tact and filters and gray and arc training

GRAY! i love you so and i always will.

cardigan- old navy

tank- thrifted

skirt- thrifted

shoes- target

while i normally just say whatever comes out of my mouth and hope people aren't offended, i've come to realize that's probably not the best course of action. having a filter on my mouth might be a good thing. today someone expressed distaste to me about one of my opinions and i thought, "wow, that was rude!" and then i thought, "i do that all the time. I'M RUDE!(but usually right. hahahahaha!)". so, i shall do better. i will try to only say rude things in my head. or on this blog. and i will try and use some tact when my opinion is required. 

the point of concern was on my color choice for my new baby room. 

my baby room inspiration:

little green notebook

i love this. i love that you could take out the crib and the toys and it would look great with a couch or a table.  but apparently not everyone thinks gray is an appropriate baby room color. but i do. so there.

completely unrelated thought:
i've had to give up running in recent weeks. my pelvis and pregnancy just aren't friends right now. it's been like losing a trusted friend whom i love and loathe at the same time. unfortunately, my back pain has just been too much for me. sometimes i can run around fine and then other times i lose my legs from underneath me and i end up on the floor. i've had to resort to new measures. thus far i tolerate the arc trainer. it's almost like running but with almost no impact. and i can work up a better sweat than on an elliptical. 

my glutes currently look exactly like this. exactly like this.

and perhaps if i spend enough time at it i can enter an arc trainer marathon. sort of like a treadmill marathon, but less hard but probably equally boring.

tosh.0 hermosa beach treadmill marathon

the most important thing i wore today

the most important thing that i wore today was my "i voted" sticker i got after i voted in the south carolina presidential primary. it's a great feeling to exercise my right, my privilege, and my duty. 

 this week i actually broke down and bought a couple of things to stretch(literally) my wardrobe for the next 15 weeks. i know, that's all! we're getting close! and we still don't have a name, but we do have a paint color for baby X's room.

 t-shirt- from target. i like the weight and length of this shirt. it was $10 and i bought a size small. the only drawback i have that i feel the v neck stretches out by then end of the day. i'm not a big fan of layering t-shirts so i just added a scarf to keep everything important under wraps.

jeans- old navy maternity smooth-panel skinny jeans. i can't believe this, but i love these jeans. they are not mom jeans. the panel feels like swimsuit material and therefore doesn't cut into my gut and create an unflattering seam . bonus- i look like a regular person from behind. the pockets sit on my fanny instead of 5 inches above or below their rightful place, like i'm the one wearing a diaper. these jeans recognize that i'm not just a mom, i'm a woman. 

purse- timi and leslie diaper bag. thomas gave me this for christmas and it's a dream. it doesn't even look like a diaper bag. i am already carrying it and my baby is still on the inside of my body. no disney characters or silly gewgaws for me thank you very much. 

the real deal

a haiku to debra:

you sent me new clothes

when i was nearly without

i am now your slave

no joke. without debra of i dream of anthropologie, this would be a topless picture. while that would probably up my readership numbers through the stratosphere(not to toot my own horn but pregnancy has been my friend) but that's not the angle i'm going for on this blog. about a month ago the lovely debra sent me a package full of clothes that she had thrifted for me so that i could dress this pregnant belly. i've never met debra before in real life. she did this out of the blue and out of the goodness of her own heart. thank you deb for taking a chance on a kid like me. i am indebted to you.

blouse- thrifted via deb

sweater- old old old

belt- gap

pants- target

boots- ebay steve madden

this is how i laugh. i was watching a community rerun. that show cracks me up. they are on the brink of cancellation so they are doing whatever the heck they want. and my 13 year old boy brain loves it.

both these images are from the same episode:

final note-

i saw this at target today. scarlett is never allowed to play with a ken doll that looks like this.

 1. his is hair flat-ironed a la billy ray cyrus.

2. that is a woman's belt he is sporting. i'm not that progressive.

4. men in tank tops gross me out. and the fact that he is wearing a knit mugger cap with a tank top is especially disconcerting. his head is cold but his arms are not? really? pick a side ken! emo truck driver with an affinity for stealing young girls grosgrain belts just isn't working.

bellbottom girls, you make the rockin' world go round

i don't have as many resolutions this year. i feel like i'm just keeping my head above water lately. so improving myself is going to the wayside a little bit. i'll try to improve in a few ways, but with a new baby on the way, 2012 may be the year of just getting by.

1. no junk january. my favorite resolution every year. after the sugar deluge of the holidays, it's always nice to detox for a month. this chik-fil-a cookies n' cream shake was my final indulgence. plus, baby X isn't too keen   on too many junk food items, much to my dismay.  

2. be nice. i know i can do it. it will take work and effort. i have a very limited natural ability to be nice so i definitely need to learn to develop this skill over the next 12 months. 

