Vitamins for the New Year

/4 Comments/in , /by

Good Morning Everyone,


It’s time for the new year, new me slogan. I always found that funny but oh well. I don’t think you need the new year to make resolutions. You can make them anytime. Life is about always making changes that are the best for you. I have never believed in waiting until the new year to make changes. 


Make your changes now. Anyway, since we are on the topic of the new year I did want to share the vitamins that I would be taking in 2020. 

Now I believe that I have shared my woman’s multivitamin before. I take the VitaFusion Women’s Multivitamin and you can find these anywhere. I found mine at the grocery store. I believe Walmart sells them as well. 
Here is the backside if you are interested. These taste so good and are about $10 a bottle. These last me about 4 to 5 months and I have been taking them for about 2 years. I do love the taste!

Now when I was grabbing these I noticed the Vitafusion Magnesium. I picked up the bottle and begin to read. I did read that magnesium is good for muscle and nerve function as well as blood sugar levels and blood pressure.
Here is the backside if you are interested. I recently have had a few high blood pressure scares. I don’t know what was going on but it was high. 

I am not a fan of blood pressure pills. I have family members who have been on them for years and had to get other medication because of the side effects from the blood pressure pills! It’s nuts!

I would rather eat healthy, exercise, and take care of myself than be on blood pressure pills. So we will see how these work. 

I hope that you all enjoyed this post and found this information helpful. Each year I try to make a goal of going to see more specialists. Now that I have had a podiatrist visit I will be visiting a vein doctor. 

I have been struggling with circulation in my left leg for over a decade now and I think it’s time to get it looked at. I still have not had a facial and I need to get that appointment booked this year as well. I have also been thinking about seeing a dietitian. I have not meet with one since Lauren was born. 

I will let you guys know what I find out. Enjoy your Monday!




(photos via Mrs. Shockley)



A Toile Inspired Bracelet

/2 Comments/in , /by

Good Morning Everyone,


Well, I had my follow up with my podiatrist regarding my foot and everything is normal. I was really nervous about going because he mentioned a few things but it did not turn out that way for me. Thank you, Lord!

So I have a lot of errands to run this weekend and I am looking forward to changing my nail color. I have been wearing red since November so going back to pink or maybe french tip will be nice. 


I recently found a beautiful piece of jewelry.  

This is called the printed bangle from Talbots. It is quite lovely.
When I saw it I immediately thought, “toile”. It looks just like toile. Now it comes in two different colors, red pop, and juniper ivy. 
It is a very beautiful bracelet.
I hope that you all enjoyed this beautiful find. If you are interested it is on sale right now for $17.49! Hurry and order and enjoy your weekend!


(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Things I Loved In 2019

/3 Comments/in , /by

Hi guys!! I know I promised you a home tour... it's coming soon! For now enjoy another view of my Chorus @arhaus cabinet in its new home!!…

Good Morning Everyone,


I am such a person of routine and don’t like change much but recently I have been craving change in some areas of my life. For one where I park in the morning has recently begun to drive me nuts!


I park about 4 blocks away from my office. Yes, you heard me 4 blocks! For the last 10 years that walk has never bothered me until recently. It was about two weeks ago when I was making that walk that I said in my mind, “okay, that’s it, I’m tired of this”. I don’t want to make this journey anymore. 


I no longer feel safe, the homeless are getting out of control, I have had too many men following me to my car, the mall is a mess and I want to be closer to my building. 


So I made a change recently. I have found a garage and it is across from where I work. So we will see how this new change goes for 2020. 


I have so many things that I want to accomplish this year but I wanted to review 2019. As I was going through all of my blog posts checking for the popular ones I found ones that I really enjoyed writing and wanted to share those. So below are MY favorite blog posts of 2019!

1) Elegant Evaluating

I actually need to do this now!

2) February Favorites
3) Chic Assignments~ March

4) Cherry Blossom Season ~ Finally

Still a dream! 

5) Living Well by Misty Copeland

6) A Lovely Mind

7) Everything is Beautiful in its Time.

I need to print this blog post out!

8) A Dining Room Update

9) A Dresser Update

I still love it!

10) August Favorites

11) Vintage Shopping & New Purchase

12) A Lovely Birthday ~ The Cake Bake Shop

13) Confident Monday

14) November Favorites





Enjoy your Monday everyone!






(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

A Gentle Reminder

/6 Comments/in , /by

Hello Friday….already,


It’s been two days since I have been in my garage and so far so good. About two weekends ago I picked up a Victoria magazine from the store and found an article called, Moments of Solitude”.


Boy, do I need these. This article was so beautifully well written and the pictures just make you want to climb right in. I wanted to share this beautiful article with all of you as we close out our first week of 2020. Enjoy your weekend.



Moments of Solitude


* Finding solitude in hand written letters and a cup of tea.

Moments of Solitude

This is beautiful. I can see myself sitting here planning my spring garden. “Okay, so how many hydrangeas and rose bushes do I want to plant this year”?






A double bouquet is always my favorite thing. Especially on a bedside table. 


Moments of Solitude


A beautiful cup of tea next to you and as you look over at the window you can see the snow falling gracefully for hours. Pure solitude….








(photos via Victoria Magazine.com)



Top Post of 2019

/2 Comments/in , /by

Good Morning Everyone and Happy New Year!


Gosh, a decade has ended and a new one is beginning. It’s 2020…. that sounds so weird, doesn’t it? I remember when it was 1991 and one of my mother’s friends said, ” Hey when it’s the year 2000 you guys might be flying in your cars”! I thought wow… that sounds cool. Now as an adult that sounds like a nightmare!


