Mr. Mickey's Place

Some of you asked for a peek into Mr. Mickey's new home.

Last evening we attended our neighborhood pot luck Christmas dinner at our clubhouse, so we snapped a few pictures in his foyer before leaving.

The sculptures on the wall behind me are by J. Cotter.

Not many bachelor pads have a crystal chandelier. This one has hung in several of Mr. Mickey's dining rooms over the years.

There are so many pieces of special art, he has not yet found a place for many of them, but he is still working on it. The bust behind me to the left is a sculpture of Mickey done many years ago. The artist now lives at the end of the block. Small world indeed!

It was 75 degrees here last evening, so I was actually sorry I wore the sweater. The necklace, sweater, and tank are from Chico's last year. The gray slacks were from Stein Mart last year. The Vince Camuto flats are from Nordstrom.

Eight years ago, Mr. Mickey and I met at a Christmas party in our old neighborhood. It was the party that changed my life.

For that first party, I took bacon-wrapped chestnuts, which I almost burned. I had second thoughts about even going to the party after that! For this party, I took something much more simple, southern cornbread and roasted Brussels sprouts. Mr. Mickey made his world-famous deviled eggs, of which none were left. 

No Shave November Event

Last evening Mr. Mickey and I attended a No Shave November cocktail party to raise money for the American Cancer Society. 

The silver sweater, long sleeve tee, and necklace are from Chico's. The black pants are old from Stein Mart. The shoes are old by Anne Klein.

The invitation read, "Come as your favorite bearded celebrity."  Mr. Mickey is representing his favorite bearded celebrity.

Some of the fun costumes included a mullet-wearing NASCAR race fan and the crazy gynecologist, as well as one of the fellows from Duck Dynasty. Thank you to the Blackthorn Club staff, who also contributed and participated in the bearded Celebrity contest.

Santa is sad that he lost the contest for best costume to Dr. Seymour Bush, the crazy Gynecologist.

Our club has several of these beautiful fireplaces. I was happy to stand by this one for a while.

It was great to see my sweet friend Nita again. She and her husband (The crazy gynecologist) had just returned from Colorado a few hours earlier to attend the event. We always have so much fun visiting with them.

The Calvin Klein coat was from Dillard's.

“No-Shave November” and “Movember” are concepts created to bring awareness to cancer concerns in men, such as testicular and prostate cancer.  The “general premise” of each of these programs is to grow facial hair throughout November. Some choose to grow just a mustache, some choose to grow a well-trimmed beard and mustache, and some choose not to shave their faces at all. Regardless of the method that each individual chooses, the purpose is the same – To bring and raise awareness to cancer in general and in particular to bring and raise specific awareness to prostate and testicular cancer.

Shopping in Asheville

On a winter Saturday afternoon, blue skies often mean a trip across the mountain to Asheville, North Carolina for Mr. Mickey and me.

We took a break from shopping in the Grove Arcade to visit Carmel's. One of our favorite treats is their homemade pimento cheese appetizer, a house-made blend of cheeses with jalapenos served with garlic crostini.

Later in the day, a cup of hot chocolate was just the thing to take away the chill.

It's always fun to visit the Screendoor to look through an eclectic mix of treasures, junque, and books.

No trip to the Biltmore Village is ever complete until we stop by Chico's for a peek at the sale rack. The necklace, long sleeve tee, vest, and pants I am wearing today are all old from Chico's. The coat is also old from Geiger. The short boots were Ralph Lauren via T.J.Maxx last year. The black Tignanello handbag is old from SteinMart.

I hope your shopping trips have been successful! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mr. Mickey and I were among the guests at the home of my sister and her husband for the family Thanksgiving feast today. I am most thankful that I did not have to do the cooking!

This picture is from earlier in my breakfast nook wearing black So Slimming Ponte pants from Chico's. The long sleeve purple tee, purple sweater, and silver necklace are also from Chico's. The short black Nickels boots were from Belk last year.

Sitting by my sister's wood-burning fireplace is a great place to be on a cold, snowy day!

Mr. Beasley is perhaps the most pampered stray ever! 

He is not amused at having all these loud people in "his" house.

Let the feast begin!

I hope you were also able to spend time with family and special friends today.

Dinner with the Wine Club

After a long busy week, we always look forward to date night on Friday. This evening, we enjoyed a special dinner with friends at the beautiful home of our wine club members. 

The gold necklace, metallic copper sweater, and wheat-colored tank are from Chico's Fall 2013 line. The black pants and low heeled shoes are old.

Enjoying the bouquet of a lovely Veramonte Ritual Pinot Noir from Chile. Cool night air coming off the ocean allows the grapes grown to result in a wine with a bright fruit aroma and flavors of black cherries, blueberry, raspberry, and plum.

Rick graciously conducts our wine club gatherings. He humbly shares his vast knowledge of wine, peppered with stories of his travels worldwide to visit vineyards. It is always a pleasure to be in his company.

It was so nice to spend the evening with dear friends and get to know some new ones a little better.