Blog posts that inspire

A Charcuterie Board Party

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Hello Friends,

The weather here has been fantastic lately. Sitting on my porch and enjoying the birds and flowers has been added to my self-care routine. A few days ago, I grabbed a book and a cup of tea and sat on my porch for two hours. It was heaven.

 

 

My David Austin roses are in full bloom. I cut a few and placed them in vases in my home. I adore my scallop tray table from HomeGoods. I tried to find it online but could not. I did find this similar one on Amazon.  My lettuce teapot has been sold out from Target for a while, but I did find a set that is similar on QVC. You may shop the teapot here, teacups here, and the sugar and cream set here. 

My events for the month of May have continued. Another event that I attended was the build a charcuterie board day at the show house. This event was hosted by my group, the Guild, and put on by a local company called Sprig + Plate. 

 

photo credit: K. Cuppy

 

 

The company was started by the lovely Molly (on the left). Molly and her team were so helpful in explaining how cheeses and meats worked together as well as fruits. Once we sat down, I could not wait to dive into the lovely spread. There were fresh sweet peas, cheese, pretzels, nuts, spinach dip and oh yes chocolate!

 

 

Molly and her team could come to your home and do a “build a charcuterie board” event with you and your girlfriends! We had a lot of fun doing this at the show house! We picked out our fruits, meats, cheeses, nuts, and there was a spinach dip that I was in love with! It was so delicious with the fresh carrots that she had. We placed everything in our little box that came with a lid so that we could take it home. My box did not make it out of the tent! 

We laughed, drank wine, and learned that Molly also does meal prep dinners for families. I was so inspired by this that I now have a spinach dip in my fridge with carrots that I have been eating on! Also, I will be creating my very own charcuterie board for Memorial Day! If you live in Indianapolis, I would encourage you to look them up and set up an event for your friends and family. It was a wonderful experience and hope that they return to next year’s show house! 

 

  • This post is not sponsored. Affiliate links attached. 

 

 

 

Spring Garden Party – Providence Home

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Hello Friends,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend! I wanted to keep things simple and just have dinner and stay home.  My husband did get me this green cherry blossom ginger jar from Williams Sonoma. It has been on my list for a while now and I am enjoying it in my kitchen. I was busy with the show house last week. We had really big crowds and beautiful weather. I was one of the directors this year, so I was running around keeping an eye on everything and relieving the docents for breaks, but it was a lot of fun! I am already looking forward to seeing next year’s house and will share a few photos later of the 2025 show house. 

I am sharing a recent spring garden party that I attended a few weeks ago. It was actually hosted by one of our show house designers Judy Bates. Judy has an interior design company called JB Designs Interior Design and she focuses on clean, classic, and comfort. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

The event was held at a store called Providence Home & Garden located in Noblesville. This store is a home decor store that offers a cafe shop as well. It was beautifully decorated, welcoming, and smelled wonderful! 

 

 

This first event was a mini cocktail workshop with a complimentary cocktail to sample. I am not a cocktail person but have grown to become interested in it since the kids are getting older. The company that taught this portion was called MixoIndy. They are a local company that teaches in person classes, and they provide everything. I cannot remember that name or ingredients for this drink, but it was so delicious! 

 

 

The next event was table setting and Judy took the lead in this portion. She talked about the furniture, china or dishes, napkins and floral arrangements for table settings. We looked at one of her table settings for indoors and outdoors. There were lots of laughs and down-to-earth conversations about how one could live with beautiful items which I am always discussing here on the blog. We went outside to look at one of her outdoor table settings and to hear her ideas. One of them was to use a blanket as a table cover for the outdoors. GREAT IDEA especially for the summer!  

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Once Judy finished discussing her table settings we went inside to shop with our discounts and gather some flower arrangements outside the store. Overall, it was a fabulous experience, and I am so glad that I attended. It gave me an opportunity to talk with Judy, visit a new store, try a cocktail, and learn a few tips and tricks about dining and making drinks. If you are here locally, I would encourage you to visit Providence Home and Garden in Noblesville. If you love home decor and are looking for different places to then drive up there. It’s a beautiful store with a wonderful staff. Also if you are looking for someone to help you decorate your home or your elderly parents’ space then contact Judy Bates. She is adding that new feature to her company which is helping family with life transitions. 

