Currently February

A couple weeks ago, I had the idea of wearing my new black pixie pants with this green blouse and my gray sweater.  I put it on and the proportions were just not looking right.  But I had in my head that this blouse needed to be paired with black and gray.  And then I happened upon this skirt at the Gap and it all came together.  Just pretend I ironed the skirt before wearing it, okay?  And hey, none of these are maternity clothes, so that's kind of exciting!

Oh, and it's the first Wednesday of the month, so I'm linking up with the Currently ladies (Anne and Jenna)!

Reading - Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman.  I've never been into collections of short stories, but I've liked a few recently, and I have to read anything by Neil Gaiman.  I've only read the first few stories, but I like them (no big surprise there)

Pinning - ALL THE BABY THINGS!

Eating - whatever sounds good at that very moment.  I'm not one of those pregnant ladies who wants to overshare about all my symptoms, but I think I am done with the"feeling pretty good" portion of pregnancy.  I'm now in the awkward part where I will be starving, and then 10 minutes later feel completely stuffed, even though I didn't eat anything.  I think it has a lot to do with where the baby is deciding to hang out compared to my internal organs.  So weird.

Anticipating - May 4th is exactly 3 months away, so I'm anticipating having a tiny human arrive soon!  And sort of panicking about all the things I want to get done before then.

Sweater: Gap
Blouse: Old Navy
Necklace: InPink
Skirt: Gap
Tights:Old Navy
Boots: Madden

Holiday Week

Well, it's that awkward week between Christmas and New Year's Day.  I'm working this week, but not quite back into the normal swing of things.  Plus it's exactly ZERO degrees right now, so going outside is going to be an unpleasant experience.  (I'm writing this before I venture out to go to work).
We got back from New Mexico on Sunday evening, and I'm fairly exhausted.  Then I had 2 of my best friends over last night to hang out and catch up on life.  I'm thinking tonight should be quiet, and maybe I can rest up for NYE tomorrow.  I'm not sure if I'll even make it to midnight.  Hashtagpregnancyproblems.

I still need to write up my Christmas week recap at some point, and my favorite books of 2014.  Maybe I'll have time on Thursday, if I'm not sleeping all day.

Anyway, I hope you are all having a nice week (and that it's warmer wherever you live).  This outfit was from before Christmas, when it was cold out, but not zero.  I won't be out taking outdoor pictures today, for sure.

Sweater: Gap (similar)
Top: JCF
Skirt: Old Navy (similar)
Tights; Old Navy (similar)
Boots: Madden (exact)

Channeling Mindy

Basically, if I could steal any fictional character's wardrobe, it would have to be Mindy Lahiri from The Mindy Project.  She wears lots of bright colors and crazy patterns, so we are basically style soul-mates.  I'm probably pretty obnoxious when watching the show, because I'm always saying I want her outfit, or I have the same items to copy it.  John is not as invested in the wardrobe choices as I am.

I couldn't find any internet evidence of it, but this outfit is 97% stolen from Mindy.  She was wearing a navy cardigan instead of a v-neck, and I honestly don't remember her footwear, but the basic idea came from her.  I also love Mindy Kaling's book.  She just seems like a person I would actually want to be friends with.  And I don't want to be friends with very many celebrities, because most of them seem pretty terrible.

It's Tuesday, so go link up with Laura!

Sweater: Gap (similar)
Top: JCF (exact)
Skirt: Old Navy (similar)
Tights: Old Navy
Boots: Wanted

Fancy Polar Bear

Once the temperatures dip below freezing, I think it's appropriate polar bear sweatshirt weather.  I decided to dress it up a bit with my black pencil skirt.  Because doesn't a black pencil skirt make everything look classy?  Well, maybe not everything.  But most things.

I hope you all had a nice weekend.  I unfortunately caught a cold at the end of last week, so I was mostly trying to rest and recover.  I even got a flu shot this year; why am I sick??

Sweatshirt: Old Navy (similar, similar)
Coat: Old Navy (similar, similar, similar)
Chambray: JCF (exact)
Skirt: Gibson&Latimer (similar, similar)
Tights: Target (exact)
Boots: Steve Madden (exact)

Floral Week - Black & White

Let's kick off Floral Week with this outfit from the gloomiest day ever!  It was cold, sleeting and super windy, but I really loved this outfit and wanted to get pictures, so I braved the elements.  I might have to wear this again on a nicer day in the future.

