Plans for my new Greenhouse

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Hello!

I can’t believe June is almost over! Goodness gracious, that went by really fast! I have had some busy days and I have some more busy workdays ahead. Next week, I am so nervous, but I found a new hair stylist. I have not been to the salon for a full-service appointment since 2019! Ever since my hair stylist passed away almost 2 years ago now, I could not bear going to someone else. This new stylist that I found I discovered her on Instagram. So wish me luck. 

 I also did something wonderful recently. I got a greenhouse!!! I can’t believe it. I have always wanted one and Costco lowered the price on theirs, so my husband and I had to go and get it. I would provide the link but it is not available online. 

 

photo credit: Mr. Shockley 

 

I am on cloud 9. I love it so much! We are hoping to get it up in the fall or by the fall of this year so we will see. My husband wants to do some more research on how to handle the foundation. We also have to get it cleared by our HOA. As soon as I walked inside of it I saw my very own flower cutting garden. 

 

photo credit: Pinterest

 

I know that I want to grow this tulip pictured above. These are white parrot tulips, and I will definitely be ordering these! I have never seen them in person but have always loved them.

 

 

I, of course, want to grow peonies and I would love to have some David Austin Roses. Casablanca lilies are also on the list as well as some climbing roses. I would not mind some wisteria as well, but we will see. 

Overall, I am delighted that I get to start this new project. I adore flowers and have them everywhere in my life. To be able to grow what I want right outside my back yard will truly be a blessing. I can’t wait to smell the beautiful scents inside my greenhouse. Have a wonderful weekend! 

 

 

An Elegant Book Cabinet~ My Next FBMP Hunt!

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Good Morning Friends!

I hope you all had wonderful weekend! It was great having three days off. I got a lot accomplished, but my list is still long. We celebrated Father’s Day for my husband. I got him a few dress items to wear, and we had dinner at his favorite Japanese restaurant. On Monday we went to Trader Joes. I have not been there in years, and they had the most beautiful peonies! I got 4 bunches and at $10 a bunch you could not beat it! I also got some wonderful new foods to try with dinner. Yesterday evening I made a roasted chicken and some mushroom risotto from Trader Joes. Oh my goodness, it was so good! I will be going back for more. 

Today I wanted to share my next FBMP item that I am on the hunt for. 

 

photos via Facebook Marketplace

 

So, the photo above is a photo of a white cabinet that I was going to purchase about a month ago for my home office. I was going to use this beautiful piece as a bookshelf for all of my books. The gentleman told me that it was available and then texted me and told me that “another family member” had sold it. Now I don’t know what really happened, but I was in LOVE with this piece! 

 

 

Also do you all see the price?!! It was probably too good to be true. I have been on the hunt ever since! I can’t seem to find anything close. I will continue to look but if you are local and know of an item like this for sale, please let me know! My heart is still breaking. 

Has this ever happened to any of you before? Let me know in the comments below. Enjoy your week!

 

 

 

 

My Spring & Summer Scents for 2023

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Hello!
I have a three-day weekend ahead of me and I am a little excited about it. We have Monday off because it is now a federal holiday. We have a women’s professional group in my office, and we had an event this past week where we had a professor speak and teach about Juneteenth. It was quite interesting and informative. I really enjoyed it! 

Lauren has been working at the antique mall for about a week now and I think she likes it so far. I plan on going antiquing this weekend but not at her job. I don’t want to embarrass her yet. I thought about going to Trader Joes and Whole Foods. It’s been a long time since I have visited those. Lots of ideas but we will see. 

Today I wanted to share my favorite spring and summer scents so far. I really want to keep it to just these scents. I always feel overwhelmed when I have too many scents for the season. It can be a bit much. I did find a new scent and cannot get enough of it!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

Of course, I cannot get enough of my scents from Aerin. I love almost every scent from her collection. Aerin Lauder, granddaughter of Estee Lauder, is a brilliant creator in this industry. She certainly has “nose” for scents. For the spring and summer I am wearing her Lilac Path (which I first purchased in 2015), Rose De Grasse, and Mediterranean Honeysuckle Clementina. All three scents are full of florals and citrus. You can layer these scents together. I have people stop me all the time asking me what I am wearing. 

 

My second set of favorites are my Philosophy scents. My favorites from this collection are Amazing Grace Jasmine and Amazing Grace Lavender.  I love the scent of jasmine and bergamot. You can also smell the lavender, grapefruit, and bergamot in the second scent. 

