Giraffes - Now and Then

It's no secret that I love giraffes and elephants, so when I saw this tank at H&M, I pretty much had to buy it.  In college, I had a long sleeve tee that was white with black giraffe silhouettes all over it.  It was pretty cool, but it was also fairly cropped, so eventually I had to admit it wasn't working for me anymore.  The 4 inches of tank top at the waist wasn't a great look.  Anyway, I'm glad to have a new giraffe shirt.

And in honor of Throwback Thursday, here's a picture of me feeding giraffes in Kenya in 2006, in a shirt that was also more cropped than it should have been!  (But man, how skinny was I??  I really shouldn't look at old pictures right now!)



Cardigan: JCF
Tank: H&M
Jeans: Old Navy Maternity
Flats: Target (top 10 remix item)

Budget Rewind - April 2013

April 2013 was also big shopping month, because I went to visit my friend in Arizona, and we hit the outlets pretty hard.  Or at least I did!

Good
Gap Polka Dot Skimmers: $15 (originally $35) - love these shoes and I am getting nervous they will fall apart soon.  But I've definitely worn them enough to say they were worth it!  
Gap Pink Shorts:  $28 (originally $40) -  I went back and forth on these, because $28 is more than I usually spend on anything, but at that point, I was really struggling to find shorts that I liked in a decent length, so I went for it (plus they bumped my total purchase up to the point where I got an extra percentage off, so it worked out).  I think it was the right decision.  I'm not sure if I've worn these 28 times, but I have worn them quite a lot, and I think I will continue to wear them if/when I am back to a normal size.  
Gap Navy Cardigan $13 (originally $40) - 16 blog appearances, and many many more times worn.  This cardigan has been a closet rockstar.  It's starting to look a little faded, so might be time to search for a replacement.  
H&M *Black Blazer:  $15 (originally $25) - as evidenced by the remix post I did, I've worn this blazer a lot!  
H&M *Lace Tee: $10 - I wore this top so much that it started to fall apart.  Granted, it wasn't the highest quality piece, but it was well-loved for almost 2 years, and then I found a replacement that will hopefully last a little longer.  
H&M *Leopard Scarf: $7 - a leopard scarf had been on my wishlist, and this one has been perfect.  I've worn it a lot and continue to wear it!  
H&M Floral Scarf: $7 - this was an impulse buy, because I just thought it was really pretty.  It was a good idea, because the colors play really well with the rest of my clothes and I've worn it a lot.  
Banana Republic Striped Dress: $25 (originally $100) - one of my favorite dresses of all time!  Stripes in ALL THE COLORS are just perfect.  
Old Navy Striped Skirt: $7 (originally $23) - blogged 18 times, and worn many more, this is a favorite skirt for sure!  

Medium
H&M *Cobalt Necklace: $12 - slightly silly, but I do really like this necklace.  I just don't wear it as much as some of my other necklaces.  
Banana Republic Green Dress: $13 (originally $100) - I really love this dress, but it's just not the most practical for my shape.  The slit in the neck means I need to wear a scarf to keep it G-rated, and the fitted shape of the dress isn't great for me when my weight fluctuates (and then I think I look pregnant when I am not).  I haven't gotten rid of it, because it's SO PRETTY, but it should probably make it's way to the donation pile soon.  
Old Navy Black/White Striped Tee: $7.50 (originally $15) - in theory, a good idea, but the fabric on this tee was just too flimsy/clingy.  I didn't like they way it looked on me, and would always pick a different striped tee.  
Old Navy Blue/White striped Tee: $7.50 (originally $15) - same problem as the black and white version.  


Ugly
Gap Mint Tank Top $7 (originally $23) - first of all, why did I think $7 was a good price for a basic cotton tank?  And then it was just really thin, but clingy enough that I couldn't wear anything underneath it without looking lumpy.  Just a bad decision.  
Old Navy Green tank: $6 (originally $18) - so wrinkly and staticky.  It's just more trouble than it is worth!  
9 good, 4 medium, 2 ugly.  I don't know exactly what to make of my numbers each month, but I am impressed by all the really good things I have bought in April the past 2 years!  

Budget Rewind - April 2014

April 2014 was a big shopping month because I went to Minnesota for my cousin's wedding, and then my sister and nieces came to visit and they love to shop!  And we found some pretty great sales, so it was hard for me to say no to things, because they were so cheap.  Anyway, this means I have a fair amount of not Good items to discuss.

