Blog posts that inspire

Renewing Vows

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I hardly share personal notes about myself here on the blog but I thought this post would be okay. My husband and I have been married for 13 years. I am 34 and I have been with him since I was 20. We met at church and I have been “growing up” with him ever since.

When we first got married we hardly did anything. I borrowed my wedding dress from a friend, bought some pearls from the thrift store, rolled my hair, and wore house slippers that look like ballet flats.

He wore a suit that he would normally wear to church. I had no flowers anywhere, not even a bouquet. No groomsmen, bridesmaids, no reception, just a small group of family and friends. Less than 20 people.

We said our vows and his parents took us to Fridays for dinner. After that, we went home. No honeymoon either.  We didn’t have much yet I would not change a thing about that day. I loved it!

My husband and I worked with what we had. We were not trying to impress anyone. We didn’t care! I knew in my heart that in the future the Lord would work it out where I could get a “do-over”. Now here we are. We are in our second home that the Lord allowed us to build, we have very nice vehicles, I graduated from college (with no debt), my husband’s business is doing very well, I am a paralegal with the United States government, we have an 11-year-old daughter and I have two step-sons who are very good men.

Life is good! I have no complaints. But when I see anything about a wedding my heart kind of mourns. I am a girly, girly, and would enjoy having a nicer wedding ceremony in the future. So I prayed and talked with my husband and he agreed that we can renew our vows during our 20 year wedding anniversary. I am so happy! So of course and took to Pinterest and I wanted to share some of my ideas for our 20-year wedding ceremony.

Photo credit Nicola Bathie Instagram account
I am using these chairs as inspiration for my wedding invitations! 

Photo by Diana Akhmetianova on Unsplash
I love this! Using vintage plates at the reception. Sounds wonderful!
I am a huge fan of lace and will most likely have it on my dress.

My dream shoes and bouquet.

Photo by Photos by Lanty on Unsplash
I love the thought of having a “naked cake” for our reception. 

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
I have not made up my mind as far as a dress for our daughter. As she has gotten older her tastes have changed. So we will see. Of course, it will be elegant and simple. 


Well, it was nice sharing all of my ideas with you. I am waiting patiently for the day and I look forward to creating all of the details of our renewal ceremony and spending time with family and friends. If you wish to follow my wedding board on Pinterest see here.

Gracious Interactions

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I am still reading Fiona Ferris’s book Thirty Chic Days and I am still enjoying it. I just read a section of the book called “Giving a Compliment” and it got me thinking. Do I give compliments often?

Fiona mentioned that giving a genuine compliment is sometimes use as an icebreaker to start a conversation. I couldn’t agree more. I have done that. I am normally a very reserved person and sometimes people can mistake that for being a snob but I am far from it.

I just like to watch and pay attention to people. Sometimes if you watch, you can tell if a person is genuine or fake.  I don’t do well with phony people. I usually stay away from them and I don’t share my life with them. Honestly and truly they can’t be happy for you anyway so why bother?

But if I know that someone is genuine in spirit; I love being around them and will share things. 




















photo credit Aerin Lauder Instagram account

Whenever I am around people I always do my very best to be gracious, polite, and kind. When entering a room or someone’s home I always speak first. When passing someone down a narrow hall I always say excuse me.



When I see a woman “dress to the nines”, I always like to tell her how wonderful she looks. Because to be quite honest there is a lot of bad taste going around and we need to encourage women who look great often.




Photo by Louis Hansel @shotsoflouis on Unsplash


When we are out to dinner, I am always gracious to the hostess and waitresses. Now, if I notice that they are rude, I try not to take it personal. Because it could have been the customer before me or some things going on in their life and there is no need to get upset and not enjoy my evening.




photo credit Marchionesshg Instagram account



I have learned that when you are gracious to cashiers, waitresses, and people who are serving you, they remember you. Oh, do they remember you? It happens to me all the time.



I walk through the mall early in the morning because I like to stop at the bakery for my morning pastry and I always say, “Good Morning” to the cleaning crew. So now whenever they see me they run to me and say, “Good Morning”. It is quite delightful.


So be a beautiful woman everywhere you go. Be a fragrance to people; not an odor.

To Learn French ~ Duolingo

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A couple of weeks ago I heard my daughter speaking French to her phone. I turned around and said, “Oh my are you learning French”? She then told me about an app she downloaded called Duolingo.

