Blog posts that inspire

Travel with Elegance

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Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you again to those of you who have taken the time to respond to the survey. Your feedback truly helps me, and it lets me know who is reading the blog and following along on this journey.

At times, social media can feel like a lot of effort with little return, so hearing from those of you who are engaged and finding value in my content means more than you know.

I received a lot of views on my recent Instagram Reel featuring my travel cleaning kit. Since there was so much interest, I thought I would use this week’s post to share more about what I use and provide links to my favorite items so they’re easy to find.

I did want to share these thoughts on travel: 

Travel with Elegance

Travel is more than reaching a destination — it is an experience, a reflection of style, grace, and the art of living beautifully. In a fast-moving world filled with rushed itineraries and crowded schedules, traveling with elegance means embracing the journey with sophistication, comfort, and intention.

The Essence of Elegant Travel

Elegant travel is not defined by luxury alone. It is about thoughtful choices, timeless style, and creating meaningful moments wherever you go. From the way you pack your suitcase to how you immerse yourself in a new culture, elegance lies in simplicity, confidence, and attention to detail.

An elegant traveler values quality over quantity. Instead of rushing through endless attractions, they savor experiences — a quiet sunrise over the ocean, a candlelit dinner in a hidden café, or a peaceful walk-through historic streets.

Packing with Purpose

True elegance begins before the journey starts. Packing smartly and minimally creates a stress-free travel experience. For me that begins with my travel cleaning kit. Now I was inspired by Operation Nikki on Instagram during the pandemic to start packing a travel cleaning kit. 

 

 

Here is a quick snapshot of mine from the video. In my travel cleaning kit I have the following:

 

Dressing for Elegant Travel:

For me I still like to look like I am headed to the office while traveling. It still amazes me how people dress in the airports. I love to wear a light dress, cardigan or wrap, pearls, travel shoes, my favorite tote at the moment and my carry-on. A carefully curated wardrobe allows you to move effortlessly from airport lounges to city explorations and evening gatherings. Remember, elegance is often found in understated simplicity.

This is an example of what I would wear to travel in. The only thing that would be different would be my shoes. I am wearing these right now. They work well with most of my dresses and are super comfy. 

 

 

Grace in Every Journey

Elegant travelers carry themselves with kindness and respect. They embrace cultural differences, practice patience, and remain open to learning. Whether navigating a busy airport or exploring a large city, grace and humility leave lasting impressions. I recently ran into a man from London and a woman from Germany during my last trip. I asked them about their countries and what they loved most about traveling. Their shared everything and also asked me questions about America. I love those kinds of conversations. They educate you and open your eyes to a bigger world. 

Caring for Yourself While Traveling

In my recent trips I have learned that I get really dry during these travel times and shared on a reel this week what I was adding to my items. 

Travel with elegance is about discovering the world while remaining connected to yourself. It is about moving through life with curiosity, confidence, and appreciation for beauty in all its forms.

Final Thoughts

In the end, elegant travel is a mindset. It is choosing calm over chaos, quality over excess, and experiences over possessions. Whether you are boarding a plane to a distant country or taking a weekend escape nearby, travel beautifully, travel mindfully, and most importantly — travel with elegance.

 

Last few items that I cannot travel without:

 

affiliate links attached 

Gucci Flora ~ A Grace Kelly Story

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Hello Friends,

Here we are in June already—we’re officially six months into the year! Let that sink in for a moment.

Lately, I feel like I’ve been playing catch-up, but that’s okay. I have a work trip coming up this month, and thankfully I feel much more prepared than I did last month. I’ll also be sharing some travel essentials reels here soon, so stay tuned for those.

As for today’s post… sigh.

This item has been on my wish list since 2014. I vividly remember reading a post over 10 years ago featuring influencer Rosie at the Chelsea Flower Show in the UK, where she visited the Gucci floral display. The moment I saw that scarf, I was completely smitten.

From that day on, I knew I had to have it. Well, recently I finally gave in and decided to buy it. Of course, I turned to Poshmark. I didn’t mind purchasing a gently used one—especially when I could get it for nearly half the original price!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I was so excited when my new scarf arrived! Poshmark and eBay are great places to find these pieces at much more affordable prices. My scarf looks very similar to this one, and when it arrived, I just sat there staring at it. It was every bit as beautiful as I had imagined all those years ago.

Then the hunt began for the tote.

