David Sedaris // Bob Mould // Thanksgiving in Tennessee

Dress: Leadlights Angelou Dress by Effie's Heart

Tights: Snag

Shoes:?

Earring: etXarte

Long Necklace: former Etsy shop

Short Necklace & Bracelet: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

I adore these Effie's Heart fit & flare dresses...but I mention that every time I wear one. Perfect fit & length...with pockets. I also wore this dress last Thanksgiving.

The colors in this dress are so unusual...it's difficult to decide what to pair with it...so like last year, nothing truly matched. 

I find it interesting that both times I styled this dress I chose to wear 2 necklaces...it's not something I do often. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Stash, Toasted & Chains eyeshadow by UD, MAC lipliner in Auburn, Golshan lipstick from NARS, & OPI nail polish in I'm Not Really A Waitress. 

I wore this dress a lot back in October after my surgery...it's a nice stretchy fit & flare & was easy to throw on when I was so swollen. David & I went to see David Sedaris...he was fantastic & his outfit was outstanding, but I didn't get a good picture. A visit to Gen to get my hair cut...she used to be my regular person, but she raised her rates too high for me. It was nice seeing her again, but I'll stick with Sigrid. Her shop is right next to the Willy St. Vinny's, so...

They often have an excellent selection of vintage clothing...but the real find on this day was that full length mink coat for $25! Can you even believe that?! It's in fabulous shape & an ideal fit. Afterwards, I headed over to see Courtney for a lymphatic massage...then home to make dinner. I used to make this butternut squash risotto often, but it's probably been ~15 years...so I revisited that & added some fried chicken thighs on the side so David would have protein. 

I wore this dress again the next day...I made us pan fried salmon with crispy garlic & roasted cauliflower before heading out to Stoughton. First stop, Vinny's. 

Then over to the Opera House to see Bob Mould. 

Jason Narducy opened & while his music was fine...what I really appreciated about him was his storytelling. Bob Mould put on a great show with lots of new stuff & just enough Hüsker Dü. The entire audience was my age, give or take 3 years. 

I also wore this outfit to work & to go to the Goodwill by our house...

And then I regretted not getting that green turtleneck...so I went back again the next day. And finally...I wore this dress on Thanksgiving at my parents' house. Coffee & breakfast...French toast with blueberries from their yard. 

The view from their porch is breathtaking to me...I love sitting out there when I visit. And we watched Macy's Thanksgiving Parade! I'm guessing it's been well over 20 years since that's happened...it was fun. 

Then we did something completely different from anything you did on Thanksgiving...we shot guns in my dad's gun range. My parents have a Gator they drive down there, but David thought his truck was up to the challenge...which was terrifying & fun...my dad took video to show one of his friends. 

There were all kinds of metal things that my dad's friend Frank made...my favorite was the hostage...you tried to shoot the bad guy (red circle) without hitting the hostage (black vaguely person shaped). 

And, while there is no pictorial evidence...we were also in the room while the Packer/Lion game was on. Snacks & a glass of wine.

Then, dinner! I was supposed to make roasted Brussels sprouts with pecans & pomegranate...but the sprouts didn't make it...they were too close to the ice packs in our cooler & died. But my mom made a delicious Thanksgiving meal...with pumpkin pie...much later...because guess what? We ate too much. 

 

Mint Mark // Asheville: Moog // Royal Peasantry // 12 Bones

Dress: Edge of Silence Floral Aurora Dress by Traffic People

Tights: Snag

Boots: Fluevog, Light: Canopus

Earring: Kerala Rose

Necklace & Bracelet: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

David & I got this dress at Lela's in Milwaukee...I just thought it was the most gorgeous colors together & that pattern is fabulous...also, it looked good on me. Great fit with the elastic waist & I adore the pleated skirt...somehow pleats feel like a fall thing to me. 

I wish I would have picked a color out of the dress other than black for my tights.

I love these boots so much...

This was the ideal necklace with this dress...

My make-up with this outfit included...NYX eyeliner in Jet Black; Hold 'Em, Bud, Rustler, Ghost Town, & Tex eyeshadow by Urban Decay; NYX lipliner in Pumpkin; Hypnotic Rust lipstick from Make Up For Ever; & OPI nail polish in Deutsch You Want Me Baby?

I first wore this dress almost immediately after getting it, the first week in October. David took my picture & we posed for selfies.

