A few months ago, I shared with you some silly conversations I’ve had with my husband, Nick, as a mushy little tribute to him and his ability to always make me laugh. One of the reasons we’re complete opposites is because he has a very dry, sarcastic sense of humor while mine is very silly, and it makes for some interesting exchanges. And as such, these silly exchanges just keep on coming. Today I thought I would share some more little conversations with you in hopes of making you chuckle to brighten up this gray and dreary Tuesday.

It’s like he reads my mind.
Me: I feel really weak.
Nick: That’s because you’re sick and haven’t been eating well. Don’t worry, you’re not going to die of weakness overnight.

Womp, womp.
Me: Let’s tell each other jokes all day
Nick: You know I don’t know jokes
Me: Hmm, make some up
[pause] Nick: How many miles did your car have?
Me: Idk, how many? 😀
Nick: I don’t remember, that’s why I asked
Me: Oh, I thought it was a joke

My very own Ron Swanson.
Me: Give me a list of the tools you want.
Nicholas: Oh man…that’s a broad question.  All of them?
Me: Sure (thinking he was asking if I wanted him to list *all* the tools he wants)
Nicholas: No, I mean all of them. I want all of the tools.
Me: LOL, okay
Nicholas: No wait, I’m afraid what you heard was I want a lot of tools. What I said was I want ALL of the tools!

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While listening to 90s R&B as we painted our bedroom, No Scrubs came on.
Nick: That’s just prudent; why would they both need to drive their cars downtown?
Me: It’s because he doesn’t have a car of his own.
Nick: Well, that’s different
Me: Don’t act like you don’t know what TLC is bringing to you, son!

Right after we got married.
I walk out of the bedroom this morning to make my coffee and find Nick sitting on the couch with his tablet. He looks up at me and says, “I made your coffee…because that’s what husbands do.” This is definitely love.

Once again, I believe that not only do we make a great team, but we’re also really fun to be around. There’s never a dull moment! These conversations are just one of the many, many reasons I love him so much.

Y’all, with all of this snowy winter weather, I have been in full-on hibernation mode. Where I live, it started sleeting on Friday evening which turned to snow that didn’t let up until Saturday evening, resulting in about 2 inches of beautiful fluffy snow on top of an inch of pure ice. I had every intention of taking fun outfit pictures in the snow, but when it came right down to it, it was just too cold! The low on Sunday was in the single digits. That’s rare for these parts of NC so Nick, the dog, and I stayed bundled up indoors. Luckily, I got some mirror photos/selfies of a few past outfits that I’ll share with you instead. As usual, apologies for the quality but it was the best I could do under the circumstances.

Gingham shirt: Target | Vest: Old Navy | Pants: Loft | Shoes: Old Navy 

I wore this gingham/vest combo on Thursday (and then again on Friday) to run errands before the wintery bottom dropped out of the sky. It’s been on my list to wear for a while but I was afraid the pants would be uncomfortable since they’re not maternity, but I was pleasantly surprised how well they held up with just a belly band. The shirt is struggling a bit against the belly, though, so I might have to retire this one until after the baby arrives.

Sweater: Banana Republic | Skirt: Target | Boots: Old Navy | Scarf: Target

I wore this cute little sweater/skirt combo to meet with my career coach to learn how to improve my resume. She gave me some really good tips that I’m hoping will land me a job sooner rather than later. This was taken when I was only about 6 months along (so about 1.5 months ago) and the career coach had no idea I was pregnant until I told her. Looking at this photo now, I can understand why. Tiny little bump!

Sweater and Tank: Banana Republic | Jeans: Target (Liz Lange Maternity) | Boots: BP Trolley via Nordstrom | Necklace: via Le Tote

I wear this outfit all. the. time. Seriously, it has become my go-to outfit for everything from errands to doctor appointments to hanging out to whatever. I love the layered look and it’s really comfortable and the boots make it feel even more stylish. I don’t really know what else to say about it except that I love it.

