Wonderful Books to Read

Planning a Tea Party

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Good Friday Morning,

I am ready for the three-day weekend! I plan on getting a few house chores done, work on my taxes, and maybe go antiquing. I will try to record a video for my channel but we will see. I do plan on trying a new recipe this week.  It’s called macaroni soup and I will share it if it is a success! 

I have been getting back into reading The Art of Tea by Victoria Magazine during my lunch breaks. I haven’t gotten too far in the book. I have a tendency to try to rush through a book because I feel like I am on a timeframe to read it but I am trying to break myself of that. Do any of you do that?

 

photo credit: Tallwood Country House.com

 

I am still in the first part of the book and in this section, they are discussing the planning part of a tea party. I honestly love this part just as much as enjoying a cup of tea. One of the best tips is planning ahead. Some of the questions that the book mentions that you should ask yourself is:

  • How many guests are anticipated?
  • Will the party be casual or formal?
  • Will the tea but themed, or is it an occasional function?

 

Photo credit: Pinterest

 

The book also suggests looking for recipes from your favorite books. I know making these has been on my radar for a while now. Also having personal touches for each guest. I like the idea of having a tea basket for each guest. A tea basket would make a wonderful gift. You could include tea, of course, a vintage teacup and saucer, wrapped pastries, and other items. 

I have been wanting to have a tea and lunch at The Tea Room of Rustic Root. It’s a new tea room that is near me! I can’t find anyone to go with me so I may have to just go alone. That is something that I do often. I will probably grab a small table in the Lilac room. That room is my favorite so far. 

I hope you all enjoyed these tips and pick up your copy soon! It’s a wonderful read and is full of recipes as well. Have a wonderful weekend! 

 

 

This post is not sponsored. 

 

 

Hill House Vintage- A New Book

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And it’s Wednesday. I have had such a busy week. This week I am filling in for my friend as she takes a trip to Tahiti to celebrate her one-year wedding anniversary. I am so jealous but she has no kids and can take journeys like this. I am sure that she is enjoying herself. 

This week has been swamped with meetings, new cases to learn, keeping track of my staff, preparing for a new U.S. Attorney, and trying to plan a Christmas luncheon with the ladies that I supervise. Not to mention I have to put my Christmas trees up this weekend. The carpet crew is coming back to finish my steps this weekend and I need to clean my step-son’s/ husband’s mancave. They have completed trashed the room!

Tomorrow is a holiday but I still have to take my new car in for repair. I had it shipped here from another state and when they pulled it off the truck someone backed into something and put a dent in the bumper!  After my car repair, I am hoping to tackle my step-son’s room but we will see. I am glad to be busy right now. We are still grieving the loss of our dog Deacon. Goodness, we miss him so much! 

Okay, let me share my new book purchase! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I ordered Paula’s new book Hill House Vintage! It is a wonderful book with beautiful photography from Paula’s home. I am still in the intro part of the book. I have only been able to read bits of it but I love how she talks about her childhood. And her childhood home is a dream! 

Another quality that I love about Paula is her honesty. If you follow her on Instagram you will read in some of her posts about how she struggled with depression and had a hard time trying to find her way. I love how she turned her passion into a business! That is my dream ultimately. I want to create beautiful home decor, clothing, etc. but we will see what the Lord has planned. 

 

 

I simply love this photo! It screams, I am me and I am free! I hope you all got to see her recent video on Youtube. They are always so tastefully done!

 

 

I hope you can pick up a copy for yourself. I can’t wait to get more into the book. I will promise to share any tips and tricks that she discusses. I will confess that I have another book on my radar as well. I saw that Aerin Lauder shared her new book about her grandmother Estee called Estee Lauder: A Beautiful Life. I am hoping to snag this in a few months. It looks exquisite!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

 

 

 

 

New Victoria Book

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Good Morning Everyone,

I had a wonderful staycation last week. I really didn’t want it to end! I wanted to take this week off as well but oh well back to the daily grind. I will be sharing my staycation with you all later this week. I purchased a LOT of stuff. Our trip to the outlet mall in Cincinnati was delightful and I watched Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant movies this week. I got really tired of all of the crazy movies I saw on Netflix. 

In today’s post, I wanted to share my new book purchase. I purchased this before my staycation and I have been enjoying it so much!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

This book has been so inspiring. Each time I saw a china pattern I instantly “googled” it. Some of the patterns are a small fortune. Goodness gracious! I love reading the description and learning about what and why the designers used certain china and fabrics. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

Living with Blue and White is truly a treat for those of us who love this pattern and color combination. I do hope that you can order a copy soon. It would be a wonderful addition to anyone’s collection. 

