Bag Color Tip

My Tahari by Arthur S. Levine jacket was found at Dillard's during their end of season sale last summer. It has become one of my favorite dressy jackets.

I once read a style suggestion that went something like this. "Buy a handbag the color of your hair, and you will carry it more often than any other." I really do carry my gray bags most often! This one by Calvin Klein is one of my daytime favorites. I found it at T.J.Maxx last fall.

The slacks and the shoes are from Saks Off 5th, and I am wearing a long sleeve black tee from Chico's. In case the weather turns cooler, I have a black trench coat by Fabrizio Gianni thrown over my arm.

Lobster, Vintage Fur and Diamonds

We recently joined friends for dinner at Café Pacific. It is located in North Johnson City.

We have cool temperatures now in the evenings, so I wore a vintage fur-trimmed black cable front sweater by Ralph Lauren. I have a few jackets and high-end sweaters that were fabulous gifts from my friend Mitzi when she also recently downsized. When I wear a vintage piece, I keep the look sleek and simple and wear it with very modern elements.

The pants are pieced faux leather front leggings from Chico's. The Adea tank is my all-time favorite!

We had not been to Café Pacific in several years, so we had forgotten what a treat to the eyes and the palate it is to have even a small meal there. We share and order small plates often.

There was a delicious amuse-bouche from Chef Scott. Amuse-Bouches are different from appetizers in that they are not ordered from a menu by patrons, but when served, are done so free and according to the chef's selection alone. These are often accompanied by a complementing wine, are served both to prepare the guest for the meal and offer a glimpse into the chef's approach to the art of cuisine. This one is strawberries with herbs and a balsamic reduction with a passion fruit juice chaser.

The warm pieces of bread were served with whipped herbed butter and pesto olive oil for dipping.

The lobster bisque is a divine dish that is so rich we recommend sharing.

Everyone had a delicious seasonal salad.

Have you ever had a dessert amuse-bouche? This tiny bite was so full of fall flavor!

Now for the real dessert! We also shared this fabulous decadent chocolate dessert with fresh berries and a delightful light cream sauce. 

The shoes are by BCBGeneration via Dillard's. (Aren't they fierce?!) The antique amber watch, the ring, and the earrings were gifts from Mr. Mickey. The evening bag is from T.J.Maxx.

Many of you have asked me how to keep my weight down while going out to eat so often. Mr. Mickey and I share a few small plates and then order a salad as an entrée. I get to taste several different dishes without feeling I have to eat the whole thing.

New Boyfriends ... Jeans

Wearing red, white, and blue on the 4th of July can seem like a costume. Throwing caution to the wind. I did it anyway!

Today we visited Founder's Park in Johnson City. The project is part of the renaissance of old downtown, which is just beginning. It's a fascinating time as galleries, shops, cafés, and loft living are all planned for wonderful old brick buildings dating from the 1920s.

Johnson City has long been known as a sleepy little railroad town, but that image is slowly changing as crumbling old warehouses are being torn down to be replaced by biking trails, parks, and public art installations.

One of the many art installations is this playful granite gator about to take a bite out of my leg. It is by Craig Berube-Gray from Key West, Florida.

The park is built around the natural flow of Brush Creek, which passes through the town. During times of heavy rain, the creek will now have plenty of space to expand.

On beautiful sunny days like today, families now have a lovely downtown green space to sit on a bench, go for a walk or play by the creek.

Today I am wearing those new boyfriend style KUT from the Kloth jeans I told you about last week. They are from Dillard's, but several department stores also carry them.

The blue and white striped top is from Chico's, as is the red long sleeve top tied around my shoulders. The shoes are Anne Klein Sport via T.J.Maxx.

80th Birthday Dinner

Last evening we joined our dearest friends to celebrate Mr. Mickey's 80th birthday at our favorite restaurant Artisanal in Banner Elk, NC.

I wore a Covered Perfectly draped front top in black with brocade black pants from Chico's last year. The sandals were purchased at the last big Dillard's sale. The bag and earrings are from Stein Mart.

Knowing that the evening temps would dip into the low sixties, I grabbed this royal blue jacket on the way out the door.

Best friends are the greatest gift of all. This is my dear friend Mitzi. Isn't she beautiful?

The restaurant owner surprised Mr. Mickey with a birthday dessert. We had such a lovely evening!

The face of Grandfather Mountain was visible in the clouds as we were leaving.

Day Into Evening

It was a beautiful spring day, so we drove down to the Nolichucky River farming community to visit the Mennonite store. 

The Farmer's Daughter restaurant is next door. We have never eaten there, but there is always a line out the door and along the front porch with an overflowing parking lot each time we have visited the area.

A food truck outside the store offered these huge donuts made right there by this beautiful young woman. There was also a line out into the parking lot for these. 

We resisted the mouth-watering smell even though it was so very tempting.

You may never meet a man who loves bread more than Mr. Mickey! Here he is contemplating which loaf to buy. Believe me when I say, if I did not limit him to one, he would have bought them all!

The drive down to Greeneville along the scenic route is awe-inspiring, with rolling green meadows and mountains rising to frame the deep blue horizon. 

We also stopped along the way to visit some of the stores that have recently opened in Jonesborough, Tennessee's oldest town.

My daytime outfit included white zipper ankle pants and a tank top along with a beaded tassel necklace from Chico's. The navy linen-like jacket is from Appleseed's last year. The Anne Klein Sport sandals and the red Tahari bag are both from T.J.Maxx. 