 

I will be sharing a reel of this event on my Instagram page here. 

  • This post is not sponsored. 

 

 

 

 

 

April Favorites~ 2025

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Hello to the end of April!

The last few weeks have just been flying for me! I have been so busy since the show house started. Also don’t forget if you are local to grab your tickets! If you decide to visit, please put my name S. Shockley in the “do you know a Guild member box”. I would greatly appreciate!

With all of the busyness in my schedule this last few weeks, I am glad that I have been able to enjoy my lilac bushes. They have started to bloom, and I have cut off a few pieces to enjoy at the office and home.

April has been such a great month for me as far as “elegant adventures”. I have a few places to share with you all very soon! Now on to favorites for this month.

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

First up are some new discovery scents. I found this stunning peony diffuser from Anthropologie! It showed up in one of my newsfeeds and I could not resist. It is porcelain and practically a work of art. You simply drop your oil scent liquid onto the peony itself and enjoy the scent. Really stunning. The second is their floral peony blush candle. Just look at the jar that it is in. Can you imagine having that on your desk full of flowers or pens? It’s so beautiful. The scent is lemon with blackcurrant, peony and whispers of sueded woods. 

 

 

Next up are more lush floral scents. I found this super large swan candle at HomeGoods. It is so big and beautiful. I shared a small video of it on my Instagram page last week.  The scent is peony as well. Check out your local HomeGoods soon. The second is another Anthropologie find. This linen spray bottle is the most beautiful bottle that I am ever seen. It is covered in beautiful birds, and floral prints very similar to chinoiserie. It comes in other scents as well and would be a perfect gift. I gave a bottle to our daughter in law for her birthday. 

 

 

Now this was a part of my elegant adventures for April. I think that I mentioned that we had an “Influencer Day” at the show house and it went so great! I had a wonderful time meeting Nicole and Lindsay and so grateful to them donating their time to the show house. My sixth favorite is this stunning blue and white ceramic vase from Mark & Graham.  This vase has a botanical illustration, and you can have it monogram. It’s a perfect Mother’s Day Gift! 

 

 

Next are my recent antique purchases. I have had this vintage French dresser for over a month. I purchased it from FBMP and it is from the 1960s. It is a perfect fit in my sitting room. The second is a green settee that I picked up at a tag sale last week from one of our interior designers from the show house Jenni Eggers.  I love Jenni’s style and decor selections. When I saw this green settee at the sale I gasped and knew that I had to take it home. The details are stunning and so is the color. I am so happy with it. I am currently sitting on it as I write this blog post. I moved it into my home office. 

 

 

Ninth on my list is my porcelain vase that I purchased at the antique store.  It reminded me of the Josepha Canister from Aerin Lauder. I am currently using it to put my cotton balls in. I love it! The last thing is this veggie and fruit saver. These are perfect for limes, lemons, avocadoes, and tomatoes. I am so happy that I decided to give them a try. 

I hope you all enjoyed my favorites for this month. I wanted to share with everyone that if you use code “Spring10″ you will get 10% off of all items in the boutique and that includes new arrivals. We have the new Lux Cardigan Brooch and the Caroline Pearl Earrings. 

 

 

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

  • Affiliate links attached. 

Building My “Life” Team

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Good Morning Everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend. We kept things simple. I cooked a turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, and made a caramel cake. We sat and spent time with our adult kids. We are now in the process of planning our summer trip. We are tossing around ideas and trying to figure out who wants to do what. I know that Lauren would like to visit Universal Studios in Florida, so we are trying to figure that out now. 

