Fall Finds at Payless

/2 Comments/in , /by

Nothing excites me more than hearing about a sale that includes 40% off! I recently checked my closet and realized that I did not have a single pair of boots! Shocking, but I didn’t. So I thought why not take a peek inside my local Payless store to see what goodies they had.

I found these elegant little things. These are called the Valencia Block Heel Boot and they also come in gray. They are beautiful and with 40% off why not? 
I thought that black would suit me well. You can’t go wrong with a classic black color although the gray color was quite stunning! I may have to revisit that.
And although my intentions were to go in and only buy some boots I could not leave without taking a peek to see what else they had. I love a classic wedge for the weekends and these were the PERFECT color. I could not pass them up. They were only $20! These are called the Karlie Wedge in taupe. 

Super comfortable and super chic. I hope that you can order a pair online and visit your local store. Both shoes come in more than one color. 
I will definitely be wearing these for this upcoming autumn season and hope to find some more comfortable chic shoes for the weekend! Have a wonderful day!

(note: the 40% off ends today!)
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

The New Inslee Calendars

/in , /by

Earlier this year I wrote a post about my first Inslee calendar that I had purchased. I was so excited to receive it and I have loved using it. Well I was on Instagram and spotted her new calendars for 2019! It is going to be hard to make a decision!

This is her 2019 Classic Desktop calendar and these are beautiful!

But honestly, I am leaning more toward her 2019 Botanical Desktop collection.
Just look at these beautiful illustrations! This lily of the valley (at least that is what I think it is) is gorgeous!

These are carnations! Stunning right?

All of these are so beautifully done. I just admire her artwork so much. I am hoping to commission her in the near future for a painting of my own. They are quite expensive but having something like this done is something that you can keep forever and cannot be mimicked. 
I hope to be making a purchase soon…..


(photos via Inslee.net)

October Favorites

/in , /by

My goodness October, October. Another month has came and went. I almost forgot to write a post about my favorites this month. It went by so quickly and it has been a busy month at the office. One of my co-workers has been on maternity leave and we were filling in for her in addition to our own caseload. Never fun but it nice to learn other things in the office.

Well for this month I will be sharing some items that I have already posted about but they have been my favorites for this month.

I saw this photo on Pinterest this month and could not stop staring at it. Oh my word! How gorgeous are these cabinets? Just stunning! I shared this with my husband and he loves it. So maybe in the near future……..
My number 2 has been my Eva Mendes dress! I love this dress! It is so comfortable and beautiful. I love the color. I actually wore it with a chunky brown cardigan and some kitten heels to lunch with a friend. It looked so chic. 
Number 3 has been my faux pumpkins from T.J. Maxx. They have had some great fall decor items this year. Lots of faux pumpkins and they look great on the porch!

Number 4 has been fresh salmon from my local grocery store. It has been so long since I have made it but my local grocery store will pack it for you with fresh herbs of your choice, lemons, limes and butter! It has been wonderful grabbing one every week. I just add some salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Lovely dinners every time.

I can’t go without mentioning this. Fifth on my list is my Tea for One set from David’s Tea. I love this!!! I absolutely adore it! It stays in my office Monday thru Friday but then I bring it home to enjoy on the weekends! I may have to buy a second.  
Sixth on my list is this wonderful movie from 1985 called “A Room with a View“. I watched it from my On Demand section. It is a wonderful movie. Lucy Honeychurch and her chaperone Charlotte Bartlett are on holiday in Italy (beautiful by the way) and meet Mr. Emerson and his free-spirited son George. Once they return to England Lucy agrees to marry another man and as fate would have it George moves to England with his father. I don’t want to tell you much of the movie but I really enjoyed it. I watched it four times already if that says anything. 
And last but certainly not least has been the six week etiquette tips given by Myka Meier on the blog called the The Glampad. Every Wednesday for the last five weeks (this week is the last week), Myka has been sharing her Duchess Effect tips on the Glampad. I must admit I have had it on my calendar to read this on Andrea’s blog since she announced this series on her Instagram page. I have loved reading all of the tips from Myka and learning more about her etiquette courses at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. If you are interested in etiquette pop on over to take a peek at the blog entries from Andrea. 
Well that is it for my favorites for the month of October. Next month is going to be a pretty busy month for me. I am hosting Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas Eve dinner so my hands are going to be pretty full. I will try my best to keep up with my blog posts for the next two months but don’t be surprised if I miss a week or two. Enjoy your week!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Lolita Lempicka

/in , /by

A little perfume today….. Lolita Lempicka has been my go to fragrance this month. I have been wearing this for over ten years. It has a “powdery” scent to it. I love it!

