In The Spotlight ~ Kelli Miles

Our member spotlights have become so popular! Thanks for all the support our readers have shown to some of our awesome members.

This time we are giving a shout out to Kelli Miles from our Washington, DC chapter!

While Kelli says she feels 30 years old on most of her good days, she is actually a fun spirited 38 year old with a young soul living inside! Unmarried but always willing to consider applications for “boyfriendry”, Kelli works as a paralegal while weaving her dreams of being physically fit and just a little bit rich!

She has a plethora of hobbies and interests such as scrapbooking, reading, movies and writing about pop culture. Kelli would love to have her own version of the show Fashion Police. Her version would be titled “Fashion Cops” and would include several of her friends and family members.

Kelli is looking forward to her upcoming “staycation” where her mother and sister will be coming to visit. These three plan on enjoying their own special brand of loud, girly fun. Most of our LBDC events are filled with the same special brand of fun! Maybe she should recruit her mom and sister!

All though Kelli is a new member of the Little Black Dress Club, she joined the club to have fun and make new girlfriends. She loves the different types of events and being able to sport a variety of her wardrobe at each one.

Kelli is the perfect addition to LBDC. She is intelligent and easy going and has a great sense of humor. She reminds us all that we don’t have to be famous to be a superstar.

Thanks for being in our spotlight, Kelli. We are so glad you joined our club!

 

~Shay Ashcraft

National Director, LBDC

 

 

 

 

 

LBDC Has Arrived In Metropolitan Detroit!

The Little Black Dress Club is rapidly growing across the US. With chapters in California, Nashville, Chicago, Columbus, Alabama and more, our national club is getting noticed! We are so happy to introduce Michelle Barrett from Detroit, Michigan to our family of LBDC Directors.

Energetic and very enthusiastic, we think Michelle is going to do a terrific job in bringing our women’s social club to the Metropolitan Detroit area.  In her spare time Michelle enjoys reading, comedy shows, shopping, funny movies, getting pampered, just about anything near big body of water, learning new things, her family and cats!

Michelle believes in working hard so she can play hard and laugh until it hurts! Read on to learn more about Michelle, learn what she has in store for her new chapter and then take time to welcome her!

~Shay Ashcraft

National Director, LBDC

 

I heard about LBDC from one of my best friends, Bridget Flowers.  She grew up in the Detroit area, but relocated to Nashville where she learned about and joined the Little Black Dress Club.  Bridget knows that I enjoy being around fun loving, positive and purposeful women and thought it would be a good thing for me to look into.  She shared a lot of information about the Nashville chapter and what she knew about the organization and I really liked what I heard.  We knew there wasn’t an active chapter in the Detroit area, so after many lengthy conversations & hours on the national website I decided to pursue becoming a director.

I decided to become a LBDC director because I am surrounded by amazing women.  I know some of the women from my children’s school activities, from work, from my neighborhood, church, etc.  One of the common threads we all share is the fact that there are very few of us who feel as though we have enough time for ourselves; we certainly do not take time for ourselves on a regular basis.  I find it interesting that this seems to be a common thread amongst many of us whether we are married with children or single with or without children, and so on.  With that being said, becoming a LBDC director was a good way for me to take a more proactive approach to finding time for myself, while encouraging other women to do the same.  Sometimes a simple happy hour with friends is just what we need to relax & unwind in order to be at our best when we get home.

Our first event will likely be a happy hour in either Ferndale or Royal Oak since those cities are pretty central and accessible from major highways & freeways.  We are in the process of planning the first event now.

Our goal is to have at least two activities each month.  One would take place during the week (i.e. a Happy Hour) and one on the weekend (i.e. brunch, or something cultural like going to the Detroit Institute of Arts).

Some of the other ideas I have for us are:

·       High Tea at The Townsend Hotel

·       Dinner & a movie

·       Wine Tastings

·       Cooking Class

·       Something fitness oriented like a Self Defense Class, a Zumba Class or walking along Detroit’s beautiful riverfront.

