Teal Takeover for Ovarian Cancer Awareness

Teal is hot this season for more than one reason. Jewel tones for fall? Yes, please. But September is also Ovarian Cancer Awareness month and I'm wearing teal to support the cause! My friend, Crystal, wears teal for her grandma, and she brought this month's mission to my attention. I'll be back with some facts on Monday. Today, though, I'm wearing my teal (I don't have much of it, but I plan to change that!) with pride and I hope you will, too.

 dress: Ross, shoes: Lower East Side (jacked 'em from my mom), glasses: Nine West

Excuse my awesome photo quality. My camera was lopsided on my adirondack chair on the front porch and the lens was all fogged up from the intense humidity. One of these days, I'll figure out how to snap my own outfit photos. It's {pretty far down} on my to-do list.  

In other news, I felt pretty in-tune with the mombots this morning.

Baby Bean Update: 31 Weeks

Ohhh, 31 weeks. We have seven weeks and 4 days until Bean comes. As soon as that sounds when I type it or say it out loud, it really feels like ages and eons away. I am so ridiculously uncomfortable and there just isn't enough room for a whole lot more stretching. I'm praying and praying that my previous c-section scar stays in tact with how low the baby is and how much pressure I feel. Quote of the week from innocent bystander: "Hold onto Jesus, girl." That was in reference to how big I am and how much longer I have left.

 dress: Old Navy Maternity (gift from Whitney), shoes: Sbicca from Ross

I sang the National Anthem at the Down East Walk to Defeat ALS on Saturday morning and it wasn't horrible, but it didn't go as well as I'd hoped. As much as I'd practiced, I really thought I would nail it, but I was so nervous and shaky that I felt like I had no control over what was coming out of my mouth. Fortunately, I stayed on pitch and hit the high notes just fine. It just sounded like I had an outrageous vibrato since I was shaking so badly. And I was EXTRA uncomfortable because the MC was quite literally 6 inches away from me. I wanted to move, but couldn't make sense of sashaying 4 feet to the right in the middle of the song. Anyway, I wore this and it was light, breezy, comfortable, and almost patriotic. Thanks, Whitney, for buying it for me!

Symptoms include, but are not limited to: Lots of baby rolling around movements and not so much jabbing, long spurts of baby not moving at all and giving me serious anxiety, Braxton Hicks contractions that are getting stronger and a bit painful, growing bigger every day (so much so that maternity clothes that fit me two weeks ago are too tight, now), cravings for watermelon and strawberries (strawberries replaced pineapple due to the pineapple contractions), swelling in my hands, ankles, and feet, low and mid-back pain... I guess it's all normal. I'm thankful that I'm not nauseated, but still can't believe that my symptoms are so strong and I'm so uncomfortable and I still have almost 2 months to go!

 My husband thinks it's hilarious to start walking around me like what he thinks a fashion photographer would do, point the camera in my face and moving all fast at different angles, saying stuff like, "Oh yeah, that's good. Yep, like that! Keep posing. Smile, pretty lady." Sometimes I laugh. And sometimes I'm really pregnant, hot, uncomfortable, and hungry... so I look like this.

Two of my best girlfriends, Whitney and Jen, sent lots of awesome stuff for Bean and S this weekend. Well, Whitney visited (ie: no blog post over the weekend) and brought the stuff from Jen (and Jim!). Bean has enough clothes to probably wear 3 outfits a day for her first 3 months. And she has a sporadic sprinkling of jammies, onesies, and t-shirts for 6, 9, and 12 months. I hope that eventually, she'll fit into S' stuff, but they're so far off season that I'm not sure how it'll all work out. I guess spring and fall are pretty interchangeable as far as weather goes. I'll have to investigate the attic. S got some princess makeup (don't worry- it's for liiitttle girls), shoes, and a big sister/little sister doll set. SO CUTE! My little girls are so blessed to be so loved and I'm blessed to be loved and taken care of. 

She Matched Her Hair to Her Sweater

I dyed my hair. From a box. Christina is going to kill me.

