Grace Note~ Diet Thoughts

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Good Morning,

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. It is an Indian summer here in Indiana! It was 70 degrees all weekend long! Very nice but I miss the cold. Okay so I just realized that I got the wrong spray for flocking my trees. Great…. we sprayed them but they did not turn out the way I wanted them. So later this week I will be taking a trip to Walmart to check out their flocked trees. I will keep you guys posted. 


On Friday I gave the last grace notes from Chapter 3 of Living a Beautiful Life and the last grace note from that list had me thinking. 

The note said…. “Begin a “New Attitude” diet today. Make a list of ten reasons why you want to lose weight; repeat them each morning when you wake and whenever resolve weakens. Indulge yourself once a week with a special low-calorie treat, like a big bowl of raspberries. 

Photo by Mariah Hewines on Unsplash

I mentioned in one of my Youtube videos that I was not trying to be apart of the “quarantine 15”. I believe that there were lots of articles written about it during the beginning part of the stay at home orders. There were some comments being made about people gaining from 10 to 15 lbs during the quarantine. Once I heard that I thought oh no!

I already had weight that I trying to lose. Now I had to be diligent and make sure that I wasn’t going to gain more. So I cut back on food and just watched my calories. I have always worked out so exercise was not a problem for me. My issues were dinner. I always ate too much during dinner. 

I have several reasons why I wanted to lose weight. The first is health reasons. I don’t want to be on blood pressure pills or other medications because of my weight. Also, there is a certain way that I want to look in my clothes. I am happy to report that during the quarantine I have lost 7 lbs!

















 Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash

I still have another 10 more to lose but I have not put a time limit on myself. At first, I did but then I reminded myself that it took about 10 years to put this extra weight on I should give myself more time to lose it. What are your weight loss goals? Do you have any? Please share in the comments section if you wish. As always thanks for reading! 


Weekly Beauty Inspiration ~ LABL (6)

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Photo by Rikonavt on Unsplash



Good Friday Afternoon,

What a week it has been. This election…. geez. I will say this I always, always pray for whoever the new President is. I believe that since they are the leader of our country we should be praying for them. Also here is the thing, if they do well then we all do well. I always pray for our presidents. Always. 

Okay, let’s dive into the last portion of Chapter 3 in Living a Beautiful Life. I have already started Chapter 4 but as I was reading the “Grace Notes” portion of the book I felt like some of Alexandra’s tips needed to be shared. I hope you agree.

* Use hand towels as generous lap napkins. (great idea!)

* Place fresh flowers in water in an extra sink or in a bucket and just leave them there until they need to be placed around the house. (what a fun idea!)



















Photo by Guillaume LORAIN on Unsplash


* Store candles in the refrigerator; they’ll burn longer. ( I have never heard of this before)

* Serve green grapes with Roquefort cheese on hard pumpernickel rolls. (Sounds like a wonderful treat!)

* Decant olive oil and wine vinegar. (I am sure many of us do this already)

* Use an old Welsh dresser, English baker’s cabinet, or French armoire in the kitchen to store dishes and silverware. (Ahh I really want to do this!)

* Grate fresh parmesan cheese on a spinach salad. 

* Marinate chicken cut in quarters in freshly squeezed orange juice and fresh sliced ginger root, then bake slowly for two hours at 250 degrees. (This sounds sooo good!)



















Photo by Alexandra K on Unsplash


* Call a busy friend and make a date to meet for an early breakfast visit, to catch up. (Last month we took my brother in law out to brunch for his birthday. We had a great time!)

* Sprinkle parmesan cheese on popcorn. A healthy, low-calorie snack – I picked up the idea from Jane Brody.  (This sounds delicious!)

And the last grace note from Alexandra….

* Retrieve a set of those pretty plates you have hidden away in a kitchen cabinet, and hang them on the wall for all to see. A good hardware store will have plate holders in several sizes, designed for hanging. (I have been wanting to try this for some time now)













Photo by Chance Anderson on Unsplash

I hope everyone has enjoyed this chapter of the book. I do adore these “Grace Notes” at the end. It’s like a beauty checklist for living. This weekend I will be working on my Christmas decorations. I purchased some flock spray earlier this year from Amazon. We will be spraying some of my trees with it. I sure hope it turns out okay. I will let you guys know. I have been wanting a flocked Christmas tree for some time now. I just didn’t want to spend a fortune on one and I have about 6 Christmas trees in my garage that I could use. 

I will be sure to let you guys know how it turns out! Have a wonderful weekend!





Victorian Carpet Bag ~ Mary Poppins Tote

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My office at home

Hello Everyone!

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful weekend. We kept things quiet on Halloween. We passed out candy and had two friends over for a bit of socializing. That was it. It has been cold here in Indy. We turned on the heat this week but I do open the windows in the mornings for some fresh air. It helps!

I was recently on Etsy and found these enchanting Victorian Carpet Bags! Now I love large bags and I love the shape of these! I know that they may not be for everyone but I love this bag!

photo credit Max Carpet Bags
It does remind you of a Mary Poppins bag but I love it. The body is made of chenille carpet and the handles are made of real leather. I believe these bags are built to last. 
photo credit Max Carpet Bags 
I also love this print as well and I am leaning toward ordering this one. I am not sure yet. I have been thinking about this one all weekend. I believe this would match better with my wardrobe. 

They do come in smaller sizes as well. Let me know your thoughts below. Are they too old fashion or timeless and classic? Don’t be shy and want to know. 

Thanks for reading!!!

Weekly Beauty Inspiration ~ LABL (5)

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Good Morning Everyone,

I hope all is well. Halloween is tomorrow. We purchased a little bit of candy just in case we have trick or treaters stop by but other than that it will be a quiet weekend for us. 

