A Sailor's Life for Me

Yo-ho, yo-ho... I didn't intend on looking remotely nautical, today, and the style of my outfit is far from it. But the stripes and ocean-like flow of my beloved maxi just remind me of standing on the bow of a boat in the wind.

 top (skirt): Made by me, skirt: Old Navy, shoes: Shoe Department, necklace: Made by Whitney

I found this little nook in the trees and it was shady and beautiful... until I set up the camera. And then it was sunny and beautiful and my photos became washed out. Ah, such is life. 

Because of the lighting, you can't really see my hair color, but I dyed it back to my natural-ish hue. The super-blonde was way too much maintenance with how busy I am right now and let's face it, bleach blonde hair with dark roots is just not hot. Hopefully I can get a more true-to-color photo of the hair this week for ya!

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. 

Best Friends and Fountains

I met with two of my best girlfriends last Saturday and there was a huge (12,000 pound!) marble on water that Little S loved to play with! I was terrified that the water was going to turn off and the marble was going to fall on her fingers. Perhaps I'm neurotic... perhaps that's a semi-normal fear? That wasn't really a question. Don't answer that. Anyway, here are a few photos from our day!

dress: Old Navy, headband: Dollar General, sandals: Kohl's

outfit details here

I had a great time with Jen and Whitney and I think S was really, really sad to leave the marble fountain. You can see that she's totally not focusing on getting her picture taken here... and it's because she's staring at the fountain!

Dots on Copy

Well, I couldn't find my camera yesterday, but I read Tara's blog post early in the morning and she'd already decided my outfit for the day! I couldn't go without giving her credit for dressing me with hardly a thought of my own! So, thanks, Tara. And sorry my tribute is via crappy iPhone pictures!

blouse, sweater, jeans: Old Navy, shoes: gift from Whitney

Since you can SORT OF see my hair here and because I never shared the story I promised, here goes (short version): Basically, I hated the color it was when I box dyed it before. So, I decided to go get the same brand dye in a lighter, ashier color and tried to neutralize the red/orange/yellow tones. Hah. I turned out looking MORE like a highlighter. This is my street hooker hair, as I've been calling it. My OB complimented me yesterday and I could barely hold in my life. Barely smirking, I thanked her. Thank goodness, my best good friend is taking some time out of her busy law school life to visit me on Friday and she's going to fix it. The right way. I'm so over boxes.

Polka Dotted

Yesterday, I scrubbed my bathroom until my back hurt so badly that the whole place literally sparkled. After taking a shower, I didn't know what my plans were, but I knew I was going to get out of grungy clothes and my brand new Old Navy (sale!) sweater fit the bill, perfectly. Can't go wrong with some polka dots!

sweater: Old Navy ($10!)

cami: Kohl's

jeans: Old Navy

headband: Target

shoes: via Whitney

lipstick: Jet Setter by Rimmel

I ended up taking Little S. to pick up my friend, Melanie. We went to AC Moore and did some craft shopping, then by the time we got back to my place to hang out, Husband showed up early from work! I was terrified when I heard the door open because he was about an hour early. Needless to say, my evening was cut short, but it was much needed because I was exhausted! I'm looking forward to seeing my friend again, soon! And I can't wait to style this sweater, again. It's so cute!

Get the Green

Yesterday was singlehandedly one of the busiest days I've had in months. Little S. and I left the houseat 11 in the morning and didn't come home 'til after 4:30 in the afternoon. We got shoes for my BIL and future SIL's wedding this weekend (I'm a bridesmaid), ruffly socks for Little S. (she's the flower girl), dresses for us to wear to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, had lunch (at Target, because we roll like that), dropped some items off at the post office (I feel like I live there), went to my dentist to get a release and send stuff to a *new* dentist... I feel like there were more errands, but I'm scatterbrained and don't remember anything past those. 

