21 Weeks: Belly Ripples

In the last few weeks, I've gone from feeling what felt like popcorn gently popping in my stomach, to feeling full-fledged kicks, and even seeing more defined, ripple-like movements; this is by far my favorite part of pregnancy.  This evening I laid on the sofa until it was dark just because I didn't want to get up, turn a light on, and possibly make baby stop moving!

I'm wearing | jacket: American Eagle (like, 10 years old) // sweater: I don't remember, but that baby is COMFY // dress: ASOS (not maternity, but it's got enough stretch for another month... I hope) // clogs: Lotta From Stockholm // sunglasses: c/o Oasap

Current cravings: still donuts, but I wouldn't mind a side or four of cheese and veggie pizza.
Current weight gain: 8.5 pounds (although my scale isn't 100% accurate, so I'm curious to see at my OB appointment next week).
Current aches and pains: my back hurts after too much standing or walking without sitting breaks, and my hips are sore at night which makes it difficult to sleep at times.  BUT, if these aches and pains are what it takes to grow a baby, I don't mind them a bit!
Maternity clothes: I have a few maternity shirts (only two have the ruching to make them look like actual maternity shirts), one maternity dress that's a little too big at the moment, and a pair of black maternity ponte pants.  Because I'm still so petite, most maternity clothes are far too big, but I've outgrown most of my regular clothes which makes getting dressed a real challenge!  I was lucky enough to find a new, unused Belly Belt on ebay for $6, so that should allow me to continue wearing my regular jeans for another month or two (and by that time it'll be so warm I won't have any interest in jeans).

Giveaway from Chicnova!

I'm so excited to be teaming up with chicnova to offer you $30 to spend on whatever you'd like on chicnova.com!  I've been looking through about every category on the site and I have too many favorites to even fathom (maybe because I'm a clothes hoarder).  Please see the entry rules below to get a chance at winning!

Find my favorites show above here:  knit top, leopard pants, denim vest, lace dress, tank dress, gold top

To be eligible for the giveaway, you MUST follow the giveaway rules.  No exceptions.

1. Become a fan of chicnova on either facebook, pinterest, or tumblr.
2. Register on the chicnova site.
3. Leave a comment with a link to your favorite item from chicnova AND the email address you used to register (without this you cannot be awarded your prize).

There you go, easy peasy!  This giveaway will last for 10 days, and the winner will be announced following the giveaway's end.

"look at me, i'm sandra dee"

if you know me even a little, you'll know just how crazy i am about grease. even after watching it regularly for 20 years now, it still never gets old. as usual, i'm been humming or singing a song from the movie, and since i have a few new favorites from browsing etsy, i thought, "hey, these things together would make a good modern day sandy outfit!" so here's my compilation, 21st century sandy!

where to find these beauties: sunglasses, dress, necklace, ballet flats, handbag

that outfit definitely puts me in the mood for a boardwalk stroll along the beach. or maybe a bike ride. but probably both. sunglasses and sundresses... anyone else in the mood for a little summer lovin'?

the never-ending hot flash: an outfit post

if i've learned one thing in my life it's that you can trust a meteorologist's forecast as much as you can trust a politician's campaign promises. a prediction of highs in the low 60's, which influenced my decision to wear this lightweight sweater, actually ended up being a high of 81. so you can imagine that last friday when i wore this felt like a never-ending hot flash. oh, those meteorologists; why do i still listen when i know it's a fool's game?

sweater: vintage/thrifted, skirt: forever 21, boots: vintage/thrifted, ring: from my grandma's jewelry box, kona: humane society of amherst county

i really liked this outfit because: i get to wear boots, it incorporates my favorite skirt, and i love a space dyed sweater. i'm definitely wearing this again, but i'm going to stand outside for a while before i get dressed so i can decide for myself what they temperature will be!

one last thing, there's one week left to enter the $25 gift card GIVEAWAY from sneakpeeq, so be sure to get your name in the drawing!

one skirt, endless possibilities: an outfit post

hi friends, i hope you're having a good monday following an enjoyable weekend! i bought this skirt about a month or so ago from ebay (i was searching for the pleated gold lamé skirt from forever 21 but found this instead) and i love it for several reasons: a pencil skirt can't be beat, with another skirt or with a lead pipe; i think it acts almost as a neutral so it can be paired with solids or patterns and still look nice; i dressed it up and down and liked it both ways; and finally, i love gooooold.

blouse: express, skirt: tucker via ebay, tights: target, wedges: steve madden, ring: from grandma's jewelry box

i have a few things to say about this outfit. #1 i'm capable of standing upright and do that in day to day life, but can't seem to get the hang of it for pictures, which i realize adds bulk especially when wearing a flowy blouse, and it's just not flattering. #2 flojo is attracted to ALL things gold and LOVES this skirt; if she sees it, it pulls her in like a magnet and she can't stay away. #3 the ring i'm wearing is one my grandma wore years and years and decades and decades ago, and it's my favorite.

so how was your weekend? mine was really nice; on saturday chris and i, along with his aunts and uncles, met at his late grandparents' house to clean out the remainder of their things, and i came home with two projects i'm pretty excited about. one is an old, old chair that was covered in the ugliest, scratchiest fabric known to man, and the other is a semi-ugly vintage lamp. both are getting makeovers, and i can't wait to share the before and after pics! on sunday we didn't have much to do, which was nice, so we went to pier 1 (which i lovingly think of as the affordable version of anthropologie) and i made a birthday list no shorter than 3.81 miles long. we also ate japanese for lunch, and that's always good.

