Posts that inspiring an elegant life

Home Life ~ Quarantine

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Well, I don’t think any of us saw this lasting this long. When this all started in March (for our city), I initially thought, “We’ll be back in the office in April”. Well, April has come and went and now May is gone. I really didn’t think it would last this long but here we are.


I know for me I have been trying to find the bright side of this madness. This has some similar feelings as the shutdown that we all went through in early 2019. I actually read my post from that and saw that I am doing the same thing I did then. Just being patient and trying to trust the Lord. 

I know the very first thing that I have been enjoying is my front yard garden. I have so many beautiful plants. My peonies this year look outstanding!


The second is the food at home. I love eating at home. I am not a restaurant person so when they said that they were closing them I did not feel bad for me but for the workers. I could eat at home any night and every night. I saw this packet of veggies at the grocery store. It was called “steak topper” and the ingredients were, mushrooms, parsley, garlic, rosemary, and thyme. I thought this would be great in spaghetti! 

So that’s what I made! It was sensational!
I am still reading magazines and following inspiring people on Instagram. I can’t remember where I saw this gorgeous room but I am taking notes! I definitely would like to find the 26×26 pillowcases with the tan trim. Gorgeous right? 

Of course, I have not stopped visiting my favorite resale clothing app. I love Poshmark and have been finding wonderful clothes, shoes, and home decor. Like these gently used and might I say extremely chic Coach flats. I paid only $30 for them. They are practically brand new and I am helping a fellow Posher make money. Everyone wins!

I found this gorgeous houndstooth JCrew tray and Kate Spade earrings from Poshmark!
For Mother’s Day, we spent a quiet evening at home but my mother in law did give me these beautiful vintage Christmas ornaments. I can’t wait to see these on the tree this year.


And lastly, I still get up every morning, work out, bathe and dress completely. Just because we are stuck at home doesn’t mean I can’t look good. This is a true testing time. This moment right now really lets you know if you dress for people or you. And I can truly say that I dress for me. I am still wearing heels to the grocery store! This virus won’t stop my show not if I can help it! 

Have a great weekend everyone! I am really excited and nervous. I dropped a dress off with my seamstress this week to make some alterations. I pick it up this weekend. We will see!!!


(photos via Mrs. Shockley)




Grace Rose Farm ~ My Experience

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Good Morning Everyone!


I hope you all had a great weekend. My goal was to get more rest. I felt horrible last week. I was going to be bed around 1 and couldn’t get up in the mornings. Then my legs hurt, I just don’t know. 


I am enjoying my new organizational tools. Especially my new free standing closet in the laundry room. It is wonderful. I do adore it. 


In today’s post, I wanted to share my recent experience with Grace Rose Farms. We all have been seeing their beautiful flowers on Instagram. It seemed as though every beautiful Instagram page that I followed someone was posting their bouquet from them. 


I decided to give them a try and ordered the Lovely Mother’s Day Bouquet. It was pretty expensive. The cost of shipping was $25 for the next day because the flowers are perishable.

 The Lovely Mother's Day Bouquet

This is the Lovely Mother’s Day Bouquet that was advertised on the website. 

But I wanted to see this for myself. So below is my box when it arrived…..

It arrived early in the morning to give you enough time to get it into water asap.

The beautiful instruction manual.

The instructions tell you to get them into fresh cold water as soon as you get them and let them soak for 2 hours before cutting them. 

There is an icepack inside the wrapping with the flowers. 


This is what they looked like when I opened them. 
Day 1: 

After two hours I cut the roses at a 45-degree angle and made sure that the plant food was in the water. 


Day 2: They have opened more. 

You can smell them more. 


Day 3: Gorgeous!

I was really shocked at how much they opened and how they changed by day 3. They were so fragrant. My husband kept smelling them. 

This particular bouquet came with this ribbon. I just tied it around my vase. 


Day 4: Stunning!

Day 6: WOW!!!


I truly enjoyed this bouquet. The beautiful mixture of the scented roses and the mint. It was just heavenly. 


My husband ordered a second bouquet. He ordered the Graceful Mother’s Day Bouquet.



The Graceful Mother's Day Bouquet
It arrived early in the morning in the same box, packed the same way with instructions. 

Day 1: What they looked like when the arrived. 
I put them in cold water, allowed them to hydrate for 2 hours, then cut them at a 45-degree angle, and just watched. 
Day 2: Opening more and lovely 

Day 3: Bigger and brighter

Day 4: More fragrant and now the smaller roses are opening.

Day 5: Very happy

I can’t tell you how pleasantly surprised I was with these flowers. They do look so scary when you first open your box. I must admit that I thought I was going to have to send a disappointing email but I didn’t. Their roses held up to the standard and quality that they promise. They are so gorgeous and so fragrant. It was certainly a nice process to watch.

I will be ordering some again. I love receiving flowers that are different. My husband and I were getting very bored with our flowers here in Indy. It is nice to know that there are companies such as this one that provides you with other beautiful floral options. You should order a bouquet when you can. 

Thank you for reading!




(photos via Mrs. Shockley)




Blue and White Teacups

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Good Morning,


We are finally in the 70’s. I have to admit it has been cold here in Indy. You would have never thought that it would be in the low 30’s at night in May. 


Next week more businesses are scheduled to open. I sure do miss Homegoods. I don’t want to go as soon as they open. It is going to be crowded!!!!


I think I mentioned a while ago that I did not have any blue and white teacups. Shocking I know. I have been looking for years but I could never find the pattern that I wanted and as soon as I did find the pattern I wouldn’t like the size of it. 


