Monthly Favorites Archives - Page 11 of 14

June Favorites

June 24, 2019/in Monthly Favorites, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

It’s the first full week of summer and honestly, it has not felt like it yet. It’s been rather chilly here in Indy. I am NOT complaining! There are a lot of us here that are enjoying it.

It’s time for my June favorites…. already. I have a few new favorites this month. Most of them you guys know about already so let’s jump right in…

First on my list is this YouTube fitness channel that I found called Popsugar Fitness. Oh my gosh, it is so wonderful! I use to be able to look at my on demand and find free fitness videos but like all things they are no longer free. So it forced me to take a look at YouTube. I have an app screen on my t.v. so I can use the big screen to watch these great fitness videos and work out to them. I have been working out to this latest video below….

And this one as well.

They are awesome!

Second, on my list has been my spring dresses and skirts. I have purchased quite a few for this season and it has been great being able to just grab one from the closet, add a cardigan, some great kitten heels, pearls and head out the door!

Third on my list has been (of course), my new dining room table. I have had it for about three weeks now and could not love it more. I am so pleased with our table and chairs. It’s so elegant to me.

Fourth on my list has been my recent crock-pot dinner. On Father’s Day we kept things simple and just ate dinner at home. My husband wanted to put some filet mignon on the smoker but it would not stop raining. So I just suggested that he let me put them in the crock-pot. They turned out so wonderful! I am not a steak person but it was delicious! I added some bourbon brown sugar marinade, some salt, butter, and they cooked for 10 hours. The steak feel apart in your mouth! My family loved it!

Fifth on my list has been (of course) this year’s peony season. It was such a great season this year. I had over 5 bouquets that were flawless. Thank you Lord for creating such beautiful flowers!

My office

Sixth on my list has been this season’s blueberries! Oh my gosh! I can’t stop eating them which honestly is a good thing. They have been so good! I am glad that I am learning how to eat things in their proper time.

Seventh on my list has been my new canvas pictures from Tuesday Morning and Homegoods. There is nothing like a new photo to make a room feel brand new. Switch out some of your pictures and change the look of your rooms in your home.

And last on my list is my new pink polish color for spring and perhaps summer. It is called Fuzzy Wuzzy. Hysterical right? But it is the perfect pink for me. I do love it and will probably wear it the entire summer.

That is it for my favorites for June. I could add more but this is enough. I hope you all find some inspiration in some of my favorites and make sure that you look up the perfect season for buying your produce. I guarantee you, you will not be disappointed.

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

May Favorites

May 29, 2019/4 Comments/in Monthly Favorites, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

It’s the end of May already and time to share things that have captured my heart for this month. It’s been a really busy month because of my mother’s recent knee surgery and my step son’s upcoming high school graduation and pending college departure. Lots of changes to come.

There have been a few things that I have been able to enjoy this month. It’s been a great month for our yard! Everything is blooming and our grass is so GREEN! It’s lovely.

First has been this wonderful faux floral spring wreath that I found at At Home. It’s a home decor store here in my city. The flowers are fake but the sticks are real which helps pull the look together. It looks great hung up on our porch.

Next, are my crystal jug dispensers that I found at TJ Maxx. They looked so great on the table and worked wonderfully! I loved having my fruit infused water! It was a big hit at my step son’s Open House!

Third, was filming my faux floral arrangements video. I loved having all my arrangments in one place. It was glorious if only for a moment. If you have not seen my video you may view it below.

Fourth, are my Chanel inspired brooches. Boy, these are head turners. Every time I wear one of these someone is always staring at it. I don’t know what they are thinking but they sure do stare. I think they are so elegant and elevate an outfit quickly. You should check out Etsy to find one.

Fifth, is the new decor items in my office. I adore my new Ralph Lauren floral pillows. I wish I could share a link for these but I found them at Homegoods.

Sixth and I think I may have mentioned this before has been my at home salmon, lime and dill meals. Oh my goodness, after a long day at the office, I love coming home lighting my candles, putting some french bread in the oven, munching on that and then putting my salmon and veggies in the oven to cook. It is a wonderful way to end my work day and start my wonderful evening at home.

Seventh on the list are my new purse accessories. I love these and have been putting them on pretty much all of my handbags. They look great on all of them. I hope some of you were able to purchase these. They are a great and elegant find.

And last but not least is a quick update on my recent Ann Taylor orders. So I received my pink skirt and it was way too short so I went to Ann Taylor this weekend to exchange it for something else. I found this great embroidered polka dot scarf. It was only $12 in the store and these striped leather slingbacks were also on sale for only $35!

