What inspired me in September

The Gilded Age, Hydration, Mini Makeovers and Themed Movie Afternoons

👑 The Gilded Age

While I typically fancy myself a 20th-century gal, this month, I found myself drawn to the opulent style of the late 1800s.

During my visit to the Met, I stumbled upon a section of the American Wing I didn’t recall from past visits—a series of curated rooms showcasing antique furnishings and objects reflecting life across various eras.

The rooms that enchanted me the most were from the Gilded Age, particularly: The Gothic Revival Library, The Renaissance Revival Room, and The McKim, Mead and White Stair Hall.

The attention to detail during this period was unmatched—not just inside upper-class homes, but also in fashion, travel, and appreciation for art and music.

In addition to reading Chasing Beauty, a biography of Isabella Stewart Gardner, I’ve also started watching The Gilded Age on MAX.

As usual, this newfound fascination led to creating another inspiration board:

💧 Hydration

Now, for a hard pivot from fancy, old-fashioned things…

I don’t live in the desert. I barely go outside. I drink a lot of water — at least I thought I was drinking enough. Culture is telling me I’m not.

Is it just me or have hydration products been slowly and sneakily infiltrating dominating online content? Between the giant water tumblers, powders, and the rise of the term “bev,” it all finally got to me!

I have yet to buy a Stanley Cup, but I did make a transition from being a casual Liquid IV consumer to a full on LMNT Salted Watermelon addict. As in it has become a daily afternoon treat and I have a subscribe and save order set up to ensure I never run out.

Additionally, I’ve been keeping coconut water stocked in my fridge for smoothies or an occasional one-off glass. I’ve also made it a point to drink a giant glass of water first thing in the morning, before enjoying my coffee.

Do I feel any different? Healthier? More energetic? Not at all! 

🖼️ Mini Makeovers

A few weeks ago, I revisited my 24 in 24 list, and decided to deprioritize a couple of home improvement projects: making updates to our Master Bedroom and outdoor space.

Within days I was reconsidering. This is a big reason I love writing and revisiting goals — it helps to illuminate what’s most important to you.

While I don’t have the time and I don’t want to dedicate the money to full makeovers, I started brainstorming and implementing ways to make small changes that would make my spaces feel refreshed.

For the back porch, “the lanai” as they call it here in Florida, it was as simple as a deep clean. If you caught my Instagram story, you know there were hiccups (my hose broke an hour into the endeavor), but in the end the space at least feels clean and I know that I can go out there to read and not be covered in cat hair.

I also ordered new pillows, a quilt and a blanket for our bed. And — not on the 24 in 24 list, but a last minute inclination: I ordered a new Hitchcock poster to hang in a blank corner of my office.

Unlike my hydration products, these small tweaks have left me feeling refreshed.

🎞️ Themed Movie Afternoons

When we were in LA we picked up a fun book called Gone with the Gin filled with punny-named recipes for cocktails meant to pair with classic movies. It has turned into my new favorite activity!

For the most part we’ve slated Saturday afternoons as our movie and cocktail time which has been a great opportunity for my husband and I to spend time together, enjoy a festive beverage and (mostly) stay off of our phones.

Something my husband and I have in common is that we are knowledge hoarders, so whenever we are watching anything, we’re popping into Wikipedia, reading the trivia section on IMDB and excitedly pausing the movie to share fun movie facts with one another.

Here’s a look at some of my favorite cocktail names that we have to look forward to:

The 7 & 7 Year Itch

Dirty Harry Martini

Yankee Doodle Brandy

A Clockwork Orange Julius

Indiana Jones and the Shirley Temple of Doom

✍️ Creative Exercises/Journal Prompts

1. Dive into a period from history and identify the details that you find most beautiful and inspiring.

2. Make a mini change to one of the spaces in your home and take notice of how the energy changes.

3. Plan an afternoon date with your sweetheart or a friend that combines two things that you love!

☀️ Five good things

When we can recognize the things that bring us the most joy, we invite more of them into our lives. Here are five things that made me happy this week. Share yours below!

Five good things that happened this week:

1. I’m still reeling from a call I hosted Wednesday evening where a group of my beta-readers shared feedback and helped me through problem areas in my book. In addition to feeling uplifted and supported it also left me feeling appreciative to have so many smart, lovely creative people in my corner.

2. I picked up a bag of these Hot Honey Walnuts when we were visiting Massachusetts in the spring and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them, so I ordered a couple of bags to keep in the pantry and they have made for the perfect snack while I’m cooking dinner and can’t quite wait to eat.

3. With a bunch of upcoming projects, travel and family visits, I wanted to use this time to get everything in order, so I planned my content for the remainder of the year and set up a calendar blocking schedule to get realistic about the time I have to execute. I spent most of last fall feeling stretched and ended up completely burning out by the end of the year, so I’m hoping these efforts will help me stay more healthy and balanced this time around.

4. I treated myself to two new hardcovers: Colored Television by Danzy Senna and The Hitchcock Hotel (hint, hint 👀) by Stephanie Wrobel.

5. I just received a printed magazine in the mail, created by one of my favorite Substack writers,

   Chrissy Hennessey
   from
   So Relatable
   . As a fellow 40-something trying to get a novel published, to say I find Chrissy’s content relatable would be an understatement. I’m beyond inspired by her magazine project!

💬 Share your intention

Whether it’s a giant leap, a tiny to-do list item, a habit change, or something else, there is power in accountability, and this is a safe space to share your aim. Some weeks, we’ll fail, others we’ll soar, but with support, we’ll always keep going together.

Until next week, get out there and make something beautiful.

Michelle

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