I took the erranding opportunity to get dressed for real, which I haven't done almost the entire time I've been off work this month! I was glad to find that my skinny jeans fit me, again! And I haven't had the chance to wear this shirt since I bought it last year. I purchased it online from New York & Company and when it arrived, it was the ugliest shade of mint green and made me look completely sick. My skin got all yellow and it was really not becoming, so I pushed it to the back of my closet. When I pulled it out in April, it didn't zip on the side, so I slapped it in the yard sale pile. Ugly color + too small? Forget about it. Well, I decided to give it a new life with some RIT dye and overdyed it to a darker green. Then I kept it in my "we'll see if I can wear these clothes in a few months" pile. Voila. 

I'm still not sold on the color, though. What do you think?

blouse: New York & Company

jeans: Charlotte Russe

flats: Gap (handed down from Whitney)

Wow. My boobs look really good in this top.

Did I just say that?

NEEEXT!

I won these beautiful earrings by Cat Moore Design from a celebratory giveaway on Fatale Fashion! I love them so much and can't wait to wear them all.the.time! Thank you to Cat and Ariana! These babies are so lightweight, I don't even know I'm wearing them!

Here's to a busy rest of the week! We're heading to VA tonight, getting new tires on the car in the morning (not by choice, but out of necessity... ughhhh), driving from Husband's parents' place to mine, staying the night there, then traveling to the DC area on Thursday to start celebrating wedding festivities! Hopefully I'll have some posts pre-written, but rest assured there will be LOTS of pictures upon our return! Husband is the best man, I'm a bridesmaid, and Little S. is the flower girl. We'll be dressed to impress all weekend long! Then it's back to work on Monday! 

Paper Doll Project #2

Suze of Miss Vinyl Ahoy coordinated another Paper Doll Project this month! I had so much fun doing it in April that I decided to play, again. Amidst the madness of trying to tie up loose ends at my current (old, after today) job and traveling to the beach for Mother's Day weekend, Daphne of Fashion Confessions of a Mommy and I finally got our stuff together between last night and this morning! It just goes to show that mommas are busy ladies (ahem, and that we can endure)! Last night, I sent a photo of my dress to Daphne. I got it at Charlotte Russe, on the clearance rack, a month or so ago and have had trouble styling it ever since. The colors are so wintery to me. Daphne suggested adding bright, springy pops of color with my teal accessories. She hardly knows me, yet knows me so well! Here's what we came up with! Thank you for dressing me, Daphne!

dress: Charlotte Russe

belt: Old Navy

heels: Predictions, handed down from Whitney

necklace: The Body Shop

And, you know, since my self-photography skills are so amazing, I had to take a shot of my shoes for you... or else you might have missed them. No idea why, though...

What do you all think? Personally, I think the teal moved this baby right from drab winter grey to a fab spring piece that can be reworked with lots of different accessories! Thanks for opening my eyes, Daphne!

Don't forget to head over to the Paper Doll Project at Miss Vinyl Ahoy to check out what other participants did! And when the call comes out for next month, you should play along, too! It's fun to have a stylist for a day!

*****

Speaking of... Have you had your chance to be MY stylist, yet?

Choose my wardrobe for my new job in the Nanny Style Contest!

If you've been meaning to submit an entry, go, now! Tomorrow's your last day! ALL of your help is so appreciated and one lucky winner will get a $25 gift card!

 

How Much is Too Much?

If you know me, you know the answer to the title question is that when it comes to color, I don't really think there is a "too much" zone. Okay, I guess I don't want to look like the product of rainbow vomit, but really, I like to mix it up. Kind of a lot. So, I featured these tights last week, on We Love Colors Wednesday, and then, I did a Ways to Wear Guest Post for Rochelle on Friday. This was one of the outfits I posted and I got quite a few compliments on it, via email. I decided to go ahead and give it a go. What do you all think? Too much for the work place? Remember that I don't have a strict dress code. And remember people have come to expect even more quirk from me than this little ol' outfit.

