September Favorites

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Wow, September has come and went. It feels like this year is just going by too fast! Today is my 36th birthday and I really don’t have any plans. I just want a nice dinner, I already ordered two new dress online from New York and Company (see here and here) I hope that they fit well, had a manicure this past weekend and I finally got to Pottery Barn to get those beautiful Monique Lhuillier plates that I have been wanting.

Also, I have a secret, I have never had a birthday cake before. Sad, I know but it is true! So I am hoping to get one this weekend. Well, let’s continue on with my favorites for the month of September. A great month I might add….

Okay, I will start with this I am not a yogurt fan! I hate yogurt. I want to love it but have had a hard time finding one. I use to eat Dannon La creme yogurt but I think that they discontinued it because I cannot find it anymore. A few weeks ago they had samples out for tasting for this yogurt called Oui. It is a french style of yogurt. I love the glass container. So chic right? Well turns out that I love it and have been buying it every week.

So creamy. The vanilla is my favorite!
Okay, second on my list is my night herbal hot cup of tea…..
Here I am in bed watching a movie called Marty. I have enjoyed this ritual and I have enjoyed using my teacups every night also. 
Third, on my list has been our new flannel sheet set from Costco.  I tried finding this pattern online but to no avail. 
Fourth on my list has been this photo that I found on Pinterest. I have no idea where it is from or who the original photographer is but I adore this photo. I love the dress, the heels, the elegance behind it. It is such a great inspiration. I have been on the hunt for a blue dress like this for years now. This photo is my screen saver on my phone. It is so pleasing to see when I turn on my phone. 
Fifth on my list is chinoiserie wallpaper. I will always love this wallpaper but my husband will NOT let me have it. I think one day I am just going to order it and have it installed and let him go mad after it is done. I would love to have it installed by Gracie Studio. I am a huge fan of their work. 
photo credit Aerin Lauder

Sixth on my list are my Gucci sunglasses and yes I did pay this price for them. I don’t regret it because they are so timeless and chic. They are some “head-turners” for sure but I love them, they are so classic! 
And last but certainly not least is this Youtube video from Harper’s Bazaar. It is a video about Susan Lucci and everything that she eats in a day. This video so impressed me! First of all Susan is 71 and she looks incredible! 
Secondly, her food choices would put most of us to shame. I am so enamored with this video. I love her china cup with the bird on it. So pretty. She exercises every day, and heck, I am so happy when I get in 4 days a week! And watch her 80-year-old husband make a fabulous dinner for them. It is a wonderful video. 
Well, I do hope that you enjoyed my September favorites. I hope that I will have one for October but we will see. 
Have a great weekend!
(photos via Mrs. Shockley & Pinterest)

Tea in the Evenings

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Since I have started my herbal journey I have been trying to incorporate more natural herbs and organic foods into my diet. It has not been as hard as what I thought. Once I made my mind up my eating habits began to change.

I shared a few weeks ago my herbal teas that I have been drinking. I have since added to my collection. On Wednesdays, during the summer, my city hosts a downtown market event. We have several vendors who arrive and sell their products. One vendor in particular is a herbalist and her booth is always busy.

This past week I stopped by to see her latest herbal teas and tinctures. I told her that I was interested in herbs for the female reproductive system and herbs that would help with digestion.

She handed me her blend of goddess tea, healing heart tea and Gentian tincture. The goddess tea is made of red raspberry, red clover, nettle, lemon balm, peppermint and passion flower. The healing heart tea is made of hawthorn, linden, lemon balm, mother wort and rosemary. I have to admit I loved the goddess tea! It tastes wonderful!
My husband purchased this tea filter for me years ago from Teavana. 

It fits perfectly in my cherry blossom tea pot also from Teavana. It is real china. 
I boil my hot water on the stove and pour in my herb tea and water and let it steam for about 15 minutes. I have been enjoying a cup in the evening in bed all week. 
I put everything on my lovely tray and take it all upstairs to my bedroom. I sit and sip while watching my old Martha Stewart dvd’s. These have been lovely evenings indeed. I also put a spoonful of honey in my hot teas. I do enjoy a little sweetness to my teas. 
Before I forget I wanted to share information about the tincture that I purchased from her also. I just put two dropfuls in my bottle water and drink. I hardly taste anything but it is nice to know that I am taking in natural herbs that are good for my stomach. 

I do hope that you enjoyed this post and are inspired to give natural teas a try. If you wish to share where you are purchasing your herbal teas I would love to know! Please share in the comments section below! Thanks for reading!!!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Elegant Pyrex Storage Containers

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About a month ago I was watching a blogger on Youtube by the name of Lisa and she was doing her fresh meal prep with her glass lock containers. I thought, “oh I would love to find some of those”. Well we did!

