The Discerning Lady's Guide to Everything
BE PASSIONATE • BE BEAUTIFUL • BE YOURSELF
WARDROBEESSENTIALS
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD OWN
NICE WHITE TEE
A cool and breezy item that performs in every season - alone or as a layer. Wash with ½ cup of vinegar added to detergent to keep it extra clean and white.
SNAPPY FLATS
A simple pair of flats makes running out the door quick and painless. They’re cute enough to head to a lunch and comfortable enough to make a school or grocery store run.
JEAN JACKET
Don this stylish jacket that goes with absolutely everything. Wear for looks and to take the edge off the chill in early mornings, crisp evenings, or afternoon rainstorms.
LITTLE BLACK DRESS
A true staple. Choosing a higher neck and modest hemline will allow this one piece to do quadruple duty at work, church, party,or date night.
ANKLE BOOTS
This modern trend is a brilliant solution.Wear in the winter to keep warm and top off a cool outfit in the summer. Easy to slip into and easy to pack!
CASUAL DRESS
This timeless piece works wells for playing with kids, picnic at the park, cooking, traveling, and even a night out on the town (with a few additions to dress it up).
BRIGHT HEELS
Add that perfect pop of color to go with your little black dress or to dress up your jeans.
DARK JEANS
Dress them down or up while enjoying the comfort of your favoritefit. Combine with sweater layers, a fancy top, or loose T-shirt to look great.
BUTTON-UP BLOUSE
The in-between of relaxed and polished. It can look formal tucked into a skirt, casual worn untucked with jeans, or flowy with the lower buttons done over a tank top in the summer.
BEPASSIONATE
TAKE CHANCES. LEARN. FIND YOUR PASSION.
If you’ve had the chance to taste a bite made by Carolyn Jacobson, you’ll agree she has a talent! Carolyn learned from her mother and grandmother and began cooking for her family at a young age. Her progress was gradual. Intended to be cookie dough that became too runny, her first "cake" was so rubbery that it bounced off the floor. Her pie crust, which at first suffered, eventually became a specialty. While living in Massachusetts, her lemon meringue pie was entered into a cruise cooking contestand featured in the newspaper. Carolyn traveled the New England area as a food taster and took groups on restaurant tours in Nantucket. She faithfully protects a 50-year-old secret family recipe for meatballs. She shares her passion for food with friends, neighbors, youth in her church class, local firemen, and the staff at her doctor’s office. Before COVID, she held a regular luncheon for close friends, even swapping the dining and family room furniture to have more space to eat. Her passion includes treating her husband, six children, 21 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren to delicious, home-cooked meals.
In thinking about decorating for either a basic or formal dinner,one thing comes to mind: LOVE. I first think about the people I am decorating and cooking for. For my grandchildren and now my great-grandchildren, I think about what they love. One great-grandson named Max loves birds and little animals. For him, I will look into my Easter box and find little wooden eggs and make-believe nests. I will go outside and find pine cones and leaves. I will find pictures of birds and put them on the table like friends that are coming to dinner. I will make a chocolate cake with crushed Oreo cookies and gummy worms on top so he can eat what the birds eat and, of course, macaroni and cheese. For myother great- grandson named Hayes, who likes sports, I will go to the Dollar Store and get little balls and other sports toys. I use that as the centerpiece and might copy some pictures of his uncle Dakota when he was a little boy playing football. I would place them on the table so we can talk about the sports that Hayes loves to play. I would make the same worm cake because what boy doesn't like worms?!
For fancy dinners in any season or special occasions, I choose things outside that fit the occasion. If it's fall, I find beautiful leaves, pine cones, cut fall flowersor twigs from trees. I get little glass bowls of different sizes and fill them with water and flowers. I place them on top of scattered leaveson the table and place broken twigs all around. DollarTree has plates for every season and color. For example, I have both orange and green plates. I can mix and match them or just use one color. Secondhand stores have glasses of all kinds, shapes, colors, and sizes. I buy them for a few dollars and use what goes along with the colors of the leaves.
Everything is an expression of LOVE and always turns out great! So, create, have lots of fun, and especially, enjoy and give lots of love, for that's what decorating is all about!"
Best Brownie Chocolate Chip Cake
1 box chocolate cake mix 4 eggs
1 box fudge browniemix 1 cup choc. chips 1 ¼ cup water 1 cup vegetable oil
Mix with a spoon by hand in a large bowl. Add chocolate chips. Spray Bundt pan very well. Put in Bundt pan. Put in oven pre- heated to 350° F. Cook for 45 minutes. Check to see if it is done with a toothpick. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes.Cool on a rack for 30 minutes.Turn out onto a platter and top with ganache.
