August Favorites ~ 2022

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Good Morning,

Last week of August, well it’s the last few days of August! September starts this month! I will share my birthday wish list with you all soon! I did some more antiquing this weekend. I went to Midlands which is one of the most elegant antique stores that we have in my city. I am on the hunt for a new but vintage chandelier for my sitting room. I would like something a bit bigger and better quality. But let’s jump right into my favorites for the month of August!

 

 

The first on my list is sitting. I love having days where I can just sit. I took some time this weekend to sit a little more. I have not been sleeping well the last two weeks. I have been getting up an hour early and that really affected my body’s reaction. Having a day or two to just sit and relax is important!

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Second is a new vintage Jasperware purchase! I ordered this teacup and saucer from eBay. I reached out to Katherine from Pender and Peony and asked if they were safe to drink from and she said yes so, I could not resist ordering one! It’s quite lovely!

 

 

Third is my bathroom. I love this room! I recently took a step back and just stared at it. I still can’t believe that my husband painted this for me. It’s still a dream. If you missed out on this small update you may read it here. 

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The fourth has been my beautiful vintage perfume bottle! Katherine from Pender & Peony had a set of 2 but I missed the auction! So I went on Etsy to see if I could find one and I did! I found similar ones here and here if you are interested. 

 

 

Fifth is my cameo bookmark and Coach notebook! Aren’t they a beautiful combination? The notebook is great for jotting down ideas and needs. The bookmark is the epitome of grandmillennial style! Both are quite affordable as well! 

 

 

The sixth has been my antiquing adventures. I have gone antiquing a lot these past few months and have really enjoyed it. Just this past Saturday I found these reproductions. One of the Mona Lisa for about $375 and “Woman with a Parasol” by Claude Monet for about $300 as well. I didn’t buy either but wanted them both!

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Seventh is my new garden stool! Isn’t she lovely? I purchased it from an online antique store on Instagram called Union Birch. I love it! I love the colors and design. It is still very similar to the chinoiserie look. Make sure that you follow her. 

 

 

The eighth are more antique finds! I purchased this blue and white umbrella stand and this blue and white planter. My husband and I are planning on getting a concrete pad poured in our backyard. It will be soo nice to have a place for my table and chairs and to put some blue and white planters out! 

The last on my list is this phenomenal home tour of the Breakers! If you guys enjoyed my posts or my Youtube video of my trip then you will really enjoy the in-depth tour that Homeworthy gives of this timeless property! Enjoy!

 

 

I hope you all have found some inspiration in my August favorites. I love sharing new things and new adventures. I do have some new beautiful grandmillennial inspired items on my “shop my favorites” page. You should check it out. Until then have a great Monday!

 

Oh and the boutique has a new arrival! My first transitional dress of the season is here. The Grace Checker Midi is so elegant. It’s navy and gray and perfect for this new autumn season!

 

 

 

 

Please note: some links are affiliate links and if you make a purchase through this link, I will receive a small commission for referring you to the product. Thank you so much in advance if you decide to make a purchase through my link.

 

Lady of the House ~What is that for you?

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Good Morning All,

I had a great evening yesterday. I attended my very first Guild Meeting! It was for the new members only, so we all got to meet each other. It was nice getting to meet all of the other new members and the women in leadership. I think that I am going to like this… 

Well, I am not sure but do any of you follow Inspired by Nikki’s Youtube channel? I believe most of us do and I have been loving her “Lady of the House” series for a while. That got me thinking about what does a “lady of the house” mean to me? 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

My front porch 

 

A lady of the house kind of day for me would be getting up early, giving my silent thanks to the Lord, starting my bubble bath, and getting ready. After that I check my planner or to-do list for the day. Since I plan out my weeks in advance, I have an idea of what house chores or personal business items need to be done. 

I may go ahead and get one of the house chores done (like go out and water my plants on the front porch), then it’s off to the grocery store to get fresh flowers and food for the week. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

Our bedroom, love having fresh flowers in it. 

