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)

Scenic Overlook

I think I would love all of my outfit pictures better if I could take them in front of mountains all the time.  I mean, this is way better than the wall in my entryway, right??  Right. 

Anyway, this is what I wore one of the days in New Mexico.  John and I went to the science museum in Los Alamos, and just had to stop and take pictures at this overlook spot.  It was so gorgeous that day!  And my frequently worn camel cardigan totally coordinated with the mountains/mesas in the background!  

Cardigan: JCF (similar)
Top: JCF  (exact)
Jeans: 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)

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)

New Mexican Christmas

Most of the time, when I say I'm going to "New Mexico," people just hear "Mexico."  Then they are kind of disappointed when I explain that I'm actually just going to the Southwestern United States, and not some amazing beach resort.  But New Mexico has been kind to me over the years, so it's all good.  I mean, the beach resort sounds nice, too...

Anyway, a quick Christmas recap!

Usually we end up wearing sombreros in Los Alamos

John and I flew into Albuquerque on the Saturday before Christmas.  His grandparents from Northern NM picked us up and took us back to Los Alamos.  We spent a few days there, mostly relaxing and eating at all of John's favorite restaurants.  I don't like Mexican food, so I mostly subsist on quesadillas and sopaipillas.  This is fine by me.  On Monday, the boys ventured into Santa Fe for some errands, and John's grandma took me shopping to buy exactly one million new outfits for my baby.  (Okay, maybe not that many, but I sure felt spoiled!).  That evening, we met up with John's aunt and uncle for dinner.  On Tuesday, John and I went to check out the science museum in Los Alamos.  I kind of think I'm a nerd sometimes, but when I end up at a science museum I am just bored.  I was more interested in the history of Los Alamos in respect to the nuclear bombs.  The museum was more interested in all the different science applications for nuclear research.

Christmas Day

On Wednesday, John and I drove all the way to the opposite end of the state to the other side of the family.  We had fun catching up with his aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. We ate plenty of food, played games, built gingerbread houses, opened presents.  And that was just the first day.  On Friday, we were all scrambling to get everything set up for the big 50th anniversary party on Saturday.  It all came together beautifully, and the party went well!  Then John and I had to leave early Sunday to fly home.  And that was a whole whirlwind of the week.

Almost the entire Smith side at the anniversary party - The camera obviously blurred me since I'm the newest Smith

As I always end up saying, I didn't do a very good job of taking pictures, but we did have a great time with everyone!

So, 2015 huh?

Well, happy 2015!  So much has been going on in the past couple of weeks, and I haven't had much of a chance to collect my thoughts or blog about anything.  I still do want to write up something about our Christmas week in New Mexico, but for now, just a few highlights from the last little while.

• My sis-in-law got engaged a couple days before Christmas!  They are looking at sometime in June, which means I will have a 4-6 week old baby at that time.  This will be interesting, but I'm pretty excited for her!  We went dress shopping this weekend and found an awesome dress for her, and got the bridesmaid dresses figured out.  I'm just praying mine fits (I ordered a couple sizes bigger, and will probably end up getting it tailored at the last minute).
• Speaking of the baby, this kid was making me nervous with lack of movement, but over the weekend, I felt a lot of kicks/punches.  It's pretty weird and cool.
• NYE was super fun, but John was sick, so I was without a date for the party.  Good thing I have awesome friends (don't worry, that's sparkling grape juice I'm drinking).  And I just got to stand there awkwardly when every else was kissing at midnight.      
• I'm starting to feel more productive, and have been cleaning out the room we will use for a nursery.  Plus, my in-laws have bought a ton of baby stuff, so I need somewhere to put it!  I think weekends in the foreseeable future will be packed full of baby preparations!  

Anyway, I hope you all survived the crazy holidays, and that you are having an excellent start to 2015.  It's going to be a wild year around these parts!  

*these pictures are from early December.  I was about 18 weeks.  I definitely look more pregnant now!  

Cardigan: JCF (similar)
Dress: Limited Outlet (similar)
Belt: Gap (similar)
Tights: Target
Boots: Steve Madden (exact)

Favorite Books of 2014

It's been a good year for reading!  I read 63 books this year, and 12 of them were 5-star ratings for me on Goodreads.  I think I'm getting better at picking books I will enjoy, and not just reading things that I think I should read.  In no particular order, these are my favorite books of the year:

• The Rosie Project:  quite possibly my favorite book of the year.  So sweet.  So funny.  I'm impatiently waiting for the sequel, which should be available for me to pick up at the library any day now.  (my review here)
• MaddAddam: the third book in this trilogy was my favorite, but you have to read the first and second ones first (which are also great).  I need to read more of Margaret Atwood's books! (my review here)
• Orphan Train: I still can't believe this is based on real things that happened.  The history and the main characters were quite captivating.  (my review here)
• The Storied Life of AJ Fikry:  this was recommended by a few people and they were right.  Books about people who love books are quite lovely.  (my review here)
• Big Little Lies: so much drama, but written in a way that seemed believable and interesting instead of obnoxious.  (my review here)
• The Lost Wife: beautifully written account of such a sad time.  I was shocked to read the author's note at the end that this was based on a true story. (my review here)
• Hyperbole and a Half: Allie Brosh is just hilarious.  (my review here)
• One More Thing: I'm not normally into short stories, but these were witty enough to win me over. (my review here)
• The Eyre Affair: fun and nerdy, just what I like.  (my review here)
• Ready Player One: the first book I read this year was an early favorite.  Another nerdy plot that was just fun to read!  (my review here)
• Beautiful Ruins: somehow, I didn't write a blog post reviewing this book.  I read it back in June, and now I can't remember specifics about what I liked.  But I gave it 5 stars, so it makes the list!  
• We are Called to Rise: sad but beautiful.  There was just enough closure that I wasn't mad at the end, but I still wanted a few more chapters to wrap things up.  (my review here)

What were your favorite books of the year?  Anything I should add to my ever-growing list?

Happy New Year's Eve!  Be safe tonight and have fun.  I'll probably skip posting tomorrow, and then be back at it for 2015.  (Seriously, how is it 2015?  We live in the future!)