Hello! My name is Blaire Rogers and I am a content creator behind the Instagram account Texaflora. I am a mother of three, and my wonderful husband and I are raising our children in Palm Beach on the sunny coast of Florida. I am so honored to be sharing with you today. One of the things I love about Miss Elaine is their 100+ year legacy as a historic brand. I remember my great grandmother and grandmother wearing their beautiful lace trimmed gowns, and those memories of them are so dear to me. In fact, they are a huge influence in shaping the woman and mother I am today. I’d love to give you a peek at who these women were from my vantage point. The common thread behind each of them is that they so effortlessly wove beauty into everything they did. Whether it was a beautifully decorated cake or a well styled outfit, their hearts were so others focused they radiated the purest form of beauty I can imagine. Let me tell you a little more about each of them that will hopefully do them justice as the incredible women they were and are.
I was fortunate to actually know my great-grandmother, Edna, who we affectionately called “Sister.” I was about 10 years old when she passed away, so I have many fond memories spent with her. She lived in a small cottage behind my grandparents’ home that I would frequently visit after-school and on summer days. I can still vividly remember running across her yard and opening her door to be greeted by the theme song to The Young and the Restless and the smell of a cake in the oven. You see, she was a baker. Cakes were her specialty. We lived in a small town so before the days of grocery store cakes, she was truly the town baker. Sister’s petit fours would melt in your mouth, and it wasn’t my birthday unless I had a Barbie doll dress cake made by her, with beautiful icing piped on the skirt. She always had a smile on her face, a kind word on her lips and a full face of make-up. Even at bedtime, she looked stunning in her silky gowns.
Next, my maternal grandmother, Myra, who I know as Mimi. Where do I start with my Mimi?! She is sassy, full of life and loves her family fiercely. Her favorite color is orange and leopard print (preferably mixed together) and she can always been seen wearing at least 20 pieces of jewelry. She has owned her own business, a nail salon/boutique, for the past 30+ years and still does manicures to this day! Anyone who was a friend of mine grew up playing in my Mimi’s shop. We painted our nails, dressed up in the clothes she was selling and performed our own dance routines to an audience of a cardboard Tom Selleck cutout displayed in her shop. She loves jazz music, hosts a big family Sunday lunch and has walked for two miles everyday since she was 20 years old. She hasn’t a wrinkle on her face and still writes me hand-written letters to this day. She traveled the world with my PawPaw but insisted on having her babies in Texas and returned home for both my uncle and mom’s birth. She even gave me a bag of dirt for Christmas the year I was pregnant with my daughter, Sutton, to place under my bed at the hospital as she insisted her lineage be born on “Texas soil.” I remember spending summer nights at her home and being enthralled watching her get ready for bed. She meticulously rolled her hair into curlers and applied all her creams, which to me seemed like jars of magical elixirs! I loved my evenings with her in her bedroom where she transformed form her day clothes into nightgowns that mirrored the same beauty and pizazz she radiated during the day.
Finally, my own mother, Leeza. We call her “Honey” now as her grandmother’s name, and it could not be a more appropriate word to describe her. I have yet to meet another person as kind, selfless and loving as my mom. She couldn’t say a negative word about someone if she tried and would give you the actual shirt off her back. She is tender-hearted, others focused and loves God with her whole heart. I could recount so many stories of the love she tangibly displayed for my siblings and I as we were growing up, but the list would grow far longer than I could ever finish. She labeled every crayon with our names, made every lunch and prayed fervently with us over every detail of our lives. She was dedicated to seeing us succeed and did whatever it took to support us. Like staying up late to recite an oral reading piece with me or wrapping my brother in green saran wrap and hunting down the perfect red wig so he could be Ariel from The Little Mermaid (that’s a post in itself!). To this day, she is my best friend who I admire and learn so much about loving others from. She is stunningly beautiful both inside and out and I could not be prouder to be her daughter.
Now as I raise my own little lady (and my 2 boys!), I incorporate pieces of these amazing women who have gone before me into my own life: My great-grandmother’s baking, my grandmother’s love of fashion and my mother’s tender heart. I love the timeless elegance of Miss Elaine and the memories I have of the incredible women who went before me wearing their gowns. Now as I am creating my own moments of beauty I hope my children will hold onto and cherish them, just like I did!
-Blaire