I will be working on the blog, reviewing my Thanksgiving dinner checklist, finishing some last Christmas gift purchases (I am almost finished), and hopefully getting in some reading. 

Okay, let’s get into this week’s Living a Beautiful Life tip. I am still in Chapter 3. It is quite a long chapter and I have been quite busy with other things so I have it on my list to finish this chapter this week. Alexandra the author continues to talk about food and how to enjoy it. She says…

“Good eating is a philosophy. I know a French lady who muses, “I am the keeper of my sacred body. I guard carefully everything I put in my mouth.” She eats entirely by the seasons. 

What great advice! I have been recently trying to eat my produce by the seasons. There is a great difference in taste when you do this. 



Photo by Melnychuk Nataliya on Unsplash



She goes on to say, “Certain foods should be eaten at certain times of the year. Nothing is more disappointing than a tasteless plastic tomato in December. The best way to select fresh ingredients at the best price with the most flavor is to follow the seasons.

In the early spring, asparagus comes on the market, and by June and July, there are melons and berries. Corn in July. We often go to a local restaurant that has tomatoes and basil on the menu all summer, yet only serves this dish when the tomatoes are perfect. “

I recently stopped buying blueberries because they began to taste terrible. I have shifted to grapes for the moment. I do buy apples as well. 



















Photo by Євгенія Височина on Unsplash



The last tip that I wanted to share from Alexandra is her tips about taste. She says, “Experiment with your basic menus. Add ginger and blanched scallions and Greek olives to your chicken one night; the next, nutmeg, bacon, and sour cream to your spinach. Then add a touch of soy sauce to whatever you have in the wok…..  Carrots are delicious with fresh orange or tangerine juice squeezed into the butter, plus a pinch of cinnamon and a little brown sugar.”

That sounds stupendous! Carrots with all those flavors, I may have to try that!

Let me know in the comments section if you have ever tried carrots prepared this way. I still hope that you all are enjoying these snippets from the book. I enjoy sharing them. 

Have a great weekend everyone!




October Favorites ~ 2020

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Good Afternoon,

I am still working on getting the blog ready to transition over to my new website. I am really excited and very nervous at the same time. There are so many projects that I want to do in the future. I hope the Lord will allow me too. 

Well, let’s get into my favorites for October…


My first favorite has been my new vera clip earrings from Loren Hope. I just love these! I have been wearing them non-stop over the entire month. I even have them in right now. Love them!

 

My second has been the French Character Homes channel on YouTube. This is a cup of tea, sit on the cozy couch, and enjoy kind of channel. I must admit I did it a few times this month. 

Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash



(photo via Mrs. Shockley)


Third, on my list has been my jade roller. Goodness, you guys I love this thing! My face glows after using it. I feel like I don’t even need any makeup after using it. 



(photo via Mrs. Shockley)


Fourth on my list has been my faux flower arrangments in my personal office at home. I found the red hydrangeas at Walmart. Here is a similar bunch. The deep red is perfect. 

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)
The fifth is my LV purse insert from Etsy. This has done wonders for my neverfull. I can find everything and it’s organized. This can be used for any kind of tote but if you have a neverfull give it a try! 


(photo via Mrs. Shockley)

Sixth is my Chanel inspired brooch from Minty Jewelry. It is a really chic brooch. It’s a great size and looks splendid with anything! 

Well, that is about it for my October favorites. I hope you guys enjoyed this post and found some new finds for yourself!


Changes Coming….

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Good Afternoon Everyone,

I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is I have decided to move the blog to my very own website! The bad news is some of my old posts will vanish….

I did not know that you can not use photos from Pinterest on your blog unless you have permission. I now have to go through every last one of my posts (that I believe) my have an image from Google or Pinterest and delete the photo. I have already deleted some of my posts because I can not find the beautiful photography that I want to replace it with. You guys I am devastated.  Pinterest had been my main source for beautiful photography and to know that it is encouraged that bloggers NOT use it is crushing.

But I get it. The gentleman who is working with me on getting my new website set up has already experienced the horrible consequences of using an image that you don’t have permission to use. He had to pay a few thousand dollars for using one photo. It’s incredible. So I say this with a broken heart that some of my posts will disappear if I can not find the photos that I want. You will see more of my photography on my page (and honestly you should) but this is what I am dealing with. 

I hope you all continue to follow the blog as I try to learn all of these new rules. I am not sure what I can share and what I can’t. I have reached out to a more experienced blogger for help. I hope she gets back to me soon. I am excited about having my own website and having some freedom finally!

I am trying to keep that in front of me. I will be posting my October favorites this week! Enjoy your day!!


Also if you have moved from Blogger onto your own website I would love some pointers if you could provide them! I will let you guys know when my blog has transitioned. 

It will take several weeks. Thank you!!!!


(photo via Mrs. Shockley)








Roasted Brussel Sprouts

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Good Wednesday Afternoon,

I am still thinking about the Cake Bake Shop. It was such a nice dinner. It’s been a while since we have had such an enjoyable meal and time. Speaking of food, today I wanted to share one of my favorite veggies to roast…. brussel sprouts! 

I purchased mine at the grocery store in this mesh bag. They are about $2.99 for this small bag. 
I wash them and slice them in halves. 

I then place them in the baking pan that I sprayed with olive oil spray. I pour extra virgin olive oil on them, sprinkle salt, and my new favorite celery salt! 
I love celery salt! Oh my gosh, it adds so much flavor to a dish. 

I place them in the oven for about 25 minutes at 400 degrees and they come out so well. They are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. So good!

I love them with my roasted chicken or salmon. They are so good and compliment my meals well. I hope you get a chance to try them and don’t forget the celery salt! Enjoy!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)