An Organic Bathroom Cleaner ~ New Try

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Good Morning Friday!

I am super excited today. Tomorrow is the vintage purse party at Von Maur and I am so excited to see their new arrivals. There is one dream bag that I would love to own but it’s way too expensive right now. I am hoping to maybe get it in a couple of years. I just don’t want to pay that high price tag right now. I know that I am going to have to purchase it used and that is okay with me if I can get a low price! 

But I am mainly looking forward to a “mom” day.  Just a few hours with no husband or kids. I love attending these. They are wonderful and I do enjoy them. 

Okay, ladies today I wanted to share my recent experience with the Mrs. Meyer’s cream cleaner. I used it in both bathrooms this week and I am happy to report that I loved it! Even our daughter, who is responsible for cleaning her own bathroom loved using it!

I always forget about baking soda and how it is a great cleaner to use in your home. This cleaner has baking soda in it and since it is a cream you don’t have to worry about scratching your sink or other items in your home. It foams quite nicely as well. I don’t know about you but I love seeing foam when I clean. 




This is my husband’s side of the counter. It is always dirty and I don’t know why but it is. It cleaned this right up and the smell is delightful. It has a great lemon smell even our daughter once again commented on it. I love the fact that this does not have harsh chemicals. I want my daughter to learn to clean and when a product smells great and works it helps! 

I did find this on the Walmart website but it was sold out and on Amazon but it cost more and did not look that easy to purchase. On the Grove website, you pay a one-year membership of $20 and you get access to all of their products. I only paid $3.79 for my cleaner. I was on the fence about becoming a member for years but I am so glad that I did. 

I hope you guys enjoy this post and I am working on a Youtube video for this weekend. It’s just going to be a “catch up” video. I have not posted a video on Youtube in about 4 weeks. Have a great weekend!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

This post is not sponsored. 

A Perfect Day in Normandy

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Le Mas des Poiriers on Instagram: “Who doesn’t love dining al fresco under a big tree for shade ? . . @oliverflyphotography”

photo credit Provencepoiriers 

Good Morning All,

I had a wonderful “free day” yesterday. I was able to get my driver’s license renewed. We have to have those updated by October so that is now off of my checklist. I got some house chores done because I want my Saturday to be free. I need to take my new mirror from the antique store into Michaels to have them add some brackets to hang it with. Also, I have been invited to a vintage purse party at Von Maur Saturday morning and I want to be able to attend that without having so much on my to-do list. 

But let’s get into today’s inspiring “french” post. I was recently reading some blog posts on Bloglovin and I found this one called, “My Perfect Day in Normandy”. I think most of you know that I follow Sharon Santoni and her beautiful Instagram account.


Sharon has the dream life in Normandy and in this recent interview she gave her perfect day. 


Tours - MY FRENCH COUNTRY HOME

photo credit Sharon Santoni 

If you are looking for a mini escape I would encourage you to read the blog post. It is a dream that I would love to one day experience. 


Happy Wednesday!

Recent Home To-Do’s

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Good Morning Everyone,

And ready set go…. we’re in August! I have been trying to find ways to improve our home life. Well… maybe improve home life for me. Since I have been working from home since March (I can’t believe it) I have been taking a second look at my home.

Now I can tackle those small projects or try to come up with ways to make things more efficient or more organized. I recently organized the freezer. Our top drawer was always a mess.

This is what it looked like before. It was such a mess and my husband would just dump food here. 


I went to HomeGoods and found these great and affordable plastic bins to use to organize the food. They were only $7.99 for this stack of four. Fantastic right?

Here is what it looks like now. I love it. Now we can see everything that we have and not keep buying extra items we don’t need. This was a quick and cheap fix. I should have done it sooner! 

My family and I have also been on this biscuit kick. I don’t know why but we all have been craving these and wanting them with dinner. These are bad to eat but they taste so wonderful!

Fresh flowers have still been a go-to for me. I can’t start my week without them. I must have them around. Either a small bouquet on the dinner table or a bouquet in the office. Flowers, flowers, they make me happy!

 

So my second order from Grove Collaborative arrived. I ordered the ginger Method Squirt mop cleaner, Mrs. Meyer’s cream baking soda cleaner, and two bottles of Mrs. Meyer’s room freshener spray. I love all of these products. I just went and checked my account for the next order and they are debuting the Mrs. Meyer’s mum scent! I can’t wait to try that! If you wish to take an interest in Grove here is my referral link. I hope you enjoy the products! 