Sweater: J. Crew Outlet | Vest and Jeans: Banana Republic | Boots: Old Navy | Necklace: via Francesca’s

So, this was a really cute outfit but an example of one that didn’t quite work so I had to change it up a bit. These are not maternity jeans and they did not hold up well with the belly band. I wore this outfit to do some shopping and after my first stop I came home to change because I was literally pulling my pants up every 3 seconds. Very uncomfortable. The purple sweater/vest/purple boots combo, however, is on point so all I did was change into a pair of light washed, distressed maternity jeans and got the same effect.

 Anyway, I hope you’re all having a happy Friday and not tucked up in bed bed all day to avoid the back luck that is thought to come on Friday the 13th! Did you know that there are TWO Friday the 13ths in 2017?  January 13th (today) and October 13. Everyone beware, mwah-ha-ha! 😀

2016 was a bumpy year for Nick and me. It started out great; Nick and I got healthy and lost some weight, and I finally had a job with some vacation time so we visited my best friend for a week in Los Angeles. Then we experienced a heartbreak we never knew was possible when we suddenly lost our little Chihuahua and the love of our lives, Chico, to complications from adrenal cancer. It happened so quickly that I’m still recovering from the trauma but my therapist has helped a lot. On the flip side, the year ended with a very much-wanted and planned pregnancy and the thrill of waiting to welcome our baby boy in the spring. My Instagrams (from my personal account) are a reflection of the year, with a focus on the positive so I’d like to share my favorite ones with you.

Spending a freezing winter morning in February with a cup of coffee and a book.

Chico is taking a rest in the fresh spring grass. We would soon learn that he had developed arthritis in his hips.

Spring in my neighborhood. This beautiful tree is in my neighbor’s yard and the color of the flowers against the color of the sky is stunning!

2016 was the year we got healthy and spent a lot of time eating better and working out at the gym.

Toes in the sand during a girls’ weekend at the beach.

My sweet, silly Chico with his eyes closed. I miss him more than anything.

Summer date night with sushi and beer. This was taken at the bottle shop.

Homemade churro cupcake for brunch club, courtesy of Nick. Yum!

NCsquared travels to Los Angeles, CA.

NCsquared in California. That’s the Santa Monica Pier behind us.

My sweet Mia. If ever there was a daddy’s girl dog, she is it.

Mia is getting a little brother in March!

This photo warms my heart. Mia has never been much for burrowing or being covered up (that was Chico’s expertise) but when I brought this blanket home, she fell in love with it and claimed it as her own. She even laid in it like this for a while.

24 weeks pregnant.

NCsquared at the Durham Holiday Parade.

Christmas dog. Mia waiting patiently until she can open her presents. She got a new squeaky toy and plenty of treats for Christmas.

Hello Monday Linkup | Confident Twosday

Apologies for the title; that’s a lot of acronyms! Lace Little Black Dress for New Year’s Eve. I wore this cute little lace dress for my New Year’s Eve/Birthday party this year. I actually bought it last year to wear to a party we were attending while visiting friends in Washington, D.C. but I was so tired by the time we got there and had dinner that I didn’t feel like changing. Plus, it was really cold and I just wanted to be comfortable. The original plan this year was to wear it with thick black tights and a cute pair of ankle boots, but since I was warm in my house, I just threw on some flats. They’re must easier for this mama-to-be to walk around in anyway!

This isn’t a maternity dress as you probably gathered from the fact that I bought it last year, but with me not working and therefore not having a clothing budget anymore, I have to make do with what I have. I think it worked okay. I was a little concerned about the length, as I don’t normally like wearing dresses this short (unless it’s summer, then I might make an exception) but Nick repeatedly assured me it was okay. I probably should have worn some tights anyway.

On my birthday, I was 28 weeks+1 day pregnant, and I just couldn’t resist showing off the bump!

Happy birthday to me!

