A New Pen Pal

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Good Morning!

I’ve got a busy day today! Of course, I have to head into the office and have my normal workday but I made an appointment to meet with our Indiana Department of Revenue to make sure that I am all ready for the upcoming tax season for my boutique! This will be the first year that I file returns and pay sales tax for the boutique and I want to make sure that everything is in order. I am really excited about this meeting. I always enjoy things like this. I just hope that I get a “seasoned” individual that can answer all of my new business owner questions. 

Later on this week I will begin wrapping presents for family, friends, and staff. I will be finishing up my Christmas Eve dinner list and I plan on writing my pen-pal for the first time! 

I mentioned it before that I was a part of Jennifer from The Daily Connoisseur Chic Society. I love being a part of this group and I do enjoy the Zoom calls we have. So Jennifer had a pen-pal sign up recently and I signed up to receive a pen pal. Well, I was assigned to one recently and I wanted to have some new customized stationery to use when writing her. So where do I head to? Etsy of course!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I ordered this set from Chickadee Cottage Company on Etsy. This is called the stationery letter writing pen pal set. You can customize it to your preference. You pick the color of your envelopes and the color of your letters and font. I love the way my set came out!

 

 

I can’t wait to start writing her! I will be sending my first letter this week. I hope everyone has enjoyed this post and let me know in the comments below if you have a pen pal. I haven’t had a pen pal since 5th grade! My teacher at the time Mrs. Belmont became friends with another teacher in Phoenix, Arizona and they came up with the idea of their students becoming pen pals. I thought it was great! I wish I would have stayed in touch with her. My pen pal’s name was Victoria. Classic right? Have a great Monday everyone! 

 

Oh, I almost forgot! The boutique’s new plus-size arrival is ready. I decided to name this dress Maxine. The Maxine Balloon Sleeve Midi is super soft, comfy, and is the PERFECT mauve pink. It’s available in 1x, 2x, and 3x! 

 

This post was not sponsored.

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.

 

Slow Cooker Rotisserie Style Chicken ~ New Recipe

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Good Friday Morning! 

I’ve got a busy weekend plan. Tomorrow I have to visit the BMV (sighing) to transfer my plates over to my new vehicle. I hate going there but it is what it is. While I am there I will have Lauren take the learner’s test again to see if she can pass it this time. Things have changed so much since I was a teen trying to get a license. The current learner’s test has about 50 questions! I remember our test only having 20! Seems like a lot to me but the kids today have more things that I can distract them from the road. 

In other news, my new plus-size dress will be arriving today! I am always excited about new arrivals but also fearful. You never know how things will look in person versus online. I always pray that my items are beautiful and are of good quality. Fingers crossed! 

Have any of you watched Jennifer’s latest video called Elegant Holiday Dinners?

 

 

Well, I did and wanted to try her slow cooker rotisserie-style chicken recipe! And I must say it was a crowd pleaser!

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The prep work was pretty easy. So I gathered all of the ingredients for the rub to put on the chicken. I also did place the aluminum foil ring under the chicken that Jennifer suggested. 

 

 

This is what my chicken looked like after I rubbed the seasoning mixture on it. 

 

 

 

 

I let my chicken cook on high from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm in the slow-cooker! I probably should not have done that but I didn’t see the harm in letting it cook that long. I then took it out of the crockpot and placed it on a tray and put it in the oven for another hour. It came out crispy, juicy, and perfect!

 

 

I roasted some potatoes and broccoli and we had the most delicious family dinner! I was so pleased with this new recipe. I will definitely be making it again. Let me know in the comments section below if you have ever placed a whole chicken in the slow cooker. I want to know how it turned out. Have a great weekend!

Also please don’t forget about my free gift with purchase. If you purchase the Stella Bow Satchel you will receive the Rose Shell Purse Scarf/Scrunchie for free! 

 

 

The Chinoiserie Scarf

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Good Morning Everyone!

Yesterday was a wonderful day in the office. I treated the staff that I supervise to a small Christmas luncheon! I made reservations at Capital Grille in the Conrad Hotel and it was amazing! The food was exceptional. I ordered the roasted chicken breast with mushrooms and parmesan risotto. It was so delicious. I am still thinking about the risotto!

