Archive for category: Inspiring Posts

I love lists about beautiful things. I recently stumbled on this list from Veranda called 25 Things That Should Have Never Gone Out of Style.

It is a wonderful list if you enjoy manners, dignity and wholesomeness. I wanted to share some of my favorite things from this list.

1) Handwritten notes: 
YES! I talked about this on the blog back in 2015. See it here if you missed it.

2) Recipe cards: 
Having grandmas vintage recipe cards are keepsakes

3) Modesty:
REALLY, we do need it!

4) Dressing up:
Again, we do need it! There is nothing more satisfying to me than seeing someone dress to the nines and enjoying it.

5) Baby Books:
I have one for my daughter and she enjoys looking in it all the time. She finds it rewarding to know that I care enough to “keep up” with her life. I still take a photo of her on her first day of school and put it in our photo album. I want her to enjoy these for years to come.

6) Memorizing Phone Numbers:
I grew up in an age where cell phones were a luxury! We had pagers and that was pushing it but I remember every number that was on my pager.

7) Saying “Sir or Ma’am”:
I still say this and we teach our children to do the same.

8) Privacy:
It can been tough trying to find the balance between sharing and keeping things private. But there are some things that you should keep behind closed doors and it should be common sense. But it is not anymore. See my blog post here, here, and here about keeping your life a mystery.

9) Printed photos:
I can’t stress the act of keeping memories enough. I love looking at old photos in albums. I even print off my blog post and keep them in binders. Who knows maybe one day the computers will crash and I won’t have my blog anymore. I want to be able to look back on this and smile and I want my grandchildren to see what I enjoy and be in my world for a moment.

10) Curves:
I have them and honestly who doesn’t?

11) Calling someone:
My husband is very adamant about this. He would rather pick up the phone than text.

12) Doing math in your head:
Yeah, I have seen some young people who were my cashiers and couldn’t do basic math in their head. It was really sad….

13) Knowing your neighbors by name:
Okay, this one I struggle a little with. We HAD some neighbors (they have since move out of the neighborhood). Our daughter’s played together then I let our daughter go over for a sleepover. It took me awhile to let her do this but I did. This mother was such a trouble maker on Facebook (I was “friends” with her) that I knew it was going to be a bad idea. She asked my daughter, “if I was really like that”? I was completely “floored” by this but not surprised. She asked my husband some questions in the past so I knew that she was trying to find dirt on us. Since she was reading my blog and on my page she saw what I posted and just thought I was fake. But the joke was on her, we ended up finding out that they were lying to everyone and telling people that they bought the house that they were in but it turns out they were renting and things just weren’t what they seem.  They have since moved and built in a neighborhood near us (going with our builder I might add) and I heard that she painted her house the same color as mine. Now who is not who they seem? Looks like I am the leader and she is the follower.

I have blocked her from my personal Facebook page and will continue to block her from all my social media outlets. She also stole a photo from my blog about some dinning room table ideas and presented it on her page as her own but what she didn’t realize was that one of those photos belong to my friend so I knew that she stole it. She probably still sneaks on here and reads my blog but I try to not let stupid people like that ruin the opportunity for me to meet the other neighbors around us.

14) Paper Address Books:
They are useful just in case that phone shuts down.

15) Teaching Cursive:
This is a beautiful technique to have with you. There was someone whom I met recently that was surprised that I could write in cursive and said that they didn’t learn that in school. How tragic? How do you sign your credit card slips? I wrote about cursive writing back in 2014 see it here.

16) Keeping a Diary:
I think this is a wonderful way to release some emotions and concerns. It is also a way to keep a record of victories and loses. I wrote about it last year see here if you missed it.

17) Drive in Moves:
I loved this as a kid and may have to consider trying this again….

18) Saying Please and Thank You:
There is no question for this. It’s unbelievable to me how rude people really are….

19) Going visiting and having Sunday dinners:
We still have dinners every night as a family.

20) Not using Bad words:
There is nothing more classless then hearing a woman curse on the phone. I try to never use any of these words in private or in public.

21) Table Manners:
Yes, phones have made a mess of things if you ask me. Read my blog post here about that.

22) Hats:
I love seeing the old photos when hats and gloves were worn.