I love the people here.  I am originally from Cleveland, Ohio and also lived in Oak Park, IL and miss both of those areas.  I have lived here for almost 13 years and can honestly say I have met some truly amazing people here.  Living in the Midwest part of the country is great because we get to truly experience each of the four seasons!  With that in mind, I hope to plan activities that are season appropriate.  The Detroit area has a ton of rich & cultural history like Motown, all things automotive and architectural.   As a result, the options for us to play and learn are numerous!

I survived a very serious and scary car accident in December 2012 that changed a lot of my perceptions about myself and my life.  I came across this quote shortly after the accident “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” ~Denis Waitley  I love this quote because it is a reminder that we should live in and appreciate each moment.  The past moments are over, and future moments have not presented themselves.  Life these days is often filled with a variety of actions that require multi-tasking.  Doing what we can to be consciously aware of each moment is essential to being a happy and grounded individual.

I think women have the amazing ability to be supportive and protective of one another.  We see this all of the time when a woman is expecting a baby.  I recently read an article in Prevention Magazine that discusses the eight (8) different friendships that every woman should have.  Here they are:

1.     A Childhood  Friend

2.     A New Friend

3.     A Work Out Friend

4.     A Younger Friend

5.     Your partner’s Friend

6.     Your Mom

7.     Your Self

8.     A Spiritual Friend

 

It is my hope that the Detroit Metro Area Chapter of LBDC will be a great tool to help our members establish and nurture at least one of these eight types of friendships! Click here to email me for more information on joining our club!

~Michelle Barrett

Metro Detroit Director, LBDC

 

Little Black Dress Club Welcomes Kimberly Beal!

The Little Black Dress Club is growing more and more each day with 14 chapters across the US. We are so happy to announce our latest edition in Sevierville, TN.

Kimberly Beal was searching online for a social group in her area when she stumbled across LBDC. After eleven years in Sevierville, Kimberly is excited about the challenge of getting out and about and sharing all that her town, and the Little Black Dress Club, has to offer as the new director of our Sevierville chapter.

“I want to plan events that include area attractions, dinner shows, community volunteer work and more, says Kimberly.” With an upcoming Meet & Greet event on May 17^th at a local restaurant, Kimberly has an evening full of networking and fun planned with hopes of attracting more women interested in socializing and spending one or two evenings a month with a group of girlfriends, a cocktail or two and a little black dress...

“The cities of Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg have always appealed to me; their exciting attractions, entertaining events and the sense of southern hospitality are a few of my favorite things,” says Kimberly. “Living here encourages me to take each day and make it one to remember.”

Kimberly believes that every woman should have a best friend to call anytime of the day to confide in, a girlfriend she can rely on when things get tough or to share joyful life events with. Someone to argue and disagree with but who will still love you no matter what. She says, “I want my LBDC Chapter to be full of inspiring women of all walks of life. I would like to see LBDC Sevierville grow each year with members that are interested in making a difference in others’ lives while having fun doing it.  I am dedicated, organized and ready to hit the ground running!” Sounds like you are off to a great start, Kimberly!

Aside from directing her new LBDC chapter, Kimberly spends a lot of time with her 4 year old daughter Sienna and her 6 year old son, Jake. When she’s not acting as team mom or going back and forth between cheerleading and football practices, Kimberly is also an enthusiastic race fan, cheering on her husband while he races his late model stock car every Saturday night.  

It sounds like Kimberly has the enthusiasm, will power and excitement to be a great Little Black Dress Club director. We are glad to have her on our team!

For information about joining the new Sevierville chapter, email Kimberly by clicking here or visit the LBDC Sevierville Facebook page here.

 

~Shay Ashcraft

National Director, LBDC

 

Denim, Diamonds, & Divas

The Little Black Dress Club hit the town on May 10, 2013 in downtown Tracy and it is still being talked about over a week later! Twenty members from our LBDC Tracy and East Bay chapters met up for “Denim, Diamonds, & Divas.”

One year ago two fun loving women, Melanie Dunniway and Gwen Brady met by happenstance at a vendor booth at this same event. Interested in learning about LBDC and hearing more about Melanie’s chapter in Tracy, California, who knew that a year later Gwen would be directing her own Little Black Dress Club chapter in the East Bay area?