Chocolate GanacheTopping:
1 cup heavy cream 1 1/2 cups choc. chips
Place cream in a medium saucepan. Heat 1 to 2 minutes to just boiling. Pour in chocolate chips. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth and shiny (about 1 minute). Pour immediately over cake. When completely cool, put whipped cream on top.
BEBEAUTIFUL
SEE BEAUTY IN EVERYTHING. BEGIN WITH YOURSELF.
"To me, beauty is more than just what we see on the outside. Inner beauty is far more important than our outward appearance. Integrity, kindness, patience, selflessness, are just some of the attributes that bring out our true inner beauty. Nothing is more important than how we treat and respect others, as well as ourselves. True beauty comes from within; it is shown by helping those around us feel good about themselves."
- Andrea Keach
"Beauty is the opposite of perfection - it's about confidence, charisma and character!' My advice to feeling beautiful is to always embrace who you are and to not be afraid to take time for yourself. I feel most confident and beautiful when I get to embrace what makes me, ME! That is, wearing something pink,
embracing my inner spice girl, taking the time to exercise, being mindful, eating healthy,and dancing my way through life! Take time to remember the why of your life and be thankful, grateful, and blessed for all the good things you have! BeautyTip: Partake in Mindfulness and use a Vitamin E moisturizer everyday for your skin!"
-AbbyJoLuquette
"Feeling beautiful each day starts in my head, not in the mirror.
It is how I feel inside and hopefully reflecting in my countenance.
Being beautiful has everything to do with how I am as a person and how I make others feel.”
- Veronica Hunter
"I believe there is beauty in every creation of our Heavenly Father's. We are His children, endowed with great potential to become the best individual we can be. He created this earth for our enjoyment and there is beauty in every season.All we have to do is look around us to find beauty every day and in every facet of our lives”
- PatriciaJones
BEYOURSELF
BE THE BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF
In an age of texting and social media, it's easy for manners to fall by the way side. At a time when it may seem old-fashioned or unpopular to be a lady, those who choose to respect the "traditional ways" stand out head and shoulders above the rest. Showing respectis timeless, classy,and always in style.
Here are a few tips with some modern updates for women who want to distinguish themselves from the crowd.
Gossip Girl
Always try your best to steer clear of gossip chains. It is unbecoming to spread gossip,and when you are actuallythe focus of the gossip,it is quite hurtful.
Everyone is fighting their own battles,and a lady does not want to air someone else's dirty laundry. Avoid it as best you can, and DEFINITELY do not spread anything via social media.
Please and Thank You
Simple but true. Please andthank you make the worlda happier and more politeplace. From ordering your smoothie at Starbucksto conversing with the concierge at The Ritz, basic manners NEVER get old.
Beware of Bragging
Nobody likes a braggart.If you paid a lot for that Chanel bag, have a gorgeous summerhouse in Vail,and a yacht in Bora Bora, your closest friends will find out eventually. There is nothing as refined and attractive as humility.
Table Manners
Meals are inevitably part of most our memorable events. Using manners at the table is all about taming impulsivity. Because willpower and self-restraint are recognized predictors of success in life, they are worth nurturing.
Manicures
Evenif you don't wear polish, keep your hands neat. Especially in this digital age when everyone is showing their social circles things on their mobile devices, the hands are a central focus. If you're in desperate need of a manicure, take off your polish and buff your nails.
Engage In Conversation
Whenat the dinner table, at a wedding,or spending time with family and friends, get off your phone. Remember conversation is a true art, and at the end of the day, it is the relationships you have with the people in real life that will shape your life, not the Instagram photo you just liked.
Chewing Gum
If you are chewing gum in public,make sure not to smack it. Also, discard of gum before a dinner, meeting, or interview. Black tie galas in your stunning gown is no place to have a mouth full of gum.
Modest is Hottest
When wearing a skirt or dress make sure it FULLY covers your posterior. Leave more than "something" to the imagination.
Too Much Information
If a lady must excuse herself from the dinner table, she simply says, “Excuse me.” No further explanation is necessary.
Lips Sealed
A lady never points out the imperfections of her mate to others. Despite the temptation to share, a lady does not text, tweet, Facebook, or send e-mails while she is in the company of others.
Be Kind, Gracious, and Confident
The holy trinity of being a modern lady.