Also because of changes at my job and leadership, all of my work trips have been put on hold. It’s been very disappointing, but I am doing my best to trust that the Lord is working things out. Everything happens for a reason and that could be another reason why I am feeling lead to build my “life team”. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

As I am entering my mid-forties, my mind is changing and focusing on different things. At first, it was always the kids, my husband, this person or that person. I am now in a chapter where I want to focus on things that I want and need in my life for these next seasons. Health is taking a center stage in my life. Since I have started my perimenopause journey, I believe in building a team of professionals who are in my life to help me make it the best journey that I possibly can. 

I am starting with my primary care physician.  I have had her for over 10 years, but I am wanting to take a turn to a doctor who focuses more on functional medicine and who is willing to listen to me a bit more. Next is my OBGYN, again I have had her for 10 years, but I want someone “different”. Both of these doctors have been phenomenal; I just believe that I need new doctors in the next chapters of my life. 

I have a wonderful dentist. Our family has been going to her for almost 10 years, and I don’t want to leave her. She has been such a wonderful part in my life team and has guided me through my dental process and has been a wonderful asset. Next is my eye doctor, who again has been another great factor in my life team. I have been going to Dr. Shah for several years now and we are now discussing my options as I age and head into my 50s. She is open with me about her struggles as well because we are both in the same age group. 

Next is my dietitian who I started going to last year. She was a referral from my primary care physician after I complained multiple times about my hormonal weight gain. She has been absolutely heaven sent! I love my dietitian. She is so kind, informative, smart, and long suffering! Last month I was so upset with my hormonal weight gain I wanted to quit everything. She talked me off the cliff and gave me some info. She told me about an online doctor website called Midi that specialize in hormones.  Now I have heard of them before but didn’t think my insurance would cover it and it turns out they do!!! I have my first appointment coming up in the next few weeks. See that is what I am talking about…a life team!! 

 

 

 

In the next few months, I want to start looking for a dermatologist. I have never been to one and would love a consultation about my skin. I have had a facial but actually speaking with a dermatologist about my skin and maybe getting one of those skin scans would be a dream. So that is on my books to start to look for. 

I am still in Pilates class! I started in November, and I am still going. I actually love it. I go once a week for now and have my morning works the other 3 days of the week. I have added in strength training to my workouts as well. Meeting with my dietitian and listening to other podcasts regarding strength training and eating has had me change my workout routines. The other “life” team member that I have added is a therapist. I started therapy exactly one year ago and have not regretted it. I knew that I needed to add this person to my life team. Mental health is such an important part of my life in this chapter. It has helped me to “kick up the dirt” and clean it up. I love my therapist and our sessions. 

 

 

Friends are another group in my “life” team. As I stated in a previous post, I never knew how important friendships were until I saw “good ones”. As I spend time with other women, I am learning more about life, and the importance of trust.  I have been praying for “travel friends” or friend. I need a woman friend to travel with. I am not sure who the Lord will send but I need some girl trips in my life. A trip where we can antique shop, visit historical homes, travel overseas, and enjoy the gardens. I am also on the hunt for a business mentor. I have an entrepreneur spirit, and I want a female friend who has the qualities, discipline, and elegance to be a mentor to me in the business world. Next up is a garden mentor. Now there are a lot of people that say that they can garden but I want an expert. I think I may have one. David Strohmeyer is one of our designers as the show house and I spoke with him recently regarding my green house. I will be sending an email to him soon to set up a time for him to come out and guide me.

 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Next to last is an interior designer. Now I have started to meet interior designers at the show house since I am a member. Last year I was able to do a collaboration with one! That was one of the highlights of my year! I know that I can reach out to them to get ideas and maybe do a consultation one day. I would love to redo my laundry room, closet, and kitchen. And last but not least is a fashion stylist. Last week was Influencer Day at the show house and I was able to sit and talk with Nicole Busch with Nicole Blair Wear. I asked her questions about blouses and skirts, colors, patterns, and comfort. It was such a fun conversation. Let me know in the comments below if you would like to see a blog collaboration with Nicole and if so, what would you ask? 

