Well of course, the majority of households in the United States do not have a Household Butler, at least not where I come from. So as you can imagine, it was very interesting to read an article in the November 2011 Issue of Town & Country Magazine, “At Your Service”, which writes about an almost $16,000 Eight Week Study of Estate Management at the French Culinary Institute. Yes… I am for real (it is even hard to get entrance into this exclusive study)! I can only imagine the details and duties required by a family with several multi-million dollar properties, countless reasons to entertain and a schedule filled with managing businesses, properties, personal needs, travels and finances- I guess that is why you would need a butler, to be more efficient. Amongst my amazement of the aristocratic knowledge a butler possesses, I did learn a few things to incorporate into my lifestyle…

1. “Scouring pads are the devil! They ruin silver and leave scratches on plates and glasses.” -Chris Ely

2. Use a dry paint brush to dust picture frames.

3. If your clothes are too close together in your closet, they create more wrinkles and creases.

4. Dry clean a suit once a year, steam it and spot clean it as needed.

5. Hang your pants up by the bottoms or the cuff, folding them over a hanger creates creases. Hanging them up by the cuffs helps most of the wrinkles fall out.

6. Try WD-40 to remove a lipstick stain.

7. When setting a table the ideal space between plates is two feet from the center of one plate to the next. This will create the most comfortable eating environment.

8. When decorating the table with flowers (fragrance free only), put your elbow on the table and your fist upright in the air, the flowers should never go above your fist. If the flowers are above your fist, guests cannot see each other.

9. Never have candles at the table during daylight, in the evening use only fragrance free.

10. Be conscious of fingerprints on your glassware, remove them with a cloth or set them on the table with a towel. Always lift the glasses from the stem, and check for fingerprints in the daylight.

11. All of your silverware should be an equal distance apart when setting the table.

12. Never show up early to a party, the last 15 minutes are crucial for the host.

Of course, not all of these are day-to-day tips you can use in life, but chances are, something I’ve recounted here will be useful to you at some point. This type of column all goes back to my quote, “Enjoy The Suburban Diary as you wish, take everything with a grain of salt, remember what is necessary, and make everything YOUR own!”

Truly yours,

Emily

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