April Shopping

"It's gonna be May" tomorrow, and thanks to everyone on the internet, I now have this song stuck in my head.  And I am trying to remember what even happened in April.  For example, this outfit is from mid-March.  This is one of the dresses I got from Bella Gravida, and I loved it, but it was a little short for my comfort, so I wore leggings, even though I don't love how they look.

As far as shopping goes, I know that I bought and returned many items, as I continued my search for the perfect casual shoes, and also a pretty dress for my sister's wedding.  I really thought the Sperry Zuma  slip-ons were going to be perfect, but they were too loose in the heel, and kind of slipped when I tried to walk around.  The casual shoe search continues, with increasing frustration on my part.

I ordered 2 dresses from Amazon, and 3 from ASOS, hoping something (anything) would work for my sister's wedding.  I also tried on pretty much every maternity dress option at the local Motherhood store, and the one department store that actually has maternity.  Fail!   I'm sure I've said this before, maybe multiple times, but you can be tall, or you can be pregnant, but good luck to you if you are both tall and pregnant!  All maternity dresses are made for someone who is about 6 inches shorter than me.  I had my eye on this Loft dress, but didn't want to pay full price, and it was never part of the sale offers.  I finally decided to cave (as a last resort), and it was 40% off!!  Hooray!  It is a little more casual than I was originally wanting, but at this point (wedding next weekend), I'm happy with it.

Otherwise, I bought a couple longer t-shirts at Gap factory, and I also had my Bella Gravida subscription, which I meant to cancel, but didn't get done in time, oops.

2 Gap outlet tees: $4 each
Loft dress: $48 (used a gift card)
Bella Gravida subscription:  $80

Total Spent in April: $136

Earned selling: $50

Since I have barely bought anything this year, I'm still well under my budget.  And I'm linking up with Franish, as always.

Cardigan: JCF
Necklace: ON
Dress:Bellyssima via Bella Gravida
Belt: Madden
Leggings: H&M mama
Shoes: Target

Oh Hey There

One minute I'm ranting about elevators, and the next I disappear.  Sorry to anyone who was worried the elevator trolls got to me.  I'm safe and sound, I promise. 

Life has just been busy lately, and when I have any free time, I'm tired.  No idea why!  It might be the fact that my body is building a human right now.  But I'm not a doctor, so I can't say for sure. 

Anyway, this outfit is from a few weeks ago, when it was still tights weather.  I think we are safely out of that now.  I'm excited for warm weather, but am also nervous about being pregnant in the hot months of summer.  I'm trying to enjoy my ankles while I have them. 

Cardigan: JCF

Tee: ON Maternity

Skirt: Bella Gravida

Boots: Madden

Third Thursday Blushing

It's the Third Thursday of the month, so that means I'm linking up with Bri.  The theme for February is blush.  I don't have anything in this color, mostly because it would match my skin and wash me out.  So I grabbed my palest pink item: this necklace.  

I wore it on Valentine's Day, so decided to be as cliché as possible and wear read and pink.  Mr. Baby was still not feeling the best, so John stayed home with him and I went to church by myself.  Which is why i could wear a necklace and my hairdown.  When I got home, Mr. Baby immediately achieved a death grip on the necklace and was heartbroken when I wouldn't let him play with it.  Choking hazard, buddy!!

Anyway, that's my story.  And I'm happy to report the temps are finally rising, so we may not have snow on the deck for much longer.  You know, until the inevitable March snow storm.  

Necklace: h&m

Dress: Limited

Cardigan: Old Navy

Belt: Chinese Laundry

Boots: Madden

Sweater Dress

Here's what I wore to church last week.  We didn't go yesterday because we all have colds and didn't think we should share them with anyone else.  This was another LeTote dress, which was slightly too short, but I think okay with tights.  They definitely don't expect you to be tall and somewhat modest.

Anyway, this was my last LeTote item, so I'll be done with box clothes for awhile.  Unless I have any pictures that I haven't blogged yet.  There might be one or two outfits still in line.  I'll write up a final recap at some point, and share my thoughts after subscribing for a few months.

