. Beeton suggests that you write down every single expense you have throughout the day. This will be very helpful for those of us who are prone to overspending or who are trying to stay on a budget. This way “one month’s expenses may be contrasted with another”. Judge Haliburton said, “No man is rich whose expenditure exceeds his means, and no one is poor whose incomings exceed his outgoings.” 

⚜️Method and order are the keys for good housekeeping. On p. 27, it reads: “Order, again, is indispensable; for by it we wish to be understood that “there should be a place for everything, and everything in its place.” Method, too, is most necessary; for when the work is properly contrived, and each part arranged in regular succession, it will be done more quickly and more effectually. 

⚜️The daily duties of a housekeeper are regulated by the extent of the establishment she superintends (p. 29). In this instance, Mrs. Beeton is now discussing a paid housekeeper position, but we homemakers can apply this to ourselves. We should base our daily duties on what our home (our establishment) needs. Do you live in a large house that needs regular sweeping and vacuuming? Do you live in a small house that needs constant reevaluations of clutter and storage? What does your establishment need? 

⚜️Prepare in the evening for the next day’s duties (p. 31). A good homemaker “will often busy herself with the necessary preparations for the next day’s duties. Numberless small, but still important arrangements, will have to be made, so that everything may move smoothly.

⚜️ What I'm Wearing
Rungolee Louise blouse DailyC for free silk face mask
Lulu's Sebastian Trouser (these shrink, order a size up)
Earrings SKYE Theodora Jennifer20 for 20% off
Bracelet SKYE Laure Jennifer20 for 20% off
Nail polish Londontown Dragonfruit JenniferS for 25% off


I hope you enjoy today's video. 

News

📍Connoisseur Kids is now available in Poland and Vietnam.

📍Join us for The Chic Assignment for June  

📍*NEW* 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. 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. 

On Instagram

Madame Chic in Japan... 



Comment of the Week
Amber writes, "My heart leapt for joy when you said you're going on the Homemaker Chic podcast again! 🥰 Shaye and Angela are my absolute favorite podcasters and I regularly listen while cleaning around the house. You also happen to be my favorite guest on their podcast so I am excited to hear all three of you chat it up again! Listening to you on their podcast is actually what helped me discover your channel so cheers to that as well! Hope you have a great virtual visit with them again and thanks for all your wonderful content!"

Thank you, Amber! Our episode has already aired and you can find it here: Wait, This Job Needs a Uniform?

I hope you enjoyed today's life-changing homemaking secrets video. Let us know your favorite insights in the comments and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog. 

NEW* Join The Chic Society on YouTube and become a member of The Daily Connoisseur.


Visit my newly designed Author Website

Shop my Amazon page for a comprehensive list of my favorite things and mentions on the blog.

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my affordable eCourses on the POISE *NEW course*, debt-free living, and efficiency at home


FTC: This post is not sponsored.  I use affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links. Thank you for your support. 
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