I would NOT want to be flying in my car! I hate heights and just thinking of all the mess we would have. I am glad to see that her premonition was not true. Thank goodness…




I wanted to share in this post the top posts of 2019. Thank you to all of you who have been continuous readers of my blog. It has been fun meeting new people and talking with the old ones. Cheers to your new year everyone!

1) Living During a Shutdown



2) The Classic Quilted Handbag








3) Thinking about Weddings






4) Teaching Elegance & Homekeeping










5) My Elegance Tested ~ Part 2




6) Ann Taylor Factory ~ Cheap Finds

* Top Posts of 2018

(photos via Mrs. Shockley & Pinterest)

December Favorites

/4 Comments/in , /by

Good Monday Morning,


Wow, well that went fast! Thanksgiving and Christmas, I almost forgot about writing a post for the blog! Geez. 


Well, I hope that you all had a great Christmas. I did. It was a lot of WORK but we managed and got through it all even while spending time with family. Now time for the daily grind and getting back into the swing of things. 


I tell you what I can’t wait until my daughter drives. Yes, of course, I am terrified but it will be nice to have my mornings back and put more responsibility on her to get herself to school. I have to have her there by 7:50 a.m.! Oh, I hate it but I try to take it in because, in the end, I will miss our drives to school in the morning.

Now let’s dive right into my December favorites….


The picture above is of the nightly serum I have been using for about two months now and it’s called the Clarins Double Serum. Now I know it is expensive but it is so worth the price! I have noticed such a change in my face. It’s bright and I don’t wear any foundation. It has 21 plant extracts in it and I only use it at night. Just two small pumps and I apply the serum to my face and neck. It’s glorious and the smell is magnificent. 

The second love on my list is the HBO documentary about Ralph Lauren called Very Ralph. What a wonderful documentary. It was so well done and to be quite honest I should not expect anything less from the timeless man himself. If you have cable I would search for it and watch it. It is streaming for free on cable. Do watch it. You will be inspired. 



Third, on my list has been a beautiful Christmas movie that I have watched over and over. It is called Borrowed Hearts. I saw this movie years ago and it just popped in my mind over the holiday season. So I did a search on my Comcast cable and found it for free! I have watched it over 10 times! It is so well written and I think that Eric McCormack and Roma Downey did a wonderful job. Search for it if you can!

Fourth on my list has been this wonderful sample that I received at the cosmetic show that I attended a few months ago. I was given a sample of Laura Mercier Rose Nourishing Oil. I have been using it everywhere! The light rose scent and nourishing oil has been heaven-sent for my heels. You are suppose to use it on your face but I have been using it all over! Forgive me but it is that good. 

Fifth on my list was my very first podiatrist visit! Yes, I made an appointment with a podiatrist. I have never been to one before but I noticed something going on with my toes and I wanted to get an expert opinion. Now I do not have my results back yet but do you guys remember when my foot was swollen? I mentioned it in one of my YouTube videos. Well, it turns out that I actually broke my foot!

Can you believe that? This is an actual screenshot of my doctor’s laptop and my foot. I had a fracture that most people have to have surgery on. I couldn’t believe it! My doctor said that it actually healed back in place perfectly! I prayed over my foot and once I heard that I prayed silently on the inside, thanking God! 

Sixth on my list have been my Ann Taylor slingbacks. I purchased these last month and have not regretted it! I hope that some of you were able to grab a pair. They are now 50% off!

It’s been a great month and I am looking forward to new things this year. I have been writing in my new Day Designer about things I want to see come into fruition. I pray for wonderful things this year and new opportunities. Enjoy your Monday!



(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Merry Christmas Gifts

/2 Comments/in , /by



Good Morning Everyone and Merry Christmas!


I hope you are all enjoying this holiday season with your families. I have been so busy the past few days but I wanted to take the time to wish all of my blog readers a very Merry Christmas and a big thank you!


Thank you for following my blog and for keeping in touch with me for all these years. Can you believe that I started this blog in 2014? I can’t! I am closing in on 1,000 posts! Wow…


This blog has opened a lot of doors for me. For one it has allowed me to find wonderful and beautiful friends. Some of my best friends have been found through blogging. I love it, thank you.


In today’s post, I wanted to share a few of my Christmas purchases for family. The photo above is of two scarfs that I picked up at H&M. They are for my husband’s uncles. 


This is a jeweled sweater that I picked up last year (December 2018) during H&M’s after Christmas sales. I purchased this for my father-in-law’s wife. After Christmas is the perfect time to purchase Christmas gifts for the following year. I only paid $10 for this!

I keep all of my Christmas gifts in a large tub in my guest bedroom. I just continue to shop throughout the year so it’s not a mad dash at the end to purchase gifts.


I love these beautiful gift tags that I found at T.J. Maxx.
I found this beautiful pink blush outfit with matching tights at T.J. Maxx for my husband’s cousin. She just had a baby last year. I thought the plush ballerina unicorn would be a nice touch. I only paid $12 for the outfit and only $8 for the unicorn. 



My husband’s grandmother loves soft large blankets. She’s almost 90 now and I wanted to keep that going. I found this last year for only $12. I hope she loves it!








Dinnerware can be a wonderful gift so I could not pass up these beautiful, large poinsettia plates from T.J. Maxx. I purchased them last year in December for only $4 each! I am giving them to my husband’s aunt. She is the first lady at her church. I figured that she might be able to use them there. 






My mother in law is always hard to buy for but this year we found this North Face vest for only $50 and this Michael Kors wallet for only $20! My mother in law is a bit of a fashionista. She pays attention to the trends and has very good taste.
I had to wrap her gift in my blue and white wrapping paper.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and thank you again for taking this journey with me. 

Merry Christmas!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)