I also changed my cleaning schedule. I use to clean on the weekends and it just drove me nuts! I wanted my weekends free to run my errands or maybe attend a farmers market or an antique store. So I have changed my schedule to include one chore or two chores each day to accomplish. By the end of the week, the areas that need to be taken care of are finished and I have a free weekend. Now don’t get me wrong I still have the basics, like washing dishes and making the bed but the house has been staying quite tidy this way. 

During my breaks, I still find time to go outside on the front porch and read my book. I am still reading the Signature of All Things. It has been a wonderful book. I don’t read much fiction but this book I have really enjoyed! 

And lastly, our daughter has started school. We are starting with a hybrid school year so it will be a challenge to us both. I will be micro-managing her classes and work. She is not happy with my new role but I need to keep tabs or her. She has a hard time staying focused and I believe the extra support will help. 

I hope you all are staying safe and taking care of your homes. Don’t forget to take time out for yourself. I always pick a day each week to go window shopping or run an errand to someplace I would enjoy. Happy moms and wives make the world go round!

Have a great Monday!! 




(photos via Mrs. Shockley)


Like to Know It ~ Mrs. Shockley A Newcomer

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Good Morning Everyone,

It’s Friday and the first weekend in August. I truly can’t believe how fast this year is now going. Earlier this year it seemed as though March was here forever! My birthday is next month. 38 is approaching fast! I don’t really have any plans for this weekend. I just want to take some of my shoes in for repair and stop by Bath and Body Works to get a few more of those hand sanitizer sprays. 
photo credit Shabbyfufu
If you follow me on Instagram then you would have learned that I have become a recent influencer on LiketoKnowit. The Liketoknowit app is a place where you can shop your favorite bloggers and Instagrammers’ homes and fashion. I joined a few months ago and love it. I have found so many great bloggers on there with great style. 

photo credit Shabbyfufu
I have had numerous friends and women whom I don’t know ask me if I am an influencer on the app. I usually tell them no that I am not but then over the last few weeks I begin to think about all of the products that I share on the blog and on my Instagram. I have NEVER been paid for sharing any of it and I bet some of you have made some purchases because of me.

I have been blogging for some time now and have never been compensated. Don’t get me wrong I love sharing but why continue to give these companies free advertisement? 

photo credit Pinterest 

That is why I decided to join. Also if you guys go to my blog’s home page you will see new photos of items. I have added a “shop my life” section to the blog! That was so fun creating. Also, I have added a section called, “Shop my Liketoknowit” section. That will give you the option to download the app and follow me. It is FREE no worries! If you decide not to download the app you can still check out the “shop my Liketoknowit” section on the blog. I hope you guys enjoy these new features and continue to read along. 

Have a great weekend!

Homemade Meatloaf

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Good Morning Everyone,

I hope everyone is well. I have been in the office all this week filling in for my friend and co-worker. It has been pleasant so far. Very quiet and I have been able to get quite a bit of work done. I hope it continues….
In my post today I wanted to share this quick family-friendly recipe that I decided to try. Now I have made meatloaf in the past but not like this. I have never put veggies in my meatloaf. This tasted so good!

This is the classic meatloaf recipe from Martha Stewart. It was very simple to make and did not take much time at all. I used my Vitamix to cut all of the veggies down to small chunks. It worked perfectly. 

I put in carrots, onions, parsley, garlic, wheat bread, and seasonings. It was the best meatloaf I have ever made! Also, the ketchup with the brown sugar was so delish!

The meatloaf was complemented by homemade mashed potatoes and green beans. It was a wonderful Sunday meal and a great way to spend the evening. You should definitely try it! Your family will remember it.  Have a great evening! 




(photos via Mrs. Shockley)



Antiques from Asheville

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Good Morning Everyone,


This weekend went by rather quickly. We had a thunderstorm sometime last weekend and our downstairs t.v. has not been working all that well. After a few days passed some of our neighbors posted that some of their appliances and electronics stopped working. So we figured that somehow our area was struck with lightning and almost half of our neighborhood lost a t.v., garage door opener, dishwasher, stove or some sort of electronic. None of us are happy but it is what it is. 

At least no one was hurt. We have to learn how to find some blessing in some of our life complications. Now on to something beautiful. 
In this post, I wanted to share up-close photos of the beautiful items that I purchased from Antique Tobacco Barn in Asheville, North Carolina.

I talked about these items on my Youtube channel. I purchased a crystal letter opener, Australian cookie jar and an Asian or chinoiserie inspired teapot with stand. 

Here is an up-close photo of the Austrian cookie jar. That is what the label described this as. I am not sure if it is. I will not be putting cookies in this. It’s way too gorgeous for that! I am not sure if it is hand painted but it is just an exquisite item to me. I had to have it. 

