Elegant Adventures Archives - A Home for Elegance

A Walk-Through History

April 17, 2025/0 Comments/in Elegant Living, Inspiring Posts /by mrs.sshockley

Good Morning Friends,

Do you have any blooms in your neck of the woods? I certainly do! I love it when my trees begin to bloom. It certainly helps with my morning walks. It makes them so pleasant and beautiful. My tulips did okay in my greenhouse this year. When we install my raised beds, I will be sure to move those to the outside. But I am also trying to give myself some grace because this is the first year of me trying to grow tulips in my greenhouse.

Remember my elegant adventures that I mentioned? Well, I just had one this past weekend. The organization that I volunteer for just had a run/walk marathon through our historical home district and it was phenomenal! This was the 3rd annual Dash by the Past, and it was my first time. It was so nice walking through that area with friends and seeing the gorgeous homes that I have loved since I was a kid.

A photo of me not being dressed up is rare! But here I am in my sun hat that I wear on my morning walks, my black cape, workout sweater, workout leggings, and walking shoes. I was comfy and layered up because it was cold. I still wore a pair of pearls and some big sunglasses.

It was such a beautiful day and a fun walk. We walked about 3 miles and got to look at all the homes in the historical district. There were about 300 people who signed up.

Our Guild group put out all of the Past Decorators Show House post. It was so fun to see each past show house. I have only been in the Guild for 3 years and have learned a lot, had fun, and made friends.

If you live in the area, I hope that you would consider joining us next year. All of the proceeds benefit Eskenazi Health and go toward helping us with our mission to support mental health. Cheers to home beauty and supporting the community!

Afflialte links attached – photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

Scheduling Elegant Adventures

April 2, 2025/0 Comments/in Inspiring Posts, Travel /by mrs.sshockley

Well friends, how is everyone? Are we ready for spring? The trees in our neighborhood are starting to bloom and my peonies are perking up through the ground. We are waiting a few more weeks before we install my raised beds, and I am ready to have some warmer walking mornings.

Oh goodness… my title. I tell you I have been having some deep life thoughts lately. Especially around how I want to live. There are so many ugly things going on in this world. I try to limit my news watching and doom scrolling. I am also trying to monitor my stress at work. That has been really hard with all of the changes that we have been having.

I came up with this idea “scheduling elegant adventures” when I was meeting with my doctor and therapist. Yes, I have a therapist, and it has been the best thing ever! I have been going for almost a year, and I believe it was one of the best decisions that I have made so far. I was discussing with her my idea about elegant adventures, and she loved it!

I was also discussing it with my dietitian as we talked about my stress management and weight. I mentioned to some of the girls in my Pilates class and everyone took it in like “wait a minute maybe I should try this”. What I realized is that taking a vacation once a year for one week is not enough for me. Not anymore. I need more beauty, more time alone, and more adventures.

So on my elegant adventures list, at least once a month, I go to dinner with my “Guild Girls” and last month we went duckpin bowling.

We had the best time! I had a blast. I really did. It forced me to slow down, play a game, and enjoy the moment. We went to dinner right after that and it was a wonderful adventure!

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

I tried a non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiri. It was so good! We also walked around the Bottleworks hotel which was very beautiful. This past weekend I decided to have another elegant adventure.

I have been wanting to go and see Swan Lake at the ballet for years now and I got a ticket and went. It was a beautiful ballet, and I am so glad that I went. I sat in the balcony. I sat with two couples. I went alone and had no regrets. The couples were so nice and funny. We all had a great time! Honestly, I have never read the story about Swan Lake and read it in the program. It is VERY interesting. I thought the Indianapolis Ballet did a great job. They are the same production that puts on the Nutcracker each year and the Indianapolis Symphony orchestra played the entire time. Talk about “seeking the arts”.

