My trips or places I would love to visit

A Perfect Day in Normandy

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Le Mas des Poiriers on Instagram: “Who doesn’t love dining al fresco under a big tree for shade ? . . @oliverflyphotography”

photo credit Provencepoiriers 

Good Morning All,

I had a wonderful “free day” yesterday. I was able to get my driver’s license renewed. We have to have those updated by October so that is now off of my checklist. I got some house chores done because I want my Saturday to be free. I need to take my new mirror from the antique store into Michaels to have them add some brackets to hang it with. Also, I have been invited to a vintage purse party at Von Maur Saturday morning and I want to be able to attend that without having so much on my to-do list. 

But let’s get into today’s inspiring “french” post. I was recently reading some blog posts on Bloglovin and I found this one called, “My Perfect Day in Normandy”. I think most of you know that I follow Sharon Santoni and her beautiful Instagram account.


Sharon has the dream life in Normandy and in this recent interview she gave her perfect day. 


Tours - MY FRENCH COUNTRY HOME

photo credit Sharon Santoni 

If you are looking for a mini escape I would encourage you to read the blog post. It is a dream that I would love to one day experience. 


Happy Wednesday!

Biltmore Trip/Kings Island~ 2020

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Good Morning Everyone,

It’s the last day of July and we are expecting some cooler temps next week! Yay! It’s been hot. It has taken me a while to get this post together from our trip. I can’t believe that 2 weeks have passed already!

So let’s get into our recent vacation to the Biltmore and Kings Island.

This is the view when you enter the park. We only spent one day here (thank goodness). It was so hot and wearing a mask was not the best thing. 

This was the first rollercoaster that Lauren got on. Now she and my step-son had a great time at the park but we did have a few issues.

On one of the rollercoaster rides Lauren’s face mask fell down and once the ride was over we wanted to purchase the photo. The staff would not let us because her mask fell down. Now I get it, they don’t want us posting that to Facebook and people thinking that they don’t have to wear a mask but come on now. Wearing a mask on a rollercoaster was a bit much to me. Now if you are walking around and standing in line, okay wear your mask but while riding that’s a bit much to me (they did space everyone at least two seats apart). 

The second issue was with me and my husband. We wanted to take a “break” so we found an area in the park (it was not crowded) where we can sit and take off our masks. No one was around us but a security guard came up and told us to put them on. Really?!!! No one is around us. Now they had these “break areas” where you could go and take off your mask and they want you to do it there. But what’s over there? You guessed it more people!! It made no sense to us! Just nuts!!!!

Oh and if you had one of their $20 fountain drinks in your mouth they would not tell you to wear your mask as long as you were spending money. 

I was so happy to leave Kings Island and head to Asheville. Arriving at the Biltmore was a breath of fresh air!!!

Now you did have to wear a mask while touring the home but we understood that and most people stood over 6ft apart. People were quiet and absorbing the home. It was a much better tour this time. This is the garden room. I spy blue and white!!!

The gorgeous dining room. I didn’t take as many pictures this time. I wanted to enjoy the home and not have a camera in my hand the entire time. 

I completely missed this the last time we were here. I spy blue and white again! Beautiful details!

I loved the furniture in this room. The contrast between the floors, rug, and furniture is so elegant to me. 

Mrs. Vandebilt’s room, always a favorite. 



Mr. Vandebilt’s study



After the tour, we headed to the gift shop which I did not get to visit the last time. Alas, blue and white. So pretty!
My husband and I also did some wine tasting in this room and purchased 4 bottles of the Biltmore wine. We then headed outside to the gardens. 

Lavender

The conservatory is a work of art itself.

I also didn’t snap any food photos this time. I really wanted to just enjoy my vacation and not take pictures the whole time. But I did have to get a photo of this dessert that my step-son ordered. It was a little too tart for me but visually beautiful. 

Despite the heat, and the mask frustration, overall it was a really good trip. Considering we are in a global pandemic this was a low-key, simple vacation and we enjoyed it. My husband and I tried to keep things in perspective and remind ourselves that we don’t have too many more of these left with our kids. And the Lord has provided all of our needs and our “greeds” during this whole Covid scare. 

Thank you Lord and forgive us for being silly sometimes. I hope you all enjoyed this post and have a wonderful weekend. 
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)


Downton Abbey Exhibit ~ Biltmore Vacation

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Hello Everyone!
Okay, I know, I know… most of you probably have watched my video where I discuss how I have not watched the Downton Abbey series. It’s okay, I plan on watching it soon. I can only watch one series at a time. I can’t do multiples. It’s just too much for me. 

I did, however, want to share one of the exhibits that I got to visit while at the Biltmore.

The one thing that I learned about the show is that it is set during the 1912 sinking of the Titanic and left the future of their leadership in jeopardy. I found that part so interesting. Now I know I need to watch the series!