Last week one of my glamour wishlist items arrived. A few weeks ago I shared my glamour wishlist and this item was on it. I saw this chinoiserie scarf and had to order it only it was sold out!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I tagged the company in one of my posts in my stories on Instagram and they reached out to me and told me that they had a limited stock and that I could order one! I shrieked and ordered one right away! Once it arrived I could not get over the customized packaging. It came beautifully wrapped in this blue paper. 

 

 

It had my name on it! Now, how wonderful is that?

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Once I opened the wrapping I just stared at the scarf. The illustrations and colors were so exquisite. It is made from 100% Italian silk from Lake Como (a dream destination for me), and is a timeless design. The illustration was inspired by the Renaissance and did you look at the tag? It’s thick and is tied to the most beautiful blue velvet ribbon. 

 

 

I ADORE this scarf! I have tied it to my bag and have been carrying it all week. It’s stunning as a bag scarf! I think luxury and beauty should be everywhere. Put it anywhere you can. Life is so short and many of us have learned this past two years. Enjoy your beautiful things and use them! Have a great Wednesday!

 

 

This post is not sponsored. 

 

 

 

Word of the Year

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Good Morning Everyone!

It’s Monday, oh goodness. I want another day to stay home. It’s dark around 5:30 and I find myself not wanting to leave my home once I get in from work. It’s hard to drag myself out again. My husband loves to eat out all the time and it drives me nuts! I keep telling him once I am home the answer is no! I want to eat at home geez! 

It was a quiet weekend and very warm for December. It was in the 50s! A little scary if you ask me. But let’s move on…

I have been reading Paula Sutton’s new book Hill House Vintage during my lunch breaks and I must say she is an excellent writer! It is so well-versed and informative! There is one section in the book that stood out to me and that was her page called, “Word of the Year”. 

 

photo via Pinterest

 

She said, ” A few years ago, I stumbled across a blog post where writer Cat Bude mentioned choosing a “word” for the year every January. She would write down the word and try to live by it throughout the next 12 months. Inspired by that post, I started to implement my own word of the year. 

One year, I wrote down the word “YES” on my vision board. My intention was to remember to say yes to opportunities that came my way- even the ones that seemed scary at first. That year, I was offered several opportunities to style at events and to host panels where I interviewed people who shared my love of interiors and gardening. Prior to that my gut reaction would normally have been to shy away from anything outside of my comfort zone, in preference for the easy life that appealed to the more reclusive side of my nature.” 

That made me think…. what would my word for 2022 be? 

 

photo via Pinterest

 

I think that I am going to have to take my time with this. I do have a few phrases in my head like, “run your own race” or ” rise above it” but I do just want one word. You know it may just be the word “RISE” or “TRUST”.  After reading this what will your word of inspiration be for 2022? Please share below if you are willing to. I would love to know. Enjoy your Monday!

 

Also, the boutique is having a free gift with purchase event! If you purchase the Stella Bow Satchel you will receive the Rose Shell Purse Scarf/Scrunchie for free! It’s a great Christmas gift. 

 

(paragraph taken from page 45 of Hill House Vintage) 

 

November Favorites ~ 2021

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Good Morning Everyone!

I for one am planning on a very quiet weekend! I seriously just want to stay home and look at design books and watch My Fair Lady! I am going to make every effort I can to make this happen.  Alright now time for my November favorites…..

First is my beautifully scented Tory Burch candles. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I love both of these scents! The lettuce ware candle is inspired by the iconic potter Dodie Thayer. The scent is jasmine and gardenia. It is so lovely. The second candle is called the Normandy Rose Candle and it smells just like a bouquet of roses. The candle does come out of the gold case so you can use it for anything you like. 

 

Second, on my list is… 

 

 

This stunning travel case from Aerin Lauder. I actually ordered this two months ago and forgot to share it! This is a limited edition Aerin, Colefax and Fowler collaboration. I love the delicate hydrangea motif and romantic hues. I just purchased the travel case and I don’t think it’s available anymore by itself.  I believe the round cosmetic bag is still available. 

 

The third is my new carpet in my home. Goodness, I could not love it more!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Fourth are my holiday shoes for this season. I can’t believe all of the beautiful purchases that I made. I have certainly enjoyed wearing all of them. 