3. run a half-marathon in october. i think about this one all the time. i can't wait for my hips to be my own again and to get back into training. 

4. vacuum my stairs more often. not just when people are coming over. stairs are a workout in themselves and i have two different staircases to manage. 

5. create follow a budget as if my life depends on it. for everything. especially menu planning. 

6. find a real lip color. chapstick is not a color.

cropped sweater- thrifted by my darling deb

blouse- michael kors

belt- fossil

jeans- old navy

shoes- steve madden

*pregnancy fashion tip- these jeans are not maternity jeans. i bought these high-waisted flares for $9 a couple of months ago. they are a size too big from my normal pre-pregnancy size, but they are perfect for months 4 and 5 of pregnancy when maternity pants my still not fit properly. i wear these pants all the time. i wish i had bought another pair. 

seize the booty

i love pirate's booty. i'm not embarrassed by this declaration. it makes me feel like i could be in a 17th century nautical gangsta rap video. i could eat it everyday. in fact, i do! i even cleared out wal*mart's shelves a couple of weeks ago. apparently they aren't going to carry it anymore and i got the rest of their stock for 38 cents a bag. i don't know where i will go for my fix in a few weeks.

blouse- JCP

dress- shabby apple cleopatra

boots- enzo angiolini

though the crunchy, puffed air and white cheddar are delicious, i think my favorite part is when reagan calls them pirate's sha-booty. and that's just adorable.

happy new year. resolutions to come. i like resolutions almost as much as pirate's booty.

the end

i clean up pretty well

hurray for christmas sunday. normally holidays and sundays aren't my favorite combination, but christmas always works for me on sunday. it just feels perfect to me. church, presents and stuffing my face. i was watching harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2 on sunday afternoon whilst sprawled out on the couch and for i minute i felt like i needed to check my pulse to make sure i hadn't died. it was that nice of a sunday. 

dress- banana republic

belt- dillards

shirt- miley cyrus via wal-mart

shoes- jessica simpson

21 weeks:

and remember this?

boom. 

this may be the all time worst picture of me of all time forever and ever amen. let's break it down:

1. my greasy chin

2. my greasy hair

3. my 2008 5k long sleeve t shirt. my worst 5k time ever because i had lost my ipod and it was about 17 degrees outside. i was wearing shorts.

4. the fact that i have no upper lip.

5. my glasses. that girl in 7th grade who told me i was in a nerd herd was right. (rachel bahr, her initials are MD)

6. the utter shock registering on my face. this is the last thing i expected thomas to surprise me with. he never fails to surprise. surprising is one of his talents. 

roll tide!

1989 called and they want their sweater dress back

things i'm not a fan of:

1. sweater dresses(stretch out too quickly. cling to all the wrong places. head to toe pilling)

2. horizontal stripes across my hips and stomach(for the obvious reasons)

3. midi length skirts(my calves are one of my widest points)

BUT for $6 and when nothing else fits, i'll try it. just for funnsies. which normally isn't a good thing. buying just to buy or buying cheap stuff i'm not sure about when i could put the money towards something i actually like for just a little more money drive me nuts. i'd rather have less in my closet that i love than tons of stuff that was $6 and that's the only reason i bought it. it's like getting a mcdonald's hamburger for cheap and then feeling gross all afternoon or getting the red robin bleu ribbon burger(topped with onion straws!) for a few bucks more and being happy for about a week afterward. 

dress- old navy

booties- target

baby i was born to sway

one of my favorite people on earth(bratalie, in order to maintain anonymity) has a special knack for mishearing lyrics. my all time favorite mistake is the very popular song by garth brooks, "the river" where mr. brooks encourages us to "sell our investments"(sail my vessel). i just love to butcher a song and sing the wrong thing on purpose. together we are a delightful saturday night at the karaoke bar. 

can you guess the songs behind these lyrics?

like a twister i was born to wear cologne

there's a bathroom on the right

excuse me while i kiss this guy

big pimpin', spinach and cheese

ls t-shirt- gap

jacket- target

jeans-gap  forever skinny

booties- target

i really like my legs in these pictures(i actually like this whole outfit. honestly, 50% of the time i really am not thrilled with what i am wearing. everything is mostly attempts, rather than successes.). i've never worn these jeans like this before. they are 34 inch inseam and so i always need to roll or cuff them to make them wearable. today i simply paired them with platform booties and then cuffed them under. i think that combination really gives a nice elongating look. i look much taller than 5'5 in this picture. yay me!

ps- funny or cry. i was running errands yesterday while wearing a pair of pants that required elastic band love to keep them together(like all my pants these days). as i was in the grocery store i thought to myself, "man, these pants aren't snug at all. in fact they feel really comfortable and have felt great ALL DAY." and then i looked down and realized that my pants were visibly unzipped and my poor little elastic was holding on for dear life and probably had been all day. hence the comfort. ignorance is bliss.

