Valentine’s Day at Home

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Good Afternoon Everyone,

I hope you all had a great weekend and enjoyed your Valentine’s Day with your loved ones. I saw lots of pictures on Instagram full of candies and sweets. They all look great but I don’t know about you but I can’t eat sweets like that anymore. I am not sure why but my taste buds are going through changes. I did enjoy seeing everyone’s flowers. I love flowers and love a wonderful large bouquet for no reason. 

Mr. Shockley and I spent the holiday at home. I am telling you I did not step foot out my door yesterday. Saturday I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things but that was it. Today I wanted to visit my p.o. box (just to check on things) but that will have to wait until later this week. We are getting ready to get hit with our 6 to 8 inches of snow today!

In today’s post, I did want to share how my stay home date went with my hubby.

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

Of course one cannot start Valentine’s Day without flowers. My husband asked if I wanted anything specific and I told him to just keep it simple this year. So he came home with these and I could not love them more!

 

 

A rose bouquet that he got me earlier in the week. 

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

I think I shared that I did not want to go out for dinner so I included a steak dinner in our HelloFresh box for this order. This was the middle eastern steak and rice pilaf meal.

 

It turned out pretty good. I was really intimidated by the steak. I have never cooked steak on the stove. I have always cooked it in a crockpot. It always comes out so tender. But the basmati rice was good and I always love roasted vegetables. The dipping sauce for the steak was sour cream, yogurt, and zucchini which I thought was a bit unusual but it tasted good. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

We turned off the lights and I brought down my candelabra from the boutique. I placed a candlestick in it and we enjoyed a nice quiet dinner. Where was our daughter you may ask? Well her bestie called her and asked if she could come by for a few and we sent her over there. It was nice having a quiet home. 

 

 

Even though we spent the day home I still got dressed up. I dress every day so this was not hard for me. And yes I spent the whole day in the house looking like this. I enjoy looking nice so sitting around my home like this does not bother me at all. 

Overall we had a nice Valentine’s day. I did order a few things from Express while they had their sale. I ordered this lace cami, this wrap blouse, and these quilted slides in pecan.  I have actually tried these slides on in the store and they are super comfy. 

I hope you all have a great Monday and enjoy your day! Stay warm!

 

 

 

 

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 Home for Elegance ~ Online Boutique

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Hello Everyone!

I hope you all are well. Valentines’s Day is this weekend! My husband and I really don’t have much planned. I really don’t want to go to a restaurant. The wait time has been terrible because of social distancing, so I plan on spending it at home. Our second Hello Fresh box is suppose to arrive today and I am so excited. I picked out a steak dinner to prepare and eat at home. That is what I plan on doing for Valentine’s Day this year.

I think most of you follow me on Instagram (and here) and saw that I have started an online boutique! I made a decision in November to start this journey. I am really excited and have been wanting to do this for quite some time now. A few of my orders have arrived and I will be sharing them on my A Home for Elegance boutique account. Of course, I will be sharing lots on the blog too! Here are a few photos so far. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

I took a corner in the loft of our home. I use the loft as my home office so there is plenty of space in this room. I had my elliptical here. It was placed sideways and I just felt like it was taking up good space so I moved the elliptical next to my desk. Everything looks great in this corner! What do you guys think?

I found the table with drawers (buffet) at the flea market. I paid about $100 for it. It is solid! The clothing rack is from Amazon and was only $89 with a coupon! The clear chair I found at a florist shop but I found one similar here. The quilted handbag is from RedDress. I am trying to find some for my boutique. I love how everything turned out.

 

 

Every morning when I get up, I come into this room and just stare at it. It’s not much but this boutique does wonders to my soul. I have dreamt of starting something like this for many years and to actually began the process of making this happen has just been amazing to me. 

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

This dress was in my first order. This is a dress that I will have in plus sizes. I already have it in 1x, 2x, and 3x! I intend on carrying regular and plus sizes. I have a few more items that I will share later. I added the brooch. I think it looks fantastic! What do you think?

My hope is to have everything ready in March. There are still a few things left before we can launch. I hope you all enjoyed this post and I know it’s crazy but I can’t believe that I am turning my blog into a business. I hope you guys come along on this journey! 

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

 

Also, don’t forget to follow me on the LIKEtoKNOWit app.  This app is completely free and is easy to download. I was a little apprehensive too until I decided to download it and follow some of my favorite grandmillienials. I don’t regret it. It’s a wonderful app and I don’t get any money if you download it. I only get a small commission if you purchase something from my account. 

