Mix It Up - Monday Link Up

dress: Dorothy Perkins (similar)
cardigan: Target (similar)
shoes: H&M (similar)
clutch: H&M (similar)
glasses: DKNY

It's Monday morning. You had a nice weekend being pampered by hubby with breakfast in bed, a nap and didn't wash a single dish (he was so kind). Although you had a late night yesterday and was hoping to sleep in this morning. Well, your toddler decides to wake up at 5:46 and not go back to sleep. Ever. Almost two hours later and he's still awake, running around, trying to unplug your computer and climb on your face. And you realize that Mother's Day weekend has come to an end. Real motherhood begins.

That's my story this morning and frankly, I'm not a happy camper. Add to that restless legs that didn't let me sleep the entire night and you will get a stinky face. 

But let's talk about pleasant things, like this pretty mint dress I wore. I love that color and how nicely it plays with pink. Now all I have to do is take a shower, do my hair, make up, get dressed and I should be feeling better. Naaaah. Lounging in bed, having pancakes and taking in nap sounds like my kind of morning. 

I'm linking up with Lauren from Fizz and Frosting for Mix It Mondays! 

Fizz & Frosting (Bloglovin') / Happy Medley (Bloglovin')

In The Fields

dress: TJmaxx
shoes: Aldo
belt: thrifted

We finally managed to have some family photos done. We did couple shots when Jonathan was 3 months old but now that the summer is almost over, I wanted to capture some memories. With a country feel and a relaxed atmosphere, summer nights are perfectly warm and the sunsets are glorious for a nice shot.

 It's really difficult to get a good picture with an infant. When hubby and I are smiling and look into the camera, Jonathan is having a time of his life and playing around. 

Out of a hundred shots, only about five are good to be framed. My sister took the pictures and I still have to go through them and edit them - the price of free family portrait. 

I can't wait to make some canvas prints and hang them in my living room because those bare walls still need some major decor adjustment.

How are you doing with recent family photos? Two years behind or snapping pictures of every poop your kid makes? I'm somewhere in between.
Time flies so fast and with babies you really have to be sure to capture special moments before they are all grown up. It really is a bitter sweet time - loving the new and exiting memories we make but sad to see these moments go.

P.S. Pictures coming soon. Still have to do a lot of editing. 

Unplug

dress: Lord & Taylor
shoes: Aldo
clutch: H&M

I'm about to simplify my life.

Lately it has been (very) busy.Yes, I know you hear that all the time but it's true.

 Saturday morning hubby was home and we were all sleeping in (trying to at least). When Mr. Baby woke up we took him with us to bed and he was rolling and cooing all over. But both hubby and I kept reaching for the phone and checking whatever it is we are constantly checking. Then it hit me - this is ridiculous! We can't even play with our child without checking the phone all the time. 

This has got to stop!

We live in information overload age. If you not sure of something, all you have to do is Google it and bam, here is your answer. Constantly having multiple apps, email and blogs available on the phone is making this life a lot more stressful and complicated.

Comparing your life with someone else' Instagram account is driving us crazy because we are never satisfied with ours, constantly on the run and always distracted from 'real' life. 

I decided to change that.

From now on I will only be checking Facebook, email, Instagram and my blog once a day! To keep my sanity in tact, make sure I spend enough time with my family and focus on the important things in life (like having everyday devotionals), I  am going to set a time once a day where I check all the media outlets and pay all the online bills (if necessary). That way I don' have to feel  guilty about time spent online knowing that everything else taken care, that I'm not being idle wasting my time. 

I'm sure it's going to be hard at first because it's a habit and I do need to turn off all the notifications and stop constantly checking for comments on the blog. 

Enough said.

Let's make life simple again.

Have a great day!

That Dress

dress: Lord and Taylor
shoes: Kate Spade

Welcome to the middle of the week. 

I haven't done any pictures this week so you will have to deal with last week's outfit. 

So here is the story.

I told my husband I will wear anything(?) he wants to our anniversary dinner. So we went shopping and he picked this dress for me. I tried it on and was impressed with his great taste. And although I am not a big fan of these long bell sleeves, I love the color, cut and the' party in the back' thing going on.

It was light enough for summer evening but covered enough to survive the A/C in the restaurant. (I'm always cold and have to bring a cardigan)

Make up and hair were his request also. 

It was fun being dressed by someone else and I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I like that dress myself.

Have you ever done anything like that for your man?

Have a great day ladies!