$25 GIVEAWAY from sneak peeq!

i'm so excited to partner with sneak peeq and be able offer all of my awesome readers 20% off their next purchase, and the grand prize: a $25 gift card to spend on whatever they'd like! sneak peeq is a great site filled with your favorite food, style, and home products - all at a discounted price for its users. to enter, be sure to read the directions below as they're different from past giveaways!

sometimes i host a giveaway that makes me a little jealous of my readers because i'm not able to enter! if i could enter, and i happened to be the lucky winner, here are a few things i'd love to have...

THE RULES TO ENTER:

-you must be a follower of this blog.
-do not leave a comment to enter; instead you MUST enter by clicking this link: http://bit.ly/zoN3yI otherwise you won't be eligible for the prize.
-this giveaway is only open to new sneak peeq users, and those living in the U.S.

i hope you enjoy this giveaway, and i wish you luck! the winner will be announced on my blog on wednesday, march 7th.

beads and leopard: an outfit post

i have two stories about this outfit. first, chris wanted me to listen to a story on NPR regarding trends seen at NYFW. in the story, they talked about how they were seeing more evening fabrics and details being worn in the day (beads, brocade, sequins, etc.), and how it was all about bold accessories. so i couldn't help but feel, as my grandma would say, "right in style," when i showed him this outfit i had picked out already that included a glamorous beaded shell.

jacket: american eagle via tj maxx about 8 years ago, beaded shell: kenneth jay lane, skirt: vintage/thrifted, leopard wedges: payless, bracelets: vintage/thrifted

the second story is along the same lines as the one i first told you about here. like i said in that post, a person's opinion of my clothes or style has no bearing on my decision to wear or not wear something; to the contrary, my overwhelming defiance (that only gets stronger with age) pushes me to wear something even more offensive to said opinionated person. having said that, when the same person - a middle-aged, straight male - continues to give a running fashion police style commentary on my outfit each time i see him, i get annoyed. i dress for myself; i'm only interested in whether i like my outfit, but when it becomes the weekly routine to be made fun of and nitpicked literally from head to toe, i can't help but get frustrated, and even kind of angry. so i'm interested in your advice. seeing as how the client is always right (psssh, whatever!), i can't say anything that will anger them, but i feel it's past time to say, in a firm enough manner to let them know i'm very serious, that this WILL stop. how would you approach something like that, and how would you put into words that you don't want to hear it anymore? on a more positive note, every outfit he's put down has actually turned out to be one of my favorites!

okay, i just thought of one more thing to tell you. i had to show those two pictures of flojo with her beak open and her afro out because i thought they were hilarious! she hates, HATES cameras, so i know in those pictures she's bullying the camera for being near her!

my chewbacca: an outfit post

you know how there are times when you see something that's, uh, unusual, and you have to ask yourself, "is it different or ugly in a good way, or different and repulsive in a bad way?" such is the case with my chewbacca sweater. it may repulse, and that might be why i found it away from its previous owner at a thrift store, but i wear that fur ball with pride!

sweater: vintage/thrifted, striped top: j. crew/thrifted, chiffon skirt: maurice's, tights: target, wedges: steve madden, necklace: i made it after i stole from my husband's coin collection.

i should have taken a closer picture of the sweater so you could see it in all its fuzzy glory, but you'll just have to take my word on this one: it's awesome.

my dear husband enjoys a good laugh while making faces during these pictures, or by suddenly screaming to see how much he can scare me. so i played along, and luckily i had a clear nose that day, otherwise i would've had a little something for him...

stripes, flowers, and bear hair: an outfit post

when getting ready for work, two things happen: first i pull out a ton of clothes because it's fun to mix and match and try to wear things differently than last time. second: i look at what i put on and ask myself, "what sort of jokes will my clients make at my expense?" the answer to that question used to scare the hell out of me, which in turn put the same boring, predictable outfits on repeat week after week. now, if i think they'll tell me it looks like i'm wearing old curtains, i got dressed in the dark, or i look - as i was told when i wore this last friday - like a schizophrenic sailor, then i consider it a success!

wooden sunglasses: c/o tumbleweeds, silk sweater: halston (thrifted for $3!!!), floral blouse: target, cropped pants: old navy, wedges: target

i was so happy with this sweater when i founded i may have screamed. i couldn't wait to wear it, and since the weather has been exceptionally pleasant (meaning i don't have to wear a coat) i was happy to be able to wear it without it being covered up! now, back to jokes being made at my expense. my client made comments about my blouse, the tie on it, the length of my pants, the style and color of my shoes, and my pattern mixing. had i been the old danielle, i would have made up an excuse to rush out, then i would have cried as i drove away. the new and improved danielle listens (a little bit), but smiles and tells the person that life is too short not to have fun and be yourself. and i mean it. it gets people nowhere to laugh at or make fun of someone else, but it gets you everywhere when you have confidence and enjoy something as small as playing dress-up as an adult!

