I’ve been looking to add some color options to my bottoms that aren’t just dark or light denim so when I saw these pants, I was drawn to them. While they look purple, they’re actually more burgundy. Either way, I like them. They aren’t maternity pants but luckily my belly is still small enough to use my BellaBand, which means that I’ll be able to wear them after baby gets here.

Fall in NC is pretty unpredictable. It can be almost 80 degrees one day and then down in the 50s the next day. That’s a true story; it happened just this weekend. But we’ve had enough of a chill in the air lately that I can wear my new blanket scarf. Because layers are an essential part of a Fall wardrobe, this scarf is pretty ideal. Plus the colors will go with anything!

Here’s the fun one: Check out my cool momma-to-be modeling pose… or something like that.

Sweater and Skinnies: Loft | Scarf: Old Navy | Flats: Gap Outlet

Linkups: Start the Week Stylish

Thanksgiving is just around the corner so I’d like to take some time ahead of the holiday to reflect on the things in my life for which I am the most thankful. Thankful Thursday is a weekly series for the month of November.

With the holidays upon us and expecting a baby in the spring, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I grew up. Parenting styles and decisions are extremely personal but they often originate with what we know, which is our own experiences with how we were raised and the traditions of our families before us. Nick and I have created a couple of new, small traditions of our own since getting married, like purchasing a new ornament for our tree every Christmas, and now that we have a baby on the way, I’m really excited to establish our own family traditions. So this Thursday, I’m thankful for all of the wonderful traditions and practices I have to draw from as we start our family.

My family has always made a big deal out of birthdays and holidays, and I love it. We all come together, eat good food, and open gifts when the occasion calls for it. My aunt always bakes a cake or makes some kind of dessert. My uncle is almost always in charge of the gravy. My dad carves the turkey or operates the grill in the summertime. My grandmother makes coleslaw (we are from the south, afterall).

My brother and I would help my mom put up and decorate the Christmas tree. Sometimes we would go pick one out of a lot, sometimes it would come from our back yard (seriously, we lived in the woods), and one time we dug the tree up, roots and all, and then planted it after Christmas. It lived for so long after that! Due to crazy work schedules and dispersed families, we would celebrate Christmas Eve with the extended family by enjoying a feast and opening all of our presents, and then Christmas Day would be much more low key with just the four of us in my immediate family: mom, dad, brother, and me.

I’m not sure yet how we’ll navigate the holidays once the baby is born since our families live on opposite sides from the state from each other and we don’t want to deprive any grandparents of holiday time with the little one. Luckily we have some time to figure it out. But I know one thing for sure: I’m extremely thankful to be so close to my family and to have traditions that make the holidays so memorable.

This isn’t the first time I’ve copied an outfit from Audrey from Putting Me Together and it certainly won’t be the last. Her style is the most relatable for me because she keeps her pieces affordable and comfortable yet still in style with the times. When I saw her Comfortable Fall Outfit and realized  that I already had the same or similar pieces (but not on purpose this time; it’s just because my style is already very similar to hers), I knew I would be playing copycat again. However, I’m planning to wear my version for Thanksgiving dinner with my families — yes, I will most likely be wearing it twice to two separate dinners, sorry not sorry — so I wanted to dress it up a little. Of course I had to accentuate the bump by adding a belt around my waist. And even though you can’t see it very well in the photos, I added a sparkly necklace that looks really nice in person, which gives it a hint of sophistication. I also added a jeweled headband and a sparkly clutch. Voila, instant dinner outfit!

This is a great outfit to transition into winter as well, because as the temperature drops, I plan on wearing it with black tights and black ankle boots. Throw in a black scarf under my coat and I’ll be good to go. By the way, this isn’t a maternity dress, it’s a regular swing dress from Old Navy, but it is PERFECT for my bump. I’m considering purchasing, like, a million more of these bad boys.

Here’s the fun blooper: Eyes closed while adjusting my sleeves. This is probably what I look like most of the time in life. At least there’s still a smile on my face!

Dress, Cardigan, and Shoes: Old Navy | Necklace: Francesca’s | Belt: Target | Clutch: Nordstrom | Headband: J. Crew Outlet

Linkups:  WIWW Tucker Up

We all know that Pinterest is great for inspiration, especially when it comes to putting together cute outfits, yummy new recipes, and DIY  projects to save you money. Sometimes the content you find seems too good to be true and, in my opinion, that’s usually because it is. However, there are a few Pinterest hacks that really do work, and they work so well that I use them on a regular basis. They’ve changed my life so much that of course I have to share them with you!  Click or use your arrow keys to read through the hacks I use.

Which hack do you think would make your life easier?

Fox sweaters are everywhere, aren’t they? And for good reason: they’re adorable. This is the second fox sweater I’ve purchased but not for lack of wanting all of the others. I would wear all of them if I could. Anyway, we’re finally starting to get a little bit of a chill in the air here in NC, so I was excited to throw on a sweater and my tall boots for the first time this season. I wore this outfit several times in the past week, the first to hang out with some of my colleagues and then again to do some outlet shopping on Saturday. My hang out session with colleagues was actually to commiserate with each other over our recent layoffs from the nonprofit we were working for. It’s a bummer and now I have to get back out in the job market, but I got this little fox to cheer me up.

Look at that cute little 21-week baby bump!

It was really chilly out on Saturday so I added the navy puffer vest for a little extra warmth. I hate that it covers up the fox, but you do what you gotta do, right? Gotta keep the bump warm. But I love all these colors together, the orange, navy, and cognac. They’re perfect for fall.

And here’s the fun one: I wanted to show how the fox’s tail wraps around the side of the sweater but I wasn’t sure what to do with my arm so I was joking around with Nick and he took this photo. It’s cute because I’m goofy!

Sweater: Loft | Denim: Banana Republic | Boots: Steve Madden | Necklace: Francesca’s | Vest: Gap

Linkups: Let it Shine | Hello Monday Linkup | Weekend Wear Linkup | Link Up On The Edge | Mix it Monday | Start the Week Stylish