Posts that inspiring an elegant life

A Lovely Mind

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I was recently listening to a conversation between a co-worker and my supervisor. They were discussing all of the current events in the news and what’s going on with this and what’s going on with that. At that moment I realized something horrible….. I had no idea what they were talking about.

What’s even worse is that they were discussing some things that were going on with our government. I work for the federal government. Not good. They weren’t discussing things that were going on with our office per se but they were discussing current events that could potentially effect us.

It was then that I also realized that I had to do a much butter job in keeping up with the world around me. I hate watching and listening to the news. I don’t even like watching our local news here. I hate the news…. I really do….but in order to have an educational and in-depth conversation with those around me I do need to be aware of issues going on.

In 2015 I posted this about the news and “mental chicness”. I have to admit that I have still not done my very best at keeping up with current events. It is very hard not to take what’s going on in the world “as your own”. A lot of us are guilty of accepting the news into our emotions. I am guilty of it too.

But in order to be an alert, well-rounded woman, knowing what’s going on and being able to discuss world events is very important. For the last two weeks I have been listening to NPR Now on my satellite radio station in my car in the morning or evenings. I try not to listen to it too much. 

I do enjoy listening to this station. They discuss a variety of things including cooking, the arts, economics, etc.

I will say this, after this last week of listening to NPR I do feel a little more confident about the information that I received and when I heard my co-worker and supervisor discussing more headlines I knew exactly what they were talking about. I was able to engage. 
Being an elegant woman is very important to me. Dressing well, thinking well, and being emotionally and spiritually well are some of my top priorities in life. I believe that God wants us to be informed but not afraid and that is my goal. 
On a side note, the other stations that I have on my favorites are Real Jazz, Siriusly Sinatra, Holly (Christmas music), the Symphony Hall, and Joel Osteen. I try to make sure that I have wonderful stations to listen to. 
What are you thoughts about the news? Do you enjoy watching or listening to it? Please share….
(photos via Pinterest)

Lovely Napkins in the Car…Why Not?

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Ever look inside your glove compartment and realize that you don’t have any napkins and if you do they are quite crappy?

I love buying napkins by Vanity Fair. They are great quality and look quite lovely in your glove compartment. I had too many one weekend and decided to put some in my car. Best decision I ever made!!!!

They were great for spills, wiping my hands, wiping our noses, and any other needs we had. My daughter loves them and so do I!  
They are not to thick and not too thin. They are really soft and quite affordable. I only paid about $4 for a pack of 50. Well worth it indeed!
Here they are in my glove compartment in the car. I just love having them there and I know that it is weird but there is a slight elegant feeling to them when you pull one out to use. They are quite lovely and for the price why not? You can find these any where. I think I found this pack at Walmart. 
I hope that you enjoyed this post and this idea. Simple, elegant living is what I am all about. Enjoy!!!!
(photos by Mrs. Shockley)

Trying to Live Well

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We are about to embark on the holiday season and this can be a very hard time of year for some of us. I was running some errands yesterday and people were just everywhere. I became very frustrated. I must confess…. I have been “people struggling” lately.


I told my husband that and he said, “what do you mean”? And I said, ” I have been finding myself recently not wanting to be around people”. And it’s not everyone. It’s just the rude ones. Yesterday in the store I was having an internal fit about some of the rude women around. I literally had to calm myself down because I felt as if I was going to explode!




I find myself not wanting to go to restaurants anymore because I have been so disgusted by the attitude of the waiter or how dirty the bathrooms are or the restaurant itself. I feel like if me asking you for a refill on bread is such an inconvenience for you then why are you serving? Why are you working in the service industry? Find a career where you don’t feel forced to engage with people. I don’t know maybe I am asking too much. 

Even at the office. For the most part, I do enjoy the people I work with but those few “bad apples” that are continuously rude get really old to me. Now that I have expressed my frustration at two of the meetings that we have had now they want to suddenly “act right” when they have been venomous for the last 10 years!  They also expect me to just “get over it” and basically pretend that they have not trashed me all these years. Not a chance…. 


