Wonderful Books to Read

New Read: Living a Beautiful Life; 500 Ways to Add Elegance

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photo credit Mrs. Shockley 



Good Morning!

It’s the last full week of August and I am looking forward to September. I love September. The air seems fresh and the flowers and trees are still in bloom. 

I recently became a classic connoisseur member on Jennifer’s Youtube channel! It has taken me forever to join. I kept forgetting! I am so happy that I joined because it opened up a vault of other videos for me to watch. 

In one of her videos, she shared a snippet from Alexandra Stoddard’s book called Living a Beautiful Life: 500 Ways to Add Elegance, Order, Beauty, and Joy to Everyday of your Life.

Now I have not heard of this book before but it sounded lovely. So of course, I headed over to Amazon and order it. It should be arriving sometime this week. I look forward to reading it. I have one of her books already and she is such a wonderful writer. 


photo credit Nicolas Fairford 
Also, I am so excited you guys! I made an offer on a third Gal Meets Glam dress on Poshmark! She wanted $100 for it and it is brand new with tags. A photo of the actual dress is below. 

photo credit Poshmark 
I offered $50 and she accepted! I really didn’t think she would and I was so surprised when I got the email that my offer was accepted! Yay! I hope that it will arrive this week and I hope it fits. My other two Gal Meets Glam dresses fit perfectly. I am hoping that this will fit the same way. 

photo credit Gal Meets Glam 

This is what the dress looks like on the model. I love the blue and the floral pattern. I can see it now with my light blush pumps from Kate Spade and maybe my quilted chain handbag. I am not sure which handbag but once I saw this dress I knew that I had to attempt to make an offer. So exciting! 

I hope you guys enjoyed this post and let me know if you have read the book above by Alexandra. I am hoping that it will be an inspiring read. 

Enjoy your Monday!

Vintage Books at Home

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Good Morning Everyone,


It is Wednesday and these days are just moving along. I do enjoy being home…. very much. I hope everyone is doing well, staying healthy, and safe. Going to the grocery store has become a pain. I feel like I am preparing for surgery every time I go. Geez…. 


This past weekend I got up early and let the dogs out, lit a candle and opens some windows. I came upstairs and looked at a few books on my shelf and my eyes landed on my vintage Martha Stewart books. 

It has been a while since I have read these. 

The first book is called Great Parties. I didn’t realize that Ina Garten was in this book with her! How wonderful. My two favorite cooks and entertainers. 

These look wonderful. Parsley Potato chips….. yum! 

I have always wanted to try a tomato pie. But I know that I would be the only one in the family that would eat it. 

The next book is called “Good Things.“ I must admit my only favorite project out of this is the ribbon plate hanger.


Isn’t it chic?



Next is “How to Decorate”. It has wonderful ideas on how to create a beautiful space. One quote that I particularly enjoyed was this…“It is a luxury to live with beautiful color, to give your eyes the continual pleasure of absorbing rich and subtle shades from your surroundings.” 

That is exactly how I feel about paint colors. Especially when choosing them. 


I love the beautiful bed frame. 




And the last book is called “Special Occasions”.  


The chapters are divided into holidays. Truly “Martha style”.

I love branches. They can add such a dramatic effect to any room. 

Gorgeous salad! Look at all the colors.

Here is another recipe that I would love to try. Torta di Riso is an Italian short-grain rice with bread crumbs, fresh herbs, white wine, and parmesan. It sounds like a wonderful meal to eat outside. 

These are truly inspiring books. It’s hard to believe that these books were published back in the mid-1990s! The Special Occasions book was published back in 1994! So that recipe above for torta di riso was published back in 1994 and still looks wonderful today. I believe that Martha was so ahead of her time. 

I sort of wish my mother was into homemaking. It would have been nice to see these books when I was in elementary or middle school. 

Now, this photo is not from my Martha Stewart books but from Rachel Ashwell’s book, “The Shabby Chic Home”. I wanted to include this because honestly who would not want to see a dishwasher filled with gorgeous vintage china? I hope that they were in there just for drying. I would not think that one could put these in the dishwasher. I know I wouldn’t. 

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this post today. I love looking at vintage books. Oh, and I also have three vintage Martha Stewart Christmas books too. I may have to share those as well. 


Have a great day!
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)


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)