Anyway, I'm back home after a fun and busy weekend, of which I'm sure I'll be posting about later and you can get a sneak preview on Instagram).  My sister and nieces are in town this week, so we will be having as much fun as possible over the next few days.

Link up information is after the jump!  Share your floral looks!    

Cardigan, Tights: Old Navy
Top: Alfani
Belt: Chinese Laundry
Skirt: Limited
Shoes: J.Crew Factory

Trendy Tuesday - Gingham

I think it is so fun that Danielle and her co-workers do Trendy Tuesday each week.  One of my co-workers tried to institute "Flannel Friday" every week, but I didn't have any flannel.  I think mostly 3 of the guys participated.  Anyway...  today's theme is Gingham and/or cords.  I don't have any corduroy items at the moment, so I went with my one gingham shirt.  And I got my inspiration from this pin.  

I really want a blue/white gingham shirt.  This one is dark blue and light blue, and I just don't like it as much as I want to.  Plus it is a really flimsy fabric and doesn't look as sharp as others I have seen.  So this is an item on my wish list.  I think this popover from Target would be perfect, but it is not available in my size online or in stores.  On Friday, I went to Old Navy looking for this option, but it was really boxy on me, so I ended up getting a random polka dot blouse instead.  I keep hoping to catch a 40% off sale at JCF and snag this one, because I'm not willing to pay $50.  So the search for the perfect gingham button-up continues.  

Also linking up with Pinned It & Did It and Style Swap with Ginny and Jenn

Sweater & Top: Gap
Skirt: Target
Boots: Madden

Third Thursday - Beauty

When Bri announced that this month's theme was beauty, I was like "huh - I don't really do that!"  I mostly just look the way I look and then wear clothes!  My hair and make-up routine is pretty minimal.  In fact, I did a post about it back in 2012, if you are interested.  The only change for my hair is that I switched to using sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner, and I use a deep-conditioner about once a week.  I also add some leave-in conditioner before I slather on the mousse.  I pretty much have 3 hairstyles - down, ponytail, and bun.  Sometimes, I will do a braid (or two).  But it's usually just down and curly!    

I don't paint my nails very often, because I am notorious for picking at any little bump.  So if the nails are perfect, I won't mess with them, but if there is even a tiny smudge, I will destroy the whole thing within a couple of days.  I should really exercise more self-control with that, because painted nails are pretty!

As you can see, I was sort of stumped, and then Bri mentioned lipstick.  Last summer, I bought some lip-stain and I really liked it, but I always forget to put it on.  So, I made sure to remember to paint my lips pink for this day!  I'm not a fan of actual lipstick, but I love the lip-stain, because the color goes on easily, and then you can add glossiness with the balm.

Anyway, maybe I'll pick up some tips from the other ladies who link up!            

Top: Gap
Cardigan, Skirt, Tights, Necklace: Old Navy
Belt: Chinese Laundry
Shoes: J.Crew Factory
Lip color: Revlon Just Bitten Lip-stain in Victorian

Weekend Wrap-Up

For some reason, I don't get a day off for Presidents' Day!  I mean, government offices are all closed, so why do other companies stay open?  OUTRAGE!  Mostly kidding, although I wouldn't complain if my company added some more paid holidays to the calendar.  We are in that stretch after the holidays where we have to go to work every day for like 5 months straight.  Ridiculous.  Memorial Day needs to hurry up!

Anyway, at least we have weekends!  This weekend was pretty great (and low key).  Friday night, we just grilled steaks and had a nice dinner at home.  Saturday, we went to see The Monuments Men (Hint - it's not very good!).  Sunday was church, relaxing, and then a very fun hangout in the evening with church friends.  Pretty much any blank spaces in the weekend were spent sleeping, reading, blogging, or doing laundry.  Weekend of champions, I tell ya!

Oh, and this outfit is from mid-December.  It's another good example of wearing summer clothes in the winter!  Step 1 - add a cozy wool cardigan.  Step 2 - tights and boots.