Also, I wanted to give everyone an update on the boutique’s pop-up shop. It went so well! I met a lot of women and it made my heart sing seeing everyone try on the dresses! I sold quite a bit and I am down to the last few on some of them. I only have one Green Garden Maxi left. It is in a size small but during my pop-up shop, a customer (who normally wears a large) tried on the small and could fit it beautifully. It is only $19! I also only have 2 of the Audrey Ruffle Maxi left. A size 1x and a size 2x. It is on sale for $20!  I have only one of the Rose & Dot dress left. It is a size extra large and it is only $17. In addition to these items, all earrings are only $5. Once items are sold out I will not be restocking them. 

I hope you all enjoyed this post and I love forward to sharing my staycation with you this week!

 

 

fyi: This post is not sponsored. I use affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links.

 

What’s Your Secret Garden?

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Good Morning Everyone,

It has been a nice long weekend and really needed. I slept in on Saturday and Sunday. Today I got up and walked my 2 miles around the neighborhood. It was beautiful and cool. During that time I talk to God a lot. I express my worries, concerns and I try to remember to give praise reports during that time as well. 

Last week while I was cleaning my loft/office I started staring at my bookshelf. My eyes landed on Fiona Ferris’s book Thirty Chic Days. I wrote about this book several times here on the blog. I decided to take it to work to read it while on my lunch break. My eyes landed on the chapter called, “Create and Guard your Secret Garden”. 

 

My sitting room at home

 

Fiona said, “Your secret garden is where you dream of how beautiful and successful your life will be. It holds safe all those plans and thoughts that you might think others will make fun of or scoff at and tell you to “get real” about, but you know better; dreaming of an enchanting future makes you feel happy and inspired”.

I know I have this “secret garden”. My morning walks have become a secret garden. It’s when I talk to God and express my feelings. I am so free during my morning walks. No one is around and it’s quiet. It’s a great time for me to talk with the Father in heaven. 

My lunch breaks have become a secret garden. I take that time to read other blogs, read books, journal, shop, send emails and gain inspiration for the blog. This is also a time when I enjoy my beautiful lunch. I set a place on my desk and enjoy eating. 

 

photo via Victoria Magazine 

 

Other places for me that I have designated as my secret garden are my front porch, my sitting room, the blog, the boutique, honestly anywhere I am I try to create this. Fiona also said that spending time with a great book could be your secret garden. Other tips that she gave in her book were “mindful secret gardens”. She said that setting an intention is a great way to be mindful. She gave the example of “ahead of time you decide that you won’t be snacking from all the bowls of sweets and nibbles around, that you will sip your drink elegantly, and that you will have only one serving at the dinner buffet. You’ve also decided that you won’t be drawn into any arguments or family drama, as well as speaking positively and not gossiping.”

I am sure many of us have done this before. Set a mindful intention of not overeating and gossiping. I know I have. 

 

photo credit: Aerin Launder Instagram

 

There are so many benefits to having a “secret garden”. It’s a world that you create and a space that you enjoy. I love my secret gardens! I am sure that many of you have them. What are your secret gardens? Are any of you willing to share? Put it in the comments section below. Let’s share our beautiful pleasures with one another. Have a great Monday!

 

 

 

Books I Return To…

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Hello Everyone,

Our daughter’s golf meets have been kicking our butts! It has been soo hot lately. Oh my gosh! I hope it cools down next week, geez. I quickly wanted to ask everyone what their favorite books were. I was inspired by Victoria Magazine’s recent article called, “Our Top 10 Favorite Books”. I already shared three new books that I found on Monday. I hope you got to read that post. I have a few books that I just keep going back to and I wanted to share my list.

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

The first on my list is my bible. I use the Life Principles Bible by Dr. Charles Stanley. I have been listening to him for over 15 years. I love his teachings and his sermons. My second book or favorite health book is my Woman’s Herbal Apothecary book. I wrote about this some time ago and I still love this book. It’s so informative and I have learned so much about my body from it. 

 

photo credit: Mr. Shockley 

 

For decor inspiration, I always go back to my books by Aerin Lauder. I love her Beauty at Home book. Estee Lauder’s home is such a dream to me, and to read about it and see the photos is a real treat. 

 

 

For cleaning and organizing, I love these two books. I love the Butler Speaks and Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook. Both books provide education as well as tips for cleaning. I talked about the Butler Speaks on my blog before. 

