Winter is Ending

The good news is that winter seems to be over.  The bad news is that I am perpetually 1-2 weeks behind on posting my outfits, so while I am wearing skirts and flats in real life, the blog is still reflecting colder times.  This was a simple outfit for a cold day when I wanted to be as comfortable as possible.  And now, spring seems to really be here!  We've had highs in the 60s and 70s this week and I am one very happy girl!  So here's hoping the boots and tights can hibernate until December!

Scarf: CK
Sweater: Old Navy
Jeans: Old Navy Maternity
Boots; Madden

Legs for One Day

On the most glorious of all January days, the temperature actually topped out at 61 and I was the happiest girl in the world.  I took advantage of the opportunity to wear bare (bear) legs, and normal shoes (not boots!).  It was so great.  And John may have called me crazy, because the low was still in the 40s, and it was pretty windy, and I didn't see anyone else in bare legs.  So maybe I am crazy.  But you know, I'm glad I got one day where I didn't have to wear boots or tights.  And then it snowed like 2 days later, so it's a good thing I took advantage of the nice weather!

Dress: Younker's Maternity
Scarf: Calvin Klein
Jacket: Target
Shoes: Target

Copy an Outfit

Audrey's challenge for us this week is to copy an outfit.  So I figured I'd go ahead and copy one of hers.  This one, to be exact, from 2 weeks ago when she was doing the Wear a Dress portion of the challenge.  

It seemed like the perfect way to try out my newly acquired maternity dress from Loft, as well as dig my yellow cardigan out of the "spring/summer" storage under the bed.  Plus, it was a completely gorgeous day, so I even let my knees out to play.  And I didn't need a coat.  If only I had gotten home early enough to take pictures outside, it would have been super exciting.  As is, it was just an exciting day.  Not super.

Cardigan: JCF
Scarf: CK
Dress: Loft Maternity
Belt: Gap
Boots: Madden

Currently January

In blog-related news, yesterday's post was my 900th!  That's so crazy to me.  I noticed I was getting close before Christmas, and meant to do a special post making a big deal out of it, but then I completely forgot, and it was just my Christmas recap.  That's pretty good though.  Maybe I will hit 1000 before baby Smith arrives!

Anyway,  another month means another Currently post.  Here's what I'm up to:

Planning: for a new baby to arrive in just 4 months!  EEK!  How did time fly by so quickly?  I'm trying to get all registered and then plan out a few DIY projects for the nursery.  I really want to use some furniture that we already have, so I'll be trying to freshen them up a bit.

Hoping:  that the next several months go as smoothly as possible.  Praying for a healthy baby and a healthy me.

Baking:  still not baking anything.  I'm tempted to whip up some cookies just so I have something to say, but no.

Wearing: anything that still fits!   A lot of my regular clothes still fit, but just aren't as comfortable or flattering as maternity options.  I've ordered a few more things online this week, so I'm hoping those will give me some new inspiration.  And I will continue to rely on scarves and cardigans to add color to the neutral maternity options I have found.

Resolving:  I don't really do resolutions anymore.  If anything, I'm trying to really live in the present this year, and not worry about what is coming next, or over-analyze what I should have done differently yesterday.  Everyone tells you how fast the years go by when you have a baby, so I want to treasure every moment (and I know I won't, because it's going to be tough)!

What are you currently doing?  Link up with  In Residence and Dearest Love to share your answers! 

Scarf: CK
Maternity Dress: Younkers (similar)
Belt: Gap  (exact)
Tights: Target (similar)
Boots: Madden  (exact)

On a Serious Note

Blogging is weird.  I write posts about 5x a week, but my writing tends to be pretty superficial.  I like clothes, and I like talking to people about why we wear the things we wear and how to style things in new and interesting ways (or just classics that always work).  Sometimes I talk about what I did that weekend, or the weather, but I don't go into a lot of details about my life.  I'm okay with having a blog that isn't super deep, but sometimes it feels like I'm not being 100% honest.

I definitely don't want or need to share every little thing that goes on in my life.  I tend to share the interesting or fun things, like going to musicals, traveling, or hanging out with friends.   And sometimes I will whine a little about having a cold, or my washing machine breaking, or falling down while taking outfit pictures.  But sometimes there are bigger things going on that I don't share.  I don't want to over-share, but I also don't want to give an unrealistic view of my life.  It's a hard balance, but I think I've erred on the side of under-sharing so far.

There's one big thing that I've almost mentioned several times, but I always stop myself.  I don't know why.  Well, I do know why - it's because I don't even like telling people about it IRL, so sharing on the blog seems even more intimidating.  But here goes...