Really, when it comes to color, how much do you think is too much?

fuchsia blouse: Walmart, thrifted, from Rochelle!

grey dress shorts: New York & Company (tags still in.. can't decide)

scout green tights: c/o We Love Colors

shoes: Nine West, handed down from Whitney

necklace: The Body Shop

belt: New York & Company

p.s.- What do you think about the bangs to the side?

p.p.s.- Husband, I love you for making my legs look thin and my whole self look much, much taller than 4'11". Note to readers: These photos are total eye tricks. I have cottage cheese thighs. Even in tights.

Husband + Camera = visual miracles.

I hope everyone had a really nice Easter (and if you don't celebrate, I hope you had a great weekend)! We really enjoyed the time off of work and away from North Carolina. Friday, Husband worked on the car all day and Little S. and I rode around, looking at the tornado damage. It was devastating, but kind of awesome to see how neighbors were all rallying together to clean up the debris and make repairs. I cried. A lot. And then I prayed, thanking God that Husband's parents (a mere mile from where the tornado took down trees, houses and power lines) were safe and unscathed. Saturday, we took Little S. to the in-laws' church for an egg hunt. Because we weren't members, the munchkin didn't seem to get the same treatment as the rest of the kiddos. For instance, parents weren't allowed in the egg patch, so the church volunteers were leading the 1-4 year olds around to find eggs. No one knew S, so she was left in the dust. I hopped in to point some things out to her and was promptly yelled at. Don't worry, though. She found 14 goodies AND won a prize basket. Take that. Easter Sunday was the most fun. We woke up to amazing baskets from the Easter Bunny. Little S. got a beautiful wooden doll cradle, crafted by the Amish. She also got coloring books, reading books, the movie "Tangled," some adorable Spring outfits, and way too much candy. Husband and I shared a basket, mostly comprised of goodies from Harry & David (sesame garlic tortilla chips, pineapple salsa, moose munch, and Cold Stone flavored Jelly Bellies)! We each got a gift card, as well. Mine is to Kohl's, so I'm hoping to snag one of Lauren Conrad's new floral dresses before I make a surprise visit this weekend. After getting ready on Sunday, we headed to the Virginia zoo, where S was amazed by every single animal. She also only had ONE (count that, again) wet diaper ALL DAY. I was so proud. 

I was a good Momma and put sunscreen on Little S' sweet skin 4 times while at the zoo. I only put it on myself once. 

Sun: 1

Kimberly: 0

It's on.

Only two more days to enter the

Doe Run Jewelry Giveaway!

Guys, you get a CHOICE of which item you want to win.

Hello... DON'T miss out! Get your tushie over there, now!

*****

And don't forget to go enter the Biggest Giveaway EVER with Jackie Ranson Photography!

Today's the last day!

*****

One more! You have just 'til the end of this week to enter Heather's 100 Follower Giveaway over at Blonde... Undercover Blonde! DO IT!

We Love Colors Wednesday: Neon Green

Happy Wednesday! I think it's going to be my new favorite day of the week because I get to be extra colorful! Not that my outfits lack shock factor, by any means. I wish I could have video taped all of the stares I got while wearing my disco ball, yesterday. If people asked me why I was so dressed up, I had a great jumping off point to discuss SBS Awareness, so it was the perfect subject line for my conversation. I knew it was risky to wear what most people would deem cocktail party/club wear to work, but it certainly served my purpose and I'm glad I did it.

Please don't forget to wear your royal blue this month and submit a photo to 

stateofmyheart {at} gmail {dot} com

Each of our little voices can turn into one ginormous one! 

Now, let me stupefy you with my highlighter legs!

dress: APT 9, Kohl's

cardi: New York & Company (OLD- not that you can't tell from its slight greyness)

neon green tights: c/o We Love Colors

flats: Guess, handed down from Whitney

belt: Old Navy

necklace: Body Shop

Can I be honest with you? {yes} Okay, great.

These tights came in the mail and I was scared out of my color-loving mind. Ask Husband! I pulled them out of the package and said, "How in THE hell am I going to style these?" I stood with them in my hands, perplexed for many moons (a half hour), in front of my closet. And you know what? I made FOUR outfits. 4 of them. four. Take that, uber challenging neon green tights!