 

 Hosted by the city of Tracy, the point of this sold out event was a ladies night filled with cute lady vendor boutiques, a too cute for words DJ, dancing and downtown shopping. Each attendee received a goody bag, a commemorative wine glass and several food and wine tastings.

Tracy and East Bay members made their presence known! The DJ dedicated a special song to these two chapters before demanding they hit the dance floor.  All the LBDC ladies showed their best moves and were pulling other ladies out of the crowd to join in and dance away! "Those girls were great and so much fun," said Sheila Martinez. "This was the most fun event we have ever had!"

Other attendees were curious about the club, envious of the obvious connection between such a large group of women and all the fun they were having together. Gwen was fantastic in promoting LBDC and was sending tons of ladies in the Tracy area Melanie’s way to learn more about the Little Black Dress Club. “I couldn't have asked for a better first meeting between our chapters," says Melanie. “It was just an absolute fantastic night and crazy fun!!”

So what’s in store for these two chapters? The Tracy ladies plan to party with East Bay once again at the upcoming LBDC Launch Party in the East Bay area. In addition, these two directors have already begun planning a joint river rafting excursion with their chapters that will take place August 18 on the historic Stanislaus River!  

Sounds like an incredible evening was had by all, proving yet again that making new friends is as easy as throwing on your little black dress! These two Little Black Dress Club, California chapters are alive, growing and representing what the true spirit of LBDC is all about; adventure, sophistication, and bonding friendships!

For information on joining a chapter in your area, email us by clicking here.

 

 

 

 

 

Spring Into Yum!

Spring has officially sprung! I always look forward to my favorite time of year. Spring always brings the flowers back to bloom, the birds back to my feeders and new recipes to my kitchen.

After struggling with trying to maintain a healthy diet for most of my adult life, I finally decided to just enjoy what I enjoy. I’ve never been one to keep up with restrictive diets, hitting the gym 5 times a week or cutting out my favorite munchies just to fit into that summertime bathing suit. But I have found a regimen that works for me. Mainly consisting of portion control, I just find what I like, and eat it! Sounds perfect right? I’ve learned that as I steadily climb the ladder to my 40th birthday, I just need to exercise the self control that I am constantly begging my kids to use. So what works for me is simple; eat what I want, when I want it....in small portions.

This Spring I have come across several quick and fairly easy recipes. Always on the go and seemingly rushed every minute of every day of my life, I look for tasty recipes with little ingredients, and lots of flavor. Here are a few of my most recent finds that I consume almost daily.

Pineapple Green Juice
Requires juicer
1 bundle spinach (substitute kale, romaine-any leafy green)
2 pears (substitute sweet apples)
1 half pineapple (substitute kiwi, mango)

Wash all ingredients and run through the juicer. Serve chilled for best taste.

Juicing can be done ahead of time. We make large batches on Sundays and then pour a large to-go cup each morning to have on the way to work. You’d be surprised how quickly you can down an entire pineapple, 2 pears and a half bag of kale. That’s more veggies and fruit than I would normally have in an entire week and it keeps me full until lunch time.

Green drinks aren’t pretty right? I have learned, after only 2 months of juicing, that once you find the right combination of fruits and vegetables, there ARE great tasting juices out there that will provide you with more nutrients and vitamins than you would likely consume if you ate a plate full of veggies for dinner. There are great websites, books and tools out there to help you get started. My favorite at the moment, is Best For Juicing. Daily posts include recipes, how to’s, support from other juicers. It’s a great tool, check them out.

Tuna Pepper
1 large red, yellow or orange pepper
1 can albacore tuna in water, drained
1 tsp Mayo
½ tsp Relish
Salt and pepper to taste

I mix the tuna up with mayo and relish. I pack it in my lunch with a bottle of water and a pepper. After splitting open the pepper and removing seeds, I spoon in the tuna and eat with a knife and fork. Believe it or not it fills me up when I add a bottle of water and a banana. Quickest lunch ever. Now if only I could get my kids to eat it....

