So this is happening....

Maybe you've noticed my posts lately - for the last couple of months in fact - have lacked their usual stories and fun anecdotes.  You see, I've been keeping this really big secret that I haven't really been able to blog about until now....

There's not much to see there around my belly yet - but there is a baby in me.  Yes folks, this chick is pregnant.  If you are FB friends with me or follow me on Twitter/Instagram you probably already discovered this news.  We're finally to the magic 12 week mark, so it's just time to put it out there.  The Pants Monkey and I were quite surprised to discover that we were expecting in early April.  It's been an interesting ride since then.  I'm VERY fortunate to be feeling reasonably good - save for a headcold that hit just this week, the worst of my symptoms have been tiredness and extreme hunger.  No sickness, thank the Lord.

 Shirt - F21, thrifted

Jeans - Old Navy

Shoes - Merona, Target

Necklace - Bead for Life

Bracelet - S&D

Arm cuff - thanks to a routine blood draw

So, we are due December 13th.  I do not intend to make this a pregnancy blog or even a parenting blog too much - nothing against mommy bloggers, I have another friends/family type blog where that stuff will likely go.  Instead you'll get to see me attempt to stay fashionable as I grow and adjust to life as a mom.  I'll never stop loving clothes, shopping, thrifting and remixing my wardrobe - so this just adds one more challenge for me to attempt!  There are many stylish mamas out there in blog land whom I look up to and admire and many of them will be my muses in this little adventure.

That's my story!  It's nice to finally let the cat out of the bag so to speak!  Hope you all have a great weekend!

Super score

No Target link up today.  This post is of an outfit I wore last week actually and I'm scheduling it ahead because as we speak I'm probably meeting the plant service we use at some of our facilities for a project at one of our clinics.  Sometimes my job is exciting!

So this shirt was the score of my thrifting career so far I think.  Seven For All Mankind - with tags still on - $14 at the Goodwill.  I actually bought it last Fall - wore it once to a wedding and then didn't wear it again until now.  It has cut outs in the sleeves that actually make it not the warmest shirt in the world, but it worked for a reasonably mild spring day last week.

Shirt - Seven For All Mankind, thrifted

Pants - Maurices (old)

Shoes - Steve Madden, thrifted

Bracelet - S&D

Necklace - gift from a friend 

What is one of the best items you've ever thrifted?  In addition to this shirt, I'd have to say it would be my Anthropologie pants and my patchwork Coach purse.  Sometimes it's worth digging a bit, you never know what you'll find!

A little grumbly

Well the sun tried to come out this morning.  It's sort of cloudy, sort of hazy.  And there will be storms later.  I'm not super happy with how my pictures turned out today and I really need a haircut.  Ok, grumbling over!

Seriously though, it's really quite nice that it's already Wednesday because I feel like I could already use the weekend!  At least it was warm enough for this outfit today.  When Lynne sent me this shirt for Christmas she told me she pictured it with my pink pencil skirt - so here it finally is.  The colors really do work well together!

 Shirt - from Lynne

Skirt - two birds vintage via b. (resale)

Necklace - Maurices

Bracelet - Target

Sandals - Issac Mizrahi, thrifted

It's accessory day for the We Love Target challenge so I pulled out my one lone Target bracelet.  I swore I had more Target accessories than this.  I have quite a few Target scarves, but it was just a hair too warm for that today.  I'm sure the other participants have something way more exciting than my tiny little bracelet - head over to Along the Lines of Style and see for yourself!

Bottom's Up

I'm continuing my participation in the "We Love Target" challenge with Heidi and Whitney today.  The item of the day is "bottoms".  I chose these black capris by Mossimo, I have had them a million years now, but I still  love them.  They're classic, crisp and very appropriate for the office.  They've held up amazingly well over the years which just shows not everything that comes from Target is going to fall apart on you after use and abuse!

So there's this bright round thing in the sky.  It warms the air and makes things lighter.  It answers to the name "Sun" and it's been missing from Minnesota for days now.  If anyone finds it, can you please send it back to us?  Seriously.  It hasn't even rained that much over the last few days, but it's been soooo cloudy and depressing!  We did get a little gentle rain yesterday which was good for the grass seed the Pants Monkey put down this weekend, but still.  I miss the sun!!!

