i have (a) big belly & i cannot lie. you other mothers can't deny...

shoes: american eagle outfitters. maternity flare jeans: gap. cardigan: j.crew. flower clip: downeast basics.

You can't really tell in these photos, but my shirt here is a light lavendar. Ish. Which I think is super pretty paired with a mossy olive green. It's like, in nature, when you find a rare light-lavendarish butterfly perched atop a, um, mossy olive green rock. It doesn't stop there. How about spying a light-lavendarish flower growing out of a patch of mossy olive green shrubbery? Bingo. Samesies.

And if you're impressed with my command of the English language in description and titlage, well, what can I say. I kind of excel at that kind of thing. Like when I made mac & cheese for dinner one time but, in a fit of genius, proclaimed it to be "cheesy pasta" so that my son (who doesn't love mac&cheese) would actually eat it.

Stick around, kids. You can't fake this kind of ingenuity.

Happy Friday.

similar stuff (maternity & regular):

More Gap...

elastic-waisted and loving it



shoes: don't recall. skirt & shirt: gap. belt & necklace: forever21. bracelet: burntsiena designs. earrings: gift/homemade.

Raise your hand if you're (a) built like a box or (b) know someone who is. Chances are good that none of you raised your hand. Not because neither A nor B qualifies, but rather because you're thinking to yourself, "she can't see me, I'm not raising my hand" or "man, that is some good mango-pineapple salsa I'm eating here" or "zzzzzzzzzzz."

This little ensemble is one I like to call, "The Little Box That Should." It's an inspiring tale of a girl who, despite lacking much by way of feminine curves, managed to put together a semi-girlish ensemble that embodies a bead-wearing-free-spirit-bent-on-reminding-suburbanites-to-save-the-rainforests. Notice my freshly-showered (i.e. wet) hair? It's 'cause there's no electricity in the forest for a blow dryer. Even my sandals look like tree roots.

So. Full skirts supposedly give square-built women some hips. I don't know that this actually is the case here. And the belt cutting my torso exactly in half doesn't do much to elongate my frame. But for some reason, despite what it isn't, I'm loving what this outfit is: a t-shirt and an elastic-waisted anything, perfect prep for Thanksgiving feasting. Sure, I'm four months early, but I like to be prepared.

So. Pass me a pie and turn up the TV, will ya?

Happy Tuesday.

Want this look? Click on stuff below...

More Forever 21...

sometimes i don't WANT to make lemonade...

 shoes, belt, & bracelets: forever21. skirt: thrifted. skirt extender: a slip shop. shirt: j.crew. watch: target. necklace: don't recall.

I apologize for this ensemble. Not much thought went into it or the pics. Why? Read on...

So, apparently a sprinkler pipe in our yard has been broken for a little while. Because our guest bedroom, which I went in yesterday to prepare for my parents' arrival at our house, had flooded. Not super badly (heaven knows plenty of people around here have it much, much worse in the flooding department this year), but enough that our only option was to pull up the carpet and borrow about 14 enormous fans to try to dry everything out.

Guess what smells worse than wet carpet? You might think "a gassy dog" or "dairy farms" or "burnt coffee cake batter" (don't ask), and those things are very, ah, aromatically disturbing. But the answer I'm looking for is actually "very very wet carpet." Bingo. I know this first-hand. Look into my tired, bloodshot eyes and see my wrinkled nose and believe.

Sighhhh... Our house flooded big-time two years ago while we were on vacation, and my husband and I have since had a knee-jerk aversion to water. This recent indoor swimming pool brings back all sorts of memories.

You know, sometimes we come to a crossroads in life, where the decision made will affect the rest of our lives. This is one of them: from here on out, I'll hydrate my children, and lawn, with hand-poured teaspoonfuls of gatorade. If you need me, I'll be out front, watering our square foot of grass.

Happy Thursday...?

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More J.Crew...

eat your heart out, MLB.

I love baseball henleys on girls. I think they're adorably masculine-feminine. Which actually makes no sense if you think about it, so don't think about it.

 sandals: saltwater brand. jeans: express. shirt: j.crew. bracelet: burntsiena designs.

 Forgive me. I'm in a silly mood today. And by "silly" I of course mean "I feel like an MLB pitcher in this shirt." Too bad I never went for it in my early years. I have a sinking suspicion I would've rocked the mound. See below:

 You're going to roll your eyes at me (roll away), but I can't stop laughing at the first pic in the pitching series above. Here's why:

One word: jowls. (Wait, is that even what "jowls" are? If not, it should be definition #2.)
Regardless, it's Friend Friday! Today's topic: 5 summer trends that I'm looking forward to wearing this season. Topics like this make me really wish I was more up-to-speed on trends...but here we go.

1. wedge sandals. (I think these are a trend every summer...?)

2. braids. (I wear these year-round, but they're especially great to keep my neck cool in summertime.)

3. maxi dresses. (Didn't I say that for spring trends, too? Yep. Sure did. But I've hardly gotten a chance to wear mine. Surely trends can't change that fast...)

4. loose, flowy tops.

5. bright, neon nails. (I'm not in love with all-over neon (yet?), but it's fun on small-scale, like fingernails.)

Happy Friday!

Want this look? Shop below...

More Forever 21...

how to wear a satin shirt on a Wednesday

 shoes: mudd brand. pants: gap. shirt & belt: kohl's. cradigan: j.crew. watch: target. earrings: open jewelry market in hawaii.

So, it snowed last night. Multiple inches' worth. Raise your hand if you think I was happy about that little discovery. If your hand is raised, take this opportunity of fingers-near-head proximity to flick yourself in the forehead, because you're WRONG. Snow snow go away.