Then we headed to Mint Mark...gotta begin with Sex Biscuits...with all that butter & honey garlic...I feel sorry for anyone who hasn't had this in their mouth. For drinks, David chose the rotating Sangrita on draft (Corralejo silver tequila, ginger, lime, orange, fennel, watermelon, Sriracha) & I got the rotating draft cocktail, which was a Lion's Den (Elijah Craig bourbon, molasses, lemon juice, coconut aquavit, orgeat). Then came BBQ Carrots (local carrot, fermented plum, barley, pepita). David's next cocktail was The G.O.A.T. (MMSB Limousin rye, Lazzaroni amaretto, charred lemon cordial, raspberry shrub, angostura bitters, lemon), while I sipped on a Landfall (Pyrat XO reserve rum, house-made peach liqueur, blackstrap molasses, honey, lime, house-made peach pit bitters). More delicious food...Fried Green Tomatoes (buttermilk, blue cheese, black garlic), Arancini (delicata squash, Austrian pumpkin spice, chèvre, sage pistachio pistu), Agnolotti (caramelized broccoli, ricotta, house made pancetta, balsamic, crispy shallot), & Sugo (butternut squash, ginger snap, feta, cinnamon). I can't recall what David ordered next, but I obviously had a Sky Rocket (Banhez mezcal, passion fruit, savory the herb, dijon, lime, lava salt). Our final savory dish was Croque Monsieur (Mint Mark ham, dijon, mornay, shoestring potatoes). For dessert we enjoyed a Pear (poached red Bartlett pear, house-made yogurt, oats, maple syrup) &...a Skillet Cookie (rye chocolate chip, brown sugar, bourbon ice cream, butterscotch)...why is this SO good?! We shared an Espresso Martini...before heading off to see The 39 Steps. We left at intermission. Even if the play had been good...the highlight of our evening was our spectacular meal at Mint Mark. The second time I wore this dress was while we were in Asheville. After coffee...we drove over to the Moog factory for a tour. We were told the company was bought out earlier in the year & they no longer offer factory tours, but instead, a tour of the equipment in the showroom (which sounded more fun to me anyway). While we waited for that to begin...we played around. This guy gave us an excellent demonstration & history lesson about Bob Moog & the company. Then we walked a few blocks to the Moog museum. We had been so lucky with the beautiful weather, but on our last full day here, it rained. The museum was fun, but not nearly as great as the factory.There was one last vintage clothing store on my list that I still wanted to go to, Posies for Lulu...it was a stunning store...so well curated, but priced accordingly...lots of dresses & coats in the $800-1200 range. It was still wonderful to be able to see these beauties in person...most of them were too tiny for me anyway.I tried on 4 more reasonably prices garments & decided on a purple striped 70s summer dress & David got some yellow shoes & a tie.More coffee on our way to Malaprop's Bookstore...which everyone seems to love. It was alright, but we weren't blown away. We didn't even know Molly Baz had a new cookbook out, but we snatched it up. Walking back to the truck, I had to dash into Anthropologie to check out their sales room...nothing...but I had to take a picture of this sequined top as I have a nearly identical one I picked up a while ago at Retique. I intended on wearing it around the house, but I haven't yet...perhaps I'll take inspiration from this & layer it over a button up shirt & add a skirt...or wear it over a dress. We passed by this store, Royal Peasantry, & the dresses in the window really caught my eye, but I was sick of shopping...luckily, something made me turn back. Oh! These layered asymmetrical faerie dresses that the owner & designer, Daniella, created took my breath away...I told her they were so beautiful they made me tear up. She's been making clothes since she was in high school (I'm guessing she's in her 40s)...for these, she takes lingerie & other second hand clothing & reimagines them, dyes them, & drapes layer upon layer in one of a kind creations. I tried on 5 dresses & couldn't decide on just one, so David told me to pick two. I chose the top right one below, my favorite...And this one, which was David's favorite...Daniella kept them to make a few changes...I am excited to wear these next summer & feel so fortunate that we happened upon this magical shop. And finally, dinner! This location of 12 Bones in the River Arts District closes at 4 (why?!) & we got there just in time (or we would have had to drive to their other location in the suburbs). This place came up in every best of restaurant AND BBQ list I found online, so we really wanted to try it. I have never heard of Cheerwine...it's a cherry flavored soda & a southern thing...I'm not sure why I didn't pour myself a sip...I guess I was too hungry to think of it. We each ordered a full rack of ribs with blueberry chipotle sauce & for my sides I chose corn pudding & Mac & cheese...oh, my goodness! We both agreed these were the best ribs we'd ever had. When can we come back?! We had a little time to kill before our movie, so we dipped into the chocolates & unpacked the clothing we'd bought the day before. Then we went to see Napoleon on opening night at Fine Arts Theatre & ate popcorn, even though they only had vegan butter. We enjoyed the movie & it's always a treat to see a movie in a theatre since we so seldom do it. Another amazing day in Asheville. We were sad to be leaving the next day. 

