Perfect Pregnancy Poncho

When I was newly pregnant with Richard, I was in Chicago and saw this pregnant gal with a poncho on. She looked so chic! I made a note to try to find one like hers but never got around to it. This time around, I thought of it again and did some random looking online. But I knew with Fall coming the stores would soon be flooded with several styles to choose from - all kinds of ponchos, shawls and wraps.

 

Last Friday, my friend Barb showed up to work in a lovely burgundy number! I immediately asked her where she got it - Macy's. I ran out there after work and opted for the grey one. The features I love about it are the turtleneck, the fitted wrists (to help balance out the volume), the little buttons on the wrists, and the fact that it was not too heavy of a knit. This non-maternity piece is great before AND after baby. I know I will wear it for years! You can't go wrong with skinny jeans and boots for an effortless (and comfy) chilly weather look. Since the front is a blank canvas, I tried on a few necklaces with it but I kind of prefer it plain. I wore this into the office, the same day my co-workers threw me a wonderful "baby shower/soon to be last day of work" luncheon.

Alfani Poncho : Macy's

Jeans and Grey Tank underneath : Motherhood Maternity

Bare Traps "Armandy" Boots : Macy's

Sunglasses : Zulily

 

Photos by Lisa



$6 Necklace for the Win!

 So do you ever get a new piece of clothing or accessory, and you tend to wear it a lot right away? The excitement is still going on the TJ Maxx find I posted yesterday. When I saw the necklace matched all of the colors in this skirt, I put this outfit together. On this particular day, I went into the office as well as a doctor's appointment. And a few errands before heading home.

 

Mossimo Foldover Maxi Skirt : Target (seen here)

INC International Concepts Cardigan : Macy's (seen here)

Maternity Tank : Motherhood Maternity

Anthropologie Clifton Strands Necklace : TJ Maxx (seen here)

Bare Traps "Armandy" Boots : Macy's

Anthro Fashion

The other day I ran into TJ Maxx for a quick look around. When I spotted this necklace in the jewelry case, I immediately knew it was from Anthropologie.

 My suspicions were confirmed upon looking at the tag : "ANTHRO FASHION". And look at that price!?!?!? I couldn't call the girl over fast enough to purchase it.

 Here is the stock photo from Anthropologie, when they carried the necklace last year. It's the Clifton Strands necklace and it retailed for $58.00. The last sale price was $14.95. Where does TJ Maxx even get their comparison price of $9.99 from!?!?!? No where close.

 I found so many things in my closet that this necklace will go with! It's first debut is this ensemble, which you can see basically the same outfit here just without the bump.

 Monogram "Nestled Owl" Tunic : Anthropologie

Anthropologie "Clifton Strands" Necklace : TJ Maxx

Liz Lange Ponte Maternity Leggings : Target

Sandals : see further down

 Another awesome end of season deal I scored recently are these wedges. They were an online only style that someone returned to Kohl's, and I scooped them up. Anytime I can get a $110 pair of sandals for $22 (plus my 20% off coupon), I am all over it! They are well made, leather, comfy, and my FAVORITE style sandal : a buckle across the toes and a buckle around the ankle. Years ago, I had similar sandals in this dusty blue color and they went with so much. They long wore out so I was glad to unexpectedly replace them. This color is no longer online (where you could have seen they were $22) but here is a link to the other colors they have for a bit more:

Bussola Style Ibiza Wedge Sandal : Kohl's

"I like your shirt!"

I ran across this shirt when I was not pregnant, and thought to myself if I ever did have another baby I would for sure get this! Luckily, being pregnant through the month of October worked out great. I made sure I had plenty of events to wear this for to justify buying such a novelty item. One such event was this past Saturday - Ghoultide Gathering - a specialty Halloween art show that my friend exhibits in (I'll add her link further down).

 

Sorry for the pained and pale look on my face, but it was a cold and windy day - hard to smile for the camera.

 

Konrad & Joseph Fireflicker Cardigan - Anthropologie

Skeleton Print Maternity Shirt - eBay

Jeans - Motherhood Maternity

Bare Traps "Armandy" Boots - Macy's

Hoop Earrings

I also wore the shirt a few weeks earlier, when I took my hubby to a Social Distortion concert for his 40th Birthday. It was the perfect choice for the venue. (I hope to do a post on music in the future.)

I plan to wear this for any other Halloween outing this month..... pumpkin patch, trick or treating, etc..... Besides the events I've already mentioned, I have worn it out running a few errands yesterday. Hence the title of this post, no matter where I wear it, I get a lot of smiles and comments. Mostly, "I like your shirt!"

 

Richard has taken a huge liking to the shirt as well....... he wants me to wear it every day. He even wandered into our room at 3 a.m. the other night asking where it was. But the sleeping habits of a 3 year old is a whole other post!

 

You can do fun things while wearing this too..... like feeding the baby tomato and mozzarella salad!