Guilty as Charged

dress: JCPenny (similar skirt)
shoes: Kate Spade (similar)
clutch: TJMaxx (similar)
glasses: DKNY

Well, well, well. Look who's go another new dress.

Guilty as charged.

How can you pass up such a pretty flower print on sale  for only $9.97? Obviously, I couldn't. 

I'm usually not the one to find anything good in JCPenny but hubby and I were browsing their new selection of home goods and let me tell you, it's simply amazing. From the cute and comfy bedding to modern light fixtures, I about bought half of it. 

And of course, they put the sales racks right across from all the new stuff. 

I went off the straight and narrow to try a couple of their dresses and so glad I did.

It's a perfect dress for a Saturday family day together.

Thank you for stopping by.

Three Things

dress: Target
belt: Target
hat: Target
shoes: Kate Spade (similar here or here)

Happy Friday lovelies!

I have a couple of things that I need to share.

One. I feel like a superwoman with some sexy super powers when I wear this dress. Only because every time I put it on, I have to tell hubby not to get any ideas. Or why not? ;)

Two. Target is my favorite store, can you tell? Yep! The store isn't paying me to say this but they have been stepping up their game lately. Three out of four articles of clothing in this outfit are from Target because they are stylish and affordable. 

Three. I'm in love with my new shoes. Hubby actually found them for me on a major sale during our last shopping trip. They are super duper comfy and go with everything. And when I say everything, I mean, EVERYTHING, so you will be seeing a lot more of them, that I'm sure.

Here is to a great weekend! 

Thank you for stopping by! 

It's a Girl Thing

dress: not sold online (similar)
flats: Target
bag: H&M  (similar)
glasses: DKNY

Hello lovelies! 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. We finally had some sunshine and warmth but it started pouring on Sunday night. Again.

I feel like it's been raining for the last few months here. Non-stop.

On Saturday, some girls from church and I went out and did some shopping. Well, some did and some didn't. But what struck me the most is how much we all were into it. Even if ladies weren't buying anything, going around admiring pretty dresses and throw pillows was satisfying enough. Seriously, it's such a girl thing. 

What's my point?

There is none. 

Girls like shopping. 

The end of story.

But you knew that already, right gals? 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day

One Good Thing

dress: TJMaxx (similar), belt: Loft (similar), wedges: Old Navy DIY (similar), sunnies: DKNY

Hi there. Yes, I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth. Yet.

I had an infection and bad case of sinuses. Haven't been this sick ever since I got pregnant and I think my body forgot how to be sick. Which is a good thing. 

 I was tired, stuffed up, feverish, grouchy and all over achy the entire weekend.  I wasn't able to sleep at night because I was so stuffed up, which in turn kept hubby up. I was miserable. It was even less fun being around me as I moped and groped around the house.

One good thing came out of it though - I got breakfast in bed and lots of sleep as hubby was taking care of Jonathan. 

Also can I just talk about how much I love this white lace dress, which is all the craze right now. 

I bought it about 3 years ago because it was just so beautiful on the hanger in the store but I haven't gotten the courage to wear a white dress. 

After all, I didn't want to look like princess bride. But with just the right accessories, and shoes, this thing can be styled in a million ways while looking very chic. Honestly, I don't know why I haven't been wearing it more. Coming right up.

Hope you are having a great day!

Dry Spell

dress: TJMAxx (similar), vest: Gap, flats: Target, bag: Thrifted, necklace: Forever21, sunnies: DKNY

I started this blog because I like all thing fashion and it was a way to push myself to be innovative, inspiring, creative, original, ingenious and clever with what I have. Although lately I've been too focused on the technicalities - growing my blog and gaining exposure (none of which are bad) but they are taking me away from my main goal: to be creative.

Of course, it's nice to have 29475 GFC followers and even more on Instagram, Twitter and you name it, but that's not what this is about. At least not for me.

I don't anticipate or think about who's reading my blog, neither do I filter what I write on here according to what some of you may think. This is an honest account of who I am and what I'm all about. 

So I've been thinking of some inventive ways of being original and nada. Seriously, it's hard to come up with something hip, when it seems like it's already have been done. 

Anyone can put together an outfit, take some pics and post them but I want something more. Therefore, I'm in kind of a inspiration dry spell and in need of help. Ideas? Thought? Comments? Do share.