For the month of April, I plan on going to Nordstrom Rack. I rarely get to go to that store. I also want to go to Consign by Design again, and this has just been added to my radar for this year. Isn’t this hotel GORGEOUS? This is about an hour and 45 minutes away from me and my supervisor told me all about it. I want to go and stay for a few days, tour the hotel, and have a spa day. Now how wonderful would that be? My goal is to go and do something that I love each month and take that time to get away and just breathe. Stress and high cortisol levels are a real thing, and I just don’t want them to rule me anymore. Elegant adventures each month for me!

New Healthy Rituals

October 16, 2024/4 Comments/in Beauty & Health, Inspiring Posts /by mrs.sshockley

Good Morning Friends,

I recently had a four-day weekend and truly enjoyed it! I got my mums for my porch, order a few items online, started printing off to-do lists for the holidays, and kind of slowed down a bit. I am working on getting my canopy installed above my bed so I will be sure to share that soon.

I don’t know about you but since I am getting a little older I have been shifting things in my mind and body. My health journey has been a part of my life since my 20’s but I have noticed that my needs are changing as my life is changing. First on my list is breathwork. I recently became interesting in breathwork after reading Rushing Women’s Syndrome and watching Jennifer L. Scott’s video about breathing. So I added this video on breathwork to my weekly routines.

I enjoy doing this so much and it has helped me tremendously. I noticed that I do tend to pay more attention to my breathing. Next on my list has been stretching. I don’t know about you but I love a good stretch in the mornings so I added this video to my weekly routines as well.

I feel wonderful after doing these stretches in the morning. Another item has been my workout clothes. I shared my morning walk clothes some time ago but I am beginning to add more items to my workout wardrobe. I found some great new yoga pants to wear and new sports bras.

A fourth item has been new products. The first are these Garden of Life PMS Support pills. I am ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS skeptical of pms support pills. Most of the time they never work for me but these have been working!!! My cramps aren’t as bad, breast tenderness is better, and my mood is a little lighter. I don’t take them for the entire month. I usually start them a week or two before my cycle. They work great!

I am also going to try this Ryze Mushroom Matcha. I have been seeing this all over Instagram and have been curious for months now. I have read that some people have gotten flatter stomachs, feel less bloated, helps with inflammation, anxiety and energy. I will be sure to report back soon.

And the last item on my list is Pilates. Now my normal workout routines contain a mile and half walk around my neighborhood and a day of weights. I have taken Pilates before but it was at home and a dvd. When I saw Lydia’s video of her doing Pilates on the reformer I immediately became interested, so I told my husband that as another birthday gift I would like a session of reformer Pilates classes and so he paid for them!

I am now taking pilates at Indy House of Pilates! I am so excited. I have not been in a gym in 20 years! They last time I was in a gym I was 8 months pregnant with Lauren. I started about 2 weeks ago and will be finishing up my private sessions here soon and will be able to join classes when I want. It has been really hard. The first day after my first session I got in the car and thought, “dear God what have I done”! But I really want to continue my health and body are very important to me. When I see the other women walk in for classes, I pay attention to their posture. It’s straight and there is something about how they walk that looks different. I want that!

With these new classes I got to order some pilates shoes. I saw Lydia wearing these while taking her classes so I found some on Amazon and I love these! You can wear them around the house as well.

I am enjoying this new health journey and hope that with hard work and persistence I will be able to love my body and enjoy the upcoming years. Let me know below if you have taken a pilates reformer class, or have tried any of the products that I have mentioned.

Affiliate links attached
Other health journey posts: My Journey with Perimenopause, Tips for a Balanced Life, Healthy Eating is Elegant, & Loving your Season.

A Garden and Autumn Dinner with the Girls

October 9, 2024/5 Comments/in Elegant Living /by mrs.sshockley

Good Morning Friends,

I can NOT believe how warm it still is. Honestly, it’s driving me nuts! I hate this. It’s October. I know that at this moment I could not live in a warmer climate. I love the cooler temperatures. It’s still 80 degrees here.

