My Visit to The National Mall in Washington

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On our first day in D.C. my husband wanted to see the National Mall. After we visited the museum we walked over to the monuments. The good thing about the National Mall is that everything is close or it seems that way.

The Washington Monument 
On foot everything seems to be miles apart!! No kidding! You will definitely get your steps in when you visit. 
This monument is so huge! It took my breath away walking up to it. 
The World War II Monument
After staring at the Washington Monument and the World War II monument we decided to walk down and see the Lincoln Memorial.
I am sorry but I immediately thought of Forrest and Jenny when we walked by this. 
It was huge and crowded!!
But definitely worth seeing….
Looking out….
Wow….
And standing where Dr. Martin Luther King gave his legendary speech….
After walking all of this on foot we decided to head out and have dinner. 
Only to return tomorrow and take the night bike tour….
We visited all the same spots on the bike tour but we did not get to see this on foot which was wonderful. The MLK monument….
His quotes surrounded his monument.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness only light can do that. 
Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that”. ~ MLK (1963)
The sun began to set and we came back around to the World War II monument.
Beautiful isn’t it?
We rode our bikes back to the Lincoln Memorial.
Very pretty at night….
The Capitol at night….
We finished our bike tour early and my husband asked if we could stop by the White House.
We did a quick “ride by” and I just could not stop staring. I didn’t care who was in office at that moment, I just wanted to enjoy the beauty of this building. 
Visiting the National Mall was the best experience that I have ever had. I loved being able to bring my family on this business trip with me so that they could see the sights! It was so worth it! We hardly spent any money on seeing everything. It was beautiful and I hope that we can do it again soon.
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

My Visit to the National Museum of African Art

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After our long walk through the city of D.C. we took an Uber to the National Mall. The first Smithsonian museum that we visited was the National Museum of African Art.

When you walk into the museum…

Reliquary guardian figure, late 19th century to early 20th century

Stool, mid to late 19th century




Door and Frame, Swahili artist, Tanzania

19th century, wood and metal

Amhara artist, Ethiopia

Shield, early 19th century

Somali artisit, Mocadishu, Somalia

Necklace with amulet case
Mid 20th century

silver alloy, plant fiber, synthetic amber


One of my favorites its called “Monkeys Grasp for the Moon”. 
by Xu Bling (b. 1955)



Here is how to read it…
This is an oil lamp, bowl with cover and ewer. 
They are all from the Angkor period (11th-13th century). 

The best blue and white collection I have ever seen.
18th century 

This is called the “Princess from the Land of Porcelain”.
James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)

Oil on canvas
Nepal, 1082
Gilt copper with semiprecious stones and traces of vermilion






This was a massive collection of pottery.

This was a pretty peony floral arrangement and it was real!!
It was a great visit and I am glad we were able to squeeze this in. I really enjoyed the blue and white exhibit. It was my favorite!
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)



Walking Around D.C.

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My husband and I have been wanting to go to D.C. for sometime now. So when the opportunity came up at my office for a mandatory training in Washington I couldn’t wait to tell my husband!

He was more excited than the kids! We got all packed up and headed out. It was a 9 hour drive but we enjoyed it along the way. Meaning we slept most of the way.

Once we arrived we checked into our hotel early and hit the streets. The first few moments there we walked several miles around the neighborhoods.

It was hot a day!!!

I loved all the small private gardens that the residences had. 

My husband said, “I spy blue and white in the window”. 
Loved all the different color buildings…

So chic… couldn’t you see a very chic woman walking out the door with her
cream silk blouse on, leather black skirt, nude pumps, black Chanel bag, 
gold bracelet and double layer pearls?

Pretty hydrangeas!

I love these. Does anyone know the name of this flower?

I have no idea what these are but they were too pretty not to take a picture of.
After our walk we decided it was lunch time and headed to 14th Street because some of the residents there told us that there were many food options there. We ended up at Taylor Gourmet. I love being able to choice my own bread, deli meat and veggies for sandwiches. It was really good and gave us a chance to rest up for the next items on our list. If ever in D.C. take a moment to walk around the neighborhoods. The historical buildings are very beautiful. 



