Party At The Farm

Mr. Mickey's lifelong friend, Ben, celebrated his 80th birthday this week.

We always enjoy the drive down to the farm to visit with our dear friends. The Nolichucky River's rolling hills are met with the majestic mountains rising up beyond to frame the horizon.

The celebration was held at the couple's weekend getaway in the country.

Guest parking was across the street from the farmhouse our friends have lovingly restored over the past few years.

One of Ben's hobbies is collecting and restoring antique Jaguars. He keeps them in his car museum.

That's a working vintage traffic signal mounted on the wall above my head.

Natalie's potting shed is below.

A guest house on the property provides additional space for the many visitors and family members who come to stay for a weekend at the farm.

Ben is retired from Piedmont Airlines, and he and Natalie have two adorable white Shih Tzus, which explains the fabulous cake.

Happy birthday Ben! May you have many more.

The fabulous band This Mountain played into the night.

At the end of the evening, I was thrilled to reconnect with an old friend from elementary school. Marty and his beautiful wife, Bebe, live only a couple of doors away from the farm. We hadn't seen each other for more than forty years!

Whenever we attend an outdoor function, I always take a hat. One never knows if it will be necessary, but it's good to have it if you need it. The hat is from one of my favorite stores in Blowing Rock, NC, Finley House Couture. The red blouse is from Express. The white cropped jeans are from Chico's. The shoes are from T.J.Maxx.

Oldies But Goodies

One of the great things about building a wardrobe that includes classic pieces is that you can wear them for as long as they last.

This Jones of New York Country jacket is from my last thin phase about ten years ago. It is embroidered in white upon a black background. 

The shoes are about ten years old also. They are by Sam & Libby, and they aren't even married anymore.

The black pants are from Chico's. The red zipper trimmed clutch bag is by Nine West via Ross.

Mr. Mickey took me to dinner at Wellington's a couple of nights ago. That was the last time I ate. I am going for my five-year colonoscopy today. As usual, I am giving you way too much information to encourage you to get all of your screenings and have all of the tests we need at this time in our lives. Mr. Mickey and I have both had cancers and other health-related issues in the past, so get all the screenings and tests our Physicians schedule for us.

Wear It Wednesday - Attitude is Everything

Do you realize the huge impact your attitude has on your life?

Attitude is more important than looks, youth, wealth, success, or power. You can have all these things and more, but you will find it very difficult to enjoy all you have if you embrace a negative attitude.

We all know people who seem to have everything, but they are never happy. They always have a long list of complaints and negative comments each time you speak to them.

There is only one thing that you have complete control over ... your attitude. You can wake up each day and treat it as if you have just been born. Nothing that happened before matters. It's a new day, and you have another chance to be and do your best.

A positive attitude can be cultivated. If you believe you can or you believe you can't ... you are correct.

One person has been a shining example of what a difference attitude can make. Mr. Mickey is always positive, smiling, and joking with everyone he meets. He has many reasons to not be that type of person, but he makes a conscious choice each and every day of his life to get up, get well dressed and face the day with a positive attitude and extreme kindness.

He has inspired me to look on the bright side for all of the nine years he has been in my life. I can attest that it makes all the difference in my health (both mental and physical), in my confidence, and in what I have accomplished.

We all have things that happen to us that break us and knock us down in life. Attitude determines what happens next.

Take A Drive

A long drive through the country or to another town to spend the day has always been one of my favorite ways to spend a relaxing day off.

Thankfully Mr. Mickey enjoys this type of weekend also. On Saturday, we got into his little red convertible and headed for Blowing Rock for lunch and a bit of shopping.

Later in the day, we took a nice long drive on the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway.

This is the view from the front porch of the Moses Cone Manor.

I bought some new bling at B Dazzled in Blowing Rock. The link bracelet is the one you've seen many times before.

We also stopped into one of my other favorite stores, Finely House Couture. I found this great casual bag for fall. The straps can be adjusted to different lengths.

The shoes here are old by Vince Camuto.

We stopped for dinner at the Glass Onion in Weaverville before heading home.

I wore a red high low tunic from Chico's with white Kut from the Kloth jeans from Dillard's. These shoes are new, so I knew I wouldn't be wearing them all day shopping for the first time. I found them at Ross last week. They are by Steve Madden.

Sequins, Feathers And A Rolls Royce

We had a wonderful dinner on the Sunset Terrace at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville last evening.

The view from our table.

As we often do, we got into conversations with our neighboring diners.

These beautiful ladies (both in their fifties) were long-time friends in Asheville for a business trip from Minnesota.

This gorgeous fifty-something woman is Linda. She has a beautiful spirit and a vivacious personality. It was such a joy to visit with her and birthday boy Dave, her companion. They shared that huge piece of cake with us. Delish!

These beautiful fifty-something people were also celebrating a birthday.

The live music in the Great Hall Bar was nothing short of spectacular! We wanted to buy a CD, but they had sold out.

We saw this fabulous Rolls Royce as we were leaving. I hope Mr. Mickey buys another one. They are so much fun.

My look for this special evening included a gifted feather and sequined trimmed sweater from my dear sweet friend, Mitzi. The black crepe pants are from Chico's, the black evening sandals are from Dillard's, and the small clutch bag is from Stein Mart.

This fabulous sweater has inspired me to add more texture to my wardrobe. I will be looking for leather, lace, feathers, and fringe this fall. Remember to let the texture take center stage in your look. Keep all the other elements of your outfit smooth and sleek. Too many things going on in one outfit creates visual overload.