Sorry for my rant, let us move on. I recently printed out my Christmas list. I am trying to get started with that. Since it is almost the middle of October I feel like I need to get started on Christmas shopping.

I am still organizing my home and replacing items bit by bit. I recently organized all of our family photos. It took me hours but I feel great that this is now done. I had brunch with my brother in law this past weekend and then went to HomeGoods afterwards. I believe I just found my curtains for my canopy project. I shared them on a reel recently.

I have been trying to capture beauty in my life. With so many things coming up, I just want to try to enjoy life whenever I can. Which is why my “girl’s days and dinners have become some important to me.

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

A few weeks ago I had a girls dinner planned with my Guild friends. We decided to tour the gardens at Newfields. Now I have been here several times but I have never toured the gardens. It was a real treat.

There were small ponds and water features everywhere. I did a Google search on lots of the flowers there. I am always looking for ideas to add to my garden or green house.

It was such a beautiful day. We had the sun, just enough heat and lots of florals. We walked around and chatting about everything under the sun.

My friend Kathy, the little one in the orange jacket, is so outgoing. She wanted to have a photo shoot and wanted to include us in it! I just laughed the whole time but she got me out of my comfort zone. The photo on the right is both of my friends Kathy and Judy.

I could not pass up the Lily House. If you have read this blog long enough then you will know that this is my favorite home. I take inspiration from this every time I see it.

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

After touring the beautiful gardens we headed to dinner. We had dinner reservations at a restaurant called the Meridian. I have never been here before but was open to visiting a new place.

I got the brussels sprout salad. It had toasted pecans, shallots, pears, and warm apple cider vinaigrette. It was delicious. For my main dish I ordered the Ora King Salmon with turnip and apple harsh, onion, celery, craisins, kale, soy-cashew, aioli. Again so good. We also had a glass of rose wine to toast our dinner!

I can’t tell you how much I needed a girls dinner that day. Having these monthly get-togethers is such a needed luxury in my life. As I stated I never knew how priceless friendships were until recently. My supervisor at my office has been such a excellent example. I have watched her for 3 years go to dinners, host book clubs, and take girl’s trips. Once I saw that I thought, “oh that is what friendship are all about”. You can have fun! I never saw good friendships until now and I want to make sure that I cultivate wonderful friendships with those I love. Nurture those friends!

My Color Analysis Journey

October 2, 2024/6 Comments/in Beauty & Health, Fashion Posts /by mrs.sshockley

Good Morning Friends,

I had a really good birthday weekend. Thank you all for the birthday wishes truly! I actually have a lot of content to share. I will be working with my friend Dr. Minju Witte here soon on a blog collaboration for etiquette! So if there are any etiquette questions that you want me to ask Dr. Witte please put it in the comments section below.

I have some wonderful autumn photos from the Lily House and an outdoor lunch that me and my Guild girlfriends had a few weeks ago. And I have a reel that I will be posting soon from my birthday dinner at the Cakebake Shop. I had tea there and loved it. Of course I could resist purchasing a teapot for myself. They are so beautiful in person.

Okay now let me share my wonderful color analysis appointment with you that I had on my birthday!

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

A few weeks ago, my branding company, shared a new project that they were working on. It was a new branding project for a local color analysis consultant. Ummm that caught my attention immediately and I reached out to her to find out what services she offered.

Elizabeth from the Color Coordinator , was so helpful and offered an in-person experience and a virtual one as well. I thought about having the virtual appointment but honestly nothing compares to doing it in person. So I set up an in-person appointment and put it on my calendar!

When I arrived I saw that she had the scarf rack which made me so excited. Now I have seen this done on YouTube so I kind of knew how it was going to be.

She was very personable, knowledge and fun. She made me feel so comfortable and we talked about colors, age, and a little bit of everything. I could not resist a selfie!