And of course, because I used neutral beige instead of ash, it turned reddish. My hair *always* turns red if I don't use ash blonde. Also, my hair *always* turns red when I do illegal things like dye it from a box. I'm a firm believer in hair color, but I also know that blondes should never use box dye because... well, just because. I also should have thought my outfit through a bit more before hopping to church on Sunday. Perhaps my first day in public with my newly strawberry blonded locks should have included clothing that wasn't the same shade as my hair color. Oops!

 top: Motherhood, tank: Kohl's, pants: Motherhood, sweater: Agar, shoes: Ross, necklace: Gift from Husband

Here's hoping that my bright, bright hair will calm with a few washes.

And heck, if it doesn't, here's to not pulling out the mustard hues again for a while!

Don't forget to enter for your chance to win these beautiful pearl earrings from Scarlet Samples!

Baby Bean Update: 23 Weeks

Bean got moving and shaking this week like she never has before. I can finally feel AND see her jabs from the outside. It's pretty magical and I feel like I'm really starting to form a strong bond with her. Also, I completely blame her for my desire to eat. And eat, and eat, and eat. 

So much for that slooooow and steady weight gain.

shirt: Oh Baby

cardigan: Eddie Bauer

jeans: Old Navy

heels: Ross (gifted from Rochelle)

scarf: c/o Happy Scarf

I've been wanting to try this light/dark purple combination for a while, but to be honest, I couldn't find my sweater. Yesterday, I realized that my husband hung it over the rocker in the baby's room to dry. Poor thing- he's so scared to shrink anything else! I really like the outcome, but more than anything, the scarf added the desperately needed something to the outfit. And had I not had the scarf, I probably wouldn't have been able to justify heels... which would have been a problem, considering I hemmed these pants too long and am too lazy to fix them.

This week, I've still experienced the crucial low back/lumbar pain. It was so acute on Monday evening (after scrubbing the kitchen and dining room floors on my hands and knees - no, I don't own a mop or a working swiffer wet) that I literally fell to my knees on the way to the bathroom and crawled. It was awesome. And I'm having sciatica attacks in the middle of the night where I'm forced to switch sides at least every hour to relieve the numbness and tingling down which ever leg I'm lying on. All of these things happened to me during my pregnancy with S, but not until about 30 weeks. The only other "negative" symptom I've had is recurring migraines. But I blame the weather because the dang barometric pressure can't stay put for two weeks in a row. Yes, I'm one of those.

Otherwise, I'm healthy, feeling well, and as tight and stretched as my tummy skin feels, I'm so happy to see that baby is growing and to feel her constantly moving and shaking in there. I told Husband, though... I hope when she has less space, she calms down quite a bit. If not, I'll have two dislocated lower ribs just like I had with S. Oh, being short and pregnant...

Baby Bean Update: 20 Weeks

Halfway! Halfway! Halfway!

But really more than halfway since Bean is coming a week early!

YAY!

dress: Old Navy Maternity

cardi: Old Navy

shoes: Sbicca from Ross

This week:

- Heartburn started

- I drank some caffeine (oopsie)

- Got tons of maternity clothes because NOTHING fits

- Highlights made me feel more like myself

- Bean is moving 24/7

- Dogs got groomed so my house smells normal (not like dogs!)

- I'm getting HUGE

- Finished buying Bean's cloth diapers

- I AM HUNGRY

- Still have eczema on my scalp

- Under eye circles are insane because I cannot SLEEP

17 Weeks with Bean & a Tag!

Hi, friends! I didn't get to do a Bean update yesterday because we tore our house up! I had no idea that in the process of redoing Little S' bedroom, we would literally have to take everything in our house apart. The crib was in our bedroom, the changing table was in what will be the nursery, the dresser was still in the middle of S' room, our bedroom entertainment center become S' new dresser, the shelves in our makeshift pantry become shelving in S' room, the shelving in what will be the baby's closet moved to the pantry, the bookshelf was in the hallway... A SHAMBLES. I cried a lot yesterday. A lot. Anyway, this is going to be a long post because I'm going to do an outfit post, belly shot, baby update, and a blog buddy tag that Maggie of Finding Myself tagged me in last week! Thanks, girl! This was really fun.

