Birthday Weekend on Sunday

On Sunday, we wrapped up our stay at The Martha

and stopped for some photos on our way out of Abingdon.

The residences, churches, and storefronts along Main Street are fascinating.

I wore off white jeans with a chambray shirt and a white tank top for the trip home. All items are from Chico's. The Jessica Simpson shoes are from T.J. Maxx earlier this year.

Many of the buildings in Abingdon date back to the 1770s.

This serpentine brick wall was built using hand made bricks many years ago to give privacy to the home's backyard above.

Our journey's next leg included stopping at White's Mill, which long served the neighboring community. Since the late 18th century, the mill provided meal and flour for the farm and kitchen and a gathering place for sharing news and views.

The Mercantile, formerly the Cumbow Store, provided those store-bought essentials and extras that any home needs.

The contents were left as they were many years ago when the mill was still used.

The port o john is appropriately hidden in an outhouse.

This abandoned store along the way captured my attention from afar.

Before our wonderful brunch at The Harvest Table in Meadowview, we explored Emory, the home to Emory and Henry College.

Saturday Part Two

We celebrate any occasion with a get dressed up and go out to dinner date.

We visited Figaredo's Bistro for my birthday dinner, which is just down the street from the Martha. We ordered different seafood/pasta dishes and a salad. Both were excellent. We are already looking forward to our next visit!

  

These photos were taken at the Inn. The restaurant was bustling, and it's quite a small space. I didn't want to intrude on the other diner's experiences with our picture taking.

For our dinner date, I wore a black jacket and a white Portofino shirt from Express. The waxed denim jeggings are from Chico's.

The Calvin Klein belt and old Kenneth Cole Reaction clutch are from T.J.Maxx. The Nine West heels are several years old. The earrings are from Chico's, and the ring was a gift from Mr. Mickey a few years ago.

Mr. Mickey snapped this photo of a church steeple close to the bistro.

Saturday - Part One

Saturday was a very full day. As we were going down to visit the Inn's restaurant for breakfast, we ran into some of Mr. Mickey's high school friends who asked us to join them. They were a delightful group!

During the early part of the day, I wore jeans with a white tank from Chico's. The black jacket is from Express. The animal print booties are from Nordstrom. The black belt is from T.J.Maxx. 

After a very relaxing couple's massage at the fabulous Martha SPA, we took a nap before getting dressed to see the play at the Barter Theatre, just across the street from the Inn.

The wind was blowing, and it was quite a bit cooler today, so I wore an asymmetrical red jersey jacket from Nordstrom over the white tank and off white jeans with animal print booties to see the play My Fair Lady.

The flowers along the way were delightful.

We have been to the Barter Theatre many times, but My Fair Lady's performance was the best yet. Holly Williams, as Eliza Doolittle, was outstanding!

We took a quick walk across the grounds of the Inn as a storm threatened to arrive before we made it to the porch.

Now I just have enough time to get dressed for cocktails before our dinner date.

I sometimes ask the chef for a vegetarian dish if there isn't anything on the menu that appeals to me. On rare occasions, I will order a pasta dish or something with fresh local fish.

Many restaurants here in the east offer lots of meat and potatoes in hearty portions but not many vegan dishes. Sometimes the best option is a baked sweet potato with a salad. I will always return to my regular eating habits on Monday, so these little weekend trips don't get a chance to do much damage. Drinking lots of water and eating a salad are my keys to maintaining when there isn't anything on the menu that I want to order.

The hearty breakfast I eat ensures that I have almost enough nutrition to carry me through the day. I rarely feel hungry until around two or three in the afternoon. A salad or a small plate of steamed vegetables is enough for an early dinner/late lunch. Many times when your body gives you a hungry signal, it is actually water that you need. I drink lots of water all day.

Wear It Wednesday - Packing

Packing to go away for the weekend has always been a challenge for me. I bring too many dark pieces, or else the pieces I bring are wrong together and or look wrong with the shoes I brought.

My selections for this trip served me very well. I know from experience that a day spent with Mr. Mickey can involve two or three clothes changes, so I brought items that could be worn in several combinations.

Inventory for this trip:

Jeans: 1 black, 1 blue, 1 off white, 1 black waxed (leather look) All jeans from Chico's.

Jackets: 1 black (from Express), 1 red (from Nordstrom)

Tops: 1 white tank (from Chico's), 1 white blouse (from Express), 1 denim/chambray (from Chico's), 1 black (from Chico's), 1 sequined blue dressy top (from Chico's)

Shoes: Animal print booties (from Nordstrom), black pumps (very old ?), nude heels (Jessica Simpson from T.J.Maxx)

Bags: Dove gray Calvin Klein (from T.J.Maxx)

Gray evening clutch (old from T.J.Maxx)

I wore basic jewelry in silver tones that I could later wear in combinations or alone.

The jackets were placed in a hanging bag, but the other items fit into a DVF weekender bag I have had for many years. (As seen in this photo from an earlier blog post.)

When packing, I considered the fact that we would be having dinner for two evenings and that we would be attending a play at the Barter Theater. Casual items would be fine for daytime activities such as shopping or breakfast, but I needed to look a little more put together for dinner and the play.

From the other blog posts for this week, you can see how I wore this mini wardrobe in different combinations to look appropriate for various activities.

I hope this post helps make packing for your next trip a little easier.

Dinner With Mr. Mickey

After a wonderful day of exploring and traveling, it was nice to take a shower and get dressed for a special dinner with Mr. Mickey.

Breathtaking antiques and art can be found in every corner of the Martha.

The gardens and grounds are equally charming.

We took a walk by the water feature stream near the pool and Spa before dinner.

Bread pudding dessert came with a candle and a special message.

After dinner, we went for another stroll before taking our after-dinner drinks onto the front porch to enjoy the weather. It will be much cooler tomorrow.

The coated black denim jeggings, which appear to be leather, are from Chico's. The sequined sheer overlay blue top is also from Chico's earlier this year. The black heels and gray evening bag are years old.

The Long Birthday Weekend

Saturday, September 13th, was my 58th birthday.

Mr. Mickey treated me to a long, pampered weekend in Abingdon, Virginia.

Along the way, we visited T.J.Maxx. At the beginning of the season, I shop there several times each week because I know the good stuff may only spend a few hours on the shelf.

I found these favorite Jessica Simpson shoes there in the spring. They are comfortable, and they go with just about everything. The gray Calvin Klein bag was a recent find for fall. I think it will become another favorite.

We have eaten lunch at 128 Pecan several times, and the food is always fabulous. Today I tried a black bean burger on a salad instead of a bun. It was the best veggie burger I ever tasted! I will have that when we go back.

Our server at 128 Pecan also works at another great restaurant in the next town. She told us all about the Harvest Table in Meadowview, so we decided to check out the town.

The tiny town has only a few buildings around the train depot, but it was a delightful trip back in time.

We made reservations to come back for brunch on Sunday at the award-winning Harvest Table restaurant.

Loaves of bread and pizzas are baked in this brick oven.  Fruits and vegetables are gathered from their garden to use in your entree. These odd-looking fruits are horned melons.

Below are jars of sun-dried tomatoes from their garden.

The Meadowview Farmers' Guild next door is an old-time general store that includes local works of art, wine, handmade soaps, and body scrubs. There were also local music CDs, locally milled grains, jams, honey, and jewelry.

The jeans and black top are from Chico's. The belt and Calvin Klein bag, as well as the shoes, are from T.J.Maxx.