Welcome to The Chic Assignment for February, 2020.



In this first Chic Assignment of the year, we are focusing on romance. I have chosen one of my all-time favorite (and most romantic, may I add) classical music pieces, we are studying beautiful impressionistic artwork, and striving to improve our everyday lives.

⚜️ Chic Assignment no. 1 Tomaso Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor. I have raved about this piece many times on the channel, but we have never actually studied it for a Chic Assignment. What a better time than now to dive into the deeply romantic Adagio in G Minor. This performance by HAUSER has over 45 million views, and for good reason! Enjoy this show-stopping performance with your family this month.



We will learn more about Albinoni in the check-in later in the month.

⚜️ Chic Assignment no. 2 Enjoy the works of Edgar Degas. Degas is one of the most famous French painters of the Impressionistic period. His ballerinas are at once dynamic and romantic.


The Star, 1878 by Degas Image from Edgar-Degas.net

You can see Degas' complete works here.

If you would like to buy a canvas print of Degas' works, you can find a great selection here.

Here are some interesting books on Degas: Degas: A Passion for Perfection , Degas: His Life and Works in 500 Images.

⚜️Chic Assignment no. 3 Intentional downtime. Notice how you spend your downtime this month. If you have a few minutes to yourself, do you inevitably reach for your phone? Do you spend it mindlessly surfing the internet? If you would like to get more intentional about your downtime this month, join me in noticing your downtime patterns and perhaps changing them.

⚜️ Chic Assignment no. 4 Do something romantic this month. This does not have to involve a significant other. You can place a pretty bouquet by your bed, read poetry by the fireplace, or enjoy a cup of tea in a bubble bath as some examples. Add some romance into your daily life this month and notice the benefits.


I hope you enjoy today's video and this month's assignments. Be sure to check in with your findings and you could be mentioned in The Chic Assignment check-in later in the month. Share this with your friends and tag me on social media with the hashtag #TheChicAssignment

See you on Monday!

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Today's Teatime with Jennifer discusses a very important subject in our modern society: refusing to be dumbed-down.



"Dumbing down is the deliberate oversimplification of intellectual content in education, literature, and cinema, news, video games and culture."

Today's video focuses on how we can detox from popular culture like television, sports and music and the impact that our conscious choices make in our life. I'm bringing on my husband, Ben, as a special guest. We have a lot to say on the subject. I hope you join us for today's Teatime discussion and contribute with your point of view in the comment section. (Your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog!)

Mentioned in today's video: The New York Times article which shares that the average American adult watches more than 5 hours of television a day.

Also mentioned in today's video, 10 benefits to listening to classical music. I mention my song of the summer, Adagio by Albinoni. Check out this rendition by cellist, Hauser, on YouTube. It gives me hope that this performance has seen over 15 million views.

I love listening to books on Audible.com Audible is a subscription service that gives you access to the world's best audio books. Did you know The Madame Chic books are on audible.com?

Right now I'm listening to Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick. I highly recommend this book!

I hope you enjoy the discussion in today's video. Please let us know what you think about all of the topics discussed. I love to hear from you.

News
Lessons from Madame Chic is now available in Mongolia! Thank you to the Mongolian readers who have shared picture of their book on social media.



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For more of The Daily Connoisseur, take my eCourses, Creating Your Own Ten-Item Wardrobe and Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living.

On the Ten-Item Wardrobe eCourse, Terri writes, "Jennifer, thank you so much for this course. Your books and vlog have improved my life in so many ways! I'm struggling to create my Ten-Item Wardrobe but with your help I've cleaned out my closet and discovered my personal style."

Terri, I loved reading your testimonial. Please update us and let us know how your ten-item wardrobe is coming along.

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The newly released Lessons from Madame Chic in Thailand from We Learn...

