Open That Special Bottle Night

Along with countless other wine enthusiasts from across the country, we attended an Open That Special Bottle Night.

The tradition for this evening is that you serve dinner and invite friends to enjoy a special bottle (or two) of wine that you have been saving.

Thankfully our event was held at the Blackthorn Club, so there was no cooking required on my part! Our executive chef, James Allen, did an amazing job pairing the special bottles of wine with dishes to enhance all the wine and food flavors.

Our place settings at wine tastings can become a bit busy.

The social aspect of this event was great fun. Normally we discuss the wine and where it was grown, and why it tastes the way it does. Tonight we shared how we acquired our special bottle and why it was special. Everyone at the table then gets to taste the wine. The gentleman sitting in front of me is a retired engineer and an amateur scientist. We discussed quantum physics and string theory. Sometimes if you want a woman's attention, you have to talk nerdy to her.

One of the bottles Mr. Mickey brought was the toast of the evening. It was a French white Bordeaux from 1986. The label was captivating for me even before we opened it. The perfectly aged wine opened up to reveal notes of pear, honey, and caramel. Everyone who tasted it knew it was a special bottle that they may never have the chance to enjoy again.

I wore my Chico's sapphire boiled wool jacket with a simple black long sleeve tee and black knit Tahari pants on this cold evening. To give the outfit some light, I wore two long silver-colored necklaces, which both have crystal stones in their design. I added another boiled wool overcoat to go out the door. I was happy to stand in front of the fire for these photos. You can tell I am not a fan of cold weather.

Spring Fashions at Belk

Michael Kors has arrived at my local Belk store! It is so new that they were still setting up the department today.

Skinny jeans are still an item for spring. I've paired these white ones with a black knit tank of my own and this fabulous buttery black jacket with ruched three-quarter sleeves. The necklace is by Erica Lyons, and my own nude heels are by BCBGeneration.

There were many crisply tailored shirts, sweaters, jackets, and the ubiquitous khaki pants in the Lauren section.

The three-quarter sleeves of this pink and white stripe shirt have no buttons, just an open cuff. Perfect for an easy casual look without having to turn them up each time they slip down. I am wearing it with khaki ankle pants and my own Kenneth Cole Reaction sandals.

Every woman in my family goes to Belk when she needs a dress. They are known as the south's dress address.

This wrap detail dress is by Ralph Lauren.

I found so many great dresses I had a difficult time narrowing them down to three!

This royal blue knit dress with three quarter length sleeves was available in several colors.

For the bride or groom's mother, there were many special occasion dresses for women of every age. This blue-gray sleeveless dress came with a matching bolero jacket.

Belk also has a large selection of beautiful clutch bags that look really smart with dresses.

It was great fun chatting with all of you who showed up for the photoshoot today. I hope you found as many great items as I did!

Friday Date Night

This is one of my favorite and most comfortable ways to dress.

This is an example of column dressing.

Wear one dark color from head to toe. Add a sweater or jacket in the correct length for your height.

Add one bold accessory and a colorful bag that does not match your shoes.

Column dressing gives you a long, lean look, and it takes the eye away from the middle.

The sweater is from Chico's last year. The V neck long sleeve tee and the clutch are from T.J.Maxx. The pants are from Ross. The shoes are from Nordstrom. All these items are old, and the colors I used are black, red, and ecru. If black is too draining of a color for you to wear near your face, any dark color will serve the purpose.

Vegetarian Valentine's Day Dinner

A home-cooked meal is our Valentine's Day tradition.

We go out to eat at least once a week all year long, so when a big holiday such as Valentine's Day comes around, I prefer to prepare a lovely meal to leisurely enjoy at home.

We dress for dinner, I set the table in the formal dining room, we light candles, and have a special wine with classical music playing in the background.

Mr. Mickey had just arrived, so he was still wearing his scarf. Doesn't he look handsome?

The dinner menu included crudites as a starter. I cut up fresh baby heirloom tomatoes and served them with olives, garlic I roasted earlier in the day, and rosemary Asiago cheese slices. Sometimes the combination of fresh, delicious items presented simply on their own is the best choice.

I also added some of the roasted garlic and unsalted butter to Rudis Seeded organic bread before lightly toasting it in the oven.

The pasta dish includes Gluten Free Brown Rice Spaghetti from Hodgson Mill. The meatless sauce is the same recipe I told you about here. The leftover sauce will be served over another piece of the yummy Rudis bread as a sloppy Joe lunch with a kale salad on the following day. This sauce could be used in any dish requiring ground beef. (Even the meat lovers who tasted this the first time I made it could not tell there was no meat in it!)

Our wine was 14 Hands 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Mr. Mickey brought freshly dipped chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert, cards, and flowers. He is a Prince!

I wore a rayon three-quarter sleeve black and tan blouse from Coldwater Creek from a couple of years ago. The black Traverlers pants from Chico's are about eight years old. I paired them with my Anne Klein black high heeled shoes.

Later in the evening, as we relaxed in front of the fire, I tried out some of my new reading glasses from Readers.com. Which statement style do you like best? I liked them all! When you need glasses only for reading, it's great to have a stylish pair like these near every chair and in every handbag.

This style is called The Ivy in the brown fade.

This style is The Dolly.

The Maryann comes in several colors, and each has its own matching case.

The Opera Coat

Season tickets to the Johnson City Symphony are one of the gifts I give Mr. Mickey each Christmas.

It is a long-standing tradition for us to have an early dinner at our favorite restaurant before attending the concert. This performance featured the beautiful guest artist Chee-Yun from Seoul. Her first public performance was at age 8! On this night, she played the Stradivarius "Ex-Strauss" (Cremona, 1708).

I wore items from Chico's, including a silver cardigan and tank with a long double strand crystal and silver necklace. The skirt is a straight black knit pencil style. The Assets hose/tights are from Target. The Anne Klein shoes are at least eight years old.

I bought this velvet and faux fur trimmed Erté inspired coat from one of my sales reps in 1990 when she also represented my jewelry line. I call it my opera coat because it has a rhinestone encrusted closure, and it has a theatrical shape and texture. On the rare occasions when I wear it, I feel like I have stepped out of the Art Nouveau-inspired 1920s.

Thank you for joining me on this fun journey through midlife and beyond.