Shirt - Clothes Mentor

Capris - Mossimo, Target

Shoes - Anne Klein, from cousin

Necklace - Stella and Dot

Earrings - Lia Sophia

Bracelet - Charming Charlie 

I did some jewelry close ups here because I actually remembered to today.  This necklace was a steal.  My Stella and Dot consultant was having an open house and was clearing out some of her own inventory and well, this one may have come home with me for next to nothing because I was spending money on some other stuff.  And by next to nothing I may mean nothing.  My S&D gal is the best!

Again, we're linking up with Whitney at Along the Lines of Style today, so feel free to head over there and add your own favorite Target "bottom" or see what other bloggers love!

Inspiration Monday - Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day! Let us not forget what this day is about - thinking of all those who have served for our country, especially the fallen.

Today's Inspiration Monday with two birds features Julianne Hough in a rather patriotic ensemble.  I only wish it was nice enough outside for an outfit like this!

Instead I'm choosing to be just a little more bundled up.  It's still not terribly warm here and there is no sun.  Sad panda.  Oh well.  I did the best I could and I'm comfy if nothing else, which will be nice for the picnic we're heading to in a little while with the Pants Monkey's family.

Shirt - White House Black Market (from cousin)

Sweater - Mossimo, Target

Jeans, sandals and necklace - Clothes Mentor

It's been a great long weekend, while it has been cool and damp, Mr. Monkey and I did get some good yardwork done.  We also celebrated our wedding anniversary yesterday with dinner out - our anniversary is actually today, but because of the picnic we celebrated a little early.  It'll be tough to head back to work tomorrow.  I still believe all weekends should be three days long!!

In addition to linking up with two birds today, I'm also linking up with Heidi from Literate and Stylish and Whitney from Along the Lines of Style for their "We Love Target" week.  Today's item was "tops".  Be sure to check out the other participants in all of these lovely link ups!

And I wanted to thank Ada from Elegance and Mommyhood for including me in her Week's Best Looks post - she used my peach shirt/mint jeans outfit from last week and I have to say, that was a favorite of mine too!  Head to her post here to see the other blogs she included, many stylish ladies out there!

Hope you are all having a lovely day!

Ruffles and bows

Well, my color streak had to end eventually!  Today's outfit is a lot more neutral - but I don't think it's any less fun.  It's the Friday before a holiday weekend, so why wouldn't I wear fun things like bows and ruffles?  I also love these capri tights.  Capri tights and leggings are suddenly my new favorite thing and I don't care if it gives my look an 80's vibe - they're comfortable and give me a little extra warmth!

Yes it is the "kick off to summer" here with Memorial Day weekend - but it still feels anything but summer like outside.  Save for that one 90+ degree day we had a week ago, it's been chilly and damp.  At least the sun is out today! I get the feeling it's going to be a long dead day at work.  No one hangs around long on the Friday before a long weekend.  My boss is heading out of town though so I get to hold down the fort today.

T-shirt - H&M (from Cambria)

Skirt - For Joseph, thrifted

Capri tights - Target

Bracelet - Charming Charlie

Necklace - gift from friend

Shoes - Target

Bag - Jenna Lou Designs 

I hope everyone has a great weekend, but to all those who get a long weekend like me, please be safe, but have fun!

Rainbow Brite

So last week I dressed like an adult version of Strawberry Shortcake and this week I bring you an outfit that is like an adult version of Rainbow Brite.  Sort of.  Lots of colors in this look.  I wore this on my day off last Friday actually.  On all these gray days I just find myself gravitating towards nice bright colors to try and cheer things up!

This sweater kept me pretty warm, but later in the day I gave in and put a warmer shirt on!  It never really warmed up that day very much!  And I wasn't doing much of anything besides watching movies and reading books anyway!  I suppose I could have just stayed in my pajamas all day!

