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Quiet Dining on the Porch… Why Not?

January 18, 2019/4 Comments/in Inspiring Posts, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

I am so frustrated with myself. Last summer I made a goal to go on a picnic. I did not reach that goal so I am setting it again for this year. I would like to go on at least one picnic. I think that would be a nice way to spend a quiet Sunday.

One day this past week I was thinking about all of the porch sitting that my husband and I did this past spring and summer and I thought, “we should eat outside more this year”. I don’t know why we don’t. Maybe the humidity but for the most part it gets pretty warm here and stays warm in the evenings.

I really just want a cozy small table that I can put on our porch. Something like the photo above. So beautiful, comfortable and most importantly quiet. I just want to listen to the air around me.

Dinner for two or maybe one. Sometimes my husband has projects that keeps him away for a day or two. Maybe one night I could have a quiet dinner outside alone. Honestly, that would not bother me at all.

Or maybe a lunch with my daughter. I love the tablecloth in this photo.

Love this table setting! This would be nice for a ladies lunch. That is something that I have always wanted to do. A ladies lunch….

We were recently leaving the Cheesecake Factory and this restaurant has a lot of outdoor dining. I was thinking about doing that this year too. Eating outside. I think that would be great!

Well I am going to make sure that I put these ideas into my planner and we will see what this year unfolds. Enjoy your weekend!

(photos via Pinterest)

Cheese Plate ~ 2019

January 16, 2019/2 Comments/in Recipes, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

We are starting the third week of 2019 already. These years are going by so fast. I was checking past posts on the blog and I made my first cheese plate in 2017. I loved that one. I felt like a “grown up” that year.

My second cheese board in 2018 was delicious also. I loved the sweet french bread with the fig spread and brie.

This year I picked out my own cheeses with a little help from one of the reps. He showed me that they had a section with cheese for $5 and below. Great!

I love the dried apricots. I don’t feel as guilty nibbling on these. They are so good and add just enough sweetness to the board.

The other suggestion that he made was getting some nuts. So I ended up purchasing some honey roasted nuts. Also really good!

I grabbed a bag of green grapes and crispy crackers and we were ready to bring in the New Year!

We popped open our wine and sat and enjoyed the evening.

Everything was so good and our daughter loves the smoked gouda. I couldn’t get enough of the brie cheese with the fig spread together. Goodness, that was good!

I hope that you all enjoyed your New Year and are looking forward to 2019! Cheers!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Soft Face Cloths

January 14, 2019/6 Comments/in Home Organization, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

It’s amazing… some of the things I had to learn on my own when becoming a woman. My mother was not into beauty products when I was growing up so a lot of what I have learned has been from reading, asking questions, trial and error.

One of those things has been face cloths. When I was growing up we used the same cloth on our face as our bodies. Not a big deal back then but when you are a teenage girl and you realize where that cloth has been….. you don’t really want to put that on your face.

I remember the day I realize this. I had just finished my bath and was about to start washing my face and I picked up that cloth and I was about to wipe my face with it and I said, ohhhh no this is a bad idea. I need to get some separate cloths for my face. I think I might have been in middle school. So I went to the store the next day and purchased some soft cloths for my face. So happy I started doing that.

I just had to replace some of my face cloths. I purchased these last week from T.J. Maxx and they are so soft. The price was excellent too!

Love all the colors and the elephants. Very different!

And look at that fabulous price! Only $2.99 for a soft great face cloth.

I love using my soft cloths on my face and I actually love shopping for them. With the prices being so good it’s hard not to buy a few. I am sure that many of you have face cloths. If so what’s your favorite brand? Do any of yours have special features? Let me know in the comments section below.

Have a great week!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Washing my Jewelry

January 11, 2019/2 Comments/in Home Organization, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

Along with house purging, flower refreshing and cleaning I have also been organizing my clothing and jewelry. I always try to keep my jewelry nice and clean. I love it when they sparkle but then again what woman doesn’t.

I pulled a few pieces out to wash last week.

Honestly, the only thing I do is fill my bathroom sink up with soapy water and let my jewelry sit for a few minutes. You can use dish liquid soap if you want. All of the oils, dirt and hair come right out.

Love it when everything is sparkly!

I place everything in the soapy water. My earrings….

Pins and brooches….

I rinse everything and just let it dry.

I then just place everything back in my jewelry box and it’s all ready to wear for the up coming weeks. Keeping your jewelry clean and up to date is just another way of making sure that you are organized and “pulled together” as a woman.

Take care of your beautiful things. Enjoy your weekend!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

A Flower Refresh…

January 9, 2019/4 Comments/in Home Organization, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

Let the purging season continue. I have been getting rid of so many things in my home. It’s amazing how much crap your house can hold. Honestly…. I have been going through all of the nooks and crannies of our home. Getting rid of things that we have not used since we moved into this home almost 6 years ago!

Next on my list is home decor. It’s funny it seems like every couple of years my taste in home decor changes slightly. One item that has been changing has been my taste in faux flowers. I love them don’t get me wrong but I have been desiring more simple arrangements. So I walked through our home and picked out certain arrangements that needed a “flower refresh”.

This “flower refresh” was inspired by this bouquet that I found at T.J.Maxx. I thought it was so life-like and beautiful.

I put the bouquet in one of my blue and white vases. Looked beautiful….

So I went back and got another one….

And began looking around more….

Faux flowers have come a long way.

I especially loved this arrangement. I was thinking about purchasing this one to replace the one I have next to my tub in the bathroom.

But then I spotted this one and loved the vase that it was in. Plus it was only $14.99 and the one above was $39.99!

I decided to start with the arrangement in my office. I took a look at it recently and I thought, “oh my goodness, this is starting to look like a creature.”

It needed to be “refreshed”. The flowers were starting to look dark and I have had them for over 6 years. Time for a change.

So I put the “creature” in the bag for donations and decided to keep the arrangement simple.

Better much better….

But then I thought of the other arrangement that I just made and put it there instead. Now I don’t know which one I want. They both look nice.

This was the arrangement in my bathroom sitting on my tub. See how the faux water looks yellow? Eewww, time to change that!

Better….

Much better….

I also change and threw away all of the old faux flowers in my office and purchased new ones.

Looks wonderful….

I have enjoyed this “flower refresh” for my home. The next project is finding better ways to organize and utilize my laundry room. I have some ideas so we will see.

I had to share this photo. This was from last week in my home. I could not believe that these were carnations. I picked them up at the grocery store. Stunning! I will now be looking into this flower more.

Thanks for reading!

(all photos Mrs. Shockley)

Gray Blue

January 7, 2019/8 Comments/in Fashion Posts, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

Hello Monday….. Monday... a sign to start your week again. Any-who, I wanted to share a recent find from H&M.

It’s this lovely tote that they are calling the Weekend Bag but I am using it as a regular purse.

I’ve been carrying it for about a week and I have received a lot of compliments on it. Most people love the color. It’s different and very roomy. I purchased the faux fur key-chain from H&M also. It was only $2 and looked good on the bag.

I just wanted to share this beautiful tote. I hope that you can find it at your local H&M. It’s better to see bags in person if you can. Enjoy your Monday!

(photos via H&M and Mrs. Shockley)