 

 

Fifth are my new boutique arrivals! I adore the rose pearl shawl. I did not know this but it is 20% cashmere! I was so happy when I read the tag! And the Charlotte Velvet Midi is such a classy holiday dress. You will be able to wear it for years to come! There is a lot of stretch in this dress. I actually had the sizes listed wrong! Oops sorry, but I have extended the Black Friday sale. Use code blackfriday21 for 20% off!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

And the last favorite are my ginger jar tea sticks from Simply Jessica Marie.  

 

 

 

 

I love them both! I purchased this set here and I love them! My favorite is the Wedgewood vase with peonies. Isn’t it beautiful? These are so cute and different. I love finding different items for the home or to assist me in any kind of elegant living. That means a lot to me…. elegant living.

I hope you all enjoyed my favorites this month. Have a wonderful 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.

 

 

New Fabric Purchase

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Good Morning Everyone,

I don’t want to complain but I am ready for some much-needed time off. I feel like I need another week of staycation! But as I look at the coming weeks things will start to slow down here soon. Honestly, I just want to sit in my bed, look at design books all day and watch my My Fair Lady with a cup of tea! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Okay, so today’s post is going to be a quick one. I was on eBay recently just looking around. Well, I was inspired by some of my favorite antique Instagram accounts to look for certain items. The first item has been this china pattern called pink Minton Cockatrice. I actually found some sets on eBay. The next has been chintz patterns. I started watching the pattern above about 2 weeks ago and it had quite a few bids on it. I only bid on the last day and at the last minute. I mean I literally wait until there are 30 seconds left and then I give my highest bid. It has worked for me on numerous occasions.

That is what I did for this fabric. I gave my highest bid and won! I was really surprised that I won. I am always apprehensive when I see that someone has set up automatic bids because you don’t know what their threshold is. But I won…. 

So now the question is what do I do with it? When I saw this pattern I thought, oh pillow covers. Now I am thinking pillow covers and maybe an apron. What do you guys think? What should I have made with this gorgeous fabric? Let me know in the comments section below. Enjoy your Wednesday! 

 

 

 

 

My Christmas Decor So Far…

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Good Morning Everyone!

It has been a wonderful five-day weekend! I loved every minute of it. I did a present review this weekend to make sure that we have gifts for everyone and I am happy to say that I am officially done Christmas shopping. Yay for me! I am now working on my Christmas dinner menu. It will be about the same as Thanksgiving but I am trying a new dessert recipe. I will attempt to make a caramel cake. We will see how it goes. In today’s post, I wanted to share my Christmas decor so far…..

 

I was asked to share some of my Christmas decor this year. I really did not put out a whole lot but I do have 3 full-size Christmas trees up! 

 

 

This is the family room. I always have at least 2 trees in this room. The kids love it! I must admit so do I. There is something about having these in this room and watching a Hallmark movie. It provides peace and gives you a feel of coziness. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I believe I shared my Santa last year. This year he is camped out on my table next to the blue and white tree. I think he fits well in this spot. I still can’t believe that I have these gorgeous blue and white ornaments. They are so elegant and are of good quality. 

 

 

The family tree is always hard to decorate. I really didn’t have a theme this year. I just placed my favorite ornaments on it. I did want some really big ribbon to wrap around it but I could not find the color I wanted. I love the white poinsettias on it! I may add more next year! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This is the Barbie tree. I have shared it before. It is in a different location this year but in the same room. I normally have it placed by the window but I decided to move it to the other side of the room. I do love having the little pink Victorian home under it and the feather tree skirt. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Isn’t it adorable? 

 

 

My nutcrackers are also making an appearance next to the Barbie tree. I think all the pink and glitter look great together. I have a dash of leopard around as well. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I also have some garland around our kitchen cabinets with lights. I added some garland around our mirror in our master bedroom. I did it last year and loved the way it looked. We have some stars in our windows that light up and our giant elk that I named Max is outside in our front yard. He lights up as well and looks so real! We’ve had people stop us about him because they thought he was real.  

Well, this is what my home looks like so far. I don’t intend on adding any more Christmas decor. I do want to go and get more poinsettias to add to my tree and stay on the hunt for ribbon. Let me know in the comments section below if your tree is up! Have a great Monday!