Grilled Fish
This is a big one for me. Having a severe allergy to shellfish for most of my life, I have always shied away from all seafood. But one Saturday night, 2 glasses of wine and the smell of lemon and garlic changed my mind.

After my husband marinated, seasoned and grilled 5 pieces of mahi mahi, it looked too good to not try a small bite. That small bite turned into 2 pieces of fish quickly disappearing from my plate and a trip to Trader Joe's the next day to buy more mahi mahi.

With zero “fishy taste”, a soft texture similar to chicken and the great flavors of lemon and garlic mixed with the smokiness of being cooked on the grill on a wooden salmon plank, this has become my new favorite dinner. 20 minutes on the grill while some green veggies steam in the microwave and a couple pieces of garlic Texas toast (like I said; I eat what I like, in moderation) and this is one quick and easy weeknight recipe that I will continue to fall back on. All you non-seafood eaters should too!

What are some of your favorite spring and summer recipes? Email us here and share your recipes and photos for an upcoming blog post. We would love to hear from you!


~ Shay Ashcraft
National Director, LBDC

In The Spotlight - Lisa Dretchen

Spring has officially sprung in Nashville, TN and today we are giving a bright bouquet of spring flowers to a new member spotlight!

46 year old wife and mom Lisa Dretchen from our Nashville Chapter has been an LBDC member since the beginning of the Nashville chapters’ inception. Always a burst of energy, Lisa has a 23 year old son and a 14 year old daughter. Married to her husband since 1996, Lisa works for the Tennessee State Security Office.

Family time, to include a cat named Whiskey and a dog named Skippy, is really important to Lisa. She loves to write in her spare time or just curl up with a good Stephen King novel, but she is also not afraid to watch a few horror movies on a Friday night. She is also very active with the Girl Scouts of America helping out with her daughter’s troop activities. Lisa’s most recent and exciting extracurricular activity was being picked to star as an extra for the hit show Nashville. Who knew we had a celebrity in our midst?

Lisa also has travel plans on her calendar. A lover of white water rafting on the Ocoee, the Dretchen family is planning a trip to Michigan to visit family, followed by a summer vacay to Florida, supporting her daughters love of music by visiting a few music venues, celebrating her wedding anniversary in July and then squeezing in as many rafting trips as they can schedule. Sounds like Lisa is going to have a busy summer!

Lisa joined the Little Black Dress Club to make new friends and have an occasional adult night out. A great outlet away from her family, Lisa says she loves the clubs diversity and all though she has not attended many of our more adventurous excursions, she is adding one of those to her calendar as well.

Lisa says if she could reinvent herself, she would become a published author. Sounds like you are one busy woman, Lisa! Thanks for taking time out to be in our member spotlight!

 

~Shay Ashcraft

National Director, LBDC

 

 

 

Party In A Bottle

One of my favorite things about spring is being able to sit on my deck with a glass of chilled wine, feet propped up and nibbling on some cheese while I watch my downy woodpeckers and cardinals fight over their feeder.

Second, is being able to share a chilled glass of wine with my girlfriends. If you find yourself looking for a good excuse to plan a fun night at home and invite a few of the girls over, consider a wine tasting…of sorts!

Below we have listed some great starting points to planning and hosting your very own wine tasting from the comfort of your own home. Inviting a group of girlfriends over and setting out a few snacks can be a great way to relax on a Saturday afternoon and can be done at little or no cost.

In addition to LBDC, I also attend and host a few events per year with the Nashville Area Wine Enthusiast group. Nowadays it seems like celebrities are coming out with their own fragrances, pocket books, and WINE! So recently I hosted a Celebrity Wine Tasting in my home.  I asked each member to bring one bottle of a Celebrity Wine. I was shocked at all the different choices: Dave Matthews, Wayne Gretzsky, Paul Newman, Ed Hardy, Marilyn “Merlot”, Francis Ford Coppola...there were at least a dozen varieties! Line them up and do a taste testing of each one. The winning bottle wins a door prize. You could also suggest guests bring two bottles. The winning bottle gets to take home the collection!