After I come home, groceries are put away and then I make self a beautiful brunch. I make my scrambled butter eggs, cinnamon bread toast, fresh grapes, orange juice, and a teapot of hot tea. I sit and enjoy my brunch, plan my week, then I start my chore list. It’s not as long anymore since I do one chore every day. I can’t stand cleaning a house all weekend now. I did it for over 15 years and will not do it again. It’s not worth it. 

 

Me playing my friend Marc’s piano

 

I think a lady of the house kind of day would include an “elegant activity”. Whatever your activity may be, whether antiquing, playing an instrument, dinner with a friend, reading or maybe going to a book club. I think we should include those in our days. 

 

My weekly salmon dinner with brown rice and sautéed spinach! I love it!

 

After everything is completed on my list, I usually love to end the day with a beautiful meal. I have shared this before. It’s one of my favorites. I love to enjoy my meals at home or out. 

 

Me after a fun day of antiquing

 

And lastly a lady of the house kind of day would not be complete without my dress, cardigan, and ballet house slippers. My hair is fixed, earrings on, and my favorite perfume has been applied. What would your lady of the house kind of day be? Make sure you share it below! 

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

Book Clubs ~ Are you in one?

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Good Morning,

I went antiquing this weekend but that really isn’t a surprise. I get these urges at the middle of the month and always make sure that I take some time to go. I found some wonderful things. If you follow me on Instagram, then you would have seen my reel about it. I did save it to my “Elegant Living” highlight. You can visit that reel to see some of my adventures and items! I will most likely be sharing those in my August favorites. Overall, it was a very quiet weekend.

This post is inspired by my supervisor. She is the Civil Chief in my division, and I love working with her! It has been great so far! There are so many things that I love about her. Her calendar is one of them. She is a bit older than me, but her calendar so inspires me!

I am in charge of it, so I get to see everything she puts on it. One of the items is her monthly pedicure. She actually goes to a spa and gets it done! Okay check! I need to do that! I have a nail salon that I go to and yesterday I decided to get a pedicure. It was terrible because the young lady who did it was NOT TRAINED AT ALL. But I am taking that as a sign to look for a new location. I have been at this location for several years, and they have new management. 

 

photo credit: Pinterest

 

The other items are her monthly dinners with friends and her book club meetings! Ohhh I am so jealous! This past Friday she told me that she was hosting it. So that got me thinking. Are any of you in a book club? Or have you ever been in a book club? If so, please share your good and bad experiences. I would LOVE to know. As you all know I have been doing a lot of networking and hope to meet a friend or two in these groups. Let me know in the comments section below if you have any experiences with one. Have a great Monday!

 

 

 

A Fable from England…

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Good Morning All,

I am glad it is Friday! Looking forward to the weekend. I just have a little running around to do and a few house chores. Other than that, it should be a pretty light weekend. Things have been really busy at work and with Lauren beginning her senior year in high school some things have been added to my list. I also wanted to let you all know that I am trying to get new dresses for the boutique. It has been really hard to get them in. Some of the dresses won’t be available until November! Crazy! But I am trying!

I did take a risk recently and purchased something from a company that I was not familiar with. I was looking for another company when I found this one. It’s called Fable England. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

It shipped all the way from England and arrived pretty quickly. Loved the inside of the box. 

 

 

 

I loved reading the story about how the company began. That’s usually how inspiration begins. Finding something that inspires you.

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Now isn’t this print lovely? This is called the Toile de Jouy Vintage Blue Scarf. It’s made of silk like material and is a great size. And did you see the price? It’s under $40 with shipping included!

 

 

Look at how nice and big it is. It’s 70 cm x 70 cm. It’s the perfect size for your neck and handbags.

 

 

 

I’ve been carrying it on my bag all this week. It looks extremely chic. I hope you order one for yourself or check out their other accessories. I think the Peacock tote, Toile de Jouy messenger, and Alice blue tote are wonderful pieces from their collection. This post is not sponsored. I genuinely found them and love my scarf!

Have a great weekend!

 

 

Please note: some links are affiliate links and if you make a purchase through this link, I will receive a small commission for referring you to the product. Thank you so much in advance if you decide to make a purchase through my link.