And for the record, I tag Bekah, Melissa (welcome back to the blog world!), and Heather!

cami: Rue 21

gingham shirt: Old Navy

I think it's safe to say this shirt won't button in one more week...

cardigan: Agar Fashion, won from a TFD giveaway

jeans: Old Navy

shoes: Ross

necklace: Barberry & Lace

sunglasses: Talbots 

(but I found them on the floor of an empty auditorium)

I feel like my belly looks smaller than last week. Weird. Over the last week, I endured an insane sinus infection that I'm still trying to get over. It seriously kicked my butt. The only pregnancy discomforts I've experienced recently are lower back pain, a bit of round ligament pain, and unfortunately, brushing my teeth makes me throw up. I'm not gagging myself. It's the smell and taste of toothpaste. I've tried three kinds and think I'll have to go get some of the Crest Whitening Expressions that are flavored differently. I think they have herbal, tropical, cinnamon, and vanilla. The mint stuff is NOT working with me. And let me tell you how inconvenient it is to throw up after you brush your teeth. It's LAME. Because then, you have to brush them again and the whole game starts over.

Bean moves a lot at night when I wind down and it's the coolest feeling. Still just little flutters and swimming movements, but I know it's the baby and it's really special. Sometimes I just can't wait to get in bed so I can enjoy the few minutes I get to feel him/her before I drift off. I've been drinking a lot of chamomile and peppermint tea to keep myself calm and relaxed. It works SO well. If you're pregnant, try it! And the tea has such a wonderful flavor that you don't need any sugar or sweetener at all. 

OUR ULTRASOUND IS ON TUESDAY (and so is Little S' third birthday!!!)... 

We can't wait.

Blog Buddy Tag

Rules:

1. You must post these rules.

2. Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog.

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.

11 Things About Me:

1. I used to be extremely OCD about cleaning house until I became a mother. Now, I just let it drive me crazy and no longer take anxiety meds because of it.

2. I can't wait to dye my hair this summer. It's getting really dark and it's making me sad!

3. The prospect (err... reality) of becoming a mother of two freaks me out. I hope I'm good at it and I have mini breakdowns twice weekly in fear of failure.

4. I've lived a life I cannot afford for quite some time. Regularly going to church since last summer, meeting new friends, and relishing in my walk with Jesus has taught me what's really important in life. Hint: It' ain't in the clothes, sista.

5. I used to be afraid of what people would think of me if I openly discussed my love for being a Christian. I don't care what people think, anymore. It's awesome.

6. I floss every day.

7. Turquoise is my new favorite color and I'm extremely jealous of my daughter's new bedroom. I wish I could have it.

8. If we have a boy, we have no clothes for him, but a whole bedroom scheme planned out. If we have a girl, we have tons of clothes for her, but no idea how to decorate a bedroom.

9. I try to eat a high fiber, high protein breakfast every morning and drink at least 96 oz. of water a day.

10. I hate exercising. HATE IT WITH A PASSION. But if you can make me think I'm not exercising, I'm game. ie: Taking my daughter for bike rides while I walk the neighborhood makes me really happy!

11. I tell everyone I'm 4'11", but I'm really 4'10ish".

Maggie's Questions:

1. What are you most scared of? 

Losing a parent

2. How do you feel about bugs? 

I scream bloody murder pretty much every time I see a bug that's not an ant or fly.

3. How adventurous are your eating habits?

Not very. I've gotten a lot better since before college, but I'm still not up for trying a whole lot of new things. I'll eat some deer meat, but usually only if I know my uncle shot and prepared it. I don't eat sushi. Ever.

4. Dream Job?

Stay at Home Mom + Personal Stylist (for pregnant women and mothers)

5. Ever used the bathroom that’s designated for the opposite sex?

Absolutely! You've gotta go when you've gotta go!

6. Lady Gaga – gifted or just weird?

Both? Her voice is unmatched, she writes most of her own music, is a killer performer, and is super captivating. I just wish she'd rethink some of her wardrobe choices. :)

7. What is the most inappropriate thing you’ve ever done or said to someone?

I don't think it's appropriate for me to say that here.

But once, I did call someone stupid at Subway for asking the cashier if he could use a coupon that he left in the paper at home.

8. Congratulations! You just won the lottery!  What’cha gonna do with that money?

Pay off ours and our family's debt, buy a huge lot of land, and build a family compound.