Have oyster crackers and water on hand for palate clearing. Right before the last wine tasting I hosted, I came across these rubber ice cube trays perfect for freezing individual grapes. Grapes can be great to clear your palate or even try dropping a frozen grape in the bottom of your white wine. Delicious!

Instructions:

1. Have each woman bring 2 bottles of a celebrity wine.

2. Open the bottles and pour samples for each woman.

3. Taste the wines.

4. Sample the wines with the suggested foods (below).

5. Have each woman vote by silent ballot for her favorite.

6. Tally the votes. If you have a tie, draw from the two.

7. The woman who brought the first place wine gets to take the unopened wines (yes, all of them!) or you can offer a door prize or just have a raffle for the entire group.

Suggested Food Pairings:

Keep in mind this is merely to add dimension and variety to the tasting. While it’s important to serve something of reasonable quality, don’t feel the need to cook all afternoon or spend too much money.

Red

Chocolate

Cheese – Camembert, Brie, Manchego, Gorgonzola

Tomato or tomato-based pasta sauce

Pizza (a decent frozen one will suffice)

Chili or other hearty stew (a canned one will suffice)

White

Olives

Tomato

Green peppers

Apple

Cheese – Goat, Colby, Havarti

Rose

Pizza (a decent frozen one will suffice)

Pate or Sausage

Turkey

Cheese – Choose one from each of the red and white lists above

Variation:

If you have more than 7 participants, consider splitting the group in 2. Have women sign up for a color preference or assign colors. In this case, you may have the women that bring red, vote on the whites and the women that bring white vote on the reds. The woman that wins the white competition will take home the unopened whites and vice versa. You could also have a "Battle Of the Bottles" and vote on the best looking bottle. There are some very artistic wine labels out there!

We would love to hear some of your wine tasting party ideas and suggestions in our comments below. For more information on joining the Little Black Dress Club and attending fabulous events such as our very own Celebrity Wine tasting, visit our website by clicking here. And make sure you check out our friends the Nashville Area Wine Enthusiasts on Facebook!

Cheers!

~Shay Ashcraft

National Director, LBDC

In The Spotlight - Shawna Lee

Member spotlights have quickly become a favorite on the LBDC blog! We are so happy to honor some of the women who have made the Little Black Dress Club a success. This time we are sharing a bit about 42-year-old Shawna Lee from the newly formed East Bay, California chapter.

 

Married with a daughter, Shawna works for Contra Costa County Health Services. Filling her time off with modeling, seeing a good movie or spending time with her mother and daughter, she also enjoys a good workout at the gym.

While Shawna is anxiously planning vacations to Vegas and Hawaii, she has really enjoyed her first month as a LBDC member.

 

When LBDC East Bay director Gwen Ford introduced Shawna to the club, she says it was a no brainer. “I joined the LBDC, because I was getting so tired of the same old routine; work, gym, home and a weekend of the same lounges with the same people”, said Shawna.  “I was ready to just shake it up and meet new women, find new places, and just step outside my box of BORRRRING!”

 

Shawna loves the club because it allows her to interact with a lot of amazing women. All educated, funny, beautiful, and really just full of personality, Shawna says it has been a very empowering experience for her. “I’ve already been to a couple of places I’ve never been, and love them. Not to mention the few women I’ve reconnected with after a good 10 years or better. This is a great idea, and I’m just so excited to be a part of it. I can’t wait till my daughter is of age so she too can be a member. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of such a fantastic group.”

 

Gwen is very grateful to Shawna for the dynamic energy she brings to their chapter. Always seeing the positive side of things, Shawna has been a major contributor to the success thus far of the East Bay Club. “She is the first one to step up and volunteer to help with anything I need”, says Gwen. She's one of the most beautiful women I know, both inside and out yet, she's amazingly humble about all that she does.  I'm so proud to have her as part of LBDC!”

 

We are proud to have you both! Thanks for being in our member spotlight this week, Shawna!

 

 

~ Shay Ashcraft

National Director, LBDC

Chicken and Waffles, Anyone?

Rhonda Watson has gotten the DC chapter off to a great start! Having just hosted her second event, Rhonda is actively searching out the best venues, tastiest meals, and most exciting activities for the LBDC ladies of DC.

