This is my second Question & Answer blog post. Check out my first one here. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading and your simply wonderful questions. This one’s for you…
Kristi asked:
What are the things you do on a daily basis that incorporate an Italian lifestyle into your American world?
The very first thing I do in the morning is make espresso in my Moka pot and then serve it in an espresso cup and saucer along with my breakfast. I purchase Italian espresso, usually springing for the illy brand in the spring, summer, and fall, but the cheaper Lavazza works into my budget better in the winter.
Espresso in my novelty Philadelphia espresso cup and saucer
with a blueberry muffin
Speaking of meals, I often eat pasta for lunch or dinner. My meals can be simple, including a dish composed of only a few ingredients. I purchase fresh vegetables every week. Sadly, not at an outdoor market though. I eat at the table. Even breakfast now! About once a week, I invite a friend over for a meal. Sometimes, I serve antipasti, both solo and socially. When dining with someone, I nearly always wish my dinner date, buon appetito! I love to eat. I also drink red wine (mostly Chianti) on almost a daily basis, with dinner, a weekend lunch or as an aperitivo. I do not have more than two glasses of wine however.
My salad lunch with a glass of iced tea at the table
…and a fabulous book!
I often wear black and other neutrals, but have a pop of color in a scarf. For example, on the day I wrote this, I wore a white shirt over a white camisole with black pants, black ballet flats, and a deep red damask scarf to work. My clothing is fitted, hopefully skimming my silhouette. I don’t own a lot of clothes. When out in the sunshine, I wear sunglasses. Not huge ones though…
Me in a black winter coat and with a black handbag with my dark pink scarf
at the Christmas Village in Philadelphia in December 2014
I try to put my best foot forward in almost everything I do. Fare la bella figura. It would be unthinkable for me to not shower, straighten my hair, apply makeup, spritz my signature scent, dress in clothes appropriate to wear out in public, and put on at least a few accessories such as a pair of earrings, a watch and a belt almost every single day. I also put my best foot forward by treating others with respect, the way I want to be treated. Furthermore, I truly try to do the right thing.
My home is an apartment. My home isn’t large …and neither are the items in it. I dislike big things such as huge puffy sectionals with recliners. I also keep my home, my sanctuary, decluttered. Plus, I take care of my home everyday. I clean at least something daily.
I frequently take note of beauty in everyday life. A vibrant color, for example, may stop me in my tracks. I love having fresh flowers at home. They feed my soul. I strive to make my home beautiful.
On a weekly basis, I walk to a few stores instead of driving to them. With the longer days of spring and summer, I could possibly do this more often soon. I incorporate exercise into my daily routine.
I also spend some time with my mom about once a week, usually on a Sunday or Monday. I recently found out that I am hosting the family feast for Easter again this year. Italians tend to be family-oriented.
I daydream of being in Italy daily. I dream about it at night too!
Kim Covell-Campbell asked:
What made you fall in love with Philadelphia? I have been there and it is such a historical and interesting place to visit.
I didn’t fall in love with Philadelphia until I moved there. Growing up, I had visited Philadelphia a few times on day trips with family and on school field trips and thought it nice, but, honestly, didn’t think too much of it. I suppose we mainly stuck with the historical neighborhood called Old City. When I enrolled in a graduate program in Art History at Temple University, I moved there. I lived in Philadelphia for about nine months, from July 2008 through March 2009. I attended a summer session and a fall semester.
Always having lived in the suburbs, I really wanted to try living in a city. I loved it. It was the perfect time in my life to try that. I delighted in the fact that there was always something to do …and that I could get to that something by walking or via public transportation. I enjoyed discovering it. I also adore that a city is much more cultural than a suburb.
Chinatown Gate at 10th and Arch Street
I adore the unique character of each distinct neighborhood in this particular city. I moved into a huge studio in South Philly, which has an Italian flair to it. This neighborhood is home to the Italian Market. I rarely visit South Philly on my quick day trips, but if I spent more time there, it would be the next place on my list to go. In fact, in my research, events in a district of local businesses and restaurants called East Passyunk tend to pique my interest.