Now I am for forgiveness but only when I know that the person is genuine in their apology and for the individuals in my office (which they have NOT apologized), they are not. So moving on….


For the last several months I have been asking myself. How do I want to live? The answer is I want to live well. So I have to realize and know that not everyone is going to believe in the same things that I believe in. Not everyone is going to be polite, not everyone is going to give respect, not everyone is going to do their part. Dealing with very difficult people or situations requires patience, resolve and restraint.

I can’t change people but I can pray. And that is what I do on a regular basis. I have to. I must. Have my prayers been answered? In most cases, yes! When I pray and ask the Lord to help me be a “light” in the grocery store or wherever I am, he then gives me an opportunity to be respectful or helpful to someone. Then they “light up” and respond to me in the same way. So that to me is apart of living well. I just keep telling myself. We have a goal and living well and beautifully is going to require a lot of you Mrs. Shockley but we can do this because we choose to. Being respectful, dressing respectfully, working respectfully and loving respectfully, always.

We can do this for this upcoming holiday season. We must be a “light” for people and maybe, just maybe we may even show them the way. I tell myself that all the time. Don’t give up. We are making progress. Live well….



(photos via Pinterest)

Learning Bach

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Back in 2015 I started taking piano lessons with a private teacher. I am sad to report that earlier this year she had to close her studio due to renting issues. I am hoping that she will reopen but she is so close to retirement and has been so busy at work that she has not had the time to teach.

I have been really sad but nevertheless I have continued with my studies in piano playing and have stayed in touch with my teacher. We had lunch last week and were able to catch up on life and discuss her maybe doing private lessons in her home (fingers crossed).

Me with my teacher, I miss it so much
Each week I like to use my planner and get things on my list to do and make goals. I was thinking about personal goals that I could set and I thought about my piano lessons. There is one thing that I would love to be able to do and that is to play at least one song by heart. 
The piece that I have chosen is called ” I Preludium” by Johann Sebastian Bach. This was one of my favorite pieces to play while I was taking my lessons. 
So my goal is to practice once a week and learn it group by group. I am hoping that within six months to a year I can play this entire piece from memory. 
I love setting goals and I love playing the piano. I am happy that I decided to include this in my weekly goals and lifetime accomplishments. Find something that will challenge you….

(photos via Mrs. Shockley & Pinterest)

Victoria Magazine New Card Bundles

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I think most of us are Victoria magazine fans but I was extremely excited we I received my email about their new note card bundles. I am a huge believer in having note cards around and keeping them handy for unexpected gifts or parties.

Oh my goodness, aren’t these lovely? I have to admit I think that this set is my favorite. 

Or maybe these….
Oh it’s so hard to decide. All of the sets are lovely. I think that these would make lovely Christmas gifts to.
Just simple, elegant and delicate. 
I had to share these with everyone today. I hope that you are able to order some and if so please share on your Instagram page or send me an email. I would love to see them!
Enjoy!
(photos via Victoria magazine.com)

The Dream of Consistency and Discipline

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 A few weeks ago I received a lovely comment from a reader. It stated….

“Hi Mrs. Shockley, I really do love your blog posts. Would you consider doing a post on staying consistent & having discipline? Your posts are a constant source of beauty, happiness & elegance, you appear to be a really positive lady so I just wondered if you could share any tips. 

Loving your blog. 

Maria (UK) xx” 




First of all, I just want to say thank you to Maria for this lovely compliment. It is always a privilege to receive wonderful notes from readers. Well, Maria, I will try to fulfill your request. Having discipline and being consistent is very hard sometimes.

photo credit Annie Spratt





But I would say that the first thing you have to do is know who you are and how you want to live. You must know that first! Then and only then you can begin to make decisions on how to organize your life. 


