Do You Own…

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Good Morning,

It is Friday and it has been a very productive week for me at the office. I got my file organizational project done and I now feel like I can finally move forward with other things. Yay! Lauren starts school next week. The horror…. I am not even ready for this upcoming school year. There will be some changes for her. She now can leave school grounds for lunch and she will be driving. So exciting for her. 

I have my normal errands this weekend. I just want to sit. I feel like I need to but will that happen? Probably not but anyway I wanted to share this item with you all that I received from a friend years ago. I think I may have shared these on here before but does anyone own a set of these?

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I think they are called Hospitality Snack Sets. Sometimes when I open my entertaining cabinet I pull these out and imagine what I would use them for. I think of a day in my sitting room with a friend just chatting away while we each have one of these in our laps or on the table eating sugar cookies and drinking tea.

 

 

They are beautiful pieces and I always feel bad for not using them when we have guests. But there have been moments when I want to pull them out but then I always have that “oh these might be too fancy” feeling. 

 

 

What do you guys think? Do you think these are too fancy?  Would you use them? I’ve got to find a way to use these this year. I hope I can figure something out soon. Let me know your thoughts below. Have a great weekend everyone! 

 

 

Easy Decor: Mary Kay Cup

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Good Morning Everyone,

I just wanted to quickly share this Goodwill find from some years ago. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

I don’t know when I purchased this but I have had it for some time now. It is a beautiful Mary Kay cup that I found and could not leave it in the store. 

 

 

At the moment right now I am using it as a pen holder and it sits on my desk but isn’t it the chicest thing you have ever seen? I LOVE it! I have found a few on eBay for some great prices. I found this one, this one, and this one actually has the original box. 

You could use it for your morning tea, coffee or use it as a desk decoration as I did. I hope you all like this “vintage” find.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

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.

 

 

New Martha Stewart Show ~

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And it’s Monday. These weekends I tell you go too fast. My weekend was pretty good. On Saturday my husband and I had the day to ourselves so we just ran errands and had dinner. It was really nice. On Sunday I went to get my nails done and puttered around the house trying to get small chores done. I did find some beautiful roses at Costco. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Aren’t they pretty? They smell wonderful too. I completely forgot to share a new show that I was watching last year and little this year. Did any of you hear about Martha’s new show called, “Martha Knows Best“? Martha started this show last year to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at her home projects while we were all required to quarantine. 

photo credit: Martha Moments on Instagram 

 

I really enjoyed the show. She still had celebrity guests (via Zoom) and would surprise average gardeners by calling them randomly and talking with them about their home projects. It was a really good show. 

 

photo credit: Martha Moments on Instgram 

 

I hope you guys are able to watch a few episodes online.  It is a great show (not surprised) and I think you would really enjoy all of the information and things that you could learn from our domestic queen. Let me know in the comments section below what show did you discover during the quarantine of 2020? 

Also, I wanted everyone to know that there is a coupon code available for the boutique. If you use JULY50 you will receive 50% off of your order. The only item that it cannot be used on is the new arrival. If you have asked to be added to my blog’s email list then you received that code on Saturday. I hope you all enjoy the discount! 

 

 

Have a great Monday!

 

Common Introduction Mistakes

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Good Morning,

Boy this week flew by. I don’t really have plans. Our daughter is going to Kings Island with her brother on Saturday so we will have the day to ourselves.  Mr. Shockley and I may have dinner and I may run my normal errands but we don’t have much planned. I do need to send my iRobot Roomba in for repair. It is not working right. I need little Alfred to help me keep the house in order. I do miss him and his daily vacuuming. 

Okay in today’s post I wanted to share more tips from my Emily Post Etiquette book. Have you ever screwed up an introduction with someone? You got nervous and asked something that you feel like you should not have? I have and love getting tips on what not to say and what to say. 

The first thing you should NOT do is look away. Eye contact is critical in an introduction. People who look over others’ shoulders and around the room while involved in introductions are saying by their actions that they really don’t care. 

I ALWAYS try to make sure that I am looking at someone when speaking to them. I want that person to feel like their presence is welcome and so is the conversation. 

 

photo credit: MainehouseBlogspot.com 

 

Next was making too-personal comments. This gets a LOT of people in trouble. Divorces, bereavements, job losses, illnesses, and/or rehab history are topics too intimate to raise during an introduction. I never ask personal questions. But I am always amazed at what people ask or feel like they have the right to know. 

The third is interrupting. When others are engaged in serious conversation, don’t break in to introduce someone else. Wait for a more convenient moment. 

 

photo credit: Pottery Barn.com

 

The fourth is deferring to one person at the expense of the other. Be sure that both parties are included in any conversation that follows an introduction.  The fifth tip is gushing. Most people are embarrassed by overly enthusiastic introductions. 

And the last tip is making someone wait to be introduced. When someone new joins a group already in conversation, put the conversation on hold and make the introduction. “Excuse me. Hi, Jane, nice to see you. Have you met Abby and Jack?”

I hope you all have found some value in these tips. It is always nice to have reminders. It is amazing how good manners do follow you. My husband went to the car wash recently and he was telling them that I was his wife and one of the team members said, “Your wife is always kind to us and we appreciate that”. 

People are watching. Have a great weekend!

 

 

Tips from Emily Posts Etiquette, page 18

 

 

 

 

Recent Outlet Mall Finds

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Good Morning Everyone,

Happy Wednesday. I am a little excited because I am almost finished with a recent organizational project at work and I will be so happy when it is complete. I have been organizing our file room which desperately needed it. I went and got some faux plants and flowers to put in the room as well. I am looking forward to the finished product. 

