Wonderful Books to Read

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 

Chateau Inspiration ~ A New Book

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Hello Everyone,

I hope everyone had an excellent weekend. I ran my normal errands. I actually made it to Target this weekend. One of the items on my list was a new bottle of the Tide Studio Delicates detergent. They were sold out so I came home to order it online and I can’t find it anywhere!!! Are they no longer making it? I am so upset! The closest product to it is the Tide Studio Darks & Colors. I read up on it and it does have the same cleaning and protective qualities as the Delicates formula. So I am going to give it a try. We shall see…. 

 

In today’s post, I wanted to talk about a new book that has just been released. It is called Provence Style: Decorating with French Country Flair.

 

photo credit: Dorian Mongel Upsplash 

 

 

photo credit: Amazon.com

 

I don’t know if any of you follow their Instagram page but you should. It is like looking at a dream over and over again. I would love to stay here, live here, celebrate here, I just want to go here! This is an 18th-century farmhouse in Provence. The property sits on 65 acres has a working pear orchard, sunflower fields, culinary staff, and laundry staff. 

 

photo credit: Julia Engel (Gal Meets Glam)

 

This photo above is what lead me to this beautiful chateau. Julia posted this on her blog and I saw the room and just fell in love. Isn’t it gorgeous? This bedroom is called the Chambre Fontaine and is the original master bedroom of the home. 

 

photo credit: Amazon.com

 

 

It has seven bedrooms and is about 13,000 square feet. It is a stunning property and I can’t wait to order this book to read about it. I hope it takes me away to this beautiful chateau. It has been my dream to own a chateau someday. Honestly, if I could just visit one in Italy I think that would be enough for me. 

I hope everyone has enjoyed this post and enjoys looking at all of the photos that they have posted to their Instagram account. This property truly sings to the elegant being in you. Have a great Monday!

Also, I wanted to mention that I sent out my first email newsletter a few days ago. My apologies if you received it without me telling you first. My system picked those emails from individuals who made purchases from the boutique. If you would be interested in receiving an email from the blog please send me an email on the Contact page. I will add you to the list. Thank you again!

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Host Gift Ideas

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Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you to everyone who has purchased from the boutique. It is such a joy for me to pack an order. I always smile when I get to process and pack an order. Thank you so much! 

I am a little sad right now. We are normally planning our vacations around this time but due to my recent promotion and my husband’s horribly busy schedule, we are finding it hard to plan a vacation this summer. Plus it is so hard being “married” to our daughter’s school schedule. She goes back at the end of July which gives us only 8 weeks to try to plan something! I tell you what I am getting really tired of it!

So after talking it over with my husband we are considering planning a getaway in October. Our daughter will be on fall break and we have two weeks to get away and hopefully, our schedules will calm down at that point. 

Because this is our normal vacation season that had me thinking about staying with friends and family during this time. I always have a hard time trying to figure out what to buy for a host gift. I always like to bring something when we arrive and it is so hard to figure out what to buy our host. 

 

 

photo credit: Aerin Lauder Instagram

 

This week during my lunch break I have been flipping through my new Emily Post Etiquette book and landed on the “Twelve House Gift Ideas”. On this page, she discussed that houseguests are expected to give a gift to their host. She said for an overnight stay a bottle of wine is sufficient. If it is longer something more substantial is required. 

If the host has children it is also nice if they can partake in it as well. She suggests a box of chocolates or a family game. You can take the gift with you and present it once you arrive or have the gift sent as soon as you leave. 

 

photo credit: Cathy Graham Instagram

 

Here are the twelve gift ideas that were suggested:

  • New best-selling book
  • Consumables, such as gift basket of gourmet treats, fruit, or chocolates
  • Hand towels or beach towels
  • Placemats, napkins, and napkin rings
  • Bottle of liqueur or cognac you know your host is fond of
  • Sturdy canvas tote bag (monogram optional)
  • Two or three unusual kitchen utensils, or a set of nice nesting bowls
  • For a golfer, a dozen golf balls
  • Set of nicely packages herbs and spices
  • Picture frame, with a picture taken during your visit sent later
  • Candles and informal candlesticks
  • Houseplant in a decorative pot

 

Great tips right? I will be keeping this list handy. I hope you all have found some ideas for your houseguests’ visits. It is always a wonderful thing to have friends that will allow you to stay but it is also a wonderful thing to be able to bless them with a beautiful gift.

Here are my other blog posts about being a houseguest, see here and here. 

Stay elegant my friends! 

 

 

 

Tips from Emily Posts Etiquette, page 268

 

 

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.