Game Night

I wore this Friday night to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday with the family.  We went to the local board game cafe, which was actually pretty cool (if you are a nerd who likes board games, which we are!).  We ate dinner and then played a few games.  Spyfall was the first game we played and it was pretty fun, but so stressful!  Basically, everyone gets a card that has a location and an occupation on it, and then one person gets a card that just says spy.  The spy is supposed to figure out where the group is, before the group figures out who the spy is.  So you take turns asking each other questions to figure out who might be the spy.  This was not clear at all when we started playing, and I was the spy of the first round, while I was also trying to feed Mr. Baby!  I was so confused!!!  First, I thought everyone was in a different location, because their answers didn't make any sense.  Then they were actually confused about where they were, because the card said "Carnival" which some of them thought was the one in Venice, some thought was the one in Brazil, and some thought was just a good old-fashioned American traveling circus.  Needless to say, I did not figure out where they were.  But anyway, it was a pretty fun game.  You have to be specific enough in your questions and answers to not give away your location, but to make sure the other non-spies know you aren't the spy.

Anyway, other than the stress of being a clueless spy, it was a pretty fun night!

Scarf: Target
Dress: ON Maternity (similar)
Cardigan: Gap outlet
Belt: Chinese laundry
Shoes: JCF (exact)

Black Polka Dot Maternity Dress Remix

Here's what I wore for dinner on my half birthday.  The subtle dots on this dress were just begging to be paired with the more obvious polka dots on the cardigan.  And then of course, I had to add some color.  

This dress has been another one of my favorite maternity items.  It's not exactly rocket science, but here are 7 ways I've worn it throughout pregnancy.  

1/2/3/4/5/6/7

I'm sure I could wear it many different ways - at the very least with more different colors of cardigans!  Or maybe even some non-black shoes!  So here's some free advice for anyone (pregnant or not):  a basic black dress is going to be very versatile!  I know, I'm pretty brilliant.

Cardigan: Old Navy
Dress: Old Navy Maternity (top 10 remix item)
Shoes: Target

Third Thursday - Sales!

If you've ever read one of my Budgeting Bloggers posts, you know I rarely buy anything for full price.  I just don't see a reason to, since it will probably go on sale (or I'll find a similar item on sale in the future).  When Bri announced the Third Thursday Threads theme for this month was favorite sale purchase, it was kind of hard to narrow down.  So I just picked a recent outfit that I really liked, and will share my shopping strategies for each item.  As a general rule, I like to get cost per wear of any item down to $1 or less.  Of course, when I am actually buying anything, I have to guess on how often and how long I will wear it, so it's not an exact science.

The dress was $16 (originally $30), which is only about 50% off, which is usually not something I would go for (especially at Old Navy), but since it is a maternity dress, I didn't want to wait.  I think I've worn it 5 or so times, and will probably wear it more in the next 6 weeks, since I'm running out of things that fit.  I probably won't make it to 16, but if I'm ever pregnant again, I think this will be a dress I still want to wear.

The cardigan was $15 (originally $55).  I love the Clare cardigan from J.Crew Factory, and I think I have it in 4 colors.  I will probably keep buying different colors, because I wear them all pretty frequently (I'm slightly shocked this one has only made the blog one other time!)

The belt was one of those 3-pack deals at TJ Maxx - I think it was probably $10 for the set, so that means this one is about $3.  I'd highly recommend looking at places like TJ Maxx or Marshall's for accessories, because they are super cheap!  It's been on the blog about 20 times, so my cost per wear is pretty fabulous at this point!

The shoes are from Target and I got them for $9 (originally $40).  They were a random find when I was grocery shopping, and just happened into the shoe section.  They must have been an online return, because they only had one pair, and it was my size, and I think black flats will always be a frequently worn item for me, and I didn't love the options I had at the time.  I've blogged them 10 times, and I've worn them way more than that.

I know I'm kind of cheating, because I didn't pick a "favorite" sale item, but I probably can't even fit into some of my favorite sale items at the moment, so I'm just making up my own rules.

Cardigan: J.Crew Factory
Dress: Old Navy Maternity
Belt: Chinese Laundry
Shoes: Target

Engineer Party

I recently went with John to an engineering awards banquet.  Most of the awards were given for projects, so the people who were accepting the awards did not bring dates.  John was accepting an individual award (so proud of him!), so he was one of about 3 engineers who did get to bring a date.  And just for the record, there aren't very many female engineers.  All this means I was one of the only women and only non-engineers at the event.  There were a few awkward moments, but overall, it was a pretty nice evening.  A lot of the winning designs were actually kind of interesting (even to me!), but I didn't understand all the jokes that the presenter made.

Anyway, this is what I wore.  It's always hard for me to decide what to wear to engineering type events.  John said he was wearing a suit, but that doesn't translate into what a woman should wear.  Should I also wear a suit?  Or should I wear a cocktail dress?  How fancy or businessy should I be?  And add to that the fact that at 7 months pregnant, I can't fit into most of my skirts and dresses, so my options were limited.  I figured a black dress would be a safe bet.  And I couldn't help but add a fun necklace.  Heels were a mistake, as there was more standing around than I would have expected.

Since we were both dressed up, I even snagged John for a picture.  We clean up pretty nice, huh?

Dress: Old Navy Maternity
Necklace: Lucky B Boutique
Belt: Madden
Tights: Old Navy maternity
Shoes: JCF

Sneaky Dots

This dress has very subtle polka dots on it, which you can kind of see if you look closely.  Or if I post a close-up outtake where I'm laughing.  That would also work.  

And it's Tuesday, so I'm linking up with Laura for Confident Twosday!

Necklace: InPink

Cardigan: Old Navy

Dress: Old Navy Maternity

Belt: Chinese Laundry

Tights; H&M

Boots: Madden