Budget Rewind - June 2013

June 2013 was a kind of random shopping month, but in hindsight, not terrible.

Good

• Target Black Flats: $9 - worn 25 times on the blog and who knows how many other times.  These are a wardrobe staple, which I would have paid quite a bit more for, but $9 just makes them even better!
• Target Printed Dress:  $8 worn 6 times on the blog, and several unblogged times.  It's been an easy dress to throw on and go.  
• F21 Elephant Necklace: $3 - I wore this a lot, but it's really cheap and the silver coating has started to wear off, so I should either paint it or toss it.  
• F21 Giraffe Necklace: $3 - I haven't worn this as much as the elephant, so it is holding up better.  I still really love it.
• F21 Ribbon Ring: $3 - same story as the elephant necklace.  
• Loft Pleated skirt: $0 ($13 -used a gift card) - 12 blog appearances and it fit throughout pregnancy which was a nice bonus.  
• Loft Floral shorts: $18 - I love these shorts so much and wore them a ton!  They don't currently fit, but I hope I can get back into them soon!

Medium

• JCF White shorts: $24 - I wanted white shorts so bad that I bought these and convinced myself they were good enough.  They fit nicely, but were a little dressier than I wanted and a very thin fabric.  I found a better option at Gap exactly a year later and sold these ones.  
• Loft Striped Sweater: $0 ($12 - used a gift card) - summer sweater...  I don't know.  I'm usually more inclined to wear a tank and cardigan since it's hot outside and cool inside.  I do like this sweater and will try to wear it more this summer.
• Loft Yellow dot skirt: $15 - I completely fell in love with this skirt, but didn't buy it because it didn't seem very remixable.  But then I thought about it all the next day and went back for it.  I was right to leave it behind, because I didn't have many ideas for how to wear it, and it was a little short for me.  But it was so pretty!

Bad

• F21 Bow Ring: $3 - it never fit, even though it was the same size asthe other F21 ring.  Oh well! Just $3 wasted.  

Returned

• Tankini Top: in my ongoing quest to find a swimsuit, this one didn't work all.  (Dear Swimsuit makers, please make a tankini, with underwire support for larger cup sizes that also has a high neckline.  Some of us want to cover our tummies and our cleavage.  Love, Andi)

June Shopping (or lack thereof)

It's the end of the month which means it's time to link up with the budgeting bloggers!  Only I haven't bought anything this month.  So I figured I would link up anyway and talk about my current wardrobe and shopping situation (hopefully that's legal).  And since I don't have any pictures of recent purchases, here are a few recent outfits I wore but didn't get real pictures of.  I have yet to perfect the outfit selfie, but you get the idea.

Late last summer, I was itching to do a major closet clean out.  I'm not ever going to be a minimalist, but I was just tired of having so many items that I rarely wore and wanted to pare down a bit.  I was really busy for a few weekends and hadn't gotten around to it.  Then I got the happy news that I was pregnant!  Since then, I've felt like I shouldn't get rid of anything because I have no idea what size or shape I will end up with and what kinds of things I will want to wear as a stay at home mom.  

For example, I would have gotten rid of several "nice" tees last summer because I rarely wore them.  But in the last month, I have worn them a lot!  Glad I hadn't donated them all!

On the other end of the spectrum, I've been looking for replacement nude pumps for 2 years at least.  I saw a perfect option at DSW last week, but then realized I probably don't need them anymore.    

So I'm not officially on a shopping break, but I think it will probably be a few months before I do any major shopping or closet cleaning.  It's not like I have a ton of free time to shop or organize, but even if I did, I think it's wise to let myself settle into my new life situation before adding or removing very much.  

For now, I'm trying to reassess my wardrobe and figure out what it should be.  I only need to dress nice one or two days a week, but I still like to wear something interesting when I am running errands or whatever.  So far, I've realized that I need more casual tank tops in solid colors..  I also need to figure out a comfortable shoe option that isn't tennis shoes.  Anyway, it will be a work in progress, but I figured it was worth writing a novel about, because if I can't share ridiculous thoughts about post-baby style on my blog, then what's even the point of having it?

Accidental Matchers

Mornings have been tricky, because our child is a night owl like me, and then sleeps later in the mornings.  So we hadn't been to morning church in a few weeks.  We finally made it last week, and I accidentally wore a combination of what my two favorite guys were wearing.  In our defense, I was getting dressed while John was getting himself and the baby dressed, so I didn't realize we kind of matched until we were heading out the door, and it was too late to change.  