I also picked up this drapery cami and this great boyfriend cardigan. Both are very chic and will be great additions to my wardrobe. I am much happier with these purchases than with the pink skirt. It was lovely but a little too short for me.

May was a great month. I hate seeing these months slip away like this but I am trying to embrace my moments more and take it all in. Enjoy life!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

April Favorites

April 24, 2019/2 Comments/in Monthly Favorites, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

Oh my… the end of another month. My goodness. It is truly flying by! I had to really think about my favorites for this month. I am still enjoying my favorites from March and still thinking about the cherry blossoms!

One thing that I have been enjoying are the latest flowers that have been appearing at the grocery store. I get about 80% of my flowers from my local grocery store. They are affordable and I am able to start wonderful relationships with the florist. It’s great.

I will say this. I was so excited to find Queen Anne’s lace this past weekend! I could not believe it. It is so rare to see this in Indiana. The last time I had a bouquet with this was in 2014! So this was definitely a favorite for this month.

My second favorite this month were these pink and purple roses. I was inspired to look for a bouquet like this because of this gorgeous photo below that was posted to Instagram and a few weeks ago.

photo credit Rachel Parcell

Oh my gosh! I don’t remember whose account this came from but goodness gracious is that stunning! I would seriously want to take that bouquet with me everywhere! I would want it in the car, in my office, at home, in my closet, in the kitchen, just everywhere!

My next favorite was this screenshot that I took from a Hallmark movie that I was watching last week. I can not remember what movie this was from but this women’s outfit caught my eye. Isn’t she chic? Look at the hat and the blush colored dress. Very sharp! I even tried looking for her bag online. Hallmark needs to seriously consider sharing their wardrobe finds on their website. I should post this on my Instagram account and tag them in it asking for details.

My last favorite is my first Youtube video! I am not sure if any of you have had a chance to watch it but I was so petrified making this video. Youtube is such a scary place and you never know what people are thinking or doing. I don’t know if I will be making anymore. I plan on taking it slow.

Well, I hope that you enjoyed this post and let me know your thoughts below about my Youtube channel.

(photos via Mrs. Shockley and Instagram)

March Favorites

April 3, 2019/2 Comments/in Monthly Favorites, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

It’s Wednesday…. already. We are in our first week of April and I have not posted my March favorites. It did take me a moment to remember a few things that I have enjoyed for the month of March. I had a lot going on work-wise so everything just flew by.

Well, let’s get right into my favorites…

First on my list is the grilled chicken wrap at Chick Fil A. I LOVE this!!! But I normally have the staff “red flag” mine because I like it with crispy chicken instead of the grilled. I know that is not a healthy choice but it’s so good! Love it!

Second, on my list is my set of J Crew multi-strand pearls and Chanel inspired brooch. I purchased my necklace from Poshmark and my brooch from Etsy. Lately, I have just been pinning my brooch to my pearls for a very beautiful combination. I adore the way it looks!

Third, on my list is my new king-size Nautica comforter. I purchased this from HomeGoods earlier last month and my husband and I have enjoyed it. It is so plush and cozy. It was a great find!

Fifth, on my list, is an oldie but goodie. I have worn this perfume for years now and continue to do so. I still get compliments on it. I adore the Donna Karen Cashmere Mist. Every time I put it on I just feel so pulled together. It is a wonderful scent and it is classic.

Sixth, on my list is my peppermint body oil from my herbal lady. She sells her herbs, teas, oils, and other home remedies during the spring and summer. We have an open market on Wednesdays when the weather gets warm and I always go and visit her. I purchased this bottle last year and it is homemade. I rub it on my cuticles and on my heels especially. Those spots get really bad during the winter. It smells heavenly and works wonderfully.

Seventh, on my list, are my favorite hand soaps from Bath and Body Works.

These are my favorites, crisp apple, cucumber & lily and white tea & sage. All are wonderful scents and will leave a lovely smell in your bathroom and on your hands when you use them. I even bring one with me when we travel. I hate the little cheap bar soaps that they leave in the room. I love having my own hand soap in our hotel bathroom. It’s such a treat!

And last but not least are my hand and nail creams from Clarins.

Clarins is a wonderful company that has some of the best lotions and creams. I have used their body rich lotion and it is marvelous! The smell is stellar and the coverage is exceptional. The scents for these 3 are fresh and clean. I have really enjoyed using them and will keep one in my purse.