 

The Harvey House // Dear Evan Hanson

Dress: Puff Sleeve Maxi Dress by Farm Rio (size XL), gift from David

Sandals: Fly London

Necklace & Earrings: Heidi Daus via Ebay 

Bracelets: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 41-39-53

I felt gorgeous in this dress...the autumnal rich colors & tropical pattern were stunning. The fit was spot on, the puffy sleeves made it slightly more dressy, the gathered elastic waist gave good definition, & I loved those orange ruffles on the lower half. This is an ideal dress for spring & autumn...it's also light enough that it would be a lovely dress to wear to a summer event when it's under 80°. 

This is the dress David surprised me with from Anthropologie. He is SO sweet & thoughtful...I don't mention it often here because it would be too much. He is constantly trying to make my life better & bring wonderful things into it (he doesn't read this blog). His goal was to bring me ~8 dresses to choose from, but he only found this one & a back-up in case this one didn't fit. He knows me...this is *thee* dress I would have picked for myself. 

This was my first time wearing these green Fly London sandals...

I have a big sparkly sunflower necklace that I was going to wear...but David liked this one better...

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Roach & Lucky; Radio, Ignite, & Blaze eyeshadow from UD; Bang lipliner by UD; NYX lipliner in Pumpkin; UD lipstick in Heat; & A Woman's Prague-ative nail polish from OPI. 

I wore this dress out to dinner with David at The Harvey House. We'd had reservations last fall, but canceled...so this was our first time. The restaurant itself is beautiful...it's behind the old train depot & its partly an inclosed train car, as well as what used to be the old baggage claim house. It's truly like stepping back in time to the 1930s...you can imagine just getting off the train after a long journey & having a fancy dinner at a local supper club. We began with cocktails...David started out with a Lion's Tail (bourbon, allspice dram, lime), while I chose a Penny Whistle (gin, Cappelletti, St. Germain, lemon). They were both marvelous...it was an excellent window into what was to come. 

A simple bread basket with warm rolls topped with crunchy sea salt & whipped butter...followed by our first starter, Salmon Tartare (red onion creme fraiche, egg mimosa)...we love a good tartare & this one was, but it was the only part of our entire meal that wasn't fantastic. Then we were delivered this perfect Chicken Liver Mousse (pickled shallots, port wine jelly)...David doesn't even like liver & he couldn't stop raving about this dish. 

Time for another drink. David is sipping a classic Sidecar (cognac, cointreau, lemon)...& I've got a Hotel Washington Punch (rum, grapefruit, lime, Door County cherry)...I love that they named a cocktail after their former neighbor. 

Onto our mains...I had to have the Superior Walleye (pumpernickel, Savoy cabbage, spatzle, horseradish sabayon)...it was perfection. David tried the Cider Brine Pork Chop (red wine braised red cabbage, ale apple jus)...& I also added on a Baked Potato with The Works...next time I'll try their creamed spinach instead. 

Our final refreshments of the evening...me with a Vesper (vodka, Lillet Blanc, gin) & David with a Chocolate Martini that took us back to our Magnus days (this one was better). Also, we couldn't resist their dessert menu...& because we are predictable...David went straight for the chocolate with a Double Chocolate Tart (chocolate ganache, chocolate cookie crunch) & I went citrus with a Lemon Tart (lemon curd, toasted meringue). 

After a delightful dinner...photos of my outfit, then on to The Overture Center to see Dear Evan Hansen. I've wanted to see this play since before the pandemic & it was on my list of must-sees on our Broadway trip for my 50th birthday...which never happened thanks to 2020. 

We had great seats & completely fell in love with this play...wonderful acting. It was a splendid night with my love.