 

 

 

The next set of favorites are the Madame Chic series by Jennifer L. Scott. Most of us know and love Jennifer’s books. I have gone back to these books time and time again. They are great to read if you want to take a refresher course in being a lady and living beautifully. 

 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

This last book is a new addition to my library. I have not had a chance to read it yet. It is called Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine. It is a great introductory book to wine if you are a beginner which I am. The entire book is filled with pictures so it is a pleasure to look at. I will be diving into this soon. 

What are your favorite go-to books? Do you have a few that you just keep returning to? Share what they are in the comments section below. We would all love to know what they are. I hope everyone has a good weekend and remember there are a few sales going on on the boutique’s page. Enjoy!

 

 

Please note: some links are affiliate links and if you make a purchase through this link, I will receive a small commission for referring you to the product. Thank you so much in advance if you decide to make a purchase through my link.

 

In the Garden with Jane Austen ~ New Book Find

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And Good Morning Everyone,

It was SOO hot this weekend. Good Lord! The humidity was insane. I am dreaming of brisk mornings and cool evenings already. The air conditioning in our daughter’s school went out over the week so they are e-learning until they get it fixed. I am a little relieved. My mornings won’t be as hurried for a few days. 

I had a pretty good weekend. I came home from work on Friday and made my favorite salmon, dill, and lemon pepper dish. I love it so much. I always have brown rice with it and sauteed spinach. It is so good! I also opened up a bottle of Oliver Lemon Moscato wine. It was so cold, crisp, and delicious. I especially enjoyed it in my Wedgewood wine glasses that I picked up last month. I sat on the porch and watched my butterflies. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Isn’t he beautiful? I loved watching him this weekend. Okay on to my new book find. So I was on Pinterest this weekend looking for inspiration and trying to fill my boards when I stumbled on a book called “In the Garden with Jane Austen”. 

Now I have never heard of this book before. Have any of you?

 

photo credit: Pinterest

 

I had to look up this book to see what it was about and it discusses the gardens that Jane would have known. It also talks about her gardens and gives you a sample plan of flowers grown there now. 

As I am reading the book’s description, I then see a second book with a similar title called, “At Home with Jane Austen”. This book tours the homes and settings of Jane Austen. With gorgeous photography and illustrations, this book explores the world of Jane and her physical surroundings. 

So then a third book is suggested to me. This book is by the same author and is called, “Tea with Jane Austen“. 

 

photo credit: Amazon

 

 

And this book shares the secret tea rituals of Jane. This book also discusses how Jane took her tea, what times, and it also gives recipes. All three of these books sound like they would be a real treat! Please let me know in the comments section below if any of you own any of these books or have read them. 

I do hope that you all enjoyed these new book finds. I love finding books like this. They provide so much substance and joy in a chaotic world. 

 

 

 

Please note: some links are affiliate links and if you make a purchase through this link, I will receive a small commission for referring you to the product. Thank you so much in advance if you decide to make a purchase through my link.

 

 

Etiquette Matters

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Good Morning Everyone,

Sighing…. it’s Friday and I have had a very busy week. This weekend I plan on taking our daughter to Marshalls and Ross to look for a few things for school. She will be starting her junior year soon. Goodness, I can’t believe it. I will also be uploading a new dress arrival! I am super excited about this dress. It is quite lovely and I hope you all enjoy it! 

 

In today’s post, I wanted to share something that I read in my new etiquette book recently. I wanted to share the paragraph called, “Why Etiquette Matters”. 

 

Photo by Flaunter on Unsplash

 

“Etiquette is the fuel that powers relationships. Emily Post said, “Etiquette is the foundation upon which social structure is built. Every human contact is made smooth by etiquette, or awkward by lack of it. “Grounded as it is in timeless principles, etiquette enables us to face whatever the future may bring with strength of character and integrity. This ever-adaptive code of behavior also allows us to be flexible enough to respect those whose beliefs and traditions differ from our own.”

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

“Civility and courtesy, the outward expressions of human decency, are the proverbial glue that holds society together -qualities that are more important than ever in today’s complex and changing world.” 

I completely agree that when you are a civilized person you can have conversations with people who don’t share the same beliefs as you. With this chaotic world now it seems that people have zero tolerance for anyone different than them. It’s really bad. I know my beliefs are too conservative for some people but that is no reason to be cruel. I wish we could get back to respecting one another. I do pray that we can. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I sent out my second email newsletter yesterday evening. Please check your spam folder to see if you received it. If you would like to be added to the list please send me an email on the Contact Page. 

 

 

tips and text from page 7 of Emily Post’s Etiquette, 19th Edition