My Birthday in a Castle

Mr. Mickey gave me a royal weekend away for my birthday.

We stayed at the fabulous Graylyn Manor House in Winston Salem, North Carolina.

This is a view of the fireplace in the great dining hall.

The back view of the estate in the setting sun.

A fountain held huge koi fish.

A winding staircase led to a lower courtyard beyond the indoor pool. There was a rehearsal going on for a wedding which was held on the grounds on Saturday evening.

The hand-carved imported mantel in the sun-room embellishes one of eighteen fireplaces in the 46,000 square foot mansion.

The chess set in the grand entrance hall had splendid details.

This is another winding staircase found at the front of the building. The thick stone steps were built into the outer stone wall so that there was no support needed on the inside.

Hand-painted tiles were used in this fountain in the sunroom.

On the evening of my birthday, we dined in a private dining room with wonderful service and ambiance. My tiramisu dessert came with a candle and a serenade. 

The Mews was once the stable for horses and chickens.

On Saturday, we visited the Reynolda House, which showcases one of the world's largest American art collections. This was the home of R.J. Reynolds.

Later in the day, on Saturday, we visited nearby Old Salem, a historic district settled by a Moravian community in 1766. We had a delightful lunch at the tavern.

We also visited the hat-makers shop. 

This wood fired kiln was in one of the back yards.

Pumpkins were everywhere! Can it really be fall already?

In the afternoon, we returned for a delightful guided tour of the mansion with our Butler, Terry.

I am standing at Nathalie's writing desk.

The hand-carved wood panels in the library were brought over from France. They were carved in the 1600s and were still in perfect condition.

On our last evening, we dined at a wonderful Italian restaurant nearby the estate.

We lived like a King and Queen for the weekend!

Dinner with Mr. Mickey

One of our couple traditions is to have a date night on Wednesday. It gives us a chance to unwind, get caught up on the busy first part of the week, and plan our weekend ahead.

For this date night, I wore soft, fully lined black crepe pants, a black tank, and a lightweight, almost sheer blue jacket, all from Chico's last year.

The shorter necklace is from Nouvique, also worn here, and the longer necklace is from Chico's. The black strappy sandals are old from JCPenny. The black ruffled evening bag is also old.

I don't work for Chico's, and I don't get free clothes from them, but you might think so. Clothes that last for more than one season and keep their shape after going through the laundry are worth the investment. In my area, there are only a couple of stores in which I shop for that reason.

Tomorrow is my fifty-seventh birthday. There are a few messages I would like to share with my teenage self if that were possible.

1. Happiness is an inside job.
2. Find out what you can accomplish on your own before you commit to a relationship or marry. 
3. Become a vegetarian now for the best lifelong health and weight control possible.
4.You would be wise to buy one timeless top quality black pair of pants that you can wear for many years, rather than to buy five pairs of cheap pants that will only be worn for one season at most.
5. Imagine an event that you might actually be attending. Go to your closet and put together an outfit for that event. Your wardrobe should allow you to participate in any activity without causing stress or emergency shopping when it comes time to get dressed. Plan your purchases accordingly throughout your life.

Covered Perfectly

Have you discovered Pauline Durban’s Covered Perfectly line of wonderful tops? 

I have found these to be one of the most comfortable items of clothing I have ever worn. I will be purchasing lots of items from this collection! The prices are also very reasonable.

The three quarter length sleeves and softly scooped (not too low) neckline are just my style! 

The buttery soft fabric floats across your body.

I appreciate the fact that this top is great for layering. They are offered in basic (not trendy or seasonal) colors. This means they blend well with many other items in your closet all year round.

I added this navy blazer for later in the evening. The jeans are from Not Your Daughters Jeans. The cuff and hook belt are both from Chico's. The bag is from Coach. The shoes are exclusive to Nordstrom.

Check out Covered Perfectly tops for great pieces you will wear with everything!

A Private Invitation Updated

You are invited! I am conducting a Style Seminar at Chico's Biltmore Village in Asheville, North Carolina, on September 19 at 7PM. 

The store will be closed during this time and reserved for just us! 

We will discuss style trends for fall, line, proportion, color, accessories, and layering.

You know how much I love Chico's! 

I hope you can join me as they reserve the whole store for us this evening. I am looking forward to meeting you!

The Johnson City Country Club

Many of the special events of my life have been held at the Johnson City Country Club. The 100th year of our grand lady is being celebrated this year.

