Ted Baker Travel Wallet

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Good Morning Everyone,
I am trying to get back into the swing of things. Being off from work for 12 days does not help! Goodness, I did not want to go to back the office. It was really hard but the show must go on and life must continue. 

The photo above is the beautiful travel wallet that I purchased while in Miami last week. This is the Ted Baker Travel and Passport Wallet. The original price was $159 and I was able to get it for $95.

I do love how everything is labeled. Isn’t it chic? There is also an extra holder for credit cards and other information. 

Here is an up-close photo of the writing. It says, “boarding pass, receipts and treats, and passport”. I love the fact that it is leather and very unique. I had a co-worker tell me yesterday that it looked like a work of art! 


Here is the backside of the wallet. It has another slot and it is labeled “adventure awaits”. The floral print is lovely and it is the perfect pink color. I tried finding this online but could not. The closest I could find was this one. It’s the same wallet just in a different print. I also found this and these on eBay. 

If you happen to have a Ted Baker store in your city then I would go there to see if this print is available. I will try to remember to show this on my Youtube channel this Sunday. This Sunday’s video will be about my Florida finds. I hope you all enjoyed this little beauty find.

Enjoy your day!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Florida ~ 2019

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Hello Everyone,


My family and I have returned from Florida. Vacations go by so fast! I always make sure that I take an extra day to have to myself to get things done at home. 


Well in today’s post I am going to walk everyone through our little Florida adventure!


Our flight was great and Lauren LOVED flying! She never stopped looking out of the window and when I asked her what were her thoughts she said, “It wasn’t that bad mom. I don’t understand why everyone made such a big deal about it”! Okay, I took that as a good sign.


The first place we visited was a restaurant called Deck 84. It is a casual waterfront restaurant. So I finally got my dining “al fresco” completed this month! 

I ordered the grilled chicken breast meal with sauteed spinach, mashed potatoes with vanilla rum butter sauce. It tasted so good!

These were my step-sons’ fish tacos. They looked amazing to me!
The next day we headed to Miami.

We did some walking around the outdoor shopping mall and looked at a few placed to grab lunch. I loved this area. It reminded me of some of the chairs that I have seen in some Pinterest photos from France. 


I did end up finding a Ted Baker store. We don’t have one here in Indy so being able to go in one was a wonderful opportunity. 

Everything was so beautiful and well made. If you are interested in these wallets you may find them here.
After looking around and shopping we did manage to find a place to grab some lunch. We ate at a place called Taverna. I ordered the quinoa salad with avocado, tomato, corn, cucumber, cilantro, and grilled chicken. It was so delicious!


Related image

On Thursday we visited the Everglades. I am sorry I did not take a lot of pictures. Visting a swamp and traveling by airboat was not my thing but I wanted to be a good sport. The airboat was not that bad and the alligators that we saw were female so they were not that big. We did stick around and watch an alligator show. The young lady was using her chin to keep one of the alligator’s mouths shut. Not my idea but my husband enjoyed it! 



Of course, a trip would not be a trip if I did not go shopping! I managed to find a Homegoods in Boca Raton (which is where we stayed). Then I realized that I could not shop! We flew! I did not have a truck to take stuff home! Oh, the horror!!!

Then I found this! A beautiful green ginger jar. Isn’t it beautiful! Yes, I had to ship it. I should have it by Thursday (I hope). 
We also stopped by a place called L’Chole Cafe for rolled ice cream! It was interesting watching the process but my family and I enjoyed it. 



And for our last day of the trip, we spent most of it at Boca Raton beach. It was a lovely trip and so far no one has caught any flesh-eating bacteria. I must admit. I did worry when the kids were in the water. But I kept reminding myself what kind of trip would this be if I did not allow the children to get into the water. Just pray about it and let go. It turned out great!

I really enjoyed my time off from work but the more I think about it the more I am tempted to do a staycation in the near future. I really enjoy being at home. 

I hope you all enjoyed this post!

Have a great Monday!