Dress: Target
Cardigan: Urban Outfitters
Belt: Chinese Laundry
Tights: Old Navy
Boots: Wanted

#25 - Try, Try Again

After my first attempt at styling this striped dress, I was worried it was a little too juvenile for me.  My second try is much better (partially helped by outdoor photos)!  I think adding the color with a cardigan instead of crazy tights is a better idea.

I'm so far behind on posting my outfits.  I'm officially done with the wearing portion of the 30X30, but I'll be finishing up the blogging portion next week. 

Dress, Cardigan, Tights: Old Navy
Necklace: InPink
Belt: TJ Maxx
Boots: Steve Madden

#24 - Winter Must Haves

Today, I'm linking up with Laura and Ada for their Winter Must Haves!  They've been showing different way to style winter staples over the last few weeks, and I've enjoyed seeing their take on all the important winter pieces!  I've got several in today's outfit!

Sweater - I have 2 very full drawers full of sweaters.  It's important when you live in the 5th coldest city in the US! 
Bold Coat - I'm using this blazer as an example.  I mean, I still wore my big puffer coat over it, but I think it counts as a fun layer! 
Long Necklace - I kind of went a little "WEAR ALL THE NECKLACES" on this day.  I usually wear my 2 short gold necklaces together, but I think the long one adds some interest, too.
Fun tights - these tights are gray, but they kind of look black in the pictures.  I wear black tights or leggings a lot in the winter, but I like having other color/pattern options, to keep things interesting. 
Boots - Did I mention I live in a very cold city?  And we generally get quite a bit of snow, but so far, this year has been pretty dry.  Either way, I wear boots almost every day from about December-March.  I love my boots, but I'm always extra excited when there is warmer day and I can get away with flats or pumps.

Anyway, what are your winter essentials?  Go check out the linkup to see everyone's looks!

I'm also linking up for Tres Chic Thursday, What I Wore to Work, and What I Wore.

Blazer, Sweater, Skirt: Gap
Tights: Old Navy
Boots: Steve Madden
Short Necklaces: gifts
Long necklace: F21

#22 - Social Media

I'm not as good at social media as I probably should be.  Most of my tweets and Facebook posts are just Instagrams.  Half the time I don't even #hashtag anything.  I do spend more time than I should scanning through everyone else's posts on the various sites.  The other day, John was looking over my shoulder as I checked Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.  His perspective made me laugh.  A few highlights:

• Why is there an old picture on Instagram?  It's "INSTA" gram.  Like Instant!  
• Why do people use hashtags on Instagram?  Isn't that a Twitter thing?  
• WHOA, that's a long Facebook status!  Shouldn't she just have a blog for stuff like that?  
• Wait, wasn't that on Instagram?  Why is it on Facebook, too?
• What is a picture doing on Twitter?!  Isn't that why people have Instagram?
• That's the same picture we saw on Instagram and Facebook!  Why is it on all three?

I was trying to explain the logic, but he has a point.  This is all ridiculous!  I mean, I'm still going to do it, but it is kind of strange!  

Also, I like this outfit.  I'll probably Instagram and Tweet about it.  

Shirt & Skirt: J.Crew Factory
Sweater: Gap
Tights: Old Navy
Boots: Steve Madden

Christmas Recap

So, Christmas already feels like several weeks ago, but it was really only last week.  As I mentioned earlier this week, John and I made the trek out to Indiana to spend the week with my family.  It was so much fun (and kind of a blur)!  I didn't do a very good job of taking pictures, but here are a few good ones.

sisters!  

Nieces and Nephews on Christmas morning

We played a lot of games, like Ping Pong, Scrabble, Disney Apples to Apples, Dutch Blitz, Chinese Checkers, Carcassonne, and Charades.  The kids are getting old enough to participate in more complex games and I love it!  One funny story: my nephew accused me of being a computer when I kept winning at Dutch Blitz.  Then I had to play with one arm behind my back.

On Christmas Eve afternoon, my sister and I took the kids to see Frozen.  It was pretty cute.  At lunch (before the movie), my youngest niece said I should order 2 cookies.  "One for you and one for your TRUE LOVE!"  My sister said "Who is her true love?" and E replied "I don't know - maybe Uncle John?"  These kids just crack me up!