Church went pretty well.  Baby Smith slept for the beginning of the service and then woke up about halfway through the sermon, so we ducked out.  Then he fell asleep again for Sunday School.  

He's not really into outfit pictures!

Cardigan: JCF 

Dress: banana republic factory

Belt: gap

Sandals: target

Budget Rewind - June 2014

June 2014 was a great shopping month!

Good
Gap White shorts:  $10 - replaced the white shorts from JCF that I bought in June 2013.  These are much better.
Gap Camo/Stripe shirt: $5 - just a fun and unique tee to add to my closet.  I've worn it a lot.
Target Cognac Sandals: $20 - these are the best sandals!  I ordered the same style in black because I love them so much, but they didn't fit the same.  Total bummer!
Lucky B Boutique Necklace: this was free to me since I won a gift card, but I really like it and have worn it quite a bit. 

Medium
Gap Striped dress:  $15 - I like this dress a lot, but just haven't worn it much.  I suspect I might reach for it more in my new lifestyle.
Loft White Tank:  $5 - this neutral tank is a good closet staple, but kind of boring.  I still think it was smart to buy it for this price.

Nothing bad or ugly to report!  Good job, last year Andi!

Book review - We Were Liars

We Were Liars has been on my list since last summer, and then the ebook was actually available from my library.  Have I mentioned how much I am loving ebooks right now?

This is another one that is hard to review, because part of the fun is not knowing anything about it.  I'll put big spoilers in white font.

A wealthy family spends their summers on their own island, three adult daughters and their children.  Anyway, the story takes place mostly in 2 of these summers, and focuses on the teenage cousins.  It jumps back and forth in time, and the truth about what happened starts to fall into place.

Spoiler alert:  very early on in the book, I guessed something about the ending.  If I'm reading a book that I know my husband won't read, I like to tell him my guesses of what will happen.  So I told him "Gat is dead."  and then immediately felt stupid, because he's there and alive and talking, etc.  But then it turned out I was right (except I didn't guess that the other 2 kids were also dead).  So cruel of the author to mess with me like that!  But I do like being surprised, so I can't be too mad. It's one of those stories I almost want to re-read now that I know the twist.  

A Birthday

This is what I wore on Saturday to celebrate my sister-in-law's birthday.  We went to a new restaurant downtown, and it was kind of a fiasco.  The College World Series was going on, so traffic and parking was ridiculous, but once we got into the restaurant, it wasn't too crowded.  But then they had a super limited menu because of the event, and I'm pretty sure (really hope) that they were using different ingredients for the food than normal.  The whole deal with the restaurant is that they have food and beers from the area, but honestly, it seemed like they went to the local Sam's Club and bought a bunch of frozen burgers and a giant bag of Ruffles potato chips.  So I don't think we will be going back there any time soon.  But we survived our first trip to the Old Market with a baby, and I assume subsequent trips will be less dramatic if the CWS isn't in town!

Anyway, after dinner we continued the celebration with presents and cupcakes and ice cream.  So that was fun!

And yeah, I'm still wearing my maternity shorts.  I just kind of love them, and if I didn't have a blog where I talk about my outfits, no one would ever know.  So, let's just keep it between us, okay?

Top: JCF
Shorts: Loft Maternity
Sandals: Target

Third Thursday Denim Jacket

It's the Third Thursday, and Bri has once again picked a theme I can work with!  My denim jacket is a frequently worn item, but I haven't worn it at all in the last 6 weeks.  Partly because it's been warm outside, and partly because I think the buttons might be awkward when I'm trying to hold my baby.  I've been wearing things that are softer without much hardware.  

On Tuesday, I had a dentist appointment, which meant I was on my own for a little bit, and the dentist office tends to be chilly, so it was a good time for a jacket!  

This tank top is a new hand-me-down from my mother-in-law.  She bought it and then didn't like it because it "made her look like she'd just had a baby."  And I was like "well, hey, I did just have a baby, so I can look like that!"  It is a kind of awkward shape, but I love the stripes, and the high neckline is ideal right now.  I don't want to buy new stuff until my body sort of settles into whatever size/shape it's going to be after pregnancy, so I'm happy to have a new shirt to wear in the meantime!  

Jacket: JCF

Tank: Target

Shorts: Loft (maternity)

Sandals: Santana  

Book Review - The Girl on the Train

The Girl on the Train is everywhere right now.  It's another one that I've been hearing about for months, and finally got it from the library, as an ebook!  Super easy to read on my phone's Kindle app while snuggling my little guy.  I really liked it, which was a problem because I kept reading in the middle of the night when I really should have gone to bed!