This particular exhibit was much smaller and located by the winery. 




This is some of the “daywear” worn by Lady Mary. 
These are some of the evening dresses worn by Lady Edith. The original dress of lemon sorbet silk crepe with scalloped hem heavily decorated with seed beading, sequin, and metallic embroidery, layered over a tiered silk and chiffon scallop hemmed slip. 


Evening and daywear collections

This is jewelry belonging to the Crawley family. Wealthy aristocratic women could afford jewelry made from precious metal, real pearls, and beautiful gemstones. 

My favorite is this exquisite brooch. I could not get the details for it. We had a line of people behind us. I would love to recreate this or find one similar. 

Wedding dresses, one was worn by Lady Edith. Again I could not get all of the details but I am loving the blue one. 

Bridal and wedding accessories worn by Lady Mary & Lady Edith

Wedding suit worn by Mr. Carson and a wedding dress worn by Mrs. Hughs (I think). Both are very lovely. 

The last photo that I was able to take on the tour were these various hats worn by the Downton Abbey residents. When you take a step back and look at these clothes it just makes you wonder about where we are today. You can barely get people to put clothes on let alone look nice. 

My heart somewhat grieves when I see items like this because I know we will never look like this ever again. But thank goodness for shows like this. They are great reminders and wonderful breaks for the soul. 

Thank you for reading!!
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Pending Plans

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Good Morning,




Sighing….. I have become antsy these last several weeks. Being quarantine has not been fun but I know it has been necessary and with Covid still spreading I feel like wanting to leave my state is a crime. 


At first, my husband and I decided that we were not going to go anywhere for vacation. He does not want to wear a mask and I don’t want to worry. But then I remember how our daughter has never been to an amusement park. 


We took her to Disney in 2013 but she has never been to Kings Island or Kentucky Kingdom. She has never been on a roller coaster and has been craving to experience one for a while now. 

So we began making plans to take her to Kings Island. We planned on arriving early, spending the day there, and then getting a room for the night at a nearby hotel. In the morning we were going to get up and head to the nearby outlet mall. 



























Now I do not intend on riding any roller coasters. Been there done that, no interest. It’s about Lauren getting her experience. I hate roller coasters!


That was going to be the extent of our trip. Well, then my step-son mentioned the Biltmore. He really enjoyed it and wanted to revisit! Shocker to me! I would have never thought he would have liked that place. Too old and stuffy, quite not. Since he is starting his second year in college and is studying architecture he has become enamored with structures. 



So here we are adding the Biltmore to our trip! We went to the Biltmore in 2016, see here, here, and here. I loved it and certainly didn’t think we would be back so soon. 

Also, I also planned on visiting this place again for antiquing. I absolutely loved it. 

This place has been added to our list. It’s called Looking Glass Falls. It’s a huge waterfall that you can walk up to and swim in. I don’t plan on swimming but hope to find a rock nearby and just take in the scenery. 

Apparently, North Carolina has about 60 waterfalls around. That’s quite a bit. I also looked into taking a tour in a hot air balloon! But after seeing those prices….. no thanks.





























Well, these are our plans so far. We will see how things go. I don’t know if the world is going to fall apart again so I am being very open to that. I hope a second quarantine doesn’t happen but you never know. 

Enjoy your day! Also, let me know if you have any summer plans. 



(photos via Mrs. Shockley)




Florida ~ 2019

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Hello Everyone,


My family and I have returned from Florida. Vacations go by so fast! I always make sure that I take an extra day to have to myself to get things done at home. 


Well in today’s post I am going to walk everyone through our little Florida adventure!


Our flight was great and Lauren LOVED flying! She never stopped looking out of the window and when I asked her what were her thoughts she said, “It wasn’t that bad mom. I don’t understand why everyone made such a big deal about it”! Okay, I took that as a good sign.


The first place we visited was a restaurant called Deck 84. It is a casual waterfront restaurant. So I finally got my dining “al fresco” completed this month! 

I ordered the grilled chicken breast meal with sauteed spinach, mashed potatoes with vanilla rum butter sauce. It tasted so good!

These were my step-sons’ fish tacos. They looked amazing to me!
The next day we headed to Miami.

We did some walking around the outdoor shopping mall and looked at a few placed to grab lunch. I loved this area. It reminded me of some of the chairs that I have seen in some Pinterest photos from France. 


I did end up finding a Ted Baker store. We don’t have one here in Indy so being able to go in one was a wonderful opportunity. 

Everything was so beautiful and well made. If you are interested in these wallets you may find them here.
After looking around and shopping we did manage to find a place to grab some lunch. We ate at a place called Taverna. I ordered the quinoa salad with avocado, tomato, corn, cucumber, cilantro, and grilled chicken. It was so delicious!