I attribute my love of classic architecture and French influences to my early visits when I was only a teenager.

  

The entry hall leading to the ballroom has always been so warm and welcoming.

The outfit for date night dinner with great friends includes a necklace, tank, ankle pants, and a lightweight cardigan from Chico's. The shoes are old from Nine West. The bag and sunglasses are from Stein Mart.

Jazz at Wellington's

Today we had the nicest weather of the summer!

Earlier in the day, we attended a Bristol Race Day brunch at our dear friends' lake home. It was great fun to see a few of my sweet girlfriends again and just be silly. Some of us are trying not to fall off the steps while Mr. Mickey is snapping pictures before we are ready.

The view from my back deck was stunning on this sunny day!

Before dinner, Mr. Mickey took me to Chico's since we had a few minutes to spare. Isn't he the best?!

Happy going in the door...

Even happier coming out the door!

With the sale, they were having and my birthday Passport discount added, it was like getting a tank top for free! Tank tops, or any other basics that you wear as often as I do mine, need to be updated at least once a year. The tanks at Chico's are top quality, and I love it that the necklines are not too low. I buy a size too large because I don't like them to cling to my middle so much.

Wellington's is a fine dining restaurant that is part of the Carnegie Hotel and Spa in Johnson City, TN.

We visit this restaurant often, but on this evening we had the best meal in years! The fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese and orange marmalade appetizer was one of the best things I have ever eaten. They also had our all-time favorite wild mushroom soup. We are two happy people!

There was a splendid live Jazz performance in the lounge this evening, but we could hear the performance from our table as well. 

Local readers may recognize a special ETSU professor back there in the center. We enjoyed sitting in the lounge listening to them after dinner. Mr. Mickey snapped this photo as I walked away from the tip jar. He is my own personal Paparazzi!  

Both my outfits for this day are from Chico's. I have been asked to be a style ambassador for them. However, that would require additional trips to Asheville for shows or seminars. At this time, my plate is much too full to add anything else, so I will consider it again in the future. For now, I am just a pleased, loyal Chico's shopper! 

Nouvique Necklace on Date Night

Kathleen Mannix is one of many extremely talented designers who create amazing works of art using items from my company. She recently sent me one of her beautiful creations as a gift! I had so much fun styling an outfit for date night to showcase this gorgeous necklace.

The fabulous necklace is a one-of-a-kind sculptural piece that incorporates vintage items and components from my company, including the stunning Swarovski pendant. To see more of the work of this acclaimed artist, visit her website at Nouvique.

When I wear a glamorous statement necklace such as this one, I let it take the spotlight by keeping all the other elements of my look very sleek and neutral.

The tank, pants, and jacket are all Travelers from Chico's.

The clutch bag is from Stein Mart. The shoes are from Macy's.

The Glass Onion

Mr. Mickey and I often turn dinner reservations in a nearby town into a day trip full of other activities. Saturday was one of those days.

I dressed for a warm day in the city, followed by dinner at a restaurant we haven't visited before.

We spent part of the afternoon in Asheville sipping a beverage at a sidewalk cafe, watching the local characters. This is one of our favorite street performers. He plays, sings, and dances all at the same time.

Sister Bad Habit is always a fun one to see zipping about.

These performers made their own instruments to create their haunting melodies. We bought one of their CDs they were so good!

We shopped in the Grove Arcade, which has an amazing entrance. Gargoyles are a recurring theme throughout Asheville.

The flowers on many of the streets were amazing!

This is an apartment building across the street from The Grove Arcade.

As twilight approached, it was time to take Asheville's short drive back to Weaverville for our dinner reservations at the Glass Onion.

We tried several different items from the menu, and each was a great delight to the eyes and the palate. 

We shared a delightful dessert of a profiterole filled with lemon cream and topped with blueberry reduction. It was so excellent!

The husband and wife (this is Natalie with me) owners have always been head chefs at fine restaurants in New York until they decided to take the plunge and open their own restaurant here in the western North Carolina mountains. We are so fortunate that they did!

We loved the casual elegance, wonderful food, attentive service (but not too much), and visiting with the other diners around our table. It was a lovely and entertaining evening centered around exceptional food. We look forward to returning very soon to try some of the other entrees.

The white ankle pants are by Jones of New York. The tank, cardigan sweater, and necklace are from Chico's. The bag is from Stein Mart. The sandals are by Bjorndal from Rack Room Shoes.