Good
H&M Leopard Cardigan: $15 (originally $15) - blogged 7 times, and I'm sure I've worn it more, and it is still one of my favorites.  I'm sure I'll get it to $1 cost-per-wear, and probably even lower.  
Gibson & Latimer black pencil skirt: $20 (originally $60) - 13 blog appearances, and I was able to wear it through most of pregnancy!  
Gap Outlet Purple blouse : $3 (originally $40) - well, for $3, you can bet it was easy to get the cost per wear under $1.  
Gap Blue/Navy striped skirt: $5 (originally $45) - an impulse buy, but I've worn it 6 times, and I still like it (and it is stretchy to fit while pregnant!).  
Old Navy Blue/white floral shirt: $5 (originally $25) - worn 5 times already, and I think it will be a post-pregnancy favorite.  
Gap Outlet Green BF cardigan: $10 (originally $40) - this had been on my list for a long time, so I'm glad I found it for $10!  
Gap Outlet Gray rhinestone flats:  $5 (originally $35) - I bought these as a planned replacement for my gray captoe flats, which are kind of falling apart.  I don't like these as much, but they are still a good shoe to have.  And again, they were super cheap.  
Gray shorts: $15 (originally $23) - I have worn these shorts a lot, just not always blogged.  And then I bought the black pair and wore those a ton as well.  Hopefully they will fit again at some point this summer and I can continue to wear them!  
Gap Floral top: $6 (originally $55) - I really love this top, but found it was weird for me to style, so I built my late summer 30X30 around it, and ended up wearing it a lot.  It was getting a little tight around the middle when I first got pregnant, so depending on how my body acts this summer, it may or may not get to stay in my closet.  But either way, I got my $6 worth.  
Navy lace sweater: $9 (originally $45) - Another one I really love.  I'm sure I've worn it 9 times, and will continue to wear it until it falls apart!  
JCF Navy/White stripe tee:  $8 (originally $33) - not the most exciting item of clothing, but I've worn it a lot, and navy stripes are a good staple in my closet!  

Medium
JCF Plaid Popover: $15 (originally $65) - I thought this was a really smart purchase when I made it, because I loved my previous plaid popover so much and it was getting too small.  But I've only worn this one a few times.  I still have it and like it, so I'm hoping I can wear it some more
Floral flats: $25 (originally $98) - totally ridiculous purchase, but they are so cute!  The problem is that  I can only wear them in the spring and summer, when there is no risk of rain.  
Gap Outlet Mint Polka Dot Popover: $11 (originally $40) - another one I thought I would wear a lot, but haven't.  Blame this one on ironing.  I just don't get things ironed very quickly, so sometimes items end up in the ironing pile for quite a long time and then they aren't in the closet to get worn.  I do think this could be a favorite post-pregnancy
Gap Outlet Pink striped dress: $12 (originally 60) - medium might be generous for this one.  It just doesn't remix well, so I've worn it a few times, but there aren't many exciting ways to style it that I can find, which is kind of boring for me.  
Gap Outlet Navy/white stripe sweater: $6 (originally $45) -worn several more times than I've blogged, this is probably on the good side of medium, but if I had left it, I don't think I would miss it.  
Gap Outlet Black ankle strap wedges: $9 (originally $55) - I'm slightly torn on these.  I've worn them a fair amount, but they aren't very comfortable, and were starting to feel a little snug the last time I wore them.  Of course, when I bought them, I didn't know I'd be pregnant and my feet might swell or even grow, so I shouldn't penalize my past self.  But for black flats, I probably could have left them.  


Ugly
Green striped blouse: $11 (originally $33) - stupid to buy this, but I realized it had never been worn a couple months ago and I am trying to work it into the rotation.  Hopefully I can turn this into a Medium or Good soon!  
White sweater: $9 (originally $45) - I love the idea of this sweater, but I think the proportion is just off on me.  Maybe it's too short?  I don't know.  I should probably get rid of it, but I will likely try to wear it a couple more times and see if I can make it work.  
Lucky Plaid blouse tank: $4 (originally $50) - worn once on the blog, and at least one other time that I can remember.  I think it just isn't quite my style, but I was lured in by the $4 price tag.  

11 good, 6 medium, 3 ugly.  I just need to figure out how to not buy the stupid things and then I'll be great!

More Shorts

Well, here's another very casual outfit from a day that was warm enough for shorts.  I'm loving the warmer April we are having this year!  And I'm loving these Loft maternity shorts.

I don't really have much to say today.  Here, I'll just throw out some random thoughts:

• My hair has been pretty amazing during pregnancy, but for some reason was extra fluffy on this particular day.  I've heard rumors that your hair can change drastically after having a baby, so I'm kind of nervous about what might happen.
• This tank top is one of my Top 10 Remix items, but this is the first appearance in April.  I guess I didn't really need 10 items?
• People are still telling me I don't look very pregnant.  Really???  I think I should just wear this tank top all the time, and then they will know the truth.  Not to mention these pictures are 11 days old, so I'm even bigger now.  

Cardigan: Gap factory
Tank: Old Navy Maternity (top 10 remix item)
Shorts: Loft maternity
Shoes: Sperry (top 10 remix item)

39 Weeks

Well, I'm officially 39 weeks pregnant, and while I know most first time moms go past their due date, I really can't believe I'm at this point.  I was so paranoid about having this baby super early.  According to my super helpful produce comparison app, that means he is roughly the size of a Crenshaw Melon.  If you don't know what that is, it's a type of Musk Melon, which I am also not familiar with.  Either way, we're talking close to 7lbs.  Totally ready to be born, right?

Oh, so weekend stuff!  Friday was my half-birthday, and since it's my last half-birthday before becoming a mom, John took me out for a nicer dinner.  I mean, you only turn 30.5 once, right! Might as well get some steak!  On Saturday, we finished up some little projects in the baby's room, like hanging the art I had made, and I'm still organizing things.  Then Saturday evening, our friends had a party, which was lots of fun, and then kind of awkward as we were leaving, like "so... next time we see you, we will have a baby..."  Sunday, I felt like I had been hit by a bus (RA + Pregnancy = not awesome), so I skipped morning church and slept as long as possible.  12 hours of sleep helped, but I was still feeling pretty rough, so mostly took it easy in the afternoon and then went to evening church.  And maybe got Dairy Queen.  It's difficult to say for sure.

How was your weekend?

Jacket: JCF (top 10 remix item)
Dress; Gap
Shoes: Target

April Shopping

At the beginning of April, I was hoping not to shop much.  Then I realized that I had almost no tops that would fit over my growing belly.  So, I adjusted my plan a bit.  Since the 2 pairs of shoes that I ordered from Target in March didn't work out, I had that gift card again to use, so I picked up a few maternity tops with that money. And then my sister came to visit and we did a little shopping, where I was able to find a handful of "normal" tops that fit now, and should be very comfortable in the months after the baby arrives.

Target:
Maternity black blouse: gift
Maternity Mint Tee: gift card
Maternity purple tank:  gift card

Gap factory
Blue striped hoodie: $15
Striped tanks (Mint and Yellow): $6 each

J.Crew Factory:
Mint tee: $5
Egret Tee: $10

H&M:
Giraffe Tank: $10
Blue floral tank: $10

Total Spent: $62

I feel pretty good about this month.  I'm still in that kind of awkward spot where I don't know what my body will be like for the next several months (or ever), so I'm trying to pick up pieces that should work no matter what size/shape I settle into this summer.  Lots of knits!

Link up with Fran and the other Budgeting Bloggers to share your April shopping stories!

New Necklace and Half Birthday

Can you tell I'm wearing these white jeans a lot lately?  I kind of love them, so I have to wear them as much as possible.  I think I wore this to a doctor's appointment last week, but honestly, the days are starting to blur together.  I do know that I was excited to wear my new necklace that my sister sent me.  Of course, I didn't get a good picture of it, because I am a negligent blogger.  But it's a silver pendant that says "Due in May" and has a little green birthstone on it.  It's pretty sweet.  (Thanks, sister!!)

Oh, and today is my half-birthday!  I still think it would be cool if baby decides to show up today, but he probably won't.  So I might just have to go somewhere fun for dinner.  Unless I'm too tired, of course.

Jacket: Target
Sweater: Kohl'sMaternity
Jeans: Old Navy Maternity
Shoes: Target
Necklace: gift