Related image

On Thursday we visited the Everglades. I am sorry I did not take a lot of pictures. Visting a swamp and traveling by airboat was not my thing but I wanted to be a good sport. The airboat was not that bad and the alligators that we saw were female so they were not that big. We did stick around and watch an alligator show. The young lady was using her chin to keep one of the alligator’s mouths shut. Not my idea but my husband enjoyed it! 



Of course, a trip would not be a trip if I did not go shopping! I managed to find a Homegoods in Boca Raton (which is where we stayed). Then I realized that I could not shop! We flew! I did not have a truck to take stuff home! Oh, the horror!!!

Then I found this! A beautiful green ginger jar. Isn’t it beautiful! Yes, I had to ship it. I should have it by Thursday (I hope). 
We also stopped by a place called L’Chole Cafe for rolled ice cream! It was interesting watching the process but my family and I enjoyed it. 



And for our last day of the trip, we spent most of it at Boca Raton beach. It was a lovely trip and so far no one has caught any flesh-eating bacteria. I must admit. I did worry when the kids were in the water. But I kept reminding myself what kind of trip would this be if I did not allow the children to get into the water. Just pray about it and let go. It turned out great!

I really enjoyed my time off from work but the more I think about it the more I am tempted to do a staycation in the near future. I really enjoy being at home. 

I hope you all enjoyed this post!

Have a great Monday!


(photos via Mrs. Shockley)



On Vacation ~ Summer 2019

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Pin it A Guide to Dining and Shopping in Naples, FL

Good Friday Morning Everyone!
I hope you all enjoyed your 4th! It was sooo hot here in Indy. We hardly wanted to leave the house but we went on a bike ride at the park and watched some fireworks in our neighborhood. It is Friday and I have started my summer vacation! I took off work today and Monday. Tuesday we will be FLYING to Florida! We have always driven on our family trips so this year will be the first year that we are going to be on a plane together! I am so excited for our daughter Lauren. She has never been on a plane before so we all hope that her first plane ride goes well. 

Naples, Florida

We are going to be visiting some friends in Fort Lauderdale. I am hoping to also visit Naples. I would love to do some shopping there and see their turquoise water and white sand beaches. 


I have a list of activities that we can do so we will see. Of course,  I will be taking some time off from the blog and from my YouTube channel so I will see you all soon! Enjoy your week!



(photos via Pinterest)

A Little Tour…

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Good Morning Monday, starting the week again is never fun. But here we are….. I wanted to start this week’s blogs with the last of my D.C. trip from last month. I did not take as many pictures on this trip. I wanted to walk around and “take” everything in. I hate being on tours or on vacations and you are behind your camera the whole time. It just drives me nuts! And also since this was our third time going I have seen most of everything that I wanted to see. So it was okay to take fewer pictures this time. 
The photo above is in the U.S. Capitol. This building is just so beautiful. I was trying to capture the peach color paint on the walls but this photo does not do it justice. 

This room is the original Senate room. It still has a majestic feel to it. 

Also apart of the original Senate rooms.

Love all of the details in the ceilings. 
You see majestic….

A little fun fact about this chandelier. The original price when this was being built was $1,500. They just had this insured for $4.2 million! WOW!
Once we finished the Capitol tour (we scheduled a private tour), our guide wanted to take us to the Speaker’s Balcony. I was so excited to see this. I used to want to be President (I still kind of do) so having this opportunity was just a dream. 

My family and I enjoyed it!
After that, we went and took another look at the Library of Congress and I was so glad that I was able to just walk around and learn a few facts about this glorious building. 

We took a walk around the National Mall and I found this wonderful monument of Eleanor Roosevelt. This quote has wonderful truth to it, especially now… “The structure of world peace cannot be the work of one man, or one party, or one nation. It must be a peace which rests on the cooperative effort of the whole world”.  

Well said! 



After all of the tours, we had dinner at some wonderful restaurants. This was my dish at Clyde’s in Georgetown. Some of you may have seen this on my Instagram. It was so delicious we went back a second time! This was the roast half chicken dinner with lyonnaise potatoes, madeira mushrooms, and swiss chard. Outstanding! 
Then we went to a restaurant called Due South.  This was their cornbread with rosemary butter. Oh mercy! So good!

I ended up ordering the fennel spiced salmon with beluga lentils, sauteed kale, roasted onions, heirloom tomato and spicy creole sauce. Another fantastic meal! So tasty!
This turned out to be a delightful work trip. I was able to get everything accomplished and still had a superb time with my family. The weather was perfect and so were those cherry blossoms. I thanked the Lord greatly for this trip. It turned out to be a dream. As always thank you for reading and enjoy your day!


(photos via Mrs. Shockley)