 

On a recent and cold Sunday morning, a small group from the Washington chapter got together for some enjoyable conversation and a more than filling meal. Rhonda, Sonya, LaJuan, Clarinda and Sonja, shared a mimosa toast and welcomed the beginning of a new day while focusing on some great conversation and the smell of delicious contemporary cuisine at  Chef Geoff’s in Rockville, MD.  

Chef Geoff’s Sunday specials consisted of Belgian waffles, fried chicken, crab cakes, and biscuits. The entire meal was simply delicious, the service was great, and the ladies quickly decided Chef Geoff’s is a great place to return!

Rhonda has several more great events lined up for the Washington, DC chapter. If you are in the area and are looking to meet new girlfriends, get out of the house on occasion or  just have some fun, make sure you contact Rhonda here and ask how you can join the club! In the meantime, make sure and “like” this fun chapter on Facebook page by clicking here.

~Shay Ashcraft

National Director, LBDC

The Little Black Dress Club Has Arrived in East Bay, California!

 

After meeting Tracy, CA director, Melanie Dunniway at a Ladies Night Out event, Gwen Brady decided the LBDC needed to be in East Bay, CA as well. “Step out onto a limb…that’s where the fruit is” she said.

“I thought about this for almost a year after meeting Melanie, I kept running across her business card and remembering how fun she was”, said Gwen. “I checked her out online and read up on LBDC.  It seemed like she was always doing something fun.  I absolutely LOVE people and socializing and I couldn’t find enough positive, fun, unique things to do in my area…many of my friends (married & single) were having the same problem so…I researched LBDC more and felt like it was exactly what I was supposed to do…not just for myself but for all the ladies in our area who work hard in and outside of the home.  Once I decided to do it, I was HOOKED on the idea, on the possibilities and it just took me over like some adrenaline fueled networking addiction.  I want to impact the local social community like a tidal wave of synergy.”

Jumping in headfirst, Gwen has already recruited several new members and is quickly filling up the calendar with fun events. Coming up soon for the East Bay ladies will be a visit to see the WORLD RENOWNED “Alvin Ailey” dancers on Sunday, April 28 at the UC Berkley Campus Theater. Using all her social connections, girlfriends and event planning ideas, Gwen and the ladies of East Bay are planning lots of fabulous mixers, comedy shows, billiards, theater and movie nights, red carpet events, and benefits. The possibilities are endless. Staying in tune with the mission of the LBDC to always give back to their community, LBDC East Bay is working on a volunteer opportunity at the local battered women's shelters and a few local 10K marathons. Being close to Napa Valley, I hear a limo ride to a wine tasting is soon to be in store as well!

Only an hour away from the State Capital, San Francisco, Berkley, and Oakland, Gwen says her city is such a diverse and central location, perfect for a new LBDC chapter. They are far enough  away to enjoy suburbia, yet close enough to slip into a LBD and hit the town!

A huge fan of Marianne Williamson, Gwen sometimes uses her quote “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” Gwen relates to Marianne feeling that it is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.  "We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be", asks Gwen.

Gwen feels that true friendship between women incorporates appreciating what is beautiful about other women and embracing that beauty vs. being envious of it.  We all have something beautiful about us…when we recognize and appreciate that, we are able to build stronger, deeper connections amongst each other, which is important for all of us as women.   

In her spare time, Gwen enjoys jogging with her girlfriends and running her small home-based accessory business. She is mom to JR, a former US Marine and finds her deepest joy in spending time with her 4 year old grandson, Kaiden. Having served for 4 years in the US Navy and having been in law enforcement for the last 16 years, Gwen loves volunteering and mentoring the youth in her community.  But on the occasional lazy Sunday, Gwen often finds herself watching LMN with her friends and several bottles of great wine!

Sounds like East Bay, California is going to be a great new home for the Little Black Dress Club! If you would like more information on this chapter, have an event idea to suggest to Gwen or would like more information on joining the club, Gwen would love to hear from you all! Email her here and make sure to stop in and say hello on the East Bay Facebook page.

~Shay Ashcraft
National Director, LBDC