 

 

My last scent is my newest find. I found this in Sephora about a week ago. I walked in to buy another item and decided to spray this on my wrist and let it sit. I finished purchasing my item, walked out to my car, smelled my wrist, got out of my car and went back inside to buy it! It was that enchanting! I could not leave it there. I have been wearing it all week and every time I spray this on it captures me. Wisteria Blue is amazing especially if you love florals! It has notes of wisteria, Bulgarian rose and jasmine. You must go and try it yourself!

I know that all of these scents are so expensive so I would recommend getting a sampler. Here is an Aerin Lauder Discovery set for under $30. Here is a Discovery set for Nest Fragrances and here is a bonus set for Jo Malone. I hope some of you will try these new scents and let me know your thoughts. 

In boutique news I do have a new plus size arrival. The Rose Blush Midi is a great addition to the boutique. I just love the rose details and the flutter sleeves. It comes in 1x, 2x, and 3x. I maybe keeping one for myself! 

 

 

 

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Weekend Wardrobe

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Good Morning Everyone!

Whew, another busy weekend! We had Lauren’s college orientation on Friday and her Open House Party on Saturday. We did a lot of walking at the college and her open house turned out very well. Next weekend we are headed to her roommate’s open house to support and hang out.

Yesterday I had lunch with my Guild Friends. We ate at a place called Shaprio’s and it was great catching up. The week before I had brunch with my cousin, and I am planning another lunch here soon with my co-workers and another friend. I am trying to get out and have more social events with people. I am trying to build relationships! 

Speaking of weekend and social events, I wanted to share my weekend wardrobe. Now I do have a few dresses that I only wear on the weekends but for the most part I wear all my clothes. If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen these pieces already.

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

In the first outfit I have my blue navy dress from Old Navy, my cream ruffle cardigan from H&M, my Quadrant tote from Tory Burch and my cream mules from Ann Taylor. 

This outfit is so comfortable, and I still feel elegant and put together in it. 

 

 

I paired it with my Vera earrings from Loren Hope. I still love these. They have such a glamourous, vintage feel!  

 

 

My second outfit is a dress that I purchased from Poshmark. It’s a Gal meets Glam. I get so many compliments on the green color. It reminds me of Kelly green. It’s quite beautiful. I paired it with my pink Coach scarf from the outlet mall, my floral tote from Express and my Ann Taylor mules. 

 

 

I paired my vintage earrings from Kimono Dragon. I remember seeing these on Instagram and just could not let them pass me by. My goal is to always look my best on the weekends. Honestly you just never know who you are going to run into. I have ran into people from my past and have been so glad that I was put together. It also helps with how people address me. I heard a quote recently that said, “Your clothes will speak for you first”. I think that I will always remember that.

I hope you all have found some weekend wardrobe inspiration! I will be sharing my favorite spring and summer scents next. Have a great week! 

 

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Peony Festival ~ 2023

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Good Morning,

We got some exciting news a few days ago. Lauren got her first job and it is at an antique mall that I shop at!!! Now how fun is that? She is so excited and so am I. I am really shocked that she would even be interested in a job like this but so far she likes the staff so we will see how this goes. 

Today we are headed to Lauren’s future college for her student orientation. She is excited and nervous about her new journey. Today will be a day of getting more information and getting her scheduling done. On Saturday her open house party will begin and on Sunday I have scheduled absolutely nothing so that I can get caught up on housework and take photos for my new boutique dress arrival! I hope to have it posted this weekend or next week.

I can’t believe that it has been two weeks already since this year’s peony festival. I hate that that season is so fleeting. I am still on the hunt for peony bunches. I may call my local Trader Joes to see if they have any. Oh well, here are some photos from this year’s festival and here is last year’s if you want to revisit it!

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

When we walked into the festival this was the very first vendor that I saw. Her blue and white olive oil containers caught my eye.

 

 

I did purchase one. I could not resist. I am trying to remember the name of the company but it escapes me. Sorry!

 

 

We did a lot of walking around and of course I had to get peonies from my favorite vendor JP Parker Flowers. I swear Mrs. Parker has the most flawless, and fantastic peonies ever!

