The Santa Project

Last evening we attended a fundraiser that is near and dear to our hearts.

Each year at Christmas time, Mr. Mickey becomes Mr. Santa for about fifty underprivileged children in our area. In November, a group of our friends gathers for a wine and cheese fundraiser for the project.

Each child is given a winter coat, shoes, an outfit for school, and a toy. The family or guardians are invited to a pizza party just before Christmas. Santa visits with the children and gives them their gifts at the party.

I always enjoy catching up with my sweet friends Una and Lee.

My friend Dianna is a follower and big fan of Fifty, not Frumpy. (She is wearing a Chico's sweater and necklace.) Thank you, Dianna, for your kind words.

The evening was a huge success, and it was great fun visiting with everyone. To top off the evening, we saw a big black bear as soon as we entered our neighborhood tonight. It was so beautiful! Hopefully, it will safely find its way back to the mountain where it belongs soon.

Stay at Home Date Night

During the past week, I was very busy getting settled into my new home, so when Mr. Mickey asked what I wanted to do for Wednesday date night, I suggested a pot of homemade vegetable soup at my house. Sometimes the comfort of staying home on a cold night to have soup and a glass of wine is the best date night of all.

Today I wore a beautiful new Winter Silks cardigan in a red heather color. The heather effect makes the red appear more rose in color, but I feel certain I will be buying all the colors. This cardigan is so soft and comfortable, not bulky at all. I paired it with old items from my closet. The long silver necklace has a rose beaded tassel. The loose-fitting tank top is white, and the wide leg tweed pants are gray. The low heeled short boots have been with me for years.

The Haircut

I visited Hilton Head Island, South Carolina for a few days last week. (It was eighty-two degrees!) While there, I had time to do something I have been needing to do for a couple of weeks. 

Before

Before

As you can see from the before pictures above, I was way past due for a haircut. I have been so busy lately, that I could not take the time to visit my regular stylist at home. 

Erica Warren is a stylist at The Hair Designers in the Village at Wexford on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. She was so kind to work me into her busy schedule on Saturday. She did a great job! My hair has never looked so healthy.

After

After

Erica is a magician with her styling brush and blow dryer!

Upon the Mountain

Today we took a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to one of our favorite villages, Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

Our visits to Blowing Rock almost always end with Mr. Mickey and I enjoying a scoop of Kilwin's ice cream while sitting on a bench in the park across the street. Today I shared a bench with a scarecrow!

This is the door of a stone church in the village.

For some people, Sunday afternoon is a time to watch football. Shopping is a sport, isn't it? Unfortunately, all of my shopping lately has been at Lowe's. 

Here's a peek at my new home. We stopped there on our way out of town.

I will be moving my furniture in soon, but for now, there is still more work to be done.

Today I am wearing a dark purple sweater from Chico's with a lighter violet tunic from Covered Perfectly. This is my version of a sweater set. I don't care for those short clingy ones that you often find in stores. The necklace and brown ponte pants are also from Chico's. I now have my favorite Louise et Cie shoes in brown leather, black suede, and animal print. They are so comfortable! You will find them only at Nordstrom. The bag is old.

Instant Winter!

Our temperatures suddenly dropped to 26 degrees this week.

The rapidly changing weather had me reaching for layers.

For a Friday date night dinner with friends, I wore shades of teal with gray tweed pants. The first layer is a long sleeve tee from Talbots, next is a knit sweater from Dillard's, topped by a car coat from Geiger. The gray tweed pants are from Ross. The necklace is silver and teal from Chico's. The black short boots and black and silver bag are from TJ Maxx.  

These items are all old, and you have likely seen them before, but I have been trying to combine the pieces I have to create different looks. For example, I have been wearing the long sleeve tee with jeans and a long sweater vest for a very casual look. Pairing it with a similar color shorter knit sweater and necklace with tweed pants made it more appropriate for wearing out to dinner. 

I am also more mindful of the combinations and hues of color I wear now. I am exhausted from a week of packing and moving and cleaning both houses as I go, so I could not have carried off the high contrast combination of sapphire and black, for example. I would have "disappeared" behind the stark contrast of those colors.