(photos via Mrs. Shockley)



On Vacation ~ Summer 2019

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Pin it A Guide to Dining and Shopping in Naples, FL

Good Friday Morning Everyone!
I hope you all enjoyed your 4th! It was sooo hot here in Indy. We hardly wanted to leave the house but we went on a bike ride at the park and watched some fireworks in our neighborhood. It is Friday and I have started my summer vacation! I took off work today and Monday. Tuesday we will be FLYING to Florida! We have always driven on our family trips so this year will be the first year that we are going to be on a plane together! I am so excited for our daughter Lauren. She has never been on a plane before so we all hope that her first plane ride goes well. 

Naples, Florida

We are going to be visiting some friends in Fort Lauderdale. I am hoping to also visit Naples. I would love to do some shopping there and see their turquoise water and white sand beaches. 


I have a list of activities that we can do so we will see. Of course,  I will be taking some time off from the blog and from my YouTube channel so I will see you all soon! Enjoy your week!



(photos via Pinterest)

A Few Reminders About Etiquette

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I love a good etiquette list. Especially one with great reminders on it. I saw this list about a week ago called 25 Etiquette Mistakes You Need to Stop Making by 30. Some of these actually made me chuckle. “Wait a minute, people are still doing some of these”? Oh, I should know better. I see people do some of the craziest things all the time. 



















photo credit Elaine Howlin 
For instance, this past weekend when we were at the fair, I was watching my daughter on one of the rides and a woman came and stood next to me. She then turned around to get something out of her bag. While she was bending over she displayed about 7 holes in her leggings near her butt area! I hurried and turned my head. Oh my goodness! And another reason why it was so frustrating was that her boyfriend and/or husband was standing there watching her bend over! Did he not see those holes? Why not tell her!!!!  I was so confused. There was no way he could have missed those when they were leaving the house. But let’s move on…

Etiquette along with healthy eating, dressing well, and living well has become such a huge part of my everyday life. I wanted to share a few of these mistakes from the article. 

1) Sneezing into your hands
It took me about a year to break my daughter of this habit. If you sneeze into your hands just think of all of the germs that you are spreading. It’s your saliva in your hand. Eeewww, so gross! Please remember to sneeze into your elbow or away from people. If you feel more coming on, excuse yourself to the restroom. Very simple…



photo credit Nicolas Fairford
2) Using your napkin to blow your nose
Okay, I thought I was the only one who thought this was gross. The etiquette coach from this list says that drool, tears, and food are okay to wipe. Not your boogers! Please excuse yourself and go to the bathroom to clean your nose. I know if I had to wash those napkins I would not want to see that lurking inside! 

3) Sending error-filled texts or emails from your phone
YES!! I still believe in spelling words out and using correct grammar. I am not an English major but I believe those things are important.  The etiquette coach says, “Grammar and spelling should be properly presented and proofreading is a must. Remember, it may be “just a text”, but this is still representing you, your values, the quality of your work, and overall leaves an impression on the reader of who you are and the sophistication you possess.” 

4) Failing to RSVP
Oh..my…gosh! This drives me nuts! Not only do people not RSVP then they end up showing up anyway. Are you serious! Not only is it poor taste to not RSVP now you are making an appearance anyway? You are an uninvited guest my friend. You didn’t respond to my invite. So guess what you are not included. Dulles said, “Send your reply as early as possible- the reply by date is not a challenge for you to eke out at the eleventh hour. If you do miss the reply date, RSVP anyway and follow up with a phone call or email with a brief apology expressing your oversight and express gratitude for their kind invitation”. See… easy and simple!!! 


photo credit Annie Spratt 

These are just a few from that list. Please click on the link above to continue reading the article. It was pretty interesting. I was really intrigued by the tip on how to greet your boss. One of the experts said, “There is real power in a formal greeting, especially when interacting with other cultures or countries, etc”. Don’t greet your boss with Hey. Be respectful. 

I hope that you all enjoyed these tips and read the article. There is more information that may help you elevate your standards of living. 


Enjoy!
( tips via Charlotte H. Anderson)

Healthy Eating is Elegant

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Good Monday Morning Everyone! I just wanted to post a quick little entry today about a recent holistic nutritionist that I found by the name of Meghan Livingstone.  


I found her just surfing on YouTube one night looking for healthy recipes. Meghan had some issues with her digestive system a few years ago and her story piqued my interest.