It’s hard not to fall for my favorite places like the amazing Reading Terminal Market. Every once in awhile, I crave the cranberry pistachio biscotti from Termini Bros. in the market. The Italian cafe I tried (twice!) on my last visit called Gran Caffe L’Aquila is definitely my new favorite place in Philadelphia. I can’t wait to go back! I highly recommend visiting Philadelphia. Only two hours from New York, I feel it is so underrated. There are so many festivals in the summertime!
Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti from Termini Bros. in Philadelphia
Cappuccino from Gran Caffe L’Aquila in Philadelphia
Lori asked:
We followed a lot of your suggestions when we took our dream trip to Paris and your tips made it even more special. How did you find all those special places to visit?
I am so happy to hear it!
I used to study art history, so I don’t shy away from heavy research. I believe you should overresearch. It’s okay to throw your itinerary out the window once you arrive if you wish, but not okay to have a moment when you and your travel buddy look at one another and can’t think of something to do in an exciting place. When you’ve done your homework, you will always have a long list of options. There are so many ways I found these places.
My big secret is Rick Steves. I consider a guidebook of his to be essential. I definitely picked up his latest Paris guide soon after publication. That was probably where I found most of the places… Right before my trip, I also listened to his podcasts, which made me simply want to sit at a sidewalk cafe rather than provide inspiration for a list of places though.
Having studied art history for six years, I do make a point to see specific masterpieces or architecture I have studied in real life. I had to see the Mona Lisa! I also dragged Elizabeth across the Louvre to see their Vermeer, The Lacemaker.
I enjoy reading travel narrative and may consider visiting the place the author loved. I remember reading about Julia Child around the time of my trip and then making the pilgrimage to her apartment building on the “roo de loo.”
In addition, I think I remember using Yelp, the review website which is also good for determining what else is close to an attraction. That way, you’re not crossing the city for the next attraction, you’re conquering an area before proceeding. (A guidebook helps with this too.)
Also online, I follow blogs from fellow Francophiles. In fact, I have a blog roll of five French-related blogs. I remember this blog post made me want the chocolate chip cookie from Eric Kayser, for example. With 256 pins, I collected online resources on my Travel: Paris Pinterest board.
Films inspire wanderlust. I remember that the shot of Piazza delle Erbe in the movie Letters to Juliet put Verona on my list of cities to (re)visit on my last trip to Italy in 2011.
Following all this research, I try to figure out what I really want to do. On my trip to Paris, I simply wanted to revel in the beauty of Paris. I could accomplish that in a number of ways. Since I convinced a friend to accompany me to Paris on my birthday, I was up for whatever she wanted to do while there. She wanted to see it all, so I (ambitiously) planned it that way. And we did everything except for like three things!
Sidewalk Cafe in Paris in April 2014
Carmen asked:
First, I would like to say how much I like your blog. Living in Europe (I’m Dutch) and having visited France and Italy a couple of times, I can truly say the way you live your life is quite an European one. Now, regarding your Q & A: I would like to know your thoughts, feelings and contemplations on your No Spend February.
Thank you so much! I am so pleased that it appears and that I am actually living a European lifestyle in America.
I will write an entire blog post on this subject, but I don’t want to not answer your question. I actually wish I learned more from my challenge, but with being terribly sick twice and having my beloved grandmother pass away that month, I didn’t get out of it what I thought I could possibly have. With the flu, I was in bed, not out and about being tempted to spend money. With the upper respiratory infection, I had trouble keeping bland food down.
Nonetheless, I did learn a few things. One was that I am able to wait to buy things. When in the middle of doing a challenge, I noted that it’s also nice not to stress about not having enough to afford what I want and need in my checking account. Please stay tuned for my post where I will elaborate. Plus, I will include a couple of tips.
A sneak peek!
This is a product that helps me be frugal with my groceries.
It was a difficult challenge for me, but not awful. I can definitely see doing a No Spend Day, or maybe even a Week when faced with a financial goal, but probably not a Month again. I did make a mental note of how proud I felt whenever I mentioned the total amount I saved, that I hit my savings goal.