(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

My Daughter’s Violin Lessons

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For a few years now our daughter has been wanting to learn to play the violin. So we finally listened to her and found her a private teacher.

She has only been going for a couple of months but I tell you I have enjoyed it just as much as her. I really enjoy her teacher and really love hearing my daughter play this beautiful instrument.

Here is her teacher’s home. It is very special to me. It remind me of a grand Victorian home. The drive to her home is lovely too. We pass a lot of farms and green, green fields! It is always a nice drive in the evenings. 

She has this great wrap around porch. I mean it is huge! She has flowers all around her home and lots of birds…..
Now in her music room there are lots of rugs and each one is different. I love the original hardwood flowers and don’t mind all the wallpaper. 
Here is another view of the music room. She has every instrument in this room that you could possible own! There are two big harps sitting here. She has three pianos in this room, guitars, flutes, clarinets, etc. I usually sit on the flower sofa and listen to Lauren practice. 
For me this is another aspect of enjoying beauty in my life. Listening to my daughter play the violin, sitting in a Victorian home, learning about instruments, looking at all of the flowers in her garden and watching my daughter smile. 
Enjoy the small outlets of beauty in your life whatever they maybe…..
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Office Pretties

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This is a quick post about office items that I discovered. I found this pretty decorative box for my office. You can put anything inside. It is quite chic……

I tried to find similar ones on the T.J. Maxx website but it was quite hard but if you are still curious here they are. My box is by Max Studio just in case you wanted to search the web. 
The other item that I found was the gold letter holder. It was only $10! Great deal and looks wonderful with the office also from T.J. Maxx. 
The last item in the photo is my faux peony arrangement. Also a T.J. Maxx find. It was $16.99. 
Here is a photo of inside the box. It will be great for putting sticky notes in, reminders and anything I need. It was only $24.99. Sorry I could not find the links to these on their website but you can try to search for them. 
I love finding office pretties and using them everyday. Until next time, #live elegant everyday!

(photos by Mrs. Shockley)

Sunday Wine Tasting…

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After our big delicious dinner at the Kopper Kettle, my husband wanted to stop at this winery called Buck Creek Winery. It looked very simple so I did not know what to expect.


When we walked in and they had all these wines with the medals around them. I was impressed….

We then went to the counter and it was five tastings for $5! Great deal!


This was the list and you can see the five I tasted.


My husband and I ended up with two bottles. We loved the Rocio. It was a carbonated wine. Very good and we loved the Road House White. It was very tasty. Most of the wines I tried there were very good. 


After you make your selection, you can take your goodies home or you can go outside and relax and sip your wine with your loved one. 

The scenery was quite nice and it was a beautiful day. We will be going back again. We could not stay we had the kids with us and wanted to enjoy it alone. 


(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

A Sunday Lunch…

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My family and I try to visit new places when dining. It is always hard to get out of a rut. We can be very routine with restaurants because we get to know the staff and usually order the same dishes.

My friend Kim suggested this place. We were a little apprehensive but in the end it turned out very well…..

This restaurant is called the Kopper Kettle Inn. The waitress gave us a brief history of the place. She said that it was a tavern, then a bed and breakfast, then they turned it into a restaurant. It has been a restaurant for over 95 years! 
This place was also a part of the Underground Railroad. Very interesting….
I loved all the vintage rugs and antique furniture. 

The light fixtures and murals were beautiful.
After oooing and aweing at everything we sat down to order. 
We sat down to vintage plates! Wonderful!

We had homemade chicken noodle soup, salad and dinner rolls.
Of course the main dish was the fried chicken which was delish!!

There were lots of sides and everything was family style which forced you to pass dishes 
around and talk. No cell phones please! (I tried to hurry and take quick photos)
After the wonderful dinner we went and toured the upstairs that was full of antique furniture. 

Then outside to the gardens….

It was quite lovely and it was nice to dine somewhere different. It was about a 25 minute drive for us but we enjoyed seeing all the farms, land and yards and yards of peonies! It was quite enjoyable. 


(photos by Mrs. Shockley & Lauren Shockley)