We discovered these great storage containers at Costco called snapware storage containers and I could not find them online! I found this option here. My set is quite similar and we paid the same price.

My snapware set at home. It is 18 pieces with the lids. 
The bowls are Pyrex glass which is great! I love that they are not plastic so I don’t have to worry about staining and them looking disgusting after a few months. 
The snapware lids feel secure on the bowls and they were so easy to clean and looked great!
I am sorry that I could not find them online. I love Pyrex products. They are made very well and last. I was so happy to find these at the store. If you wish to watch the video that inspired this you may see it below. Her food habits and meal prep is very inspiring for sure!
Enjoy the video!
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

A Lovely Foot Soak at Home

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About once every other week I give myself a pedicure at home. I do enjoy it. Sometimes I will read, make a cup of tea or watch a vintage movie while soaking my feet. This past weekend I decided to try a new foot soak.

Dr. Teal’s Epsom Foot Soak
I saw this at Walmart a few weeks ago and decided to give it a try. And I am glad that I did. It was quite wonderful! My feet and toes felt very clean. 
The smell was not the sweet peppermint scent that I was used to. It smells a little more like medicine than something sweet. I love that fact that it has baking soda in it to help with odors and the epsom salt to help with soreness. 
I put just a little in my foot tub. I have just a medium clear foot tub. 
Then I added a little bit of my bubble bath liquid for bubbles. It was a nice pedicure. I soaked my feet for about 20 minutes. It was lovely. 
If you need a good foot bath salt then try this. I believe that there were other scents available. An at home pedicure is the best way to relax and take care of yourself. Have a good weekend!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Mrs. Meyer’s Natural All Purpose Cleaner ~ My Review

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Okay time for my second natural product review. This time I decided to try the Mrs. Meyer’s Lavender Multi-Surface Everyday Cleaner.  I LOVE IT! 

I love everything about this cleaner. I love that it is made with essential oils and plant derived ingredients. 
I have used it on my counter-tops, appliances and our bathroom. 
And the smell is marvelous. It is truly therapeutic and relaxing. I was a little unsure about using it. I wasn’t sure if my kitchen would feel clean or if the product would get “soapy” enough for me but it does. 
I have been using it for almost two weeks now. This item will be permanently added to my cleaning product list. You must try it! I do enjoy using it every night while cleaning up after dinner. Here is a video from Jennifer L. Scott. Of course I was inspired by her to give this product a try. 

Enjoy!!
(photos via Mrs. Shockley, opinions are of my own)

Tuesday Morning Finds

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It’s funny how my friends keep an eye out on great finds for me. This time it was my very good friend Mrs. Tina who spotted some beautiful blue and white items at Tuesday Morning.

She sent me a photo of some blue and white vases so I decided to go and take a peek….

These were the first vases that I saw. My “insides” leaped for joy! I had already purchased two in my mind. 

But then I saw this one…… my goodness!


(The Enchanted home photo)
What’s funny is that I was just talking about a gray ginger jar vase that I saw on the The Enchanted Home blog with my friend Mrs. Shery. So to see one for only $40 I just had to purchase it. 
I walked down a bit further and spotted these…..
Lovely aren’t they? 

But then I saw these! Oh I do declare! Pink lampshades, oh my, my, my. Now I was in turmoil. 
After about 20 minutes of trying to make a decision, I decided to purchase the lamps with the pink lampshades. And a few other things…..
I could not love the gray ginger jar anymore. It is so chic and looks beautiful with my other blue and white pieces. 

The lamps were a great additional also. I have been moving them around different places in the house trying to finger out where they would look best. I can see them at both ends of my dresser but I don’t know yet. I hope that you enjoyed this post and may have found some inspiration!
(photos via Mrs.Shockley & the Enchanted Home)

Mrs. Meyer’s Natural Detergent ~ My Review

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So as I mentioned last week I have been really inspired by Jennifer L. Scott’s reviews on natural home products. In July she did a review on Mrs. Meyer’s laundry detergent.  So again I became very intrigued and quite curious.

I went to my local grocery store and purchased the lavender scent detergent. It smells wonderful and is very concentrated. Now I will be fair and say that once the clothes were put into the dryer the smell does disappear a little but it is still a wonderful detergent. 
I have been using it all week and do enjoy it. The only con is that it is quite expensive! I paid $15 for one bottle. That is double what I normally pay but I wanted to give it a chance and see what it was like using a natural detergent. We have very sensitive skin in my home and it does not take much to get a rash from using a different detergent. 
I have really enjoyed Jennifer’s reviews and have loved learning about natural home products. If you want to watch the video you may see it below. 
Enjoy!!!
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)