Summer Candle Love

/in , /by

It’s August 1 and my daughter’s first year of high school has begun. Sighing… I can’t say it enough. This year is moving too fast.


There have been so many things going on. I’ve been doing so soul searching about my career and trying to re-group and ask myself questions about where I want to go in the future.


It hasn’t been easy but I am hoping that the Lord will shed some light on my career journey soon. It’s Friday and I had some new candles delivered yesterday. Oh my gosh, you guys, I have found the perfect rose candle for me.

It’s called ballerina rose from Bath and Body Works. It is perfect. The notes are rose petals, peony blossoms, summer greenery, and essential oils. It reminds me of fresh-cut roses from Yankee Candle.





My second favorite has been the new gingham scent which has notes of freesia, white peach, and fresh clementine.





And my last favorite has been the freshwater & aloe scent. It has notes of water-flowers, aloe blossoms, and ozonic accord (not sure what that is but it smells good).




But I have a feeling that ballerina rose will be my summer favorite and maybe even a fall favorite. It is that good! I hope that you all can get to the store and check out these scents. I will share my July favorites next week. That month flew by so quickly. I will have to do a mental review to remember what I used the most. Have a great weekend!








(photos via Mrs. Shockley)



The Beauty of a Woman

/in , /by

I saw a fantastic post on one of the interior designers that I follow on Instagram. She posted tips from Audrey Hepburn about beauty…. had to share them. 




















photo credit Aerin Lauder Instagram 


For attractive lips…. Speak with words of kindness.


For lovely eyes... Seek out the good in people. 


photo credit Micheile Henderson 

For a slim figure... Share your food with the hungry.


For beautiful hair… Let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day. 
For poise… Walk with the knowledge you’ll never walk alone. 



photo credit B Stinger Instagram




People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed…. Never throw out anybody. 

Beautiful tips if you ask me. Thank you, Audrey.

Staying Organized ~ Lists

/5 Comments/in , /by

Good Morning and welcome to the end of July. Goodness, the end of July. Wow… this evening we have freshman orientation with our daughter Lauren. She is going to be a freshman this year!


She was in fourth grade when I started this blog. Let that sink in….

photo credit Melnychuk Nataliya 



Today I want to talk about lists. Lists, lists, glorious lists! I love writing lists. Don’t you? I write at least two lists every week. I write a grocery/ home list and I review our finance list.

Every week I walk through our entire home and take a look at our toiletries, home supplies, personal needs, pantry, and refrigerator to jot down what we need. 
It helps me to keep track of my home and to make sure that the fridge is stocked and ready for home meals. That I have what I need to keep my home clean and that everyone has what they need to take care of themselves. I recently read a blog post about keeping lists in our lives and found it very inspiring. Shannon gave great ideas and great lists to have handy in our lives. 

One website that I use for great and orderly lists is The Day Designer. This website has great lists and lists for everything! They are free and are emailed to you for printing. 





photo credit Carolyn V. 

I emailed a few to myself this week. I plan on trying the grocery list. I normally just write down what we need and then just mark it off when I have it. I love checking things off. It helps me to complete tasks and to mentally take items off of my list. 


I know that may sound weird but I keep mental lists too. What lists do you have? Do you keep weekly lists? Please share if you do. I would love to hear it.


Thanks for reading!

A Healthy Home

/in , /by






















photo credit Debbie Hutson 


It’s the end of the week and let’s keep things simple. Here’s a wonderful quote from Martha Stewart about having a healthy home….

” Your home should be a reflection of how you WANT TO LIVE– right now, and for the next phase of your life.

photo credit Aerin Lauder Instagram 





It needs to have a good layout for your changing physical needs, and offer you a sense of security and calm. It’s a place to think, do, make, and enjoy.

When you get down to it, we need only a few of our creature comforts to live well- for me, that means having plenty of room to entertain, good light so I can read in bed, and sufficient space for all my animals.”





photo credit French Manoir Instagram 
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Dress for Success is having its VIP garage sale tomorrow! I am so excited!!! Those of us who volunteer will be able to purchase items that we could not give away in the boutique. Fantastic right? If I get any goodies I will make sure that I share them on the blog or on my Youtube channel. See you all soon!






A Dream Pop-Up Shop

/in , /by


Step Inside My First Pop Up Shop At East Hampton G

gardens!



Mrs. Tina’s specialty is blue and white of course. I have purchased some of her blue and white ornaments around Christmas time and love them on my white tree. 

I would really love having these salt and pepper shakers. Wouldn’t those be lovely?

Image result for enchanted home blue and white
You guys should definitely click on the link above and take a look at her blog post. If you are a fan of blue and white then you would find great joy in looking at all of her products and visualizing all of those items in your home. It would be hard not to with all of those beautiful pieces. 


Enjoy!!


(photos via The Enchanted Home.com)

My Perfect Straw Tote

/in , /by

Happy Monday All,


I am so glad that the heat warnings that we have had since Friday are now over. I am hoping for cooler temperatures. I am not sure how low it will get in July but I sure do miss those 50-degree mornings. 


I don’t like that heat. Not at all. Yesterday I posted a video on my YouTube channel regarding my vacation finds. Just in case you did not watch it I want to share the straw tote that I picked up at New York and Company.


It’s called the raffia tote bag and it’s a great size. I love that fact that the straw is not hanging off of it and it feels smooth. 
You can put practically any and everything in it. The handles are comfortable and the color is great!
The bottom has a smooth cover and its great to carry. 


Now the purse scarf does not come with it but you can easily add your own and give the tote some personality. I hope this is a great find for someone and that you all enjoyed my YouTube video. Have a wonderful day!






(photos via Mrs. Shockley)



Chic Assignments ~ July

/2 Comments/in , /by

Photo by Marjorie Bertrand on Unsplash



It’s July already and Jennifer L. Scott from the Daily Connoisseur has already given us her assignments for this month. 


I must admit I am falling a bit behind due to our vacation. But let’s dive right into the assignments for the month. 


Her first assignment was to watch Andre Rieu- Grande Valse Viennoise. I watched it and must say it was 6 minutes of loveliness! My daughter saw me watching it and came into the room and stood and watched it with me! Wonderful right? 


We clapped at the end and said BRAVO! It was great!

The second chic assignment is to read the poems of Emily Dickinson. I listened to her poem called, “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”. There was a play button by this poem. So I just listened to it. It was lovely and the spokesman took his time. 





The third chic assignment was to notice when you are mindlessly snacking. Okay, I always notice when I do this and will tell myself to stop but when it’s those moments in the month where it is always a little harder for me to “fight that feeling” off. During our trip, I noticed that I wanted to snack the entire time. Now I did give into the ice cream and I did buy some of my Dove dark chocolate cherries while I was there but that was it. It is hard sometimes but I try to drink water when I have the urge to pick. 





photo credit Erol Ahmed
And the last chic assignment is to give someone a genuine compliment. I have already started this. I try to compliment my co-workers or women while shopping if they look wonderful. It always puts a smile on someone’s face when someone else notices that they made an effort today. I know when I volunteer at Dress for Success as a personal shopper, these women need to hear some kind words and we make sure that we provide it! I know whenever I tell someone you look lovely that little kid smile of theirs appears. Try it, it will make you feel good as well. 

Well, I will continue to work on these assignments for the month. Please share below if you have already started these and what impact it has had on you. I’m curious!