Cursive Writing ~ A Dying Art

A few years back my husband was attending his younger son’s parent-teacher conference. During the discussion about the classroom rules and the year’s subjects my husband learned that they would NO longer be teaching cursive writing.

I thought to myself how dumb is that! The teacher said that since everything is computerized writing would not be necessary. Hearing that really made me sad. If children do not know how to write in cursive then how in the world are they going to sign their credit card slips and mortgages?

So since the schools are no longer teaching that I decided to teach my daughter on my own. I went on the internet and printed off some cursive writing material and I have been having her practice. She is getting much better at it.

I loved learning how to write in cursive. I couldn’t wait to learn in school. I loved it so much that other girls would have me write their “love letters” to their boyfriends. It was fun but cursive writing for me added more beauty to my work. Teachers always complimented me on my writing as well as my assignments.

I still like writing hand written notes to people. I just hate that it’s not being taken seriously. I read somewhere that cursive writing awakens the creative part of the brain and believe you me some of our kids need it!

A few weeks ago I was reading a blog entry on “Penmanship” from Ted Kennedy Watson’s  blog. It was absolutely fantastic and inspired me to write this blog entry. You must read it. Another place that I “subscribed” to on my Instagram is Word of the Day.  They post a word, definition and use it in a sentence. It is great! We will be in the car and I will read the word of the day and ask my daughter about it. It’s another way to incorporate vocabulary into our lives. So please continue to write and teach your kids the importance of cursive writing!


Photo by John Jennings on Unsplash

Aerin Lauder ~ Home Tour

I am becoming a huge fan of Aerin Lauder. If you don’t know who she is (which you should the last name is a dead giveaway) she is the granddaughter of the legendary Estee Lauder. Estee along with her husband Joseph were co-founders of the eponymous cosmetics company Estee Lauder Companies.

Aerin has started a luxury lifestyle brand for the home. I love the home decor! It is absolutely stunning! She uses gold in most of her pieces and believes that gold and leopard print are neutrals. I could not have agreed with her more.

Aerin’s new book Beauty at Home is an imitate look into the decorating world of Aerin. The book is an inspiring account of what it means to live beautifully. The cosmetics line is chic and simple and the home decor still has a sense of old world glam to me. I love looking at the website and I look forward to getting my very own copy of Beauty at Home.

So enjoy the photos below and watch the “At Home in the Hamptons with Susanna Salk and Aerin Lauder” video. It is from Quintessence Lifestyle Blog by Stacey Bewkes. It is a home tour of Aerin’s home. They also do a little of shopping at the South Hampton store and dine Al fresco! You will enjoy the video. The home is so elegant and inspiring and Aerin is so gracious and kind. Enjoy!






At Home in the Hamptons with Susanna Salk and  – YouTub

(click on the link to watch the video)
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Preparing for Guests ~ Guest Rooms

I have to admit it when I know we are having house guests I get kind of excited. I love having people spend time at our home. It doesn’t happen quite often but when it does I try to make sure each guest is comfortable.

So below is my go to list:


This list has been so helpful to me. It is from Real Simple.com. I hope these pointers can be helpful to you and also watch the How to Decorate a Beautiful Guest Room from the Martha Stewart Show with guest designer Bunny Williams! It is Fantastic! Enjoy!

Image by ErikaWittlieb from Pixabay 







(list and text from Martha Stewart.com)

Blue and White Dinnerware

Blue and white dinnerware has been on my brain since I first saw it on the Enchanted Home. Then one of the women I follow on Youtube did a video on her entire Spode collection of blue and white dinnerware. Once I saw that I was hooked!

I take a trip to the flea market every Friday after work. I have had my eye out on a few things. This past Friday I found some blue and white plates. I went home without purchasing them that night and could not stop thinking about them. So Saturday morning I got up and took my daughter with me. I was going to go back and get those plates!

Luckily they were still there. Yeah me! I have used them already and I love them. The look of blue and white decor is so sophisticated and chic! For me it takes you back in time. The texture and the colors just go so well together. There is a richness to the combination.