 

 

 

 

 

The Elegant Ralph Lauren Store & Vintage Mercedes

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Good Morning Everyone,

It’s the middle of August already and we are headed toward less humidity this week! I was so excited to see the weather forecast for this week. I am breathing a sigh of relief. My husband’s grandfather’s funeral turned out okay. Everyone was nice and supportive of everyone. It actually turned into a celebration instead of a funeral. As it should be. 

I received some good news after the funeral. I talked about the Indiana Paralegal’s Association and how I just joined. I think I mentioned that they also have special interests’ groups within the association and that I applied to be a part of one. What I did not expect was an email on Friday telling me that I was going to chair the group that I applied for! Now how funny is that! We will see how things go but I thought that was interesting. 

I have also been trying to join the EARS Evaluation Program at my office for years now. I received an email the same day that I was nominated and finally will be placed on the team! This program is a team of people that go to different U.S. Attorney Offices around the country and evaluate how they are doing. I am scheduled to travel to San Diego in December and will be evaluating my first office in March of next year. I am so excited about these new journeys! 

Now on to the last portion of our trip! Once we returned from Rhode Island we stopped in New Jersey and spent two more days with our friends. With that being said, we decided to head back into New York City and see Manhattan!

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This was the original Ralph Lauren Store. It is the store where everything began. 

 

 

As soon as you walk in there is a doorman that opens the door for you, and you enter right into this beautiful entryway. The flowers are real!

 

 

Now this store is the men’s store. This entire building is for men. The women’s clothing and accessories is across the street. But I must say the men’s store is the epitome of elegance. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

Each room had its very own theme. I didn’t take pictures of all of the rooms. I wanted to enjoy the moment and take it all in. There was one room that was black and white, and I wanted to take a photo of that room but too many people kept coming in. 

 

 

The Ricky bag on the shelf…

After walking around the men’s store. I decided to walk on over to the women’s store. 

 

 

As soon as I walked in I was in awe again…

 

 

The women’s store had the Ralph Lauren Cafe inside. I did order a lemonade and cinnamon pastry. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Now this store not only had the cafe, but it also had clothes, vintage jewelry and home decor! Very smart Ralph!

 

 

Fresh flowers everywhere…

 

 

I could not resist looking at the vintage jewelry collection. I can’t remember all of the details of every piece but the two that stand out to me are the two that I tried on. 

 

photo credit: Mr. Shockley 

 

I can’t remember all of the details of this bracelet, but I think it’s from the 1950s!

 

 

This one made my heart stopped! I think it’s from around the same time, had real diamonds and rubies and is from India. You could dress this down as well. Add a white crisp shirt, your favorite jeans, beautiful kitten heels, and this bracelet… sheer elegance!

 

 

After looking at the jewelry and some of the accessories I went upstairs to take a look at some of the home decor. All I kept saying was “oh my”. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

This will be the inspo behind my next blue and white arrangement! 

 

 

All of this was Ralph Lauren….

 

 

This has some serious boutique inspiration for me! It would be a dream for me. 

 

photo credit: Mr. Shockley 

 

Look at these stairs! I believe the sale associate told me that these came from Italy and were about $5 million!! It looks like something from the original Chanel store. 

 

 

Had to take at least one….

 

 

 

That store was truly a dream, and I could not leave with buying something. Both my husband and I really loved this Ralph Lauren scent. It’s called Round Hill. I love the lavender, and musk notes that it has. My second favorite scent was the Pied-A-Terre. It had notes of jasmine. 

Before I end this post, I did want to quickly share our visit to the Newport Car Museum. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

My husband and stepson were so excited walking into this museum. I was hoping to see one of my dream cars and I did. 

 

 

 

There were about 80 cars in this musem, and the staff was tremendously nice! 

 

 

And then I saw it. A vintage Mercedes…

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

This is a 1963 Mercedes Benz 300 SL.

 

 

It really is a beautiful car. I could see myself driving it with my sunglasses and hair scarf! Such a classic car. I hope you all enjoyed this last post from our summer vacation. It truly was a perfect vacation this year and I could not ask for a more wonderful experience. I hope you all have a wonderful Monday! 

