OOTD: Winter Blues

Today I decided to "winterize" my blue bicycle dress since it's a bit chilly outside. I remember seeing some other bloggers add a long-sleeve t-shirt under short-sleeve shirtdresses like this one and I think it's a cute look. Add some warm brown tights, a belt, and some comfy shoes, and it's an outfit perfect for work and running errands.

Two-Wheeler Dress (Anthropologie)
Grey long-sleeve t-shirt (Gap)
Brown belt (Anthropologie)
Brown ribbed tights (Walmart)
Blue Suede Shoes (Naturalizer)
Daisy Necklace (Maurices)

Here's a look back at how I wore this dress during the summer to a baseball game. I love that this dress is versatile enough to wear during multiple seasons and its fun print always brings a smile to my face!



What's your favorite way to winterize a piece of clothing that you previously associated with another season? Isn't it a great way to stretch your wardrobe further?! :-)

My First Maternity Clothes, Wishlist, & An Anthro Review

I mentioned in my last post that I got to do some shopping this weekend for my first maternity clothes! Luckily I lost some weight before I got pregnant so I've been able to hold out on buying any new clothes for quite awhile. I think my days of belting are numbered though! ;-) In preparation, my mom got me a few things from the maternity section at Old Navy to get my maternity wardrobe started.

I got this pretty purple polka dot shirt which will be nice and light this summer:



A cute pair of maternity jeans was a must-have for me. I opted for the low-rise style for now but might try the full panel kind later when I'm bigger.



I think these yoga pants are soon going to become my new best friend! ;-) They are so comfy!



Here are some other things on my "Maternity wardrobe" wishlist:

Pretty, flowy shirts like this new one I just spotted online at Old Navy:



Stretchy jersey and wrap style dresses like this cute one from the Gap:



A denim pencil skirt is another must-have item:



Since I live in Florida and will be pregnant during the summer, I'm going to need a cute bathing suit. I like the style of this one from A Pea in the Pod but wish it came in navy or red with polka dots. This grey might be too dull on my pale skin.



While I'm excited about the new styles I'll be exploring as my baby bump grows bigger, I still plan to incorporate as much as I can from my regular wardrobe too, especially my favorite Anthro pieces. My mom and I popped into Anthro at the end of our shopping trip and I tried on the Sing Sweetly Party Dress. Surprisingly, it still fit and there was room for an expanding belly. If it's still around at sale time I might just have to pick it up!



I really like the top part of the dress and even though I don't normally go for strapless styles, this one worked for me. The print is adorable and it looked really cute with this sweater that was hanging with it on display. Even though the colors of the dress are navy and green, the pale yellow of the sweater was a nice color pairing. This dress has gotten rave reviews from tons of other bloggers, so you probably don't need me to tell you, but I highly recommend this dress! :-)

Weekend OOTD

This was my outfit from Friday and I even managed to snap a few pictures outside at the park near the grocery store. :-)

Maroon Sweater (Ann Taylor)
Shine-Through Blouse (Anthropologie)
Anselle Necklace (Anthropologie)
Tiered Skirt (Ruche)
Looping Lanes Belt (Anthropologie)
Brown Herringbone Tights (Kohls)
Red Shoes (Naturalizer via Kohls)

I hope everyone had a nice weekend! It was overcast and a little rainy but we did some fun things outside at a couple of parks and nature trails both days. I also got to do a little shopping with my mom on Saturday morning for my first maternity clothes! I'll post about that tomorrow. Back to work for me now! :-)

Shifting Feathers OOTD & Reading Recommendations

First, here's an outfit from a few days ago. I love this dress and I've found so many ways to wear it. I built this outfit around the shoes because it was rainy and these patent leather flats are best on a day like that. I've worn this dress before with black shoes and a black sweater but decided to keep black as just an accent this time by adding the skinny black belt. I like how it turned out and I was super comfy! ;-)

Shifting Feathers Dress (Anthropologie)
Roaming Frills Cardigan (Anthropologie)
Skinny Belt (J Crew)
Pessinus Garden Necklace (Anthropologie)
Nude Fishnet Tights (JC Pennys)
Black Shoes (Steinmart)

And now for my fellow bookworms:

I've been doing a lot of reading lately (beyond my usual research work and baby book readings) and wanted to share some of my favorites with you.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
I finished this last weekend and was going to do a mini-review but I'm having a hard time thinking of what to say about it without giving too much away. I do highly recommend it if you like long books that take you on an epic journey through mysterious and fascinating places and back in time. I love the way this book brings together the stories of different characters, spanning several different time periods. If you're interested in history then you will enjoy this book. The author cleverly ties the story of Dracula to the real-life Vlad the Impaler. If you're expecting Twilight vampires though you'll be disappointed. Dracula isn't actually in the novel very much. If you like this book, I also recommend Kostova's other novel, The Swan Thieves, which is equally as intriguing.

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
Right now I'm in the middle of this amazing book! I seriously love Morton's writing style and I've gushed over her other novels The Forgotten Garden and The House at Riverton before. These books remind me of the things I loved about classics like The Secret Garden and Little Women but they're more grown up and a little darker at times. I'll do a review of this one when I'm done.

Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor
Although I read mostly fiction, I also love a good piece of non-fiction occasionally, especially when it involves travel. I'm listening to this book on CD while doing errands and during my Wednesday night commutes. I've only heard the first two CD's but I can already tell you that this is a beautifully written book about a mother and daughter and their trip together through Greece, Turkey, and France. It alternates back and forth between the mother's voice and the daughter's, creating a well-balanced mix. I see a lot of myself in both the daughter and the mother. I also bought this book for my own mother for Christmas and I really hope she reads it and enjoys it as much as I do.

Anyone else have any good books to add to the recommendation list?

Have a happy Friday! :-)

An OOTD & Shoe Lust

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately! I haven't managed to get pictures of very many outfits recently but here's one from last week that I liked. This one was inspired by an outfit that Sara from You, Me & Anthropologie wore here. This navy skirt is actually a little too big and I had been thinking about getting it altered but now that I'm pregnant I'm glad that I didn't! I'll get to wear it longer! ;-)

Shirt (Old Navy)
Navy Skirt (Anthropologie)
Grey Snakebite Belt (Anthropologie)
Grey Tights (Target)
Red Shoes (Kohls)

If you love shoes as much as me, check out yesterday's post on the blog Wardrobe Review -- here. I'm drooling over all the pretty Chie Mihara shoes for the Spring/Summer line. Aren't the polka dot heels in the first picture so adorable?! My favorite pair is the "Lara" style. Too bad this brand of shoes is so expensive. :-( I can dream though, right?

And search Ebay. ;-) I continue to look for this pair of Chies from last year, hoping to snag them for a reasonable price someday.....

A few of this week's outfits & 2 little cuties

Yesterday I wore my cheery yellow skirt as part of an outfit inspired by Kendi. See her version here. I liked the idea of pairing my gold skirt with this dark navy polka dot blouse and then adding the contrasting maroon color with the tights. My husband even commented that he liked the tights.

Dark Navy Polka Dot Blouse (LOFT)
Field Skirt (Anthropologie)
Looping Lanes Belt (Anthropologie)
Maroon Tights (Hue)
Wedges (Target)

Close up of navy & white polka dots with gold & brown:



My other outfit is from Wednesday and it was just something that I threw together quickly. The flash was so bright when this picture was taken that it's hard to see the white top part of the dress that I wore under the red cardigan.

Jacqueline Dress (Anthropologie)
Breezy Polkas Cardigan (Anthropologie)
Grey Snakebite Belt (Anthropologie)
Fishnets Tights (JCPennys)
Red Mary-Janes (Kohls)

Close up of the texture of the tights and my red shoes:



And here are my two cute furballs wondering why I'm taking pictures of my shoes. ;-)
Jefferson:


Bailey:

Random Thoughts

First of all, THANK YOU so much for all of your wonderful messages in response to my baby news! I appreciate all the support and encouragement. I've been really excited to tell all of you and I'm so happy to be a part of a blogging community that is so kind and supportive.

--I had a doctors appointment this morning and got to hear the heartbeat! I'm scheduled for a sono on Feb. 21 and we'll get to find out if it's a boy or a girl. Yay! Can't wait!

--Someone asked if we've started thinking of names. We have but we're going to keep it a secret until the baby is born. ;-) We like names that are a bit unusual (not made up names, just not super traditional). We're getting inspiration from Greek mythology, Latin, Italian, and interesting people in history. Boy names have been more difficult for us. Surprisingly it's been my husband who has been much better at this than me! It's so cute to see him get really into it and he's spent hours looking at baby name websites and making lists for me.

--I just saw this morning that the UK-based clothing store Boden has a new maternity line! Check it out here. Cute stuff! I especially love this dress:


--In non-baby news, I've been kind of shoe-obsessed lately. The black boots I was wearing in my previous post are new. They're J Crew via Ebay. I've been stalking that particular style for over a year and finally found them for an amazing buy-it-now price so I had to pounce. Love them!

--I've also been thinking ahead to footwear for spring and summer. I like the Seychelles "Get Outta Town" flats that were popular last year and you can still find a few available online. My favorites are the yellow and the pewter. I also like the Seychelles "Bette" flats (a few still left online in limited colors and sizes). But then Jan posted a link last night to the Seychelles "Cream of the Crop" sandals and I like them even better! A little more searching led me to a similar pair on Target's website. I'm going to try to track them down later this week and see how I like the color and fit. Has anyone else come across these at their local Target store? If so, please let us know what you thought of them!

--Besides babies and shoes, I've been thinking about how awesome the movie "The King's Speech" was. Has anyone else seen it yet? Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush were excellent, as I expected. I hope it wins a bunch of awards because they will be well-deserved!

--Last, I've been getting back to reading on my Kindle a little bit everyday after neglecting it for a few weeks. I'm more than half-way done with The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I'll try to post a review when I'm finished. In the meantime, check out this recent post by Tania, fashion-blogger and fellow-academic, who gave some great book recommendations. I second Atonement and Dracula as must-reads, and I've already added Ex Libris and White Teeth to my "to-read" list.

Well, I better get back to work (writing and researching)! Have a great day everyone!