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! 

 

Oh My… Marble House Mansion

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Good Morning!

I can’t believe that we are in the first week of August! It’s flying by! This weekend Lauren and I are headed to the fabric store to get a few things for her. Then it’s Bath and Body Works next to buy a few soaps for the home. I really don’t have much planned and it all depends on how the weather is here. We have some rain coming which always keeps me in doors. Oh my new fabric did arrive yesterday, and I will be taking it to the upholster on Saturday! 

As I continue to download my photos from our trip, I continue to mourn a little. I really do miss Rhode Island. I still can’t believe how pretty it was. Now on to mansion tour number 3!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

I can’t believe that I took this photo! It was like a dream when I was standing there! I could not believe how beautiful this home and this garden was. These hydrangeas were everywhere! This mansion was called the Marble House mansion. 

 

 

 

 

Here was the entryway. Grand as usual…

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

The ceilings are just works of art. Look how stunning….

 

 

One of the bedrooms. I still can’t believe how big the rooms are. 

 

 

This was the library. It was inspired by a cathedral church. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I heard one of the volunteers say that “the lady of the house would not let people spend the night”. She always felt like you could go and stay in a hotel”. Now I don’t know if that was true, but I thought it was an interesting story. 

 

 

 

 

Just looking at the details. It was breathtaking. I can’t believe all of the details that are in these homes! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Now this was Lauren’s favorite! She loved this Japanese tea rom. I didn’t go inside but I was told that you can have tea there. I didn’t take any photos behind the house, but it sits on a water view. It’s beautiful to look out. I was told that this house has a lot of weddings hosted here and I can see why. 

I hope you all enjoyed this tour. I still have one more house to share and I will do that next week. I hope you have all had the chance to watch my Youtube video showing all of the mansions and the gardens. It was truly a dream. Have a great weekend!

 

 

 

The Beautiful Elms Mansion

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Good Monday Morning and Happy August!

I hope you all had a great weekend! On Saturday I went to a fabric store called Calico Corners here in my city. The gentleman that is reupholstering my stool told me to go there to pick out fabrics. I did and decided to go with the Vern Yip-Exotic print. I look forward to seeing the finished product! 

I am also trying to look into some new dresses for the boutique. I have my eye on a few. I hope that the are still available. Sometimes you have to move quickly. There are so many boutique owners out there. 

Now on to tour 2 of the Newport Mansions. Next on the list is the beautiful Elms Mansion and one of my favorites. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

I have to say when we walked up to this house it took my breath away. If felt like “home” to me. Like I could live here…. 

 

 

The entryway…

 

 

Still the entryway…

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Looking up continues to be a requirement. 

 

 

I could see this in my home. Beautiful prints. 

 

 

I loved the carpet and large planter as well. I actually took some video footage of it. I am trying to upload it to YouTube. It has been taking forever! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love seeing the artwork of the “ladies of the home”. 

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

This was another room favorite. The chinoiserie room was stunning and a family favorite. We all loved this room and took many photos of it. 

 

 

I remember the audio program saying that “the families of these homes love bringing back items from their country visits”. They would bring back art from Russia, or porcelain from China. I try to make that a habit whenever we travel somewhere. Bring something elegant back!

 

 

 

 

 

Going upstairs…

 

 

The husband’s study…. 

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I still can’t get over how wonderful these bathrooms looked. It’s incredible!

 

 

Goodness gracious. The fountain outside near the stables was so picturesque. There was a bench nearby. I just sat there and took it all in. Oh and did I mention that the building in this photo was the stables! 

 

 

The stables up close. Wow…. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This is the back of the home. How perfect is that? It looks like a home from Bridgerton! I seriously loved the architecture of this home the most. It suited the style that I love the most. The only thing that it was missing was the blue hydrangeas. It felt like it needed some of those but the next mansion had plenty. I hope you all enjoyed this tour and share your thoughts in the comments below!