Saturday Adventure

It was the perfect day for taking a long drive into the beautiful mountains of Virginia to visit with dear friends who moved there a couple of years ago.

Our weather is a bit cooler now, so I am wearing jeans, a tank, and a necklace from Chico's with a white denim jacket from J.Jill. The bag is from Finley House Couture in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The sandals are by Rampage via Belk.

I was glad I wore the jacket. It served me well on the long drive through the country in a convertible.

I was so happy to see my sweet friend Vicky. We are pictured in her fabulous new store called Missing Pieces, located in Damascus, Virginia. I had so much fun shopping there! She had some beautiful antique pieces and unique treasures from all around the world.

Vicky and her husband have been lovingly restoring this fabulous one-hundred-year-old home by the river for a couple of years.

This is the screened-in porch entered from their elegantly appointed kitchen. The view is of a large wooded island in the middle of a river. Vicky has done such a great job decorating their beautiful home.

We did, indeed, feel welcome!

This is the seating area, including a fire pit and a grill out by the river. That island makes the perfect neighbor!

The fountain is original from the early 1900s!

I can't wait to sit by a crackling fire while listening to the river rushing by.

To my utter delight, these wild baby ducks and their mom came running to me because they knew I had crackers in my hand.

When they finished eating their cracker crumbs, they sat down at my feet!

If you would love to spend a weekend in a beautiful town that is almost as it was a hundred years ago, I highly recommend Damascus, Virginia. 

Several hiking trails pass right through the town, including the famous Appalachian Trail. A unique biking experience can be had on the Virginia Creeper Trail, which is also located here. For these reasons, this is known as a Trail Town. 

Many quaint Bed & Breakfasts are found here. There are also several lovely places to eat and shop. It is located just a few minutes from Abingdon, Virginia, which is also one of our favorite towns to visit.

The Monkee's Ribbon Cutting

It was such a delight to be part of this special evening! The ribbon-cutting and VIP party was held at the new Monkee's in Johnson City last evening. The store will be opening for business tomorrow, August 15th.

My beautiful friend Krista is the owner. She is cutting the ribbon surrounded by her family and staff above and hugging her mother below. 

This fabulous boutique includes shoes, clothing, and jewelry. Since only a few pieces of each item will be offered, there will always be a new arrival.

It was great to see so many of my sweet friends! We are all excited to have this beautiful new store to shop in. The merchandise has been carefully chosen to include modern looks for women of all ages.

A college friend drove all the way up from Atlanta to surprise Krista and her sister!

We had so much fun getting to be some of the first customers!

My dress, which is actually a skirt and top, is from My Fair Lady in Tarzana, California.  Women stopped me on the sidewalk today to ask me where I got it.

Mr. Mickey was also there to help us celebrate this special event.

Q&A How do I pack for a cruise?

Do you enjoy cruising? My guest on the blog today is an expert on the subject. Donna Hull has generously agreed to help me with this subject since I haven't been on vacation for more than two or three days in about seventeen years. 

Donna takes over the post from here.

My husband and I have almost 300 nights at sea on small ship luxury cruises. While exploring the world is a big part of the fun, so is dressing up, especially for dinner, which I appreciate since we live in rural Montana where going out to dinner means putting on a fresh pair of jeans and fancy cowgirl boots.

But packing for a cruise can be a challenge, especially in today’s travel environment. So how do I adhere to luggage weight restrictions, pack what I need and still look good? Today, I’m sharing some of my favorite tips with you.

Determine the dress code

Will your cruise have any formal nights, or is the dress code “elegant casual” for the entire voyage? When I first started cruising, the dress code was usually a couple of formal nights, with the rest of the voyage divided between informal (think cocktail attire) and elegantly casual. Men wore tuxedos or dinner jackets for formal nights, coat and tie on informal nights, and collared shirts with a sports coat for the rest of the evenings.