Dress:  LeTote (similar, similar)
Coat: Old Navy (similar)
Shoes: JCF (exact)

Dirty Dancing

One of my excuses to get dressed up these days is the Broadway Across America shows.  I know I say this every year, but if you are into musicals at all, you should really check out the season ticket options in your city.  Around here, the cost per show is pretty reasonable, and it's such a fun thing to do.  This is what I wore to see Dirty Dancing.  It was pretty much exactly like the movie, which I have only seen once, approximately 15 years ago.  So, okay, I probably don't remember the movie all that well.

Anyway, I was excited to wear this dress again.  It's kind of shapeless, but I'm cool with that at this point in my life!  I posted the awkward sideways picture to show that the back of the dress is the same print but smaller than the front.  I think that is kind of fun.  And hey, a night out without Mr. Baby meant I could wear a necklace (which he promptly grabbed when I was getting ready to leave).
The next show is The Wizard of Oz, and I'm really tempted to find a gingham dress and red shoes.  Too much?

Dress: Limited (similar in black)
Cardigan: Gap (similar)
Necklace: F21 (similar)
Boots: Madden (exact)

Playing in the Leaves

This is what I wore to church last Sunday.  The skirt is from LeTote, and of course, I liked it because it's a knit pencil skirt and it is striped.  Two of my favorite clothing categories.  I'm sad to be wearing tights already, but it's getting cold around here.  

While taking pictures, John decided to throw leaves at me, because fall.  This is the only picture where I don't look terrified.  

Mr. Baby was significantly more excited about the leaves.  We built up a pile for him and let him play the other day.  It was basically the greatest moment of his life.  He loved it. 

Jacket: Target (similar)

Shirt: JCF (similar)

Skirt:  LeTote (use my code to get half off your first month) (similar)

Boots: Madden (exact)

A Random Winner

This is what I wore on Friday to work and then to dinner and Motown.  It was a very randomly thrown together outfit, but I absolutely loved it.  The thought process went something like this:

Hmm... it's cold outside, I should wear jeans.  No, I want to wear a dress for the show tonight.  But I'm so tired of wearing boots.  I'll try my footless tights and flats and just let my ankles freeze.  Okay.  Now what should I actually wear?  All my dresses that fit are in the laundry except for this gray one - yeah, I like that one.  And it will look okay with black tights, just add a black belt.  Sleeveless, so I will need something warm to layer.  Scan through my cardigan drawer - ooh, stripes!  Well, now I'm all gray and black.  Quick add a bright scarf!  And done.

And now you know all my deepest secrets for outfit planning.

Cardigan: Gap outlet
Scarf: Charming Charlie
Dress: Loft Maternity
Belt: Limited
Tights: H&M
Shoes: Target

Three Weeks Ago

Here's an outfit from three weeks ago!  I feel like you usually can't go wrong with a black and white print and a brightly colored cardigan.  Happy Sunday!

Cardigan: Gap outlet

Top: Old Navy Maternity

Skirt: Gibson & Latimer

Tights: Old Navy maternity

Boots: Madden

Neglected Dress and Cantaloupe Baby

Oh hey, a neglected dress!  It's been quite awhile since this one made an appearance.  I think it was lost in the ironing pile for a few months.  It needed to be rescued!  

And it's been a few weeks since I compared my child to produce, so I know you are all dying  for an update.  I have 2 apps, one says cantaloupe, the other says jicama.  Since I know what a cantaloupe is, we're sticking with that option.  

Whenever I think of cantaloupe, my mind immediately goes to an episode of Saved by the Bell, when Screech is going to get married, and Mr. Belding says "Screech, you can't elope!" and Screech replies "Who are you calling a cantaloupe!?"  Just think about how many important things I have forgotten, and yet that stays.  

And in the interest of being honest, here's a side view.  It's crazy how from the front view, I don't think I look pregnant at all in this outfit, but then I turn to the side and BAM! - giant cantaloupe baby!  