Dress: Target | Necklace: Francesca’s | Shoes: Old Navy | Tiara: Party City

I hope you’re all staying warm in these winter storms we’ve been having. Until next time…

Hello Monday Linkup | Start the Week Stylish | Confident Twosday

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Every year I set resolutions and every year I only make it about halfway to completing them. Well, some years I’m more successful than others, but mostly I’d say it’s 50/50 that I complete everything I want to do. One of my favorite resolutions was to try at least 6 new things in 2012. I think I did maybe 3-4 things, but I have a lot of good memories of them so I would say it was a success. This year I have several resolutions I’m hoping I can stick to.

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Life

Focus more on experiences and less on material things. This seems like a good one to start now with the little one on the way. I want him to have so many fun experiences that will help shape his life and personality. I will focus on trips, events, and local outings that will instill in him a love of community and adventure. Saturday morning farmers’ markets, trips to the park, and petting goats in a petting zoo; these are the experiences I want him to have.

Focus on my health and learning as much as I can about the rest of my pregnancy, labor & deliver, and being a good mother. I’m a pretty healthy person to begin with but it’s easy to fall off the wagon, especially now that I still have really strong sugar cravings. I want to make sure I’m being mindful of what I eat and how much exercise I’m getting, both now and after the baby comes. This is also a good one to start now so that I can model it for my son when he gets older to ensure he grows up as healthy as possible. I’m already signed up to take all of the necessary classes — childbirth, postpartum and newborn care, breastfeeding, etc. — but I will also research some parenting methods and choose the one that I think will be right for my family.

Read more books. My initial goal was to read at least one book per month, but I realize that might be slightly difficult when I’m sleep deprived and taking care of a newborn. Maybe just 6 books this year? No matter the number I decide, I will put the phone/social media apps down and pick up books more. I received so many good ones for Christmas this year that my list is already halfway made so, as long as I spend my time wisely I think I can do it.

Write more letters/send more cards to my friends and family. You know that feeling you get when you open the mailbox and find a handwritten envelop containing a handwritten letter or card? For me, it’s awesome and I’m so grateful because it lets me know someone is thinking about me. This year, I will not only take more time to think about the people in my life but to show them that I’m thinking of them with a nice letter.

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Blog

Write more content. It’s not that I don’t love taking picture of my outfits but I’ve always wanted to be a writer because I love writing. When I was a kid, I wrote stories all the time and won several school and county contests with them. Somewhere along the line I stopped writing for fun and I want to get that back. So, along with journaling more and writing more stories for myself, I will focus on creating some original and fun content for the blog. I’m not sure what that looks like yet but I think I can make it happen. And don’t worry, there will still be plenty of outfit posts!

Post more often. Along those lines, I will make sure I’m posting more often. I’m aiming for 3-4 posts per week. That seems simple enough but when life gets busy, it’s easy to put blogging to the side. But I will do a better job of holding myself accountable and if I’m writing more content, then posting more often shouldn’t be a problem.

Take better pictures. When Nick bought me a fancy camera for Christmas a few years ago, I was so excited to learn all about lighting and camera settings and all those things that would make my pictures look amazing. I read a few articles and tried a few things but I never really put much effort into it. This year, I resolve to learn and comprehend more about lighting, ISO, aperture, exposure, focus, etc. etc. This also applies to my Instagram photos, as well.

Grow my readership. I think this is every blogger’s goal, and while I don’t necessarily look to become famous or anything like that, I would like to create content that is fun and engaging for a lot of people and, therefore, gain more readers. I’m going to start following some of the advice offered by other bloggers on how to grow your blog, pay more attention to SEO, take better photos, etc. so that I can really start to feel successful in this little hobby of mine.

There you have it: four life goals and four blog goals. I’m feeling super optimistic about this year and the future, so I’m telling myself I can do it. And I really believe that I can! I’ll also try my best to follow up with periodic check-ins to help hold myself accountable. What are your New Year’s Resolutions?