Wonderful Books to Read

A Novel: The Signature of All Things

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Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash

Good Morning Everyone,


We are at the close of another week. It still doesn’t seem real. With all this going on, I don’t think any of us could have imagined our year beginning like this.


I will say with all of the negative news and whatnot… I am still trying to enjoy my life, work, family and home. While Lauren has been home we have been working on money worksheets. Sounds juvenile I know but they don’t teach about money anymore in schools. I have also had her working on cursive writing. Now, these lessons don’t thrill her but I told her she will thank me later.


I mentioned on Friday’s post that I was trying to find a novel to read and I think I may have found one. This is called The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert. Below is a synopsis…

Spanning much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the novel follows the fortunes of the extraordinary Whittaker family as led by the enterprising Henry Whittaker—a poor-born Englishman who makes a great fortune in the South American quinine trade, eventually becoming the richest man in Philadelphia. Born in 1800, Henry’s brilliant daughter, Alma (who inherits both her father’s money and his mind), ultimately becomes a botanist of considerable gifts herself. As Alma’s research takes her deeper into the mysteries of evolution, she falls in love with a man named Ambrose Pike who makes incomparable paintings of orchids and who draws her in the exact opposite direction—into the realm of the spiritual, the divine, and the magical. Alma is a clear-minded scientist; Ambrose a utopian artist—but what unites this unlikely couple is a desperate need to understand the workings of this world and the mechanisms behind all life.
~Amazon


Now doesn’t this sound like a wonderful novel? 

I remember Laura Slatkin the maker of Nest Fragrances discussing how she was stranded in an airport and how she stumbled on this book because of the beautifully illustrated cover. She said she read the book and it was wonderful and it became the inspiration behind her fragrance Verde. 

Vladimir Kanevsky lily of the valley in Laura Slatkin dining room

photo credit Quintessence 

You have to watch her wonderful home tour, how she entertains, and the inspiration from the book!

Now I am in Chapter 2 and really enjoyed Chapter 1. The book is really well written and is quite interesting. The first chapter was soo good. I really liked it and read some of it to my husband. If you are curious I would encourage you to download a sample onto your Kindle if you have one. That’s what I did and that’s what sold me on purchasing the book. Have a great week everyone!

Inspiring Quotes

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photo credit Jean Philippe Delberghe

I have had such a busy week so far. I am filling in for my friend and co-worker again. But honestly, I love that I have been given the opportunity to do this. I am really grateful for it. 


That had me thinking about a recent article that I read called “61 Inner Peace Quotes”. These quotes are from all kinds of different people. They are different in many ways but all searching for the same thing. Peace….


I wanted to share a few of my favorites. 


“Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace”. ~ Dalai Lama


“If you only walk on sunny days, you’ll never reach your destination”. ~ Paulo Coelho


“You are the sky. Everything else- it’s just the weather”. ~ Pema Chodron


“Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be”. ~ Wayne W. Dyer


“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset”. ~ Saint Francis de Sales

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves”. ~ Viktor Frankl 

“When you’re in the weeds, all you can see is the process of doing the work. When you take a step back, you can see the purpose”. ~ Adam Grant

photo credit Brigitte Tohm 
“Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is, therefore, the means for correcting our misperceptions”. ~ Gerald Jampolsky 

And the last one (I wish I could get to this one day).

“This is my secret. I don’t mind what happens”. ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti 

I hope that you have found some inspiration for today. I am learning that I do not have the grace to deal with things in the future. Grace is only granted to me one day at a time. 

Enjoy your day.

(A blog post that I shared in 2014 about elegant quotes)


What Are You Reading?

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photo credit Tuft & Trim.com


Hello Everyone!



It’s been a busy week for me! I think I’m in the clear for right now and things are in order. In today’s post, I wanted to know what you ladies were reading?


Does anyone care to share what books they are reading or what audiobooks you are listening to? I have been toying with the idea of joining Audible. I have heard nothing but good things. 


I love the idea of listening to a great novel on my way to the office or on my way home. I try to listen to the world news about twice a week, jazz or classically music the rest. 




















So please if you would share in the comments section below whatever books, articles, and magazines that you are reading. And if you are using Audible, please share your thoughts and your concerns with us!


Thanks for reading!


A New Book ~ English Etiquette

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Photo by Євгенія Височина on Unsplash

I love a good etiquette book. Especially one that teaches common decency, grace and excellent lifestyle choices. Most of you know and I mentioned this on my Youtube channel on Sunday that Jennifer L. Scott posted on her Instagram account a book called English Etiquette: The Motivation Behind Manners. 


Of course, I went onto Amazon to find it and looked at the “preview” for it. The chapters for it looked amazing! The book is divided up into different sections. The first chapters are about Why Etiquette Matters, followed by Common Decency in One’s Own Castle, there is also a section called Gallantry and Grace, and so on and so on. It looks absolutely intriguing. 

Then I begin to search a little further and noticed that there was a second book by the same company, The Darling Academy, called Ladies Like Us. This book is about giving gentle guidance on what it really means to be a lady. They also discuss true grace, quiet confidence and surrounding yourself with everyday happiness. 

I think I may need to order both! I then went to the Darling Academy’s website and was blown away at how beautifully done it was! 
Tyntesfield Gibbs National Trust

You must visit the website. There are lots of articles on etiquette and English living. I will be taking a look tomorrow during my lunch break. I am sure that it will be a website that you will enjoy! Also if any of you already have these books let me know your thoughts please! I would love to hear them. 