Stephanie asked:
1. You seem so calm and intentional and not easily influenced by outside opinions, trends, or advertising. How do you stay so centered and focused on your core values and tune out the noise?
So much of this is a personality thing for me. I am an INFJ. I do try to seem calm, cool and collected on the outside, but I am nervous on the inside! It’s chaos in my head. “Complex” is a better “c” word. Since my mind is so loud, that might tune out the noise in the world a bit. I attempt to control my appearance, presence, and outer world as much as possible, make it as simple as possible, for some balance. Balance is key in life.
I am a lifestyle blogger to the core. Meaning I strive to be intentional. My head is often in the clouds, I am so future-minded, but, still, I do try to enjoy the moment. I routinely indulge simple pleasures. Life is what you make it. Living is an art.
My planner cover reads, “Create a life you love.”
To a certain extent, I am a people pleaser. At work, it is actually important for my prospective residents and residents to like me as a leasing professional because then they might apply or stay. I do care what people think of me, but it’s not anywhere near as important as what I think of myself. My thoughts never end. I am constantly telling myself to do better. INFJs always try to improve themselves.
It is difficult go against the mainstream. I was actually pretty much a follower as a kid, for the first 18 years of my life. After I went away to college and visited Italy on spring break of my freshman year, I changed and started to become the woman I was meant to be. I am always becoming more and more me. Fitting in does have its benefits, but being yourself is so much better. I am value-driven. And I value authenticity. “The more you love your decisions, the less you need others to love them.” Truth.
I believe in cultivating a personal style in everything: clothing, accessories, beauty, home decor, entertaining, blogging, etc. I even have my series on my go to things, Signature Sunday. I do not tend to follow trends, like fashion in regards to clothing. I believe you should go for style over fashion, always. I know that the color blush is in right now, but as an accent, I much prefer vibrant color to pastel. Often, temporary fads don’t work well for me anyway. Why are skinny jeans still in? I have shorter muscular legs and wide hips! I need a bootcut leg (or trouser, or maybe straight leg, or possibly ankle pants which are difficult) for balance. Keeping up with the Joneses is relentless too. It’s better to be true to yourself. You choose what makes you happy instead of what makes others happy when you show it off. Individuality fascinates me.
2. Also, I believe you mentioned previously that you don’t subscribe to cable tv, but instead use amazon prime. Have you found any tips and tricks for this? What do you enjoy watching and how much time do you spend watching something like amazon prime?
I don’t pay for cable. And I just renewed my Amazon Prime membership this week. (I can’t live without the free two-day shipping!) I don’t think that I’ve gotten my TV out of my walk-in closet and turned it on since the Superbowl… I truly don’t watch much TV at this time. My only “current” TV show is the episodes that House Hunters International posts on their website. And those are probably old at that! (At the moment, the webpage is mostly blank. They seem to be in between a series of videos.) I enjoy watching any episode set in Europe. I view these videos on my laptop.
In addition, when her latest cookbook came out, I started to watch the Barefoot Contessa. I wasn’t ever into her before, but I loved it! (Read my thoughts here.) Since I enjoy entertaining, I feel like I watched her at the right time in my life, you know? Then, they changed her time slot from 10:30 AM on Sunday to 8:30 AM the same day. That’s inconvenient for me. I am usually walking to the grocery store or at least putting a couple loads of laundry into the washers in the building laundry room at 8:30. Obviously, at this time, I’m just not going to change my life around for a TV show. I know that Ina Garten has a new show premiering next month, but I don’t think it will be focused upon entertaining and am unsure if I will watch it. It’s fun to follow her on Instagram though.
My sister also allowed me to use her Netflix account one day, so I could watch the Gilmore Girls revival. (Read my blog post about my binge watching here.)