On with today’s post. This past weekend we decided to go down to our outlet mall here in my city. I think our outlet mall is okay. I mean we have some stores but to me, it’s just average so… well maybe I am being a bit harsh but it’s average. I did find some things down there that I wanted to share. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I had no intentions of buying anything but I did see this beautiful tote in the Coach store. This was the last one that they had in the store so I knew that I had to make a decision. I love the pinks and creams together and it is a true workhorse tote. 

 

 

And of course, I had to look at wallets. I found this Coach travel wallet while I was there. I love all the space it has and the color.

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

After the Coach store, we went to the Ann Taylor store. I found this v-neck sweater tank. I actually wore it today and it is quite lovely! It looks great with a cardigan and skirt. 

 

 

I also found this gorgeous scarf at Ann Taylor. It’s really beautiful in person and quite large. I was very pleased with the colors. The price made it very easy to purchase. 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

And the final purchase was these Nike Running shoes. I am not a sneaker person but I really like these and this is my second pair. I purchased a pair last year and use them to work out in. I will use these for the same purpose. 

 

Oh I know that this was not purchased at the mall but I had to share my new floral scarf from Tory Burch. It is now sold out! It is the most gorgeous scarf I have ever seen!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Isn’t it stunning? Oh my goodness. I just want to leave it in my chair just so I can look at it! I hope you all enjoyed my outlet finds. I love outlet mall shopping. I really want to visit the Cincinnati outlet mall. It’s beautiful and has way more shops than ours. I may have to plan that soon! I have a great Wednesday!

 

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.

 

 

A Dream Cottage

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Hello Everyone,

I had a pretty good weekend. My new dress for the boutique has arrived. I have decided to name it Frances. I hope you all enjoy it and will love it as much as I do. On Saturday I went to our outlet mall to do a little school shopping for Lauren. That turned out to be a bust! She hates shopping and it was really hard trying to find her things for school.

I did visit the Ann Taylor outlet store and the Coach outlet store I will share those items with you all later. I am now helping our daughter look at colleges. I can’t believe I am saying that. Oh my goodness. Life is happening too fast.

Alright now let’s get into today’s post. I have also been looking at the new Victoria magazine. Have you ever looked inside one of their issues and thought, “I sure do hope they put these pictures on the website” and when it happens I am always excited. In this month’s issue, I was really hoping that they were going to put this article’s photos on the website and they did!

 

photo credit: Mac Jamieson

 

Don’t you just love the chair? In the magazine, it talks about the owner Ann Monfore’s and how she collects child-size chairs. This is a child-size chair. I would love to see this in an adult size. Wouldn’t you? 

photo credit: Mac Jamieson

 

When I turned the page and saw this simply stunning dining room and I thought, “okay they better post this on the website”! This room has so much inspiration! This room is absolute perfection. The french doors in the distance, the 1850 French trumeau mirror and look at that solid wood table. They don’t make tables like they used to! 

 

photo credit: Mac Jamieson 

 

Okay, beach who? This would be a dream vacation spot for me! I would just plant my umbrella in the yard and have a picnic out there. The only thing this house would need is a swimming pool then I would probably never want to leave my house! 

I love how she designed the garden choosing boxwoods and blue hydrangeas my favorite! Another fun fact about this home is that it caught fire some years ago and was rebuilt in 2004. The owners wanted to replicate the previous home which was known as Seldom Inn. 

I would say two big thumbs up! They turned this into a wonderful retreat and beautiful home at the same time. It has the comforts of home yet houses beautiful antiques. I hope you all enjoyed this post and pick up an issue for yourself. It’s rare that Victoria magazine disappoints. 

 

 

 

This post is not sponsored. 

 

 

Etiquette Matters

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Good Morning Everyone,

Sighing…. it’s Friday and I have had a very busy week. This weekend I plan on taking our daughter to Marshalls and Ross to look for a few things for school. She will be starting her junior year soon. Goodness, I can’t believe it. I will also be uploading a new dress arrival! I am super excited about this dress. It is quite lovely and I hope you all enjoy it! 

 

In today’s post, I wanted to share something that I read in my new etiquette book recently. I wanted to share the paragraph called, “Why Etiquette Matters”. 

 

Photo by Flaunter on Unsplash

 

“Etiquette is the fuel that powers relationships. Emily Post said, “Etiquette is the foundation upon which social structure is built. Every human contact is made smooth by etiquette, or awkward by lack of it. “Grounded as it is in timeless principles, etiquette enables us to face whatever the future may bring with strength of character and integrity. This ever-adaptive code of behavior also allows us to be flexible enough to respect those whose beliefs and traditions differ from our own.”

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

“Civility and courtesy, the outward expressions of human decency, are the proverbial glue that holds society together -qualities that are more important than ever in today’s complex and changing world.” 

I completely agree that when you are a civilized person you can have conversations with people who don’t share the same beliefs as you. With this chaotic world now it seems that people have zero tolerance for anyone different than them. It’s really bad. I know my beliefs are too conservative for some people but that is no reason to be cruel. I wish we could get back to respecting one another. I do pray that we can. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I sent out my second email newsletter yesterday evening. Please check your spam folder to see if you received it. If you would like to be added to the list please send me an email on the Contact Page. 

 

 

tips and text from page 7 of Emily Post’s Etiquette, 19th Edition