Bwahahahaha. We shall meet again.

and...

I'll be back.

{Neon green tights are now shaking in their boots... or blue Guess flats.}

I got a comment from Ashley and four emails about how I got my blogger bun to be so ginorm, yesterday. Two of the five askers thought I had stick straight hair. So, I've got to tell you that I'm a liar. I'm sorry I lied! But when my hair is straight, like in today's post, my handy-dandy In-Styler or Chi. For my blogger bun, I turned my rat's nest of waves upside-down and teased the crap out of it! That's why it was a bouncy puff ball!

The Front Yard of Opportunity

... or just my front yard. 

It's whatever, really.

But it's not whatever at all, actually. A ton of this blog has disappeared into cyberspace and/or my own personal external hard drive. I hate that cyber bully more than anyone can possibly understand. But what the hacker has done for me is allow me to take a good, long look at my life and priorities and I've been able to grab a little perspective on everything. I'm thankful that during the few days that I literally couldn't work on the blog, I was able to realize that I spend a lot more time writing in the evenings than I do sleeping... or doing laundry... or making lists of chores and meals (things I actually enjoy and need to be doing). I've sort of lost grip regarding the unmeasurables in life to a world that has become measurable by "how many, how much, how far, how long?"

This blog began as a motivational tool for me to get dressed in something other than sweatpants, after I gave birth to my daughter. It helped me cope with a lot of anxiety and "extra time" that I all of a sudden had after nursing and pumping for a zillion hours a day. And now? Now, this blog is still a creative outlet. It still motivates me to get dressed and document my life in a way I'd never have imagined. This blog is the nurturer of SO many relationships of which I'm extremely appreciative.

So, basically, thank you for helping me grow. Thank you for helping me through that craptastic hacking event from last week. Thank you for STILL being here.

And now, I'm going to thank you for continuing to be here while I try to re-find my niche as a personal style blogger, with a little more life perspective, and a little bit of a new outlook on what this place is gonna be like.

charcoal silk top: Banana Republic (so sweetly Christmas gifted by ML)

leopard cardi: APT. 9 via Kohl's

charcoal and light grey striped slacks: Old Navy

pewter buckle flats: from Whitney

necklace: Zales, Christmas gifted by Husband (2007)

earrings: Charlotte Russe

I know someone who needs to get that halo taken care of.

Holy roots.

OMG.

And two orders of business:

1. Please check out the sexiest blog giveaway, EVER, over at Lulapalooza!

Then pray that I win, 'cause ya'll know your girl needs a pick-me-up when Hubs starts working day shift, hopefully next week!a

2. My dear friend, Rochelle, is moving to Japan in a few weeks. She's going to be literally living out of a suitcase for the next month and she's having us VOTE on what pieces she should include in that suitcase!

Check out the choices and give a little insight, here!

3. Go 'head and drool over the lemon bars that Collette posted.

I'm going to the store for ingredients.

Like... now.

Shine and the Sand

Back to your regularly scheduled programming!

If you didn't read yesterday's post, please check it out and keep your content safe!

On a happy note, the weather's been fantastic all week long! If you know me well enough, you know that this is the kind of weather I can dig. I don't mind being freezing cold, but it's not preferred. And severe heat and humidity? Gag me with a spoon. This skin and hair weren't made to deal with such conditions. But give me mid 70s, sunny, and medium humidity, and I'm a happy girl.

This particular outfit was completely inspired by Collette's Weekend Jean Lover post. Granted, this outfit wasn't worn on a weekend, I still loved the idea of cuffed jeans and a cute sweatshirt, spruced up with some classic warm-weather heels. 

When: Wednesday, March 23

sequined sweatshirt: New York & Company

collared tank: Motherhood

jeans: Old Navy (I cuffed them)

- I haven't fit into these jeans in over a year! -

wedges: Lower East Side (swiped from Mom)

necklace: Handmade by Whitney

scarf as headband: Spotted and gotted from Rochelle's closet!

Love it when Husband takes photos from this angle. He makes me look tall and skinny.

