Renewing Vows

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I hardly share personal notes about myself here on the blog but I thought this post would be okay. My husband and I have been married for 13 years. I am 34 and I have been with him since I was 20. We met at church and I have been “growing up” with him ever since.

When we first got married we hardly did anything. I borrowed my wedding dress from a friend, bought some pearls from the thrift store, rolled my hair, and wore house slippers that look like ballet flats.

He wore a suit that he would normally wear to church. I had no flowers anywhere, not even a bouquet. No groomsmen, bridesmaids, no reception, just a small group of family and friends. Less than 20 people.

We said our vows and his parents took us to Fridays for dinner. After that, we went home. No honeymoon either.  We didn’t have much yet I would not change a thing about that day. I loved it!

My husband and I worked with what we had. We were not trying to impress anyone. We didn’t care! I knew in my heart that in the future the Lord would work it out where I could get a “do-over”. Now here we are. We are in our second home that the Lord allowed us to build, we have very nice vehicles, I graduated from college (with no debt), my husband’s business is doing very well, I am a paralegal with the United States government, we have an 11-year-old daughter and I have two step-sons who are very good men.

Life is good! I have no complaints. But when I see anything about a wedding my heart kind of mourns. I am a girly, girly, and would enjoy having a nicer wedding ceremony in the future. So I prayed and talked with my husband and he agreed that we can renew our vows during our 20 year wedding anniversary. I am so happy! So of course and took to Pinterest and I wanted to share some of my ideas for our 20-year wedding ceremony.

Photo credit Nicola Bathie Instagram account
I am using these chairs as inspiration for my wedding invitations! 

Photo by Diana Akhmetianova on Unsplash
I love this! Using vintage plates at the reception. Sounds wonderful!
I am a huge fan of lace and will most likely have it on my dress.

My dream shoes and bouquet.

Photo by Photos by Lanty on Unsplash
I love the thought of having a “naked cake” for our reception. 

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
I have not made up my mind as far as a dress for our daughter. As she has gotten older her tastes have changed. So we will see. Of course, it will be elegant and simple. 


Well, it was nice sharing all of my ideas with you. I am waiting patiently for the day and I look forward to creating all of the details of our renewal ceremony and spending time with family and friends. If you wish to follow my wedding board on Pinterest see here.

Madison West Tote

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Okay, this will be a quick post but I wanted to share this great tote that I picked up at DSW some weekends ago….


This is my tote. I got it in gray with the gold plates and let me tell you it turns heads!
Madison West Gold Plate Tote

It is only $40 and comes in 4 different colors. 
It also comes in blush, black, green, and cognac. I think gray is the number 1 seller so if you are interested click on my link and grab one soon. They are going pretty fast! Enjoy!!




(photos via Mrs. Shockley )

Europe in New Orleans ~ Home Tour

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Ms. Tara Shaw has an absolute dream home and I love how she incorporated her antiques into her everyday life. Take a look at this glorious home tour…

photo credit Max Kim-Bee 
Tara with her whippet Brother Luca, named after her favorite city in Italy.
photo credit Max Kim-Bee
Louis XVI Console
Antique French paneling was refinished in creamy tones.
photo credit Max Kim-Bee 
18th Century Swedish bench and 19th Century Italian chandelier.
Gustavian daybed in a Holly Hunt mohair; 18th-century Italian armchairs
photo credit Max Kim-Bee 
Empire bed; curtains in a David Sutherland fabric
Bed and mirror, Tara Shaw; 18th-century Swedish bench in a Kravet velvet.
photo credit Max Kim-Bee 
Antique Swedish cane chairs in Donghia linen slipcovers; oval mirror
Photo credit Max Kim-Bee 
Flagstone pool graceful curves the terrace.

Just stunning!




I sure hope you enjoyed this home tour. I know I did…..
To read the original article see here.
(photos via Veranda.com; text via Julia Reed)

Gracious Interactions

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I am still reading Fiona Ferris’s book Thirty Chic Days and I am still enjoying it. I just read a section of the book called “Giving a Compliment” and it got me thinking. Do I give compliments often?

Fiona mentioned that giving a genuine compliment is sometimes use as an icebreaker to start a conversation. I couldn’t agree more. I have done that. I am normally a very reserved person and sometimes people can mistake that for being a snob but I am far from it.