This is one I can't say much about because it will ruin the plot.  There's a girl on a train (obviously), she sees some things from said train, and then other stuff happens.  See, no spoilers!  Everyone compares this to Gone Girl, but I liked this one much better.  There are 3 narrators, and the story jumps back and forth a bit in time, so pay attention to the chapter headers.

Wedding Baby

You guys don't mind if outfit photos occasionally include a baby, right?  What if he is dressed better than me? 

Last Saturday, some of our friends got married.  We very nervously took the baby, hoping he wouldn't cry or scream at any awkward moments (like "if you oppose this union, speak now").  So we got all dressed up and ventured to the church.  He was pretty content during the prelude and processional, but once the music stopped, he started squirming and grunting.  So I quickly escaped out the back doors before he started crying.  And then he was pretty popular at the reception.  People tend to think he's kind of cute.  I agree.

Since we were all dressed up, we took a little family photo!  

And this might be my new favorite picture.  He doesn't really know how to smile yet, but it sure looks like he is grinning here.   

Cardigan: Gap factory

Dress: Gap

Shoes: Target

Baby Shower Baby

If you want to be a not very helpful baby shower planner, try having a baby one month before the party.  Not that I know from experience.  Okay, I do.  This past weekend, we had a baby shower for one of my best friends.  I "helped" plan it, but I'm fairly certain I did about 1% as much work as the other hostesses (and they did an awesome job!).  My kiddo was the only man at the baby shower, so I think he felt kind of awkward, but he was pretty happy the whole time, and he got to meet some more of my friends, so that was exciting.  Brooke is due in July, and we are pretty excited about making our babies be best friends.  

Anyway, this is what I wore.  It's kind of tricky getting dressed these days, because I don't have time to try on a million things, and I have no idea what will fit, and how it will fit.  So I kept it simple with a black and white skirt and a looser top.  I felt good and was comfortable, but I wish this skirt had pockets.  Or I wish I had about 4 extra arms.      

Top: Target

Skirt: Gap factory

Sandals: Santana via DSW

Book Review - All the Light We Cannot See

I had All the Light We Cannot See on hold at the library for several months, and then it became available the first week of May.  I actually read a few chapters while I was at the hospital!  Then I was super interested in it, and managed to finish reading it the first week home from the hospital.  It's not really convenient to hold a heavy book while also holding a sleeping baby, so I've been relying on ebooks lately.

This is a really good book.  You should probably read it.  It follows a few different people during WWII  and how their stories come together.  It jumps back and forth in time a little bit, but not in a confusing way.  Spoiler - I think the ending was kind of confusing like where was the diamond?  How did Werner get the house and not have the diamond?  How would he even have known the stone was in the house??   But I did like how the ending wasn't entirely happy/expected.  I mean, I wanted Marie and Werner to find each other and get married, but I probably would have found that to be too cliche, so I just won't be happy either way.  

I'm not sure I'd recommend reading it when you are about to have or just recently had a baby. It's sort of upsetting to read about young boys in Nazi training camps when bringing your own precious baby into the world.

Mom Style

I've been a mom for almost 4 weeks now!  Man, it goes by quickly.  So, this is what I look like as a mom.  Or actually, I usually look like this:

Things are going pretty well, I think.  John was off work for 2 weeks, and those were my favorite days, just being the three of us.  Then my parents came to meet baby, and my mom was able to stay for about a week.  Then my sister showed up, and she is here now for a few days.  And of course, my in-laws are in town, so we've seen them a decent amount.  Everyone agrees - this kid is pretty great!  I'm fairly obsessed with him, at least.

Cardigan: Old Navy
Tee: Loft
Shorts: Loft Maternity (let's be real, maternity shorts are going to be my favorite for awhile still)
Shoes: Sperry

May Shopping

So, I'm a few days late on this, but I wanted to make sure and share my May shopping info.  Having a baby is a great way to avoid shopping!  Of course, I'm spending all my money on diapers now...

I just bought a couple things in the first week of the month.  My goal was to walk around the mall and get labor to start.  That didn't work, but I did find 2 very cute items at Loft.

Loft Elephant tee: $20 (Originally $40)
Loft Lou & Grey Windowpane Skirt: $10 (Originally $40)

Total: $30 (originally $80)

I normally wouldn't pay $20 for a t-shirt, but I think this elephant print is unique enough and I really love it!  Plus, I think I will wear it a lot!

Linking up with Fran and the other Budgeting Bloggers