The Royal Wedding

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I must admit I was not going to watch the wedding. I don’t know why but I wasn’t. But then I saw all of the beautiful photos on Instagram. It was absolutely breathtaking.

I LOVED it! It was done so well. It really was. I just wanted to share some of my favorite photos.

This photo is what captured me. How elegant? The arch blanketed with roses and greenery. It was just like a fairy tale. Her dress was exquisite! Very tasteful, chic, beautiful….. you name it was!

This was a florist’s dream! Just classic!

The tiara was gorgeous! I think I saw on Town and Country that this was a brooch from Queen Mary. I am not sure but I thought that is what I heard. So sophisticated. 
Oh my goodness! I would love to have a photo like this with my husband. Truly inspired!
I could not get enough of the archways around the church.
And I believe this was the cake. So simple, so chic and so graceful. I love it!

I wish more beautiful events like this were on t.v. But I guess we take beauty whenever we can. One thing I did notice about the guests is that there were no Kardashians! I didn’t see any of them arriving with any of the other guests. I was so happy! I am sorry if you are a fan but I am not! I was pleased. Thank goodness!!
Well I hope that you all enjoyed the royal wedding. I know I did and I hope that they have a long and prosperous marriage!

(photos via Instagram)

The Sassafras Tea Room

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I hope all of you had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend! I know I did. It started off with a pedicure and manicure. I do love how french tip manicures can make your toes look so good!

The next thing was a bouquet of flowers from my step son and a nice dinner with my family. On Mother’s Day I took my mother to this wonderful little tea room.

It is called the Sassafras Tea Room! It was quite lovely. We sat at a vintage table that also had antique chairs. My mother was not quite use to it but she was a good sport. 
I didn’t take a lot of pictures. I didn’t want to be rude and ruin everyone else’s lunch and I wanted to enjoy the moment with my mother. 
I did love the vintage glasses. 
The food was wonderful and my mother and I did have a good time. I am hoping to return to have lunch with a really good friend. I will be sending her a message soon. I hope you enjoyed this post and have a great weekend!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley) 

Treating People Well ~ Power of Charm

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Sorry for the delay. I was having computer problems on Monday but let’s continue….

A few weeks ago I read on a fellow bloggers website about a book called Treating People Well. I have been reading it for a few weeks now and I must say that it is an excellent book! You guys know that I love to share what I am currently reading and if there are any good pointers from the book then I will share it.

This book was written by Lea Berman and Jeremy Bernard. Both were social secretaries for the White House. Lea was the social secretary to the Bush Administration and Jeremy worked for the Obama Administration. It think that it is excellent that two people from different political backgrounds teamed up and shared their experience in working with dignitaries.

I wanted to share their section on the “Power of Charm”.

In the “Ease your Way in” section, Jeremy mentioned, “When you enter a crowded room, don’t walk up to people who appear to be engaged in an earnest conversation. Instead, look for a loose group of people who seem to be chatting casually. Make eye contact with one of them and extend your hand. (I’ve done this several times). Then say, “Hello, my name is…..”If it’s a more casual setting, like a barbecue, you can go with “Hi, I’m….” Then shake hands with others in the group, and enter the flow of the conversation. If you caught a little of what they were discussing when you walked up, that’s the best place to start: “Were you just talking about the last speaker? So powerful, didn’t you think? Or offer some tidbit of information about yourself, preferably with some humor, such as, “I’m Tom’s favorite brother. Okay, his only brother”.

One more tip that I wanted to share was the “Keep it Courteous“, steer away from topics that might make your dinner partner uncomfortable. If he mentions that his mother passed away recently, say you’re sorry for his loss and then change the subject. If someone says something politically charged that you disagree with, you can simply say, “I don’t agree” or “That’s not how I see it.” Again, change the subject. If the other person persists, say “I don’t think you’re going to sway any minds today! Maybe we should talk about something else.” 
I thought that these were some wonderful tips and were more but I didn’t want to spoil the book. The book is PACKED of ideas and helpful information on how to deal with people. I work in a political office so this book has me heading in the right direction. I hope you are able to pick up a copy of your own. Enjoy!!!!
(photos via Pinterest)

A Cleaning Habit Poll

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Sometimes I wonder if I am a really bad neat freak. My daughter’s friend was over one weekend and I was washing some cabinets doors and the front of the fridge. They had a little dust and dog drool on them (gotta love those boxers!). So she was watching me clean and said, “Wow….really, your house doesn’t have to be perfect!” Honestly, I wanted to drop kick her in the face but I just calmly said, “I like to clean and I like a lovely home.” Geez! Me wiping down a few doors was that bad?