 

 

A Classy Galentine Luncheon

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Good Afternoon Everyone,

I am super excited! My orders from my first two vendors arrived yesterday. Everything looks great and I have the correct sizes! I can’t believe it. I am still so nervous about this but there is a little tug on my heart that is letting me that this is okay. 

With all of the work that I have had to do for the website, boutique, housework, etc., I almost completely forgot about Valentine’s Day this weekend! I saw this on another blogger’s post. This is something that I would love to do with some of my close friends. 

 

photo credits: Mary Craven Photography 

 

 

Wouldn’t this be nice? I would love to invite some girlfriends over and we could sit, enjoy a nice meal together and just chat. 

 

 

What a wonderful lunch? Chicken and mushroom crepes? I have never heard of that but it looks delicious! I’ve never had a citrus salad either. Looks refreshing!

 

photo credits: Mary Craven Photography 

 

Oh and let’s not forget the china and dessert. This looks similar to Aerin Lauder china that I shared in yesterday’s blog post! This is bittersweet chocolate with creme Chantilly. Add some fresh berries and some shortbread and you have a light but tasty dessert. 

 

 

I have already visualized myself and some of my very good friends at this table. So classy, timeless, wonderful, and benevolence. If you don’t have a Valentine for this year then call on your good friends! You don’t have to be as fancy as this. Use your best and do your best but enjoy your time. If you wish to read the original article you may see it here. 

 

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make Time for Yourself

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Good Morning Everyone,

I hope you all had a great weekend. I did, it was cold but I enjoyed myself. On Saturday our daughter had a hair appointment so we dropped her off at the salon and my husband and I headed to the mall. We are trying to get into the habit of doing more things together. My husband headed to Von Maur and I went to Sephora. I picked up some new skincare products. I will be sharing them soon. 

On Friday I stopped at the flea market to find a long table with storage for my online boutique. I am hoping to have it up and running soon. The goal is to add another page to the “shop” tab and call it the Boutique. I still have a lot of work ahead of me but we will get there. My goal is March but we will see. Anyway, while I was at the flea market I found some gorgeous crystal candlestick holders! They are stunning. I can’t stop looking at them. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

After that, I went grocery shopping and picked up some gorgeous lilies. These are going to be so beautiful to have in my home office/boutique this week!!!!!

 

 

On Sunday I did a little housework, blog work, and boutique work and then decided to give myself a pedicure. While sitting I started to read my Entertaining Beautifully by Aerin Lauder. It is so well written and so inspiring. I got to page 15 and this subchapter was called, ” Make Time for Yourself”. Aerin discussed how it may seem counterintuitive to focus on solitude before you entertain but her grandmother Estee said that it is worth taking the time to make any meal or occasion beautiful. And you all know that I could not agree with her more….

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

I love the early mornings on the weekend. It is my time to enjoy the silence of my home, make a beautiful breakfast, and savor a hot cup of roasted dandelion and chamomile tea. I use all of my china in my home. I don’t care what day it is. 

Aerin went on to say that, “Even when you’re having your morning coffee or afternoon tea by yourself, it’s deserving of a china teacup, cream and sugar served in a pitcher and sugar bowl, not a carton and a linen napkin. These things only take a moment, but they elevate the entire experience so that you can slow down and actually enjoy it”. 

 

photo credit: Simon Upton, page 17

 

The above photo is of Aerin’s tea set. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Aerin says, “Fresh flowers and your best china and silver shouldn’t just be saved for special occasions or holidays: use them every day for yourself and notice the difference in how it makes you feel. I think taking time for yourself is the secret to being a good hostess, wife, mother, and friend. I believe in putting the same care into a cup of afternoon tea for myself as I would when serving a guest. It’s those little niceties that rejuvenate me”. 

I hope you are inspired to use your best and to take moments of solitude. Even with everyone working from home these days, we still need that rest and solitude. Take care of yourselves and do it beautifully! I have written other posts about using your best. See here, here, and here. Enjoy! 

 

 

 

 

My Blue and White Facemask Collection

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Good Afternoon All,

I am working on something new and will be sharing it soon. Make sure you start to follow the A Home for Elegance Instagram account. I will be posting the updates on there as well. I am really excited but absolutely terrified at the same time. This is something that I have been wanting to do for years and I mean literally years! I remember sketching clothes and my business ideas way before I was even married. I still have all of those sketches and business ideas from 2002. I kept everything I wrote down. Everything….