Yes, please!

The sand by my office parking lot looked so inviting. I almost wanted to take my shoes off and squish my toes in it! But, we're nowhere near the beach, this is a college campus (so the chances of broken bottles or pee remnants are high), and I actually liked these shoes way too much to take off!

Hope ya'll are having a fun weekend!

I'm home in VA with my family, playing Cranium, Apples to Apples, and cooking lots of yummy (and healthy) food!

FBFF: It Takes Time

 Good morning, Sunshines!
Today's FBFF post is about finding a balance between blogging and... well, the rest of life. This is something we all struggle with, because blogging, for most of us, is our passion and our creative outlet. Katy posed some questions that I honestly think about, daily. I was glad to answer and also wonder what everyone else will say! I have a feeling most of us are in the same boat. 
 For more information about FBFF and to see this week's participants and their answers, check out Katy's blog, Modly Chic. 

I also want to shout from the rooftops, a big, resounding "THANK YOU," to my friends at The Clothes Hound, for featuring me as one of their "Real Women, Real Fashion... bloggers" today!
What an honor! 

  yellow tank: Filene's Basement (don't know the brand)

green cardigan: Old Navy

black slacks: Old Navy

herringbone peep-toe heels: Predictions, via Whitney

belt: J.Crew, via Whitney

drop earrings: House of Harlow, giveaway prize from Walk of Fashion!

{one}

When it comes to prioritizing your life, in what place does blogging fall? 

  Blogging probably comes higher on the list of my priorities than it should, honestly. I spend a lot of time and energy thinking about posts, doing photos, editing, posting, and trying my very best to stay in contact with my readers, as well as with the writers of blogs that I follow. Being a mom, a wife, working full time, and blogging are my top four most important things. The first two are in order. The second two might not be... That's up for you to decide.

{two}

We all wish we had more free time to dedicate to blogging and all it entails. What are your tricks for taking advantage of the time you do have to be as productive as possible? 

 Well, my husband works nights, so after I put my daughter to bed and while he's at work, I choose my outfits and organize my closet in such a way that I can grab an entire outfit in the morning. My husband takes my photos on the way to work and if he's not off that morning, I take them before I leave the house. I (usually) post to my blog first thing in the morning, when I get to work. Shh (and for all of you who work with me- it's not like you didn't know! ;) ) ... Staying in touch with everyone is the most difficult and time consuming part of blogging, but it's also the most rewarding. And that, my friends, is why everyone needs a smart phone. My iPhone keeps me in touch via facebook, twitter, and email, at all times!

{three}

Have you discovered any short-cuts that makes blogging easier or more time efficient? 

Is there really a valid short-cut to doing something and doing it well?

{four}

Do you have an editorial calendar or something similar that helps you plan ahead? 

I don't, but it's something I've been considering. I've been coming up with a lot of on-a-whim post ideas, but I lose them before writing them down, because I usually come up with things while I'm working. If I could jot everything down on a notepad and make a calendar, I think my blog would be a lot more organized. That being said, I also really like the feel of my blog and how my writing is conversational and about what's going on, literally, right now.... or last night... or this morning. You know what I mean? I think that's what's relatable about me, so I don't want to compromise that with a bunch of tutorials or editorial pieces that aren't necessarily my style. Does that even make any sense?

I do have some how-to pieces that I'm working on, though! And don't worry- they're very me! 

{five}

If time wasn’t an issue what you would be doing on your blog/for your blog that you aren’t doing now?

Absolutely! I would be networking a heck of a lot more! I would make the time to really (and I mean REALLY) learn Photoshop. I would scout out more photo locations, learn better tripod techniques, study poses, do my makeup and hair more often (but hey, that also wouldn't really be "me," would it?). I would probably live on Twitter (or do I, already?). I would try to do more question/answers on the blog, which is something I'm trying to put together right now. So, in short, yes. Yes, I would do a lot more!

In other, very exciting, news... 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEST FRIEND!
I love you!
27's not so bad, as far as I can tell... :)