Ready or Not, Here He Comes

dress:Target, cardigan: Loft, shoes: Aldo

I saw his face. It was kind of surreal and weird at the same time. We had (hopefully) last sono and appointment yesterday. The technician was able to get a  snapshot of his face. It's kind of a freaky adorable picture. Almost alien-like but at the same time, so cute, with some major cheeks.
Seeing a real person who has a face was little shocking. Yes, I know I'm 40 weeks pregnant and this was coming for a while now but it's different. Thinking of the baby as something in the distance or seeing him in person (well almost) was amazing. As much as I'm uncomfortable, heavy and just plain tired of being pregnant, I don't know if I'm ready for all of it.
First it's the painful contractions, the fear of medicated birth or need of c-section, the unknown and the embarrassing and the thought that something can go wrong with our baby.
Then the sore nipples, the swollen breasts, the unbearable pain of breastfeeding, the sleepless nights, the colicky tummy, the leaking (all over), the crying that you can't stop, the postpartum depression and whole bunch of other things I still don't know about.
It's frightening.
I am ready for this pregnancy to be over but the amazing and the awful that comes after?
I don't know.
I've read the books, I've listened to all the (wanted and unwanted) advice and I've watched many YouTube videos. Yet it doesn't not prepare you for the life that's ahead.
Until you've gone through it all yourself, until your name is sealed on the 'Done It All Mothers' hall of fame, you just don't know.
Ready or not, he is coming soon.

Exceptions

dress: thrifted, shoes, tights: TJMaxx, bag H&M,
32 weeks pregnant belly

For some odd reason, everyone of us wants to be the exception. Not the rule.
 But exceptions are just that - very rare occasions outside of the norm.
So whenever I was listening to the pregnancy tales of "this is going to happen to you too", I never thought of myself as being the rule. Well, couple of things were exceptional (i.e. lack of morning sickness, no crazy food cravings) but the third trimester is different. 

I have awful backaches. 

My feet swell from being mobile all day long. 

I get up to pee-pee at least twice at night. 

I get heart palpitations just thinking about the amount of stuff I need to get done before our boy arrives.

Hormones are doing its thing - I'm driving my hubs crazy.

To name just a few.

I'm thankful that everything is going well and baby is healthy, as well as I am. Even with everyone around coughing and sneezing, I haven't gotten sick. 

So to sum up - it's going well. 

No exceptions anymore.

Colorful Fall

dress, scarf, hat, boots; TJMaxx, blazer: Land's End, bag: Kate Spade NY

I love sunny fall days. They are so fun to dress for. The main idea is - layers, layers and more layers. Right now we have a mix of cold, brisk days with sunny afternoons - it's perfect fall. I love that you can still wear dresses and boots without hiding them under a puffy coat.

Today I'm at 28 weeks and honestly starting to worry a little bit (it all depends on your definition of little). I told the doctor that I'm scared of the unknown and he told me it's a piece of cake - giving birth. Dude, how would you know? Stepping on the scale the display is right in your face, I mean, who wants to see that number? Just hide it and tell me everything is going great and I'm perfectly healthy. But fitting into my pre-pregnancy dress made my day that much more colorful and bright. 

Pregnant Style

dress: Talbots, shoes: Payless, belt: J.Crew, bracelet, necklace: Macy's 

By no means am I an expert on this. This is my first pregnancy and trust me, I get a lot of skeptical looks and comments. "Ohhh it's your first? Just you wait, that baby will show you who runs the show" or " enjoy it now, because you won't have any life later" Of course, no matter how 'encouraging' that sounds, I am enjoying my pregnancy and take every comment and remark with a grain of salt.

One of the most important things for me right now is staying comfy. Between teaching for two hours a week and church services, I am always in front of people. Putting on make up, doing my hair and having nice outfit on makes me feel more like myself but comfort is a priority. 

Here are a couple of tips to staying comfortable without sacrificing style while pregnant. 

- Invest in a good pair of maternity jeans - you will wear them a lot. Especially the last trimester.
- Buy different colored cardigans and mix and match with all your shirts, t-shirts and tanks. You can also wear them on top of dress for a whole new look
- Accessories are your best friends - they can make any simple outfit look put-together in a heartbeat
- Wedges are comfortable but look stylish with anything from jeans to a dress
- Knits will serve you well, especially in skirts. They stretch when the belly grows and still look formal enough for work.
- During winter months it's important to stay warm. A few good cashmere/wool sweaters will keep you warm and look great, instead of ten thin ones for the same amount of money.
- Having make-up and hair done is half the outfit.
- Getting enough rest, drinking plenty of water  and eating well will make the face look better, which in return will make you feel better about yourself. No amount of money can buy you that.