23) Having a real LIVE conversation:
It’s nice to take some time and talk with people. I sometimes start a conversation with someone on the elevator just because I know that they are going to pull out that phone.

and last but certainly not least,

24) Holding the door for someone:
I do this always but I LOVE seeing men do it. I hope shivery isn’t dead.

Well, I hope that you enjoy this list just as much as I did and read the original article from Veranda. They always have the best information on their website.

(photos via Pinterest, list via Veranda.com)

About a week ago I shared on the blog about living “la dolce vita”. I loved the tips that Kristi Belcamino gave in her book La Bella Figura. Now I have finished reading it and wanted to share a particular section of the book.

Kristi gave a wonderful description of her inner Italian Girl Gabriella and how she lived. It is truly inspiring…

Gabriella luxuriously cups her hand around her warm cafe au lait bowl, taking sips between bits of her homemade bread, toasted and buttered……

Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash

For summer lunches she will eat a salad and during the winter- a bowl of soup with a small piece of bread and a sliver of gourmet cheese. 

For dinner, she will eat pasta, chicken, or fish with a vegetable salad along with a glass of wine. She usually reserves desserts for Sundays. (I need to adopt this rule!)

On Sundays, she refrains from spending any money. (Oh dear…) 

During the warmer months, meals are eaten en tavola, al fresco, at the picnic table on her patio. 

Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash

A colorful tablecloth is complimented by big terra cotta pots of red geraniums bordering the patio.

Gabriella fills her life with intellectual, emotional, and spiritual pursuits; spending her free time focused on books, film, food, good conversation, and good friends. She strives to live a life rich in experience and not things. (Wow, focusing on experiences, not things)

photo credit La Morena 

She owns a small, but perfect -fitting wardrobe. Every item is of the highest quality she can afford and works with her body, style, and life. She buys new items rarely and with much thought. She resists impulse buys…..

When she does buy something it is from a list of clothing items she needs to replace or feels will be an important addition to her wardrobe….

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash

Her pantry is slim. She doesn’t buy in bulk unless it is during her quarterly trip to a warehouse store where she will stock up on olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano, coffee, and dried pasta from Italy. Otherwise, she shops two to three times a week, filling her French market basket mostly with fresh produce.

She never snacks and always sits to eat. (This is major!!!) She always puts her utensils down between her small bites. She chews slowly, savoring all the flavors.

Her kitchen is small and meticulously kept clean and free of clutter, like the rest of her home. In fact, everything in her home is either beautiful or useful. She lives by the William Morris adage that “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

This quote is so meaningful to me…..

photo credit This is Glamorous Instagram account

The decor theme in her home revolves around unique, mostly original artwork, lots of books, plants, and big comfy furniture with sumptuous fabrics and soft, sparkling lighting. She has a few treasured items displayed that are meaningful to her, but her real joy lies in her bookshelves, where she keeps only well-loved volumes.

She has developed an aura of mystique, refraining from sharing details of her life with acquaintances. She tries not to talk about herself but instead talks about ideas. She can intelligently discuss the latest local, national or international news or a new book or film she has seen. She is very passionate but is able to share her opinions in a poised manner. 

She does not worry anymore. She is assertive. She can respond to requests by saying, “No, I’m sorry I can’t do that,” or “I’m sorry I don’t attend (home sales parties), but thank you for asking,” without feeling the need to explain or defend herself. She also does not elaborate on a compliment but simply says a gracious “thank you.” 

photo credit Nicola Bathie Instagram account

Every day she makes sure to count her blessings and appreciate her life right then and there. 

This was such a wonderful section in the book. I did not share it all. There was way more information about her inner Italian girl so I would encourage you to download the book to your Kindle or order it. It was a wonderful read.

To read my other blog posts about inspiring Italian women see here, here, here, and here.

Enjoy!

In 2004 the very talented Kate Spade wrote wonderful books. They were called Manners, Style, and Occasions. In each book Kate gave wonderful notes, ideas and suggestions on how to accomplish each of this items.

I purchased her book called “Style” a couple of years ago. It talked about everything from travel, to colors, posture and wardrobe classics. It has been a great addition to my library.

Recently, I remembered her other book called “Manners”. I decided to jump on Amazon and take a peek at it and ended up purchasing it right away. I am excited to read it and will share some tips from it once I receive it.