Thanks for reading!!! 













(photos via Pinterest and The Darling Acadmey.com)

Another Beautiful Book ~ French Country Cottage

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Good Monday Morning all! It’s a week before my kids’s spring break and honestly, I am looking forward to it! It will be nice taking a break from the “school schedule”. In two weeks I will be leaving for Washington again for another work related trip. I like going out of town but then again I don’t. It’s nice to take a break from cooking dinners and home life. But then again I do miss my bed, candles, home pretties and routine. Anyway, enough nagging. I wanted to share this beautiful book that I will taking with me and reading during our 10-hour road trip.

I am sure that most of you have heard of this book called French Country Cottage by Courtney Allison. It is a beautiful book and I follow her Instagram account and it is such a wonderful treat to see all of her beautiful pictures. 
She goes into details about her cottage. She talks about her love of romantic vintage and how each piece tells a story. Each trinket is fueled by passion, inspirations and what you love. 
I adore this bed. I would love to have something like this. She said that it was a reproduction and is covered in carvings, gilding, and worn paint. The bed has stacks of linens on it. I wonder if they are french linens. Read my post here about that. 
This page is about her attic. Did you hear me? Her attic! It looks like this! Incredible!! I love what she has done with the space. She has this antique chair and these beautiful vintage sconces. She says, “The attic is a place for play and for retreat. A place for daydreaming with a cup of tea. Our attic is a little bit of a childhood dream spot in our home.” 

Just lovely….
And lastly, this is her kitchen island. It is lit up by double chandeliers. They illuminate the room while adding vintage elegance. This is one of my dreams. To have double chandeliers. I would love it.
This book is quite big and there are so many more pages to share. I hope that you can pick up a copy to look at. I know that I will certainly enjoy reading this while on the road. It will be a retreat on it’s own. 
Enjoy!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

In France with Sharon Santoni

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I know most of us follow the British author Sharon Santoni and her beautiful blog My French Country Home. She currently just finished her states book tour and sadly she did not come to Indianapolis. It always makes me sad when an author that I enjoy never comes here.

I know it’s not intentional. I just wish that one day our state could be added to their list. But oh well moving on. I have both of her books and have read them over and over. I have talked about her numerous times on the blog.

I recently picked up a copy of Victoria magazine and saw an article in it about her.

Her property is so inviting and inspiring. I always wanted to make sure that my home was a place that you would desire to be at. My mother-in-law’s home has that feeling. That feeling of “home elegance” is what I call it. Where the meals are good, the decor is beautiful, and the company is valuable. 
I love how she lives and how she encourages you to be more engaged with family and friends. I am trying to make that a goal. I want to establish relationships with substance. 
One day in the near future I hope to be able to purchase one of her Stylish French Boxes. It is a box full of carefully curated European finds adopted from her land’s customs. The theme for the next box which is in August is the “French kitchen”. What a wonderful opportunity that will be to obtain some wonderful authentic Parisian pieces for your home. 
I remember one of my readers calling Sharon a “muse”. A muse is defined as a person who is a source for inspiration. I could not agree more. If you wish to read the original article and see more photos you may view it here. I hope that you enjoyed this post and have a great 4th of July!!!!
(photos via Victoria magazine)

Treating People Well ~ Power of Charm

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Sorry for the delay. I was having computer problems on Monday but let’s continue….

A few weeks ago I read on a fellow bloggers website about a book called Treating People Well. I have been reading it for a few weeks now and I must say that it is an excellent book! You guys know that I love to share what I am currently reading and if there are any good pointers from the book then I will share it.

This book was written by Lea Berman and Jeremy Bernard. Both were social secretaries for the White House. Lea was the social secretary to the Bush Administration and Jeremy worked for the Obama Administration. It think that it is excellent that two people from different political backgrounds teamed up and shared their experience in working with dignitaries.

I wanted to share their section on the “Power of Charm”.

In the “Ease your Way in” section, Jeremy mentioned, “When you enter a crowded room, don’t walk up to people who appear to be engaged in an earnest conversation. Instead, look for a loose group of people who seem to be chatting casually. Make eye contact with one of them and extend your hand. (I’ve done this several times). Then say, “Hello, my name is…..”If it’s a more casual setting, like a barbecue, you can go with “Hi, I’m….” Then shake hands with others in the group, and enter the flow of the conversation. If you caught a little of what they were discussing when you walked up, that’s the best place to start: “Were you just talking about the last speaker? So powerful, didn’t you think? Or offer some tidbit of information about yourself, preferably with some humor, such as, “I’m Tom’s favorite brother. Okay, his only brother”.

One more tip that I wanted to share was the “Keep it Courteous“, steer away from topics that might make your dinner partner uncomfortable. If he mentions that his mother passed away recently, say you’re sorry for his loss and then change the subject. If someone says something politically charged that you disagree with, you can simply say, “I don’t agree” or “That’s not how I see it.” Again, change the subject. If the other person persists, say “I don’t think you’re going to sway any minds today! Maybe we should talk about something else.” 
I thought that these were some wonderful tips and were more but I didn’t want to spoil the book. The book is PACKED of ideas and helpful information on how to deal with people. I work in a political office so this book has me heading in the right direction. I hope you are able to pick up a copy of your own. Enjoy!!!!
(photos via Pinterest)