Learning how to eat well, continuing with my food education, and health journey has been on my radar constantly. Just yesterday we went to the county fair and I shared a funnel cake with my husband. Oh boy, did I feel like crap after I ate some! It’s amazing how foods can affect your health!


My salmon dinner at home

I have really enjoyed Meghan’s channel. I especially liked her “10 Foods I Always Buy” video. I have watched it a few times already and have started a routine list of excellent foods to buy.

Another favorite video of mine is her “Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Eating”. This is another great video if you need ideas on how to get started on your health journey. 
I hope that you all enjoy Meghan’s channel. I look forward to her new videos every week. Now I am not interested in her minimalist living but I am still inspired by her ways to eat right and her education as a nutritionist.  
My dresser at home

Have a great Monday!
(photos via Mrs. Shockley, videos via Youtube)

Thoughts~ Antica Farmacista Samples

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Good Morning Everyone! It’s the end of another week and the end of June. Gosh! The end of June already. I recently checked to see how many blog posts I have published and I have written and published over 800 blog posts! Wow…. I have no idea how I am still doing this. I really don’t….


I recently shared in my Youtube video that I ordered the Antica Farmacista Sample Kit. I received my kit recently and went on a spraying frenzy in my home! 

It arrived in this very decorative box. 
They provided two pouches full of samples. 
Okay, I sprayed each set and came up with some favorites and some not-so-favorites. My favorites were Casablanca, Lemon Verbena, Lush Palm, Lavender Lime, Damascena Rose, Prosecco, and, Grapefruit. 

My not-so-favorites were Fig Leaf, Vanilla Bourbon, Hana Lei, Manhattan, and Santorini. 

Of course, I loved the Casablanca scent. It smelled just like lilies to me. Fresh and beautiful. The Lemon Verbena & Cedar smelled just like fresh lemons with a light scent of cedar. Lush Palm is such a beautiful scent. It smells of green florals and gardenia. Lavender and lime is a beautiful combination of both. I could smell just enough lime and it did not cancel out the lavender. Damascena rose smells just like roses. I can’t say anything else about it. It smells wonderful!

Now Prosecco I was a little unsure about but once I sprayed it there was a beautiful citrus scent in the air and a small dose of floral. The grapefruit smelled just like a fresh peeled piece of fruit. I think I sprayed that one the most! Especially, where the dogs sleep! 

The other scents were not terrible just not my cup of tea. You can jump on the website and read their descriptions. Who knows, what I dislike you may love. We all have our own preferences. I would say this, the price for these samples is well worth it. I would definitely suggest that you order one.

I hope this was informative as well as inspiring! Enjoy your weekend everyone and thanks for reading!


(photos via Mrs. Shockley)



A Dresser Update

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Good Morning Everyone! I am beginning to count down the days until vacation. I am looking forward to being home and going to Florida. I am also hoping to get to Naples while we are there. I have always wanted to visit there. 


If you follow me on Instagram then you saw my recent photos of my dresser. I am so happy with my new piece! The photo above is the old dresser that we purchased a few months before we got married in 2003. It has served its purpose and we have moved it to our future guest bedroom. 


This is our new dresser. It’s called the Charleston dresser and it is lovely! I had to wait an entire month before I could get it delivered. It has been selling like crazy! 
The first thing that I noticed about this dresser is that it stands taller. My old one you had to bend down to pick up items from it. So looks like they are designing these better!

I adore all of the compartments for storage! I forgot to show the other side of my dresser in my video. I have two necklace storage areas located on both sides of the dresser. 

This was the other side. 
I am using both of my side drawers as toiletry storage areas. It’s nice to have those items stored away instead of having everything on your dresser. It has less clutter on it now. 

I now have a place for my heirloom items. 
I have room to look at my perfume collection. 

More space for freedom!

I am using my blue and white canister from the Library of Congress in D.C. as a place to hold my glitter puff. 
To live elegant every day is a dream. 
Even if it is just a simple dresser. I know that I will enjoy this for years to come. I hope that you all were able to view my YouTube video for this. If not you may see it below. 
Thanks for reading and watching!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)