And apparently people who have passed me on the street love it too! I have had several people tell me, “ohh my goodness, you smell wonderful”. I do love this scent and look forward to wearing my “heavier” scents for the next few months. 
Have a great weekend! 


(photo via Mrs. Shockley)

Organizing My Monthly Expenses

/3 Comments/in , /by

I have been discussing routines and trying to stay organized here on the blog for some time now. I just realized that there is one thing that I have not shared and that is how I organize my monthly expenses.

Expenses 
11/3/18
Mortgage

Car

Light Bill



Car Insurance 

Water Bill



Home Depot Card 



Groceries 
Parking





Church 



Savings



Total:

This is an example of what I use to organize our monthly expenses. I just use a basic table on Microsoft Word and type in the amounts. I do this every week. I like to know what’s going out and what’s coming in.

I remember hearing this phrase in church, “know the state of your flock”, and I knew immediately what that meant. Shepherds always knew how many sheep they had and what state they were in. So we as individuals need to be aware of our flock. 

photo credit Tuft and Trim.com
I still receive paper bills. I have not moved our bills to email or receiving them electronically yet. It is very easy for me to delete an email and I am so afraid that I would delete a bill. I am also not comfortable with automatic withdrawals from our account. 
I still like to have some control over our accounts and I like to be able to pay our bills from our account. I don’t like the idea of a company withdrawing money without me seeing it. So if that is something that you do and are okay with it then good for you. I am not quite there yet. Sorry….
When our mail comes in I open it and then place new bills in my bill organizer on my desk at home and it looks very similar to the one above. 
Wednesday is “bill” day. I then plug in all the bills that are due for the next coming week, add them up and then log in the dates on my calendar on my cell phone. I set up reminders to get notifications of when a bill is due and that is it. 

photo credit Anthropologie 

After the bill is paid I do print off the email and place it in that bill’s folder in my drawer. Sorry I know that sounds like a lot of work but I guess it is the paralegal quality in me. At the beginning of each year, I do go in and throw away the previous year of bills.

But I can tell you how much we spend on our bills, I know about all of the expenses in our home. I know the “state of our flock”. Everyone has a different way of organizing their monthly expenses. Do what works for you and your home. I just wanted to share how I organize ours. I do hope that you may have found something useful out of my super long process. Being organized is a quality that a lot of people admire and it is another way of being elegant.

Enjoy your day!

(photos via Pinterest)

Draping Scarves

/in , /by

Fall is here, fall is here, it’s the best time of the year. I got that little phrase from a cartoon called “Little Bill“. No, but seriously I do love the fall and it is “draping scarf” time! I do love wearing my soft thick scarves around my neck.

This past weekend I had a few errands to run and I was wearing my lavender one the entire time. It felt so comfortable and provided just enough warmth for me.

My favorite ones are these knit ones from H & M. They are the perfect length and material. 

This one is also from H & M.  I love adding my vintage brooches to them. 
I think most of us love wearing scarves and enjoy having them. I take them with me everywhere. Even during the summer. Sometimes a room can be too cold.
Scarves, to me, are just another layer of elegance that you can add to your wardrobe and to how you live. Enjoy them this autumn season. 
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Victoria Magazine New Card Bundles

/in , /by

I think most of us are Victoria magazine fans but I was extremely excited we I received my email about their new note card bundles. I am a huge believer in having note cards around and keeping them handy for unexpected gifts or parties.

Oh my goodness, aren’t these lovely? I have to admit I think that this set is my favorite. 

Or maybe these….
Oh it’s so hard to decide. All of the sets are lovely. I think that these would make lovely Christmas gifts to.
Just simple, elegant and delicate. 
I had to share these with everyone today. I hope that you are able to order some and if so please share on your Instagram page or send me an email. I would love to see them!
Enjoy!
(photos via Victoria magazine.com)