I first saw the Gucci Flora tote a few years ago. It was released in 2019, and I immediately knew it was something I wanted to own someday. Eventually, I found one at a great price on Poshmark and added it to my “watch” list. For more than six months, I kept an eye on it as the seller gradually lowered the price. It went from $800 all the way down to $380!

Looking back, I probably should have bought it then, but I still wasn’t completely sure.

Then one evening, while scrolling through YouTube, a video titled “20 Items Grace Kelly Loved That You Can Still Buy Today” appeared in my feed. I clicked on it, and the eighth item mentioned completely stopped me in my tracks.

It was the story behind the Gucci Flora print.

As I watched, I learned about the history of the iconic design and its connection to Grace Kelly. Suddenly, my admiration for the scarf and tote wasn’t just about the beautiful floral pattern—it was about the legacy and story behind it. From that moment on, I knew I had to find the tote.

 

 

The story goes that Grace Kelly walked into the Gucci store in Milan in 1966 looking for a silk scarf. Rodolfo Gucci happened to be in the store that day and knew this wasn’t an occasion to simply hand her something off the shelf. Instead, he asked his friend and artist, Vittorio Accornero, to create something special just for her.

That request led to the creation of the now-iconic Flora print.

The moment I heard that story, everything clicked. I knew there was a reason I had been so drawn to this print all those years ago. For more than 12 years, I admired it without knowing its history, and now I love it even more.

After watching that video, I went back to the seller and submitted another offer on the tote. To my surprise, it was accepted!

I’ve only had my tote for about a month, but it turns heads everywhere I carry it. It is truly stunning, and I love sharing the history of the Flora print with anyone willing to listen. Knowing the story behind it makes it feel even more special.

I hope you enjoyed this little bit of fashion history. If you have a few minutes, be sure to watch the video. Lately, I’ve also been on the hunt for Grace Kelly’s signature fragrance, Fleurissimo by Creed. I’ve been trying to find a sample but haven’t had any luck yet.

If you watch the video, let me know in the comments—which item from Grace Kelly’s list is your favorite?

 

 

Affiliate links attached.

The Manor on Meridian ~ The Show House 2026 ~ part 2

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Hello Everyone,

Lots of things going on. Lauren is now home for the summer, and I have added new flowers to my raised bed garden. I will also be sharing some traveling favorites soon. I hope all of you are having a wonderful summer so far. Now it is time for part 2 of the show house tour! If you missed part 1, you can read it here. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Now last week I managed to take photos of the entryway. I had to do it quick, but I hope I captured the space. This area was designed by Matt Harris, and he wanted it to have a boutique hotel vibe. There was faux leather wallpaper on the ceiling, the walls had an ombre paint color, and the light fixture was from Ferguson. And just look at that custom rug! Fantastic!

 

Now let’s move upstairs. This is the primary retreat, and the designer was Mark Protenhauer from Kittle’s Design Studio. Mark wanted to design the space with clean lines, soft textures, and romance. I could not have agreed more. The space was so well done. 

 

 

The primary bathroom had recently gone through an update, so Mark added soft blue wall to connect the bedroom. He changed the faucets and accents while adding a bit of soft metal color. There is some original artwork in the room. The color in the bathroom is by Sherwin Williams and is called River’s Edge. Of course, I love the blue and white touches. 

 

 

Next up is the Sanctuary of Stillness. This was created by designer Chazzmin Jones of Jones Design Group, LLC. Chazzmin wanted to create a quiet space for you to relax and quite your mind. He layered it with natural textures and collected beauty. Chazzmin also had this gorgeous Hermes dupe. I ordered one and will be showing it on my Instagram page soon! 

 

 

Attached to the Sanctuary of Stillness was the Jack and Jill Bathroom decorated by one of our new designers Nan Girton from Figalily Le Design. Nan’s foundation of the design is a luxury, bespoke floral immersion that transforms the bathroom into a garden like retreat. This designer has a place in my heart because she came to the show house last year and asked me how she could get a room in the next show house! I then introduced her to our Decorator Chair and a conversation started! Now Nan was in this year’s show house, and I was so proud to be a part of that!

 

 

The room on the left is from a new designer as well. This room was designed by Megan Giles from Maed Designs. Her room was called the Woodland Grove Suite, and this space was a quiet retreat, inviting, moody and restorative. I loved the beautiful wallpaper behind the bed. 

Then there was the guest bedroom. This space was designed by Nested Spaces. They were envisioning a refined, European-inspired aesthetic anchored in a rich palette of plaids, tweeds, and layered hues of blue, green, and gray. Overall, the intention is to refresh the bedroom with an understated sense of luxury. 

 

 

 

 

Now welcome to Palm Beach Chic. This space was decorated by Catherine Marrano Interiors, and it had a Mahjong table! Yay! I kept wanting to call it the “ladies lounge”. Catherine wanted this space to be for slow mornings and unhurried evenings. I loved the pastel greens, airy blues, soft pinks, and sun-washed yellows. The Mahjong set was from my studio Meet at Mahj. 

 

 

 

 

 

And the Atelier is the last room for this post. The Atelier was designed by Jenni Eggers and served as a canvas for the custom for local art. The space drew inspiration from the homeowner’s personal collection of relics, while taking our signature approach of celebrating the old while enhancing the new. 

 

 

 

I was especially smitten with this vintage vase. There are so many other rooms that I did not share. Mostly because I was running around the entire time working so I am glad that I was able to capture some of the rooms. We have a virtual tour on our website available for you to view. I don’t think my photos could have done it justice. This was a wonderful show house with great designers and a great team. I am really proud of the work that we accomplished! I look forward to next year and look forward to my new role for St. Margaret’s! It will be a big one! Have a great week! 

 

  • This post is not sponsored. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Word for 2026~ Curate

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Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope everyone has started 2026 being safe and with family. Of course, we had a quiet evening at home, and I even stayed up this year. Which honestly, I think my hormones has something to do with it but whatever. It was quiet which is what I love. I finally got my recent video edited and posted to my channel. I will share it below. 

In the video, I talk about my word of the year which is curate. The dictionary meaning of curate is selected, organized, and presented using professional or expert knowledge. This word came to me in November of last year as I was thinking about my life as whole. I told my husband that I wanted to live well and then live beautifully. I also remember mentioning it in my “becoming a better life curator” blog post. I want to first start with my thoughts. I have a lot of junk that I let run rampant in my mind. I remember driving to work one morning and this crazy thought came into my mind. I remember stopping it and thinking now why am I letting this crazy thought stay here?

That’s when curate came into my mind. Now I know that I will not get this perfect but let’s start the process. Let’s curate these thoughts. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

The next is my home life. Once you watch my video you will understand what I am doing in my home and what is on my list. We have to update carpet, repaint rooms, and purge! Oh my goodness, we have so much stuff in this house. Just last week I dropped off 3 trashbags, and 2 big boxes of home and closet items. There is so much stuff that we are living with that we just don’t need. Curate. Let’s curate the home decor and my closet. 

 

 

Now on to my planners. I will continue to use my Day Designer, but I am now adding a second planner. I decided to order the Monthly Planner from Jamie Beck. This planner is exceptionally beautiful, and I will be using it for my monthly goals. You can watch my video to get an up-close look at it. 

On a second note, I found this gorgeous Christian Dior journal and pencil set on Poshmark! I thought this would a beautifully curated addition to my journal inventory. 

 

 

I hope you all enjoy my video and let me know your word of the year below. I am always curious about where people are and I think your word of the year says a lot about your yearly journey. Take care!

 

  • This post is not sponsored. Affiliate links attached. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Becoming A Better Life Curator

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Good Morning Friends,

It is the middle of October already! I have printed off my Christmas shopping list and started thinking about my Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, and decor. It just seems to be creeping up on us! Last week I had a fantastic hydro-facial at Restore Skin Therapy. I will be sure to share that next week. Now let’s discuss my topic… becoming a better life curator.

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I have been thinking about this phrase for a while, and it popped in my head while driving to work one day. I was thinking about how I wanted to live. How I wanted my home to be, how I wanted to travel, where I wanted to travel, what I want to wear, and how I want to spend my time. I said the words “curate” and then it just came to me. How do I better curate my life? 

 

My new Asian Chinoiserie secretary desk from FBMP

 

To curate means to select, organize, and look after the items in a collection or exhibition. I know recently (maybe in the last year), I have been trying to get better at selecting. When I am out shopping, no matter the price, if it is not a heck yes when I see it then I don’t buy it. My husband and I just went to the Cincinnati outlet mall, and we were in the Ralph Lauren store. He kept picking up things and I just looked at him and said, “is that a heck yes”? He got a little frustrated with me at one point, but I really wanted him to think. I did the same thing looking at a sweater that they had and necklace. I ended up buying only ONE thing in the whole outlet because I was asking myself that question. I want to do better at selecting when I shop. The first step to being a better curator.