The week went by way too fast and I already miss my family like crazy!  I'm so grateful for technology so I can see pictures of them and keep in touch so easily.

Here's the only noteworthy outfit of the week - from Christmas Eve:

In other news, I'm going to do a 30X30 challenge this month.  I believe the original credit for this idea goes to the always fabulous Kendi, but several bloggers have done it over the years.  Both AJ and Brynn are doing it this January, so I decided to quit being a chicken and jump in as well.  I haven't finalized my 30 items, but these four are on the list, so this can be my first official outfit of the challenge.  One down, twenty-nine to go!

Cardigan & Skirt & Tights:  Old Navy
Shirt: J.Crew Factory
Boots: Steve Madden

Weekend Fun

So, Monday!  It was a pretty busy weekend (well, with a certain amount of laziness on Saturday!).  Here's the short version:

• Friday afternoon, I left work a little early and went to the outlet mall to do a little Christmas shopping.  I now have only 2 people left to shop for, and I know generally what I should buy them, so I'm feeling pretty good. 
• Friday evening, John's office had their annual Christmas party.  We had a great time and stayed out entirely too late.
• Saturday, I may have slept until noon.  It's hard to say.  Then I did pretty much nothing all day, except read.  I guess I did a little bit of laundry and cleaned the kitchen.  
• Saturday evening, we went to see the new Hobbit movie.   I liked it more than the first one.  It does deviate from the book quite a bit, but I thought the book was kind of boring, so I'm not going to complain too much.  Plus it's been about 5 years since I read the book, so I don't remember the details. 
• Sunday was church, lunch, gym, church, and then we went over to our friends' apartment.  They recently moved to a cool apartment downtown and I hadn't been there yet.  It was fun to see their place and get to hang out!

Anyway, it's going to be another busy week, and then next week is Christmas!  So excited!!!  I need to get serious about wrapping all these presents that are stacking up. 

Oh, and these pictures are from a few weeks ago - now our backyard is covered in snow.  

Dress: Gap
Cardigan: Urban Outfitters
Belt: Limited
Tights: Old Navy
Boots: Steve Madden

Winter is Here

Are you ready for more weather talk?  Because Nebraska got seriously cold last week.  When I wake up in the morning, I usually check the weather so I know how to dress accordingly.  When it says ZERO, I just want to give up and crawl back into bed.

On Saturday, I went on a returning spree at the outlet mall.  I didn't even buy anything new to replace the returns.  The parking lot was crazy, the lines were long, and I really wonder why anyone thinks it is a good idea to have an outdoor mall in Nebraska!  Put a roof on it!  Or better yet, one of those retractable roofs that they have on football stadiums.  That'd be pretty cool! 


Necklace: InPink
Sweater: Gap
Dress, Belt,Tights: Old Navy
Boots: Steve Madden

Clueless

Honestly, I felt a little bit like a 2013 Cher Horowitz in this outfit, but in a good way (except she probably wouldn't shop at Old Navy).  I also just realized that movie came out 18 years ago, and now I feel very old.
Also, I didn't purposely disappear last week.  I just didn't do my normal weekend blog prep over the Thanksgiving weekend, and then I was busy most evenings last week.  I started to feel bad about it, but then I realized that I am my own boss when it comes to blogging, so I probably won't fire myself for taking a few days off.  Probably.

Sweater & Tights: Old Navy
Skirt & Tee: Loft
Boots: Wanted

Flowers and More Showers

  

Even though it hasn't really felt like spring very much, I'm excited to jump on the floral bandwagon and link up with Bri for Third Thursday Threads!  Plus I found my fancy flower umbrella just in time for more rain (and the flower-themed link up).

Whitney's recent post reminded me that I love how stripes look with floral.  If you are new to the idea of mixing prints, I'd recommend starting out by selecting prints in the same color family.  The navy and white of these prints "go together" and make it a little less crazy than some other print mixing options.