Well, it’s Friday and it’s going to be a cold weekend for us here in Indy. I think I saw that it was going to be only 10 degrees (as a high) on Monday! Great… That’s my office day. But I try to remind myself that we need this cold. It’s a necessary evil. I am trying to get my weekend planned. I always have a checklist. Even for the weekends. I really want to visit Sephora. I need some new face wash and I want to take a look at some eyebrow products. 

In today’s post, I wanted to share my blue and white collection of face masks. I can’t believe we are still wearing these things but I am hoping that some changes will come soon. 

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

This was my first blue and white mask purchase. I purchased this from a website called Gossamer. My particular print is no longer available. It debuted in the Spring of 2020 but this blue and white face mask is available for a really great price. They have other masks. I would encourage you to look around. 

 

 

This was a second Gossamer purchase. This also debuted last year and sold out pretty quickly. It is two-sided. It has the same print on the other side but the majority of it is white and the birds are blue. It’s quite lovely. 

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

This was my third blue and white mask purchase. I ordered this from fellow blogger Tina from the Enchanted Home. This is her hand-embroidered face mask in soft blue. It is still available for purchase. I have been thinking about ordering a second from her. I really like the navy color that she offers. We will see. 

 

 

My fourth blue and white mask purchase was from Etsy. Another fellow blogger shared this. This is the shabby chic blue and white mask from Perdita Studio. It was only $10 and I love it! It fits great on my face and was affordable. 

 

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

My last purchase (for now) was this blue and white Audrey mask from Shopfofas. Once you get your ribbons tied to your face shape it becomes easier to put on. They have other beautiful masks available. I hope you take a look around.

I hope everyone enjoyed these now essential finds.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Let me know in the comments section below what your favorite mask is.  Also, don’t forget to follow me on the LIKEtoKNOW.it app. You can download the app for free! I love it! I get to shop and follow all of my favorite grandmillennial influencers!  You can also screenshot my photos and get instant access to the items! I will be posting there 3 to 4 times a week now. Enjoy! 

 

 

 

 

New Dinner Recipes ~ Hello Fresh

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Good Afternoon Everyone,

I want to jump right into today’s post. I shared this on my Youtube channel that my family and I were going to be trying HelloFresh! And drum roll please….. it was wonderful! So let’s start with what we ordered.

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

So this is how the order arrived. There is a freezer packet in there and all of the ingredients are packed in their own bag. It is very organized! Also, you are encouraged to recycle everything and we did. 

 

Here are the meal instruction cards. I ordered the creamy chive chicken, creamy chicken & mushroom cavatappi, and the onion crunch chicken. Lots of chicken dishes but each dish was packed with flavor and easy to prepare. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The first meal that I made was the creamy chive chicken dinner. The side dishes were lemony rice and a dijon apple salad. 

 

 

I washed and cut up all of the produce. Put the jasmine rice in our rice cooker with the lemon zest, (oh so good), made the creamy chive sauce, and cooked the chicken. 

 

 

 

Here is the finished product. It was so delicious! The hint of lemon in the jasmine rice was yummy. The sauce on the chicken was out of this world! I love the combination of the chicken stock with the dijon mustard. It was a real treat. The salad was tasty as well. The sweet apples with the lemon, mustard, and chives was wonderful. My husband ATE his salad! Can you believe it? He ate his first salad you guys! I couldn’t believe my eyes! 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

The next meal was the creamy chicken & mushroom cavatappi. 

 

 

I washed and cut up the produce as usual. 

 

While the pasta was cooking, I finished cutting up the scallions and garlic cloves. 

 

 

I placed the chicken in the pan with the mushrooms, cream sauce base, Italian seasoning, and mushroom stock. 

 

 

Once everything was cooked, I combined the chicken with the pasta, and voila. We had another delicious, flavorful meal in about 30 minutes! My husband and daughter ate this too. My husband went back for seconds!  Yay! 

 

And finally, the last meal, which was the onion crunch chicken with mashed sweet potatoes and roasted broccoli with honey dijon dressing. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

Wash and cut the produce. 

 

 

 

In this photo, I am mixing the crispy fried onions and Monterey jack cheese in a bowl. 