I did wear one of my favorite pink dresses but I was open to whatever Elizabeth was going to show me about color. I was also wanted some advice or make up colors. Sometimes people will just tell you, “oh that color lipstick looks great on you”, but then you get it home and find out that you don’t love it. I cannot tell you how many times I have purchased a pink lipstick only to not wear it.

In the above photos you will see a before and after. Elizabeth suggested that I go for berry color lipsticks and blushes. She actually applied a color on my lips and cheeks while I was there. You can watch her reel of my session here.

After going through all of the seasons Elizabeth was able to narrow down my colors to “bright winter”. I never thought in a million years that I would be a winter. One of the great aspects of this season of colors is that black is a neutral for me. Now how great is that! Elizabeth also explained that I have three other sister palettes which are dark winter, cool winter, and bright spring. In addition to the booklets I got this color swatch to help me pick out colors for my clothes, nails and makeup! I love it!

It was such a wonderful experience and I have NO regrets doing it. I have been wanting to experiment with more activities in my life and this was one of them. As we all know, life is so short and I want to do as much as a can to make it beautiful.

If you live in the Indianapolis area, I would recommend Elizabeth if you want to take an adventure in discovering your colors. It could do wonders!

A Girl’s Day ~ Antiques and Flowers

September 4, 2024/2 Comments/in Elegant Living, Inspiring Posts /by mrs.sshockley

Hello Friends, it’s September!

As I stated in my August newsletter, I love this month. It’s a sign of cooling down, a closet refresh, sweaters and lovely silk scarfs. I just love it! Lauren came home this past weekend and it was so nice to have her home. It was a first drive down from campus by herself! As you can imagine my mom-bear was so nervous but when I saw her pull up in the driveway I was able to take a deep breath, look up at the sky and say thank you! These beginning years of adulting are a new chapter for us all.

I shared a few weeks ago that I had a girls day with some of my friends from the Guild. We planned a day of lunch, antique shopping and visiting my friend’s cabin. It turned out to be a great day and a wonderful time to chat, catch up and explore.

We started off with a meetup. Everyone ended up at my home and everyone wanted to see my greenhouse! We then walked around to look at my David Austin roses and then loaded up in the cars to head to Starbucks.

It was an hour drive so we just talked about everything under the sun. Our health, family, goals, and dreams. It’s always good to chat with friends and to get a fresh perspective on life. Sometimes all you need is someone else’s point of view to guide you back to where you need to be. Our first stop was lunch at a restaurant called the Hard Truth which is also a distillery company.

The views were magnificent. We had a wonderful lunch while seeing nature.

Next we did some vintage jewelry shopping at Touch of Silver, Gold and Old. They had a vintage cameo that I wanted so bad but of course the one that I selected was $2,000! I did not purchase it but we had a wonderful time looking around and meeting the owner.

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

We then walked to a lovely coffee shop called Olde Bartley House. I LOVED the decor! The vintage table, and chairs, chandeliers, and floors were so aesthetically pleasing. It had lots of beautiful artwork and was filled with history from the town.

And this door!?? Loved it!

Once we left the coffee shop we then went to my friend’s cabin and spent a few hours there. We sat in her sky chairs and just laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. She also had an outside tea room which was lovely. I didn’t take any photos of my friend’s cabin because some things just need to remain private. Once we left there we went and visited one of the properties that she is working on. It had an outside tree house which was one of the most beautiful tree houses that I have ever seen. I didn’t take pictures of it because I wanted to be in the moment.

After that we then stopped by the sunflower garden. I posted a video of it on my Youtube channel. It was such a magical place.

I had such a great time with my friends and on the inside I teared up a bit. For about 12 years I have been praying for good godly friendships. I have been saying almost daily, “the Lord will bless me with friends, that will pray for me and I will pray for them”. I have been wanting friendships for a long time. I believe that having friends as a woman is another form of self-care. Friendships are so meaningful in life and I never really understood that until recently. If you have some girlfriends, nurture those relationships. Work on keeping them in your life. They are so important.

Have a wonderful weekend!