Below are some photos of my plates that I purchased at the flea market. Also, there is the Youtube video from Trina Leavers. She has a fantastic blue and white Spode collection! Lastly, visit the Enchanted Home website. It is utterly beautiful! Enjoy!

My table set for dinner


My plates; I purchased 4 for $4.99 each!



They are called the Currier & Ives “Harvest” collection. 
The are made in England 



Peonies in vases; just gorgeous!



The Enchanted Home




Michelle Nussbaumer, interior designer



(Click on the link to watch the video)
(all photos from Pinterest and myself)

Comfy Outdoor Porches

I don’t know about you but this past winter has been the worse I have ever seen! I HATED Indiana from November until really about now! This winter just seem to drag for everyone! So now for the last few weeks, I have been on my porch just sitting and enjoying the weather and the scenery.



This is our first full year in our new home. We built it from the ground up last year and closed in July. So I really didn’t have much of a spring. But this year oh I have enjoyed it! I love my new home and the porch! My last home didn’t have a porch. I had to sit in the garage to watch my daughter ride her bike up and down the street. So when picking out the options for our home having a porch was at the top of my list!


My porch decor is really simple. I have some second-hand furniture that I received from my mother in law. It was red but my husband’s friend painted it black for us. I love it!! It goes well with the house. I have a few plants and I just purchased some pillows from my favorite flea market (see here about the flea market).

I think the plants and the pillows help my porch to feel more inviting. I would like to add some peony bushes, lavender, lilies, and maybe some hydrangeas in the near future but for right now I am just enjoying the fact that I even have a porch! So below are some photos of my simple porch and also is a Youtube video from Martha Stewart Lily Pond Garden and Porch tour.  Lastly, Southern Living has a porch club! Just click here to watch the video and visit the website. Enjoy!




My porch; very simple and we have our wandering jew plants hanging above. 

I planted these last month and I love them!



I love hanging plants. They always look so pretty on the stands. 



I love the way the pillows look on the chairs. Looks very inviting. 




My pillows up close. I only paid $5 each for them!

I planted these last year. I only had one now I have four new ones!
My plants




I am just sitting on my porch enjoying a glass of wine. 



Lets enjoy a Lily Pond Garden tour!! – YouTube

(click on the link to watch the video)
(photos are Mrs. Shockey)

Simply Summer Hats

It’s that time of the year where big floppy hats are great accessories to have! I have to admit I love the big Kentucky Derby hats that are worn to that great event.



Summer hats come in all shapes, colors, and styles. I am a big fan of the big southern hats. I think I have a large head so I feel that those types of hats compliment me well. 


I took a short visit to Steinmart recently and found a few hats there. The selection was great and the prices are fair. I believe that every woman should have her “favorite” hat. No matter what your style is a hat and scarf are must-have accessories for your wardrobe. Read my blog post about my Hermes scarf here. Below are a few hats that I found at Target and Steinmart!


Lastly, watch the video I have below from Southern Living. It is a video of the celebrities at the Kentucky Derby Red Carpet event. The derby hats are fabulous! Enjoy!

Please excuse this horrid selfie! I normally do not take photos with my phone in the picture but no one was around to take my photo. I loved this
hat at Steinmart. It was Ninewest and the price was $24.99!


The hats at Steinmart. The prices started at $24.99!

The Merona Striped Floppy Hat. It is $11.99 at Target!



This is me in my black floppy hat I purchased at New York and Company 
a few years ago. 


Click on the link below to watch the Kentucky Derby Red Carpet Event

Kentucky Derby Red Carpet | Triple CrownWorthy Momen

(all photos are my own)

My Second Hand Finds

As most of you know I am a thrift store shopper! I grew up shopping at thrift stores with my grandmother so it’s in my blood! I love going to Goodwill, flea markets and garage sales. My home is full of great finds that I have purchased over the years.