Barefoot Contessa on TV
Right now, I am addicted to an alternative to TV, YouTube. I subscribe to about a dozen channels and will often watch videos from several others I do not officially follow. I feel like I watch too many YouTube videos. Since it interferes with reading books, I may consider limiting my time spent on YouTube this spring, like only viewing videos on, say, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I will probably write about watching YouTube and list my favorite YouTubers in a Simple Pleasure Sunday blog post, so stay tuned! 🙂
I rarely watch anything on Amazon Prime. More movies than TV shows. I love foreign films and seek them out on Amazon, Prime or not. However, I did watch all ten episodes of the first season of the Amazon Original TV Series Z: The Beginning of Everything about Zelda Fitzgerald. That was good. It’s hard to believe that I didn’t feature it in a Simple Pleasure Sunday post! Someone, please let me know if Amazon Prime ever offers How I Met Your Mother!
I don’t watch much TV now, but I think I will in the future, especially when I live with someone special.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post! Addicted to YouTube, I almost want to say something like, “If you enjoyed this video, give it a thumbs up! If you are new, hit the subscribe button, so you won’t miss future videos!” Geez, you know you’re addicted, when…
Anyway, again, I appreciate you reading.
You really do live a life that is intentional. We got into a rut from being in a sort of survival mode and I've had to take some hard looks recently and realize that I need to force us back on track. So far, it's going well. And reading your blog (and others that are like it) is helping me tremendously.
And I totally know that sign off for youtube videos! I'm trying to take the time to watch some makeup videos and such to get back into the habit of making a little more effort!
What a treat to read this post. I love how much self discipline you have. It is inspirational. And loved Stephanie's questions and your answers as well. I'm addicted to Amazon prime for so many reasons. Like you, I don't watch TV. I do however, sit down and stream a movie from Amazon about once a week. I recently watched Elle with Isabelle Huppert. Even for a crime writer who has watched autopsies, it was a fairly disturbing movie, but good. PS thanks for reading my book. How fun to see that in there. ; )
Love reading your answers! I always learn so much in the Q&A's. Thank you for answering my questions. You really do inspire me to bring a more European lifestyle to my life here in the U.S. It's not always easy, but seeing others do it helps me to pursue it as well. I love Amazon prime and recently paid for a month of Starz subscription through amazon to watch two seasons of Outlander and then cancelled my subscription to Starz. It was less expensive than buying the seasons. I also loved the Zelda Fitzgerald series and The Collection, but alas, I'm watching too much TV. At least it is high quality!
This post was so fun! Thanks so much for answering our questions. You are so generous in spirit, I feel just like I know you and happy that I do!
This was great! I didn't have any questions to ask this time around but I enjoyed what others asked and your responses.
Hi Michelle, Although I didn't have any questions for this post, I love it! Always a refreshing read about your intentional living out your European lifestyle. I'm picking up mine as I've falling off the wagon. Yes, I know that last line on YouTube as well. Thumps up for me!
Cheers,
Ping
thank you for your answer!
I love Vermeer as well. One of my favourites is "the milkmaid", at the moment temporarily on display at the Louvre.
Carmen
Hi Michelle. I have not seen any posts from you since this one on April 9th. I love your blog! I hope all is well with you and that you are just busy these days.
Hi Michelle, miss your posts – hope everything is well in your corner of the world 😉
I love this place in particular, it always has the best and impressive events every year. The LA venues have the perfect location if you are looking to host the event of a lifetime. The main-level features a large comfortable space.
Michelle,
I love your blog. Found you a few months ago and have gone back to your 1st entry on 8-16-2010 and have read to your most recent entry. You write beautifully and your passion for joy, beauty and life come thru very clearly. I appreciate all the inspiring and uplifting messages you have shared with us. I will continue to check your blog and hope you continue writing. I hope you are well. I am having trouble submitting this comment, if it is duplicated I apologize.
Thank You.
Tammy
Hi Michelle
It has been a long time since you have posted a blog. I do hope you are well and that we will hear from you again soon. I am now rereading your posts from 2010.
Michelle – I really miss reading your posts. Hope everything is well with you and maybe you are too busy to post.
Very inspiring Michelle! Wonderful post!
Michelle, your posts are truly missed. I hope you are well. I will check periodically in the hopes of future posts. Take care. Tammy.
I like to read articles in a question-and-answer format, because it allows you to find out a lot of information in a clearly structured way.