 

 

Of course, I could not leave without my favorite candles from Linnea. They have a new candle called Passiflora and I had to take it home with me. It is amazing! I do hope that they continue to make it. Another tip that I learned about was “layering the scent of candles”. So they told me to burn Petals and Fields together and oh my goodness! The smell is amazing in my bedroom. I am also interested in getting their small travel candle to take me with on trips. I can burn it in my hotel room. They also gave me a sample of their Persian Lime lotion and my goodness. I could not stop smelling my hands. So wonderful…

 

 

I had such a good time this year. I wish the peony season lasted longer! I felt really comfy but elegant in my outfit as well. I got lots of compliments on my floral tote from Express.

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This was the biggest and most fragrant peony bouquet that I have ever had! It was like a dream truly. Let me know in the comments section below if you were able to get a peony bouquet for yourself. Make sure you do. Just buy it for you and enjoy it.

Have a great weekend! 

 

 

A Hanger Refresh

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Good Morning,

The warm weather is finally here! It was just lovely this weekend. We are planning Lauren’s open house party for this upcoming Saturday and I am continuing to purge items from my home. 

On Saturday morning, I went and had brunch with my cousin. It was so nice and a great way to start my weekend. We had mimosas, waffles, and just chatted along. I am so glad that I scheduled this. We plan on going to shop at the outlet mall next month. I am looking forward to that as well. 

In today’s post I wanted to do a quick share of a simple yet beautiful update to my closet. In 2015, I shared how I decided to match all of hangers. I can’t believe that it was that long ago that I posted that. 

I was recently looking at my closet and thought, “you know I really want to update these and change my hangers to white”. And so I did and could not be happier. 

 

 

Here is the before look. It still looks better than what it did back in 2015. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

And this is after.. lovely, just lovely! I love these hangers. I love the velvet texture and rose gold swivel hooks. These come in a ton of colors so there are many options to choose from. If you have the 10- item wardrobe this would bring your closet up a level. You get 50 hangers for $29! It’s a great deal. 

I hope this inspired you to bring a simple closet refresh to your wardrobe. Enjoy!

 

 

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My Fourth FBMP Purchase

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Good Morning,

Gotta love these short work weeks. They always seem to feel longer to me. Lauren is out of school so I feel like I got my life back a bit. I am always waiting on her to leave in the morning and go to bed at night so it has delayed my schedule for so long that now I am in “schedule shock” a bit. Now when it’s late at night I have to catch myself and tell myself to start to get ready for bed. In the morning, I have to tell myself, “okay Lauren is not in school, get ready early”. It’s been quite an adjustment, but I am ready to be back on my own schedule for once. I have not had my own schedule in 20 years, literally! Life is certainly going to be different in the next few months. 

Not only is life changing but so is my home. I am now on FBMP so much looking for vintage pieces. I can’t get enough of Facebook Marketplace. I think I finally fixed my algorithm. It has taken me some time, but I now have vintage pieces showing up in my feed that I would purchase instead of junk. I think FBMP is a great source to use to discover or locate those vintage pieces that you can’t find in stores or even online. I was inspired to look for a vintage floral divider last year when I saw the photo below on Jenny from Tallwood Country House’s Instagram account. 

 

photo credit: Tallwood Country House (Instagram)

 

When I saw this on her reels I knew that I had to have one in some form for myself. It took me a while to find something. I typed the words “vintage floral divider” in the search menu for months and then something appeared. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

THIS! And it was located in my city only 30 minutes away! I saved it and waited another week before I messaged the seller. It is all wood and hand painted. I just loved the floral design and the birds. Also the light green color or sage is a perfect fit in my home office with my pale green settee that I just purchased a few weeks ago on Facebook Marketplace. 

 

 

When I went to pick it up she had her garage door open and it was FULL of antiques! I turned and looked at her and said, “now what do you do?” She then proceeded to tell me that people hire her to help them downsize their estates! She helps them get organized and then sells their items on FBMP. She had chandeliers from France, dividers from Asian, vintage furniture from Pottery Barn, I mean it was marvelous!  I can’t believe that I keep finding these people on FBMP who have access to all these wonderful pieces, but I am so grateful that the Lord allows me to. Get busy searching your city for vintage furniture or antique pieces to fill our home. You never know who you may meet. To read my other FBMP purchases you may see it here and here. 

Please don’t forget that the boutique is still having a spring sale! Use code spring15 for 15% off of your entire order and that includes the Vintage Vanity Collection. I hope you all have a great weekend!