I truly hope that this blog post was inspiring. Let me know in the comments below what your thoughts are about having a “life team”. Have a great weekend! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Walk-Through History

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Good Morning Friends,

Do you have any blooms in your neck of the woods? I certainly do! I love it when my trees begin to bloom. It certainly helps with my morning walks. It makes them so pleasant and beautiful. My tulips did okay in my greenhouse this year. When we install my raised beds, I will be sure to move those to the outside. But I am also trying to give myself some grace because this is the first year of me trying to grow tulips in my greenhouse. 

Remember my elegant adventures that I mentioned? Well, I just had one this past weekend. The organization that I volunteer for just had a run/walk marathon through our historical home district and it was phenomenal! This was the 3rd annual Dash by the Past, and it was my first time. It was so nice walking through that area with friends and seeing the gorgeous homes that I have loved since I was a kid. 

 

 

A photo of me not being dressed up is rare! But here I am in my sun hat that I wear on my morning walks, my black cape, workout sweater, workout leggings, and walking shoes. I was comfy and layered up because it was cold. I still wore a pair of pearls and some big sunglasses. 

 

 

It was such a beautiful day and a fun walk. We walked about 3 miles and got to look at all the homes in the historical district. There were about 300 people who signed up. 

 

 

Our Guild group put out all of the Past Decorators Show House post. It was so fun to see each past show house. I have only been in the Guild for 3 years and have learned a lot, had fun, and made friends. 

 

 

 

If you live in the area, I hope that you would consider joining us next year. All of the proceeds benefit Eskenazi Health and go toward helping us with our mission to support mental health. Cheers to home beauty and supporting the community!

 

 

 

  • Afflialte links attached – photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

 

 

 

Scheduling Elegant Adventures

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Well friends, how is everyone? Are we ready for spring? The trees in our neighborhood are starting to bloom and my peonies are perking up through the ground. We are waiting a few more weeks before we install my raised beds, and I am ready to have some warmer walking mornings.

Oh goodness… my title. I tell you I have been having some deep life thoughts lately. Especially around how I want to live. There are so many ugly things going on in this world. I try to limit my news watching and doom scrolling. I am also trying to monitor my stress at work. That has been really hard with all of the changes that we have been having.

I came up with this idea “scheduling elegant adventures” when I was meeting with my doctor and therapist. Yes, I have a therapist, and it has been the best thing ever! I have been going for almost a year, and I believe it was one of the best decisions that I have made so far. I was discussing with her my idea about elegant adventures, and she loved it!

I was also discussing it with my dietitian as we talked about my stress management and weight. I mentioned to some of the girls in my Pilates class and everyone took it in like “wait a minute maybe I should try this”. What I realized is that taking a vacation once a year for one week is not enough for me. Not anymore. I need more beauty, more time alone, and more adventures.

So on my elegant adventures list, at least once a month, I go to dinner with my “Guild Girls” and last month we went duckpin bowling.

 

 

We had the best time! I had a blast. I really did. It forced me to slow down, play a game, and enjoy the moment. We went to dinner right after that and it was a wonderful adventure! 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

I tried a non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiri. It was so good! We also walked around the Bottleworks hotel which was very beautiful. This past weekend I decided to have another elegant adventure. 

 

 

I have been wanting to go and see Swan Lake at the ballet for years now and I got a ticket and went. It was a beautiful ballet, and I am so glad that I went. I sat in the balcony. I sat with two couples. I went alone and had no regrets. The couples were so nice and funny. We all had a great time! Honestly, I have never read the story about Swan Lake and read it in the program. It is VERY interesting. I thought the Indianapolis Ballet did a great job. They are the same production that puts on the Nutcracker each year and the Indianapolis Symphony orchestra played the entire time. Talk about “seeking the arts”. 

For the month of April, I plan on going to Nordstrom Rack. I rarely get to go to that store. I also want to go to Consign by Design again, and this has just been added to my radar for this year. Isn’t this hotel GORGEOUS? This is about an hour and 45 minutes away from me and my supervisor told me all about it. I want to go and stay for a few days, tour the hotel, and have a spa day.  Now how wonderful would that be? My goal is to go and do something that I love each month and take that time to get away and just breathe. Stress and high cortisol levels are a real thing, and I just don’t want them to rule me anymore. Elegant adventures each month for me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are You Growing Your Equity?