You may or may not notice that I chopped about 4 inches off my hair.  It feels really short to me, but I doubt anyone else will notice, since it is still pretty long, but it used to reach almost to my elbows!  It's sort of dangerously close to being triangle hair, but that is always a risk when I get a haircut.  My curls feel much lighter and springier, unlike the weather.

And finally, I had another wardrobe malfunction.  Around noon, I noticed a snagged thread on my tights and thought I could just snip it off.  Mistake.  A small hole appeared immediately, and as the day progressed, it turned into a giant run.  So, I will be looking for a new pair of gray tights, but hopefully not until next fall!

Shirt: Gap
Belt: Chinese Laundry via TJ Maxx
Skirt: Bass Outlet
Tights: Target
Boots: Wanted via Piperlime
Umbrella:  Birthday gift from my parents (Thanks, Mom and Dad!)

Five Things

I've seen this "5 things" chain floating around, and at first I was like "Phew, I hope I don't get tagged!" because of fact #1, but then I started to feel left out, so I was pretty excited when Kate tagged me.  Without any further ado, here's my 5 facts:  

1. I totally choke whenever there is any pressure.  I mean, I think I am a fairly interesting person, but whenever I'm in a group and we are supposed to share a "fun fact", I completely panic, and end up saying something like "I'm really bad at coming up with fun facts, but I am fun, I promise!" and then everyone thinks I'm kind of strange.  The same panic applies to any competition.  I'm not a great bowler, but I can usually get about 100 if I am not paying attention to the score.  However, if someone points out to me that I have 98, and my previous turn was a spare, so I really only need to get 1 pin in the 10th frame, I will almost always roll 2 gutter-balls.  This is super frustrating!
2. I have broken my front right tooth so many times that I have lost count.  The first time was when I was 7, and I did a flip on a bike rack that was much shorter than I thought, and I smashed my face on the concrete.  The next time I was 9 (and super graceful), and a mean boy tripped me when I was running.  I pretty much skidded face first across the sidewalk.  Over the next 5 or so years, I broke it several other times, on a random candy cane, or biting too hard on a fork.  I stopped counting around the 10th time.  I am very thankful that my dentist was able to fix it and you can't tell unless you get very close (and unless you are my husband, you shouldn't be that close).   
3. I collect elephants as travel souvenirs.  My dad traveled a fair amount when I was a kid, and brought back souvenirs for us kids.  When I was pretty young, I ended up with a set of elephants from Zaire (which no longer exists), and a set of elephants from India.  In 2002, I bought some from a flea market in Istanbul.  In 2003, one of my friends got me one from her trip to Guatemala.  In 2005, I bought one in Rome.  In 2006, I hit the jackpot in Kenya and got the little ivory elephant, plus elephant bookends!  My recent travels have been trickier, because there aren't as many elephant figurines in the tourist shops around the Caribbean, but I found one in Puerto Rico, and another one in Honduras.    
4. I'm sort of tall.  I have been 5'9'' since I was about 13 years old.  This was not great in those awkward middle school years when I towered over all my friends (and all the boys).  For some reason, I have embraced the tall, and always wore high heels anyway.  I don't feel super tall anymore, probably because I have quite a few tall friends and co-workers.  People still give me a hard time when I am wearing heels, like "aren't you tall enough?" and I sort of wonder if they go around teasing short people who wear flats.  I think probably not.
5. I have a complicated relationship with Nebraska Cornhusker football.  I was born in Nebraska, but then moved to Kansas when I was a baby.  For some reason, I decided as a very young child that I would be a huge Husker fan.  It probably helped that they were awesome in the mid-90s, too.  I continued my superfandom throughout middle and high school, and decided I was going to the University of Nebraska.  I remember my dad saying something like "You can't pick a college just because you like their football team!" and I was kind of like "well, yeah, I can..."  Once I got to Nebraska, my love of the Huskers started to fade.  It probably didn't help that they were awful when I had my student season tickets.  (Bill Callahan, anyone?)  Anyway, I don't really pay attention to the Husker games at all anymore, and have found that game days are the best time to go grocery shopping, because there are no lines!         

I am too lazy to figure out who has already done this, so I'm tagging anyone who is reading this!  What are 5 random facts about you?

Tee and Cardigan: Gap
Skirt: Target
Boots: Wanted