I don’t know…. but I saw this fun poll on House Beautiful and wanted to share it with everyone. It was quite interesting. I hope you all enjoy it and have a Happy Mother’s Day weekend.

I am taking my mother to the Sassafras Tea Room for their Mother’s Day Brunch event! We are both excited and this will be the first tea room that my mother has ever visited. I hope that I can take pictures and I hope that we both enjoy it!

Have a great weekend!

(photo via Pinterest)

Florals in a Bottle

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In 2000 I purchased the bottle below from The White Barn Shop back when they sold body fragrances. I have not thrown it away. I simply love the way it looks and it has inspired me over the years to put faux flowers in my small bottles of perfume.

I buy small plastic bottles from the store and I put my favorite body spray or perfumes in them so I don’t have to carry a huge bottle of spray with me. But before I put the lid on I always add some small faux flowers to it. 
This is my small bottle of Amazing Grace that I keep in my purse. 

Small faux florals in the bottle. Lovely isn’t it? I hope this inspires you too.

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

The Floral Maxi

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Spring is here, spring is here, it’s the best time of the year! I heard that on a cartoon some years ago. It has a nice ring to it. I am loving all of the floral clothes and accessories out this year. I love it when companies provide lots of feminine clothing. It makes shopping so much more enjoyable to me.

Especially when I saw this floral maxi in  New York and Company.

Isn’t it lovely? I adore it and went on a quest to find it. The day it hit the website it was immediately sold out! I was furious! I thought what in the world! So I went to the store and they said that they were not getting any. You can’t be serious can you? So then I called customer service and they said that it was sold out!
So mad but I stayed elegant and was not rude to anyone. Then one of my co-workers (who works there part-time) told me that it arrived online! Eureka! I ordered it right away and could not be more happier!
And yes it has pockets!

I am wearing an extra large. Honestly, they run big so I could have gone down to a large and it would have been fine. But I think it will shrink once I wash it. But wouldn’t this dress be lovely for a graduation, wedding or baby shower?  With Mother’s Day arriving soon I think this would be a great dress to wear to church or brunch. I do adore it and wanted to share this lovely find. As always I do hope that you enjoyed this post and might have found your spring maxi!
Enjoy!


(photos via NYC.com and Mrs. Shockley)

Recent Spring Finds

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I believe spring is finally here! Oh wait maybe I should whisper before Old Father Winter returns. It has taken forever to warm up here but I must admit this has been one of the nicest weeks that we have had here in Indy.

Alright, now to share a few of my most recent “spring” finds.

This is the beautifully scented Casablanca Lily candle from Bath and Body Works. It has lilies and hyacinths in it. It smells like a fresh garden. I am enjoying it!

Next on my list….

These are so comfortable and incredibly chic! They are called the Hyleta Knotted Mule in lavender. I saw these in Target and had to get them. What a great sandal to start your spring with! 

The next item I saw was on a favorite bloggers Instagram page. The title alone captured my attention. “The French Art of Making a Home”, so curious. I ordered a sample on my Kindle and I just consumed the introduction. Then I ordered the book, Home Sweet Maison. I just started reading it and I am really enjoying how Danielle gives many details about her French friend in the book. It is lovely so far. 

And my last find is a delicious red wine.

My husband came home with this a few weeks ago. I am a huge fan of Risata’s white moscato wine. But I never thought that I would love a red wine until I tasted this! It is the best sweet red wine that I have ever tasted.  Risata Red Moscato wine tastes wonderful! I know that my husband and I will be adding this to our favorite bottle list this spring and summer.

Well I hope that you enjoyed my recent finds. I always love sharing items that I discover. If any of you end up purchasing some of the items on the post please let me know! I am always curious about if my readers enjoy the content. Have a great weekend!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)