Well, that takes care of my March favorites. Let me know in the comments section below if you enjoy these favorites every month. Have a great day!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

February Favorites

March 1, 2019/2 Comments/in Monthly Favorites, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

It’s the third month of the year already! Okay, please slow down! I don’t want 2019 to fly by like 2018 but it looks as if it’s on track to do so.

(Sighing)…. There are going to be so many changes for us this year. My last step-son will be moving out in August. He is going to college. When I met him and married their dad he was only 3! I can’t believe it went by that quickly and yesterday was our 15 year wedding anniversary.

Okay, enough sad talk. Let’s get right into my February favorites.

Love my winged tote, see here to read it!

Now the first on my list are actually items that I just purchased but I like them a lot! These beautiful large, pale pink faux pearl earrings are from H&M. I searched vigorously for the link but to no avail.

I searched for the gray scarf also but could not find it. I did, however, find these.

Next, are these beautiful slingbacks from Calvin Klien. I actually purchased these at our local consignment store called Style Encore. I only paid about $17 and they are super chic and comfortable. I did run a search on Ebay and found some of these.

Fourth on my list is this small sample of facial cleanser called Tatcha. I was given this sample sometime last year with my free gift with purchase. I saw it in my product drawer and I thought, “Okay I will give this a try”. It is wonderful! My skin glowed on day 2! If you know of a company or place that will give you a free sample of this, take it! It’s a wonderful facial cleanser.

Fifth on my list is this oldie but goodie. It is called Living the Good Life by Martha Stewart. My husband purchased this book for me about 5 years ago (it was published in 2013) and I have not read it until now. It is great! I can’t seem to put it down.

Here is a look at some of the paragraphs in the book. Also, I use postcards as bookmarks. This is one of my favorites. I found it in Charleston last year.

And last but certainly not least is this great two-minute video of one of my favorite scenes from Mrs. Doubtfire. I already loved the elegant home that they lived in but wouldn’t it be nice to come home to this elegant meal? Great scene and funny!

I hope that you enjoyed my favorites from February. March is going to be a busy month for me. I have my daughter’s birthday, step-son and husband! The worse part is that they are all in the same week! I will also be traveling to Washington, D.C. at the end of the month for more work-related training. I hope that things will go well and that we just enjoy our time. Have a good weekend!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley, video is from Youtube)

January Favorites

January 28, 2019/4 Comments/in Monthly Favorites, Uncategorized /by mrs.sshockley

As you can imagine January has not been a good month. With all of the shutdown drama going on it’s been pretty hard trying to keep my focus on what’s important. But as I said in my post on Friday, I am just trusting that God has a plan for all of this.

Now let’s get into some of my favorites for this month, shall we?

Photo by Benigno Hoyuela on Unsplash

First on my list has been this ginger with chamomile tea. I can not stop drinking it! It is so delicious. It has been an absolute favorite for the entire month. I have so enjoyed this with some honey. It is marvelous in the morning with my breakfast!

Second, on my list has been my new Varidesk! Our office ordered these some time ago and some staff members have left leaving some leftovers! I requested one about 3 weeks ago and I am loving it. It has been such a game-changer for me. I love being able to stand for a few hours. Working as a paralegal and sitting all day can have bad effects on your circulation. Trust me I am starting to fight a few varicose veins but this tool is sure to help me get back on track. Love it!

Third, on my list has been my new turmeric gummies from mykind Organics. My local Fresh Thyme sells them. You can order them online for about $20. They test so well! I have one a day along with the multivitamins that I take in the morning. I don’t know if I have any inflammatory issues (although I believe my varicose veins are one), I still take them to build healthy habits. If you find them you should try them. Absolutely delicious!

Fourth on my list has been my new faux flower arrangements. There has been a world of difference in the way my home decor looks. Everything looks so fresh and beautiful. I have really been happy with the turnout. Read my blog post here if you are interested.

And last on my list has been my spinach scrambled eggs. They are so good! I make these every weekend now. I enjoy this dish so much and it is so filling. So glad I tried it! See my blog post here about it.

Well, that’s it for this month. We will see what February holds. I am not sure. I know that I wanted to schedule a facial for the month of February. I have never had a professional facial! Can you believe that? I also have to begin plans for my daughter’s 14th birthday! I can’t believe my baby girl is going to be 14 in March! So scary. Well, I hope that you enjoy your week!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)