I do hope to share some home decor on here, and since this is sort of a Halloween themed post, starting with my current mantle styling seemed like a good start. I have wanted a fireplace and mantle for so long! I am lucky enough that the new house has 2! Even though we've only been here 2 weeks, it bothered me that I didn't know immediately just what I wanted to decorate with (for an every day look). I know it seems silly, but after wanting something for so long, and pouring over Pinterest inspiration, I thought it would be easy.

 

Luckily, after going to Ghoultide Gathering, the inspiration hit for a fun Fall motif. I had purchased a new doll from my friend Jennie at Prim Pumpkin, and I wanted to display all (well most all) of the dolls I had from her in one place. I also have a framed print that I bought from Melissa Belanger that I got at the show last year (this year I bought an owl painting). The 3 panel screen is from Department 56 and is usually the backdrop for my lighted houses (don't know if I have the energy this year to put them up). There are some crates and my Mom's Nancy Drew books. I love the addition of yellow and blue to the typical orange. I was surprised at how quickly this came together once I focused on it.

Of course, there are some peacock touches! If you look closely at Melissa's work, you can see two of the trick or treaters have peacock outfits on!

Simple Aztec

A few things about this phase of pregnancy:

The size of my feet vary day to day, and I often have little footwear selection that fits. This can be frustrating when you've planned to wear a certain pair of something with an outfit and you have to revise at the last minute because you can't stuff your feet into them! One of the reasons I was excited about buying "skinny" style jeans this time around (besides them being my "go to" jeans all Summer), was tucking them into boots in the Fall. I thought, "Oh, boots are going to be roomy and comfortable" (when compared to strappy sandals). Hmmm, not so much. Once I get my feet into them, they've been fine...... but hot! Ugh, I hate being so hot! The weather is cooling here, but not enough I guess.

 

The other thing is that I've been very "light" on my jewelry. I love me a good statement necklace, but lately I can't stand the weight or feel of it around my neck (again with the hotness). I've been opting for long, light necklaces - even if they wouldn't normally be my first choice for a particular outfit.

 

This is a look I wore to work on Friday:

Ecote brand cardigan : Urban Outfitters (last year)

Oatmeal Tank and Jeans : Motherhood Maternity

Anthro-like Button Boots : Zulily

Copper Necklace : made by me

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy

Little Bridge

There is a low spot on our property that has a drain. The previous owner decided to create a huge circle of stone and rock around it and cover it with a weird little bridge. To me, this just draws attention to it even more and doesn't really make sense.

 From previous landscaping projects, we know how much money is laying there in materials. We plan to improve the design and probably turn it into a cozy fire pit someday. I just thought it would be a fun place to take blog pics, until........

 .........see the white smudge on these next 2 pictures? Since my tripod was on the uneven rocks, it tipped over and my camera lens got scratched! Ugh! Thank goodness I have a backup camera. I guess I will have to decide if I want to take this one to have the lens replaced.

 I am just remixing a previous formula that I've already posted about : maxi dress with a cropped sweater. All pieces I've had for at least a year or more, so I apologize I don't have any links.

Black Maxi Dress : Target
Dolce Cabo Cropped Sweater : Zulily
Bare Traps "Armandy" Boots : Macy's

So happy to have gotten my hair nice and blonde again yesterday! I am about 32/33 weeks along today.

Favorite Sweater

I traded being surrounded by woods to being surrounded by fields. My animal friends used to consist of deer, turkey and the occasional coyote. Now they are cows and sandhill cranes. Every morning since we've lived here (and my drive when I commute to Battle Creek every other day for work) it has been gorgeous autumn weather. As the sun rises, the fog is lifting from the fields..... creating a magical atmosphere.

Of course that did not happen the morning I finally got out to take blog pictures.

But, I was determined to try anyway. After all, once you commit to getting your boots and jeans soaked in the dew, you want results! Even if they aren't the greatest.

 I was surprised that even though every house in our neighborhood has 2 acres, it was hard to find an area big enough to not capture them in the photos. This was my first attempt though, and there is lots more exploring to be done. I was able to crop some, but not others without distorting the image too much.

 This sweater I got last Spring on deep discount from Motherhood Maternity when I first found out I was pregnant. Since the weather was just starting to warm then, I only got to wear it a few times, but it quickly became a "favorite". It is so soft and cozy, and I love the rose print. Even though it's considered "maternity" you would never know it and I will wear it for years to come. I spotted an almost exact sweater at Kohl's here. As usual, I have basics underneath - a black tank and jeans both from Motherhood Maternity as well. These are my dark bootcut jeans that I had during my first pregnancy.

 I kind of figured we were going to have an "Indian Summer" this year, since our summer wasn't too hot. But honestly, now that I am at the end of my pregnancy, it can be so uncomfortable! I start out okay every day, but after lunch I am just a mess! Which is unfortunate because when Fall comes, we all know that we want to wear our seasonal favs like sweaters and boots. It seems like today is going to stay cool though.... we'll see.

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy