Book Review - Serena

I read Serena quite awhile ago, but I was waiting to write a review once the movie came out, comparing the two.  But then the movie just never came out.  I noticed this in my drafts and looked it up.  From what I can tell, it was just a huge flop, and they didn't end up releasing it to a very wide theater audience.  It looks like you can rent it off Amazon right now, so maybe I'll do that sometime, but for now, here's my very belated review of the book.

I thought this book was just about a woman who goes to live in the mountains with her husband who is a timber baron.  I figured it would be one of those stories where she struggles with her new life, and then ultimately ends up happy to be there, even though it was difficult.

This is not that kind of book.

Serena is insane.

Really, truly, sociopathically.

I guess if I had read the synopsis of the book, I would have picked up on this. 

Even though it was completely different than I thought it would be, I really liked it.  It kept me interested, and I really liked the ending!  But yeah, it's crazy, so be warned.

Friday Thoughts

Well, it's Friday yet again, and I'm looking forward to another busy weekend!  I have a baby shower tomorrow (yay!) and then of course Sunday is Easter.  Plus I'm just generally starting to feel like it is crunch time before baby's arrival.  There's so much stuff I still want/need to get done, but I'm trying to remember that most of it doesn't actually matter.  The baby will not care if I run out of time to make a crib skirt!

Incidentally, this is the outfit I wore to our last pre-baby class at the hospital.  We graduated (but I think they let everyone graduate, so I don't feel a huge accomplishment), and we got to tour the hospital.  It's pretty fancy, and I've heard the staff is great, so I think it's going to be a great place to have a baby.

Remix item: floral scarf!

Jacket: Target
Scarf: H&M
Sweater: Kohl's Maternity
Jeans: Old Navy Maternity
Shoes: Target

Remix Kickoff - Two Favorites

Okay, kicking off the Top 10 Remix with 2 items:  navy dress and mint scarf!  

I have to make fun of myself a little bit.  I recently mentioned on Brynn's blog that I don't really like infinity scarves, and then I turn around and tie this long scarf into one.  The hypocrisy is great.  But something about this outfit on this day just looked better with a scarf/necklace than with a hangy-down scarf.  

Pay no attention to the sun/dust spots all over these pictures.  I tried to clean them up in editing, but I obviously don't know how to photoshop very well, so I gave up and left them as is.  It's artistic, okay?  SO FANCY!  

Scarf: JCF

Dress: Loft Maternity

Cardigan: Old Navy

Belt: NY&Co

Shoes: Old Navy

Top 10 Remix

Double post today, because I wanted to kick off my plan for April.  This may or may not be a good idea, but I can't resist any kind of fun style challenge, so I'm going to at least give it a go.  You can read all the details over at Sarah's Real Life.

The point is to pick 10 items that are "so me" and then include at least one of those items in each of your outfits for April.  Since I'm working with about 20% of my current wardrobe (Pregnancy Style Challenge!!), my picks are based on what currently fits (and what I assume will still fit for the rest of the month).  By necessity, these tend to be items that are both loved and frequently worn.  If I was doing this any other time, there would be a lot less neutral and a lot more crazy patterns in my top 10.  Also, April is a tricky month, because there is about equal chance we will have snow or 85 degrees on any given day.  Maybe both within the same week?  So I think these pieces should work either way.

Small asterisk - I added the striped shoes assuming they fit when they arrive in the mail.  I might swap them out if I decide to return them.  The floral scarf isn't exact, but I wanted to include it in my collage.  This is the one I'm using.  The other items are all exact, I think.

Big asterisk - I'm 100% aware that I might drop out at some point, just because I have no idea what the next 4 weeks will bring.  It's entirely possible (though not super likely) that my kid could be born at the end of April, or that I will just be so enormous and miserable that I have no ability to get dressed.  We shall see!

Currently April

A new months means it's time to link up with In Residence and Dearest Love!  Here's my list of currently:

Wearing:  whatever fits!  I've got a lot of clothes, and a lot of them were still workable for most of my pregnancy.  This is becoming less and less true.  I'm relying on my maternity items and then things like scarves, cardigans, etc to keep things interesting.

Sipping:  as much water as I can make myself.  Apparently staying hydrated is important in avoiding BH contractions and leg cramps, so I'm really trying to drink water!

Wishlisting:  I've got my eye on things that I can't currently wear, but am hoping to find on a clearance rack later this summer. Like I really want this yellow floral dress, even though it's probably not at all practical.

Writing:  Thank you notes for all the baby presents we have gotten!  And trying to write down my thoughts in this One-Line-A-Day journal.  I don't write things every day, so it might last me more than 5 years!

And currently not believing anything anyone tells me.  Have I mentioned how much I hate April Fool's Day?  Oh yeah, just every single year that I've been blogging.

Sweater: Old Navy Maternity
Skirt: Loft
Flats: Payless

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

Weekend Recap

This weekend was busy!  This seems to be a trend lately - I guess we are packing in everything before baby arrives and then I won't do anything for a few months!  Anyway, here's what happened...

Friday night, I went to dinner and Motown with my MIL and SIL.  The show was so good!  Maybe my favorite of this season.  The sound was a little off at the very beginning, so I was worried, but they got it sorted and then the rest of the show was fantastic.  The music was just so fun - all the old songs everyone knows!  

Saturday I slept in way late because I am so tired lately, then I got a few things done around the house.  In the afternoon, I went to a tea party.  Seriously, because my friends are ridiculous and awesome.  The hostesses did an awesome job and it was quite a fancy little occasion.  Plus it was really fun to catch up with everyone.  After that, I met up with John and his parents for dinner.  

As dinner was finishing up, I started to get some pre-migraine feelings, so we went home and I just took it easy for the rest of the evening.  I never got a full blown migraine, but I woke up Sunday morning feeling pretty terrible.  So Sunday was spent mostly trying to not get a real migraine while still accomplishing a few things.  

Anyway, that was my weekend.  And this outfit is from about a week ago when we had a random 80+ degree day.  I'd really love it if we could settle into a couple months of 70 degrees all the time.  So, let's do that, okay?

Cardigan: JCF

Necklace: F21

Tee: Target Maternity

Skirt: Gap

Shoes: Sperry