 

 

I topped the chicken with the mixture. The sweet potatoes were boiling and the broccoli was in the oven roasting with olive oil and salt and pepper. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

This was the meal after cooking. The chicken was tender, the broccoli tasted great, but the mashed sweet potatoes were the best! It had sour cream and butter in them. Oh my goodness, so good! Well after having this for almost a week I would say HelloFresh was wonderful! My favorite meal was the first one. The creamy chive sauce was the best thing I have ever made. My husband loved every meal and our daughter ate most of it. 

The next week I was looking for meal ideas and I told my husband that I wish we had a box of HelloFresh he said he wish we did too! That was so good to hear. Now I have set up our membership for bi-weekly boxes. So we will not be getting our next box until February 12th. I am excited about the next box. If you have been on the fence to try HelloFresh I hope this helped you to give it a second look. You can cancel at any time and their customer service is great! Enjoy your Wednesday!

 

 

 

fyi: This post is not sponsored. 

 

 

Beautiful Office Finds

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Good Afternoon Everyone!

We woke up this morning to a cold and snowy day. I was so happy to see that. Mr. Shockley was not! He hates snow but lets me enjoy my moment. I was so happy to see it snow this weekend. It helps bring balance to my world. We have had very warm winters here and it always concerns me. I need things to freeze! Especially parasites! Sheesh…

Okay everyone I wanted to share some recent office items that I purchased. Do you ever look around and think, “Goodness I need to replace that stapler”. Especially since it can’t staple more than 7 pages! That is one of the problems that I have been having with my office supplies. They really don’t give us “pretty” desk items to use at my office so I made a decision recently to buy my very own beautiful items. 

I started with my crappy stapler…

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

So the office where I work does provide office supplies but sometimes they are not the best. I had the worst stapler. It didn’t work half of the time and I kept it for years! I recently had an epiphany and decided I am going to buy my own! So I found this gold and white one at Target a few months ago and could not be happier! I thought I should have done this sooner! 

 

This soon put me on the path to replacing everything in my office! This next item was my tape dispenser. 

 

 

Now the office provided me with a basic black one and even that didn’t work right! The cylinder that held the tape never stayed in place and I kept that one for years! One thing I can say about myself is that I am long-suffering. Sheesh! So I decided to replace it with this lovely one that I found on Amazon. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

Next was a new pair of floral shears. Most of you know that I enjoy buying and having fresh flowers at home and at work every week. Well, I was using these basic black scissors (provided by the office) to cut my flowers and sometimes I destroyed them because they were not sharp! Enough of that! My flowers deserve the best and so do I so ordered these great floral shears from Amazon and I could not be happier! They are perfect for cutting my floral bouquets! I bought two pairs! One for home and the office. Yay!

 

 

Here is my second pair in the office and I placed them in this floral pen holder that I also found on Amazon. This holder is great for pens, makeup brushes, or maybe a small floral arrangement. You could use it for anything and it’s affordable.  

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

Speaking of makeup brushes and this is not office-related but since I am on an organizing kick, I decided to organize my side of the vanity. I use lots of products and wanted something to organize them all. 

 

 

So I decided to give this rotating, adjustable cosmetic tray a try. Honestly, I couldn’t love it more! Oh my gosh! I have so much room and it spins! I love it! I can see all of my products and I was able to add more of my products to it. I had to keep a lot of my creams and serums in the drawer because there was not enough room for them. Now I see everything and use it. Best investment! 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Okay on now to some new pens. I also wanted to replace some of my pens in the office and found these on Instagram. These pens are so stunning to me and look great on your desk. They are black ink and I do prefer blue but that is fine. They work well. She has several different kinds. Even one with a giant pearl at the top. I would also encourage you to take a look at her other close-out office items! 

 

 

At last and the best of all is my new blue and white tissue holder from Splendor in the South.  If you are interested in ordering one you must contact her via her website or Instagram. You may ask her if any of the blue and white tissue holders are available. They are $58 plus shipping. I would recommend you sending her a direct message on Instagram. It may take her a bit to get back to you but she will. 

I hope you all enjoyed my office finds for today. If you have broken office items that don’t work well get rid of them. Don’t be like me and keep them for eternity. There are so many affordable office supplies out there. There is no need to keep broken items on your desk. Make it beautiful!

 

 

 

fyi: This post is not sponsored. I use affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links.