In the summer of 2013, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis.  I started noticing random joint pain early in the year, but like a typical 20-something, I didn't go to the doctor.  Instead, I self-diagnosed using WebMD and decided that I just had carpal tunnel.  So I got a wrist rest for work.  Shockingly, it didn't help.   

After a particularly painful week in June 2013 (terribly timed around my work conference in Orlando), I called my doctor and after several visits with several doctors, I was officially diagnosed.  But I really didn't like the specialist who diagnosed me, so I switched to a good one, who had an 8 week waiting list.  On and on, it seems like everything takes forever.  Around September, I finally had a doctor that I liked, and some idea of what was going on!  

The thing about RA is that they don't really know why it happens or how to cure it, so it's all about managing as well as possible.  For those of you who don't know what it is (which I didn't until I had to), basically my immune system is confused and attacking my joints.  So it's pretty painful.  But I also hate the medicine options that seem to all have long term side effects.  Like yeah, my knees hurt, but I also don't want to maybe go blind in 10 years.  So it's pretty frustrating.  But ultimately, I'm just trusting God and praying for wisdom in dealing with this issue.      

It's one of the reasons my goals were so fail-tastic last year, and why I haven't been doing goal updates this year.  It's also why I've been gaining weight.  The pain makes it difficult to do high-intensity exercise, and the meds make it difficult to lose weight.  And my emotions make it difficult to resist baked goods.  So it's kind of a trifecta of doom.  

The good thing is that I feel almost normal sometimes.  I also have a great doctor, and a wonderful support system (thanks husband, family and friends!).  These health issues also inspired my move to working part-time as of December.  This is another thing I haven't mentioned, because I didn't know how to explain it without giving the whole drawn-out story.  I'm still working 5 days a week, but just shorter hours.  It's really helped me prioritize exercise.  So I'm grateful for that option at my current job as well. 

So why am I even blogging about this?  You'd probably never know, other than the fact that I've been getting rid of uncomfortable shoes and stocking up on more comfy options.  Like I said, I've almost mentioned it a few times, and always talked myself out of it.  But I really appreciate other bloggers who share their struggles, so I figured I should stop being weird about it and just share mine.  I don't anticipate blogging about RA very often, but I just wanted to put it out there.  So now you know.

And I couldn't do all of this without outfit pictures, so I picked one of my favorite dresses (aren't they all my favorites?), in one of my end of summer outfits. 

Scarf: Calvin Klein (similar)
Dress: Limited (similar, similar)
Belt: Steve Madden (similar)
Sandals: Target (exact, similar)

Weekend Happenings

Well, it is Monday, so how about a quick weekend rundown!  I was supposed to just rest all weekend, but I got distracted with a few fun things.    Friday evening, we went to a hockey game.  As far as hockey games go, it was pretty fun.  UNO won, so that was good!

Saturday, I was as lazy as possible.  I mostly just binge-watched Netflix while editing blog photos and taking occasional breaks to switch loads of laundry.  Saturday evening, I decided that we should go to a BBQ place for dinner and learned that there aren't many options in town.  We went to once place and they were out of smoked turkey (which was very specifically what I wanted), so we went to the other place and it was actually pretty delicious!  Some of the good BBQ places in KC should franchise up here!

Sunday was FREEZING, but we ventured out for church and lunch.  Evening church was canceled due to the frigid temps.  I think we were supposed to stay home and stay warm, then some friends invited us over for dinner, and that's more fun than staying at home!

Overall, it was a pretty great weekend!  Did you do anything fun?

Outfit notes - I've been neglecting my polka dot jeans for a few months, so I pulled them out again.  I feel like they are a little ridiculous, so I tried to keep the rest of the outfit more mature.

Scarf: Calvin Klein
Sweater: Gap
Jeans: Limited
Boots: Madden

Leopard Loafers

Loafers generally aren't for me, but when I saw these leopard ones on Gap's website, I had to have them.  I wanted to try them on, so I was waiting for them to show up in stores, but never saw them, and then they were gone from the website.  I was pretty bummed, but then my sister came to the rescue and found a pair for me!  Sisters are good for so many reasons!  I've worn them quite a bit, but this is the first time they've made it into official blog photos. 

Tomorrow is link up day!  Brynn and I will both have the link up posted in the morning, so make sure you stop by and share your leopard looks!  (spoiler alert: my outfit features sequins AND leopard print.  It's pretty crazy!)

