Confident Monday

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photo credit Brigitte Tohm 

Let’s start our Monday off with a little confidence…




I saw this poem on Pinterest.


I know God has a plan. I pray for direction to follow it, patience to wait for it, and knowledge to know when it comes. 


I whole-heartedly believe this and need this. I hope this inspires you today. 






Enjoy your Monday!




Other posts on confidence:


Mental Chicness


A Lovely Mind


A Lovely Mind- Part 2









Blush for Autumn

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Good Morning Everyone,


Goodness, Halloween is next week and I have begun my holiday list review. It dawned on me this morning that I have to start preparing for Thanksgiving. 


I like to start my turkey shopping as soon as possible. The brand that I like to buy usually sales out pretty quickly here in Indy. 


Yesterday morning, I attended the Coffee Classic Series at the symphony. The performance was called Mozart’s Concerto for a King. The program started at 11:00 a.m. so I took an hour of leave and attended the performance. It was lovely. I really enjoyed having a morning symphony. It eased my mind and I was completely relaxed. I look forward to attending more morning symphonies. 


I wanted to end the week with these beautiful photos of autumn decor from Victoria Magazine. Autumn decor is usually brown’s, yellow’s and orange’s. But I really like how these pastel colors were tastefully done. 

Softly Shaded

I adore this look. The pumpkins are the perfect mauve color and I love the gourds and weathered lanterns. But I would be worried about my dogs picking up the pumpkins and chewing on them.


Softly Shaded
Don’t you just love the vintage linens? I am on the look-out for a vintage table linen for home. I have not found one yet but will keep my eyes open. The vintage books are a nice touch and so is the candlelight. 

Softly Shaded

 These are gorgeous! I love the botanical greenery and the hydrangea blossoms. The dusty pink pumpkins are a perfect fit in this window box. To read the original article you may see it here.


I hope you all have a great weekend. I will try to upload a video this weekend. I am just trying to figure out what I want it to be about. Enjoy your weekend!








(photos via Victoria Magazine.com)





Inspiring Quotes

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photo credit Jean Philippe Delberghe

I have had such a busy week so far. I am filling in for my friend and co-worker again. But honestly, I love that I have been given the opportunity to do this. I am really grateful for it. 


That had me thinking about a recent article that I read called “61 Inner Peace Quotes”. These quotes are from all kinds of different people. They are different in many ways but all searching for the same thing. Peace….


I wanted to share a few of my favorites. 


“Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace”. ~ Dalai Lama


“If you only walk on sunny days, you’ll never reach your destination”. ~ Paulo Coelho


“You are the sky. Everything else- it’s just the weather”. ~ Pema Chodron


“Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be”. ~ Wayne W. Dyer


“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset”. ~ Saint Francis de Sales

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves”. ~ Viktor Frankl 

“When you’re in the weeds, all you can see is the process of doing the work. When you take a step back, you can see the purpose”. ~ Adam Grant

photo credit Brigitte Tohm 
“Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is, therefore, the means for correcting our misperceptions”. ~ Gerald Jampolsky 

And the last one (I wish I could get to this one day).

“This is my secret. I don’t mind what happens”. ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti 

I hope that you have found some inspiration for today. I am learning that I do not have the grace to deal with things in the future. Grace is only granted to me one day at a time. 

Enjoy your day.

(A blog post that I shared in 2014 about elegant quotes)


October Favorites

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Good Morning All,


Back to the normal schedule this week. Our daughter is heading back to school after two weeks off for fall break.


I do enjoy it when she has breaks. It’s nice to have some time off from the morning school rush. My family and I finally went and saw Gemini Man with Will Smith this weekend. It was very good! Not too much blood, profanity, and no sex! Thank goodness. We were able to enjoy the entire movie.  


Alright, let’s get into my favorites for this month. 


My first was this wonderful surprise from a fellow Youtuber. I talked about her channel before. It is called Inspired by Nikki and my closet was featured in one of her videos! 

My photos start at minute 6:10. Enjoy!


Second, on my list was the private cosmetic party that I got invited to by Von Maur. We had to check-in by 8:00 a.m. but it was a wonderful time and I got lots of free products!

My first mimosa!

My bag full of free goodies and gift card!

Third, on my list is a poem that I recently heard on one of my favorite podcast shows. I listen to David Jeremiah every morning and it always helps me to start my day off right. Love his sermons and teachings. Last week he recited a poem that has just stuck with me for the last two weeks now. 


There are two natures that beat within my chest.
One is foul, and one is blessed.
The one I love; the one I hate.
The one I feed with dominate. 


It makes you think, doesn’t it?




Fourth, on my list are these beautiful BCBG wedges that I ordered from Poshmark. And yes, I got them for the $19 listed at the bottom of the photo. The original price was $228 and she barely wore these! Fantastic right?

Fifth on my list is the beautiful pinkberry sweater that I picked up from Ann Taylor. I have already worn it and it is incredibly comfy and chic. It’s on sale right now if you are interested. 


And last on my list are my beautiful red mums that we picked up in Brown County, Indiana. We paid about $25 for both but they were so worth it. I love them! These are the best mums I have ever had. 


I hope you enjoyed these favorites and have a great Monday. I have printed off my Christmas list and I am working on getting it done before Thanksgiving. I am already halfway there! Wish me luck!



(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Eat Like the Queen

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Good Morning Everyone,


This was a very short week and honestly, it went by rather rapidly. I don’t have much on my agenda this weekend. Although, I can’t wait to get to the nail salon. I need a “fill-in”, and I need my nails cut down really bad. I hate it when they get too long. Typing is my profession and having long nails is not an elegant feature that I would like to have.


I am also torn about the color. Since autumn has arrived I would like to leave my pink blush color and get back into my reds. I think that might be the color that I get this weekend. I was also thinking about a lilac color but I don’t know yet. Maybe for my toes. 


I still want a do-over for my movie day. I will try to convince my husband to take me to see Gemini Man but we will see. I am also catching up on my favorite Netflix series called “Call the Midwife”. I am currently on Season 7. I just finished Season 6 and I am still loving it! 


Okay, let’s get on with my Friday post. I recently read an article called “ I Ate Like a Member of the Royal Family for a Week and Here’s What Happened”. I found this article very intriguing. I have never read about what any of the Royal Family members eat let alone the Queen. 

















Photo by Mark de Jong on Unsplash







The author Elizabeth Licata talked about her experience trying to follow what the Queen ate for a week. It was quite interesting but what intrigued me the most was what the Queen ate and how often. She eats four small meals a day! I know for a fact that I can’t do that. I have to keep my schedule at three and that is okay. I have different genetics to fight with!



I learned that she doesn’t like garlic (not even in the palace), she plans her meals a week in advance, and she likes her food, fresh, seasonal and local. Okay, your Highness! Those are tips that I will take in as my own!

I also learned that she has a very strong cup of tea in the morning and Special K is her favorite cereal. That’s fun to know! She also thinks that brown eggs taste better than white. I couldn’t agree with her more! I noticed a difference in taste. Her jam is homemade and she has a cocktail before lunch. Interesting…

































photo credit Alessia Cocconi 






She also doesn’t eat starches. Huh? Oh boy, I would struggle with that. I love some roasted potatoes! Other than that the Queen has a pretty good diet with lots of items that keep it interesting. I doubt she eats a whole lot. She is so tiny. 


I hope you all enjoy the article and can maybe take some tips for yourself. I hope you all enjoy your weekend and thanks for reading!












My New China Additions

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Good Morning Ladies,

Sorry for the no-post on Friday and for not having a video this past Sunday. I have been really busy! I took Friday off to go to the license branch to renew our plates and to get information about our new driver’s licenses that we all have to get. 

It’s insane! I don’t know about you all but by October of next year we (residents here in Indiana) all have to have these Real ID driver’s license or we won’t be able to fly or enter federal buildings. I have a feeling that these licenses are going to be required for lots of other things. 

So after I dealt with that we took our daughter to see the new Adams Family Movie. It was okay. Okay, I won’t lie. I fell asleep in the theater. It was quite boring. It’s for smaller children which is fine. Once we left I looked at my daughter (who is in high school now) and said, “We should have gone to see Gemini Man and she said, “Yes”! 

I also got another private invitation from Von Maur to attend their cosmetic show this past Saturday! It was wonderful! I had such a good time and got lots of free products! I also had my first mimosa. Not bad if I may say. 

Alright, let’s get into my new (to me) Royal Albert Old Country Roses plates that I ordered from eBay. 


Let me start off by saying that I have been trying to win a bid on these plates since 2014. It has been a very LONG journey. Normally when I place a bid someone always bids higher than me at the last minute. It has been very frustrating. 

When I placed my bid for these I truly did not think that I would win. So I was shocked on the last day of the auction that I was the only bidder and that I had won!
I got four dinner size Royal Albert Old Country Roses plates. They were from an estate sale and I paid $35 total! Outstanding! 

I cannot tell you how excited and happy I am! I have loved these plates the moment I saw them. I remember Trina Levers from Youtube showing her collection. I really miss her!

This is a simple table setting at home. This is nothing fancy just a typical dinner night. 

I’m loving my new napkin ring holders. I found these at Sur la Table last year. They look vintage but are not. I just love them!

This is where I would sit. I am the only one who would have a cup of tea with dinner. This is the only Royal Albert teacup that I have. I have my large breakfast tea set but that one stays at the office. I am hoping to get more soon. 

I feel like home life is elevated when you can dine like this. As simple as it is. Dining well and living well at home can cause you to forget some of the crazy people out there. 

I always move my large arrangments to the end of the table. It’s mostly just me, my husband, and daughter. They don’t mind it being a garden at the end of the table. 

I also have this Royal Albert set. This is called Hawthorn. All I need is one teacup and saucer. I have three so I need to get on eBay soon!

Okay, ladies, I am going to start my day. I have today off because it is a federal holiday and I have a list of things that I need to get checked off. I plan on posting a new video today as well so we will see. Enjoy your Monday!




(photos via Mrs. Shockley)






Trying New Things (Organic)

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Hello Everyone,

Today is going to just be a quick little post about natural products that I am trying. I have been reading and watching a lot about natural living. I believe it is important but it will be a slow process for us all. 

I am starting with these natural candles that I found at my neighborhood grocery store. These are called Nature’s Own Natural Candle. I found these in our cleaning section and wanted to give them a try. Now they are not as powerful as the other candles that I use but they are lightly scented. They do smell wonderful and burn quite well. I purchased the Wild Tuberose (smells like roses) and White Thyme and Tangerine. 
Next is this Ultra Downy Nature Blends- Plant Base Softener. It smells DIVINE! I purchased the rosewater and aloe scent. We love it! Now I must admit I have not used fabric softener in years! Everything I purchased made us itch! We have been using this for a month and now I believe that I can’t live without it. It was a great find and did I mention it was plant-based!
And last on my list is this Simple Truth Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cooking Spray. I use cooking spray every day and then it dawned on me that maybe I should try some organic spray. I love it and did notice a change in taste with my food. 

I hope you all enjoyed these products and if you have found something organic that you would like to share please do so in the comments section! I love reading about all your home ideas!


Thanks for reading!
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)