for the love of zack freaking morris

i've already opened my christmas present from my mother. i picked out some things when she was visiting in october and then i decided i just need to wear them. why not? spring could come really early this year and i will be big as a house in march. faux fur should be worn now. carpe fur! i'll leave the christmas surprises to thomas. like the year i got a foosball table. banner surprise.

in pregnancy news, i can't drink hot chocolate anymore nor can i eat fudge. they both make me sick. fluxing the reflux. it's a travesty. for the love of zack freaking morris! and i had to give up a dress i really like to wear in winter. i put it on for our final attempt at family pictures yesterday and my burgeoning belly made it about 3 inches too short for comfort or class. same goes for this skirt i wore today. i had to pull it so high to cover my stomach it's practically a bra. no need to wear 2 bras when i don't even need 1 in the first place.

sweater- ann taylor loft

skirt- banana republic

shoes- jessica simpson

i guess this means i'm about to break down and buy some *gasp* new clothes. 

the new clothes might even qualify as maternity clothes. 

my simple easy ridiculously make-able fudge:

6oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

6oz milk chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 stick of BUTTER

cup of baby marshmallows or fluff(can be optional)

melt in microwave

stir

chill

eat

celebrity firing squad

if you could shoot any "celebrity" with a hard-tipped dart(please. this is a family show), who would it be?

just off the top of my head:

1. anyone from jersey shore

2. urban meyer

3. katherine heigl (i got you merciblahblah. she BUGS.)

4. miley cyrus

5. ben affleck

6. jon stewart

7. kristen stewart

8. ashlee simpson

and this pregnancy has made me shy away from pattern mixing, which is normally one of my favorite things on earth. i also haven't really enjoyed nutella or meat products. 

this is as wild as i get these days:

cardigan- kohl's

dress- chadwick's

shoes- jessica simpson

speaking of impaling kristen stewart, i had lukewarm thoughts on the breaking dawn bella swan wedding dress. 

i think these photos from alfred angelo website are much more flattering than the gown on kristen stewart in the movie. mostly because, unlike ms. stewart,  this model has hips and bosoms. (or boozies if you talk like my sister.) i think the secret to this dress being successful is having a body in which to adequately fill it out. 

otherwise i thought it looked like a stretch satin gymnastical leotard on almost bony kristen stewart. 

the back was pretty, but i still don't like the stretch satin with the lace. any other fabric would have been a big improvement. 

final note:

i guest-posted on i dream of anthropologie!!! and i even sound positive!!! sorry i'm such a drag. really, being a drag seems to be my schtick. 

heidi bundy

jacket- target

blouse- thrifted

jeans- gap forever skinny(HAHAHAHA)

shoes- steve madden

secrets revealed:

 please tell me you know and have utilized this trick. you don't even have to be preg. it's perfect for holiday parties. 

a numerical breakdown of today:

16 week baby squashing my bladder

ran 3.1 miles this morning

made 2 dozen brownies. need to make about 4 dozen more brownies for young women in excellence at church tonight

20 pages read in a book about magical animals that i was embarassed to check out from a librarian at the liberry whom i refer to as professor tat because of his harry potter glasses, polo shirts and sleeve tattoos. not my most creative nickname but it works in a pinch.

paid $10.20 in fines at the liberry this morning just so i could check out aforementioned embarrassing book.

2 brownies snitched from the church pile, because brownies are one thing i am very good at making.

sweat shop

these are the sweatpants i have worn 5 out of 7 days a week for the last 10 weeks. i love them. i have become a stereotype and i don't care who knows it. i was even able to ride my bike to the park with the kidlets and go down the slide without showing my bizness to the world. so, maybe sweatpants aren't of the devil. 

scarf- express

cardigan- old navy

t shirt- target

sweaties- spalding

sneaks- converse via target

and after not liking anything for sale anywhere(the worst morning sickness side effect) here are a few things that have thrilled my eye in the past week or so:

talbots. you had me at houndstooth. i want to get this and hostess a christmas party. but not do any of the work or planning. i'll just direct the merry maids and the caterers. 

talbots hostess skirt

and it is my goal is to not look like i am wearing maternity clothes. because 99% of maternity clothes are ugly. UGLY. par example:

i find the belly ruching completely unnecessary. yes, i am gigantic. let's emphasize it with a strategically placed waistband and pleating.

but this is acceptable. even the horizontal stripes are flattering. (most likely because she weighs 98lbs pre-maternity.)

asos

or this:

asos 

asos

and this is my idea of a diaper bag:

timi and leslie diaper bag

FINALLY

and one of the most inspirational thrifters is know. diana von furstenburg at a thrift store? somehow deb found it. 

this is great post on all the fantastic brands she found thrifting: i dream of anthropologie

and she's cute.