And just to be clear, my TOPIO item is the denim jacket.  I'm passing the belt along for tomorrow.

Scarf: Calvin Klein
Jacket: Izod
Dress: Ann Taylor
Belt & Shoes: Gap

End of Summer Panic

Is anyone else in "End of Summer" panic mode?  I feel like I am trying to wear all my summer clothes before the winter shows up and I'm stuck in boots for the next 8 months!

In other news, I'm starting a new adventure this evening as an AWANA leader at church.  I'll be hanging out with the 5th and 6th grade girls pretty much every Wednesday from now until May, which I'm sure will be a lot of fun, and probably fairly ridiculous at times.  I'm sure they will all be mixing prints by the end of the year!  (I'm such a good influence!)

Linking up with What I Wore and Keeping it Casual.

Dress: Banana Republic Outlet
Scarf: Calvin Klein
Shoes: Gianni Bini

Crazy Busy Fun

Happy Monday!  I feel like I haven't blogged in forever, but I guess I just skipped Thursday and Friday.  Last week was crazy/busy/fun hanging out with my sister and nieces, and blogging just had to take a back seat.  I didn't take any outfit pictures all week, but I plan on blogging about our adventures over the next few days.  I'm headed back to work today, and dreading the mountain of emails I will have to sort through.  Oh well, it is totally worth it to spend time with my family! 

This outfit is actually from several weeks ago when I met Ginny for lunch.  Since it was my very first "blogger date", I was sort of nervous about what to wear.  Then I overslept that morning, and didn't have time to decide, so I went with an easy favorite.  I really love this dress, so I tend to grab it when I want to look and feel good without a lot of thought.  It was so much fun (and so weird) to meet another style blogger.  Ginny is awesome and it was cool to talk about all the blog stuff that my other friends don't know about.  If you ever have the opportunity to meet up with a blog friend, I highly recommend it!   


Dress: Banana Republic Outlet
Scarf; Calvin Klein
Shoes: Anne Klein

Copycat Copycat

This outfit is a copycat of myself copycatting someone else.  I really liked that outfit this winter, so I thought it'd be fun to try a more spring appropriate version for dinner Saturday night.

It was also a good excuse to wear my new shoes!  These were a lucky score at Target when I popped in really quick to buy some travel-sized toiletries for my trip to Orlando.  John dropped me off at Target and ran into Lowe's for something, so I was killing time after finding everything on my list, and just happened to wander into the clothes and shoes.  I found a really cute dress (worn last week, but not photographed - blogger fail), and 2 pairs of shoes.  These were an online return, so they were marked down to less than $10 -  I was sold!   

Linking up today with Agi's Tres Chic, Look What I Got, and What I Wore to Work.

Top: H&M
Scarf: Calvin Klein
Jacket: Izod
Jeans: Old Navy
Shoes: Target

Linen (the Color, not the Fabric) Scarf Remix

It's Day 4 of the Pantone Spring Color Challenge with Marissa and Heidi, which means Linen is the color of the day.  My Calvin Klein scarf is probably the best "Linen-colored" item in my wardrobe, so that was my starting point, but a lady can't just wear a scarf!  I thought it would look cute with my new dress from Gap, so I added a cognac belt and nude heels and was good to go.

I really like this dress, but 1992 Andi would have LOVED it.  When I was a kid, I had big dreams of opening a candy shop when I grew up, with the brilliantly crafted name of "Andi's Dandy Candy."  It rhymes, get it?!  I spent many days drawing up plans for my store, and everything was bright and colorful.  The uniforms for employees were striped, in my favorite Crayola colors of Jungle Green, Cerulean, Violet Red (basically bright pink magenta), and Red Violet (basically fuchsia).  This dress would have been perfect for the owner of such a wonderful store!  At some point, I gave up on my entrepreneurial plan, but I still like bright colors and stripes!  (PS - I just got super nostalgic about Crayons!  The 1994 release of Gem Tones was a highlight of my childhood!  My store uniforms were probably Emerald, Lapis Lazuli, and Rose Quartz that year).

Okay, back to the topic at hand.  The linen-colored scarf is a frequently-worn item for me.  Here's a remix collage (linking up with AJ again):

1/2/3/4/5/6

Scarf: Calvin Klein
Dress and Belt: Gap
Shoes: BCBGeneration

Weekend Shenanigans

The weekend was so fun and busy that I didn't even have time to write a Monday blog post about it.  Our friend, Ben, came to visit for the weekend, so we were having crazy adventures all over Omaha, including, but not limited to:

• Lunch at a never-before-visited restaurant recommended by Urban Spoon.  "GoldeeZ" was set back in a shady-looking strip mall, and the menu featured sections such as "AppetiZers, PiZZa, SandwicheZ, and Soup&Salad."  I'm sort of offended on behalf of Soup & Salad.  Why not "Zoup & Zalad" or "SoupZ and SaladZ" to fit in with the other headings?  We may never know.  Ben has a Z in his last name, so I felt like John and I should pretend to be Zmiths, or SmithZ.
• Bowling - in which I broke 100 in both games!  I usually fall apart at the end, but I got two strikes in the 10th frame!  (I tried to ignore the fact that the children in the lane next to us were significantly better than me.  10yr old girl rolls a strike - Andi rolls a gutter.  The boy (probably 8 or so) congratulated me when I got my first spare.  They were very polite, and way too good at bowling!)
• Dinner at my favorite restaurant in town, including my favorite dessert. 
• Settlers of Catan - not one, but TWO games.  I'm not allowed to say who won both games, so you can come to your own conclusions there.  
• The first miniature golf of the season!  Sunday brought warmer weather and excessive wind, but mini-golf seemed like a great idea.  I was still in my church clothes, so I ran into some difficulty with my dress and scarf, but we had a great time.  I'm also not allowed to say who won at mini-golf.  Let's just say I managed to get a hole in one on a couple of the holes.  

When I learned that the weather was supposed to be nice again, I took advantage of the opportunity to wear my new favorite dress.  Since my church is pretty casual, I thought a denim jacket and flat shoes would make it less dressy.  I still felt like a very fancy lady.  And then I felt sort of overdressed for mini-golf.  

Dress: Banana Republic Outlet

Scarf: Calvin Klein

Jacket: Izod

Shoes: Target

Purse: Dooney and Bourke (gift)

  

Budgeting Blogger, Take 2

Take One, Pass It On Item:  tan scarf from last Tuesday's post

I'm linking up with Franish again this month for Budgeting Bloggers.  As I said at the end of January, I am trying to save up my shopping money so I have extra to spend when I go to Phoenix in April.  February was pretty successful in this regard.  I did get a couple dresses, but they were both very reasonably priced, and I am getting rid of several old dresses, so I have some room in my wardrobe.

1. Limited Striped Dress:  $18 (originally $98)
2. Kohl's dress (not online, but I found it here):  $6.40 (originally $64) - plus I had a gift card, so it was free.  

Grand Total = $18

Pretty good, I guess!  I'm going to avoid shopping in March, too, and then I will probably go a little overboard in April, but the clothing budget rolls over from month to month, so it is OK!   I am also hoping to clear out quite a bit of my closet in March.  If I haven't worn it all winter, I will probably try to sell it or donate it! 

Did you stick to your budget in February?

Sweater: Old Navy
Scarf: Calvin Klein
Skirt: Gap
Boots: Rampage

Literary Link-Up Time

Take One, Pass It On Item:  mint skinny jeans from last Wednesday.

It's time for another Literary Junkies Link up!  These questions are always more difficult to answer than I expect. 

1. What are you reading right now? Tell us about it.
I just finished The American Heiress, which is about a very rich, young, beautiful American who goes to England to marry into a title, and all the drama that follows.  This is actually the book club choice for this month.  I've also been "reading" The Lovely Bones via audiobook.  I suspect most people have heard of this book or at least seen the movie.  It has been nice to have a book to listen to when I am cleaning the house, or painting the bathroom, or on the elliptical at the gym.  I think I will get more of these audiobooks!   

2. Give us the recipe for a great book. 
If I knew the answer to this, I would be a very famous author!  I think a great book has to have characters that the reader cares about.  I don't necessarily have to like them, but I usually don't like a book unless I am somewhat emotionally invested in what happens to the people.  A good plot helps, too.  

3. Tell us things you've learned from a book recently. Did you learn anything about history? Did you take away a deep & profound realization about the world around you? Or maybe even a beauty tip?
Top of mind answer:  I can't think of anything.  Upon further inspection of my recent reads, I think the main thing I have learned is just to be profoundly grateful for the life I have.  I know Game of Thrones is fantasy, but I think it has some historical accuracy in the way women were viewed for many centuries.  I am very glad I was born in the 20th century, where I was allowed to go to school, and marry whoever I wanted to marry, and have a job, make my own decisions, etc.  Gone Girl is an extreme example of a very messed up marriage, but it made me happy that I didn't relate to the main characters at all!  The Casual Vacancy was just thoroughly depressing, so I was reminded again how blessed I am to have such a wonderful family.  This is starting to sound braggy, but I think I have the tendency to get a little bit caught up in stupid little things that "go wrong" in my life, when I really don't have much to complain about.  Most of the books I have read recently are good reminders that I shouldn't focus on whining, but rather on all the good things in life!   (I guess I thought of something)


4. What was your favorite book as a child?
 I know my favorite series was the Boxcar Children.  I loved reading about their adventures!  The other book that comes to mind is called Andi's War.  I think I found it randomly when I was searching on the computers for books with my name in them.  It was only at the downtown library, which we didn't go to very often, but I think I checked it out every time.  When John and I were dating, I had said something about this weird book that I used to read, and he tracked it down from Amazon for my birthday.  When I read it again as an adult, I realized it was really not a great book for a kid.  It is set in Greece during the Civil War, so there is a lot of talk about Communism and it is a fairly violent book for a kid.  Of course, I didn't remember any of that from my childhood, so I guess it's okay. 

Now I am curious, what was YOUR favorite book as a kid? 

Scarf: Calvin Klein
Sweater: Old Navy
Jeans: Gap
Boots: Rampage

Jean Jacket Envy

Take One, Pass It On Item:  denim jacket from last Monday.  Also, I'm being such a copycat lately.  I hope you all don't mind!)

The first clothing-related memory I have is of wanting a jean jacket.  I remember another girl at preschool had a really awesome jean jacket and I thought I should have one too.  The funny thing is that I don't actually remember getting the much-desired jean jacket.  But here I am, 4 years old, sporting a jean jacket that was probably a hand-me-down from my brother.  

My next clothing related memory involves me lying to my mother.  We were looking for school shoes before Kindergarten or First Grade, and there was this really awesome pair of hot pink Converse high-tops that I really, REALLY wanted.  I tried them on and they were just a little bit tight, but the Salesperson already mentioned that they didn't have the next size up.  I was like "yep, they fit perfectly!  Plenty of room in the toe!" and we bought them.  A few days later, we returned them, and I got stuck with some lame LA Gear tennis shoes with lace laces.  So embarrassing, but I guess I deserved it for lying.  

What's your first shopping or clothing related memory?  

Sweater: Gap
Scarf: Calvin Klein
Jacket: Izod
Jeans: Old Navy
Boots: Wanted via Piperlime

Fitness Failure

Last night, I met a friend for Pilates class.  When we arrived, the instructor informed us that the class schedule was changed, but they just haven't updated their website.  So... no Pilates class tonight.  We still wanted to hang out, so we ended up eating dinner.  At Culver's.  My intention was to exercise and what I actually did was eat a super unhealthy fast food meal.  I'm so good at fitness.

I also realized that this has been an unofficial theme week on the blog as I have worn a pencil skirt every day.

Shirt: Loft
Scarf: Calvin Klein
Skirt: J.Crew Factory
Boots: Guess via TJ Maxx
  

2012 Goal Review

Well, it is the end of the year, so I guess I should check in with my goals and see how terribly I failed!  I'm probably being too hard on myself, but maybe not.

1. Be more active - Ummm, no.  I just couldn't get into a routine of working out.  I think I need to come up with a more specific plan for 2013.  
2. Be a more discerning shopper - I'll call this a success.  I did the Jan-Mar shopping ban, and I think I am doing better at buying quality items that I will wear more often, instead of just buying things because they are cheap.  I still shop almost exclusively in the clearance section, but I make myself think of several outfits for an item before I purchase it.  
3. Be a better wife!  Mostly in the realm of dinner preparation.  I'm just so inconsistent with this.  I have no way of measuring success other than my feelings, and I feel like I am still terrible at making dinner most weeks.
4. Be more creative!  Success!  I've done quite a few crafty projects this year!  
5. Read 50 books in 2012.  Done!  I was way ahead of schedule until I started the Game of Thrones books, which are 1000+ pages each.  That can really hurt the total number of books!  I had to be strategic in the last week and read a few of the shorter books on my list, but if I look at total number of pages read, I more than doubled my 2011 reading.  

So, 3 out of 5 isn't too bad, right?  I tend to succeed at the things I actually enjoy, like reading books!  I need to figure out how to enjoy things like working out and making dinner.  Maybe I need to get a Wii so I can play Just Dance all the time as my workout, because that is fun!  Not sure how to make dinner preparation fun.

How did you do on your goals/resolutions in 2012?

Sweater: Old Navy
Scarf: Calvin Klein
Skirt: Target
Boots: BareTraps via DSW