Next up is organize. I have set my sights back on my closet. In July, I shared that I had a consultant come from California Closets to give me a closet design. I still love this design and want to do it but for now I have other home projects on my list. That does not mean that my current closet needs to stay the way it is, so I have another option in mind that I want to try. I will update you all of course. 

Third is to look after items in a collection. The photo above is a recently FBMP purchase. One of our interior designers, Blake Richardson, sent the link to me after I told him that I was on the hunt for an Asian Chinoiserie secretary. This desk is literally a dream desk for me. I spoke with my husband about it and looked at the measures. I thought it might be too big for my new office but four days later I could not stop thinking about it. That’s when I knew that this piece was for me and I only had a limited amount of time to get it. So I reached out to the seller. Turns out it’s over 40 years old; she and her husband traveled a lot and believe that it is from Spain. I told her that I would take care of it the next 40 years. I intend to look after this item. 

 

photo credit: Pinterest

 

I believe that being a curator of your life includes everything. It includes what you read and watch to what you eat. All things need to be carefully curated. It goes along with “building your life team”, to seeking life seasons, to etiquette, and past choices. I am currently trying to curate my vacation for next year. I want to go back to New York and have Lily of the Valley Afternoon Tea at the Lowell Hotel! I would like to see the Belizaire painting which is currently housed at the MET in New York and dine at La Mercerie. Of course, the Ralph Lauren store and an antique store are on the radar. But I am carefully curating it. We will see what we do. 

I know this living with beautiful things is a risk that I take daily. I risk it being stolen, broken, or lost. But I would have rather had it then not at all. And I truly believe that. Let me know your thoughts below. 

Have a great week!

 

 

 

Perimenopause the Journey Continues…

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Hello Friends,

How is everyone doing? This past weekend was nice. I took it easy and went to a friend’s daughter’s wedding. I had a great time with my Guild Girls and my hubby. We ate, drank, and laughed. On Sunday, I went and did something. So I have been working on “building my life team” and I started looking for someone to help me with my eyebrows. I went on a search for someone and found Meraki Artistry. I will be sharing my eyebrow lamination experience soon!  

I wanted to give you all an update on my perimenopause journey. I wrote my first blog post about it last year in July and the journey is continuing. Here I am a year later, a little smarter, and a little more patient. So what has been going on this last year?

Well, I stopped the hormone pills, and I did go to the dietitian for almost a year.  For a year I was working with my dietitian, and I recently decided to take a break. I learned a lot about what foods would work for me in this time of my life and protein. I took lots of blood tests this year and learned that my protein was too high! Oh great another worry. Also, I loved my dietitian, but a lot of these weight loss companies are really pushing these weight loss medicines. I think they are great, but I just keep thinking, “I can’t stay on these all my life and the weight will come back eventually”. So far now I am working on keeping my carbs low and trying to focus more on eating protein whenever I do eat. My dietitian was wonderful and hope to go back to her soon. She is still a part of my life team. I am not on any diet medicines at this time. 

I have added strength training to my workouts, and I am still walking. I love my morning walks and cannot live without them. I am taking more strength training classes at my Pilates studio, and I am really enjoying them. What I am also working on is eating less at dinner. I must admit, I can eat more at dinner and it’s not good. So that has been my focus lately. 

 

Me in Washington, D.C. a few years ago. 

 

Have any of you heard of Midi? My dietitian mentioned them to me earlier this year and I do remember Jennifer L. Scott discussing them in one of her videos. At first, they did not take my insurance, so I decided to wait. But then I got an email that they did so I called and made an appointment with one of their perimenopause doctors. I took some blood tests and discussed my hormones, weight gain, hot flashes, headaches, sleep, and mood swings with the doctor. Of course, she said that I am in full blown perimenopause! I knew that! We decided that I would try birth control pills again and those made me feel worse! So I got off of those quick! I then decided to try HRT. I am now using an estradiol patch and taking progesterone at night. I feel a whole lot better I tell you and I am sleeping! I will be meeting with my doctor from Midi in a few weeks (this will be my third appointment) to discuss some more things from my blood test, but my protein has dropped! So that was happy news. 

 

 

Photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Life has become a journey for sure. Other items that I am focusing on are my thoughts. I heard a comment recently from Joyce Meyer’s Podcast called Talk it Out. She recently had a doctor on her show called Dr. Axe and he said some things in the first 5 minutes of this podcast that I just have to share!

