Dinner At The Club

Since our usual Friday night dinner group of friends are traveling this month, Mr. Mickey and I had a quiet dinner at the Blackthorn Club.

There is no snow, and it wasn't that cold, so I was able to wear my suede cut out booties by Louise et Cie from Nordstrom. (She is the wife of Vince Camuto, who started Nine West.)

The long thin ribbed cardigan sweater is from T.J.Maxx.

The black and white jeweled sweater is from Chico's. 

The straight leg pants are from Stein Mart.

Mr. Mickey is famous for bringing me flowers. This night's occasion was that we have been dating for seven years and eleven months. He also brought a card and candy.

My coat is from Geiger of Austria.

As always, we enjoyed our evening sitting by the fire at the club, laughing and talking until they were ready to close. 

Saturday Was A Two Outfit Day!

Some days are so full of activities I need different looks.

During the early part of this beautiful warm day, I wore this great Covered Perfectly open collar tunic to brunch with a low slung Chico's belt and old side zip pants from Talbots.

We were thrilled to have temperatures above 65 degrees today!

In the afternoon, we visited Abingdon, Virginia, to have a late lunch and do some shopping.

I have a confession to make. I may have an addiction to Michael Kors bags! I bought another one just like this in black yesterday at T.J.Maxx.

The shoes are by DVF last year from Nordstrom.

In the evening, we attended the 50th-anniversary party for exceptional friends. I knew it would be much cooler later, so I wore this wool jacket from Talbots last year with a red Chico's tank underneath. The gold cuff is also from Chico's.

It was such great fun to visit with Susan (Easterly) Coleman and Tim Coleman of Easterly-Coleman on Court in Abingdon, Virginia. They are so friendly and helpful each time we enter their store. This is one of two stores they own in the region. They are a fabulous source for unique items, furniture, and design services.

Thank you for reading my blog and for joining me on this journey through mid-life and beyond.

Friday Wine Library Club

Last evening we tasted six lovely wines from the northern regions of Spain.

We tasted one white and five reds. My favorite was the very elegant white, Bodegas Avanthia Valdeorras Godello 2011.

Larry England says, let the tasting begin!

Bodegas Avanthia Valdeorras Godello 2011

Cune Rioja Crianza Tempranillo  2009

Bodegas Muga Rioja Reserva Tempranillo 2009

Bodegas Muga Rioja 'Prado Enea' Rioja Gran Reserva Tempranillo 2005

Bodegas Tinto Pesquera Ribera del Duero Tempranillo 2009

Alavaro Palacios Priorat Grenache Blend 2011

Since Rick, our usual wine guru is in the islands for a couple of months, this discussion was led by Lee Corpening, Certified Specialist of Wine. If you would like to learn more about wine, this is an excellent web site to visit, The Educated Grape.

These events are always rather casual, so I wore gray slacks with a white long sleeve tee and a navy blazer. I folded a large square scarf into a triangle and draped it over my shoulders before putting on the blazer. The shoes with low block heels are a couple of years old, but that style will be trendy this summer. 

The huge antique gold pin is one that I created more than twenty years ago. When I wear a large statement piece such as this, I minimize any other jewelry. My inspiration for wearing the pin this way came from a Ralph Lauren blazer I saw with a large gold crest on the breast pocket.

The items I wore this evening are all several years old. That's the beauty of good quality classics. They will serve you well for many years and can be worn in many combinations.

Meatless Chili

Susan's healthy meatless chili or an awesome sauce for spaghetti.

Cook one and one-fourth cup of Lundberg Black Japonica rice in a one-quart container of Pacific Mushroom Broth. This takes about 50 minutes, so at the 30-minute mark, add a one-quart container of Kitchen Basics Vegetable Stock, one cup of rinsed Red Quinoa, and one-half cup rinsed and sorted French lentils. Bring the pot back up to a boil and then cover and turn down to simmer for another 20 minutes. (If you are making chili or soup, you can also add a cup of diced carrots, celery, and potatoes, or other root veggies at this point. For the soup, you will need to add another container of the stock or broth.)

Next, add a can of rinsed and drained low salt black beans. Saute onion, mushrooms, garlic, peppers to add for a chili dish. I added a can of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes and corn for the chili dish I served today. You can also add a bit of butter, olive oil, and aged balsamic vinegar according to your taste.

I just made up this dish today, but with spices such as cumin, curry, cloves, and or oregano, you could use it in place of meat for pasta dishes or in the chili I served with cheese and crackers today. Mr. Mickey asked me twice if there was meat in it.

Wishing you good health!

Friday Date Night

We bundled up and braved the cold to go out to dinner last evening. So did a lot of other people. The restaurant was crowded! Good for them!

Boiled wool jackets are the warmest items of clothing I own. This is an old one that you have seen many times before. I paired it with a fabulous necklace, a gift from Kathleen Mannix, one of my very talented clients. She incorporates old pieces of broken jewelry into new sculptural jewelry. You can see more of her work here.

I also wore a bright purple long sleeve tee and black travelers pants from Chico's with black heels.

For all of you who asked about the portrait behind me above. This is a close-up of the David Clapp portrait taken about three years ago.

The bag is old from Kenneth Cole Reaction via T.J.Maxx.