Here are the stamps on the bottom of the jar. If anyone can tell me what these mean I would greatly appreciate it. 

Here is my “gorgeous darling” in my Eartha Kitt voice, Asian teapot. I saw these and just stared at it. Once I picked it up I realized it had a stand I said to myself, “oh there is no way I am leaving this here”. No one will have this. It’s one of a kind. It feels solid, the colors are gorgeous and it appears to be well made. I know the bottom of this teapot said 1986 and it looks like it was hardly used. I wish I knew the story behind this. I bet it is interesting, 1986, I wonder where it has been. 

I just love it, don’t you? If you are a teacup or teapot lover you can’t resist this. I wonder how owned this? It was made 34 years ago. I may have to conduct some research to see what I can find out. I’ll let you guys know if I learn anything. 



(UPDATE):

I found out some history about my teapot. This is the Franklin Mint 1986 “Bird and Flowers of the Orient” designed by artist Naoko Nobata. 

Franklin Mint Birds And Flowers Of The Orient Collection | Etsy
I saw this set. It was sold out. Each set that I find it is sold out so they are not lasting online. You may be able to find one on eBay if you are interested. 

I hope you enjoyed this post and have a wonderful Monday. I am in the office this week filling in for my friend. I pray this week goes well. I have not been in the office for a full week since March. 

Thanks for reading!



(photos via Mrs. Shockley)


Biltmore Trip/Kings Island~ 2020

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Good Morning Everyone,

It’s the last day of July and we are expecting some cooler temps next week! Yay! It’s been hot. It has taken me a while to get this post together from our trip. I can’t believe that 2 weeks have passed already!

So let’s get into our recent vacation to the Biltmore and Kings Island.

This is the view when you enter the park. We only spent one day here (thank goodness). It was so hot and wearing a mask was not the best thing. 

This was the first rollercoaster that Lauren got on. Now she and my step-son had a great time at the park but we did have a few issues.

On one of the rollercoaster rides Lauren’s face mask fell down and once the ride was over we wanted to purchase the photo. The staff would not let us because her mask fell down. Now I get it, they don’t want us posting that to Facebook and people thinking that they don’t have to wear a mask but come on now. Wearing a mask on a rollercoaster was a bit much to me. Now if you are walking around and standing in line, okay wear your mask but while riding that’s a bit much to me (they did space everyone at least two seats apart). 

The second issue was with me and my husband. We wanted to take a “break” so we found an area in the park (it was not crowded) where we can sit and take off our masks. No one was around us but a security guard came up and told us to put them on. Really?!!! No one is around us. Now they had these “break areas” where you could go and take off your mask and they want you to do it there. But what’s over there? You guessed it more people!! It made no sense to us! Just nuts!!!!

Oh and if you had one of their $20 fountain drinks in your mouth they would not tell you to wear your mask as long as you were spending money. 

I was so happy to leave Kings Island and head to Asheville. Arriving at the Biltmore was a breath of fresh air!!!

Now you did have to wear a mask while touring the home but we understood that and most people stood over 6ft apart. People were quiet and absorbing the home. It was a much better tour this time. This is the garden room. I spy blue and white!!!

The gorgeous dining room. I didn’t take as many pictures this time. I wanted to enjoy the home and not have a camera in my hand the entire time. 

I completely missed this the last time we were here. I spy blue and white again! Beautiful details!

I loved the furniture in this room. The contrast between the floors, rug, and furniture is so elegant to me. 

Mrs. Vandebilt’s room, always a favorite. 



Mr. Vandebilt’s study



After the tour, we headed to the gift shop which I did not get to visit the last time. Alas, blue and white. So pretty!
My husband and I also did some wine tasting in this room and purchased 4 bottles of the Biltmore wine. We then headed outside to the gardens. 

Lavender

The conservatory is a work of art itself.

I also didn’t snap any food photos this time. I really wanted to just enjoy my vacation and not take pictures the whole time. But I did have to get a photo of this dessert that my step-son ordered. It was a little too tart for me but visually beautiful. 

Despite the heat, and the mask frustration, overall it was a really good trip. Considering we are in a global pandemic this was a low-key, simple vacation and we enjoyed it. My husband and I tried to keep things in perspective and remind ourselves that we don’t have too many more of these left with our kids. And the Lord has provided all of our needs and our “greeds” during this whole Covid scare. 

Thank you Lord and forgive us for being silly sometimes. I hope you all enjoyed this post and have a wonderful weekend. 
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)