The Heart of the Table | Generations & Legacy
The Gorgeous Grandma
My sweet grandmother had an unwavering daily tradition of getting ready for my grandfather’s return home from work.
At exactly 4:00 PM, she would simply stop. Whether she was cleaning, running errands, cooking, or managing whatever else was on her busy agenda that day, she would go upstairs to her bedroom to get herself dressed. She put on makeup, combed her hair, and changed her clothes so that she looked her absolute best for Pop Pop.
A Daily Metamorphosis
Her entire demeanor changed the moment she descended the steps and went out to the front porch to wait for him. She stood taller. She smiled broadly. She had a profound, youthful gleam in her eye. Grammy was just... gorgeous!
Because of her, I adopted the idea that gorgeous is not only how you look, but how you feel from the inside out. It's a radiating energy born from intentionality and devotion.
The Sum of All Your Glorious Parts
In 2006, I followed up on this idea and sat down to author a book on health and wellness with a dear friend and noted plastic surgeon, Dr. Harry Moon. We felt fiercely that a woman’s beauty celebrates her uniqueness, femininity, and diversity. We authored our lifestyle enhancement guide, GORGEOUS! The Sum of All Your Glorious parts.
Little did I know that as I was drafting a book on health and wellness, I was about to become a grandmother for the very first time. The book was published right after Mallory was born. That was almost 16 years ago.
I picked up GORGEOUS! the other day and thumbed through the chapters, and do you know what? I found it to be exponentially more relevant to me today—as a grandmother of five active, busy, fun-loving little humans—than it was to me then.
Taking a few small steps toward wellness can grow into healthy habits lasting for decades. In honor of Gorgeous Grandma’s Day, I offer every woman the secrets to a whole new gorgeous you. It begins exactly where it did for my Grammy on that 4:00 PM porch...
It starts with a belief in yourself.
From the Memoir to the Kitchen
Inspired by the elegant simplicity of a 1950s grandmother getting ready for her husband? Discover the Master Blueprint for our profoundly sophisticated Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake.
View Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake in The Vault