 Sweater - Old Navy

Tunic - Xhilaration, Target, from Cambria

Capri leggings - Simply Vera, Kohls

Sandals - Target

Necklace - S&D

I can't wait to recreate this look on hopefully a warmer and sunnier day!  Especially with how comfy these capris are!  Highly recommend!

And once again, for anyone who wasn't an 80's kid like me, I'll provide a frame of reference on Rainbow Brite here.  As far as I know she hasn't been modernized like Strawberry Shortcake quite yet, but then again, I could be blissfully ignorant!

Weather yo-yo

Well we have been on quite the weather yo-yo lately.  From 90 last week to chilly 50's today with drizzle.  That's spring in Minnesota for you I guess!  Today was one of those days that you just didn't want to get out of bed.  It just felt too good, it was cool in the room, the blankets were warm and it was dark.  Why can't it be like that when I have a day off and can really sleep in?  

 Sweater - Mossimo, Target

Shirt - Michael Kors, from Lynne

Pants - No Boundaries, thrifted

Necklace - thrifted

Shoes - Kohls

So this outfit really looks better without the sweater, so I took a picture of that as well, but it's so darn cold that I need the sweater!  We can just pretend I look more like this second photo today.  It will be our little secret!

We are getting closer to our holiday weekend here in the US and I'm looking forward to a three day weekend.  The weather sounds like it might actually be getting nicer for the weekend too, so that would be really quite nice!  We're celebrating our wedding anniversary and we have a family picnic so you know, no rain would be a good thing!

Crayons

What does one do on another gray, rainy day?  Wear happy bright colors!  This is a color inspiration I saw on Pinterest, but honestly, it's a color combination I've loved for years.  I've always loved to color in coloring books, it's something my mom and I would do together on vacations (and I still do, it's sooo relaxing!).  There was nothing better than a brand new box of Crayola 64 Crayons.  And my favorite two colors I'd always pull out and put together were called "Melon" and "Sea Green" - not unlike my peach and mint here!

 T-shirt - Mudd, Kohls

Jeans - JCPenney

Necklace - Charming Charlie

Sandals - Marshalls

I currently own a box of Crayola Crayons that has I believe 98 colors in it or something like that.  It's awesome and yes I'm 31, I don't care, I love my crayons!  And now they have weird color options like "Macaroni and Cheese".

And now because I'm being a nostalgic dork, I'll leave you with this old clip from Sesame Street about how crayons are made that I was fascinated with as a child.  Apparently there was an episode of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood that showed how crayons were made too, but this is what I remember!

 

Inspiration Monday - Waterlogged

Whew.  What a wet weekend.  I had taken Thursday and Friday off of work because I was running ahead on time off again and because the Pants Monkey and I had originally considered having a garage sale this last weekend.  I am so glad we didn't.  More on that in a minute.

First up, it's Inspiration Monday with two birds and today we have Gwen Stefani in a chic looking outfit with a denim vest and awesome yellow shoes.

I don't have awesome yellow shoes, but I do have a fun denim vest, so I did my best on this interpretation!  And as you can see, it's very wet in my yard.  Starting Thursday night it started raining and pretty much continued off and on throughout the whole weekend.  Pouring at times.  I am so thankful we weren't ready for our sale yet!  We're hoping to try again in June or July, so here's hoping by then we have sunnier weather!

Vest - vintage Lee, Mighty Swell

Shirt - Maurices

Skirt - Cliche Minneapolis

Shoes - Anne Klein, from cousin

Jewelry - Stella and Dot 

There were a few sunny breaks in the weekend too but they seemed few and far between.  I guess there was enough of them though that the Pants Monkey was able to fill a couple of more yard bags of leaves and we finally had someone look at our downed tree limb in our backyard, so at least it wasn't a total washout!  We grilled dinner on Saturday night too.  But for the most part it was just so wet all weekend!

Anyway, enough about my weather woes.  For more Inspiration Monday outfits head over to two birds over here.