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Hello Everyone!

I tell you I have been breathing a lot heavier these days. There is so much going on from extra duties at work, to changing homeowners’ insurance and car insurance, to doctor appointments, keeping up the home, exercising, planning trips, and even planting seeds in the greenhouse. My planner is full every day. I am trying to give myself a day where I don’t look at my phone, planner, or t.v. Geez. 

One thing I am starting to focus on is building my career equity. I have not told you all yet but I am reading Career Forward by Grace Puma and Christiana Smith Shi. I got to hear both of these women speak at the Indiana Women’s Conference in November. Once I heard them speak, I knew that I wanted their book. 

I am in a season in my life where I am having a lot of change. I am also in a position where it can become stagnant if you let it, and I am a person who refuses to do that. With each job that I have had I sort of “made it my own”. Each person before me in the position did not do much with it. They rarely sought out training and rarely got out of the box. I always wanted to think about my position in a long-term fashion and it has worked for me. 

 

photo credit: A. Bryan 

 

The position that I have now (paralegal supervisor) has been my most challenging position ever. Not only am I assigned to my own attorneys, but I have a team to manage and cover. I am also still responsible for my growth which is where Chapter 3 Growing your Professional Equity comes into play. I know with each year passing by I ask myself “how do I keep growing, how do I stay relevant?” 

Christina and Grace said, “as you start focusing on building professional equity, let’s continue the analogy with this idea: think of yourself as a grow stock”. When I read that I thought, “oh okay. She said, “simply put, a growth stock is a company that is expected to increase in value at a faster than average rate. If you think of that stock as a person, it’s someone who is always looking to grow and develop and expand their career at a level significantly above average.” 

I have started this thought process already. I have been a supervisor for 4 years now and decided to branch out about 2 years ago into another program in the department. It is an extra duty on top of my current ones but provides SO much growth. I get to go to other districts, network with other supervisors on my team, and evaluate other offices. It has been such a rewarding aspect and a growth stock for my career. I recently decided to become an instructor at one of the departments biggest educational agency. At this very moment I am preparing a presentation regarding civil discovery for about 150 participants and will be teaching this presentation with another paralegal live! When I tell you this has challenged me in so many ways, I mean it! This presentation will also be recorded and saved to the department’s educational website. Which means my teaching will be a permanent video for other paralegals and attorneys to review year after year. Umm no pressure!!! I am also scheduled to be on a paralegal supervisory panel in September discussing our careers and ways to develop yourself in person in South Carolina. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley (Washington, D.C.) 

 

Another tip from Grace and Christina is, “when you think of yourself as a growth stock, it helps you get into the right frame of mind for driving professional success in the short and long term. As your stock rises, your company reaps the rewards of your performance. But just as important, you’re likely to experience a host of personal benefits, such as increased compensation, a greater ability to shape your role at the company, enhanced job security, and more opportunities to transition to a desirable role at a different company”. 

Christina and Grace also discuss equity. They said to think of it as value. They mention how to spot the equity players in your job. Equity players are promoted/selected for representation and messaging at company forums and meetings. They are often chosen to lead highly visible strategic company projects. They appear to get CEO, C-Suite, and board exposure. Are sought out behind the scenes by employees and peers for personal and professional opinions. They tend to advance quickly in role and scope; have input that carries weight and drives decisions or actions. Lastly, they are happy, energized and confident. 

If these individuals exist in your work environment, get to know them and how they tick. I hope you all have found these tips helpful. Our careers can shape our lives, but I think we can learn to build equity if we are strategic. 

Have a great week!

 

 

 

 

Tips from: Career Forward; Strategies from Women Who’ve Made it by Grace Puma and Christina Smith Shi- Chapter 3; page 32 

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