I remember back in high school I was dating a young man. He was about two grades higher than I was and even back then I wanted to wear polka dot scarves, dresses, pumps, and huge vintage earrings. Well, those things bothered him. So I stopped wearing them and I became very miserable. I was smothering who I was for someone else. I remember telling him that I was unhappy and that I no longer cared what he thought and I returned to my “old lady” ways of dressing. So sure enough he began to see that this was me and that I was not going to change. At that moment I know that I was coming into “my own”. 



photo credit Larisa Birta 

I also knew at a very young age that I wanted a beautiful home. So I began to buy items that I loved for my bedroom and that habit has stayed with me until now. I stayed consistent with this. Even if you buy one home item at a time, over time you will build your home into something beautiful. You can just buy one item at a time…

(An inspiring post from my blog in January 2017) 




Once you have figured out how you want to live and began to slowly cultivate your home, just be consistent with it and you will have to be bold. It is unbelievable to me the number of people (women, honestly) who I have to fight off or explain my way of living to. It truly is incredible. 


(Beauty in Waiting, my blog post from May of 2017 about beautiful things that I am waiting for)


Being discipline with routines is important also. I mentioned that in this blog post here about my daily routine. Being disciplined with your life will and can bring great happiness. Write a list of weekly dinners and rotate them, pick the same day to wash and fold laundry, I know for me I have kept the same weekly cleaning schedule for over 10 years. One weekend is the upstairs and the next weekend is the downstairs. I recently added classical music to my weekend cleaning schedule. I know that family secretly enjoys it.

One quote that I wanted to share is from one of my favorite Christian teachers, Joyce Meyer she stated… “Getting organized in the normal routines of life and finishing little projects you’ve started is an important first step toward realizing larger goals. If you can’t get a handle on the small things, how will you ever get it together to focus on the big things?” 


There is so much truth in this one statement. If you can’t wash your dishes, vacuum your floors, get to work on time, then how in the world are you going to lose weight, cook meals, and look presentable. It’s all connected and I learned that from a few mentors. Another great article to read about discipline is 15 Inspirational Ideas on How to Stay Consistent and Realize Your Dreams.   This article gives more ideas and tips on how to accomplish your goals. 


Well I hope that you enjoyed this post and have found inspiration on moving forward and setting new goals in your life and home. 


Enjoy your day!!!

(photos via Pinterest)

Elegant Herbal Teas

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Happy Hump Day all! Since Monday was a holiday I find that keeping track of what day it is can really be hard sometimes! The week can really slip away from you if you are not aware of your days! 
Last week I promised that I would share some of the herbal teas that my husband purchased for me from David’s Tea.

I love how organized this little box was. 
Love all of the colorful tea packets. It looks like a rainbow. This is the sachet tea wheel.
And on the sides they have the teas labeled by flavor. 
Now I just wanted to share a few of my favorites. 
This is honeycrisp apple tea. Oh can you imagine having this on a crisp autumn morning with warm buttery bread and buttery scrambled eggs? I can!

It has apple, sweet blackberry leaf, green tea, hibiscus, apple pomace, pear and natural and apple flavoring. 

This is cherry blossom tea.

This has white tea, green tea, cherries, coconut chips, rosebuds (you can smell those), natural and artificial cherry flavoring. Now this was good but not one of my favorites. I am not a huge coconut fan. 

This is one of my favorites!! It smells wonderful! I gave a few to my co-workers to taste and that’s all they raved about. 
Forever nuts

This has apple, almonds, cinnamon, beetroot, and artificial flavoring. It does contain almonds so be careful if you have a peanut allergy. 
My husband also purchased teas for the office for me. Most of those have been really good! I love the “just beet it” flavor. The smell of the elderberries is a wonderful scent in the mornings.
Well I hope that you enjoyed this post and check out David’s Tea in person if you can.  I enjoy having my small pot of tea in the morning with my breakfast at my desk. It is a wonderful getaway. 
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)