What I Wore to Russian Easter

So I am sharing an outfit that is almost two weeks old already.  Because I can. And because I *cough* might not actually be working today due to needing to waste more time off *cough*.  Anyway, a couple of Sundays ago was Russian Orthodox Easter.  The Pants Monkey's late grandfather was Russian Orthodox, so we decided to keep celebrating in his honor.  Of course, this was the weekend the Pants Monkey was sadly out of town, so I went and represented the both of us (and evilly texted him pictures of the lovely Russian and Polish goodies he was missing out on). 

It was a little chilly that day because that has been the name of the game this spring until this week.  I found this sweater on clearance at Target and decided I needed it.  I adore this color.  I received many compliments that day as well.  And it was nice and roomy for all the food I ended up eating!

Sweater and t-shirt - Mossimo, Target

Jeans - Old Navy

Shoes - Dr. Scholl's, DSW

Bag - Lillians Shoppes

Necklace - swap w/CC

I also decided to get a close up of my awesome new flats so you can see their brilliance.  EVERY color I own is in these shoes.  Perfect shoes ever?  I think so!

And in case you are wondering, I was a good wife and brought home some leftovers for my poor Pants Monkey.  He was very appreciative!

Does your family celebrate a holiday that isn't the norm?

Grown up Strawberry Shortcake

I feel like a grown up version of Strawberry Shortcake in my outfit today.  Something about the colors and the pattern on my sweater or something!  Just give me a hat and some green striped tights. 

Anyway, this skirt is another lovely goodie that the sweet Cambria gave me a couple of months ago.  Hasn't been the right weather to wear it until now.  It won't be 90+ again today but it will still be warm and nice out.

Sweater - Camy Couture

Tank top - Old Navy

Skirt - from Cambria

Necklace - Clothes Mentor 

Shoes - Italian Shoe Maker, from cousin

For lack of much other exciting things today, I'll leave you with two images of Strawberry Shortcake if you didn't know what I was talking about.  The one on the left is the Strawberry Shortcake of MY youth.  The one on the right is the modern version....eh.

Love is love

After how cold it has been this spring, you will not hear me complain for one second that it's suddenly shooting up to 90 F today!  It's only supposed to last through today and it won't be humid, so I can actually take it.  It sounds kind of nice in fact!  Bring it.  

A warm day is a perfect excuse to wear the second item I picked up at the Tandem Vintage sale, this adorable dress.  And hey, it's purple, so I can wear it to show pride in honor of Minnesota becoming the 12th state to legalize gay marriage!  Yesterday was such an exciting day.  I have so many friends who will now be able to marry whomever they choose, if they so choose and to me that is a beautiful thing.  Love is love.

Dress - Tandem Vintage

Sweater - F21

Necklace and bracelet - Camy Couture via giveaway

Sandals - Impo, from cousin 

I tried the sweater buttoned too, but in the end like the flowy-ness of having it open.  I figured I'd still show both pictures though!  Now if I could only be out enjoying this instant summer instead of stuck at work all day.  Oh well, a girl can dream.

Inspiration Monday - Mother of all weekends

Hello peeps!  Did you all have nice weekends?  Did you do nice things for your moms?  My mom loved her iPad, I think she's going to do well with it!

Speaking of moms, two of my favorite moms, the lovely two birds chose this photo of my favorite actress Emmy Rossum for this week's Inspiration Monday.  How adorable are these sneakers?

My take is a bit of a "if you blink" kind of inspiration, but I did what I could!  I always love an excuse to wear this denim jacket and I had to wear this fun skirt I picked up at the Tandem Vintage sale this weekend.

 Jacket and t-shirt - White House Black Market, thrifted and handed down from cousin

Skirt - Tandem Vintage

Necklace - Charming Charlie

Shoes - DSW

Speaking of the Tandem Vintage sale, it was a blast.  I went again with Miss Lori but it turned into a bit of an adventure.  Some fine folks at the Minnesota Dept of Transportation thought it was a great idea to close both main freeways that get you from Minneapolis to St. Paul.  Traffic was craaaaazzzzzyyyy.  By the time I made it to my friend's craft sale it was late and I hadn't had lunch, so I didn't stay terribly long and I didn't buy anything.  I did ogle some gorgeous bags from Jenna Lou Designs, but they were way out of my price range sadly.  Then in the evening on Saturday, Mr. Monkey and I went to a restaurant south of the cities for dinner and somehow got going on the wrong freeway coming home and ended up taking a detour too - so I got to see a bunch of the Twin Cities metro area on Saturday!  It was still a fun day, but man.  What a whirlwind!