It had to be the perfect combination and I recently found a set on eBay. I made a bid and I did not think I would win because I never do but I did! So exciting!!!

I won a bid for a set of vintage porcelain blue and white cups originally from Japan. I was the only bid and paid under $40 for the set. 
They are perfect to me. The perfect size, color, and price. I could not believe that I was the only one bidding on them. 


Loving all of the details




Now I have already put them to the test and had a really to cup of tea and they were strong enough to hold it. I have been using them all week. They are so incredibly chic to me. 

I did order another blue and white cup before I made a bid on this set and it is beautiful as well. 


This is a vintage woods ware teacup with a panoramic scene. The handle is different but it is still quite lovely. It is a wonderful addition to my china collection. 


I hope you all have a great weekend. Stay safe and enjoy your homes. Thanks for reading!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)


Flowers Returning…

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Good Friday Morning,


Another week down… it seems like we have so many more to go. I shared in another blog post that I am have been watching old episodes of the Martha Stewart Show on Dabl. Well, a few days ago it was the “Healthy Show” which aired sometime in 2009.


On that show, they discussed natural ways to cure colds and aid in physical ailments. Dr. Andrew Weil was the guest on the show and he discussed how in the future we would face a pandemic. That blew me away when he said that! Wow…. he also talked about an herb called astragalus and how it helps aid the common cold and respiratory issues. Interesting right….. 2009. It makes you wonder. 


In addition to watching the Martha Stewart Show, I have been checking the LiketoKnowit app for wonderful deals and found another blogger and Instagrammer to follow by the name of The Pink Dream. She has a beautiful website and home. Below is a photo that inspired me to pull out my silver bucket and julep cups that I forgot about. 

Lovely isn’t it? I went to eBay to look for a gold plated ice bucket. Wish me luck!
I was so happy to see a new shipment of flowers this past Wednesday. I normally pick one day out of the week to go to the grocery store. They had not had any new flowers for a month! That to me this was scarier than toilet paper because here is the thing we are not running short on soap. You could always use soap and water to clean your rear! Right? 

But not being able to buy a bouquet in the store….. oh that would make me so sad. Being at home and having beauty is a luxury to me that I cherish. Enjoy your weekend! 

Today is Good Friday…. thank you, Jesus, for dying on the cross and thank you for your resurrection on Sunday! 
(photos via ThePinkDream.com and Mrs. Shockley)

Small Quarantine Projects

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Hello Everyone,


Since we all have been home and are taking things slow, I have been trying to do little projects around the house. Keeping a list and keeping busy has made my days feel much more productive and enjoyable. 

This past weekend we did a little bit of gardening. I have lots of planters and have decided to buy different kinds of flowers and plant them myself in the planters. Doing this gives me a chance to be more creative. 

I do love the way this looks so far…
Some of you may have seen this on my Instagram this weekend. I cleaned my chandeliers. Very scary (because I don’t like heights) but very rewarding once I was finished. 
Alfred (my iRoomba Robot) has been hard at work too. He is currently set for three days a week to clean. I am glad he is around. He is the only consistent helper that I can count on. 🙂 


Some of you may have seen in another post that my husband got me a glass door for the front and he installed my office chandelier. This is the next major project that I want my husband to work on. I want to paint this t.v. cabinet. It is about 40 years old and was given to me from my mother in law. It is in our master bedroom. 

You guys may remember that back in 2017 my husband painted my cupboard that was about 30 years old that was also given to me from my mother in law. 

These pieces are solid and I want to keep them. I just wanted to update them a little. I was thinking about painting this one gray but with our walls being gray I just don’t think it would look good. So we may be going with black and brass hardware. I know I don’t want it white. I just don’t think that it would complement our room well. 

I will keep you guys posted!


Thanks for reading and stay safe!



(photos via Mrs. Shockley)





Finally~ A Blue and White Teapot

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Good Morning,


Another week down and several more to go. They have reported (here in Indiana) that our expected peak for the COVID-19 is during the week of April 18th. I keep praying that things work out. We are at 79 deaths in our state. This has been so much for everyone….. 

Now let’s move on to something lovely. I have been searching for about 2 years for a blue and white teapot that I love and that would be the perfect size for me since I am the only one who drinks tea in my home. 


I follow a wonderful Instagrammer by the name of Stefania and her page is called GardenCakeParty. She posted about a month ago her blue and white teapot below and I just had to message her and ask about it. 

I told her it was perfect and asked where she got it. To my amazement, it was available on Amazon. If it is sold out then you can try this one, this one, or this gorgeous one.





I have had it for about a week and it is the perfect size and print. 





I have enjoyed my tea a little more this week. As I pick up my new pot it brings a little smile to my face. These smiles are so needed right now. The uncertainty of everything. Sighing… I hope it gets better soon. 

Have a great weekend everyone!
(photos via Instagram and Mrs. Shockley)


Friday Beauty

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Good Morning Everyone,


Today I just wanted to share some beautiful pictures from my Pinterest boards. I will be doing a little spring cleaning this weekend, watching The Martha Stewart Show (on Dabl, a cable channel we recently found), and trying to find a great novel to read. 

photo credit Caitlyn Wilson 

My bouquet at home. #ahomeforelegance


My home last summer…






































photo credit Eugenivy



Dreaming of a floral spring…









Beautiful romantic pink peony. They bloom in June here in VT and are gone too quickly. May favorite flower. #garden #stowemeadows

“We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on difficulties”. 
~ Oswald Chambers. 


Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

(photos via Pinterest)