I just like to watch and pay attention to people. Sometimes if you watch, you can tell if a person is genuine or fake.  I don’t do well with phony people. I usually stay away from them and I don’t share my life with them. Honestly and truly they can’t be happy for you anyway so why bother?

But if I know that someone is genuine in spirit; I love being around them and will share things. 




















photo credit Aerin Lauder Instagram account

Whenever I am around people I always do my very best to be gracious, polite, and kind. When entering a room or someone’s home I always speak first. When passing someone down a narrow hall I always say excuse me.



When I see a woman “dress to the nines”, I always like to tell her how wonderful she looks. Because to be quite honest there is a lot of bad taste going around and we need to encourage women who look great often.




Photo by Louis Hansel @shotsoflouis on Unsplash


When we are out to dinner, I am always gracious to the hostess and waitresses. Now, if I notice that they are rude, I try not to take it personal. Because it could have been the customer before me or some things going on in their life and there is no need to get upset and not enjoy my evening.




photo credit Marchionesshg Instagram account



I have learned that when you are gracious to cashiers, waitresses, and people who are serving you, they remember you. Oh, do they remember you? It happens to me all the time.



I walk through the mall early in the morning because I like to stop at the bakery for my morning pastry and I always say, “Good Morning” to the cleaning crew. So now whenever they see me they run to me and say, “Good Morning”. It is quite delightful.


So be a beautiful woman everywhere you go. Be a fragrance to people; not an odor.

The Barefoot Contessa~ Cooking for Jeffrey

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Ina is back with her new book Cooking for Jeffrey and I was so happy that my husband picked me up a copy this weekend! I have been recording her new shows every Sunday and it was been wonderful watching them before I go to bed at night.





 
My copy at home.
 
 
 

I have already looked through the book and she goes into detail about how she and Jeffrey met and her first store in East Hampton.

 

I still can’t believe she was a nuclear analyst for the government! Wow!

 
  

Of course, her recipes are easy and delicious. I made her chicken piccata this year and it turned out great! See my blog post here about that.

 
     

I can’t wait to dig right into this book. Her challah bread in the book looks delish. See what I did to my challah bread here.

 

 

Make sure you pick up your copy soon and watch her show on Sundays on the Food Network.
 
 
 
 
 
 

The New Chanel

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Has anyone heard about the New Chanel No. 5? I didn’t until a few weeks ago. My family and I were in Macy’s because my husband wanted to pick up some new cologne and I looked over and spotted the New Chanel fragrance.



my photo at home
 
 
My two bottles at home. The original and the new.
 
 
 
 

The new fragrance is still very similar to the old. You can still smell the original notes in it. But this new scent has notes of lemon, mandarin, orange, rose, and jasmine. The scent is a little “lighter” compared to the original but just as lovely.

 

Photo by Laura Chouette on Unsplash
 

If you can you should stop by your local mall and take a whiff. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Unique Blue

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Blue and white dinnerware add such a cheerful note to your home. I love my blue and white plates. They look so smart and striking. That is the way I felt when I saw this collection by Burleigh called Blue Calico. 



photo credit Victoria Magazine 

 
 
So delicate isn’t it?
 
 
 
 

photo credit Victoria Magazine 
 
It’s such a hearty pattern.
 
 
 
 

photo credit Victoria Magazine 
 

“Although producing Blue Calico is a time-consuming process, it is truly a labor of love. Because each piece is made by hand and bears the distinctive touch of an individual decorator, collectors know they are getting one-of-a-kind treasures. At a time when most dishes are mass-produced by machines, it is especially poignant to collect a piece that exemplifies the skills of dedicated craftspeople using a process repeated through many generations.”

 
text from the Victora Magazine 

 
 

 

This is not Blue Calico but this vase sure did remind me of the pattern. This is my blue and white vase that I picked up at Von Maur earlier this year.

 

It is pretty large and I love the colors. I had to have it shipped from another store and it took us weeks to find it. I am so glad we did. I believe this could be a beautiful heirloom someday.

 
   

I hope you enjoyed this beautiful collection and if you want to view the original article see here.

Enjoy!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(photos via Victoria. com and Mrs. Shockley)