Later in the day, we only had time for me to change shoes, sweaters, and necklaces to meet our dearest friends for dinner at our favorite restaurant. The sweater is old from Dillard's. The necklace was a gift from Mr. Mickey. Note that I always wear small stud earrings with statement necklaces allowing that one piece to take center stage. The Jessica Simpson sandals are from T.J.Maxx. 

The Gourmet and Company restaurant staff have become almost like family as we have celebrated many special occasions with them and cheered them on in their own life events. This is our dear friend Kenn who has been our server during many of our special celebrations. He and Mr. Mickey actually created one of their most popular dishes on the menu! It is named 'The Jilton Vegetarian' after Mr. Mickey. 

I often wear one color from head to toe with a contrasting color jacket or open cardigan. This helps me to look taller and thinner. It is also a great way to create several different looks with a limited number of pieces in your wardrobe. I always try to buy a tank top to match each pair of pants I buy. Contrasting jackets, cardigans, and large scarves give you totally different looks while keeping a lean silhouette. Leaving the jacket open gives an uninterrupted long, lean line.

Johnson City Area Arts Council Event

One of our favorite annual fundraisers to attend is the 4x4 sponsored by the Johnson City Area Arts Council.

The theme for this event was the 50th Anniversary of the British Invasion. (Do you remember when the Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show? Yes, that was 50 years ago!)

The event was held at the beautiful Carnegie Hotel in Johnson City.

I was so happy to see my friend Lisa Nidiffer Rice whose campaign for Criminal Court Judge I am proud to be working on.

When you purchase a ticket for this event, you receive a four-inch by four-inch masterpiece created by a local artist. (Thus, the name 4x4.)  As you sign in for the evening and get your name tag on a ribbon, you also draw a number corresponding to one of the masterpieces. If you would like to trade your masterpiece for another one, you are given a tiny battery-powered light to attach to your tag, which tells everyone you are willing to trade your masterpiece for theirs. It encourages many conversations.

In keeping with the 60's British Invasion theme for the evening, local music legends Lynda Laws and Jason Lloyd, also known as Ivy Road, performed music from that era.

My sweet friend Elanor Bacon Crouch planned and executed the theme and decorations for the event, and Sharon Squibb is one of our talented local artists whose work can be seen to the left between Elanor and me.

I am wearing one of the jackets and the evening sandals I found at my recent Dillard's winter clearance haul. The jacket is a vivid green with hematite gray buttons. Since it is still rather cool in the evenings here, I wore a thin black V-neck tee under the jacket and my old faithful Chico's travelers pants. Wearing the tee with the sleeves pushed up for the event allowed me not to carry or keep up with a wrap for the evening.

A Weekend Away

We celebrated eight wonderful happy years of dating by staying at The Martha for the weekend.

Mr. Mickey promptly picked me up on Friday afternoon for the drive up to Abingdon, Virginia. My travel attire was a simple red comfort top from Covered Perfectly under a cropped red on red Ruby Rd. Jeweled sweater from Dillard's last year. The jeans are from Chico's last fall, and DVF shoes were from Nordstrom last year.   

Later in the evening, after we dressed for dinner, we took a few photos in the beautiful hotel's foyer.

I wore a black lace front Travelers sweater jacket over a black tank top and black crepe evening slacks, all from Chico's. I found the T-strap black leather and suede high heels at T.J.Maxx last year. The Kenneth Cole Reaction bag is also from T.J.Maxx. 

Each table in the restaurant had some sort of what-not (as my grandmother used to call them). This one was on our table, so I teased Mr. Mickey that he had won The People's Choice Award. Here he is giving his acceptance speech. Thankfully there were very few people dining at this late hour, so we didn't disturb anyone with our shenanigans.

During our stay at the hotel, we met two amazing sixty-year-old women whom we visited on several occasions during the weekend.  That's Audrey above. She is the President of a building supply company and has also served as the only female President of their national trade organization. Mr. Mickey and I were both captivated by her bubbly personality and boundless energy. We had breakfast with Audrey and her handsome husband, Allen, on Saturday. They both were so delightful and interesting! We hope to spend many more happy hours in their company.

Below is Katie. She was a music teacher before she retired. Here she is singing "When I Fall In Love" to us at our table. She should be on the Voice of America's Got Talent. She has a lovely voice and a wonderful outgoing personality to go along with it. 

You already know Mr. Mickey loves to share an occasional bread pudding after dinner. This one is banana bread, and it was so good. 

During the day on Saturday, we spent some time shopping and reading in the library and attempting to play a game of checkers. I was too sleepy to be much of a challenge, so we ended up reading until we both started to fall asleep in front of the fire. We ended the afternoon by having a couple's massage in the Spa.  

I wore a metallic cardigan sweater over my shoulders. The long necklace includes matte beads in silver and gold and can easily be converted to a shorter necklace. The black knit top has a high-low hem, and I wore it with khaki zipper ankle pants. All items are from Chico's. The block heel sandals were found at T.J.Maxx last week.

After we dressed for dinner at Rain Restaurant in downtown Abingdon, we snapped a few more pictures in the lobby. 

On Saturday night, I wore a cobalt blue silk jacket from Dillard's with the same tank, pants, and shoes I wore the night before. Traveling light means packing things that can be worn in different combinations. This is one of the great jackets I bought at Dillard's awesome sale a couple of weeks ago.

There is a park on the hotel's grounds, so I couldn't resist sitting in the warm sunshine while the valet attendant was going for our car.