I started shopping at antique stores a few years ago. I simply love going and looking at all the items and the decor. Thrift store shopping has become an essential part of being a good homemaker for me. My husband even appreciates the time and effort I put into making our home lovely. I love cleaning and organizing. You can see my blog post here about home-keeping.

Sometimes I even hear him tell a visitor where I purchased an item. One thing I wish I had more of is passed down family heirlooms. I have nothing from either one of my grandmothers so starting this heritage for my daughter has been rather important to me.

Along with decorating I also love having my home smell divine. I love when people walk in and say how good my home smells. If you wish to know what I use to keep my home smelling great please read my blog entry about home scents here. 


My favorite second hand places to shop are the Goodwill, Value World and the Beech Grove Emporium. See my blog entry here about the emporium and my blog entry here about my Goodwill shopping.

Now below I am going to give a tour of my “Sitting Room” in my home. I do enjoy using this room. It’s a great place to host my girlfriends when they come over for a little chat and maybe some tea. I hope you enjoy looking at my finds just as much as I do. Enjoy!

I found this leopard cloth at the Beech Grove Emporium for only $7.99. The shag pillow
I found at Garden Ridge for $12.99. 
I am a huge Martha Stewart fan. So whenever I see her books at the flea markets I buy them.
I purchased these at the Half Price Bookstore. Fantastic right? I love my Jane Seymour “Making Yourself at Home” book. It was a great Ebay purchase. 



More Martha Stewart books 

And more Martha Stewart books. I purchased these for $1!



I have some of my books sitting on my brown trunk. I love this trunk! It reminds me of a Louis youknowwhat. But in time I believe that I will be able to purchase one of those trunks!



I found these plates at Value World. I only paid $2.50 each!



I love my gigantic floral arrangement. I actually purchased this from my mother-in -law’s friend. She was downsizing and needed to get rid of some things. She sold it to me for only $10! But it originally had these ugly green and gold roses. I pulled all of those out and replaced them with flowers I love. 



I purchased this antique pitcher and bowl from the Goodwill store. The price was only $25 but on that day everything was 50% off! So I paid half!


These Royal Albert cups were purchased at the Emporium for only $5 each! There other large tea cup was purchased from the Manor House antique store but it closed its doors last year! Sad face! The angel statute was a gift from my husband years ago. 



The goblets were a gift from my mother-in-law. My pink and white cherry blossom tea set was a birthday gift from my husband from the Teavana store.  The other tea cups were purchased from the Emporium. I will pass down these items to my daughter.



This floral wall decor was purchased at the Old Time Pottery Barn. I thought it was splendid!



This table was purchased at a garage sale from my neighbor for $5. The other table items were purchased from T.J Maxx



Okay, I had to have a chandelier. I love it! I purchased it from Lowe’s. 



This lovely mirror picture was purchased from Hobby Lobby. 



All of my pillows were purchased from T.J. Maxx and the Goodwill. 



Oh gosh! I found this fantastic tapestry at the Emporium for $16!



My bamboo table I found at the Manor House for $29. My tray and pineapple are from Marshal’s. 



Overview of the room
Another view from the stairs. 




I just recently found this beautiful vintage lamp at the antique store for $25! 
I wish I knew what the year of it was. 



I found this gorgeous wing back chair from the Goodwill for $40.
It is in great condition. What a find!




This is my chair in my office. My husband purchased this for me at a garage sale!




Here is another view of the room. 




I found this lamps at the Goodwill store for $3.99 & $5.99!



I purchased these window panels from the flea market. 
I loved the fabric that was added to them. I paid $20 for both!



I don’t know where to put them yet so I just sat them on the nightstand in our bedroom. 



I have been inspired by the Enchanted Home blog. 
The blue and white looks so classic!



I will be redecorating my family room and kitchen with the blue and white decor. 



This was a great find. I found this at the antique store. The Royal Albert Old Country
Roses plate and tea set! I was so excited when I saw it! 



Now if you need some ideas on how to decorate your space then read my blog entry about ideas here.
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)