For The Fur Babies

Giving back to the community is imperative to me. That community includes the pets that become a part of our family and also those that get discarded.

Last evening we attended the Dogwood and Cattails Ball to benefit the Humane Society of Washington County.

It was great to see so many of our friends who also came out to help support the animal shelter. Our shelter is a no-kill organization. No matter how long it takes for an animal in our foster program to find a home, it will remain in our program until the best possible home can be found. Thanks to this program, 1300 healthy, happy animals have been adopted into loving family homes.

The Oustanding Animal of the year was awarded to a special dog named Arabela, who serves our country by disclosing improvised explosive devices (IEDs are simple bombs made and used by unofficial or unauthorized forces).

I fell in love with a sweet pitbull named Chloé!

Chloé was rescued from a very inhumane breeder situation and given a loving forever home. She showed her gratitude with kisses, snuggles, and a tail that wagged non-stop.

Rather than buy another ball gown that I will never wear again, I used old items I already had in my closet. This year's ball's theme was based upon the Great Gatsby, so I went with separate pieces that sort of reflected that theme. 

The simple knit tank dress with a side slit is a couple of years old. The tuxedo-style jacket is old from the Travelers Collection at Chico's. The little evening bag is many years old. The shoes are old by French Connection via Saks Off 5th.

The Comedy Classic

We spent the weekend at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, for their 27th annual comedy classic weekend.

On the first evening, I wore a colorful sheer lace back duster over a black mesh hem layering tank and black straight leg slacks. The duster is the same one I modeled a few weeks ago on this blog post. All items, including the necklace, are from Chico's.

The suede pumps are from Saks Off 5th.

The Inn has two fireplaces in the great hall, which are large enough to stand in.

This was the view from our room on the top floor of the original part of the Inn.

Antelope Booties

My family rescheduled our Christmas brunch because of our illnesses. This year we enjoyed a New Year's Day brunch at the beautiful lakeside home of my cousin.

Are you familiar with Antelope Shoes? The company recently sent me their 706 Ankle Booties to try, and I must tell you they are perfection!

For the first time today, I wore them with leggings, a red tunic blouse, and a black fringe edge jacket.

The booties were very comfortable, and I received lots of compliments. The heel height is just right. Even my Mom thought so!

The leather is soft, and the soles have a small lug detail, making them great for walking on icy sidewalks.

This is "cousin" Barkley. He loves to give kisses and rarely ever sits still for more than a minute.

This is "cousin" Dreamy resting on her throne. She loves attention from everyone except for Barkley.

The natural light during east Tennessee winters is often gray and not very flattering; thus, you have seen all the kitchen shots recently.

If you require high quality, comfortable, and timeless style shoes, I highly recommend that you give Antelope Shoes a visit.

A Look Back

2014 was an excellent year for those of us who prefer the uncomplicated casual style. Below are some of my favorite looks from the past year.

A jacket with jeans seems to be my uniform.

Goofing around on my birthday getaway weekend in Virginia.

Thank you for all your kind comments and good wishes. Mr. Mickey and I are both feeling much better each day. We look forward to sharing more of our adventures with you in 2015!