But with today’s casual lifestyle (and those pesky airline luggage restrictions), many cruise lines are totally casual. My husband and I prefer a cruise with formal nights, but even on the lines we sail, informal is mostly dropped from the dress code. 

Since knowing the dress code is the first step in packing, how do you find out? You’ll probably receive the information when cruise documents arrive about 3 weeks before the trip. But that’s not soon enough for our purposes so ask your travel agent. Most cruise lines also publish dress codes on their websites.

Boomer travel tip: The Cruise Critic forums are a good place to ask questions of current cruisers. 

Prepare ahead

Once I know the number of formal nights, informal nights (if there are any), and casual nights, I search my closet for what to bring and make a note of any new items to purchase. Here’s my process:

Try every item to make sure it still fits and looks stylish (which includes any special undergarments that might be needed).  My husband and I make an event out of this. It’s his personal fashion show, which adds to our trip anticipation.






Make a list of each outfit. I organize mine according to the number of formal, informal, elegant casual nights (and don’t forget daytime wear for port days or around the ship). I bring this master list with me on the cruise to make dressing super easy. All I have to do is look at the list, pick out an outfit for that night’s dress code, and I’m good to go.

Wear every item at least twice, or it goes back into the closet—this is where my list comes in handy. For instance, I may wear the same pair of Chico’s black traveler pants for 7 or 8 outfits (including formal), and none of them will be the repeat of the same look. And don’t forget that accessories can easily change an outfit from casual to dressy.





Boomer travel tip: It’s okay to wear the same outfit more than once. No one, except you, is going to notice.

Limit the shoes

Shoes take up the most room in luggage, limiting how many pairs you bring (sorry, Susan). I use the same approach as I do with clothes. The shoes I pack must go with many outfits. Nude or pewter-colored shoes are good choices as they work with almost any item in your wardrobe. And I always bring a sparkly pair of dress shoes for formal nights. 

Boomer travel tip: Wear tennis or walking shoes on the plane. No, they aren’t chic, but wearing them saves room in your luggage for that fun pair of shoes that you can’t resist bringing along. Plus, who wants to walk through TSA sockless? Eww, the germs.

But my biggest tip of all is to pack clothes that make you feel good about yourself. Wearing a great attitude is part of looking good, too.

Donna L. Hull writes about active travel for baby boomers at My Itchy Travel Feet, The Baby Boomer’s Guide to Travel. She’s currently offering her personal summer cruise packing list to new subscribers.

Circle of Red

Do you know that heart disease is the number one killer of women?

It is an honor to be in the Tri-Cities Circle of Red 2016. I am pictured below with some of the fabulous women I will be serving with during the coming year. Our mission is to educate and advocate for heart disease prevention.

Knowledge is power, and when you have all of the facts, you can become an activist, advocate, and educator to spread the word and inspire others to make heart health a priority. 

Two of my dear women friends have had heart attacks recently. Neither of them knew they had a problem. Please visit the Go Red For Women website to learn more about living a more healthy lifestyle.

As many of you know, I was not so healthy five years ago. I had several health issues but could reverse them all with a change of diet and increased exercise. Some of you also know that I was homeless about twenty years ago. I started over with almost nothing and worked my way out of that situation to become a homeowner and a successful business owner. I mention these things to inspire you to take care of yourself and believe in yourself. You can do anything you set your mind to. 

When you arrive at your goals, I also believe that it is essential to reach back to lift up those who are still struggling. That is why I write this blog and participate in so many philanthropic organizations in my community. I want to use my voice and do my part to help others' lives better and happier.

The clothing and jewelry I wore to this meeting are all from Chico's. The shoes are from Macy's, which is also a great supporter of Go Red For Women.

The Cold Shoulder

The cold shoulder once meant ignoring someone. If you wear these cold shoulder tops from Covered Perfectly, you will not be ignored!

I feel uncomfortable wearing just a tank top in warm weather. The solution for me has been to wear these tops on hot days. They are as cool as a tank top without showing the whole arm.