I was so curious and impressed that I downloaded the app myself! And it was free! How great is that? Well, I am happy to report that I am 2% fluent in French (the report from my app) and loving every bit of it!

It sends you reminders when it is time for your lesson and each lesson is no more than 5 minutes! I do love it! I took French in high school but I don’t remember it being this fun. I do enjoy my daily lessons. Once I am finished with French I will move on to Spanish.




Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

Even if you have never taken a foreign language in your life you should try. I mean why not…

I hope you give Duolingo a chance and if so please share your thoughts about the app. Thanks so much for stopping by. Until next time, be elegant my friends.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Feminine Pursuits

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Last month I shared that I am reading a book called Thirty Chic Days~ Practical Inspiration for a Beautiful Life and I am still enjoying this book. Last week I was reading a section of the book called “enjoying feminine pursuits” and in this section, the author Fiona talked about feminine pursuits or past-times that she loves to include in her life.

That got me thinking….. hmmm do I have any feminine pursuits that I enjoy? Well of course I do! So I decided to share my list of my favorite feminine things to do.

* Goodwill shopping ~ I love looking for great skirts and shirts to add to my wardrobe. See my blog post here about my thrift store shopping.




My blouse and skirt are from the thrift store.


* Playing the piano ~ I take lessons every Monday! See my blog post here about my lessons

* Buying flowers and flower arranging ~ Shocker, I think not!






















My weekend flower loot!

* Reading


* Watching old movies. See my favorites here.


* Manicures and pedicures


* Hearing influential women speak about life, failures, and careers


* Having tea with friends. See my post here about that. 







* Collecting silver and learning about it. See my blog post here about that. 


* Wearing perfume. See my blog post here about my favorites.


* Collecting blue and white plates. I have a serious problem… but I love the way they look.



























The blue and white plates I found at T.J. Maxx last month along with some of my other goodies.


* Wearing pink and red fingernail polish. There is just something so chic about those colors. 


* Wearing big curls in my hair every day! I love it! 


* Volunteer work. I recently volunteered as a fashion counselor for the Dress for Success program at my office! Yeah!


* Listening to my little girl every morning talk to me about life. 


* Before leaving my office making sure my daily to-do list for the next morning is complete. I hate coming to the office and not having my day planned. Drives me nuts!


And last but certainly not least, praying on a regular basis (sometimes hourly if I am truly disturbed) and working on my finance spreadsheet every other Wednesday. You should know what your monthly finances are. 


I hope you enjoyed this list. Keeping your goals and dreams in front of your mind is always helpful and will help you stay the course. 

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Principles of a Gracious Life ~ Geniality

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photo credit Ilyas Bolatov 
Whenever we have a warm, cheerful, positive disposition, we’re not only contributing to, but sympathizing with the enjoyment of life. People who inspire joy or happiness, who affirm and confirm others, are marked with genius, belonging to a higher nature. When we have a pleasant, friendly personality, we glow with a gracious, giving spirit, spreading the energy of light all around us.





~The Principles of a Gracious Life
by Alexandra Stoddard

Principles of a Gracious Life ~ Ease

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Photo by Karolina Bobek ✌ on Unsplash
Whenever we experience freedom from constraint, pain, agitation or worry, we sense the pleasant satisfactions of naturalness. When we’re not making an effort, when we have relief from labor and are able to be carefree, we can feel rested, be quiet and tranquil, secure in the ease and comfort of our mind and heart. We need relaxation and a moment’s peace in order to live graciously, and when we do find this sense of calm, we experience greater dexterity in our performance. By backing away we move forward with grace.


~The Principles of a Gracious Life
by Alexandra Stoddard

Principles of A Gracious Life ~ Appreciation

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photo credit Melnychuk Nataliya
When we have a quick recognition of excellence, when we’re able to value someone or something, fully aware of the magnitude of their qualities, our illumination leads to being thankful, increasing the value of esteem. Being aware of the worth of appreciation is key to a gracious life. Whenever we esteem highly, we are validating life, its merit and worth.

When we are thankful, we ourselves increase in value, transcending time and place, becoming one with eternity. Of all the qualities of a gracious life, appreciation is the most essential. When we’re conscious of all the good and beautiful things and people in our lives, not judging, but living in continuous gratitude, we’re free to connect with the great, timeless truths. When we show appreciation, we’re recognizing the divinity within us, our true identity. 



~The Principles of a Gracious Life
by Alexandra Stoddard