9. Favorite dessert?

CHEESECAKE

10. Do you believe in aliens?

I wonder if they believe in us... Really, we're the ones who are going to do the invasion, take over, and use their resources.

11. Best date ever.

They day my boyfriend took me to the beach for a day trip and proposed with an airplane flying a banner across the sound. We went to a fancy dinner and enjoyed our newfound engaged-ness. Still remains the best date... and it was almost 7 years ago!

My Questions:

1. At first sight, is it love or just lust?

2. If you had a week all to yourself, no work, no interruptions, what would you do?

3. Cats or dogs?

4. I prefer grey weather and most don't, but if you had to endure it, would you rather have rain or snow?

5. If you have kids, do you want more? If you don't have kids, do you want any?

6. When decorating, do you find yourself more contemporary or classic?

7. How would you describe your personal style in three words?

8. You're on a road trip and all there is to eat is fast food. Where do you go and what do you get?

9. Which do you hate more: dusting or folding laundry?

10. Guilty pleasure?

11. Have you ever colored your hair?

Don't forget to enter the Darling Sparrow giveaway!

You Look Like You Should Be on National Geographic

Husband and I joked that this dress + Baby Bean make me look like a tribal egg, and therefore I should be featured in one of those National Geographic other-wordly child birthing specials. It's funny when one of your most tried and true, favorite wardrobe pieces becomes the centerpiece for a good laugh.

dress: Ross

tights: c/o We Love Colors

boots: Silhouettes

earrings: Target

I wore this out last Saturday night to my friend's Annual Girls' Night. The dress is sort of awesome, because it's so lightweight that it feels like absolutely nothing. Coincidentally, tights do NOT feel like absolutely nothing, so I felt naked on top and restricted on the bottom. It was interesting, to say the least. I had a great time meeting some new ladies and hanging out with old friends, but I think it's safe to say that being the pregnant chick amongst a group of wine-induced hilarity and jokery (jokes weren't on me, don't worry) is not my forte. I might have to stick to sober nights in (or out) from now on. Lame? Maybe. I just had more trouble opening up than usual. Sadly, I'm becoming the mommy who misses her girl when she's out and longs for bed past 10:30. That's okay, right?

Don't forget to enter the Darling Sparrow apron giveaway! 

Dressed by Rochelle

You know your friend has great taste in clothing when you put together an outfit and realize later in the day that more than one piece was chosen, bought, and gifted by that person. I have Rochelle to thank for the obvious statement piece of this outfit and the necessary black heels (that I did not own until she gave these to me for my birthday last year!). 

I told you all that the weekends are my runway and I really enjoy taking my time to pick out outfits and look nice for church. Blazers are going to be a big part of my "dress up" wardrobe since I can keep them open and still look pretty polished. The unexpected cream hue of this particular blazer is perfect to play up any outfit during all of the seasons! 

top: Old Navy

cami: Rue 21

blazer: Thrifted and gifted by/from Rochelle

pants: Motherhood Maternity

heels: Ross, gifted by/from Rochelle

That last one's just in case you were wondering

1) what the top of my head looks like

and/or

2) what color my roots really are.

Bigger Elf Legs

On Sunday, we went out to lunch with my MIL and our cousins that live across town. Little S. insisted on wearing a dress and tights, so I decided to follow suit. Kid's a genius. I mean, it was only 40 degrees and dresses are much more comfortable than anything else. And this dress is a big stretchy knit thing with no seams that hit anywhere! Perfect for a casual, but comfy Sunday, of course.

dress: Ross, birthday gifted from Rochelle

scarf: Old Navy

tights: c/o We Love Colors

booties: Payless

Looking back, I wish I'd tied my scarf differently/shorter. But you know, hindsight's 20/20. I'm *SO* excited that we're leaving today to go to my uncle's to spend Christmas with family! Can't wait to hug my momma and my nanny (that is flying in from CO tomorrow!).

Poshlocket Giveaway!