For more Inspiration Monday outfits, head to two birds over here.

Sunshine-y day

Well hello there Friday!  Thank you for returning to me!  And hello sunshine!  It's nice to see you again too!  It is a beautiful morning, a little bit cool out, but still beautiful.  Sunshine just makes everything better, doesn't it?  I think so anyway!

Sweater - Merona, Target

T-shirt - Maurices

Jeans - Gap, thrifted

Necklace - Premier Jewelry

Earrings - gift from the Pants Monkey 

My jeans are a little wrinkly today - whoops.  Oh well.  It's Friday.  That is just going to be my excuse!  I also meant to get a close up of my earrings today - The Pants Monkey brought them back for me from his trip, they are shaped like hops for beer - how cute is that?

Many good guesses on my post yesterday about my mom's gift - those of you who guessed an iSomething from Apple would be right!  We're (with the help of my dad) getting her an iPad.  I hope she likes it.  She is a bit technologically challenged, but I think the iPad is so easy, she can push a button and get her email.  Can we make it anymore simple?  I think not.  I'll be sure to report back on what she thinks of it!

May showers

Off and on since late yesterday we've been having some nice gentle rain showers.  The kind we should have had in April that would be bringing the May flowers.  Instead we're getting May showers and I suppose then we'll have June flowers?  Who knows.  All I know is, it was too wet to take pictures outside this morning, which is too bad, I wanted to show off the colors in this sweater and it's just too hard for you to see it.  It's mint and peach.  And very open weave, so it'll be great for a lightweight pull over this summer.  This is another goodie from my very generous mom when we were trying to spend enough money at the consignment shop for her to use a coupon.  She got herself some nice stuff too, don't worry, she didn't spend it all on me!

 Sweater - Free People, consignment

T-shirt - Maurices, thrifted

Skirt - Old Navy

Shoes - Steve Madden, thrifted

Necklace - Stella and Dot

Speaking of my mom, my dad had a pretty epic idea for a gift for her for Mother's Day.  I'm very excited about it.  I know she doesn't read the blog so I could tell you all what it is, but I think I'll leave some suspense.  I'll give this clue: "an Apple a day keeps the doctor away".  What do you think it is?

Local happenings

Happy Wednesday!  I love when I have a short week.  I think all weeks should be four days, no joke.  Anyway, it seems it really is finally spring! The bush in my yard is finally starting to sprout leaves!  This is the latest I can remember it blooming in the seven years I've lived in my house.  It has been one crazy spring, that is for sure.  

I realized it's been about a month since I've worn my cute Tandem Vintage dress!  It seemed appropriate to pull it out today, they're having another Pop Up Sale this weekend!  They are teaming up with the cutest new donut shop, Glam Doll Donuts - it's 50's themed.  How cute is that?  I have been wanting to check out this donut shop and now you combine it with my favorite vintage group?  Should be an epic time for sure.  If you're local, make sure to stop by, the sale is Saturday and Sunday from 10-5.

Dress - Tandem Vintage

Sweater - Jones New York, from cousin

Necklace/bracelets - S&D

Sandals - Clothes Mentor

Also if you're local, there is a big event over at the Fairgrounds on Saturday too - Craftstravaganza - a very large Indie Craft event that is on it's 8th year.  I have a good friend who will be selling pottery and photography there. Also, if you remember my favorite Jenna Lou bag?  She'll be there too.  I love, love, LOVE supporting handmade/crafty/independent folks like this, it's like Etsy come to life.  I have been trying to cut back on my shopping, but I plan on at least breezing through this event as well as the vintage sale this weekend.  Saturday could be a full day!  And we're already halfway to the weekend!  Yay!

*As always I link because I love, this is not a sponsored post, I just want to support my friends who part of these events by advertising a bit for them - you won't regret shopping either event, that is for sure!*