This cold shoulder top in violet is from Covered Perfectly.

Below is the animal print version as I wore it last year. It is the perfect look for fall days when the temperature is still high.

Fifty not Frumpy followers can get a 20% discount on up to two items for a limited time! Use the discount code FNF20 when you check out at Covered Perfectly. There are several great styles to choose from, and the discount will apply on up to two items; after that, you can take advantage of the buy 2 get 1 FREE special!

Saturday Fun

As we often do on Saturdays in the summer, we drove over to Asheville to spend the day. 

I wore a light blue sequined front top and a long silver necklace, both from Chico's earlier this year. Those are my favorite white pants from Fabrizio Gianni. The sandals are by Rampage via Belk. The bag is by Cole Haan via T.J. Maxx.

We had fun window shopping and people watching at the Grove Arcade. Later in the day, we visited a museum exhibit and a couple of art galleries.

The dog watching is always fun too. This boxer was prancing around wearing sunglasses as if that were perfectly normal.

This flower garden on the street is always so lush and pretty!

We highly recommend the bread pudding at Chestnut!

Look who we ran into in Pack Square! My beautiful high school friend Susan and her handsome French husband C.A. were also in town for the day.

We took the long way home via the Blue Ridge Parkway, where we saw a black bear foraging for food near the roadway as well as this amazing sunset over the mountains.

An Elegant Dinner

My favorite evenings include getting dressed up to share an elegant dinner and fine wine with wonderful friends.

As yet another rainstorm was looming, we prepared to drive over to Banner Elk, North Carolina, to spend a lovely evening with our dearest friends at our favorite restaurant, Artisanal. 

I couldn't wait to show you this stunning asymmetrical front jacket from MyFairLady! It is by IC Collection, and it is perfect for summer. It also comes in white, so I had a difficult time deciding! I love the sculptural quality and texture of this mesh jacket.

The tank is also from MyFairLady, and it's reversible! You can wear it as a scoop neck or a V-Neck.

The Travelers pants are from Chico's. The bag is from Saks Off 5th. The suede shoes are by Sam Edelman via Nordstrom.

I will be in L.A. during the first week of September, so you know I will have Uber drop me off at MyFairLady as soon as possible. There are so many unique things there that I am excited to add to my basics.

Strictly Casual

If you stop by to visit me on my day off or join me on the walking path in my neighborhood, this is what you might find me wearing.

The hoodie is from J.Jill, and it is the perfect summer weight layer for those who are always too cold in air-conditioned spaces.

Add a tank top, cropped jeans, and slip-on canvas shoes, and you have my favorite look for lounging at home. This is also the type of look I wear while walking around the four lakes in my neighborhood during the early morning.

J.Jill has been my favorite source for comfortable casual clothing for several years. I have many tops and jackets from them in coral, red, raspberry, and similar colors. I gravitate to these colors because they go with every pair of pants I own, which equates to easy casual looks I never have to think about.

The Weekly Q&A Segment

This is the first of a new segment suggested by a reader named Shannon. She sent me a picture of animal print shoes asking for help on what to wear them with. 

Above is my first suggestion for her. She wears a lot of black and only pants and jeans, no dresses or skirts. She also wants to add more color to her wardrobe.

Later I learned she wears a size 14 and has a large bust, so she felt the fitted jacket might not be a good match with her figure. My next suggestion includes a little more dressy burgundy blouse with black pants and a tan bag.

Another option would be to wear them with softer toned neutrals. A long necklace creates a flattering V-Neckline.

Another option would be to wear a flirty royal blue jacket and a white loose flowing blouse with an orange handbag.

Perhaps my personal favorite way to wear animal print shoes is with worn jeans and a white shirt, an elegant bag, and chunky jewelry.

Animal print is considered neutral, so you can wear it (in small doses) with almost anything. I limit myself to one item per look.