A post shared by @praenara on Aug 1, 2018 at 8:27am PDT

Comment of the Week
Regarding last week's Mapp and Lucia book club, Josephine writes, "Thank you for recommending these books. I thought the books were very entertaining and thought provoking about psychology of human behavior and nature. Personally I loved the character of Miss Mapp because she was clever in practical ways. Lucia was more polished socially but her vanity was off putting to me. I also enjoyed your commentary. I think you have brought up a good point when you mentioned when Lucia was upset she turned to practicing piano. I took it a little bit further and thought of our children how it is important to offer kids classical education where they can learn to play an instrument or paint so in their distress they have a great way to express and distract themselves. Your point of formal way to address someone is great too. I took it little bit personal and thought of my own husband and kids. When we talk and use formal manners everyone slows down , has time to react but not overreact. Our manners convey respect for each other. Thank you for doing this video. I really enjoyed it."

Hello Josephine, I enjoyed your insights into the books and commentary. Thank you for joining me for the book club and I hope you will continue with us for the next installment.

Thank you for us for today's video. I would love to hear from you. What do you think about the dumbing down of society? Your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog.


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I'm combining a favorites video with a pregnancy chat update today. I talk about weight gain, skin, cravings, back pain, and pregnancy drinks. Plus, I share my favorite classical music song for you with a fun recommendation. I hope you join me for today's video.



How much weight have I gained? What are my strange pregnancy cravings? What is different about this pregnancy regarding my skin? Did my back pain ever resolve itself? I answer these questions, plus so much more in today's video.



The good people at Naipo, sent me this Naipo neck and shoulder massager after hearing me discuss my back pain in the previous video. I am seriously in love with this hot stone-effect, shiatsu neck and shoulder massager. Thank you to Naipo for sending me such a special gift. The massager is highly rated on Amazon and totally affordable. Naipo have even given readers of The Daily Connoisseur a 20% off coupon code.

PLEASE NOTE: the Naipo massager should not be used for extended periods of time during pregnancy. Please ask your doctor before using the massager if you are pregnant. Naipo does not recommend using the massager during times of pregnancy due to certain pressure points that should not be accessed during that time. Thank you!

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Thank you, Naipo!

The sparkling water beverage I have been enjoying is the La Croix in cerise limón.


The classical music piece I have been listening to over and over again is called Adagio in G Minor by Tomaso Albinoni.


Tomaso Albinoni was an Italian Baroque composer who lived from 1671 to 1751.

Here is a wonderful free YouTube video showing the Copernicus Chamber Orchestra
playing Adagio.



If you want to watch a truly passionate cello solo of this performance, check out Hauser's rendition.

I listened to this on my Rainy Day Classics CD, which is so old, but I found on Amazon for only $4.

Clean your kitchen tonight while listening to this beautiful piece. I'm sure you've heard it before, but truly study and appreciate it as you go about your day. It will enrich you.

I truly hope you enjoy today's video.

News
For more of The Daily Connoisseur, take my eCourses, Creating Your Own Ten-Item Wardrobe and Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living. With hours of video instruction, notes, quizzes, and a lively comment section, you can get inspired and continue The Daily Connoisseur experience beyond the blog.

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Lessons from Madame Chic in Russia...

A post shared by Velvet avenue💫 (@dandelionstreet) on Jun 8, 2018 at 11:31am PDT

Comment of the Week
On last week's Shop with Me video, Connie writes, "So much fun to see you get to spend girl time with your sister. It really recharges us as Moms to get out on our own sometimes, doesn’t it? I love many bare minerals products so I am looking forward to seeing more on that. I have the retractable brush and use it often at home and for travel. Connie"

Hi Connie, it is such a rare and special treat to just go out without the kids and do some makeup shopping. It only happens about once a year here, so I really enjoyed it :) Thank you for watching!


I would love to know your thoughts on today's video. Have you heard Adagio before? Have you tried La Croix? What were your strange pregnancy cravings? How do you deal with back pain? Let us know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on The Daily Connoisseur.

I hope you enjoyed today's video. I'll see you on Thursday for a homeschool end-of-year recap.


Visit my Author Website

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. All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.