“When I look at medical conditions for today, I think about half of it is diet or food related. That’s a big piece but I actually think that stress, spiritual, and mental health is equally if not slightly more impactful to our physical health and that’s very true of specific conditions. I’ll give you an example of how this cascade works with hormones. Like the hormone that most affects other hormones in the body is cortisol. And so, if you are stressed and living in a state of fear and worry and you don’t believe that God is a good father and that he’s going to be there for you and protect you; then you’re living in a constant state of insecurity, and your cortisol is higher. When cortisol is high that causes insulin to go high. Now your blood sugar when it is high that imbalances estrogen. And then the other thing that imbalances is then your thyroid hormones, T3 & T4. So having stress can be very disturbing to women’s health.”

WOW! You all should watch that podcast. It was very impactful, and I learned a LOT. I am one of those women who struggles with believing that God will take care of me. I will be honest. I am. So, this is something that I am working on and started with my Christian therapist last year. 

Another comment that Dr. Axe made was when your doctor tells you to stop stressing but they NEVER tell you how to stop stressing. He mentioned building things in your life that make you happy. That is how you combat stress, and he is right. That is another reason why I started going on and creating “elegant adventures” and started building my life team. If you need more life inspiration my blog post Tips for a Balanced Life may help and my How I Romanticize my Life Daily is other. 

Let me know in the comments below how you are doing on your perimenopause or menopause journey. I feel a little better this year than last and just hope that it keeps getting better. 

 

  • Affiliate links attached; this post was not sponsored. 

 

 

My First Mahjong Class

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Hello Everyone,

Boy has it been a heavy week. I don’t want to repeat or talk about everything in the news but Lord you know our hearts and hear our prayers for EVERYONE!

Last week was a busy one for me and this past weekend was busy as well. We had our annual neighborhood HOA sale and a LOT of the boutique items sold! When you visit the page, you will see a lot of items gone and some marked down items as well. I hope to have a new arrival coming soon. 

But today friends I wanted to share how my first Mahjong Class went! 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I found a company called Meet at Mahj and decided to sign up for their Mahj 101 class.  This group is run by a woman named Jamie and she was so nice and knowledgeable. She had a great team of women with her, and they were knowledgeable themselves and fun! They have a new studio in Zionsville, Indiana and offer lots of services. In my first class she explained the history of Mahjong which I appreciated and went to explain the rules. There is a LOT to learn. There were terms that I had never heard of in a game. 

We were taught how to plan American Mahjong. There is also Chinese Mahjong which I believe is a little more complicated. Each table had its own Mahjong tiles set and were so beautiful. I loved how she and her team decorated each table in its own theme. We sat down in groups of four and my group did not know each other which honestly, I like. I am in a chapter in my life where I don’t mind meeting new people. 

After she explained the history we went over what the tiles meant and each team member was assigned to a table to made sure that we all understood and could ask questions if we needed to. We were taught how to “wash the tiles”, the Charleston, how to deal, and how to pass which was interesting as well. We were taught how to push out our tiles and to make sure that the “dragon tail” faced a certain way. There was so much to learn during this class!

 

 

 

Once we went through the rules we started a game. I was not in a hurry to win or even understand it. I wanted to take my time and learn it. I wanted to enjoy the moment. I also wanted to be sensitive to the women in the room and not take a bunch of photos or videos. Some people may not want to be on camera, and I try to be mindful of that. 

Mahjong is a mental game I will say that. Each year a card comes out on how you should “create your hand” and I found that to be interesting! My table and I played our game and it took us a while, but we really enjoyed each other’s company and helped each other. I also brought my chinoiserie Mahjong set which the host of the game loved! She will be adding a Mahjong boutique to her game room which I loved that idea. Unfortunately, I did not win the game. My tiles were bad, words right from the teacher. I kept drawing tiles that were not helpful to my hand that I was trying to build but nevertheless I really enjoyed myself. 

The studio was decorated beautifully. I loved all of the pink, the wallpaper frames, chinoiserie fabrics, and tile sets. It was a great time! 

 

 

My Mahjong Set from Etsy

 

 

I will be returning to take Mahjong 102 and will be going to some of her open game courses. There is also a membership if you wanted to join and play all the time. I think that I am going to really enjoy this and look forward to meeting new women. Lord I need some Mahjong women in my life and hosting game nights at my home. I am speaking that into existence! 

Here is my set above. I adore it. I have my mat (mine is sold out here is one similar), tiles, tile racks, tile bag, and Mahjong bag. 

 

 

 

Let me know in the comments below if you have heard of Mahjong, play it or have played it. I am also interested to know if any of you have a girl’s game night! Have a great weekend! 

 

  • Affiliate links attached