to elaborate a little further on having confidence, i still have a long way to go in other areas, but as far as clothes go, while i'm obviously not starting any new trends or doing anything groundbreaking, i've stepped out of my comfort zone of dressing to please others, and started doing what i like regardless of what my overly-opinionated male clients think. and you know where this sudden boost of confidence came from? blogging. getting positive feedback from so many amazing readers has helped more than you can imagine, and looking at other blogs with outfit and style posts has reminded me that clothes can be just another medium with which to create. it's reassuring seeing other bloggers in small towns (that are, like mine, filled with closed minds) making a statement, thinking outside of the box, and showing that it's okay to be yourself no matter who may stare. so for that, i thank you!

what's bear hair? kona, who is lovingly called bear hair thanks to the fact that labs blow their coats a couple times a year leaving me in black cloud of dog fur, is always nearby watching me take pictures, and since he doesn't make many appearances on my blog, i figured i'd give him a little extra attention include him so i can brag about how handsome he is!

and one last thing: toni of lost cabin vintage was kind of enough to include me in her meet the maker series here!

shoe minimalist vs. shoe hoarder

behind every man that believes three pairs of shoes - one for biking/hiking/running/whatever, one for the beach, and one for weddings and funerals - is sufficient for life, i imagine is a woman who believes three pairs of shoes is sufficient for that many days of the week (or, depending on what your plans are that evening, three pairs may only be sufficient for a single day). such is the difference with chris and i.

chris's everyday shoe is his beloved pair of black etnies that are older than some of my friends' old-enough-to-ride-a-bike-without-training-wheels kids. while he'll probably wear them until the soles fall off, i've been thinking maybe it's time for an upgrade. notice i didn't say replacement? so without insulting his etnies, i asked him to sit down with me and look at fashion shoes for men on macy's site (because really, who doesn't love a store with a wooden escalator?). here are his picks:

i was really curious to see what he'd choose and how it would compare to my favorites (which tend to be anything that would make a guy look like a skater from 1980's southern california), and i was surprised and excited to see that his two favorites (converse and lacoste) were among my top picks! apparently i don't only get excited about shoes for myself! and to prove my 80's skater taste in shoes, here are my two favorites for him:

does your husband or boyfriend believe in the three pairs way of living as well? if you could go shoe shopping for him, which styles would you choose?

head over heels: an outfit post

as soon as i typed "head over heels" as the title, i figured you may think i fell hard today. surprisingly i didn't, but if you knew me in real life, you'd know that i'm clumsy enough for the title to fit. anyway, i'll explain that later! today i mixed stripes and i liked it...

scarf: i can't remember, jacket: american eagle, shirt: banana republic, skirt: richard chai, tights: target, booties: steve madden, clutch: vintage/thrifted, bracelets: vintage and jade from chinatown in san francisco

this is probably one of my favorite skirts, but i don't wear it that often because the chiffon is so lightweight that i feel like i'm constantly rubbing my hand over my butt to make sure it's still down; it's so light that i can't feel it's there! the clutch i love because of the different textured leather, and it was a steal at only $1. and those shoes, what's not to love about finishing off an outfit with a pair of six pound wedges? good for the calves, i'm sure.

when i run on the treadmill i find that i feel like i've been on for an hour when in fact it's only been 7 minutes thanks to boredom... UNLESS i watch a movie while i run, then 30 minutes goes by in no time. one of the more recent movies i watched was 13 going on 30. i'm prepared to lose all my street cred here, but it's one of my favorite movies, and i can never get enough 80's music. because i love that movie, and this song is in it, i've been singing this all day (and there's the title of the post)...

navy dress take 3: an outift post

last night i had absolutely no idea what in the world i'd wear today, and when that happens, i always think the easiest thing to do is go with solid colors, because they're so much easier to work with (for me, at least). so then i figured, "hey, why not wear the navy dress again for outfit number 3?" i apologize for the pictures not being that great, but when you combine wind, cold, and a husband with a bad knee, well, i'm lucky to get pictures at all!

jacket: american eagle (from probably 8 years ago), cardigan: vintage/thrifted, dress: lulu's, scarf: gift, tights: target, shoes: target

i have to tell you a few things about this outfit. first, that cardigan is straight out of the 1950's. i was so happy when i found it (because it's a tiny size that fits me perfectly) and because it still had the original tag on it so i know it had never been worn. and the price on the tag was $17, so if it was that much back in the 50's i know it must have been something pretty special! the next thing i'm so excited about is the shoes! i love this style, although i wasn't so sure about the color, but now that i have them, AND I PAID LESS THAT TEN DOLLARS, i can't understand how i lived without them! i get so crazy about a deal.

other than that, it was sort of a weird day. i'm glad to be home, and i'll be even more glad to be eating greek pizza later. ooohh yeah.