When Poshlocket contacted me about reviewing a product and hosting a giveaway, I couldn't have been more excited. Ever since our working relationship began, I've been so impressed with Poshlocket's classic, but unique jewelry choices. When choosing my favorites earlier this month, I highlighted the metal and fabric collection, which I absolutely adore! I was lucky enough to receive the Stacey Three Chain Fabric Bracelet and I'm in love. The thickness makes such a statement and the fabric has splashes of green, lime, royal blue, turquoise, and white, all separated by bold black lines. Sometimes, statement pieces are tough to style more than just a handful of ways, but my Stacey is going to go with virtually everything in my wardrobe! Most of the metal and fabric pieces come with a choice of silver or gold, too, which is super convenient!

*Apologies for night time quality photos- I forgot to take pictures when I wore this to church!

dress: Merona for Target

cardigan: New York & Company

belt: New York & Company

shoes: Ross (gifted by Rochelle)

solitaire: Zales (Christmas gift from Husband)

initial necklace: The Word Jewelry

bracelet: c/o Poshlocket

Because I have gobs of adoration for the fabric and metal pieces, Poshlocket has offered to giveaway one of the items from the same collection! Up for grabs is the Jenny Fabric Weave Cuff, valued at $26! And that's not all! You get a free pair of fabric and metal earrings shown on the site! The Jenny is also offered in gold or silver and the earrings will come in the same metal as your bracelet.

Mandatory entries (only ONE comment needed with all of the following info):

- Follow my blog via GFC! Please let me know in your comment.

- Visit Poshlocket and tell us your favorite item!

- Follow Poshlocket on twitter OR "like" Poshlocket on Facebook.

Extra entries (one comment per):

- Follow Poshlocket on twitter OR "like Poshlocket on Facebook (which ever one you didn't do for the mandatory entry).

- Tweet this giveaway, linking back to this post and including @the_littlebit and @poshlocket so we can count it!

- Subscribe to Poshlocket's mailing list and let me know!

Giveaway open until Friday, November 4 at 11:59 pm, ET. Open to US and Canada.


And remember, TODAY is the last day to enter the Scentsy giveaway!

Our Anniversary! Part Two. With Bears.

Husband and I were about ready to walk out the door to go to The Melting Pot when I called my brother and heard a giant "THUMP!" It was Husband's shoes falling out of his hand. All I heard after that was, "KIM! KIMBERLY! Bear. (insert bad word) BEAR!" I ran to the top balcony to find this beautiful creature dismounting from our bear-safe trash container and walking back toward the wooded ravine, looking for something important. I didn't catch the somethings important in photo, but in video...

Please excuse the poor quality of the video below. We realized at a very inopportune time (ahem, bear encounter) that our good camera was in the car. That orange car you see about five feet from the bear. 

BABIES!!! Ah! So, we were very glad not to have paid $6 per person to see the captivated bears during Ober Gatlinburg earlier that day. We got the REAL DEAL. Like how I'm telling the cub to come on out? Like he's listening to me? And like they're worried I'm going to hurt them. Riiiight. 

Anyway, the bears came and went and our dinner reservations closely approached. My hair was only halfway curled when the wilderness chaos ensued, so I had to be quick! I really wanted to try something different since all I've done with my newly short hair is use the flat iron. Definitely pleased with the results! Then I brought out three outfits for Husband to choose from. All he said was, "I don't know. I just really like that skirt." So I told him I planned to wear it with a blazer. His reaction? "Uhh..."

blouse: H&M

blazer: Ross

skirt: c/o Maurices

shoes: Ross, gifted by Rochelle

I want to make a big note of Megan's sweet mascara advice during her 5 Minute Face guest post! She suggested not using mascara on the bottom lashes because it ages and draws attention to under eye circles. Well, I just happen to have really bad under eye circles. Thank you, paternal familia. If you're reading, I know you all hear me loud and clear! During the entire vacation, I took Megan's advice and although I can't rid myself completely of what Mother Nature's already given me, I felt much younger and more bright-eyed without the lower lash mascara! That's something I never thought I'd try because I'm such a mascara fiend! Yay for Megan and for trying new things!

Husband and I ended up having to wait at the trolley stop for quite a while before leaving for dinner, so we had a classy photo shoot.

There's only one more day left to share from our vacation! Well, one day of being in TN and one day of travel, but I'm smashing 'em together. Then we'll be back to regularly scheduled programming! 

I certainly hope you're hard at work on your project for Thursday's Old to New in October link party!

Remember, every time you link up, you're entering to win some awesome prizes!