Can I just say, for the record, that I love this shirt? The collar is among my favorite collars of all time, and the sheen and color are so sweet yet sophisticated. (My daughters loooove the very most assuredly authentic "diamond" buttons.) But here's the deal: for some inexplicable reason, I don't wear it that much. I always think of it as too "fancy" for everyday wear, for me anyway. And it's an odd length that makes a to-tuck-or-not-to-tuck-that-is-the-question decision frustrating.

But it was today's jumping-off point, simply because I haven't worn it too much. I needed it to be appropriate weekday attire, so I picked other pretty casual items. Like these ooooold wide-leg pants and simple cardigan and nudish mary janes. (I like how my feet just kind of disappear in this ensemble--Unexpected & Maybe Awesome.)

I added the wide slightly-formal pinstripe belt to serve as kind of a mediator between simple and schmancy here. I like how it turned out. A perfect ensemble for performing a vehement snow-melt dance, which I may or may not be doing every hour on the hour today. I'll never tell, but if the snow mysteriously disappears from my lawn before everyone else's, it won't be a coincidence. I'm just sayin'.

Happy Wednesday.

Want this look? Sweet. Bust out your snow-removal dance moves, then shop below:

More Forever 21...

mission: impossible

Hi! If you're new to my blog: Welcome! No, seriously, I'm glad you came by; I hope you come back often. In fact, I'm going to try to permanently endear myself to you in the classic manner that I first attracted and endeared myself to Pocket: The Wink. 

'Cept I forgot to mention...I can't wink (no kidding). And I didn't endear myself to Pocket by attempting it. It's actually by sheer stars alignment (coupled with his poor eyesight) that he ever spoke to me in the first place, let alone tears-streaming-down-his-face-begged* me to marry him.

(* Maybe an ever-so-slight exaggeration. But maybe not.)

shoes: thrifted. jeans: kohl's. cowl neck shirt: j. crew. striped tunic & belt: forever21. watch: target. earrings: gift.

I have to apologize: sometimes, despite being 31 years mature, I get in silly moods. Today is one of those times. I blame it wholeheartedly on these adorably-8th-grade camo wedges -- they're bringing out the craziness that I usually keep silenced with ample supplies of pnut m&ms and Dumas. But I've been trying to consume less junk these days (with questionable success) (and by "questionable" I of course mean "zero"), and I haven't been reading as much as I'd like. I'm afraid what you see here is the result.

Inspired by the camoflauge on my shoes (which, I'm sorry, but I think camo is just a fantastic print), I attempted acting out a stealth mission in the last photo sequence above. Note the binocs. Note the "blending in" with the natural surroundings. Note, again, the binocs.

Okay, so I actually don't know that much about stealth missions. I kiiiiiind of ran out of ideas after the first two shots. But this much I do know: I nailed it with the striped tunic as uniform, particularly if your stealth mission involves zebras...lying sideways...

Happy Wednesday.

Want a super-stealth look like this? Check out the stuff below...

More Forever 21...

i don't think they're calling me mellow yellow (that's right)...

 shoes: steve madden. socks: smiths marketplace. skirt & cardigan: j.crew. shirt: gap. scarf: forever21. flower hairclip: downeast outfitters.

I dunno, guys. I was totally uninspired today by my 30x30 items this morning, lounging lazily in my closet and doing their best to ignore me. I feel like I've made all the obvious matches, you know? So bear with me over the next two weeks, as the UNobvious becomes the everyday. But the good news (for all of us) is that, as day 15, the glass is half done.

So. Non-inspiration typically equates to either totally mundane or...how do I put it...totally odd. Heh. Guess what I went for today. I'm commiting all sorts of fashion faux paus here--t-shirt with pencil skirt, socks with sandals, two bright & bold patterns competing with each other, not to mention the socially-unacceptable exposure of pasty-white knees. Meh. I'm not even fazed, though. That's what happens when I eat too much sugar the day before. I turn into a rebel without a clue.

Speaking of Tom Petty lyrics...does anyone else just LOVE the song "free falling"? A timeless classic, if you ask me. (Which you didn't, but I'm the one typing here, so I can pretend anything I want.) When I'm jogging and Free Falling comes around on my playlist, I get a huge (probably psycho) smile on my face, bee-bop of my head, and rhythm to my stride. Basically, for about 3 minutes, I become an oblivious one-woman circus bopping along the side of the road. But a themed Free Fallin' circus. Which HAS to be better than any Barnum & Bailey number. 'Cept the elephants. That's a definite feather in their cap.

[Editor's note: I almost made a joke that compared my thighs to an elephant's. But, although potentially mildly humorous, it's rude, even (especially?) coming from oneself. So I didn't. I'm just learning to fly, guys.] [Assistant Editor's note: If you're unfamiliar with Tom Petty, you should probably just ignore this entire post. We apologize for the decade-specific references. It's the last dance with Mary Jane, I promise.]

Breaking rules or no, I feel a bit Unexpected and Maybe Awesome today. Hope you do, too.
Happy Tuesday!

Want a similarly unexpected look? Check out how you can get one...

More Topshop...

Unexpected

Totally sporting pegged jeans today. And a side ponytail. Kinda like my older sister...in 7th grade. Oooh, speaking of my older sister (who, by the way, rocks. She's run a billion marathons, is crazy-competent in every area of her life, has crinkly smiley eyes, and is a black friday master) and her fashion sense, I'm having a flashback of my super younger days when i wanted to BE her because she was uber cool because she had an enlarged tiger face printed on her bathing suit.

At the time, my "bathing suits" were homemade cottony jumper-things. Don't be jealous.

Unexpected & Maybe Awesome: Converse with a floral button-up.

Happy Thursday!