Cardigan: H&M
Dress: Old Navy
Belt: Madden
Tights; H&M Maternity
Boots: Madden

Twofer Tuesday - Floral Scarf

I've somehow gotten way behind on outfit posts again, which is why I'm sneaking in some two-fer posts.  I tend to neglect this scarf for 6 months at a time, so I went crazy and wore it a few times in a row recently.  The jeans outfit was for work on a Friday, the dress was for church on Sunday.  And I actually wore the scarf again to work a few days later, but "Threefer Thursday" doesn't have the same ring to it, so I'll leave that outfit for another day.  

Here's your free and very obvious fashion tip for the day - a bright floral scarf is a good way to pretend it is spring when it it still super freezing outside.  (and I should note that this week is all of a sudden beautifully springy!  So I can wear actual spring clothes instead of just brightly colored winter clothes).  

Outfit #1: 

Scarf: F21
Cardigan: Gap
Dress: Loft Maternity
Belt: Chinese Laundry
Tights: H&M
Boots: Steve Madden

Outfit #2:
Scarf: F21
Sweater and Jeans: Old Navy Maternity
Boots: Steve Madden

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

Neglected Paisley Skirt

This skirt was near the top of the list of things I've been neglecting that I still really like and want to keep.  Granted, I'm sentimental about it.  I bought the dress when John and I were engaged, wore it to my bachelorette party, on our honeymoon, and several other picture-taking occasions during the first couple years of marriage.  I just really loved it.  And then I turned it into a skirt, because the top didn't really fit anymore, but I couldn't bear to part with it.  I still love it, but the purplish-blue color in it makes it tricky for me to style.

I was going to wear it with my black sweater and black blazer, and this mint necklace, but then I switched out the sweater for this ruffly maternity tank top, and then I thought the blazer looked weird, so I went with a cardigan instead.  I've been doing that a lot lately - I think because my body isn't shaped the way I think it is, so things don't fit as expected anymore.  (Hashtag - pregnancy problems)

Cardigan: Gap
Necklace: Limited
Top: Kohl's Maternity
Skirt: H&M (refashioned from a dress)
Tights: H&M
Boots: Madden

PMT - Wear Something Neglected for 6 months

This week's challenge is to wear something that has been neglected for 6 months.  I went looking through my archives and was shocked at the things I would say I really love, but haven't worn in a long time.  Like this cardigan.  Is it even possible that I haven't worn it in over a year??  I mean, I might have worn it and not blogged it, but even so, it's crazy to have gone a whole year without wearing this in a blog outfit.  I love this cardigan!  So here it is being reintroduced to the world, and hopefully will get more action in the future.

This is also a copycat outfit, because that just makes life easier.  I stole the idea from Caroline over at Tasteful Style, because she just looked so great in maroon and polka dots!  And I added the scarf for a little extra warmth, and coverage.  I wish my dress had a higher neckline like hers!

Cardigan: Old Navy
Scarf: Loft
Dress: Loft outlet
Tights: H&M
Boots: Madden

Wooden Accessories

Just so you know, I've been wearing these sunglasses a lot, and I still like them!  And they really seemed perfect with my wooden necklace and this outfit.  I just need more wooden accessories, I guess!  Or maybe one necklace and one pair of sunglasses is a reasonable amount for my "not very earthy" style.

And just a little weekend review - Saturday was another busy day getting stuff done around the house.  Then John's parents came over and the guys painted in the baby's room.  I'm so excited to see it coming together!  And then it snowed all day Saturday and into Sunday morning, so church was canceled, and we just stayed in on Sunday.  The snow is so pretty, but I'm not excited to go outside any time soon (too bad I have to work today!)  And since my posts are about 2 weeks behind reality, I'm looking back fondly on the day when I could stand out on the deck in just a cardigan and take pictures!

Sunglasses: HF Eyewear
Cardigan: Gap
Dress: Younkers
Necklace: Israel
Belt: Madden
Tights: H&M
Boots: Madden

Nesting and Bump Thoughts

I really hate the term "nesting," because I am not a bird.  But I suppose the instinct has kicked in, because I have been feeling super energized to get things ready for the baby's arrival.  John spent most of Saturday getting things moved out of the nursery so we can paint soon.  I was working on painting an old dresser and night stand for the nursery.  It's pretty exciting to get some things checked off my list!  

Recently, one of my co-workers accused me of not looking pregnant at all.  I have to confess, I think I am usually dressing in a way that downplays the bump.  But I am definitely looking pregnant these days.  I've found that actual maternity clothes really accentuate the bump, like this top from Loft.  Sometimes I'm happier to wear normal clothes and just look chubby, but it's nice to look actually pregnant sometimes, too.  And I suspect I am running out of days where I can get away with normal clothes, so I should probably get used to looking pregnant.  And start practicing my ninja skills for when people try to touch me.  No.  Just don't do it.

Sweater: Gap
Top: Loft
Skirt: Old Navy
Tights: Old Navy
Boots: Madden

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

Wear a Dress

You know I'm usually up for any kind of style challenge, so of course I'm going to participate with Putting Me Together whenever I can.  This is going to be helpful as I continue to run out of clothes that fit properly.

This week's prompt was to Wear a Dress.  Well, that's easy enough!  I love dresses!  This is actually one of the maternity options I picked up during the Younker's friends and family sale, and is significantly longer than the other 2 dresses that I got.  Much like Monday's post, this was a mostly neutral outfit and I just had to add a colorful necklace for some extra interest.

Dress: Younker's
Cardigan: JCF (similar)
Necklace: Lucky B Boutique
Belt: Steve Madden (similar)
Boots: Steve Madden (exact)

Different but the Same

This outfit felt very familiar, so I dug into the archives.  Yep.  It's almost identical to the last time I wore this scarf and cardigan, almost a year ago.  Except my hair is shorter now, and my belly is bigger.  It's amazing how much changes and how much stays the same!

Cardigan: Gap
Scarf: Gap
Tee: Old Navy (option, option)
Skirt: Gibson & Latimer (similar, similar)
Tights: Old Navy
Boots: Madden (exact)

Winter Planes

This is one of those dresses that makes more sense in the summer, but I like it too much to ignore for half the year.  The nice thing about this dress being slightly too big when I got it is that it still fits when I'm 5 months pregnant!  And most of my normal dresses are not even possible right now, so this makes me happy.  Looking at these pictures, there's a lot of white and black and snow going on, so I'm glad I wore the bright pink necklace.

You can also tell that I'm doing the "it's freezing" smile, and only took these 2 pictures, so you know, I'm super committed.  It's just that there was still a teensy bit of light when I got home, so I had to take advantage of it!

Necklace: Dillard's
Dress: eshakti (navy option)
Cardigan: Gap (similar)
Tights: Old Navy
Boots: Madden (exact)

Baby Smith Is A...

Ninja!  I mean, based on all the kicks I've been getting this week, that's the only explanation.  Or maybe a Rockette.  But they don't let guys into the Rockettes, so he's probably a ninja.

You read that right, our baby is a BOY!  It's pretty exciting, except that boy names are completely impossible.

And if you are just here for the clothes, this outfit is a copycat of a copycat that I did last year.  The original inspiration came from Whitney's Instagram post, and featured a blue cardigan.  But then my blue cardigan was dirty, so I substituted my pink one.  I still had in my mind that I wanted to wear this outfit with the blue cardigan, so I did this a few weeks ago.  I much prefer the shirt shame-tucked, and the belt at my actual waist, but that's not happening these days, so I tried a higher belt, and didn't really like it.  But I felt like I needed the belt to go with the boots, so it stayed.  I might have to try this outfit again next January when I can (hopefully) wear a belt at the normal place!

Top: JCF (exact)
Cardigan: Old Navy
Belt: Gap (similar)
Skirt: Old Navy (similar, similar)
Tights: Old Navy
Boots: Madden (exact)