 

 

 

The Topiary Garden

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Good Morning All,

The humidity has finally gone away for a moment! I think every state in the country has been suffering with high temperatures. It’s been miserable. I haven’t sat on my porch in weeks! I have been wanting to ride my bike but forget that. It’s hot!

This has been a very busy week for me work wise. I joined another professional group in my city. It’s called the Indiana Paralegal Association! I am really looking forward to meeting new professional women in my same area of expertise. My first meeting was this week, and it was so great! I am really looking forward to being a part of this group! 

Today is a sad day. My husband’s 97-year-old grandfather died last week. It was not a shock to the family, but he will be missed greatly. I have really enjoyed Grandpa Fox over the years. Today is his funeral and I think it is a day of celebration. He is gone to meet the Father! I couldn’t think of any other way to be. 

My travel posts are winding down. I only have a few more things to share. I really did love this trip. I told my husband that this was the best trip to me that we have ever taken. It was truly a blessing! Now on to the Topiary Gardens! 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

The one thing that I loved about this garden was how quiet it was. It could have been because we were there in a weekday, but it was so quiet and peaceful… 

 

 

 

 

 

The property was purchased in the 1800s and is one of the oldest gardens in the country!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I think that I read that the animals bushes were created in the 70s!

 

 

 

 

Those gorgeous blue hydrangeas were everywhere!

 

 

There was also a small vineyard! You could see the grapes hanging from the vines. Now how wonderful is that?

 

 

 

It was such a dream and inspiring! I want something like this for my own property. I took a lot of these photos to get ideas for my own home. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This property sat on the water as well.

 

 

My husband always likes to take a selfie. He does a pretty good job. This was at one of the mansions. I believe it was Rosecliff. I hope you all enjoyed this small tour of the property. I have a little bit of running around to do this weekend. I am hoping to get a few house chores done as well. Enjoy your weekend! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Rosecliff Mansion

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Good Morning!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I dropped off my fabric to the upholster and now we just wait on the results. I am so excited to see how it will turn out. I also went and smelled some fall candles at Bath and Body Works. I love the honeycrisp apple and harvest pomegranate. They both smelled so good, and I can’t wait to get them for my home.

Before I share the last Newport Mansion tour, I wanted to remind everyone about the Jasmine Pearl Brooch. It is on sale right now and would look great on your cardigans, coats, and totes. Yes, I attach brooches to my totes all the time! You should give it a try.

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Now on to the last mansion tour from our trip. The last house that we toured was called Rosecliff Mansion. One fun fact that I loved about this mansion was that a few movies were shot there. True Lies and 27 Dresses as well as The Great Gatsby.

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

 

 

Now this home had less rooms to look at and more open spaces. I believe this home is used more for parties and weddings. 

 

 

Loving this entry way…

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

It had such a grand entrance. Perfect for your wedding guests to walk into. 

 

 

This was to the right of the entrance hall. I could see the hostess standing here greeting everyone. 

 

 

This was the first room we walked into. Always look up…

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

There were so many details in the chimney. It’s a work of art!

 

 

 

Of course, beautiful artwork everywhere. 

 

 

We walked around and came to this room which I believe was another study for the husband. Look at the ceilings! 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

We came around to this room next. I remember the app saying something about one of the owners. She became really depressed at some point because she had no visitors and begun to just roam around the home. I found that to be very sad. 

 

 

 

The upstairs only had a few bedrooms and those really didn’t have much in them. I did see this little vanity area in one of the rooms. I thought it still looked like furniture that we could use today. 

 

 

 

We did see this grand ballroom before heading outside. This was my favorite room in the house!

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

 

 

We then headed outside to the gardens. I loved this long pergola. It was so elegant with all of the vines covering it.

 

 

Everything was still beautiful and lush despite the heat. 

 

 

All of the properties had these beautiful ocean views. I could see why the families wanted their “summer cottages” here. I still can’t get over the fact that these call these summer cottages. It’s remarkable! 

I hope you all enjoyed this last Newport Mansion tour. I will be sharing the beautiful gardens, Newport car musem, and the timeless Ralph Lauren store in Manhattan, New York. Have a great Monay!